Brundibár Study Guide

OPERA THEATRE OF SAINT LOUIS PRESENTS

Brundibár

Music by Hans Krása Libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister

Study Guide for Teachers November 2009

Written by Amy and Arnold Stricker, Ed.D with contributions by Diane McCullough

Table of Contents

About the Opera …………………………………………………………………………… 3

History of Brundibár ……………………………………………………………………… 5

History of Terezin as Theresienstadt……………………………………………………… 6

Ela Weissberger Biography……………………………………………………………….. 8

Can You Hear Me Readers Theater……………………………………………………….. 11

Follow the Milk…………………………………………………………………………… 14

I See What You Are Saying………………………………………………………………. 16

I’m Just a Kid – Character Plus…………………………………………………………… 20

It Takes Just One - Leaders Big and Small……………………………………………….. 22

It Sounds Sort of Familiar………………………………………………………………… 24

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth - Character Plus………………... 25

What Happens Next Is . . …………………………………………………………………. 27

The Opera Game………………………………………………………………………….. 31

Orchestra Instruments found in the Opera Brundibár…………………………………….. 33

Opera Jeopardy Game…………………………………………………………………….. 35

Composing the Opera…………………………………………………………………….. 39

Music of Brundibár: What to Listen For………………………………………………….. 44

Vocabulary………………………………………………………………………………... 50

Web Sites…………………………………………………………………………………. 51

Brundibár Fairy Tale…………………………………………………………………….. 53

Brundibár Libretto………………………………………………………………………... 60

Additional Readings……………………………………………………………………… 71

Brundibár 1 OTSL 2009

Brundibár Overview by Area and Grade Page

No. Com Arts

Social Studies

Char Ed

Theatre Music Gr. 3-5

Gr. 6-8

Gr. 3-8

About the Opera 3 X X

History of Brundibár 5 X X X

History of Terezin as Theresienstadt 6 X

Ela Weissberger Biography 8 X

Can You Hear Me Readers Theater 11 X X X

Follow the Milk 14 X X

I See What You Are Saying 16 X X

I’m Just a Kid – Character Plus 20 X X X

It Takes Just One - Leaders Big and Small 22 X X X X

It Sounds Sort of Familiar 24 X X

The Truth, The Whole Truth – Character Plus 25 X

What Happens Next Is . . . 27 X X

The Opera Game 31 X X

Orchestra Instruments found in the Opera Brundibár 33 X X

Opera Jeopardy Game 35 X X

Composing the Opera 39 X X

Music of Brundibár: What to Listen For 44 X X

Vocabulary 50

Web Sites 51 X X X X X X

Brundibár Fairy Tale 53 X X X

Brundibár Libretto 60 X X X

Additional Readings 71 X X X X X X

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About The Opera

What is an opera? Opera is a story set to music in which most or all the words are sung rather than spoken. Acting, singing, costumes, scenery, props, orchestral music, and often dance are used to convey the storyline. The music of the opera can help bring the story to life by evoking emotions of sadness, joy, anger, revenge, and triumph.

Brundibár Brundibár, a two-act opera written by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása using Adolf Hoffmeister’s libretto, was created as a submission for a children’s opera competition in 1938. It debuted in secret at an orphanage in 1941 due to occupation by the German army. Over 55 performances of the musical fable were given at Theresienstadt, a ghetto camp where the Nazis hid their deportations and exterminations of Europe’s Jewish population. In the opera, helpless children overcome the bully Brundibár, an organ grinder to provide needed milk for their mother. The people in the ghetto viewed the playful children’s tale differently than the Nazis. To them, the evil organ grinder was Hitler and his defeat symbolized hope.

The Composer: Hans Krása

Hans Krása was born in the city of Prague in 1899. Krása began composing music as a child and had his first piece publicly performed when he was 11. He learned violin and piano as a child and later studied composition in Berlin and Paris. His style is influenced by early impressionism and by composers such as Igor Stravinsky and Claude Debussy. In 1942 he was arrested by the Nazis and deported to Theresienstadt, a ghetto camp. Brundibár was rescored at Theresienstadt and performed 55 times. He was deported to the concentration camp Auschwitz in October 1944 where he was immediately executed.

Hans Krása (L) and Adolf Hoffmeister (R)


Cast

Little Joe Annette, his sister Organ-grinder Brundibár Ice Cream Man Baker Milkman

Policeman Sparrow Cat Dog Windows, choir Schoolchildren, choir

Orchestra

Piccolo Flute Clarinet Trumpet Snare drum Bass drum

Guitar Piano Violin I (2) Violin II (2) Cello Bass

Scene

The opera takes place on a street in town with school, milk store, bakery, ice cream stand and the stand of the organ-grinder Brundibár.


History of Brundibár

Brundibár, a two-act opera written by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása using Adolf Hoffmeister’s libretto, was created as a submission for a children’s opera competition sponsored by the Czechoslovak Ministry of Education in 1938. Historical events interrupted the musical competition as Czechoslovakia awaited its imminent invasion by Germany; a competition winner was neither announced nor prize money awarded.

After German occupation Jewish cultural activities were forbidden, yet in 1941 Brundibár saw

its debut in secret at a Prague orphanage. Krása was arrested before he ever heard the performance and was soon transported to Theresienstadt, military fortress turned into a ghetto camp by the Nazi occupiers (see History of Theresienstadt.)

Krása was appointed head of musical activities for the camp. Using a smuggled piano reduction of the Brundibár score and memory, he re-orchestrated the opera using available camp resources: flute, clarinet, guitar, accordion, piano, percussion, four violins, a cello and a double bass. The children’s musical fable saw its first public performance on September 23, 1943 under the watchful eyes of camp guards. The production was directed by Frantisek Zelenka, formerly a stage manager at the Czech National Theatre, and choreographed by Camilla Rosenbaum. Rehearsals and performances were continuously disrupted by deportations of cast members to extermination camps, but players were replaced by newly arriving children. Brundibár would be performed 55 times through the following year.

Masters of propaganda, the Nazis promoted Theresienstadt as a “model” camp to hide their deportations and exterminations of Europe’s Jewish population. A special performance of Brundibár utilizing improved sets and costumes was given in 1944 for the International Red Cross who were on a humanitarian visit. Ironically, the final act which depicts Brundibár’s defeat was recorded for use in a Nazi propaganda film, Hitler Gives the Jews a Town, which was never released.

The opera’s symbolism of the once helpless children overcoming the bully Brundibár was not lost on its audience, and yet not viewed as a threat by the Nazis. This may have been due to the opera’s Czech text and/or the playful nature of a simple children’s tale. To the Jewish audience the evil organ grinder was Hitler and his defeat symbolized hope. The poet Emil A. Saudek even changed the last lines of the libretto from “He who loves so much his mother and father and his native land is our friend and can play with us.” to “He who loves justice and will abide by it, who is not afraid, is our friend and can play with us.”

Today, Brundibár performances are layered with the history of its poignant beginning. As all fables do, it carries meaning and lessons beyond the words and notes for all of us to hear and remember.


History of Terezín as Theresienstadt

Austrian Emperor Josef II founded the garrison town of Theresienstadt (today: Terezin) on September 22, 1784, naming it after his mother, Empress Maria Theresa. It served as a minor military base first for the Habsburg Monarchy until 1918 and then for the First Czechoslovak Republic until 1938.

The Germans occupied the Sudetenland (western region of Czechoslavakia) in October 1938 following the Munich Agreement of September 29, 1938. The Germans used the town Terezin, renamed Theresienstadt, as a military base until the end of summer 1941. In 1941, the base housed approximately 3,500 soldiers and 3,700 civilians. Virtually all of the employed adults among the civilians worked for the military.

On October 30, 1941, SS First Lieutenant Siegfried Seidl was given the responsibility of establishing and commanding the planned camp-ghetto. After being briefed by Adolf Eichmann, a high ranking Nazi official and architect of the Holocaust, Seidl negotiated with German military authorities to obtain the site for the SS. The soldiers were transferred and the civilians were relocated. On November 19, Seidl ordered the leaders of the Jewish Religious Community in Prague, including the deputy chairman, Jacob Edelstein, to provide 1,000 members of the community as workers to reconfigure the barracks town into a “settlement” for Jews. On November 24, 1941, at noon, the first 1,000 Jews arrived at Theresienstadt.

The Theresienstadt "camp-ghetto" existed for three and a half years, between November 24, 1941 and May 9, 1945. During its existence, Theresienstadt served three purposes. First, it was a transit camp for Czech Jews whom the Germans deported to killing centers, concentration camps, and forced-labor camps in German-occupied Poland, Belorussia, and the Baltic States. Second, it was a ghetto-labor camp to which the SS deported and then incarcerated certain categories of German, Austrian, and Czech Jews, based on their age, disability as a result of past military service, or domestic celebrity in the arts and other cultural life. To conceal the physical annihilation of the Jews deported from the Greater German Reich, the Nazi regime employed the general fiction, primarily inside Germany, that the deported Jews would be deployed as productive labor in the East. Since it seemed implausible that elderly Jews could be used for forced labor, the Nazis used Theresienstadt to hide the nature of the deportations. Third, Theresienstadt served as a holding pen for Jews in the above-mentioned groups. It was expected that that poor conditions there would hasten the deaths of many deportees, until the SS and police could deport the survivors to killing centers in the East.

Neither a "ghetto" as such nor strictly a concentration camp, Theresienstadt served as a “settlement,” an assembly camp, and a concentration camp, and thus had recognizable features of both ghettos and concentration camps. In its function as a tool of deception, Theresienstadt was a unique facility.

CULTURAL LIFE AT THERESIENSTADT Despite the terrible living conditions and the constant threat of deportation, Theresienstadt had a highly developed cultural life. Outstanding Jewish artists, mainly from Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Germany, created drawings and paintings, some of them


clandestine depictions of the ghetto's harsh reality. Writers, professors, musicians, and actors gave lectures, concerts, and theater performances. The ghetto maintained a lending library of 60,000 volumes.

NAZI DECEPTION

Theresienstadt served an important propaganda function for the Germans. The publicly stated purpose for the deportation of the Jews from Germany was their "resettlement to the East," where they would be compelled to perform forced labor. Since it seemed implausible that elderly Jews could be used for forced labor, the Nazis used the Theresienstadt ghetto to hide the nature of the deportations. In Nazi propaganda, Theresienstadt was described as a "spa town" where elderly German Jews could "retire" in safety. However, the deportations to Theresienstadt were part of the Nazi strategy of deception. The ghetto was in reality a collection center for deportations to ghettos and killing centers in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe.

Succumbing to pressure following the deportation of Danish Jews to Theresienstadt, the Germans permitted the International Red Cross to visit in June 1944. It was all an elaborate hoax. The Germans intensified deportations from the ghetto shortly before the visit, and the ghetto itself was "beautified." Gardens were planted, houses painted, and barracks renovated. The Nazis staged social and cultural events for the visiting dignitaries. Once the visit was over, the Germans resumed deportations from Theresienstadt, which did not end until October 1944.

DEPORTATIONS FROM THERESIENSTADT

Beginning in 1942, SS authorities deported Jews from Theresienstadt to other ghettos, concentration camps, and extermination camps in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe. German authorities either murdered the Jews upon their arrival in the ghettos of Riga, Warsaw, Lodz, Minsk, and Bialystok, or deported them further to extermination camps. Transports also left Theresienstadt directly for the extermination camps of Auschwitz, Majdanek, and Treblinka. In the ghetto itself, tens of thousands of people died, mostly from disease or starvation. In 1942, the death rate within the ghetto was so high that the Germans built--to the south of the ghetto--a crematorium capable of handling almost 200 bodies a day.

Of the approximately 140,000 Jews transferred to Theresienstadt, nearly 90,000 were deported to points further east and almost certain death. Roughly 33,000 died in Theresienstadt itself. Fifteen thousand children passed through Theresienstadt. Although forbidden to do so, they attended school. They painted pictures, wrote poetry, and otherwise tried to maintain a vestige of normalcy. Approximately 90 percent of these children eventually perished in death camps. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. "Theresienstadt." Holocaust Encyclopedia. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005424(accessed 10-06-2009)

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. "Theresienstadt: Establishment." Holocaust Encyclopedia. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10007506 (accessed 10-06-2009)


Ela Weissberger: Her Story

Ela Weissberger is an extraordinary grandmother with a ready smile who has dedicated a great portion of her later life and speaking to audiences around the world about the Holocaust; she has a unique, cautionary, and ultimately hopeful message to share through her life story. Ela was born in 1930 in the small town of Lom U Mostu, which is now part of the Czech Republic. She was the second daughter to Max and Marketa Stein and grew up in a close-knit extended family. However, Ela lived in a time and place which was becoming increasingly hostile to her, her older sister Ilona, and her parents because of their Jewish heritage. When Ela was just 8 years old, townspeople came to the Steins’ home, painted “Jews Out” on their front door, and smashed

windows everywhere. It was November 9-10, 1938, and that night became known as Kristallnacht or “The Night of Broken Glass.” Nazi troops had invaded Czechoslovakia a month earlier and declared it part of Germany. Only a few short weeks later, Ela’s father was taken away by police for speaking out against Adolph Hitler in public, her home was vandalized, and her mother was ordered to bring the remainder of the family to the Nazi headquarters. Instead, they ran away from their hometown. Prague, a city of tall palaces and cathedrals, became Ela’s new home, but she moved continually as the Nazis took over more and more of the city, relocating Jews, who were forced to wear a yellow star that said Jude (Jew). Even with the multiple moves, Ela and Ilona kept going to school until 1940 when the Nazis passed a law forbidding Jewish children to attend public schools. In December of 1941, Nazis began forcing Jews on transports, trains that took prisoners to unidentified destinations out of the city. Ela’s family was told they had three days to prepare to leave Prague with 110 pounds of belongings each. On February 12, 1942 eleven-year-old Ela Stein and her family were transported to Terezin. Terezin had been a military fortress built in the 1780’s by the Austrian Empire. Abandoned by the old ruling military, the fortress Terezin became the town Terezin with a population of 7,000. In June of 1940, Nazi’s took control of Terezin, expelled its non-Jewish residents, renamed it Theresienstadt, and began promoting it as a “model Jewish settlement” to the outside world. In reality it served as a transit camp for those being transported to Auschwitz, a concentration camp. Ela remembers being expelled from the transport train, being forced to march through the snow for miles, and finally reaching the town where she watched the huge wooden gates of Theresienstadt close behind her. At eleven years old, she knew she was in a prison. Thousands of prisoners were forced to live in tight quarters, crammed into the rooms, halls and stairwells of buildings. Many died from disease and starvation before they could be


transported on to a death camp. There wasn’t enough to eat, and meals often consisted of watery green soup made from dried peas and potatoes. Ela remembers seeing old men and women sifting through the garbage hoping to find scraps of rotten food. Fortunately, Ela’s mother worked in the guards’ garden, and she proudly recalls that her “mother was the best thief in Terezin!” Marketa exchanged the stolen vegetables to for bits of bread and sugar for her daughters Ela and Ilona. At times she also prepared food for children who did not have parents at the camp. Soon after the Steins’ arrival, the decision was made to house all children in separate barracks while their parents and elders worked. Ela was assigned to Room 28 with about thirty other girls her age. Under the tutelage of a few caretakers and teachers, the children studied traditional subjects, piano, art and more. The Nazis strictly forbade any kind of study, but the camp was full of university professors, artists, actors and writers who would visit secretly to conduct their lessons. Some paintings, drawings and poetry survive today from the children of Theresienstadt. Another piece of art which survives is the children’s opera, Brundibár. Brundibár was written by the Czech composer Hans Krása as a submission for a children’s opera competition sponsored by the Czechoslovak Ministry of Education in 1938. The first performance was staged in a Prague orphanage in 1941. But it is best known from the 55 performances by the children of Theresienstadt. Ela with her beautiful voice was given the role of the “Cat.” The production was directed by Frantisek Zelenka, formerly a stage manager at the Czech National Theatre, and choreographed by Camilla Rosenbaum. Rehearsals and performances were continuously disrupted by deportations of cast members to extermination camps, but players were replaced by newly arriving children. Brundibár would be performed 55 times through the following year. Many concerts, plays and lectures were allowed and then taken away as punishment. The cast of Brundibár did not know if their opera about a bully and his defeat would ever be presented, but on September 23, 1943 Brundibár was performed in front of the Nazi guards. It was received with deafening applause, for many in the audience knew that the cruel organ grinder Brundibár represented Hitler, the dictator of Germany, and the opera played out his defeat. The opera was presented every week thereafter. Cast members were allowed to remove their yellow stars during performances, allowing them a brief moment of freedom, and audiences experienced the hope that one day the real-life tyrant Hitler would be vanquished. As cast members were sent away on the transports, Ela received protection from her mother and uncle who were in positions of limited power. The International Red Cross visited the camp in the summer of 1944, a trip planned by the Nazis to showcase their “model camp” for Jews. In preparation for the one-day visit the Germans transported large numbers of prisoners to reduce crowding, painted buildings, planted flowers and ordered the inmates to present various performances including Brundibár. After what they thought was a successful visit, a few weeks later the Nazis filmed the camp and Brundibár for a propaganda film Hitler Gives the Jews a

Town. The film captured one of the last performances of Brundibár, because transports rose sharply thereafter.


Soon most of the children had been taken away and Ela returned to live with her mother and sister near the gardens. On May 3, 1945, Theresienstadt was turned over to the International Red Cross and became Terezin, once again. Ela had spent three and a half years at the camp and was almost fifteen when she was freed.

The bonds of friendship and survival she formed in Room 28 stayed with Ela her entire

life. Throughout her life, which has included moves to Israel and the United States, marriage and children, Ela searched for the girls from Room 28. In 1986 Ela and her friends reunited in Prague, and they agreed to meet at least once every year. They kept their promise, and now Ela is the last surviving cast member of Terezin’s Brundibár. Today she resides in New York as an American citizen and travels the world sharing her story.

…we performed this opera at Terezin. Only a few of us survived. I lost

many of my friends. But when we were performing Brundibár, we forgot

where we were, we forgot all of our troubles. Music was part of our

resistance against the Nazis. Music, art, good teachers, and

friends mean survival.

~Ela Weissberger

Biography Sources:

Rubin, Susan Goldman. Cat with the yellow star coming of age in Terezin. New York: Holiday House, 2006.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. "Theresienstadt." Holocaust Encyclopedia.

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005424(accessed 10-06-2009)

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. "Theresienstadt: Timeline." Holocaust Encyclopedia.

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10007460 (accessed 10-06-2009)

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. "Theresienstadt: Cultural Life." Holocaust Encyclopedia. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10007461 (accessed 10-06-2009)


Can You Hear Me? Readers Theater

Overview: Students will perform a read aloud the libretto of Brundibár

Outcomes: Students will reformat a text according to Readers Theatre

guidelines

Students will perform a play version of Brundibár

Students will read with fluency and expression

Suggested Time: Approximately two 50 minute classes Materials: Copies of the libretto of Brundibár Found in the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Brundibár Study Guide (p. 60)

Classroom board

Highlighters

Activity/Procedure: Day 1

♦ Preparing to Read

Divide class into two groups and assign parts (many students will be responsible for more than one part.) Using a highlighter, have students mark their speeches in their copy of the script. Ask them to mark only words they will speak—not stage directions which are in italics.

Have students underline words that tell about anything they will need to act out—words in either the stage directions or other readers’ speeches.

Have students read through their part silently. If there are words with which they are not familiar, have students look them up in a dictionary. If there are words the student must remember to stress, underline them. If there are places to pause, mark them with a couple of slashes, //. (For instance, a student may have to pause so the audience will know there’s a change of scene or time in the story.)

Have student groups read through their part aloud. Ask them to think about how that character would sound. Should they try a funny voice? How would the character feel about what’s happening in the story? Speak as if you were feeling that.

Grades: 3-8

Subjects:

Communication Arts, Theatre

Missouri Grade Level Expectations: Communication Arts:

R2A, R2C Theatre: PP1B, PP1F,

AP1A


Day 2

♦ Pointers to Review (written on the board): 1. Hold your script at a steady height, but make sure it doesn’t hide your face. If there’s

anyone in the audience you can’t see, your script is too high.

2. While you speak, try to look up often, not just at your script. When you do look at it, move just your eyes and keep your head up.

3. Talk slowly. Speak each syllable clearly.

4. Talk loudly! Talk with feeling. Audiences love a ham!

5. Stand and sit straight. Keep your hands and feet still, if they’re doing nothing useful!

6. If you’re moving around, face the audience as much as you can. When rehearsing, always think about where the audience will be.

7. Characters, remember to be your character even when you’re not speaking.

♦ Rehearsing and Performing

Have groups move around and read through the script again, trying out faces and actions. Would the character stand or move a special way? Can you do that? If possible, have a big mirror for students to use practicing.

♦ Performing

Performances should take about 12-15 minutes each. Assign read aloud pairs – a student paired with another from the other group and use a “Read Aloud” checklist (p. 13)

♦ Before an actual performance, discuss with your students the “what-ifs.” If the audience laughs, stop speaking until they can hear you again.

If someone talks in the audience, don’t pay attention to them, keep going.

If someone walks into the room, don’t look.

If you make a mistake, pretend it was right.

Have fun, and tell your readers what they’re doing well!

Credits: Shepard, Aaron. "RT Tips, Chapter 3 ~ Tips on Reading." Aaron Shepard's Home Page *Stories, Scripts, More*. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 July 2009. <http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/Tips3.html>.


Reader’s Name___________________________ Completed by____________________________

Readers Theatre Read Aloud Checklist

1. Did the reader use a loud voice?

Needs some work Pretty good Awesome

2. Did the reader speak slowly and clearly?


3. Did the reader use expression?


4. Did the reader read with fluency?


5. Could you see the reader’s face while he or she read during the play?


6. Did the reader use appropriate gestures and motions?



Follow the Milk

Overview: Students will read the fairy tale version of Brundibár, identify

literary elements of the plot and organize them graphically Outcomes: Students will identify the literary elements of plot

Students will be able to demonstrate text comprehension through reflecting on and analyzing the literary elements of plot and then will communicate them graphically

Students will place plot events in chronological order

Students will create an evaluative scale which ranks plot events from high points to low points Suggested Time: Approximately two 50 minute classes Additional time may be needed for background preparation or to

complete drawings

Materials: Copies of the fairy tale version of Brundibár Found in the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Brundibár Study Guide (p. 53)

Classroom board

Colored pencils, crayons, and/or markers

Construction Paper/Chart Paper

Activity/Procedure: Day 1

♦ Use background preparation as needed:

What is Plot? The literary element which describes the events of a story

Elements of Plot: Beginning (exposition): The situation before action begins the story Rising Action: Conflicts in the story which lead to the middle (climax) Middle (climax): the turning point, the most dramatic moment Falling Action: the action which follows the dramatic moment End (conclusion/resolution): the tying together of the story’s events

Grades: 3-5

Subjects:

Communication Arts

Missouri Grade Level Expectations: Communication Arts: R1E, R1G, R1H, R2A


♦ Review the literary elements to plot as needed for your class

♦ Read the fairy tale version of Brundibár. You can choose to read aloud, do independent reading, pair or group readings – but each student should have a copy of the story

♦ Once you have finished the story, arrange students in groups of 4-6 and have each group discuss and record their answers to the following questions written on the board:

What did the author need to explain at the beginning of the story? What event begins the action? What is the most dramatic point of the story? Is it clear? What happens after the climax? How does the story end? Are there other important events that were not included in the questions above?

Day 2

♦ Have student groups review their answers from the previous class. Ask students to write or draw a representation of each event they described on construction paper. Explain that there will be 3 different colors of construction paper used:

1st color: Beginning and End events 2nd color: Rising and Falling action events 3rd color: Climax

♦ When they are finished creating their events each group needs a piece of chart paper to plot their events chronologically. Have students divide their paper horizontally with a line. On the upper half have the students write “Positive” and on the lower half have the students write “Negative.” Not only do the students need to plot their events chronologically, but how strongly they feel the event was positive or negative.

♦ Have groups share their completed plot organizers and discuss differences between the groups.

Extension:

♦ Allow students to revise plot organizers after the group discussion


I See What You Are Saying

Overview: Students will listen to the fairy tale version of Brundibár, select a

character of which to draw a picture and identify specific character elements/traits

Outcomes: Students will utilize strategies of visualizing characters while

Brundibár is being read

Students will be able to identify specific relevant character elements/traits as it relates to a character in the story

Students will be able to demonstrate text comprehension through reflecting, analyzing and then drawing character elements/traits

Students will make connections between their selected character and the world around them

Suggested Time: Approximately 50 minutes Additional time may be needed for background preparation or to

complete drawings

Materials: Fairy Tale version of Brundibár Found in the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Brundibár Study Guide (p. 53)

Classroom board

Colored pencils, crayons, and/or markers

Character Trait Drawing Paper (p. 18-19)

Activity/Procedure:

♦ Use background preparation as needed:

What is a character?

Using a book and/or television show you know with which your class is familiar, ask “WHO the characters are in the book (or television show)” For example, they might

know that Charlotte is the main character in the book Charlotte's Web.

For example, Joe is a character on the television show “Blue's Clues.”

Grades: 3-5

Subjects:

Communication Arts


R1G, R1I, LS1A


Stories need a plot (the series of events that happen), setting (the places where they occur), and characters (the people or animals who are affected by the plot and setting). But that's still WHO the characters are. We're talking about WHAT character is, not who some characters are.

Character elements and development are the collection of features that bring the people (or animals) to life. It's not just what they look like, but how they think, what they do, what they wear, and so on.

Character is something you can figure out by paying attention to what they do, what they say, what they think and feel, and what others say about them.

Here is a list of common characters:

The Hero/Heroine Class Clown Athlete Bully Brain

For most of them, you can think of specific features that they're likely to have. In a good piece of writing, the characters go beyond the obvious features. They might have an unusual or surprising feature. Remind students to describe inner qualities, as well as what the character looks like.

How often have you seen a movie after reading the book it was based on and said, "That's not how I pictured ______; she should be [taller, meaner, funnier]"?

Readers often see themselves or others they know in the fictional characters (human or animal) they read about in books. When we think about all the features that make up character, what the readers bring to the story is just as important as what the author wrote.

♦ Explain that as you read the story version of Brundibár, students should visualize the details about the characters – what they look like (short, tall, big, slim, hair color, hair style, etc.); what clothes they are wearing (neat, messy, new, old, bright, drab, etc.); what they act like (move quickly or slowly, happy, mean, sad, excited, etc.)

♦ Once you have finished the story, hand out the Brundibár Character Trait Drawing paper found at the end of this lesson and have students select one character to draw and describe. Have students think about “clues” in the text to create their characters. Encourage students to go back and check specific details in the short story text.

Options to have a variety of characters represented:

Have students select their character by “drawing out of a hat” Place students in groups of 4 or 5 and ask each member to select a

different character Extensions:

♦ Have students group a set of character drawings and use them to retell the story

♦ Group students by same character and have them share their drawings

♦ Have students decide which character they are most like and write about why

♦ After the students see the performance, have them compare their character drawings to what they saw on stage


Name: ____________________

Brundibár Character Traits

The character I chose is____________________________ and this is what my character looks like:


The clues I used from the story to create my character were:

I would/would not like my character to be my friend because:


I’m Just a Kid Character Plus Extension to “Can You Hear Me? Readers Theatre”

and/or the Brundibár Opera performance

Overview: Students will identify things for which Joe and Annette in

Brundibár were responsible and relate it to their own lives Outcomes: Students will identify responsibilities to self, family, friends and

community

Suggested Time: Approximately 50 minutes Materials: Copies of Brundibár libretto Found in the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Brundibár Study Guide (p. 60)

Classroom board

Index cards

Writing paper

Prerequisite: Classroom performance and/or Opera Theatre performance of

Brundibár

Activity/Procedure: ♦ Reflection

As a class record a list of responsibilities that Joe and Annette had in Brundibár on the board.

Ask students to categorize these responsibilities into the following categories:

Responsibilities to Self, Family, Friends and Community

Discuss how Joe and Annette were able to fulfill their responsibilities. What personal qualities did it take? Did they receive help?

♦ Game – Stand Up!

Ask students to reflect on their own responsibilities. They can be ones they fulfill regularly, or even ones they are trying to fulfill. On an index card have students write their top one or two responsibilities for each category in the following order:

1. Community; 2. School; 3. Friends; 4. Family; 5. Self

Grades: 3-8

Subjects:

Character Education, Communication Arts


R1I, LS1A, LS2A


Collect the index cards. Ask everyone in the class to stand and select a card. Read off the responsibilities starting with community on the card and ask anyone who had the same idea to remain standing and if they did not have that idea on their card, those students would sit down. For example: the card may read under community “pick up trash/don’t litter” and anyone who

had that idea on their card would remain standing, those that did not would sit down. Continue down the list, allowing students to sit after each category. After each card is complete, one student (possibly a couple of more) will be left standing. Select a new card, ask the class to stand again and repeat. These “stand up” rounds go fast, complete at least 5 or 6 for material discussions – you can return to the stack at the end of the period if the class wants more.

After completing your “stand up” rounds ask the class to reflect on the responsibilities that were called out during the game. What were the similarities? Differences? New ideas? How can each student help with the responsibilities discussed? Do any of the student’s responsibilities reflect Joe and Annette’s in Brundibár?

Extension:

♦ On a sheet of paper have students write out a new list of responsibilities. Have them focus on one for each category (their list may or may not change after the game and discussion.) Return to this list after a week or so and have students do a self-check on how they are meeting their responsibilities.

Refresh the list throughout the remainder of the year.


It Takes Just One – Leaders Big and Small

Overview: Using the short story Brundibár, students will identify the

leadership qualities of the characters Outcomes: Students will identify responsibilities to self, family, friends and

community

Suggested Time: Approximately 50 minutes Materials: Fairy Tale version of Brundibár Found in the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Brundibár Study Guide (p. 53)

Characteristics for Leadership Sheet (p. 23)

Activity/Procedure: ♦ Read the short story Brundibár aloud. Tell students they should pay particular attention to

any leadership qualities the characters demonstrate. Have them preview the Characteristics for Leadership Sheet so they know exactly for what qualities they are looking.

♦ After the story, divide students into groups of 4 and have them discuss and fill out their Leadership Sheets.

♦ Once sheets are completed, discuss the answers as a class. Ask why some characters did not demonstrate any leadership qualities. Have students select one character who has the same leadership style and skills that they do.

Extensions:

♦ Have students read “Ela Weissberger: Her Story” and write a list of the leadership characteristics she has demonstrated throughout her life. Give specific examples of how Ela has been a leader for her community, friends, family and self.

♦ Have students read about Nobel Prize winner Irena Sendler who recently died and follow the same instructions as above. Visit www.snopes.com/politics/war/sendler.asp

Grades: 3-8

Subjects:

Character Education, Communication Arts,

Social Studies


R1G, R1H Social Studies:

TSSI7A


Leaders Big and Small

List the character name next to the leadership quality and give an example of how that character shows the characteristic

Leadership Quality Character Example Trustworthy Good Communicator Provides a Vision Motivates Others Hard Worker Positive Attitude Takes Care of Others Enthusiastic Sense of Humor Takes Responsibility for Actions Informed Stands up for What They Believe


It Sounds Sort of Familiar

Overview: Students will use the libretto of Brundibár to identify literature

terms and techniques Outcomes: Students will demonstrate knowledge of literary techniques

Students will analyze the Brundibár libretto

Students will create a brief libretto

Suggested Time: Approximately 50 minutes Materials: Copies of the Brundibár libretto Found in the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Brundibár Study Guide (p. 60)

Classroom board

Activity/Procedure: ♦ Explain to students that a libretto literally means “little book” and it refers to the text of

an opera. Librettos commonly use literary and poetic techniques to give their words form along with the music.

♦ Using the board to record answers, ask students to recall any literary and poetic techniques with which they are familiar. Alliteration, dialogue, foreshadow, free verse,

imagery, metaphor, meter, onomatopoeia, personification, rhyme, simile, stanza, etc.

♦ You may have students work individually, in pairs or small groups. Hand out the libretto. Have students identify the literary and poetic techniques which are used throughout the piece.

♦ Ask students to identify their favorite passages and why they feel the technique used is particularly successful.

♦ Have students create a brief stanza of their own using one or two of the same techniques. Extension:

♦ Have students compose their own libretto about a scene from their lives and set to music.

Grades: 6-8

Subjects:

Communication Arts


R2B, W1A


The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth

Overview: Using the “History of Terezin as Theresienstadt” and selected web

sites, students will write a news article from the perspective of the Red Cross who visited the camp and how they would get the “truth” and help those inside the camp.

Outcomes: Students will research an historical event

Suggested Time: Approximately 50 minutes Additional time may be needed to complete articles Materials: Copies of “History of Terezin as Theresienstadt” Found in the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Brundibár Study Guide (p. 6)

Classroom Board

Internet access (or teacher may print out needed materials if computers are not available)

Writing paper

Prerequisite: General knowledge of the Holocaust

Activity/Procedure: ♦ List the following web sites on the board: Theresienstadt: Red Cross Visit http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10007463 Photos from the Red Cross Visit http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/media_ph.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10007463&MediaId=6600 Nazi Propaganda http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005202

Grades: 6-8

Subjects:

Character Education, Communication Arts,

Social Studies


R3A, W2A, W3A, IL1A, IL2A

Social Studies: TSSI7A


♦ Have students read “History of Terezin as Theresienstadt.” Explain that they are to put themselves in the position of the visiting Red Cross authorities. Discuss what questions they could ask the prisoners of Theresienstadt under Nazi supervision to try and get the whole truth about the camp. Write these questions on the board.

♦ Tell students that they are going to write a news article to expose what is really going on at Theresienstadt. They can investigate further information by using the web sites listed on the board which will include additional information the Red Cross had, along with pictures that were taken during the visit. Encourage students to use their investigative eye to get clues to the truth.

♦ Remind them that they are writing to a world who is not sure about what is going on in the camps and to only use information that the Red Cross would have had, not what we know today.

♦ Wrap up discussion: Why is it important to take action when you see abuses? What kind of action was available to the Red Cross at that time? What happens when people choose not to acknowledge abuses? What are some things that our country and your school have in place to prevent abuses?


What Happens Next Is…

Overview: Students will read the short story version of Brundibár in sections,

make predictions about what happens next and articulate the author’s intent

Outcomes: Students will make predictions at certain points during the reading

of Brundibár

Students will support their predictions with information and analysis

Students will identify the author’s intent

Suggested Time: Approximately 50 minutes Materials: Copies of the fairy tale version of Brundibár Found in the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Brundibár Study Guide (p. 53)

Classroom Board

Prediction Question Sheet and Chart (p. 29-30)

Activity/Procedure:

♦ Explain that the fairy tale version Brundibár is based on the opera that they will see in November. Offer the hint that the opera’s creation, first performers and performances have a very meaningful historical context and students should keep that thought in the back of their mind when reading the story of Brundibár and making predictions – it is more than a simple fairy tale.

♦ You may have students work individually, in pairs or in small groups. Hand out the fairy tale Brundibár. Ask students to read the “At Home” passage and answer question 1.

♦ Once the class is ready, read aloud until you come to the stopping point for question 2. Have students check their predictions from question 1. Did they pick up on any clues in the text? Have students fill out the “what actually happened” section.

♦ You may continue stopping and checking predictions as a class, or have students check predictions and finish reading and the short story in small groups.

Grades: 6-8

Subjects:

Communication Arts

Missouri Grade Level Expectations: Communication Arts: R1F, R1G, R1I, R2C


♦ After students have completed their prediction questions and charts, remind them about Brundibár’s background you discussed at the beginning of class before they answer question 2. Have students think about the authors’ primary intent whether it was to persuade, inform or entertain and who they believe was the intended audience.

Extension:

♦ Have students read the “History of Brundibár” and reevaluate and rewrite their author’s intent and audience writings.


Name:____________________

Brundibár Prediction Questions and Chart

Read the questions below and use the following chart to record your answers. 1. Do you think Joe and Annette have money for the milk? 2. Will the Milkman help Joe and Annette?

3. What happens to Joe and Annette after they have been chased into the alley?

4. Will the plan be successful and how will it work?

5. How will Joe and Annette buy milk? 6. What was the author’s main intent, to persuade, entertain or inform?


Question Prediction Text Clues What Actually Happened

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.


The Opera Game

Overview: Just as many students know the terms and players that make up a

baseball game, students will learn basic opera vocabulary and who the key people are in creating an opera.

Outcomes: Students will be able to identify basic music terms associated with

opera.

Students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of opera terms through theatrical interpretation for the class.

Suggested Time: Approximately 50 minutes Materials: Classroom board

Large Index Cards with Terms on one side/ Definitions on the other (p. 32)

Props for acting out terms

Activity/Procedure: ♦ Have opera terms written on the classroom board.

♦ The baseball warm-up: ask students if they have ever seen or played a baseball game. Have them name the participants in a game – pitcher, fielders, batter, catcher, umpires. Select one or two students to explain the purpose or “how to play the game.” Next, ask students what would happen if a player didn’t know the terms of the game or there were some participants missing. Ask if it is more fun to watch baseball if you know the terms and what the participants are supposed to do.

♦ Explain that it is the same with watching an opera. It is more fun if you understand who the players are and what they all do to perform an opera. They are going to learn the basic terms that are used in an opera.

♦ Students will divide into groups of two or three and be given an index card with an opera term. Explain that they will have to act out the term that they have been given. Remind students that they don’t just have to be people, they can pretend to be an object, and they can use any words but the actual term to demonstrate their word.

