The Remains of a Musical Composer and Pianist Gideon Klein
The estate
of a musical composer and pianist
Gideon Klein
- inventory -
The Jewish Museum in Prague, 1998
Contents
pp.
Introduction 1
inventory:
I. MUSICAL ESTATE 6
A) pre-Terezín period 6
B) Terezín period 9
II. PERSONAL ESTATE 10
III. RECALLS OF LIFE AND WORK 11
Enclosures:
I. MUSICAL ESTATE 13
A) pre-Terezín period 13
B) Terezín period 23
II. PERSONAL ESTATE 26
III.RECALLS OF LIFE AND WORK 35
undated folios 69
posters of concerts and exhibitions 70
literature 72
gramophone records 73
- Introduction
The musical estate of a young promising musical composer and an excellent pianist Gideon Klein, who had died prematurely in the age of twenty five in the Nazi-concentration camp, was collected in the post-war period with an immense love and devotion by his sister, prof. Eliška Kleinová, who had survived the Holocaust as the only member of the family.
Gideon Klein was born on December 6th, 1919 in Přerov. Already in the early childhood his musical talent showed up and from the age of six he had been learning to play the piano. In 1931 he moved to his sister Liza to Prague. He was visiting the high school there and in the same time he was studying the piano at the Prague Conservatoire at prof. Vilém Kurz. After his graduation in the year 1938 he continued his studies at the Master school of Prague Conservatoire, which he ended in 1939 by an absolvent piano concert. In the fall of 1939 he signed the subject musicology at the Faculty of Philosophy at the Charles University and in the same time he entered the Conservatoire composing class of prof. Alois Hába.
Already on March 15th, 1939, when the rest of the rump Czechoslovak republic was occupied by the German army and changed to the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, the gradual restrictions of life of the Jewish inhabitants of the Protectorate took place. In the consequence of the application of Nurenberg laws and the closing of the universities in November 1939 Gideon Klein was forced to leave his studies. His successful concert carrier was interrupted as well. After short performing under the pseudonym he had the possibility to make a performance only on the secret concerts in the Jewish apartments.
For the contemporaries he was mainly a talented pianist with a promise of a world carrier. Nevertheless, from the thirties we come in contact also with his composing work. The oldest composition, dedicated to his mother, he made already in 1929. Gradually his activity in this field was more brave and more numerous.
An important dividing line in the artistic progress of Klein’s personality was his deportation to the Terezín ghetto. He left between the first ones, already on December 4th, 1941 by transport J.
Klein had lived three years in Terezín and had intensive artistic and organizing work, in spite of the conditions of this special type of a concentration camp. He performed there on various concerts as a soloist as well as a member of chamber companies. He worked in the Cultural department (Freizeitgestaltung) of the Terezín self-government and with youth. He took part in studying of important musical works, co-operated on preparations of other Terezín’s cultural activities and primarily he was composing. His last composition, the known String Trio, he had finished nine days before the deportation from the ghetto.
On October 16th, 1944 Gideon Klein left by the transport Er to Auschwitz - Birkenau. He went through the selection and was sent together with other young men to the subsidiary camp Fürstengrube in Silesia. There he died, in until today unclear circumstances, probably on January 27th, 1945, during the liquidation of the camp before the coming front-line.
X X X X X
The main part of the estate of Gideon Klein contains the originals of his musical scores from the second half of the „in-between-wars“ of the Czechoslovak Republic and from the beginning of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Also its part is made of the personal documents, correspondation, programs and criticisms regarding Klein’s concert and composing work and other documents relating to his life and work in this pre-Terezín period. The mentioned writings were not found until 1990 in a suitcase, which Klein hid before his deportation to Terezín, and which was not opened for almost 50 years. Only after half of the century the public had the possibility to get to know the large and up till now unknown work of the composer. His portrait of a person and of an artist was added, and essentially his musical estate was reavalued, in the positive sense.
An extensive documentation from the post-war period was added to this estate, which supports the presentation of Klein’s personality and mostly his work in the world.
