There were six camp orchestras at Auschwitz/Birkenau alone, one of which contained no less than 100-120 musicians. The Jerusalem Post recorded one inmate’s memory:
In 1943, the later Professor Daniel K. was only 10 years old when he participated in the children’s choir – as the Jerusalem Post recorded: “The Chorale (from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony) was… performed by a Jewish children’s choir at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1943… I was a member of that choir… I remember my first engagement with culture, with history, and with music – in the camp.”
The first band in Auschwitz was created on SS orders in December 1940. "Musicians had their instruments (violin, percussion, double-bass, accordion, trumpet, saxophone) forwarded from their homes to the camp and began rehearsals on 6 January 1941 in Block 24 of the main camp. This ensemble grew rapidly with the permission of the camp authorities, and was divided into a symphony orchestra with up to 80 players and a brass band with about 120 musicians."
Bands were subsequently form in other camps; These were usually medium-sized brass bands with strings and existed for several months and even years.
In March 1944 the Auschwitz inmate Daniel K. became severely ill with diphtheria and was transferred to the camp’s hospital barracks. His mother had asked to be transferred to stay with him in the hospital. After the war he recalled how,
“One of the youth leaders of our group … asked to establish an education centre for children. He was given permission, and in a short time the education centre became a spiritual and social centre for the family camp. It was the soul of the camp. Musical and theatrical performances, including a children’s opera, were held at the centre. There were discussions of various ideologies – Zionism, Socialism, Czech nationalism… There was a conductor named Imré… (who) organized the children’s choir. Rehearsals were held in a huge washroom barracks where the acoustics were good…”
Auschwitz had an orchestra for the prisoners and the inmates were the musicians.
The existence of orchestras, not only in Auschwitz but in all other camps, is confirmed by the Enzyklopaedie des Holocaust, p. 979.
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Source : Holocaust Deprogramming Course. Holocaust Deprogramming Course – RadioChristianity
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