An Introduction

Music in a Holocaust Ghetto is a project I began a few years ago. My research was inspired by Joza Karas' book, Music in Terezin. Since the publication of the first edition, new information has become available, thanks to the many scholars and musicians who have also sought to learn about this particular ghetto/concentration camp. I have focused my research on two areas: the historical aspect of the camp and the intentions of the Nazis from its first establishment as a collecting point for Jews and transit camp; and the life and works of the composers who were deported there.

It is my hope that readers will find this blog informative. In introducing these composers and their music, not only on this blog but in performances in Wichita, Kansas, I believe their music will become part of the standard performance repertoire. Several of their works have received performances in a number of countries; there are many recordings of these works as well, and I will include that information, too.  In the process, the names of these composers will not be forgotten; the identity which the Nazis hoped to destroy will be restored. Their creative works will live on and, indeed, have become their legacy.

 A note about the use of the names “Terezin” and “Theresienstadt”

At the time that Theresienstadt was first built, the Czech lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; thus, the original name of the town was German.  Following the end of World War I, the dissolution of the empire, and the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic, the Czech name of Terezin was used.  The German name was again used during World War II by the Nazis.  Since the liberation of Czechoslovakia at the end of WWII, the town has been called Terezin.  It now houses a memorial and an archive/research center.