All these above mentioned documents were given by prof. Kleinová in the years 1992 and 1996 to the Jewish Museum in Prague. There they were brought to order and inventarized in co-operation with a professional as well as prof. Kleinová alone. To the individual items detailed lists with descriptions of musical scores and other documents were made. In the same time the musical scores from the period of the composer’s stay in the Terezín ghetto were added to the collection, which were deposited at the Jewish Museum in the Collection Terezín (inv. no. 319 a) already before handing over the newly found estate.
X X X X X
The estate is divided into the following main groups:
I. Musical estate
A - pre-Terezín period
B - Terezín period
II. Personal estate, that is the paper material mainly from the pre-Terezín period.
III. The recalls of work and personality of Gideon Klein in the post-war period from the years 1945-1996.
Part of the writings from the period of imprisonment of Gideon Klein was left in part II., in order not to interfere the work as a whole, which was collected and handed over to the Jewish Museum by prof. Kleinová in the nineties.
For an easier orientation of the research workers the individual parts of the estate were processed by the form of an inventory. Object groups provided by the given inventory numbers were formed. Each of the scores, which were preserved in the original, has its own inventory number. The brief inventory list is followed in the enclosure by the details about the individual items (inventory numbers), in the case of the originals of the musical scores by their extensive description.
All the documents which make the estate of Gideon Klein are deposited at the Jewish Museum in Prague in the Department of Holocaust in ten archive card-boards. (x)
X X X X X
(x) Together with the artistic and personal estate of Gideon Klein prof. Eliška Kleinová gave to the museum in 1992 also the Terezín portrait of Gideon Klein from the artist Charlotta Burešová, which is deposited in the Collection Department in the Jewish Museum in Prague, under the inventory number 176 803.
An important supplement of this estate are also the photographs deposited in the Collection of positives from the period of Holocaust at the Jewish Museum in Prague, under the number. VI/42.
Personal Papers of Gideon Klein’s sisters - prof. Eliška Kleinová (OP 007) and Edita Doláková (OP 013) are also available for the research in the Jewish Museum in Prague.
A big part of Klein’s Terezín musical estate is deposited in the archive of the Memorial Terezín.
X X X
Literature: Milan Slavický, Gideon Klein - The Torso of Life and Work, Prague, Helvetia-Tempora 1996.
I. Musical estate
A) pre-Terezín period
inv.no. item year card.
1. Suite lyrique for a piano 1929 1
2. Little suite for a piano 1933
3. Composition for human voice, violin and piano 1934
op. 2 with the words of the poem „Siesta” of
Otokar Březina
4. Three small ideas op. 3a for flute and piano 1934
from the other side a skizza of jazz composition
for a piano, violin, saxophone and percussion
5. Four movements for a string quartet op. 5 1935
6. „The Blood of Childhood“ the song for a middle 1935
voice accompanied by a piano with the text of
František Halas - and a skizza to the piano concert
with the accompaniment of a string quartet op. 6
7. Four small compositions for a harp 1935
inv.no. item year card.
8. Four movements for a string quartet 1938 1
9. „The poplar” the melodram for voice and piano. 1938
Antonín Dvořák Piano concert g-moll op. 33
10. Duo for violin and viola 1940
11. Divertimento for two oboes, two clarinets, 1939/40
two bassoons and two horns
12. Prelude for solo viola 1940
13. Three songs for a higher voice and piano op.1 1940
14. String quartet op.2 1940/41
15. Duo for violin and cello 1941
inv.no. item years card.
16. Shorter skizzas and sketches: 2
a - Horčík - blues w.d.
b - Skizza of a song for man’s voice and piano w.d.
c - Different shorter fragments, school exercises, cca 1934-1937
smaller skizzas
d - Skizza of a winds quintet for two flutes, oboe w.d.
and two bassoons
e. A skizza of a composition for piano and brass 1938
ensemble
f. Songs based on words of Otokar Březina for soprano, 1939
alt, tenor and baritone accompanied by 2 violins,
2 violas and 2 cellos
g. A skizza to the opera „The Inspector“ according to 1939
Nikolaj V. Gogol
h. A skizza of the composition for a solo violin w.d.
h
i. A skizza of a dodecaphonic composition for a solo w.d.
violin
j. Sinfonietta w.d.
k. Concertino for piano and winds instruments 1940
17. Modification and instrumentation:
a - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata for piano 1940
for 4 hands - for chamber orchestra
b - Alexandr Borodin, Scherzo As - Dur 1941
18. A copy of note manuscripts deposited in the Memorial 1931-1940
Terezín
B) Terezín period
inv. no. item years card.
