[PW] holocaust orchestra clarification

[Michael Hart]

On Tue, 8 Apr 2008, Campbell, Barbara A wrote:

> We just acquired a new Children's/YA book by Michael Morpurgo 
> (Ill. Michael Foreman) entitled "The Mozart Question."  In general 
> it is getting rave reviews but Publishers Weekly calls into 
> question a flaw. The story is about the orchestras made up of 
> Concentration Camp victims who were forced to play Mozart's music 
> while others were being led to the gas chambers.  The story tells 
> that the boy's parents met while playing in such an orchestra in a 
> concentration camp.  According to the review in Feb, 2008 
> Publisher's Weekly, "The story's foundation, unfortunately, is 
> flawed: men and women prisoners did not mix in concentration 
> camps, and orchestras were not exceptions. Why ask readers to 
> honor history (much less a history that undergoes very public 
> challenges) if the author reinvents the record?
>
>
>
> Can anyone either verify or negate this claim that concentration 
> camp orchestra's were never coed, and that this could or couldn't 
> have happened?

Actually, if you simply look at ANY pictures of orchestras back
in those times, and even somewhat later, you will find no women
in the orchestras at all.

However, it's a little strange that I did a test of the picture
types I am referring to, using modern college kids as subjects,
and not one of them recognized the factor of no women, which in
today's orchestras would be an obvious inclusion.

Am _I_ missing something about our modern college students?

Or is it THEY who are missing something about the pictures?

This SEEMS to be a VERY good test, since the clothing, hair and
other styles worn in orchestras hasn't changed much.

Hoping to be thanking you soon for your time and consideration,


Michael

>
>
>
> Thanks much, Barb
>
> barbara-campbell at uiowa.edu
>
>
>
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