Collection of 99 letters, 812 manuscript pages, dated 1 September 1891 to 5 October 1892; letters are tied together with string at the top upper left corners, several letters are chipped at edges, otherwise in good condition, written in ink, in a legible hand.
Most
of the letters were written from Leipzig, Germany, by 16 - 17 year -old Emilie
Hablitzel to her mother and father, Edward and Lena Hablitzel, of Waterbury, Connecticut,
and her younger sisters Ida and Lucy. Emilie went to Germany to study music
under Theodor Coccius at the famed Königliches Konservatorium der Musik zu
Leipzig (formerly called Conservatorium der Musik) founded by composer Felix
Mendelssohn. The correspondence contains
much on Emilie’s lessons with Coccius, her progress, the pieces she was working
on, the daily regimen, events, and concerts of the school, the social
activities with other students at her boarding house, as well as trips around
Leipzig and its suburbs. Two letters in April of 1892 were written from
Dresden, Germany. She also appears to have traveled within Germany during the
summer before departing home and wrote from several cities including: one
letter from Gotha and seven letters from Markt-sleft, Bavaria. She also wrote
two letters from Ludwigshafen am Rhein and two letters from Hamback, also in
August of 1892.
Emilie
Hablitzel (1875-1941)
Emilie
Hablitzel was born about 1875, the daughter of Edward Hablitzel (1841- ?) and
his wife Lena (1854-?). Her parents were German immigrants from Wurttemberg.
Her father immigrated as a child in 1850, settling in Waterbury, Connecticut,
where he found work in a button shop (1880 Census) and later worked as a tool
maker (1900 and 1910 Census). The family lived on Main Street. Emilie (Amelia)
had two younger sisters: Ida born in July of 1878 and Lucy, born about April
1883.
Emilie
went to Leipzig, Germany to study music when she was16 years old. She traveled
by steamer to Germany with her mother and after getting settled in, her mother returned
to America. Emilie was living in Leipzig from September 1891 to October 1892 and
did some traveling within Germany during her stay. A ship manifest for the ship
Erns, shows her leaving Bremen,
Germany and arriving at the Port of New York on 18 October 1892, events borne
out in the correspondence offered here.
Emilie
studied at the Königliches Konservatorium der Musik zu Leipzig (formerly called
Conservatorium der Musik) under German pianist and pedagogue Theodor Coccius
(1824-1897). Coccius was born in Knauthain near Leipzig in 1824. He was a pupil
of Sigismond Thalberg. He taught at the Leipzig Conservatory from 1864 for the
rest of his life, alongside Ignaz Moscheles and Carl Reinecke. His notable
pupils included Oskar Merikanto, Aleksander Michałowski (1867–69), and Algernon
Ashton. He was the elder brother of the ophthalmologist Ernst Adolf Coccius
(1825-1890). He died in Leipzig in 1897, aged 73. Today the Königliches
Konservatorium der Musik zu is known as Hochschule für Musik und Theater
"Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig. The school was founded 1843 by
composer Felix Mendelssohn as the Conservatorium der Musik (Conservatory of
Music) and is the oldest university school of music in Germany.
Once
back in America Emilie Hablitzel became a music teacher in her hometown of Waterbury;
she married physician/surgeon Joseph Andzulatis (1865-1916) on 29 June 1898 in
Waterbury. Emilie is found in the 1890s
city directories for that location until she married and moved to New Britain,
Connecticut where her husband’s practice was located. She is found in the 1910
Census with her husband and daughter Milda in New Britain. Her husband was a
Russian immigrant, who came to America about 1892 and became a naturalized
citizen. He was an allopath and started his practice at New Britain in 1895,
with a license to practice in both Connecticut and Maryland. After her
husband’s premature death on 29 December 1916, she moved back to her hometown
of Waterbury, where is found in that city’s directories in the 1930s. She died
in 1941.
Emilie’s
sisters, Ida and Lucy, both became public school teachers. In 1897, Ida was
appointed to teach sixth grade at the Bishop Street School in Waterbury. Ida is
listed as a teacher in the 1900 Census for Waterbury living with her parents
and sister Lucy. In 1902, Lucy graduated from the Waterbury Training School for
Teachers and became a teacher. Lucy’s first job began that year at the Mill
Plain School teaching 5th to 7th grades. Lucy and Ida are
enumerated in the 1910 and 1920 Census records as public-school teachers. Their
father died sometime between 1910 and 1920, as in 1920 only Ida, Lucy and their
mother were found enumerated together.
Sample
Quotes from the Letters:
“Leipzig,
Ger., Sept 3 /91
Dear
Papa, Mamma, Ida, Lucy,
This morning
I took my first lesson of Coccius and had very good luck. Herr C. says all I
want is strength and so he gave me several very difficult exercise so as I
would get strong in the fingers. He was
very nice to me. He explained thing to me very plain.
There
are four of us in the class and all of them are awfully homely things. I was
the first one to get up and play and when I sat down on the stool Herr C. says
how I want to see how you have picked that out by yourself you have had no one
to help you have you and I said no. So I commenced and he stopped me to tell me
how well I had done. You may believe I felt good and went home as happy as if I
had won millions of dollars.
Fraülein
Schawbe said to me the other morning that she had said to her sister that by my
practice she could hear that I was going to be more than an ordinary player.
The
girls are very nice they come in to see me in the daytime often when I am not
practicing. In the evening after supper we go over to Schawbe’s and take our
work and crochet until we go to bed, which is not very late. Last night we went
to bed late because we went away. You know it was [Sedan fair]. In the
afternoon we went to see the parade in which 118 societies took part. It was
very nice there were 20 music bands and Oh! what music grand.
In the
evening there was to be fireworks so F. Sena and Miss Fux and I went alone. The
fireworks was great. One out of the lot was a man on bicycle. He was as far
from our house to Hayes St was grand Street looked at first like little lights,
then fire flew from each then they represented a shower of meteors. The whole
half of the sky was sparks just like it shows in the [centuary] we have at
home. Then at last there was a crown and the Prince Albert’s name in fire and
the signs of Hope which were an anchor, heart, cross and all fire. O! it was
grand. I never saw anything like it…
With
all my kisses, your daughter and sister, Emilie”
“Leipzig,
Ger., Papa’s birthday 1891
Dear
Papa, Mama, Ida, Lucy,
I
first of all wish papa a great many more birthdays & hope he is enjoying
it, it being his 50th…
In the
morning when I went to the conservatory, I saw Herr Seifert the one we met in
Weimar and he gave me a ticket for the theater in the evening where I heard
‘Der Freyschütz’ and he gave me another card and told me to come every once a
week with it and he would give me a ticket for some opera which I chose. We
pupils all get tickets once a week and when there is a big concert we only have
to pay half for a ticket. The gen and house concerts are entirely free to us. I
enjoyed that evening very much. The music [was] grand and the singers were also
very fine. ‘Agathe’ in the play sang
very high and she is very young yet. I think she will make an expert. The third
act in which they make the ballets is just so an act as in Foust where the
ghost and skeletons and everything the devil and all such horrid things come
forth but the scenery is grand in this act…
I went
for my music lesson Coc was not there and it said down in the hall that he would
give no lessons that day. So yesterday when I came what did I see but a Coc
with a tied up head a big bandage over his right eye. Just as if he had been
fighting and he looked altogether white and so thin. All he let us girls know
was he had had ‘ungluck’ with his head an eyes. He was real good to e and I
should only keep courage a while
and he see what I can do. I did not
think he would give me a new piece but he did and said I had improved very much
the last week. I have now got Beethoven’s Polonaise.