19. Bachuri lean tisa 1942 2
20. The Lullaby 1943
21. The First Sin 1942
22. The copies of note manuscripts deposited in the 1942, 1944, w.d.
Memorial Terezín
II. Personal estate
inv. no. item years card.
23. The personal documents 1919-1939 3
24. The manuscript of a study of G. Klein w.d.
25. Correspondence 1933-1940, w.d.
26. Programs and criticisms of the concerts 1932-1940
27. An autograph of Sergej Prokofjev 1936
28. The portrait of Gideon Klein 1936
29. Two albums of photographs w.d.
30. A composition dedicated to Gideon Klein by 1928
Klement Slavický
31. A diary from the trips around Italy w.d.
32. A program of one concert in an apartment cca 1941
during the occupation
33. Documents about the music activities in Terezín 1943-1944, w.d.
III. The recalls of life and work
inv. no. item years card.
34. Programs, reviews, essays, newspaper cuttings, 1945-1996 4-7
catalogues, leaflets, invitations, exhibitions,
a screenplay of a TV program, correspondation
35. Posters 1946-1995 8
36. Literature - 9
37. Gramophone records - 10
1
Enclosures
- more detailed description of the inventory
Enclosure to inv. no. 1-18
I. MUSICAL ESTATE
A) pre-Terezín period
inv.no. item description
1. SUITE LYRIQUE FOR A PIANO: 12.9-14.11.1929
I. Prelude, II. Capriccio, III. Epilogue, original manuscript, written by ink
IV. Night, V. Troubadour 9 fol.
- dedicated to the composer’s mother
2. LITTLE SUITE FOR A PIANO: 27.4.1933
I. Andante, II. Vivace original manuscript /ink/
- after I. movement a note „After 2 fol.
Milhaud’s concert“
3. COMPOSITION FOR A HUMAN 1934
VOICE, VIOLIN AND PIANO OP. 2 orig. manuscript - the sketch
WITH THE WORDS OF OTOKAR by a pencil /original fair copy
BŘEZINA - on the front page the deposited in the Memorial Terezín/
signature of Rudolf Firkušný 2 fol.
4. THREE SMALL IDEAS OP. 3a FOR August 1934
FLUTE AND PIANO orig. man. - fair copy /ink/
/orig. sketch by a pencil as „2nd improvisation for flute and piano“ in the note
book deposited in the Memorial Terezín/
inv. no. item description
- from the other side: SKIZZA OF A JAZZ orig.man. - skizza by a pencil
COMPOSITION FOR A PIANO, VIOLIN, only beginning
SAXOPHONE AND PERCUSSION
together 2 fol.
5. FOUR MOVEMENTS FOR A STRING a) 1935
QUARTET OP. 5 orig. man. - skizza by pencil
/in II. and III. movement for voice and II. a III. movement
string quartet/
/Text: fragments from poems of O. Březina/ 11 fol.
b) 22.2.1935
orig. man. - fair copy /ink/
10 fol. .
/orig. skizza by pencil of I. movement - in the note book deposited in the
Memorial Terezín/
6. „THE BLOOD OF CHILDHOOD“, THE SONG 13.2.1935
FOR A MIDDLE VOICE ACCOMPANIED BY orig. man. -
A PIANO WITH THE TEXT OF FRANTIŠEK skizza by a pencil
HALAS
SKIZZA TO THE PIANO CONCERT WITH THE w.d.
