Pavel Haas
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Pavel Haas (21 June 1899 – 17 October 1944) was a Czech composer who perished in the Holocaust.
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[edit] Pre-war
He was born in Brno, into the jewish family. His father Zikmund was a shoemaker by trade, mother Olga (nee Epstein) was of russian origin (born in Odessa). Haas began his formal musical education there at the age of 14. He studied composition at the Conservatory from 1919 to 1921 under Jan Kunc and Vilém Petrželka. This was followed by two years of study in the master class of the composer Leoš Janáček. Janáček was far and away Haas' most influential teacher and Haas, in turn, proved to be Janáček's foremost student. In 1935 he married Soňa Jakobson, former wife of russian linguist Roman Jakobson[1].
Of the more than 50 works written during the next 20 years or so, only 18 were given opus numbers by the self-critical composer himself. While still working in his father's business, he wrote musical works of all kinds, including symphonic and choral works, lieder, chamber music, scores for cinema and theatre and the opera Šarlatán (The Charlatan), first performed in Brno to great acclaim in April 1938.
[edit] The war
In 1941, Haas was deported to the concentration camp of Theresienstadt (Terezín). He was one of several Czech-Jewish composers there, including Viktor Ullmann, Gideon Klein and Hans Krása. Prior to his arrest, he had officially divorced his wife Soňa in order that she and their young daughter would not suffer a similar fate. On his arrival, he became very depressed and had to be coaxed into composition by Gideon Klein. However, Haas wrote at least eight compositions in the camp, unfortunately only a few of which have survived. They include a set of Four Songs on Chinese Poetry for baritone and piano and the Study for String Orchestra which was premiered in Theresienstadt under the Czech conductor Karel Ančerl and is probably Haas' best-known work today. It was founded by Ančerl after the liberation of Theresienstadt.
In 1944 the Nazis remodeled Theresienstadt just before a visit from the Red Cross and a propaganda film was made. In the film Theresienstadt, children are seen singing Krása's opera Brundibar and Haas can be seen taking a bow after the performance of his Study for Strings. When the propaganda project was over, the Nazis transferred 18,000 prisoners, including Haas and the children who had sung in Brundibar, to Auschwitz-Birkenau where they were murdered in the gas chambers. According to testimony of Karel Ančerl stood Haas next to him after the arrival to Auschwitz. Dr. Mengele was about to send Ančerl to gas chamber first, but weakened Haas began to cough and the death sentence was therefore chosen for him. After the war Ančerl met with Haas brother Hugo and told him the story.[2]
[edit] Post-war
Haas' large-scale symphony, which he began prior to his deportation to Theresienstadt, remained unfinished, but the surviving torso was orchestrated by Zdeněk Zouhar in 1994. Haas's music, stemming from Bohemian and Moravian roots, is sometimes tinted by Hebrew melody.
Haas has been described as "a reserved but eloquent student of Janáček" by Alex Ross in his history of classical music in the 20th century, The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century.
His brother Hugo Haas (1901 - 1968) was popular actor in the pre-war Czechoslovakia.
[edit] Works
| Opus | Date | Czech Title | English Title | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1918–1919 | Šest písní v lidovém tónu | Six Songs in Folk Tone | for soprano and piano; orchestrated 1938 |
| 2 | 1919–1920 | Tři písně | Three Songs | for soprano and piano; words by Josef Svatopluk Machar |
| 3 | 1920 | Smyčcový kvartet č.1 | String Quartet No.1 in C♯ Minor | |
| 4 | 1920 | Čínské písně | Chinese Songs | for alto and piano; words by Kao Shi, Tsui Hao, Thu Fu |
| 5 | 1921 | Zesmutnělé scherzo | Scherzo triste | for orchestra |
| 6 | 1923 | „Fata morgana“ Klavírní kvintet se sólovým zpěvákem tenorového hlasu |
“Fata morgana” | for piano quintet with tenor solo; words by Rabindranath Tagore |
| 7 | 1925 | Smyčcový kvartet č.2 „Z opičích hor“ | String Quartet No.2 “From the Monkey Mountains” | |
| 8 | 1927 | Vyvolená | The Chosen One | for tenor, flute, horn, violin and piano; poems by Jiří Wolker |
| 9 | 1928–1929 | Karneval | Carnival | for male chorus; words by Dalibor Chalupa |
| 10 | 1929 | Dechový kvintet | Wind Quintet | |
| 11 | 1931 | Předehra pro rozhlas | Overture for Radio | for orchestra |
| 12 | 1932 | Žalm 29 | Psalm XXIX | for baritone, female chorus and chamber orchestra with organ |
| – | 1933 | Život je pes | Life Is a Dog | music for the film |
| – | 1934 | Mazlíček | The Little Pet | music for the film |
| 13 | 1935 | Suita pro klavír | Suite for Piano | |
| 14 | 1936 | Šarlatán | The Charlatan | opera in 3 acts; libretto by the composer |
| – | 1937 | Kvočna | Mother-Hen | music for the film |
| – | 1937 | Allegro moderato | Allegro moderato | for piano |
| 15 | 1938 | Smyčcový kvartet č.3 | String Quartet No.3 | |
| 16 | ||||
| 17 | 1939 | Suita pro hoboj a klavír | Suite for Oboe and Piano | |
| 18 | 1940 | Sedm písní v lidovém tónu | 7 Songs in Folk Style | for high voice and piano; words by František Čelakovský |
| – | 1940–1941 | Symfonie | Symphony | for orchestra; unfinished; orchestration completed by Zdeněk Zouhar |
| – | 1941 | Al s’fod | Do Not Lament | for male chorus; words by David Shimoni |
| – | 1943 | Studie pro smyčcový orchestr | Study for String Orchestra | |
| – | 1944 | Čtyři písně na slova čínské poezie 1. Zaslech jsem divoké husy 2. V bambusovém háji 3. Daleko měsíc je domova 4. Probděná noc |
4 Songs on Chinese Poetry 1. I Heard the Wild Geese 2. In the Bamboo Grove 3. The Moon Is Far from Home 4. A Sleepless Night |
poems by Wei Jing-wu, Wang-wei, Tchang Tiou-ling, Han I |
| – | The Advent | for mezzo-soprano, tenor and quintet | ||
| – | Fantasy on a Jewish Melody | |||
| – | Partita in Olden Style | for piano; lost | ||
| – | Terezín Songs | |||
| – | Tři skladby | Three Pieces | for mezzo-soprano, tenor, flute, clarinet and string quartet; lost | |
| – | Variace pro klavír a smyčcový orchestr | Variations for Piano and String Orchestra |
Principal publisher: Boosey & Hawkes/Bote & Bock
[edit] Notes
[edit] Sources
- Sadie, S. (ed.) (1980) The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, [vol. # 8].
- Ross, A. (2007) The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York
- Matějková, J. Hugo Haas. Život je pes Prague: Nakladatelství XYZ, 2005. ISBN 80-86864-18-9
[edit] External links
- Pavel Haas was listed in the International Music Score Library Project
- Pavel Haas at the Internet Movie Database
- Pavel Haas at the Czech Music Information Centre.
- Pavel Haas, a brief biographical entry on the Booser and Hawkes site
- Comprehensive discography of Terezin Composers by Claude Torres
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