Pavel Haas was a Czech composer born to a Jewish family in Brno in 1899. A prodigy, Haas produced his first formal composition by the age of 14. In 1938, his successful career was turned upside down with the Nazi annexation of the Sudetenland, which eventually led to the occupation of Czechoslovakia.

Performances of works by Haas were banned, and he and his wife were forbidden employment.

According to the website Music and the Holocaust, in December 1941, Haas was sent on transport from Brno and imprisoned in Terezin, where he famously continued to compose. His first composition in the ‘model ghetto’ was the choral work Al S’fod (Do Not Lament), based on a Hebrew text by David Shimoni, followed by the Study for Strings (1943), and the Four Songs on Chinese Poetry (1944), both of which were performed by prisoners in Terezin.

Haas was deported to Auschwitz on 16 October 1944 and probably died in the gas chambers shortly after arrival.

Honoring Haas

On Sept. 26, the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra will host the first “Holocaust Composer Stories” program, focusing on the life and music of Haas.

This series will highlight stories of composers who were directly impacted by the Holocaust. In this first installment, Helen Turner, director of education for the museum, will discuss Haas and his Holocaust experience. The presentation will be followed by a performance of Haas’ String Quartet No. 3 played live by SLSO musicians.

“Members of our museum team and community recently had the honor of seeing some of Haas’ handwritten work in person during a visit to Terezin,” said Turner. “I look forward to sharing what we learned, as well as Haas’ story, to ensure his name, and his music, live on. We could not be more grateful to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for this collaboration.”

SLSO President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard said, “We are grateful to the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum for the opportunity to raise awareness about musicians whose creative vision were tragically impacted by the Holocaust. Through this new collaboration, we look forward to presenting works of important and lesser-known musical voices, beginning with Pavel Haas.”

This SLSO performance is presented by the Silk Foundation.

This program is free, but RSVPs are requested. Seating is limited on a first-come, first-served basis. This program will take place at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. More information can be found online.