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Theresienstadt was opened by the Nazis on November 24, 1941, to be a ghetto and work center as part of Adolf Hitler’s Final Solution. Unique because of its artistic activity, the camp became a ghetto for the cultural elite and for Nazi propaganda. Operas, always strong venues for emotional expression, were often performed. This study examines the impact of three operas that were an integral part of life in Theresienstadt. The Emperor of Atlantis, composed in Theresienstadt by Viktor Ullmann, told a story of love and the indomitable human spirit. In contrast, The Bartered Bride by Bedřich Smetana, well-known to the prisoners and considered the Czech national opera, provided a reminder of life prior to interment. Perhaps most notably, Brundibar by Hans Krasa, the children’s opera that was a blunt mockery of Hitler told through the eyes of its young cast, has lived on as a powerful reminder of the struggle.
Advisor: | McClain, Sandra C. |
Commitee: | |
School: | Florida Atlantic University |
Department: | Music |
School Location: | United States -- Florida |
Source: | MAI 51/01M(E), Masters Abstracts International |
Source Type: | DISSERTATION |
Subjects: | European history, Music, Holocaust Studies |
Keywords: | Czech Republic |
Publication Number: | 1517841 |
ISBN: | 978-1-267-48146-7 |