Grades: 3-5

Subjects:

Music, Communication Arts,

Theatre

Missouri Grade Level Expectations:

Music (rev. 6/7/2007): HC1A5, HC1B5,

HC1C5 IC1B3, IC1B4, IC1B5


♦ Have groups come up one at a time to perform their word. Once the group has finished their performance, have the audience guess which word the performers acted out. Many students will be unfamiliar with the terminology at first so encourage the audience to use the list on the classroom board for guesses and mark them off once they have been used.

♦ Once the groups have finished mix the cards and have the groups try acting out a new term. And now you can play ball! If the audience guesses the term on the first try – it’s a home run! If they guess on the second try – it’s a triple; on the third try – it’s a double; and on the fourth try – it’s a single. You can have the groups play against each other (you would need multiple index card sets) or even keep score between classes.

Extensions:

♦ Have students pick one of the opera terms and write or draw how it is like a baseball term. (Acts=Innings; Conductor=Manager or Pitcher; Singers=Players; Singing an Aria=Being at Bat; etc.)

♦ Play “pick-up games” as a refresher as the opera draws near.

Basic Opera Vocabulary Acts- how the action in an opera is divided Aria- a vocal solo or song Composer- individual who writes the music to a libretto of an opera Conductor-individual who leads the orchestra and singers for the opera Duet-two people singing or playing instruments together Libretto- the words of an opera; literal meaning is little book Overture- an instrumental piece which introduces the opera Score-music of the opera used by the conductor to conduct Solo-one person singing or playing an instrument


Orchestra Instruments found in the Opera Brundibár

Overview: Students who watch or listen to baseball games can recognize

players by the number on their uniform, their voice, or even their appearance. Visual and aural recognition factors play a big part in daily life. Students will review or in some cases learn the specific instruments Hans Krása had available when he composed Brundibár and how that affected the sound of the orchestra.

Outcomes: Students will be able to visually and aurally identify the musical

instruments that perform in the opera.

Suggested Time: Approximately 50 minutes

Materials: Classroom board

Large pictures, photographs, or drawings of the instruments (found in separate files on the OTSL Brundibár Website)

Sound bytes of the instruments (found in separate files on the OTSL Brundibár Website)

One set of 11 index cards with the names of the instruments (p. 34)

Activity/Procedure: ♦ Have pictures of instruments on the classroom board.

♦ Organizing the team: ask students if they have ever seen or heard an interview with Albert Pujols from the St. Louis Cardinals. Besides seeing his name at the bottom of the television screen, how did they know it was him? Besides hearing his name mentioned on the radio, how did they know it was him?

♦ Just as there are different players that can be seen and heard on the St. Louis Cardinals, there are different instruments in the opera Brundibár that Hans Krása used when he composed the music. It is more enjoyable if you can identify the instruments that perform in the opera. They are going to see and hear the instruments which were available and used in the opera.

♦ Students will review the different families of instruments and the instruments which are a part of the families.

Grades: 3-5

Subjects:

Music


Music (rev. 6/7/2007): AP1B3-5 IC1B3-5


♦ Divide students into groups of three or four. Post the instrument pictures on the board and pass out a few cards to each group. Explain they will have to match the instrument named on the card with the picture of the instrument. Have a different student from each group come up one at a time and match the card with the picture. Continue until all the cards are used.

♦ Once all the instruments are matched with the correct name card, redistribute the cards in like manner. Explain they will hear a brief sound byte of an instrument. They will have to match the correct card with the sound they hear and put it under the picture of the instrument. After listening to the instrument and identifying the sound of the instrument, students will come up one at a time and match the card with the picture. Continue until all the cards are used.

♦ Now you can begin to play match the instruments and their sounds. Turn the instrument pictures and the cards over so the picture and name of the instruments are away from the students. Arrange them in a square, circle, or other design. Have one person from each team turn over an instrument picture and then a card. When the card is turned over, play the sound byte of the instrument named. If the picture and card match, the team gets a point. If they don’t match, the next team gets a turn. Continue until all of the cards are matched.

Extension:

♦ Vary the game: (1) Put duplicate instrument pictures with a matching card in the grouping, (2) Don’t play the sound byte, but have students match the word with the picture, (3) Place bonus cards (cards without the instrument name) in the group. When students select a bonus card, they will only hear the instrument sound byte and will get double points if they match it with the correct picture of the instrument.

Instrument Names Bass Drum Clarinet Snare Drum Trumpet Piano Violin Guitar Cello Piccolo String Bass or Double Bass Flute


The Opera Jeopardy Game

Overview: Many students know the terms and players that make up a baseball

game, students will learn basic opera vocabulary and who the key people are in creating an opera.

Outcomes: Students will be able to identify basic music terms associated with

opera.

Suggested Time: Approximately 50 minutes Materials: Classroom computer and projector

Index cards with definitions of the basic music opera terms on them

Jeopardy game (See game instructions on pages 37-38; PowerPoint found in separate file on the OTSL Brundibár Website)

Basic opera vocabulary (p. 36)

Activity/Procedure: ♦ Have opera terms written on the classroom board.

♦ The baseball warm-up: Ask students if they have ever seen or played a baseball game. Have them name the participants in a game – pitcher, fielders, batter, catcher, umpires. Select one or two students to explain the purpose or “how to play the game.” Next, ask students what would happen if a player didn’t know the terms of the game or there were some participants missing. Ask if it is more fun to watch baseball if you know the terms and what the participants are supposed to do.

♦ Explain that it is the same with watching an opera. It is more fun if you understand who the players are and what they all do to perform an opera. They are going to learn the basic terms that are used in an opera.

♦ Students will divide into groups of two or three and be given an index card with an opera term. Explain that they will have to explain the term they have been given. They can use any words except the actual term to describe their word. Students who are not explaining will have to give the specific name of the term being described.

Grades: 6-8

Subjects:

Music


Music (rev. 6/7/2007): IC1B6-8 HC1A6-8


♦ Groups should come up one at a time to discuss their word. Once the group has finished and their description has been given a name, the word card should be placed on the board.

♦ Once the groups have finished they are ready to try computer Jeopardy. Remind students that in Jeopardy, they will be given the answer and they must come up with the question.

Extensions:

♦ Have students place the terms in similar groupings and explain why they are similar (soprano, alto, tenor, bass: all voices of varying ranges)

♦ Play “pick-up games” as a refresher as the opera draws near.

Basic Opera Vocabulary Acts- how the action in an opera is divided Alto or Contralto-lowest female voice Aria-a vocal solo or song Baritone-male voice between the tenor and bass Bass-lowest male voice Composer-individual who writes the music to a libretto of an opera Conductor-individual who leads the orchestra and singers for the opera Duet-two people singing or playing instruments together Leitmotif-short musical passage that identifies certain ideas, places, and characters each time they appear in the opera Libretto-the words of an opera; literal meaning is little book Mezzo Soprano-middle or medium female voice between the soprano and alto Musical Comedy-a lighthearted piece of song and dance numbers whose roots are found in operetta Opera House-a specially designed theatre for opera Operetta-a light opera with spoken dialogue, songs, and dances Oratorio-a musical work which features soloists, chorus, and orchestra and may tell a story just like an opera, performed in a concert hall without acting, costumes, or scenery. Overture-an instrumental piece which introduces the opera Recitative-text that is sung in a sing-speech style which carries the action from one aria to the other Score-music of the opera used by the conductor to conduct Solo-one person singing or playing an instrument Soprano-highest female voice Tenor-highest male voice Vibrato-the wavering of pitch by a performer to add expression and quality


Opera Jeopardy Instructions

Background Opera Jeopardy is a learning resource using the format of the popular game Jeopardy. The categories of Opera Jeopardy include: Voices of the Opera, People of the Opera, Opera Potpourri, and Terms in the Opera. All of the information that is used for answers is found in the Opera Jeopardy Lesson Plan. Please remember that answers are given and students are to formulate questions. You must have Microsoft PowerPoint to view the presentation and play Opera Jeopardy. There are sound files so please make sure the volume on the computer is turned up. Do not make any changes or the PowerPoint may not function as designed. Opera Jeopardy will run with minimal assistance.

Playing Opera Jeopardy 1. Open the Opera Jeopardy PowerPoint. 2. Start the slide show from the first slide by:

a. Clicking Slide Show at the lower left of the PowerPoint window, or b. On the Slide Show menu, click View Show, or c. Press F5. 3. When Slide 1 is complete, click on the button which appears in the lower right hand corner.

4. Clicking with the mouse on any $ amount will move the PowerPoint to an answer in the associated category.

a. When students give a correct question to the answer on the PowerPoint, click on the button. PowerPoint will go to the correct question. After points are written down, you can click on the button and you will return to the Category/$ slide. b. When students give an incorrect question to the answer on the PowerPoint, click on the button. PowerPoint will return you to the Category/$ slide. 5. Make sure you keep track of the money that is earned for the individuals or teams

playing. 6. The Daily Double will appear under Category Terms in the Opera for $200.

Individual students or the team will have an opportunity to choose any amount from $0 to $400 for the Daily Double. Click on the to move to the answer. Follow the previous method as described in number four above for correct and incorrect answers.

7. Final Jeopardy is the small box in the lower right hand corner of the Category/$ slide.

When clicked, the PowerPoint will proceed to Final Jeopardy. Individual students or teams will have the opportunity to choose any amount from $0 to their current total for Final Jeopardy. Once amounts have been chosen, click on the to view the


Final Jeopardy answer. Once the answer appears, students will have 15 seconds to write down their answer. The 15 seconds begins when you click the button. To view the correct question, click on . 8. The button at the end of Final Jeopardy will take you to the last page. 9. The button will take you then to the very beginning of Opera Jeopardy.


Composing the Opera Brundibár

Overview: Students who organize and/or play neighborhood games

know they may not be able to have enough students to field a complete team and may need to adapt or modify positions to play their game. Students will learn Hans Krása did something similar when he composed the music to Brundibár using the instruments that were available.

Outcomes: Given a set of instruments, students will be able to

compose and perform a short song involving a variety of musical skills and expression using: at least three pitches, rhythm patterns in simple meters, timbre, tempo, and dynamics.

Suggested Time: Approximately 50 minutes Materials: Classroom board

Musical terms (p. 40)

Variety of Pitched and Non-pitched Percussion Instruments

Two brief rhythmic excerpts from Brundibár and the same excerpts using at least three pitches, in simple meter, demonstrating a variety of tempo and dynamics. (p. 41-43)

Activity/Procedure: ♦ Have musical terms on the classroom board.

♦ Organizing the team: ask students if they have ever seen or played a game in the neighborhood or in physical education when they did not have enough players. Have them give some examples: not enough outfielders in baseball, no tackles or guards in football, only two for a basketball game. Select one or two students to explain how they continued to play the game without the “correct” number of players. Next, ask students if they would rather play a game with some participants missing or not play the game at all.

♦ Explain that it was the same for Hans Krása when he wrote the music to Brundibár. It is more fun if you understand how the composer used the instruments he had available to perform the opera. They are going to learn how to compose and perform a song with instruments available.

Grades: 6-8

Subjects:

Music


Music (rev. 6/7/2007): PP2A3-8, PP2B3-8, PP2D3-8, PP2E3-8

PP4A3-8, EM1A3-8, EM1B3-8, EM1C3-8, EM1D3-8,

EM1E5-8, AP2A3-8


♦ Students will review a variety of musical skills and expressions previously learned including: variety of forms, performance of songs with at least three pitches, rhythm patterns in simple meters, and dynamics.

♦ Divide students into groups of three or four and give each group random instruments and group assignments. Explain that they will have to perform the same composition with the instruments that they have been given. Tell students that some groups may be combined to form a larger group.

♦ Have groups perform as a class together and then as individual organized groups. Once each group has finished their performance, have the students discuss the how the same song sounded different using different instruments and different number of instruments. Many students may be unfamiliar with some terminology at first so encourage them to use the list on the classroom board for guesses and mark them off once they have been used.

♦ Once the groups have finished, have the groups compose a song of their own using the instruments and groupings given to them. And now you can compose a song even if you don’t have all of the instruments you may want to use! Have the students perform their compositions to each other and discuss the variety of music being performed.

Extension:

♦ Have students write a song individually or collectively as a group and perform it several times using different instrumentation. Discuss the different timbres produced and why the songs sound alike and different.

Musical Terms Accent – emphasis on a note Adagio - slow Allegro – fast Andante - moderately slow Crescendo – steady increase in volume Decrescendo – steady decrease in volume Eighth note/ eighth rest – an eighth of a rest in quarter or duple time Fermata – a hold or pause on a note or rest Forte – loud Half note/ half rest – two beats of rest in duple or triple time Musical staff – a set of fine horizontal lines and four spaces on which music is written Piano – soft Quarter note/ quarter rest – one beat of rest in duple or triple time Time signature – signifies number of beats per measure and which note value constitutes a beat Whole note/whole rest – four beats of rest in common time







BRUNDIBÁR – Music by Hans Krása – Text by Adolf Hoffmeister Music of Brundibár: What to Listen For

General observations about the music:

• The melodies are purposely repetitious and childlike. This makes for easier mastery by the

performers and also, perhaps more importantly, creates an atmosphere of innocence.

