ANNA KREBS
ANNA.
My mother, Anna, the youngest of the 10 Krebs children,
was born in 1877. She was just nine years old when she moved with her family
to Oregon after their father's death
She already showed a strong musical talent, and
had studied with a piano teacher at boarding-school.
After she was graduated from Mt. Angel College, an older brother,
Conrad, financed her trip to Europe to study with Leschetizki, a famous
piano teacher in Vienna, Paderewski was in the class along with Clara Clemens,
Mark Twain's daughter, and they all became friends.
Shortly after she arrived, Anna developed a nagging
toothache. Luckily someone she knew had a good dentist, and she went
to see him.
It turned out that her dentist's wife was the aunt
of the Empress of Austria! Their story has a sort of fairy-tale quality.
When they were young they fell in love, and longed to marry, but court
rules were very strict; he was not only a commoner but American to boot.
For several years the court refused to allow their marriage. However, finally
relenting, they conferred on him an honorary noble title, actually the
lowest possible: "Geheimrat von Esmarck". At last they were married.
Because of their generous interest in her, Anna,
a mere country girl from America, attended several fancy balls at court
with them. One evening she was presented to the Emperor and Empress
of Austria!
She loved telling about those glamorous occasions:
wearing her full-skirted ball-gown, and waltzing with the dashing officers
to the glorious music of Strauss! "Around and around we whirled, and at
the end of the dance the ballroom was whirling too!"
Anna was at last ready for her concert
tour of Europe, but in spite of all her dreams and hard work, this joyful
and much longed-for triumph would never happen.
Actually she had worked too hard; without her teacher's
knowledge she had been practicing 8 hours a day to prepare herself for
the tour, The strain on her arms caused a condition much like "writer's
cramp."
Her doctor sent her to a spa, where it was hoped
the treatments would help, but to no avail; she had no choice but to abandon
her dream of being a concert pianist. And so, at the age of 21 Anna returned
to her mother's house and her large, welcoming family in the little town
or Salem, Oregon, and began to pick
up the threads of her life; renewing friendships, teaching piano, and
making music with her family, all of which helped to distract her from
grieving over the sad loss of her dream.
Falling in love with my father, Angus, came at a
perfect time in her life. They were ideally suited and deeply in love;
even the age difference--she was 25 and he 50--seemed only to enhance their
marriage.
Though they both longed to have a child, it was
15 long years, and after they had moved to Portland and my father had retired,
that I finally came into their lives, Being parents at last was, they told
me, a big and wonderful change in life-style for them.
They were marvelous parents, and I am more grateful
to them than I can ever say.
NEXT: ANNA'S STORIES.
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