ACCOMPANIMENT OF A STRING QUARTET orig. man. - a longer
OP. 6 skizza by a pencil
together 8 fol
.
inv.no. itemdescription
7. FOUR SMALL COMPOSITIONS FOR A HARP October 1935
dedicated to M. Grunfeldová a) orig. man - skizza by
a pencil of I. and II.
movement and beginning
of III. and IV. mov./=
„Small composition for
a harp op. 1/
b)orig. man. - a fair copy
/ink/ if I. mov. and beginning of II. mov.
together 7 fol.
8. FOUR MOVEMENTS FOR A STRING July 1936 - June 1938
QUARTET a) orig. man. - skizza by a pencil /in II.
I. Andante, II. Allegro, III. Largo, IV.Vivace movement accompanied by human
- dedicated to „My sister Lisa“ voice - later left out/
b) orig. man. - a fair copy /ink/ of the
beginning of I.mov.
c) orig. man. - a fair copy /ink/ of the
whole work
d) orig. man. - quartet voices /ink/
together 48 fol.
9. THE POPLAR - melodram for voice and piano11.7.1938
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK: PIANO CONCERT a) orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
G-MOLL OP. 33 b) orig. man. - a fair copy /ink/
together 5 fol.
inv.no. itemdescription
10. DUO FOR VIOLIN AND VIOLA in quarter1940 /on a title page/
tone music: a) orig. man. - shorter skizza by a
I. Andante, II. Tempo di marcia, III. Maestoso, pencil with the title Fantasietta
IV. Allegro/later not used/
b) orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
of I. - III. mov.
c) orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
of the beg. of IV. mov.
d) orig. man. - a fair copy /ink/
- dedication: „To prof. Alois Háb dedicated in of I. and II. movement
respect and devotion“
together 14 fol.
11. DIVERTIMENTO FOR TWO OBOES, TWO 1939-1940
CLARINETS, TWO BASSOONS AND TWO orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
HORNS: /two different formats of a note
I. Tempo di marcia, II. Allegreto scherzando, paper/
III. Adagio, IV. Allegro 17 fol.
12. PRELUDE FOR SOLO VIOLA 3.4.1940
orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
6 fol.
13. THREE SONGS FOR A HIGHER VOICE 1940
AND PIANO OP. 1 a) orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
I. Fountain /Johann Klaj, translation Emil Adolf of II. and III. song
Saudek/, II. Half of life /Friedrich Hölderlin, trans. 3 fol
Emil A. Saudek/, III. Nightfall is coming /Johann b) orig. man. - a fair copy /ink/
Wolfgang Goethe, transl. J. Dostal/ of I. and II. song
inv.no. itemdescription
6 fol.
c) orig. man. - a fair copy /ink/
of the whole work
6 fol.
d) orig. man. - a fair copy /ink/ of vocal parts of all songs
1 fol.
next to b) and c) there is a dedication: „Dedicated to a friend E.A.Saudek“
/skizza of a song Fountain deposited in the Memorial Terezín/
14. STRING QUARTET OP. 21940-1941
I. Lento, II. Vivace, ma non troppo,a) orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
III. Andante camtabile/with titles „Fanthasy“ above I. mov. and „Elegy“ above III. mov.
14 fol.
- dedication: „Dear sister Lisa“ b) orig. man. - a fair copy /ink/
16 fol.
c) copy of the quartet voices with
a supplement of the author
32 fol.
15. DUO FOR VIOLIN AND CELLO 6.11.1941
I. Allegro con fuoco, II. Lento orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
/II. mov. is not finished/
5 fol.
inv.no. itemdescription
16. SHORT SKIZZAS AND SKETCHES:
a) HORČÍK - BLUES for a pianoorig. man. - skizza by a pencil
/only beg./
2 fol. (1 filled)
b) SKIZZA OF A SONG FOR MAN´S VOICEorig.man. - skizza by a pencil
AND PIANO(beg./text: F. Hölderlin - Half of
life/)
1 fol.
c) DIFFERENT shorter fragments, school probably from years 1934-37
exercises,smaller skizzas orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
shorter fragments
37 fol.
