Countering the Loss, Misplacement and Lack of Awareness of Regarding Music by Murdered Hungarian Jewish Composers

Not only were several Hungarian Jewish composers murdered by the Nazis, but their compositions - at times their whole lives` work - have also perished or were misplaced and subsequently lost or forgotten.

My paper will follow the trail to the discovery of some of these compositions. It will explore what has been discovered and rediscovered so far, what needs further investigation and what the impact on performers, educators and audiences is.

Several Hungarian Jewish musicians suffered the ultimate destruction, but this case-study will focus on three composers: Ferencz Weisz (b.1893), Sandor Kuti (b.1908) and Laszlo Weiner (b.1916), the latter of whom was the brother-in-law and close friend of Holocaust survivor and famed Israeli actress Miriam Nevo. Weisz placed his large opus of compositions for safe keeping, but until we can find the collection, they must be assumed to be lost. Only one of Kuti`s compositions was published in his life-time, though some were published posthumously. However, the bulk of his music, not yet investigated, evaluated, published or publicised, is in private archives and at the Institute of Musicology in Hungary. Weiner`s compositions are retained by his family, and have been published. Although Weiner died young, his compositions are of high quality and must be brought to the concert halls. The public needs to know that the name Weiner is not only associated with the well-known composer Leo Weiner but, also with his much younger colleague Laszlo Weiner.

These three composers had excellent music education in Budapest, but their careers were greatly hindered by the Nazi Jewish laws. Their connection to their Jewishness and to the Jewish communities was dissimilar; however, all three were taken to forced labour camps and were murdered in 1944-45.