Klein, Gideon

Klein, Gideon, gifted Czech composer and pianist; b. Přerov, Dec. 6, 1919; d. in the concentration camp at Fürstengrube, Silesia, probably on Jan. 27, 1945. He was reared in a Jewish family of culture, and at age 11 began piano studies with Rûžena Kurzovâ. In 1938 he entered the piano master class of Vilém Kurz at the Prague Cons., where he also received instruction in composition from Alois Hâba; also pursued the study of theory at the Charles Univ. in Prague. His education was cut short by the Nazi occupation of his homeland in 1939; nonetheless, he persevered under the most daunting conditions, producing works under a pseudonym, which he presented in private concert settings. In 1941 he was deported to the concentration camp in Terezin, where he continued his activities as both composer and pianist. In late 1944 he was transported to the concentration camp in Auschwitz, and then on to the concentration camp in Fürstengrube, where he died a few months before the Allied victory. Although he perished at the age of 25, he succeeded in composing a significant number of works of enduring value. His early interest in Moravian folk modalities gave way to the influence of Janâcek, Novăk, and Schoenberg, which, in turn, prompted him to find his own compositional path, which included the use of microintervals and free tonality. All of his extant works were publ. in a collaborative ed. by the Czech Music Fund in Prague and by Bote & Bote in Berlin in 1993.

Works

4 Movements for String Quartet (1936–38); Duo for Violin and Viola in Quarter Tones (1940); Divertimento for 8 Winds (1940); 3 songs for High Voice and Piano, after Klag, Hölderlin, and Goethe (1940); String Quartet (1941); Duo for Violin and Cello (1941; unfinished); 2 madrigals for 2 Sopranos, Alto, Tenor, and Bass (1942, 1943); The First Sin for Men’s Chorus (1942); Fantasy and Fugue for String Quartet (1942–43); Piano Sonata (1943); Trio for Violin, Viola, and Cello (1944; arr. by V. Saudek as Partita for Chamber Orch.).

Bibliography

H.-G. Klein, ed., G. K.: Materialien (Hamburg, 1995); M. Slavicky, G. K.: Torzo iivota a düa (Prague, 1996).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire