Hans Krasa: the Life of Brundibár. Abstract

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1 1 Hans Krasa: the Life of Brundibár Abstract This paper is an historical exploration of Hans Krasa and his involvement in the creation and execution of the children s opera Brundibár. Research primarily focuses on Krasa s involvement in the activities at the Czech prison camp of Terezín (Theresienstadt) during World War II, where he resided as a prisoner. Krasa was a member of an eclectic community of imprisoned musicians and artists, and, unlike at any other ghetto during World War II, this community was allowed to create art and perform. This unique environment allowed Hans Krasa to survive the horror of his imprisonment. There have been many inquiries into Krasa s opera, yet few dissertations have been written about the composer himself. Investigation into this topic will ascertain Krasa s personal connection to Brundibár and his opinions on the use of his opera as propaganda by the Nazis. Research will show the transformative impact of the opera on the children, prisoners, and Krasa himself during the Holocaust. The goal of this historical inquiry is focused on Krasa s life from the time of Brundibár s composition, just before his imprisonment in Terezin, to his execution in Auschwitz. Introduction During World War II a unique Ghetto was formed that became home to large number of composers, musicians, actors, and artists. This camp was known as Terezín. Among its residents was composer Hans Krasa, creator of the children s opera Brundibár. Krasa played a significant role in the history of the camp and the Nazis plot to use its town people to fool the world. The following is a historical exploration into the life of Hans Krasa. Investigation will take a deeper look into understanding the motives of the composer and his involvement in Terezín, the Ghetto in which Brundibár was staged. The goal of this research is gain an understanding of Krasa s feeling towards Brundibár and it s exploitation by the Nazis, establish his roles in its numerous productions and discover the impact of his opera on the many children and residents involved. Very few internees survived the unsuitable conditions and massive evacuation

2 2 of Terezín in 1944, so there are very few primary sources available. In order to be able to delve further into this topic, an understanding of the basic history of Krasa, Terezín and Brundibár must first be ascertained. Hans Krasa Hans (Johann) Krása was born in Prague on November 30, He was the son of a well to do family. His father was a Czech Lawyer and his mother was of German and Jewish descent. His family encouraged his growth in music and afforded him the opportunity to study piano under Terése Wallerstein and possibly violin lessons. 1 He continued to study music, specifically composition with the accomplished composer Alexander von Zemlinsky. Grove Music Online claims that there is no evidence of Krása ever receiving any formal education in music, however several other sources, including an article entry by the Orel Foundation, a source dedicated to preserving the musical data from the Holocaust, claims that Krása studied under Zemlinsky while attending the German Academy of Music in Prague. A Music of the Holocaust article about Krása states his father hired instrumental ensembles in order for Hans to hear his compositions. 2 Orel also points out that Four Orchestral Songs, one of his most prestigious pieces, was a graduation project for the German Academy of music. In 1921, before Krása even graduated, he took a position as a vocal coach at the New German Opera House. He continued his career in music by holding a position as a répétiteur at Neues Deutsches Theater in Prague, but only for a short time. The Orel foundations claims that he stopped composing for a span of 7 years after he was finished with his 1 Naxos, Hans Krasa. 2 Music of the Holocaust, Brundibár.

3 3 graduation project and instead went on to tour Zürich, Prague, Boston and New York showcasing his Four Orchestral Songs in While touring he was offered several conducting jobs, but could not bring himself to take any positions abroad. He returned home and worked as an accompanist to Zemlinsky for the Kroll Opera in Berlin. According to NAXOS, a site devoted to the research of classical music, In the late 20 s Krasa continued his education in music by studying in Paris with Albert Roussel. In the 1920 s Krasa was seen by his colleges as a bohemian fond of playing chess and demonstrating little ambition as a composer. 3 Several accounts have observed that he enjoyed his free time and claimed that other intellectual endeavor s captured his attention almost taking the place of music at that time. Krasa became involved with a group of German intellects grouped around the Prager Tageblatt newspaper and with Czech artists, painters in particular. 4 They took a humanistic attitude towards art that rejected chauvinism and its positive attitude towards Czechoslovak nation. 5 Krasa was said to have developed empathy for the artists of his nation and the repression they were subjected to. Krasa eventually continued his work as a composer. He used the inspiration of Zemlinsky, Stravinsky, Schoenberg and various influences in French impressionism to continue to create. In addition to his Four Orchestral Songs in 1923, before his internment in Terezín, he composed 3 operas Verlobung in Traum (Betrothal Dream) in 1933 and Lysistrata which was never finished, and Brundibár 1938, a cantata Die Erde ist des Hern, Chamber Music for Harpsichord and 7 Instruments 1936 as well as many 3 Schultz, Hans Krasa. 4 Svatos, Hans Krasa. 5 Svatos, Hans Krasa.