d) SKIZZA OF A WINDS QUINTET for two orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
flutes, oboe and two bassoons longer fragment
5 fol. (3 filled)
e) SKIZZA OF A COMPOSITION FOR PIANO 22.9.1938
AND BRASS ENSEMBLE /3 trumpets, 4 orig. man. - skizza by a pencil,
horns and 3 trombones/ partly by a pen/
longer fragment
3 fol.
inv.no. itemdescription
f) SONGS BASED ON WORDS OF OTOKAR 4.1.1939
BŘEZINA for soprano, alt, tenor and baritone orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
accompanied by 2 violins, 2 violas and 2 /only a fragment of I. song/
cellos: I. From everlasting wars, II. In vain 5 fol. (4 filled)
III. O past, when the eternal wind of death
g) SKIZZA TO THE OPERA „THE INSPECTOR“ 3.5.1939
according to Nikolaj V. Gogol orig. man. - skizza by a pencil - piano skizza with vocal voices:
ouverture and beginning of I.
act
7 fol. (4 filled)
h) SKIZZA OF THE COMPOSITION FOR A orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
SOLO VIOLIN longer fragment
2 fol. (1 filled)
i) SKIZZA OF A DODECAPHONIC orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
COMPOSITION FOR A SOLO VIOLIN longer fragment
1 fol.
j) SINFONIETTA orig. man. - by a pencil
written piano skizza
4 fol. (2 filled)
inv.no. item description
k) CONCERTINO FOR PIANO AND WINDS 15.3.1940
INSTRUMENTSorig.man. skizza by a pencil
longer fragment
/orig. man. pencil skizza of a
piano extract of an orchestra
part for a four hand piano -
beginning, is behind Sinfonietta
see no. 10/
8 fol.
17. MODIFICATION AND INSTRUMENTATION:
a) W.A.MOZART: SONATA FOR A PIANO FOR 13.10.1940
FOUR HANDS - for chamber orchestra orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
modified by Gideon Klein /only I. mov. orchestrated/
10 fol. (6 filled)
b) A. BORODIN: SCHERZO As-Dur, October 1941
orchestrated by G. Klein a) orig.man. - written by a pen
- dedication: „Ah, Jadoul“ copy of Borodin’s composition 8 fol. (6 filled)
b) orig.man. - skizza by a pencil
a fragment
12 fol. (7 filled)
inv.no. item description
18. A COPY OF MANUSCRIPTS DEPOSITED
IN THE MEMORIAL TEREZÍN
a) - A COMPOSITION FOR A HUMAN VOICE, 19.3.1934
VIOLIN AND PIANO OP. 2 photocopy - skizza by a pencil
- with the words of O. Březina3 fol.
- A STRANGER, a poem in prose from
Charles Baudelaire op. 3 (for deeper and higher
voice, violin and piano)
- dedication: „Dedicated to Dr. Emil Saudek
in order to prove great devotion and greatfulness.“
b) THREE SONGS FOR A HIGHER VOICE 25.5.1940
AND PIANO OP. 1 copy - skizza by a pencil
I. The Fountain 1. song The Fountain
1 fol.
c) NOTEBOOK - SKIZZAS 1931-1935, w.d.
copy - skizza by a pencil
- 2 IMPROVISATIONS FOR FLUTE 14 fol.
AND PIANO OP. 3a
- A STRANGER, a poem in prose for two voices,
violin and flute with the words of Ch. Baudelaire
op. 3b
- „SKIZZA TO THE QUINTET“ for two violins,
cello, flute and harpsichord
inv.no. item description
- FOUR SMALL IDEAS OP. 4
(with ostinato bass)
- FOUR SENTENCES FOR A STRING
QUARTET OP. 5
Enclosure to inv. no. 19-22
B) TEREZÍN PERIOD
inv.no. item description
19. BACHURI LEAN TISA 3.12.1942
Hebrew song orig. man.
1 fol.
(print from y.1989, laser copy,
xerox b.w. copy and b.w.
photocopy)
20. THE LULLABY (Wiegenlied) 6.2.1943
Hebrew song for soprano and piano orig. man.