Aleksander Kulisiewicz
Aleksander Kulisiewicz | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 7, 1918 |
| Died | March 12, 1982 (aged 63) Kraków, Polish People's Republic |
| Resting place | Salwator Cemetery, Kraków |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, singer |
| Years active | 1939–1981 |
| Known for | Collection of music composed in Nazi concentration camps |
| Awards | Medal for Fighters Against Fascism (1965) |
Aleksander Kulisiewicz (7 August 1918 – 12 March 1982) was a Polish singer, journalist and a political prisoner during the World War II occupation of Poland.[1][2]
Early life
Kulisiewicz was born on 7 August 1918 in Kraków. He studied law in German-occupied Poland and worked as a journalist. In 1940, in reaction to his article "Heil butter! – Enough of Adolf Hitler!" he was deported to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.[3] In the camp, he sang and learned songs passed on to him by other inmates,[4] especially from fellow prisoner Martin Rosenberg (known as Rosebery d'Arguto), including his Tsen Brider-inspired "Jüdische Todessang" (Jewish Death Song), which d'Arguto had composed in 1942.[1][5]
Post War
Following liberation and the end of World War II, he began to document the songs he had learned from other inmates. He dictated hundreds of songs in four languages to a nurse in Kraków.[6] Due to his extensive interpretations of camp songs, he was nicknamed the Singer from Hell.[7]
Kulisiewicz died on 12 March 1982 in Kraków.[8] He is buried at Salwator Cemetery.
References
- ^ a b Barbara Milewski; Bret Werb. "Aleksander Kulisiewicz". Music and The Holocaust (biography, sources). ORT. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "Heil, Sachsenhausen!". holocaustmusic.ort.org. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- ^ "Songs of the Holocaust: the music of Aleksander Kulisiewicz". HistoryExtra. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- ^ "Aleksander Kulisiewicz collection, 1939–1986". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- ^ Jacobson, J. (2000-09-01). "'Tsen Brider': a Jewish requiem". The Musical Quarterly. 84 (3): 452–474. doi:10.1093/mq/84.3.452. hdl:2047/d20000653. ISSN 0027-4631.
- ^ "Aleksander Kulisiewicz sound recordings – Cassette Tapes [TK]". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- ^ "Songs from the Depths of Hell". Smithsonian Folkways. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- ^ "Kulisiewicz, Aleksander Tytus, 1918-1982 – History – Social Networks and Archival Context". snaccooperative.org. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
Further reading
- Eyre, Makana (April 2020). "The Bard – One man's quest to save the music of the Holocaust". The Atavist. No. 102. Long-form article with photos and sound files.
- Eyre, Makana (23 May 2023). Sing, Memory – The Remarkable Story of the Man Who Saved the Music of the Nazi Camps. Norton. ISBN 9780393531879.
External links
- "The life and musical legacy of Aleksander Kulisiewicz with Alan Dein", video 1:04:55
- Aleksander Kulisiewicz discography at Discogs
- "Le barde des Enfers" [The Bard from Hell], Radio France (audio, 2 episodes, in French)