4 4 chamber and vocal works. Although Verlobung in Traum was considered a failure by some media, it received the Czech State Prize in Grove Music Online claims that the opera was never performed in a German opera house due to rise of power obtained by the Nazis. Krasa s work was said to [display] subversive humor, grotesque gestures, formal confidence and melodic lyricism. 6 Paul Rosenfeld of the Boston Globe described as follows: Krasa s music is written in an unforced yet original and personal modern idiom. It s curious that so young a man should think and feel so utterly for himself. 7 (Music of the holocaust) Krasa continued to compose after his arrest and his detainment to the ghetto Terezín, which is addressed later in the research. Using the limited resources that were available to him, he composed two more original pieces, the Passacaglia and Fugue for Stings Trio in 1943 and Overture for Small Orchestra , as well as completing the re-orchestration of Brundibár, before meeting his ultimate fate in Auschwitz. Terezín Before the war, Terezin, named for the Hapsburg Empress Maria Teresa (Theresienstadt in German), as a small town of 5,000 located in northern Bohemia. That all changed as the Nazis continued to pursue their goal of the Final Solution. Adolf Eichman and Reinhold Heydrich were recruited to establish the ghetto under the false assumption that this was a solution to prevent the continued persecution of the Jews in Czechoslovakia. It ended up becoming a transit camp or stopping point for Jews enroute to the death camp of Auschwitz. Daniel Shorn of CBS News described how crowded the living conditions 6 Schultz, Hans Krasa. 7 Music of the Holocaust, Brundibár.

5 5 were, sleeping 30 to a room, how typhus epidemics swept through the camp. The dead were brought to catacombs before being incinerated. Bodies were carried on the same wagons for bread. Jews weren t gassed at Theresienstadt but more than 30,000 died of disease and hunger. 8 Many of those interned [in Terezín] were members of the artistic and intellectual community of Prague and Brno including a number of composers as well as musicians from the National Theatre in Prague. 9 This created a unique situation that was exclusive to only Terezín. The residents became part of a creative community where art and music flourished. The inhabitants had a cabaret, an orchestra and a jazz band called the Ghetto Swingers. Rehearsals took place wherever they could find room, cold dark cellars, attics, any empty spaces that were available where they would not disturb the Germans. Along with Hans Krasa, the camp also was home to recognized composers Paval Haas, Gideon Klein and Victor Ullman. Many works were created as a result of this society including Ullman s opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis (the Emperor s of Atlantis), This production was banned mid rehearsal. Schorn refers to the camp as a Julliard for Jews 10. One of the reasons that the residents of ghetto were allowed to compose, draw and perform was because the Nazis realized that Terezín could be a vital asset to them during the war. In the 1940 s word was getting around about the way the Nazis were mistreating and exterminating the Jews. The Nazis saw Terezín as the perfect cover to refute the accusations. Oxford Music Online says that Terezín was intended to present a 8 Schorn, Brundibar: How the Nazis Conned the World. 9 Ashley. Terezin. 10 Schorn, Brundibar: How the Nazis Conned the World.

6 6 misleading account of the Nazi anti-semitism and to deflect international suspicion from the final solution. 11 It became a focal point in propaganda films. One such film produced in 1941 was entitled Der Fürhrer schenkt den Juden eine Stadt (The Fürhrer Gives the Jews a City). The ghetto was beautified and made to look like a normal town. This ghetto, unlike any other, had accommodations like shops and schools, instruments were allowed to be brought into the facility and rehearsals were allowed to be conducted and they were given a library, though it was smuggled in from an outside source. They town was once again beautified in 1944 and use for staging one of the biggest cover ups in the history of the Holocaust. The overcrowded ghetto, which held 55,000 people at the height of the war, was thinned out sending 7,500 people to Auschwitz. Buildings were spruced up, gardens planted and new clothes where brought in so that the residents could look and play the part of an a-typical community. They did all of this in preparation of a visit from the Red Cross on the 23 rd of June that year. The Germans lead the Red Cross around the ghetto showing them the happy citizens, well-fed children, making a show of how they got to eat bread and butter as an afternoon snack, and selected performances that showcased the musical ability of the arts and children that were be detained, including a very special showing of Brundibár. Daniel Schorn from 60 minutes reports that through the entire inspection process not once did a Red Cross delegate a prisoner a question. Their later reports referred to Terezín as a final destination camp and commented on how elegantly dressed the women [were and] all had silk stockings scarves and stylish handbags. 12 The Red Cross bought the charade and went on their way in ignorant bliss. What if they had just stopped to ask a single 11 Ashley. Terezin. 12 Schorn, Brundibar: How the Nazis Conned the World.

