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Pavel Haas' musical inclinations became apparent in his teen years, which spurred him to attend the Music School of the Philharmonic Society in his hometown Brno. Between 1912 and 1917, Haas' first compositions began to surface, many of which were finished songs along with other pieces in various stages of completion. Haas was notorious throughout his years for unfinished compositions, but as he matured, those works he did complete raised him to a level of skill comparable to many of his most successful colleagues. Though his musical development was put on hold for a brief stint in the Austrian army from 1917-1920, Haas returned unscathed to continue his studies at the Brno Conservatory as the top pupil in the master class of Czech master Leos Janacek.
Jancek's interest in Moravian folk music influenced Haas, as he began developing his own compositional voice. In the mid-1930s he produced two of his greatest works pre-WWII: his Piano Suite and an opera, Sarlatan ('The Charlatan'). By this time Haas was frequently supplying music for dramatic works in a local theatres and also music for films. The development of this tragi-comic opera was no doubt an extension of this experience. Haas also taught music theory, both privately and at the Jewish secondary school at Brno. In this position he was well aware of the Nazis' movement within the Czech Lands, and felt growing concern like all Jews of the time.
In 1939, alongside the institution of Hitler's Nuremberg Laws limiting the Jews' freedoms, Haas wrote a piece entitled Suite for Oboe and Piano. It marks the first time he uses a theme associated in Czech tradition with the patron saint Wenceslas, as if Haas is appealing for his assistance in the rapidly deteriorating environment. Unfortunately times only worsened for the composer, for in 1941 he was sent to Terezin without his family (he had divorced his Christian wife to spare her and his son from the Nazis). Despondent, Haas' spirit was broken during his initial time there. It took a kindly nudge from fellow composer Gideon Klein to supply him with a reason to push on each day. The young man placed blank sheet music before Haas and beseeched him to practice his craft. It worked.
Only three completed pieces remain from Haas' 3 years within the camp's walls, the two most famous of which are the challenging Study for Strings, and the beautiful Four Songs on Chinese Poetry. The latter was composed for a recital of bass Karel Bermann with piano accompaniment. With lyrics based on four Czech-translated poems describing homesickness for beautiful Chinese landscapes, the composition contains musical motifs reminiscent of Haas' homage to St. Wenceslas in his Piano Suite. The Study for Strings was crafted for conductor Karel Ancerl's chamber orchestra, which was short on available repertoire. In September of 1944 it also had the dubious honor of being featured in the Nazi propaganda movie made for the Red Cross, a movie that deviously extolled the fine quality of Terezin as a Jewish town. In a matter of days, Haas and most of the orchestra, as well as thousands of other prisoners were shipped to Auschwitz. Haas perished in the gas chambers shortly after arrival, but his works survive as a reminder of a composer's skillful ability to evoke his most poignant emotions.
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