Alma Rosé
Encyclopedia
Alma Rosé was an Austria
n violin
ist of Jewish descent. Her uncle was the composer
Gustav Mahler
. Alma Rosé was deported by the Nazis to the infamous concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. There she directed an orchestra of terrified prisoners who played to their captors in order that they should stay alive. Alma Rosé died in the concentration camp, probably of food poisoning. Rosé's experience in Auschwitz is depicted in the controversial play "Playing for Time
" by Arthur Miller
.
(1863-1946) who was the leader of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
for 50 years: from 1881-1931 as well as leader of the Vienna State Opera
orchestra and leader of the legendary Rosé String Quartet. Her mother was Gustav Mahler
’s sister Justine; she was named for Alma Mahler
.
violinist Váša Příhoda
(1900-1960), who was considered one of the great violin virtuosi of the 20th century. In 1935 the marriage was dissolved. In later years it was claimed that Příhoda had separated from his wife for opportunistic reasons because of National Socialism. However, these claims are unfounded: the chronology does not fit and, in any case, his second wife was also Jewish.
.
in 1938 Alma Rosé and her father Arnold Rosé, himself a famous violin virtuoso, managed to escape to London
. But Alma went back to the continent and continued to perform in Holland. When the Germans occupied the Netherlands, she was trapped. Fictitious marriage to a Dutch engineer named August van Leeuwen Boomkamp did not save her; nor did her nominal status as a Christian convert. She fled to France, but in late 1942 when she tried to escape to neutral Switzerland
, she was arrested there by the Gestapo
. After several months in the internment camp of Drancy she was finally deported in July 1943 to the concentration camp at Auschwitz.
). The orchestra had been in existence before Rosé's arrival, a pet project of SS-Oberaufseherin Maria Mandel
. Prior to Rosé, the orchestra was conducted by Zofia Czajkowska, a Polish teacher. The ensemble consisted mainly of amateur musicians, and was composed of an odd amalgam of instruments, including a string section, but also accordions and a mandolin. The orchestra's primary function was to play at the main gate each morning and evening as the prisoners left for and returned from their work assignments; the orchestra also gave weekend concerts for the prisoners and the SS and entertained at SS functions. Reports are inconsistent on whether the orchestra played during selections for gassing. As the conductor of the orchestra, Rosé had the status of a kapo
in the camp, with some privileges and comforts that exceeded those of the average inmate, including additional food and a private room. (The other orchestra members lived less luxuriously, but were adequately clothed and avoided hard manual labor.) Rosé is said to have molded the orchestra into an excellent ensemble; she conducted, orchestrated and sometimes played violin solos during its concerts. She was evidently held in high esteem on account of her musical prowess by Maria Mandel, Josef Kramer
and Josef Mengele
- a level of respect that was highly unusual for Jewish prisoners.
The orchestra did include two professional musicians, cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch
and vocalist/pianist Fania Fénelon
, each of whom wrote memoirs of their time in the orchestra that were eventually translated into English. Fénelon's account, Playing for Time, was made into a film of the same name
.
Fénelon's account was controversial particularly with respect to its treatment of Rosé. Fénelon depicts Rosé as a cold-hearted autocrat who kowtowed to the Germans for her own self-interest, and emphasizes that she was abusive to the musicians. Other members of the orchestra (including Lasker-Wallfisch) strongly dispute this account, claiming that Rosé's ultimate interest was in protecting the well-being of the women in her orchestra, which not only required that Rosé establish and maintain a high musical standard by any means possible, but also that she placate her Nazi captors. As evidence of her success, Rosé's supporters note that - under her tenure - not one member of the orchestra was killed; members who fell ill were even treated at the hospital, unheard of for Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz. Alma Rosé died in Auschwitz in 1944, probably as a result of food poisoning, though typhus is another possibility. (It is unlikely that she was deliberately poisoned as Fénelon alleges.)
Arnold Rosé managed to escape to England. Grief-stricken by news of Alma's death, he did not survive long after the war.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist of Jewish descent. Her uncle was the composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
. Alma Rosé was deported by the Nazis to the infamous concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. There she directed an orchestra of terrified prisoners who played to their captors in order that they should stay alive. Alma Rosé died in the concentration camp, probably of food poisoning. Rosé's experience in Auschwitz is depicted in the controversial play "Playing for Time
Playing For Time (film)
Playing For Time is a 1980 CBS television film, written by Arthur Miller and Fania Fénelon, based on Fénelon's autobiography, The Musicians of Auschwitz...
" by Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
.
Early years
Alma Rosé’s father was the violinist Arnold RoséArnold Rosé
Arnold Josef Rosé was a Romanian-born Austrian Jewish violinist. He was leader of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for over half a century. He worked closely with Brahms. Gustav Mahler was his brother-in-law...
(1863-1946) who was the leader of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
The Vienna Philharmonic is an orchestra in Austria, regularly considered one of the finest in the world....
for 50 years: from 1881-1931 as well as leader of the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
orchestra and leader of the legendary Rosé String Quartet. Her mother was Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
’s sister Justine; she was named for Alma Mahler
Alma Mahler
Alma Maria Mahler Gropius Werfel was a Viennese-born socialite well known in her youth for her beauty and vivacity. She became the wife, successively, of composer Gustav Mahler, architect Walter Gropius, and novelist Franz Werfel, as well as the consort of several other prominent men...
.
Marriage
Alma grew up to be a violinist. In 1930 she married the CzechCzech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
violinist Váša Příhoda
Váša Příhoda
Váša Příhoda was a famous Czech violinist known for the perfection of his technique and the beauty of his tone. He was considered a Paganini specialist, and his recording of the Violin Concerto in A minor by Dvořák is still very highly praised. His artistry was controversial, and tended to...
