Re: Music and the Holocaust

[Jewish Music Heritage Trust <jewishmusic...>]

In response to PJ Kelly's posting about music at the Holocaust Museum, I
would like to let you know that the Jewish Music Heritage Trust, (which will
shortly become the Jewish Music Institute, based at London University) has
established an International Forum for Suppressed Music.

The first project of the Forum, it to hold an International Conference on
Sunday 2 July 2000, on a certain aspect of music banned by the Nazis.
Entitled, 'Thwarted Voices' the Conference will focus on the composition
students of Franz Schreker in Berlin 1920 - 1933.  These were the crème de
la
crème of European composers, and almost all, because of their Jewish origin,
were exiled or murdered.  The implications for the development of 20th
century Western Classical music are enormous.

If anyone would like more information or to attend and offer a paper, please
send an abstract of 100 words to IFSM (at) jmht(dot)org

This conference is to be associated with, but not part of the Jewish Music
Conference 2000 which takes place at SOAS from Sunday 25 June to Friday 30
June.   (details of the Jewish Music Conference are on our website. see
below)

Michael Haas executive producer of the Decca Record Co series of so called
'Entartete Musik' will be the Chairman of the Conference.  He has
recommended a good starting point was to consider the music and fate the
members of the Composition Class of Franz Schreker. (b. Monaco 1878 d.
Berlin 1934)

As the most influential teacher at the Prussian Academy of Arts, his
students were the hand-picked crème de la crème. These were the men and
women leading the development of contemporary music in Europe in the 1930s.
Most of them were Jewish and had to flee for their lives, disrupting and
displacing their careers and thus dislocating the way that music has
subsequently developed.  A close look at these figures and their work, at
the close of the century is pertinent to our understanding of the pattern of
music over the last 100 years, and where music is now.

The Class of Schreker:
Ernst Krenek (b Vienna 1900 - married Mahler's daughter) In 1938 to USA
where he was professor at Vassar and Hamline St Paul's Minn, and in 1947
settled in Hollywood.
Karol Rathaus (b Poland 1995, D New York 1954) Composed major works Operas
symphonies choral works and string quartets. Was in  England 32-34 then
Paris and from 1938 head of Queens College, Flushing)
Bertold Goldschmidt. (b Hamburg 1903 d London 1997?) Came to UK won Arts
Council opera prize in 1951 for Beatrice Cenci but it was not staged till 90
's. First signs of revival was Simon Rattle in 1987 his Ciaccona Sinfonica
in England and Germany.
Brand  went to USA
Haba Czech origin
Burger went to New York
Strasvogel went to New York
Walter Kaufman (b Karlsbad 1907 d Indiana 1984)
Schreker himself was 'suspected of the crime of some measure of Jewish
descent.  The shock of events caused a stroke and he suddenly died aged
fifty six' (Oxford Companion to Music)

From: Geraldine Auerbach
Jewish Music Heritage Trust
P O Box 232 Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 2NE
Tel +44 (0)181 909 2445, Fax +44 (0)181 909 1030
E-mail: jewishmusic (at) jmht(dot)org
Web-site: http://www.jmht.org



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