Early life 1923–1938
Günther Schifter was born in Vienna on 23 December 1923. His passion for jazz and swing became apparent in his early childhood. He himself claimed he could already spell the names “Armstrong” and “Ellington” at the tender age of four, and shellac records (also known as 78s) of his beloved music were top of his wish list for Christmases and birthdays.
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His record collection grew steadily, even in his early childhood, but it wasn't the only form of music he heard growing up, as he also listened to the radio in his parents' flat. In the 1920s and 1930s, concerts were often broadcast live over the wireless, though American jazz wasn't played in Austria quite as often as Schifter would have liked.
Music was also played in public places across Vienna during this period, as record shops broadcast their records into the street to tempt customers in. Hearing these broadcasts only served to deepen Schifter's appreciation of the giants of the Jazz Age.
Schifter's every-growing collection of 78s accompanied him to boarding school at Kalksburg College, in the Liesing district of Vienna. He started learning to play a musical instrument, but his true love was still reserved for his swing and jazz records. In the world of politics, however, the mood music was changing. Schifter's childhood memories also featured the demise of Austrian democracy and the events of the “civil war” of 1934 (also known as the February Uprising) when Fascist and Socialist militias skirmished in the streets. It was a portent of even darker times to come. The arrival of the Nazi regime in Austria 1938 marked a watershed in the then-14-year-old Schifter's life. His father was arrested and forced into early retirement, having been deemed politically unreliable by the new authorities. Kalksburg College, which was run by Jesuits, was closed by the authorities and the young Schifter was transferred to a grammar school (Gymnasium) in Vienna. His beloved jazz and swing were branded “degenerate” by the Nazi authorities.
