AJ_GK_inventar_doplneny_finalni_2017

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.

1


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.

XXXXX

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.
2


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.

XXXXX
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

3


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)
XXXXX
(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.

4


XXX
Literature: Milan Slavický, Gideon Klein - The Torso of Life and Work,
Prague, Helvetia-Tempora 1996.

I. Musical estate

5


A) pre-Terezín period

inv.no.

item

year

1.

Suite lyrique for a piano

1929

2.

Little suite for a piano

3.

Composition for human voice, violin and piano

card.

1

1933
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

inv.no.

item

1935

year

card.

8.

Four movements for a string quartet

1938

6

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
ensemble

7

1938


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.

i. A skizza of a dodecaphonic composition for a solo

w.d.

h
violin
j. Sinfonietta

w.d.

k. Concertino for piano and winds instruments

17.

1940

Modification and instrumentation:
a - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata for piano

1940

for 4 hands - for chamber orchestra
b - Alexandr Borodin, Scherzo As - Dur
18.

A copy of note manuscripts deposited in the Memorial

1941
1931-1940

Terezín

B) Terezín period

inv. no. item

years

card.

8


19.

Bachuri lean tisa

1942

20.

The Lullaby

1943

21.

The First Sin

1942

22.

The copies of note manuscripts deposited in the
Memorial Terezín

9

2

1942, 1944, w.d.


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

10

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-

1946-1995

8

7
catalogues, leaflets, invitations, exhibitions,
a screenplay of a TV program, correspondation
35.
36.

Posters
Literature

-

Gramophone records

-

9
37.
10

11


Enclosures
- more detailed description of the inventory

12


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/

13


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
FOR A MIDDLE VOICE ACCOMPANIED BY
A PIANO WITH THE TEXT OF FRANTIŠEK

13.2.1935
orig. man. 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. item

description

14


7. FOUR SMALL COMPOSITIONS FOR A HARP
dedicated to M. Grunfeldová

October 1935
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 piano

11.7.1938

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. item

description

10. DUO FOR VIOLIN AND VIOLA in quarter

1940 /on a title page/

tone music:

a) orig. man. - shorter skizza by a

15


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. item

description
6 fol.
c) orig. man. - a fair copy /ink/
of the whole work
6 fol.
16


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. 2

1940-1941

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. item

description

16. SHORT SKIZZAS AND SKETCHES:
a)

HORČÍK - BLUES for a piano

orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
/only beg./
2 fol. (1 filled)

17


b)

SKIZZA OF A SONG FOR MAN´S VOICE

orig.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.

18


inv.no. item

description

f)

4.1.1939

SONGS BASED ON WORDS OF OTOKAR
BŘEZINA for soprano, alt, tenor and baritone
accompanied by 2 violins, 2 violas and 2

orig. man. - skizza by a pencil
/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“
according to Nikolaj V. Gogol

3.5.1939
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

19


k) CONCERTINO FOR PIANO AND WINDS
INSTRUMENTS

15.3.1940
orig.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

20


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. Březina

3 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
21


QUARTET OP. 5

Enclosure to inv. no. 19-22

B) TEREZÍN PERIOD

inv.no. item

description

22


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.
1 fol. (2 pag of the text)
(print from y. 1989, laser copy,
b.w. xerox copy)

21. THE FIRST SIN

17.12.1942

Czech national song for men´s choir

orig. man.
2 fol. (4 filled pag)
(laser copy, b.w. photocopy)

inv.no. item

description

22. A COPY OF NOTE MANUSCRIPTS
deposited in Memorial Terezín
a)

MODIFICATIONS OF FOLK SONGS

1942, w.d.

for men´s choir:

photocopy,

That God would love us

xerox copy of orig. man.

(Aby nás Pán Bůh miloval)

together 6 pieces

The horses are taking me out
23