36 INTRODUCTORYspirit, nondogmatic in regard to religion, prevailed in the family. Both parents had
themselves been raised that way. Religious matters and precepts were not dis-
cussed' [Ml]. Albert's father was proud of the fact that Jewish rites were not
practised in his home [Rl].
Maja's biographical essay about her brother, completed in 1924, is the main
source of family recollections about Albert's earliest years. It informs us of the
mother's fright at the time of Albert's birth because of the unusually large and
angular back of the baby's head (that uncommon shape of the skull was to be
permanent); of a grandmother's first reaction upon seeing the newest member of
the family: 'Viel zu dick! Viel zu dick!' (much too heavy!); and of early apprehen-
sions that the child might be backward because of the unusually long time before
it could speak [M2]. These fears were unfounded. According to one of Einstein's
own earliest childhood memories, 'when he was between two and three, he formed
the ambition to speak in whole sentences. He would try each sentence out on
himself by saying it softly. Then, when it seemed all right, he would say it out
loud' [SI]. He was very quiet as a young child, preferring to play by himself. But
there was early passion, too. On occasion, he would throw a tantrum. 'At such
moments his face would turn pale, the tip of his nose would become white, and
he would lose control of himself [M2]. On several such occasions, dear little
Albert threw things at his sister. These tantrums ceased when he was about seven.
The relationship between the parents was an harmonious and very loving one,
with the mother having the stronger personality. She was a talented pianist who
brought music into the home so the children's musical education started early.
Maja learned to play the piano. Albert took violin instruction from about the time
he was six until he was thirteen. The violin was to become his beloved instrument,
although playing remained a burdensome duty to him through most of these early
years, in which he took lessons from Herr Schmied [R2]. He taught himself to
play the piano a bit and grew especially fond of improvising on that instrument.
Hermann Einstein, an unruffled, kind-hearted, and rather passive man, loved
by all acquaintances [R3], was fond of literature and in the evenings would read
Schiller and Heine aloud to his family [R4]. (Throughout Albert's life, Heine
remained one of his most beloved authors.) In his high school years, Hermann
had shown evidence of mathematical talent, but his hopes for university study
were not realized because the family could not afford it.
Hermann's venture into the featherbed business was not very successful. Shortly
after Albert's birth, Hermann's enterprising and energetic younger brother Jakob,
an engineer, proposed that together they start a small gas and water installation
business in Munich. Hermann agreed to take care of the business end and also to
invest a substantial part of his and Pauline's funds in the enterprise. In 1880
Hermann and his family moved to Munich, where they registered on June 21.
The modest undertaking opened on October 11 and had a promising beginning,
but Jakob had greater ambitions. A few years later, he proposed starting an elec-
trotechnical factory to produce dynamos, arc lamps, and electrical measuring
equipment for municipal electric power stations and lighting systems. He also