7 7 question? How many lives might have been spare? Schorn shares a quote from his interviewee Paul Sandfort, a survivor of Terezín, as saying, the Nazis did convince the world. But they only convinced the world because the world wanted to be convinced. It s easier. 13 Terezín was liberated in In total 63 transports left Terezín for the East: carrying a total of more than 87,000 individuals; of these only 3, 800 would see liberation. Out of 7,590 [of the] youngest prisoners deported, a mere 142 survived until liberation. 14 1,600 of those children were under the age of 15. Brundibár In 1938 Krása teamed up with librettist Adolf Hoffmeister and entered into a children s opera competition. Krása and Hoffmeister had previously worked together on Hoffmeister s Mládî v hře (Youth in Play) and decided to rekindle their working relationship. The competition was sponsored by the Czechoslovakian Ministry of Education and never was followed through to the end due to rising conflicts in their country. The competition may not have ever been concluded, however Krasa and Hoffmeister s composed entry, Brundibár, changed history. The first attempt to perform Brundibár started with rehearsals in July 1941 at the Jewish-Zionist orphanage in Prague. The opera was directed by Rudolph Freudenfeld and conducted by Rafael Schäcter. Schäcter was later arrested and brought to Terezín where after his death, he was recognized for his involvement in the residential production of Verdi s Requiem, later recoined the Defiant Requiem. Unfortunately, Krasa never saw the completed production 13 Schorn, Brundibár: How the Nazis Conned the World. 14 Defiant Requiem: Voices of Resistance.

8 8 of Brundibár. He was arrested and sent to Terezín on August 10, According to the Orel Foundation, Brundibár was performed 2 times in secret. While residing at Terezín, Krasa was allowed to join a group that directed the leisurely activities of prisoners in the camp. The Freizeitgestaltung arranged and organized these events and Krasa was responsible for the music section of the group. While Krasa was interned in Terezín, Rudolf Fruedenfeld was able to smuggle in a score to Brundibár. Krasa set to work re-orchestrating the opera and it premiered officially for the first time on September 23, 1943, shown at the Magdeburg Barracks. After that the opera was shown regularly, on average, once a week. Due to the constant deportation of children to Auschwitz, the cast was ever changing. The story of Brundibár strangely paralleled the events of the time. It was about two young children, Aninka and Pepicek. Their father had died when they were little and their mother had fallen ill. The only way to help their mother was to buy fresh milk from the town square. Unfortunately they had no money to buy anything. As they observed the happenings in the square, they are introduced to a strange man named Brundibár (Bumblebee in Czech), an ornery organ grinder that sings for money. When the children take his idea and attempt to earn money with a song, the organ grinder chases them away. Eventually the children learn to stand up for themselves, encouraged by the help of a couple animals endowed with the gift of speech and large amount of school children that just happened to come their way. Brundibár is chased out of town after attempting to steel the children s money and the town sings a victory song in celebration. One of the most prominent features about our stories bully, Brundibár, was the mustache that adorned his upper lip. No sources ever dispute the fact that Brundibar is

9 9 meant to represent Hilter. So, why were the children of Terezín allowed to make such a mockery of the Fürher? It wasn t like the Germans couldn t see this symbolism behind this portrayal. In a 60 Minutes Article Daniel Schorn asked that exact question to several survivors of Terezín. A member of the opera s chorus, Handa Drori explains her theory as to why the mockery was over looked: Yeah that what we wondered all the time. If they don t understand that what we are singing is against them. If they don t understand it. Or if they just don t care, because they knew what we didn t know. That we are meant all to go to the gas chambers and to die, not to survive. Maybe they thought, Ah let the Jews play a little bit before they go to be, to be killed. 15 Through the experiences of few survivors, Schorn is able to help the reader understand what drove the children and the citizens to participate in this venue. Schorn states that Brundibar is a story of defiance and Drori elaborates that [i]t was our way to fight the evil. 16 For many this was an escape from the reality of their situation, a way to forget the horrors that they faced, if only for a minute. The actress that played the cat, Ella Weissberg, reminisced about being on stage and wearing her costume, This was the only time that they said we don t have to put on the Jewish star. A couple minutes of freedom. 17 Not only was this a distraction for the children, but for the adults as well. Tickets were in constant demand and hard to acquire. The entire town knew the score and everyone would sing the victory song. The defeat of Brundibár even debuted in Der Fürhrer schenkt den Juden eine Stadt and was the main attraction on the day the Red Cross arrived for their inspection. 15 Schorn, Brundibár: How the Nazis Conned the World. 16 Schorn, Brundibár: How the Nazis Conned the World. 17 Schorn, Brundibár: How the Nazis Conned the World.

10 10 After the visit from the Red Cross, the exportation of prisoners to Auschwitz was accelerated. Eventually there was no one left to cast the production and performances ceased in 1944 after 55 performances. Hans Krasa was among the deportees taken to Auschwitz on October 16 th and put to the gas chamber on arrival, October 18, Dita Krause, a survivor against all odds, sums up the tragedy of these senseless deaths: So few survived. And they were so talented. So many wonderful children among them, and promising children. That s the pity of it. Children that would have become poets and artists, and so many of them. And they are all gone, for nothing. 18 Conclusion Now that a basic understanding of Hans Krasa, Terezin and Brundibar have been established, deeper research into Krasa s intentions and feeling toward his involvement in the latter topics can be acquired. There many questions are left to be answered and expanded upon. Continued research will elaborate on how Krasa and his creation impacted the strange and unique world of Terezín. 18 Schorn, Brundibár: How the Nazis Conned the World.