• The opera is organized as a “numbered opera”, that is, each Act is made up of several

distinct songs, each of which has a number. This practice dates back to early opera and

Mozart was its most famous practitioner.

• As in Mozart’s “Magic Flute” there is a lot of spoken dialogue.

• The harmonies are reminiscent of Kurt Weill and cabaret of the 1930s. The dissonances

heard in the inner voices of the orchestra create an ominous quality throughout the opera.

• The combination of the innocent melodies and the disturbing harmonies creates the desired

irony that the composer and librettist undoubtedly wanted to express in a time of open

repression.

• “Side by side” constructions – This describes Krása’s practice of starting a song with one

key signature but then, without changing the key signature, he uses so many accidentals

(added sharps or flats) that it creates sudden key changes. I am calling this “side by side”

because he usually uses “neighbor notes”. For example in song #1, the lower instruments

play a tune made up of a sequence of one measure phrases. These phrases use different

chromatic notes in each measure. Measure one starts on C and has no sharps or flats,

measure two starts on B flat and uses B flat, measure three starts on A flat and uses A flat

and E flat, measure four has no flats but does use C sharp and D sharp. The notes C, B flat

and A flat are only a whole step way from each other. The upper instruments also use

neighbor notes and frequent accidentals. This is one of many examples throughout the

opera.

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE STORY Act One

# 1: Joe and Annette are walking in the middle of the street. Many other children are at home. You can hear them singing but they cannot be seen. They describe the plight of Joe and Annette whose father is dead and mother is sick. Joe and Annette describe what happened when the doctor visited their sick mother and that he sent them on a

mission to buy milk for her.

HOW THE MUSIC EXPRESSES IT Act One

# 1: The orchestra leads with a kind of fanfare (a musical form originally used for ushering in royalty or other important persons). The fanfare is fast and energetic in 4/4 time. The unseen children make up the Chorus. They repeat the orchestra fanfare. The music changes meter to 6/8. The Kurt Weill/cabaret sound begins in this section. The only soaring melody in the opera is introduced for the first time here in the orchestra. This ascending melody is used throughout the rest of the opera as the thematic material representing the children.

Brundibár 44 Copyright September 2009, Diane McCullough


We hear more details from the two children – that the doctor’s hands were cold when they touched mother’s face, that the children were making too much noise and their mother needed milk and quiet. #2 : The street is filling up with people. The people refer to the heat and wanting some ice cream. The ice cream man, the baker and the milkman all hawk their wares. #3: The chorus, Joe and Annette and the milkman exchange observations about the mother’s need for milk and how the doctor’s care is for the wealthy but milk is healthy. #4: The policeman enters. He sings about how expensive it is to live and that without money it is very hard to get by. #5: Brundibar, the organ-grinder, appears in the crowded street. As they leave, people throw a coin into his hat. The people talk about how the music can give them pleasure. Annette and Joe think they could earn some money by singing for the crowd. #6: Annette and Joe sing about the ducks and geese flying away when it’s chilly, when they could be warm on a plate.

Joe’s melody uses fragments of the soaring melody. The melody uses the “side by side” construction referred to in the general observations – juxtaposing F/F sharp, B/B flat, C/C sharp, E/E flat and D/D flat. Much of Annette’s melody is hushed and uses a repeated note with lots of pauses between notes. This creates a breathless effect. The orchestra continues the development of the soaring melody. The “cabaret” sound continues throughout this number. #2 : This music is in march tempo. It is worth mentioning that when Krasa composed this opera, there were military police in the streets every day and the townspeople would have observed them marching on a daily basis. #3: This music is very upbeat with use of the interval of the fourth predominant. There are lots of syncopated rhythms and the tempo is allegro (fast, joyful). #4: The march of #2 returns. #5: This music is a waltz. The waltz is associated with the Austro-Hungarian Empire – power, prosperity, dancing. It is ironic in this ghetto of poverty and oppression where those in power are “putting on a good show”. By using the “side by side” constructions, this waltz has a kind of crazy, off-kilter feel to it. #6: This music is a mocking children’s

song in a simple ABAB form.



#7: This number was cut in the Terezin performances. It is a song about Captain Novak flying in a plane over the town. Annette and Joe sing of wishing they could be in a plane high above the ground. It could be that the Captain in his airplane represents power and freedom because he could just fly away and escape. The children finish their songs and then discuss whether the people liked their songs and about how hard it is to get anyone’s attention. They complain about how loud Brundibar’s hurdy-gurdy is. They cannot sing loud enough to be heard over it so they start making fun of the music, the adults and the dancing. Brundibar becomes angry and swings his arm at the children. They run away and hide. #8 Finale: Brundibar sings about how he would discipline the children if he were their father. He would rule his own “empire”. If anyone didn’t like his music, they would be out or aching. He is the star of his own show. (Brundibar represents the tyrant, Hitler.) Brundibar plays and departs. The people disperse and nightfall approaches. Joe and Annette wonder what can be done. They are sleepy and scared. They wonder if they will be visited by a fairy or a faun and decide to spend the night on a nearby bench. They decide that just the two of them cannot make enough sound to fight Brundibar’s loud music, but with more children, they could be successful. The Sparrow, the Cat and the Dog enter one by one and describe their individual characteristics and think they can help.

#7: This number has the feel of a tune from a LeHar operetta. It is less dissonant than most of the other numbers in this opera. The cadences are expected. The piece is another march, which is again logical in this time of military dominance. This number concludes with the return of Brundibar’s organ grinder waltz. #8 Finale: Brundibar’s theme has a “na-na-na-na-na” aspect to it as if he is shaking his finger at everyone. The outer voices of the orchestra sound as if they are simply in the key of C but the inner voices create seventh and ninth chords on the relative minor key of A. The use of “side by side” construction is present in the melody as well as the harmony. This Brundibar theme is in C/a. It will return in Act 2 #5 in E flat/c. The music changes to “molto adagio” (extremely slow) tempo. This section is reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel falling asleep in the forest. We hear a variation of the ascending melody first introduced in #1. Each of the animals has its own musical theme. Listen for the flute bird call accompanied by short, quick notes like a bird’s steps. The Cat’s theme is slower and more sinuous. The Dog is energetic. The Sparrow’s music is in 2/4 meter, the Cat’s in 3/4 and the Dog is back in 2/4 but the tempo (speed) is faster than the Sparrow’s 2/4 meter.



The three animals create a plan and sing about how strength is in numbers and that Brundibar’s glory will fade is they all work together. Joe and Annette fall asleep. The animals swear to protect them and wish them a good night’s sleep. The animals vow to help the children. The children sleep.

Act Two #1: The Sparrow wakes up Joe and Annette. The Dog and Cat join in. #2: They all do their morning exercises and sing comparing the rooster to a tinny alarm clock and how annoying they both are when one just wants to sleep. The street starts filling with people. #3: The chorus of people sing about individuals and their activities when they first wake up and begin going about their daily routines. The street fills with children carrying bookbags and Sparrow, Cat and Dog recruit them to help Joe and

Annette.

The music combines the animals’ themes and the Hansel and Gretel-like sleeping theme to create an effective ensemble piece. Listen for the many changes of tempo. The music turns into a gentle march suggesting that there can be protection within a military feel. “Side by side construction” is used again as well as fragments of the children’s ascending melody. Act One ends extremely softly – “ppp”. Between acts is a SERENADE that was created for the Terezin version. The music uses the familiar ascending melody theme and fragments of it as well as references to the Sparrow’s bird call and other themes from Act One to weave a quiet, soothing piece. Listen particularly for the cello at the end.

Act Two #1: Dawn is represented by high, shimmering chords. The ascending melody is heard played by the clarinet along with bird calls played by the flute or piccolo. #2: This music is marked “presto” (pressingly fast). It is in 3/4 meter but is not a waltz. #3: This number is marked “allegro” (happy, quick). This is “traveling music” (an opera technique that provides music for people to get from one place to another on stage). It is meant to evoke the hustle and bustle of the street coming to life for a new day.



#4: The animals scatter around and each talks to a different group of children. The School Children declare that, when needed, they will be ready. They run to school, the school bell rings and the street fills up with adults. Brundibar appears. #5: Brundibar enters immediately bragging about being the music master, more powerful than any czar and commanding everyone to listen and dance to his tune. Brundibar plays his hurdy-gurdy, Cat starts meowing and Dog howling. Brundibar tries to chase them away. Cat continues to meow and Dog pulls Brundibar’s pants. People laugh. He becomes increasingly angry. The School Children gather and Joe conducts them. Annette gives them their starting pitch and they announce that they are about to sing a beautiful lullaby. #6: All of the children sing about Mommy cradling them. The text refers to the cares of a mother and her speculation about what will become of her children. Brundibar tries in vain to drown out the children’s singing but the listeners turn away from him and throw coins in Joe’s cap. They disperse deeply moved. Joe

shows the content of the cap to Annette.

#4: This number is titled “March of the School Children”. The orchestra plays a strong march with musical figures that sound like trumpet calls (calls to arms) and percussion riffs. The ascending melody is used again and this time with a kind of “triumphal” feel to it. The School Children sing in a fast, same-note, patter-song style. It could be interpreted as the “rat-a-tat-tat” of a machine gun.

#5: Brundibar’s tune is repeated this time on E flat/c. (In the Terezin version, they used the C/a notation found in Act One, #8.)

The tempo becomes agitated as the animals organize the children. Their musical themes are heard again and, this time, the Cat’s theme is in 2/4 as it is combined with the Dog’s theme in the musical development. The school children use Sprechtstimme (speaking voice) to express what they are doing while the Cat and Dog sing.

Brundibar’s theme returns.

Very agitated and chromatic music is heard as the School Children are gathered together.

Annette gives an A and the tempo suddenly changes to “Lento” (very slow). They sing in two part harmony as they announce the coming beautiful lullaby.

#6: “Side by side” construction is used again. The music starts in D then begins adding and subtracting sharps and flats to create complex and ominous sounding chords. Listen for the very dense and disquieting chord at the end of the second verse when the text is: “far away”. The

third verse is sung.



This “What to Listen For” follows the template used in the MUSIC!WORDS!OPERA! curriculum section of the same name written for Opera America. As a teacher of that curriculum for nearly twenty years, I have found their “What to Listen For” sections invaluable. I hope that you will find this helpful as you prepare to teach BRUNDIBÁR to your students. Diane McCullough, September 26, 2009

Brundibar is being ignored by the crowd. He sneaks up on Joe and steals his money. #7: The children chase Brundibar. After a short chase, they catch him, retrieve the cap and money and return it to Joe. #8: The children march on stage and sing of their victory over the mean tyrant. They proclaim that, because they were brave and worked together, they were able to win their victory. Their final words are: “He who loves his dad, mother and native land, who wants the tyrant’s end, join us hand in hand and

be our welcome friend!”

This happens during spoken dialogue. #7: The chase music is, of course, allegro. The melody is familiar but pitched very high at first. #8: The School Children’s March returns characterized by more “side by side” construction. This is sung joyfully. Toward the end of the number, listen, again, for the ascending melody that represents Joe and Annette and the

children’s victory over evil tyrants.


Basic Terminology

Opera Aria-vocal solo

Composer-individual who writes the music to the libretto (text) of an opera

Duet-two people singing or playing instruments together

Libretto-text of an opera; literal meaning is little book

Overture-an instrumental piece which introduces the opera

Score-music of the opera used by the conductor

Solo-one person singing or playing an instrument

Holocaust Concentration Camps-In German, Konzentrationslager. Prison camps constructed to hold Jews, Gypsies, and other political and religious opponents considered "enemies of the state." Before the end of World War II, more than 100 concentration camps had been created across German-occupied Europe.

Ghetto-The Nazi term for a section of a city where all Jews from surrounding areas were forced to reside. Established mostly in Eastern Europe (e.g. Lodz, Warsaw, Vilna, Riga, Minsk), and characterized by overcrowding, starvation and forced labor. All ghettos were eventually destroyed when the Jews were deported to death camps.

Holocaust -The term “Holocaust” literally means “a completely burned sacrifice.” It was applied to the destruction of six million Jews by the Nazis and their followers in Europe between 1941-1945. Yiddish speaking Jews used the term “Churbon,” meaning “a great destruction.” The word Shoah, originally a Biblical term meaning widespread disaster, is the modern Hebrew equivalent.

Terezin (Czech) / Theresienstadt (German)- German name for Czech town of Terezin, located about 40 miles from Prague. Nazis used the {Theresienstadt} ghetto, established in November 1941, as a "model Jewish settlement" to show Red Cross investigators how well Jews were being treated. In reality, thousands died there from starvation and disease, and thousands more were deported and killed in extermination camps.


Web Site Resources

Memorial Terezín, The Ghetto Museum in Terezín, Czech Republic

http://www.pamatnik-terezin.cz/

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Holocaust Encyclopedia

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/

"A Conversation with Ela Stein Weissberger" Reviews and photographs of the 2000

Cincinnati Opera production. Interview with Ela Stein Weissberger, Holocaust survivor and

original Brundibár cast member who performed in Terezín, Czechoslovakia.

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2000/10/19/tem_a_conversation_with.html

“Children in the Ghetto” A website about children, written for children. It portrays life during

the Holocaust from the viewpoint of children who lived in the ghetto, while attempting to make

the complex experience of life in the ghetto as accessible as possible to today’s children.

http://ghetto.galim.org.il/eng/

“Yad Vashem” Established in 1953 as the world center for documentation, research, education

and commemoration of the Holocaust, Yad Vashem is today a dynamic and vital place of

intergenerational and international encounter.

http://www.yadvashem.org/

“NOW” with Bill Moyers: March 2004 program on PBS. Review of Brundibár, a book by

Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner. History, links to variety of topics (children of the Holocaust,

Terezín, music, poetry, legacy and learning links) at the United States Holocaust Memorial

Museum site.

http://www.pbs.org/now/arts/brundibar.html


Facing History and Ourselves Facing History and Ourselves is an educational movement based on the belief that education in a

democracy must be what noted 19th century historian Alexis de Tocqueville called "an

apprenticeship in liberty." Facing History helps students find meaning in the past and recognize

the need for participation and responsible decision making. For more than 27 years, Facing

History has engaged teachers and students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism,

prejudice, and anti-Semitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and

informed citizenry. By studying the historical development of the Holocaust and other examples

of collective violence, students make the essential connection between history and the moral

choices they confront in their own lives. Site includes resources, professional development,

curricula.

http://www.facinghistory.org

Museum of Tolerance Online, Multimedia Learning Center (maintained by the Simon

Wiesenthal Center) A comprehensive resource on the Holocaust and World War II, with over

3,000 text files, and tens of thousands of photos Teacher's Resources: Glossary, timeline,

bibliographies, questions and answers about the Holocaust, and curricular resources for teachers.

FAQs provide succinct information often asked about the Holocaust. "Teacher Programs" will

take you to important guidelines to remember when teaching about the Holocaust.

http://motlc.wiesenthal.com/site/pp.asp?c=gvKVLcMVIuG&b=358201

UNESCO Music and Peace Projects/International Music Council

http://www.imc-cim.org/

Education World: Using opera as a tool in the classroom to enhance learning. Resources, links

www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr380.shtml

CHARACTERplus: An organization dedicated to developing positive character traits in young

people by providing a high quality character education learning process and resources to schools,

homes, and communities.

http://www.characterplus.org/


BRUNDIBÁR

A Fairy Tale based on the opera by Hans Krása and Adolf Hoffmeister

At Home

Outside a small sleepy town one early morn, there stood a small quiet hut, its planks were worn.

In that hut was a small room with a mother sick in bed and her two small children beside her with dread.

Dear reader, I want you to meet Little Joe, he lost his daddy long ago, he is with his sister, dear

Annette and their sick mother is in bed.

That day the doctor came it was very cold.

“Everyone calls me Little Joe, I lost my daddy long ago,” Joe introduced himself with a shiver.

“This is my younger sister, dear Annette.”

“Our sick mother is in bed,” little Annette quivered. “My, he has big glasses and he sure is old,”

whispered Annette, “and he is touching mommy’s head with his hand – oh, his hands are so cold!”

The doctor shushed, “Don’t make such a commotion. Not to worry, your mother needs no potion.

Milk and sleep, that’s your mother’s need, buy some for her, go indeed!”

“Come on, Annette, milk and sleep, that’s our mother’s need,” Joe boldly stated.

But, Annette wondered “how can we buy some, how indeed?” (*1)

In Town

Dear reader, I present to you the town square and it is waking. Everyone comes to sell and buy

their wares, no mistaking.

A tall thin man shouts, “Come and get your ice cream! It’s so cold, it pleases all. Everyone loves

ice cream, young, old and big and small. Vanilla, strawberry, chocolate and raspberry! Boys and girls

everywhere hurry here, get your share!”

It is the clockmaker’s theory, “When hot weather makes you weary, ice cream cones will keep

you cheery.”

“Rolls, buns, bread, cakes, doughnuts, pastry! All delicious, full of flavor, strictly fresh, straight

from the oven. Taste it! Do yourself a favor! Satisfy your appetite with my goodies! Try a bite!” calls

the baker in his apron so white.

“Nothing gives the baker pleasure more, than when he sells his treasure,” winks the banker who

knows money’s measure.

Finally, we see the man Joe and Annette seek. Before dawn is the start of his day, but now he is

ready to speak.


“Milk, Milk, fresh milk, butter, cheese! Come and buy some, if you please! For the children and

their mother, for the pets and all the other. Milk, milk, fresh milk, butter, cheese! Come and buy some, if

you please!”

Running towards the square, Joe belts his request, “Hey mister milkman! We need milk for

mommy.”

On his heels and out of breath, Annette worries, “How can we get it, if we’re short of money?”

“Hey! Mister milkman! They need milk for mommy. How can they get it, if they’re short of

money?” calls a bystander.

And the milkman answers, “Who needs a doctor’s care? That’s for the wealthy. I sell a better

ware, fresh milk is healthy. Milk and cream I will gladly pour into your milk can, but if you don’t have a

quarter, your poor kitten must lap water.”

“Hey, Mister milkman, hear our plea. Please, give us some milk. Fresh milk is healthy, healthy,

healthy!” (*2)

________

Dear reader, the ice cream man has a loaded cart, the baker has bread and rolls, but as for Joe and

Annette, instead of money in their pockets, only holes. Oh, everything is quite expensive, they’ll get

nothing for free, but the sad fact is that money does not grow on a tree. Milk and bread you must eat

daily to stay healthy and strong.

The milkman was troubled by the children with no money. He knew if you wanted wages, you

must work every day. It just isn’t easy to work without pay. He gave his advice to Joe and Annette,

“Your mother at home needs food and drink – How to get money, you must think!”

Joe and Annette thought as they watched the townspeople trade their goods to and fro, when all of

the sudden an ill wind began to blow. A squeaky, creaky organ-grinder’s music filled the air and the

townspeople rewarded the awkward tune, much to Joe and Annette’s surprise, with coins in his hat and a

sparkle in their eyes. Brundibár was the grinder’s name and with his too toothy smile to the coins, he lay

claim. Joe turned to the police officer, after all could this be legal?

“How did he earn all that money in return?”

With a shrug and a smile the officer replied, “For one nickel and one dime he gives us music, a

good time.”

“Little Joe, do you know what?” an idea swirled in Annette’s mind. “We could sing and earn a

lot!”

“A cheerful song, a happy tune! Yes,” exclaimed Joe. “We can make some money soon.”


Dear reader, Joe and Annette put their heads together and decided on a sweet summer song about

birds, weather, flying and planes.

“Ducks and geese up high were flying on a windy day, our grandfather from his window watched

them fly away. Why did you, and you, ducklings, fly from here so late? When the duck starts feeling

chilly, serve him on the plate.”

“Over our little town often a big bird flies, and Captain Navak waves down to us from the skies.

When to his aeroplane wee clouds snuggle up, he strokes them gently with his silvery prop. As I walk on

the ground, my eyes raised to the sky, I, also, high up there with birds would like to fly.”

Their song soared sweetly, but ignored completely. Hacking and hawing from the organ grinder,

kept anyone from noticing the tune much kinder.

Annette fretted, “I don’t think they liked our song. Was it childish or too long? What the grown-

ups want to hear, little kids don’t know, I fear.”

“It doesn’t matter. No matter how loud we sing, nobody hears anything,” Joe sadly said. “When

he plays that hurdy-gurdy, he makes so much noise. That, in spite of all our efforts, I can’t hear my voice

with his sound he destroys.”

With frustrated tears Annette wept, “This musician without talent plays here every day;

his music is weary, boring, he should go away!

Not knowing what else to do, Annette and Joe mimic the dance and the grinder’s hew. A hee and

a haw. A gee and a gaw. The children danced with their arms flung askew.

“Who is screeching, squealing here?” called one.

“All of these darn noises hurt my ear!” shouted another not to be outdone.

The grinder’s music slowed and he growled, “Those shrimps are making fun of us!”

The police officer came over, “Do you think that this is nice?

Brundibár knowing he had the audience in his hand, egged them on with a “And this rascal at a

glance acts as if this were a silly dance.”

Others joined in, “Look at the two pests, acting tough.”

“How they hold their noses up!”

“He is just a little squirt in a dirty worn out shirt!”

Brundibár leaned towards the police officer and mused, “Should we have the kids, put in jail?”

“That would fix them without fail.”

Joe and Annette were beside themselves in distress, “Gentlemen, we beg your pardon...”

Brundibár cut off their apology with a “Shut up now! Shut up, by thunder! How you do behave,

I wonder.”


Another try, “Gentlemen, we beg your pardon...”

Brundibár stormed, “Silence! And get out of here! Fly!”

Dear reader, he chased them out beyond the town square. And Joe and Annette hid, they weren’t

sure quite where. Back at the square some adults were somewhat abashed. For they realized, two small

children’s hopes they had smashed.

“They are overcome by fear.”

But not Brundibár, “Doggone children, what a bother! If I only were their father, I would teach

them proper manner: courtesy, respect, and honor. And you kids don’t make a riot! Where I rule you

must be quiet. Here’s my empire. I’m the czar, organ-grinder Brundibár. When I play and turn this

handle, sing with me, don’t make a scandal! Don’t you like my music making? Out of here! Or you’ll

be aching! Of this show I am the star! I, organ-grinder Brundibár!” (*3)

In an Alley

“Little Joe, I think it is okay to peek out. “Oh, what can be done?”

“The old grinder is gone and that is good. But, Annette, we have not finished what we should.”

“It’s so late, I’m feeling sleepy. Joe,” Annette reaches a hand out, “all the shadows look so

creepy.”

Mustering cheer Joe admits, “Night is coming, and it can be scary! Perhaps we’ll see a good fairy,

if we wait here till the dawn.”

“Will she fly silently across the lawn?”

“Sit down, Annette, hold my hand, on this bench the night we’ll spend.”

“I’m afraid of Brundibár,” Annette said so softly Joe could barely hear.

“In the square, perhaps we went too far.”

“Shhhh. It will be okay. If you listen closely, you will hear Brundibár snoring!”

“I can’t sleep, tomorrow makes me worry. With our voices not too sturdy we can’t match that

hurdy gurdy, there are only two of us!”

Joe thought, “If only… well, many more could make a fuss.”

Dear reader, what happened next is true. In that dark narrow alley, where Joe and Annette sat

holding hands; there were those listening in and ready to form a plan.

A common brown sparrow sat on the edge of a barrel and said, “More shall we seek!”

Annette exclaimed, “Did I hear a birdie speak?”

“With my long beak I like to peek, I like to know what’s going on during the week.”

Another voice mewed, “As darkness sets in, my eyesight gets keen. When I roam alone at night,

I content my appetite.”


“In the nook the cat is purring. Come here, Cat, and look, a kind of mischief is stirring.”

Cautiously Cat added, “This situation needs observation. My friend Dog is very wise and he can

give us good advice.”

Walking down the alley in a conspiratorial voice Dog shared a story, “When a Russian greyhound

mean stalks a rabbit quick and keen, watch the clever rabbit outsmart him. But, if many Russian hounds

chase the rabbit on their grounds, chances to escape alive are slim.”

“More shall we seek!” Sparrow chimed, “You heard me speak. Right will prevail, Brundibár’s

mean outlook is bleak.”

Dog remembered a previous encounter with Brundibár and vowed, “You know that I am your

friend. All this trouble soon must end. I would like to bite that old man’s hand.”

In that neighborhood combined, dog, cat and sparrow knew all three hundred children. Some big,

some small. Boys and girls, fearless friends, that would gladly join hands.

“We promise you their aid, with that you’ll have it made.” Proclaimed Cat, “It’s really obvious,

we’ll be victorious. Add to three hundred, two, you’ll get three hundred two. Your huge majority gives

you authority. Brundibár’s glory fades into obscurity.”

