us-005578-irn84950-irn712194
type: RecordSet
biographical history: Aleksander (Alexander) Kulisiewicz (1918-1982) was born in Kraków, Poland in 1918. He was a law student in German-occupied Poland when, in October 1939, he was denounced for antifascist writings, arrested by the Gestapo, and sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, near Berlin. An amateur singer and songwriter, Kulisiewicz composed 54 songs during more than five years of imprisonment at Sachsenhausen. After Russian troops liberated the camp on May 2, 1945, he remembered his songs, as well as those learned from fellow prisoners, dictating hundreds of pages of text to his attending nurse at a Polish infirmary. The majority of Kulisiewicz’s songs are darkly humorous ballads concerning the sadistic treatment of prisoners. Performed at secret gatherings, imbued with biting wit and subversive attitude, these songs helped inmates cope with their hunger and despair, raised morale, and offered hope of survival. Beyond this spiritual and psychological purport, Kulisiewicz also considered the camp song to be a form of documentation. “In the camp,” he wrote, “I tried under all circumstances to create verses that would serve as direct poetical reportage. I used my memory as a living archive. Friends came to me and dictated their songs.” In the 1950s, Kulisiewicz began amassing a private collection of music, poetry, and artwork created by camp prisoners, gathering this material through correspondence and hundreds of hours of recorded interviews. In the 1960s, he inaugurated a series of public recitals of his repertoire of camp songs, and issued several recordings. Kulisiewicz’s major project, a monumental study of the cultural life of the camps and the vital role music played as a means of survival for many prisoners, remained unpublished at the time of his death. He toured both Europe and the United States performing concerts of his works and the works of other Holocaust survivors until about 1980. He died in Kraków, Poland, on March 12, 1982. His archive is the largest ext…
date: approximately 1945-1982
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had identifier: 2
has or had subject: 680
has or had subject: 691
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn712194
is or was included in: us-005578-irn84950
note: Two of these cassette tapes were not able to be played (or digitized) after baking in November 2019 - TK 38 and TK 68. TK 38 contained Side A: Consultation in Czech re the making of a film about life in the camps between A. Kulisiewicz, Brabec, Pletka, Sztimglova recorded on 28 March 1977 in Prague. Side B is a continuation of the above followed by a continuation of Krzyszfof Kulisiewicz's dictation of the review of the book,"Ecce Homo" by Professor Hahiro Sakanishi about camp life, which came out in English. (Beginning of this dictation has not yet been located on another tape/s.) TK 68 contained Sides A & B: 1964 documentary recording of Prof. Bruckner recounting his experiences in various camps, particularly in Stutthof rerecorded by A. Kulisiewicz 18 Jun 1981 in Krakow. Side B: 1964 recording from Audycja Polskiego Radia called"Kalejdoskop Kulturaln" featuring a segment on A.K.'s camp songs, followed by a list of recordings/performances done by A.K. between 1963 - 1965 as dictated by A. K. in 1967. Missing: TK 4 - Documentary tape recordings of reports given by survivors. Person/s conducting interviews unknown. Side A: Jurr...; Lason "Serenada Haft").Contains dialogue and songs in German followed by report of Stanislaw Lason from Trzebinia, Poland, who was a prisoner at Auschwitz I and Buchenwald. His interview was conducted on 15 Sept 1976 in Krakow, Poland and includes a performance of a Polish camp song. Side B: Korinek; Cervinka; Dedina. Contains reports given in Czech by Joseph Korinek on 1 Apr 1977 in Prague, Bogumir Cervinka, and Dedina. Dialogue interspersed with Czech, Polish and German songs. TK 80 - Sides A & B: A.K. dictating written memoirs about his work, concerts, and public response to his work after WWII. A.K. recounts some interesting information concerning his concerts. Side B also includes a recording of various Polish folk songs from the Podhale region (Nowy targ).
scope and content: 52 cassette tapes including recordings compiled by Aleksander Kulisiewicz consisting of songs, poetry, interviews, lectures, radio broadcasts, and other music programs. Cassette 4, TK 5 Side A includes a duplicate recording of a lecture-demonstration given by Aleksander Kulisiewicz (A.K.) at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, 12 Feb 1974 as re-recorded on 14 May 1974 in Paris. Various Polish camp songs performed by A.K. with guitar accompaniment are followed by a discussion of these songs both in Polish and in French. Side B consists of a concert of Polish camp songs performed in -Tarnowskie-Gory on 25 May 1974 by A.K. Some titled pieces include:"Spalona Matka""Sorrow, fire awaits me""Once was a girl named Elzunia (Protest song)" We are like living rocks" These songs, among others, are performed a capella, with guitar accompaniment, or with accordion accompaniment. Cassette 5, TK 6 Side A: A continuation of a monologue by A.K. titled"Jak umieral moj glo" (How my voice was dying), Section 54, recorded in West Germany. (Beginning of monologue and date of recording unknown). Monologue concerns Kulisiewicz's workshop on Jewish Todessang and camp songs given at a festival in Mainz, West Germany and the audience's reaction to the pieces he performed. Several song fragments are sung by Kulisiewicz throughout his monologue. Remaining material on Side A includes primarily Polish popular songs (cabaret, tango, lullabye) from Kulisiewicz's pre-WWII repertoire during the late 1930s performed by A.K. in a Paris hotel room (date unknown). Songs are interspersed with reminiscences, the recording intended for someone in Mainz. Side B appears to be a continuation of A.K.'s monologue re the festival in Mainz and other reminiscences recorded in Anette Degenhardt room in Gunzenheim?, West Germany. Cassette 6, TK 7 Side A includes documentary recording #716 (serial system uncertain) titled"Work of a young poetess, 'Zdziczaly Zajac" recorded in Krakow on 12 Feb 1976. Subject matter discussed…
title: Aleksander Kulisiewicz sound recordings - Cassette Tapes [TK]