I have
to say now I only once more wish papa many more birthdays. I will send papa a
flower from my plant for a present…
With
my loves and kisses to you all, your loving daughter and sister, Emilie”
“Leipzig,
Ger. Sept 17, 1891
Dear
Papa, Mama, Ida, Lucy,
As I
said in the other letter that I would write more this afternoon, I will now sit
down and do so. I am sure that Mama is home today telling you all about
everything and everybody. I suppose she was so glad when she landed safe she
could hardly stir. I hope she had a pleasant voyage as it was a long while 12
days against what we took coming over, but if the weather was nice and she was
well, she did not mind it much.
I
cannot tell you how patiently I have been waiting for the news to come in the
paper and finally it did come. Where ever I was I did not enjoy myself like the
others because I thought where can Mama be, but now I am alright and happy as
anybody in the house and even more so. My work will now commence as I told Herr
Coccius I could practice better now than before. H. C. was very anxious about
you too, asking every day when I took my lesson if I heard from Mama and this
morning I told him yes and he said he was glad as he knew I had been worrying
about you. He does not live far from here ad my class is the last one in the
morning so we always go home together as he goes the same way that I do.
Fraulein S asked someone about Coc and that person said that I was very lucky
in getting him and that there was not a better teacher here than him. I had not
had any private lessons yet until last Tuesday and Miss Bird did not know it
and she said one noon at dinner I don’t think Coccius will take the time to
give you private lessons as I heard that he does not give them to anyone unless
if he sees the pupil is very talented and if he takes a notion to them. I did
not like this but I know better for the next day I was to go in the morning to
his house and take a private lesson. F. Schabe did not like it either, but what
could she say. So, the next morning I
went and at noon time they asked me where I had been in the morning at 9 and I
told them well if you had seen the faces on the girls and on Mrs. Bird you
would have laughed and Fraulein S says ‘Now Miss B. that shows that F. H. has
got very much talent and he takes interest in her learning. That’s a compliment
she says.’ That noon Miss B. was stunned and did not say another word about
music. I was there an hour and a half. He gave me a different exercise for the
fingers without the notes. He gave me no notes he just played them once and
then I had to know them and play them. I learnt them so quick that he kept
giving me more. This morning I had a very hard study and one measure was awful
hard…
Your
daughter and sister, Emilie Hablitzel”
“Leipzig,
Ger., Mama’s & Papa, 17 anniversary of their marriage
Dearest
Mama, Papa, Ida, Lucy,
First
of all I wish you many happy returns of the day and hope that you are all well
and enjoying yourselves this very day…
I
generally get up at a little past 7 and then breakfast at 8, from the time I
eat until 9 I take a walk, then I come home and practice 1 ½ hours. Then I go
out for a ½ hour, then I practice until dinner which is always two hours. After
dinner I go out again for a ½ hour and then practice until coffee time which is
1 ½ hours. After coffee I practice again 1 ½ hours until it gets dusk. Then I
put on my hat and coat and go up town with Frl. Jennie or Sena and get
something for supper. After we get back I practice again until supper. After supper
we either dance or go into Frl. Dryers room and take our work, but it is very
little we work we take a book and sing like old harry.
I took a lesson this morning and pleased Herr C. very much. I was the only one
to whom he said good. I have a piece every week and new studies and what
studies. I am nearly through my book of studies. I have had a Rondo by Weber,
op (xx); it is just the nicest little piece you can hold of; it is so lively
and goes real fast. Herr C. has an awful tiny house. Every room is furnished in
different plush furniture and grand. Last week when I took my lesson they were
putting in lovely gas fixtures. His wife is real pleasant. When I go home the
servant stands out in the hall and puts on my cloak and buttons it. Last week
she forgot it and Herr C gave her a scolding. I don’t like it to be so fussed
over like a baby but that is the fashion here with the rich people…
Ever
your loving daughter & sister,
Emilie Hablitzel, Pension Schaube, Braustrasse, No. 1 part. Leipzig”