The Inextinguishable Symphony; The True Story of Music and Love in Nazi Germany

New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2000. Third Printing [Stated]. "A Fascinating Insight into a Virtually Unknown Chapter of Nazi Rule in Germany, Made all the More Engaging through a Son's Discovery of His Own Remarkable Parents." -Ted Koppel, ABC News "An Immensely Moving and Powerful Description of those Evil Times. I couldn't Put the Book Down." -James Galway "Martin Goldsmith has Written a Moving and Personal Account of a Search for Identity. His is a Story that will Touch All Readers with Its Integrity. This is not about Exorcising Ghosts, but Rather Awakening Passions that no One Ever Knew Existed. This is a Journey Everyone should Take." -Leonard Slatkin, Music Director National Symphony Orchestra "For Years I've been Familiar with Martin Goldsmith's Musical Expertise. This Book Explains the Source of His Knowledge and His Passion for the Subject. In Tracking the Extraordinary Story of His Parents and the Jewish Kulturbund, Martin Unfolds a little-known Piece of Holocaust History, and Finds Depths in His Own Heart that Warm the Hearts of Readers." -Susan Stamberg, Special Correspondent National Public Radio. vi, 346 pages. Illustrations. Bibliography. Index. DJ has slight wear and soiling. Autographed copy sticker on front of DJ. Inscribed and dated by author on title page. The author, National Public Radio commentator Martin Goldsmith, is the son of Gunther Goldschmidt and Rosemarie Gumpert, two courageous Jewish musicians who performed in the Judischer Kulturbund (formed in 1933 in Germany), which permitted Jewish artists to perform for Jewish audiences. Goldsmith's awards include Yale's Cultural Leadership Citation (1998) and, for Performance Today, a George Foster Peabody Award (1998). Goldsmith received a bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins. He joined WETA-FM, Washington, DC, in 1975, serving as producer, announcer, music director and, eventually, program director. In 1987 he joined National Public Radio as a music producer for Performance Today. From 1989 to 1999 he was on-air host for that program, becoming senior commentator in 1999. Subsequently, moving to XM Satellite Radio, he now serves as director of classical music programming and is frequently heard on Sirius XM's Symphony Hall channel. His music reviews have appeared in the Washington Post. Derived from a Kirkus review: A moving history of the Kulturbund—a Jewish cultural agency that collaborated with the Nazis during the early years of the Third Reich—from Goldsmith, whose parents were members of the group. Goldsmith started asking his father questions about what it was like to be a Jew in Germany in the 1930s. What his father had to tell him was the dumbfounding story of the Kulturbund, where Jews—and only Jews—could gather for musical and theatrical performances, onstage or in the audience. The story of Goldsmith’s parents is woven into the Kulturbund tale—although he does take a stab at trying to explain how and why such an institution could even exist. On the Nazis’ part, the reasons were not so abstruse: the Kulturbund restricted Jewish artists to one venue, it deflected international criticism of Nazi treatment of the Jews, it played out some intra-party squabbles, and it could serve to forestall any Jewish revolt—this was 1933, remember. Goldsmith’s profiles of the principal members of the Kulturbund are sharp and affecting, and his depiction of the noose steadily tightening about the necks of Jews in Germany during the 1930s makes fine, grim reading. A remarkable story, told with clarity. Condition: Very good / very good.

Keywords: Holocaust, Jewish Musicians, Kulturbund, Nazi Germany, Anti-Semitism, Kurt Singer, Julian Gumpert, Wilhelm Guttmann, Hans Hinkel, Werner Levie, Rudolf Schwarz, Kurt Singer

ISBN: 0471350974

[Book #77721]

Price: $50.00

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