Dear reader, with Joe and Annette’s fears calmed down, Cat, Sparrow and Dog pledged, “The

moon gets dark afar, the children’s little star sparkles with silver gleam and guides them through their

dream. We wish you, Little Joe, a good night, and to you, dear Annette, lovely dreams. We’ll come to

help you fight with morning sun’s first beam. We will help you fight, now sleep well, good night.” (*4)

_____

“Morning breaks and it is my luck at six o’clock to you wake. Gone is the night. Get up! Get up!

Rooster crows on the wall, say, can you hear his call? Morning star’s fading, sunshine is reigning. Get

up you all! ”

“If I may disagree dear Sparrow. My greatest pleasure is sleep’s full measure. Getting up I do

delay, night is better than the day,” said Cat with a yawn and a stretch.

“It’s bad habit to sleep late, Sparrow, Cat, we have a date. Arf! Arf! In the bed you can not stay!

Get up, children, do your part! On your feet! We have to start, we must do a lot of work today!

Just Outside the Square

Dear reader, the Dog, Cat and Sparrow lost no time. To their friends they brought the rhyme.

“Children, give us your attention, form three units, as we planned. Our two comrades are in

trouble, let’s extend our helping hand. For their mom, to cheer her up, they need milk, at least a cup!

Singing they will raise some money, we are joining them in song. Add your talent to our efforts, voice to

voice and we’ll be strong.”


“Arf. Pull together with our fold, right and justice we’ll uphold. Dictator, he’ll be defeated,

united we’ll win our stand, we shall give a good example to all people in this land.”

Schoolchildren from far and wide replied, “Yes we know, we know already, when you need us,

we’ll be ready.

“Yes, we know, we know already, when you need us, we’ll be ready.”

“Yes, we know, we know already, when you need us, we’ll be ready.”

In the Square

The sun is high and business is brisk, and Brundibár sets to his task

“Music is for poor and wealthy. If you wish to stay on healthy, listen to my songs and dances,

they will satisfy your fancies. Waltz and polka, fox-trot, gallop, all my tunes are what a wallop! Dance to

them, please, slower, faster, here I am your music master. Mightier than any czar, I, organ grinder

Brundibár”

Feeling stronger and no longer willing to be pushed, Joe and Annette prepare and say, “Whimper,

whine, chirp, howl and twitter, interrupt his boring play! We’re not scared of that old critter, children’s

help is on the way.”

Very organized are the three, Dog readies the children for the spree, “Listen, children, to my call,

hasten to the villain’s fall. Now the war with Brundibár begins. Swing your tail Cat, give a sign,

Sparrow, put the kids in line. Brundibár’s own conclusion, dealing with our size and strength, won’t be

worth a measly cent.

Cat concurs, “Brundibár will pay for all his sins. In this confusion his own conclusion, dealing

with our size and strength, won’t be worth a measly cent.”

“Talking to each kid I could reach, I made it clear, time now is near here to appear,” Sparrow

chirped excitedly. “The school bell rings. As the bell rings, good news it brings. We’re on the way

without delay. Hooray! Hooray!”

As Brundibár grinds the gurdy louder and louder a meowing and howling match note for note.

With a kick and a jab Brundibár shouts “Beat it! Scram! You mangy mongrel, let go, both my leg

and trousers! Stop that howling and the meowing with this noisy King of Mousers. If my scolding is not

ample, I’ll give you a good example how to treat a foul offender: Box him till his ears are tender.”

Annette sees that her friends are in jeopardy, she calls to the children, “Janitor’s sons, John and

Guy, landlord’s daughter Lorelei. The kids of all the tenants living in the homes close by, come sing the

most beautiful charming little lullaby.”

Dear reader, what a sight when the children had gathered. All of their sweet small voices

combined into choir just as they rathered.


“Mom rocks a cradle, humming a lullaby, and wonders what will be, when days have drifted by.

Every bird must one day spread his wings, leave his nest, he will fly, God knows where, to pursue his

quest. Trees grow up, weeks go by, clouds move on in the sky, day by day, for away. Dear mommy, you

should see how we grew strong and fair. To think about the past maybe you do not care, how you used to

bathe us in the tub naked, bare, and with love gave us names: Kitten, Teddy bear. Trees grow up, weeks

go by, clouds move on in the sky, day by day, for away.” (*5)

Stomping and squeaking, Brundibár tries in vain to drown out the children singing on the plain.

Listeners turn away from him as they hear a sweeter tune. Coins fall into Joe’s hat, as the audience is

deeply moved.

“Look here, Annette, what we got! All that money! Thanks a lot! We must buy milk in the

store.”

As Joe and Annette plan to take care of their mother, Brundibár sneaks in and steals the hat with

the money.

While Dog howls like a siren and Cat meows in panic, Sparrow peeps the problem to the children

of the town.

“Gee whizz! Gee whizz! O good grief! Hurry, children, catch the thief!”

Children pour in from every corner of the square and Brundibár finds that he can go – nowhere!

The coins are returned to Joe and Annette and they know exactly on what their money will be spent.

The children from town are thrilled at their victory. A march to celebrate Brundibár’s defeat to

make sure is record in history.

“We’ve won a victory over the tyrant mean!”

“Sound trumpets, best your drum, and show us your esteem!”

“We’ve won a victory, since we were not fearful, since we were not tearful, because we marched

along singing our happy song, bright, joyful and cheerful.”

Dear reader, darling little friend, our story now ends. It’s getting very late, you must go home.

But wait! I won’t say “Good night” as yet! I’ll send you on your way, just listen once more to our story

with you today.

“We’ve won a victory over the tyrant mean, sound trumpets, best your drum, and show us your

esteem! We’ve won a victory, since we were not fearful, since we were not tearful, because we marched

along singing our happy song, bright, joyful and cheerful.”

The one who loves his dad, mother and native land, who wants the tyrant’s reign to end, join us

hand in hand and be our welcome friend!

The End (*6) © Amy Stricker 2009


Brundibár Libretto

Act One

Scene I Joe and Annette are walking in the middle of the street.

Many other children are at home. You can hear them singing but you cannot see them.

Chorus: Dear children, this is Little Joe, he lost his daddy long ago, he leads his sister, dear Annette, their sick mother is home in bed. Joe: Everyone calls me Little Joe, I lost my daddy long ago. I lead my sister, dear Annette, Joe and Annette: our sick mother is home in bed. Joe: Doctor came in the day was cold, Annette: He wore big glasses he was old. He sat down next to mommy’s bed, with his cold hand he touched her head. Joe and Annette: After a while in lowered voice he said to us: Don’t make such noise. Milk and sleep, that’s your mother’s need, go, buy some for her, go indeed! Chorus: Milk and sleep, that’s your mother’s need, go, buy some for her, go indeed. Joe and Annette: Milk and sleep, that’s our mother’s need. How can we buy some, how indeed?

Scene II

The street is filling with people.

Ice Cream Man: Come and get your ice cream! It’s so cold, it pleases all. Everyone loves Ice cream, Young, old and big and small. Vanilla, strawberry, Chocolate and raspberry! Boys and girls everywhere Hurry here, get your share! Chorus: When hot weather makes you weary, ice cream cones will keep you cheery. Baker: Rolls, buns, bread, cakes, doughnuts, pastry! All delicious, full of flavor, strictly fresh, straight from the oven. Taste it! Do yourself a favor! Satisfy your appetite With my goodies! Try a bite!


Chorus: Nothing gives the baker pleasure more, than when he sells his treasure. Milkman: Milk, Milk, fresh milk, butter, cheese! Come and buy some, if you please! For the children and their mother, For the pets and all the other. Milk, milk, fresh milk, butter, cheese! Come and buy some, if you please!

Scene III Chorus: Hey! Mister milkman! They need milk for mommy. How can they get it, if they’re short of money? Joe and Annette: Hey mister milkman! We need milk for mommy. How can we get it, if we’re short of money? Milkman: Who needs a doctor’s care? That’s for the wealthy. I sell a better ware, fresh milk is healthy. Chorus: Milk and cream the jolly milkman gladly pours into your milk can. Chorus and Milkman: But if you don’t have a quarter, your poor kitten must lap water. Joe and Annette: You have a loaded cart, baker has bread and rolls, we have instead of money Chorus: in our pockets only holes. Milk and cream the jolly milkman gladly Hey! Mister milkman, pours into your milk can, but if you please, give us some milk. don’t have a quarter, your poor kittem must Fresh milk is healthy, healthy, healthy! lap water. Joe, Annette, and Chorus: Hey! Mister milkman, please, give us some milk. Fresh milk is healthy, healthy, healthy!

Scene IV Policeman: Everything is quite expensive, you’ll get nothing for free, but the sad fact is that money does not grow on a tree. Milk and bread you must eat daily to stay healthy and strong. Without money in your pocket you won’t get by for long. If you want to have some money, you must work every day. In this world it isn’t easy to exist without pay.


Annette: Mother at home needs food and drink. Joe: How to get money, I must think.

Scene V Brundibár is playing. Pantomime of people buying from the milkman, baker and ice cream man.

Upon leaving, everybody throws a coin into the organ-grinder’s hat.

Annette: People must work daily, honey, if they want to obtain money. Joe (Pointing to Brundibár’s hat with money): Officer, how did he earn all that money in return? Policeman: For one nickel and one dime he gave us music, good time. Annette: Little Joe, do you know what? We could sing and earn a lot! Joe: Cheerful song, a happy tune! We can make some money soon. Annette: Let’s sing about birds and bees! Joe: Or perhaps a mouse and cheese? Annette: Song about the spring or fall? Joe: No, one from Summer! Joe and Annette: We like this one most of all!

Scene VI Joe and Annette: Ducks and geese up high were flying on a windy day, our grandfather from his window watched them fly away. Why did you, and you, ducklings, fly from here so late? When the duck starts feeling chilly, serve him on the plate.

Scene VII Joe and Annette: Over our little town often a big bird flies, and Captain Navak waves down to us from the skies. When to his aeroplane wee clouds snuggle up, he strokes them gently with his silvery prop. As I walk on the ground, my eyes raised to the sky, I, also, high up there with birds would like to fly. I’d like to own a plane faster than a hack, and be an Air Force Captain like Mister Novak.


The organ grinder goes on playing, all are humming. Nobody noticed the children. Annette: I don’t think they liked our song. Was it childish or too long? Joe: What the grown-ups want to hear, little kids don’t know, I fear. Annette: No matter how loud we sing, nobody hears anything. Joe: When he plays that hurdy-gurdy, he makes so much noise, that, in spite of all my efforts, I can’t hear my voice. Annette: This musician without talent plays here every day; Joe: His music is weary, boring, he should go away! Joe and Annette are making the adults, making fun of the organ-grinder’s melody, and

caricaturing the dance. The adults take notice of them.

Milkman: Who is screeching, squealing here? Ice Cream Man: These darn noises hurt my ear! Baker: Who is making all that fuss? Brundibár: That shrimp is disturbing us! Ice Cream Man: Full of mischief are his eyes! Policeman: Do you think that this is nice? Baker: Look at two pests, acting tough, how they hold their noses up! Brundibár: And this rascal at a glance acts as if this were a dance. Milkman: He is just a little squirt in a dirty worn out shirt. Ice Cream Man: He can yell and scream and shout, he’s the King of Noise - no doubt. Brundibár: I’ll have you, kids, put in jail! Policeman: That would fix them without fail. Joe and Annette: Gentlemen, we beg your pardon... Brundibár: Shut up now! Shut up, in thunder! How you do behave, I wonder.


Joe and Annette: Gentlemen, we beg your pardon... Brundibár: Silence! And get out of here! Brundibár swings with his arm at the children. They run away and hide. Milkman: They are overcome by fear.

VIII Act One Finale Brundibár: Doggone children, what a bother! If I only were their father, I would teach them proper manner: courtesy, respect, and honor. And you kids don’t make a riot! Where I rule you must be quiet. Here’s my empire. I’m the czar, organ-grinder Brundibár. When I play and turn this handle, sing with me, don’t make a scandal! Don’t you like my music making? Out of here! Or you’ll be aching! Of this show I am the star! I, organ-grinder Brundibár! ( Brundibár plys and departs. People disperse. Nightfall approaches.) Annette: Comes out from behind the barrel. Little Joe, what can be done? Joe: That old man at least is gone. Annette: It’s so late, I’m feeling sleepy. Joe: All the shadows look so creepy. Annette: Night is coming, it’s so scary! Joe: Perhaps we’ll see a good fairy, if we wait here till the dawn. Annette: Do you think we’ll meet a fawn? Joe: Sit down, Annette, hold my hand, on this bench the night we’ll spend. Annette: I’m afraid of Brundibár. Joe: With him it’s another story. Annette: Well, perhaps we went too far. Joe: Now he’s snoring, Annette: Makes me worry. My weak voice sounds somewhat sorry.


