Auschwitz orchestra
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Rare photos of one of the camp orchestras at Auschwitz concentration camp  Real History: a former camp officer at Auschwitz living in Munich sold to one of us these original snapshots taken of one of the half dozen orchestras and bands formed by inmates of the infamous Auschwitz slave labor camp, the Kubu orchestra, said to have been comprised of Cuban Jews. On the back of some of the five snapshots is a rubber stamp of the Auschwitz camp office, and at some time -- possible after the war -- a German hand has inscribed captions on some of them, as shown below.

"The camp housed an elaborate and multi-faceted musical scene.  The first prisoner orchestra was set up in the winter of 1941, with Franz Nierychlo as conductor.  (The advantages of a prisoner, rather than SS, band—primarily the ability to control musicians as slave labour—led to the decision to gather inmates together to play at camp functions.) The original group of seven musicians, playing first with instruments seized from neighbouring towns, included a violin, contrabass, accordion, trumpet, saxophone and percussion.  These were later replaced with better quality instruments sent to the musicians by family members. Their first formal rehearsal was held in Block 24, the basement under the camp brothel, where there was a small podium and a grand piano. This room became known as the concert hall, where the band gave shows for prisoners as well as guards and officials.  The audience would stand along the walls; the musicians were scattered throughout the room, sitting wherever they could find a space.  The group rapidly expanded to over 100 members.  As an increasing number of professional Polish musicians were arrested, the quality of performance improved.  (Until the last months of the orchestra, Jews were not allowed to join.)"¹

Prisoners Orchestra Sunday concert for SS Auschwitz. USHMM (81216), courtesy of Instytut Pamieci Narodowej.¹

Music during the holocaust