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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
- ^ 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[edit]
- 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[edit]
- "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)
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