Of Exile and Music

This fascinating autobiography is set against the backdrop of some of the most dramatic episodes of the twentieth century. It is the story of a stubborn struggle against unjust regimes, sustained by a deep belief in the strength of the human spirit and the transcendental power of music. It is also an account of a rich spiritual life, during which the author has built upon her Jewish roots through the study of Eastern philosophy and meditation. Born in Germany, Eva Mayer Schay's early childhood in Mallorca was an idyllic one. Her parents had emigrated to the island following the Nazi party's rise to power, but in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, the family was repatriated to Germany. Her father was arrested and given the choice of concentration camp or departing for Italy. They managed to leave Mussolini's Italy for South Africa before the race laws were implemented. During World War II, Mayer Schay's parents were classed as "e;enemy aliens"e; in South Africa, which led to considerable hardship. Her father died in 1945, after the end of the war. She went through all her schooling and university in Johannesburg, continued her musical studies in London, and after returning to Johannesburg, taught violin, played chamber music, and became a member of the SABC Symphony Orchestra. Defying apartheid, she was fired, later reinstated, but left Johannesburg to play with the Durban Civic Orchestra in 1959. Appalled at the increasing harshness of the nationalist government and by the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, she and her mother finally emigrated to England in 1961.In London, Mayer Schay worked as freelance violinist and was married in 1967. In September 1968, she joined the orchestra of Sadler's Wells Opera at the Coliseum Theatre, later renamed English National Opera, where she remained for almost thirty years.

This fascinating autobiography is set against the backdrop of some of the most dramatic episodes of the twentieth century. It is the story of a stubborn struggle against unjust regimes, sustained by a deep belief in the strength of the human spirit and the transcendental power of music. It is also an account of a rich spiritual life, during which the author has built upon her Jewish roots through the study of Eastern philosophy and meditation. Born in Germany, Eva Mayer Schay's early childhood in Mallorca was an idyllic one. Her parents had emigrated to the island following the Nazi party's rise to power, but in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, the family was repatriated to Germany. Her father was arrested and given the choice of concentration camp or departing for Italy. They managed to leave Mussolini's Italy for South Africa before the race laws were implemented. During World War II, Mayer Schay's parents were classed as "enemy aliens" in South Africa, which led to considerable hardship. Her father died in 1945, after the end of the war. She went through all her schooling and university in Johannesburg, continued her musical studies in London, and after returning to Johannesburg, taught violin, played chamber music, and became a member of the SABC Symphony Orchestra. Defying apartheid, she was fired, later reinstated, but left Johannesburg to play with the Durban Civic Orchestra in 1959. Appalled at the increasing harshness of the nationalist government and by the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, she and her mother finally emigrated to England in 1961.In London, Mayer Schay worked as freelance violinist and was married in 1967. In September 1968, she joined the orchestra of Sadler's Wells Opera at the Coliseum Theatre, later renamed English National Opera, where she remained for almost thirty years.

Introduction
Part One—Europe
Chapter One: A Childhood Idyll—Mallorca, 1933 to 1936
Chapter Two: Return to Germany—August 1936
Chapter Three: Milan—August to October 1936
Part Two—South Africa
Chapter Four: South Africa, the Early Years—October 1936 to September 1939
Chapter Five: Wartime—from September 1939, aged eight
Chapter Six: Music Lessons—1940 onward
Chapter Seven: The Later War Years—up to May 1945
Chapter Eight: My Father’s Death—August 24, 1945
Chapter Nine: The Aftermath—after August 1945
Chapter Ten: Ruth—1941 to 1953
Chapter Eleven: Growing Up—1947 to 1949
Part Three—Student Years
Chapter Twelve: Student Life—Wits, March 1950 to December 1952
Chapter Thirteen: London, Winter and Spring 1953—Music
Chapter Fourteen: London, Winter and Spring 1953—People and Places
Chapter Fifteen: England—Summer 1953
Chapter Sixteen: New Perspectives—1954
Chapter Seventeen: Strobl am Wolfgangsee—August 1954
Chapter Eighteen: Interlude with My Mother—Spring 1955
Chapter Nineteen: Love Story—Summer 1955 to September 1956
Chapter Twenty: Return Journey—September 1956
Part Four—Work, Politics
Chapter Twenty-One: Johannesburg—October 1956 to mid-1958
Chapter Twenty-Two: Johannesburg, a New Turn of Events—mid- to end of 1958
Chapter Twenty-Three: A Newcomer in Durban—1959
Chapter Twenty-Four: Nancy, Politics, and the Murder of Figaro—1959 and 1960
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Royal Ballet in South Africa—1960
Chapter Twenty-Six: Last Months in Durban—late 1960 to February 1961
Part Five—England
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Farewell to Africa—February to March 1961
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Third Immigration—March 1961 to December 1962
Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Change of Course—1962 to 1965
Chapter Thirty: A New Beginning—1965 to 1967
Chapter Thirty-One: My Years with ENO—1968 to 1998
Chapter Thirty-Two: Life with Henry
Epilogue: Revisiting Mallorca, South Africa, and Germany