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Though
Hans Krasa was born in Czechoslovakia, the country in those times (and
especially Prague) contained a large German population. Krasa’s mother was part
of this German contingent, and thus was the cause for his primarily German
upbringing and education. Raised in a wealthy household, Krasa’s musical
affinity was easily supported by his family. Piano and violin lessons were
available to him as a child and he was an apt pupil. His father’s influence and
means also helped support young Hans’ early flirtations with composing, for
several of his teenage works received public performance by paid musicians at
vacation spas to which the Krasas travelled.
Krasa
attended the German Music Academy in Prague and moved on from there to be a
vocal coach at the New German Theater in Prague. Here Krasa’s relationship with
the great conductor and composer Alexander Zemlinsky began, a relationship
which would provide more opportunities to Krasa, including premieres of his
works, as his career developed. Following Zemlinsky to Berlin, Krasa was
offered conductor positions in Berlin, Paris, and Chicago with his growing
international profile. Wishing to return to Prague, however, Krasa did not
accept the posts. Perhaps due to his well-fortuned and easy childhood, he was
not particularly driven and was often viewed as a bohemian by the Prague set--
equally willing to leisurely discuss French literature and play chess as he was
to work on a new symphony or string quartet. Yet this is not to say he was
entirely shiftless in the music department. Becoming involved with the
avant-garde theater scene in addition to his orchestral affiliations, Krasa
tuned out compositions in primarily 20th century styles, employing
humor and elements of the grotesque. His work in the theater also led to the
composition of several operas, but his Czech birthplace and Jewish religion
soon began to work against his favor as the Nazis took hold of the Czech lands
in the 1930s.
Because of this spreading Nazi influence, new interest in Czech
culture was piqued in Krasa. This eventually led to his development of a children's opera for a Czech cultural contest, his second
collaboration with playwright Adolf Hoffmeister. The tale of good versus evil, written in Czech, tells the story of two children on a
mission to buy milk for their sick mother. As they sing to raise money for the milk, their earnings are stolen by the evil old
organ-grinder, Brundibar, who was displeased by the competition. With the help of a Sparrow, a Cat, and a Dog-also played by
children-the brother and sister are able to outwit Brundibar, reclaim their money, and finally bring milk home to their mother.
Titled Brundibar, the opera received its first performance in the winter of 1943 at a Jewish orphanage for boys in the Vinohrady
section of Prague. By the time of the premiere, transports of Czech Jews were already being sent to Terezin. By August of 1942,
he was among them.
Krasa
soon found himself in the hub of music entertainment in Terezin,
serving as the head of all musical activities of the Freizeitgestaltung
(Administration of Free Time Activities). This abrupt change
in his environment spurred more creative output than he experienced
in his earlier lax years, for keeping busy musically provided
precious distraction from the horrific surroundings. As well
as writing several new pieces during his time in Terezin,
Krasa reorchestrated Brundibar from a piano score that had
found its way into the camp. Performed at least 55 times,
the opera was one of the most popular performance pieces in
Terezin's entire repertoire-every ticket was highly desired.
The message of good over evil was motivating to the downtrodden
prisoners, for it was not a far stretch to imagine the character
Brundibar as a reference to Hitler.
Scene from the Finale of Brundibar
Fortunately two factors helped the work from being frowned upon by the SS: 1) a children's opera was viewed as benign and 2)
it was in Czech, a foreign tongue to the German Nazis. Unfortunately this also made the opera inaccessible to the thousands of
German-speaking inmates, both children and adults. But for those who did understand and were able to perform and/or attend, it
was an inspirational distraction from their daily struggles. Ironically Krasa's opera was featured in a Nazi propaganda movie
prepared for the Red Cross, although this inclusion in Nazi efforts did nothing to grant him protection from Eastern transports.
Krasa was sent to the gas chambers of Auschwitz in October of 1944, but the joy and hope his work brought to many will never be
forgotten.
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