(1900-1960), who was considered one of the great violin virtuosi of the 20th century. In 1935 the marriage was dissolved. In later years it was claimed that Příhoda had separated from his wife for opportunistic reasons because of National Socialism. However, these claims are unfounded: the chronology does not fit and, in any case, his second wife was also Jewish.
Career
Meanwhile Alma Rosé was following a highly successful career. In 1932 she founded the woman’s orchestra Die Wiener Walzermädeln (The Waltzing Girls of Vienna). The concertmistress was Alma's close friend Anny Kux. The ensemble played to a very high standard, undertaking concert tours throughout EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Escape from the Nazis and final arrest
After the annexation of Austria with GermanyAnschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
in 1938 Alma Rosé and her father Arnold Rosé, himself a famous violin virtuoso, managed to escape to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. But Alma went back to the continent and continued to perform in Holland. When the Germans occupied the Netherlands, she was trapped. Fictitious marriage to a Dutch engineer named August van Leeuwen Boomkamp did not save her; nor did her nominal status as a Christian convert. She fled to France, but in late 1942 when she tried to escape to neutral Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, she was arrested there by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
. After several months in the internment camp of Drancy she was finally deported in July 1943 to the concentration camp at Auschwitz.
Auschwitz
Upon arrival in Auschwitz, Rosé was quarantined and became very ill, but was eventually recognized. She assumed leadership of the Mädchenorchester von Auschwitz (Girl orchestra of AuschwitzGirl orchestra of Auschwitz
The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz or Girls' Orchestra of Auschwitz was a female orchestra at Auschwitz concentration camp created in June 1943 by a Polish music teacher, Mrs. Zofia Czajkowska, by order of the SS. The members were prisoner girls, whose membership in the orchestra protected them...
). The orchestra had been in existence before Rosé's arrival, a pet project of SS-Oberaufseherin Maria Mandel
Maria Mandel
Maria Mandel was an Austrian SS-Helferin infamous for her key role in The Holocaust as a top-ranking official at the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp where she is believed to have been directly responsible for the deaths of over 500,000 female prisoners.-Life:Mandel was born in Münzkirchen,...
. Prior to Rosé, the orchestra was conducted by Zofia Czajkowska, a Polish teacher. The ensemble consisted mainly of amateur musicians, and was composed of an odd amalgam of instruments, including a string section, but also accordions and a mandolin. The orchestra's primary function was to play at the main gate each morning and evening as the prisoners left for and returned from their work assignments; the orchestra also gave weekend concerts for the prisoners and the SS and entertained at SS functions. Reports are inconsistent on whether the orchestra played during selections for gassing. As the conductor of the orchestra, Rosé had the status of a kapo
Kapo
Kapo can refer to one of the following:* Kapo , a Hawaiian goddess or god* Kapo , a privileged prisoner who served as a barracks supervisor/warder or led work details in a Nazi concentration camp...
in the camp, with some privileges and comforts that exceeded those of the average inmate, including additional food and a private room. (The other orchestra members lived less luxuriously, but were adequately clothed and avoided hard manual labor.) Rosé is said to have molded the orchestra into an excellent ensemble; she conducted, orchestrated and sometimes played violin solos during its concerts. She was evidently held in high esteem on account of her musical prowess by Maria Mandel, Josef Kramer
Josef Kramer
Josef Kramer was the Commandant of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Dubbed "The Beast of Belsen" by camp inmates; he was a notorious Nazi war criminal, directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of people...
and Josef Mengele
Josef Mengele
Josef Rudolf Mengele , also known as the Angel of Death was a German SS officer and a physician in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. He earned doctorates in anthropology from Munich University and in medicine from Frankfurt University...
- a level of respect that was highly unusual for Jewish prisoners.
The orchestra did include two professional musicians, cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch
Anita Lasker-Wallfisch
Anita Lasker-Wallfisch is a German-born cellist of world renown and is a surviving member of the Women's Orchestra in Auschwitz....
and vocalist/pianist Fania Fénelon
Fania Fénelon
Fania Fénelon was a French pianist, composer and cabaret singer.-Biography:...
, each of whom wrote memoirs of their time in the orchestra that were eventually translated into English. Fénelon's account, Playing for Time, was made into a film of the same name
Playing For Time (film)
Playing For Time is a 1980 CBS television film, written by Arthur Miller and Fania Fénelon, based on Fénelon's autobiography, The Musicians of Auschwitz...
.
Fénelon's account was controversial particularly with respect to its treatment of Rosé. Fénelon depicts Rosé as a cold-hearted autocrat who kowtowed to the Germans for her own self-interest, and emphasizes that she was abusive to the musicians. Other members of the orchestra (including Lasker-Wallfisch) strongly dispute this account, claiming that Rosé's ultimate interest was in protecting the well-being of the women in her orchestra, which not only required that Rosé establish and maintain a high musical standard by any means possible, but also that she placate her Nazi captors. As evidence of her success, Rosé's supporters note that - under her tenure - not one member of the orchestra was killed; members who fell ill were even treated at the hospital, unheard of for Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz. Alma Rosé died in Auschwitz in 1944, probably as a result of food poisoning, though typhus is another possibility. (It is unlikely that she was deliberately poisoned as Fénelon alleges.)
Arnold Rosé managed to escape to England. Grief-stricken by news of Alma's death, he did not survive long after the war.
External links
- at website.lineone.net
- Alma Rose at www.jmw.at