ERWIN SCHULHOFF Sextet
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Born 1894 in Prague , Bohemia ; died 1942 in Wülzburg concentration camp
• Schulhoff was born into a Jewish family in Prague . His great-uncle was a notable composer and pianist , Julius Schulhoff . He began his musical studies at ten years old at the Prague Conservatory and was encouraged by Antonín Dvořák .
• Schulhoff continued his studies throughout Vienna , Leipzig , and Cologne where his teachers included Debussy . Early in his career he won two Mendelssohn Scholarships , one for piano and one for composition .
• Schulhoff became one of the most popular Czech composers of his time and was greatly influenced by jazz , Dadaism , and contemporary movements .
• His career was cut short by the Nazi regime . In 1941 , Schulhoff was imprisoned and sent to the Wülzburg concentration camp in Bavaria shortly after his visa request to the United States was denied . He died in the camp one year later .
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE
1924
MUSIC Ma Rainey and Louis Armstrong ’ s “ See See Rider Blues ”
SPORTS The first Winter Olympics is held
ABOUT THE PIECE
• Schulhoff ’ s Sextet was completed in 1924 during the height of his career in Prague . The work was premiered by the Zika Quintet , and Paul Hindemith performed the second viola part .
• This driving and urgent work showcases avant-garde influences on the composer .
TECHNOLOGY Edward Hubble discovers there are other galaxies outside of the Milky Way
HISTORY Ellis Island closes
22 BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA