Žiga Hirschler (21 March 1894, Velika Trnovitica near

Bjelovar Bjelovar (, , Czech language, Czech: ''Bělovar'' or ''Bělovár,'' Kajkavian dialect, Kajkavian: ''Belovar,'' Latin: ''Bellovarium'') is a city in central Croatia. In the Demographics of Croatia, 2021 census, its population was 36,316 . It is ...

– 1941

Jasenovac concentration camp Jasenovac () was a concentration camp, concentration and extermination camp established in the Jasenovac, Sisak-Moslavina County, village of the same name by the authorities of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in occupied Yugoslavia durin ...

) was a Croatian-Jewish composer, music critic and publicist who was killed during the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

Life

Hirschler was born in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

, to a Croatian Jewish family. Ha-Kol (Glasilo Židovske zajednice u Hrvatskoj); Djela hrvatskih skladatelja Židovskog podrijetla u Beču; stranica 38; broj 107, studeni / prosinac 2008. He completed musical studies in 1917 at the Agram conservatory of the Croatian Music Institute in Zagreb. Hirschler composed orchestral, piano, vocal and dramatic works, and showed a tendency towards popular music. He was one of the most famous music critics in Zagreb between the two world wars. Hirschler was editor of ''Musician magazine''. With his writing in the ''Večernji vjesnik'' and ''Jutarnji list'' he closely followed Croatian composers. As a Jew Hirschler faced persecution by

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...

and

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

. During the last days of his life, Hirschler didn't leave his apartment. He just had an intense correspondence with Paula Rendi, waiting for her to give him a pass so that he could cross over to a "free zone". That unfortunately never happened. Hirschler wrote his last letters on 12 September 1941. In one such letter, he dedicated a song to Rendi for her birthday. In late 1941 Hirschler was killed at the

Works

Operas

* ''Dvije renesansne noći'' ** ''Fiorentinska noć, '' 1926 ** ''Svadbena noć, '' 1931 * ''Mara''

Operettas

* ''Pobjednica oceana, '' 1928 * ''Kaj nam pak moreju, '' 1935 * ''Napred naš, '' 1936 * ''Iz Zagreba u Zagreb, '' 1937 His Burlesk has been played on radio by Dan Franklin Smith but not recorded.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * Pintar, Marijana, Hirschler, Žiga (Hiršler), u: Macan, Trpimir (ur.), Hrvatski biografski leksikon, Zagreb: Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža, 1983., str. 580–581. (Croatian) * Polić, Branko, Prekinuti roman Žige Hirschlera, Cantus, 1994, 80/81, str. 25. (Croatian) * "Torta – Popijevke hrvatskih skladatelja uz klavirsku pratnju" (priredili Kristina Beck – Kukavčić i Felix Spiller; Edicije Spiller – hrvatski skladatelji, Zagreb 2005). (Croatian) * Vujnović-Tonković, Ankica, Pisana riječ Žige Hirschlera, Novi Omanut – Prilog židovskoj povijesti i kulturi, 1995, 12, str. 5–7. (Croatian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hirschler, Ziga 1894 births 1941 deaths People from Zagreb Croatian Jews Jews from Austria-Hungary Croatian Austro-Hungarians Croatian composers Jewish classical composers Jewish musicians Croatian civilians killed in World War II People who died in Jasenovac concentration camp Croatian people executed in Nazi concentration camps 20th-century Croatian classical composers 20th-century male composers Croatian male classical composers