Joe and Annette: With our voices not too sturdy we can’t match that hurdy gurdy, there are only two of us! Annette: Many more could make a fuss. Sparrow: More shall we seek! Annette: Hear birdie speak! Sparrow: With my long beak I like to peek, I like to know what’s going on during the week. Cat: As darkness sets in, my eyesight gets keen. When I roam alone at night, I content my appetite. Sparrow: In the nook the cat is purring. Come and look, kind of mischief is he stirring. Cat: This situation needs observation. My friend Fido’s very wise, he can give us good advice. Dog: When a Russian greyhound mean stalks a rabbit quick and keen, watch the clever rabbit outsmart him. But, if many Russian hounds chase the rabbit on their grounds, chances to escape alive are slim. Sparrow: More shall we seek! You heard me speak. Right will prevail, Brundibár’s mean outlook is bleak. Dog: You know that I am your friend. All this trouble soon must end. I would like to bite that old man’s hand. Cat, Sparrow, and Dog: In our neighborhood we know all three hundred children, some big, some small. Boys and girls, fearless friends, will gladly join our hands. We promise you their aid, with that you’ll have it made. It’s really obvious, we’ll be victorious. Add to three hundred, two, you’ll get three hundred two. Your huge majority gives you authority. Brundibár’s glory fades into obscurity. Annette and Joe fall asleep. It is night.

Cat, Sparrow, and Dog: The moon gets dark afar, the children’s little star sparkles with silver gleam and guides them through their dream. We wish you, Little Joe, a good night, and to you, dear Annette, lovely dreams. We’ll come to help you fight with morning sun’s first beam. We will help you fight, now sleep well, good night.

The end of the first act.


Act Two

Scene I Sparrow: It is my luck at six o’clock to wake you up. Gone is the night. Get up! Get up! Cat: My greatest pleasure is sleep’s full measure. Getting up I do delay, night is better than the day. Dog: It’s bad habit to sleep late, sparrow, cat, we have a date. Arf! Arf! In the bed you can not stay! Get up, children, do your part! On your feet! We have to start, we must do a lot of work today! Sparrow, Cat, and Dog: Annette is waking up Little Joe. Annette: Good morning, Little Joe! Sparrow, Cat, and Dog: Little Joe’s waking up Annette. Joe: Good morning, little one! Annette, Joe, Sparrow, Cat, and Dog: All houses on the street are bathing in the sun.

Scene II Annette, Joe, Cat, Sparrow, and Dog do their morning exercises (and sing)

Annette, Joe, cat, Sparrow, and Dog: Darn, that alarm clock, likewise the farm cock, alarm clock made of tin rings early rooster’s kin, to one’s chagrin. Rooster crows on the wall, say, can you hear his call? Morning star’s fading, sunshine is reigning. Get up you all! Away in college instead of knowledge students seek fun and play, in their beds they will stay on the next day. Be it too hot or cold, you have to go to school. To be intelligent you can’t be negligent, that is the rule. Street is coming to life.


Scene III Chorus: Julie gives milk to her cat, Marilyn shakes out the mat, Henrietta makes her bed, Rose pulls into the shed. Janet sweep’s around the door, Helen scrubs the dirty floor, Dorothy runs to the store, everyone must do some chore. Lisa plays the violin, and the landlord from the window watches all that smilin’. Sparrow, Cat, and Dog: Children, give us your attention, form three units, as we planned. Our two comrades are in trouble, let’s extend our helping hand. For their mom, to cheer her up, they need milk, at least a cup! Singing they will raise some money, we are joining them in song. Add your talent to our efforts, voice to voice and we’ll be strong. Pull together with our fold, right and justice we’ll uphold. Dictator, he’ll be defeated, united we’ll win our stand, we shall give a good example to all people in this land. The animals scatter around and each talks to a different group of children, while the March of

Schoolchildren is being played.

Scene IV March of Schoolchildren Schoolchildren (1st Group): Yes we know, we know already, when you need us, we’ll be ready. Schoolchildren (2nd Group): Yes, we know, we know already, when you need us, we’ll be ready. Schoolchildren (3rd Group): Yes, we know, we know already, when you need us, we’ll be ready, All: we’ll be ready! We know.

Scene V Brundibár: Music is for poor and wealthy. If you wish to stay on healthy, listen to my songs and dances, they will satisfy your fancies. Waltz and polka, fox-trot, gallop, all my tunes are what a wallop! Dance to them, please, slower, faster, here I am your music master. Mightier than any czar, I, organ grinder Brundibár


73

Dog: Listen, children, to my call, hasten to the villain’s fall. Now the war with Brundibár begins. Swing your tail cat, give a sign, sparrow, put the kids in line. Brundibár will pay for all his sins. His own conclusion, dealing with our size and strength, won’t be worth a measly cent.

Cat: In this confusion his own conclusion, his own conclusion, dealing with our size and strength, won’t be worth a measly cent. In this confusion his own conclusion, his own conclusion, dealing with our size and strength, won’t be worth a measly cent.

Annette and Joe: Whimper, whine, chirp, howl and twitter, interrupt his boring play! We’re not scared of that old critter, children’s help is on the way.

Sparrow: Talking to each kid I could reach, I made it clear, time now is near here to appear. The school bell rings. As the bell rings, good news it brings. We’re on the way without delay. Hooray! Hooray! Brundibár plays the hurdy-gurdy; cat starts meowing and dog howling. Brundibár tries to chase

them away.

Brundibár: Beat it! Scram! You mangy mongrel, let go, both my leg and trousers! Stop that howling and the meowing with this noisy King of Mousers. If my scolding is not ample, I’ll give you a good example how to treat a foul offender: Box him till his ears are tender. The schoolchildren have gathered. Joe is their conductor. Annette gives “a” and the choir

begins. Annette, Joe, and Chorus: Janitor’s sons, John and Guy, landlord’s daughter Lorelei, and the kids of all the tenants living in the homes close by, like to sing the most beautiful charming little lullaby:

Scene VI Annette, Joe, and Chorus: Mom rocks a cradle, humming a lullaby, and wonders what will be, when days have drifted by. Every bird must one day spread his wings, leave his nest, he will fly, God knows where, to pursue his quest. Trees grow up, weeks go by, clouds move on in the sky, day by day, for away. Dear mommy, you should see how we grew strong and fair. To think about the past maybe you do not care, how you used to bathe us in the tub naked, bare, and with love gave us names: Kitten, Teddy bear. Trees grow up, weeks go by, clouds move on in the sky, day by day, for away. Brundibár tries in vain to drown the singing of the children. Listeners turn away from him...


Annette, Joe, and Chorus: Mom rocks a cradle, which time left empty, cold, and wonders what will be, when...

...and throw coins in Joe’s cap. The disperse deeply moved. Joe shows the content of the cap to

Annette. Chorus: ...she is frail and old. Joe: Look here, Annette, what we got! All that money! Thanks a lot! Annette: Wait for us a little more! We must buy milk in the store. The mean organ-grinder, ignored for a while by all, sneaks up to Joe and steals his cap with

money. The chasing of Brundibár begins.

Dog howls like a siren

Cat meows in panic

Sparrow peeps, imitating telegraph Annette: Gee whizz! Gee whizz! O good Grief! Joe: Hurry, children, catch the thief! The chasing of Brundibár begins (with music)

Scene VII After a short chase, children catch Brundibár, take away from him the cap with money and

return it to Joe.

Scene VIII Children march on the stage and sing. Annette, Joe, and Chorus: We’ve won a victory over the tyrant mean, sound trumpets, best your drum, and show us your esteem! Chorus: We’ve won a victory, since we were not fearful, since we were not tearful, because we marched along singing our happy song, bright, joyful and cheerful.


Joe: My darling little friends, our opera now ends. It’s getting very late, you must go home. But wait! Annette: Don’t say “Good night” as yet! We’ll send you on your way, when we have sung once more our song with you today. Annette, Joe, and Chorus: We’ve won a victory over the tyrant mean, sound trumpets, best your drum, and show us your esteem! We’ve won a victory, since we were not fearful, since we were not tearful, because we marched along singing our happy song, bright, joyful and cheerful. He who loves his dad, mother and Chorus: native land, who wants the tyrant’s end, join us hand in hand and be our welcome friend!

The End


Additional Reading

Holocaust History and Historical Fiction 9-12 years old

Art, Music, and Writings from the Holocaust by Susan Willoughby The Cat With The Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezin by Susan Goldman Rubin and Ela Weissberger The Children We Remember: Photographs from the Archives of Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, Jerusalem, Israel by Chana Byers Abells Clara's War (Holocaust Remembrance Book for Young Readers) by Kathy Kacer The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank Elly: My True Story Of The Holocaust by Elly Gross

Forging Freedom: A True Story of Heroism During The Holocaust by Hudson Talbott

The Hidden Children by Howard Greenfeld Hiding to Survive: Stories of Jewish Children Rescued from the Holocaust by Maxine B. Rosenberg Holocaust by Angela Gluck Wood and Dan Stone The Holocaust: A History of Courage and Resistance by Morrison David Beal, Maron L. Waxman, Bea Stadtler, and David Stonee Martin I Am a Holocaust Torah: The Story of the Saving of 1,564 Torahs Stolen by the Nazis by Alex J. Goldman

In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Opdyke and Jennifer Armstrong The Nazi Olympics, Berlin 1936 (United States Holocaust Museum) by Susan D. Bachrach The Night Spies (The Holocaust Remembrance Series) by Kathy Kacer Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Righteous Smuggler (Holocaust Remembrance Book for Young Readers) by Debbie Spring

The Secret of Priest's Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story by Peter Lane Taylor and Christos Nicola Six Million Paper Clips: The Making Of A Children's Holocaust Memorial by Peter W. Schroeder and Dagmar Schroeder-Hildebrand

Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust by Allan Zullo and Mara Bovsun


Ten Thousand Children: True Stories Told by Children Who Escaped the Holocaust on the Kindertransport by Anne Fox and Eva Abraham-Podietz A Tribute to Anne Frank: Collected by her father, Otto Frank. Edited by Anna G. Steenmeyer Understanding the Holocaust Edition 1. (Holocaust Reference Library) by George Feldman and Linda Schmittroth The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum America Keeps the Memory Alive by Eleanor H. Ayer We Remember the Holocaust by David A. Adler

Holocaust History and Historical Fiction Teen & up

After the Holocaust by Howard Greenfeld After the Holocaust: The Long Road to Freedom by Erna F. Rubinstein

Art of the Holocaust by Janet Blatter and Sybil Milton

The Blaze Engulfs, Vol.3: January 1939 to December 1941 by Lisa Clyde Nielsen The Diary of Petr Ginz 1941-1942 edited by Chava Pressburger Emmanuel Ringelblum: Historian of the Warsaw Ghetto (Holocaust Biographies) by Mark Beyer A Firestorm Unleashed, Vol.4: January 1942 to June 1943 by William L. Shulman, Michael Berenbaum, and Lisa Clyde Nielsen Forever Outsiders, Vol.1: Jews and History from Ancient Times to August 1935 by Lisa Clyde Nielsen and Michael Berenbaum Hans and Sophie Scholl: German Resisters of the White Rose (Holocaust Biographies (Nonfiction) by Toby Axelrod

Heroes of the Holocaust by Arnold Geier Heroes Of The Holocaust (Holocaust (Brookfield, Conn.) by Ted Gottgried History Firsthand - The Holocaust: Death Camps by Tamara L. Roleff Holocaust by Angela Gluck Wood and Dan Stone The Holocaust: Bearing Witness Liberation and the Nuremberg Trials (Holocaust (Abdo)) by Stuart A. Kallen The Holocaust: A Primary Source History (In Their Own Words) by Judy Bartel


The Holocaust: The World and the Jews, 1933-1945 by Seymour Rossel

The Holocaust Lady by Ruth Minsky Sender

The Holocaust Library - The Resistance (Holocaust Library (San Diego, Calif.) by Deborah Bachrach

The Holocaust Remembered by Ann Byers, Linda Jacobs Altman, and Tabatha Yeatts

Holocaust Rescuers: Ten Stories of Courage (Collective Biographies) by Darryl Lyman How Did It Happen? - The Holocaust by Sean Sheehan I am a star--child of the Holocaust by Inge Auerbacher

I Have Lived A Thousand Years: Growing Up In The Holocaust by Livia Bitton-Jackson

In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke

Literature & Thought: Voices of the Holocaust by Literature & Thought Series Literature of the Holocaust (Bloom's Period Studies) by Harold Bloom

The Little Boy Star: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Rachel Hausfater

Never to Forget: The Jews of the Holocaust by Milton Meltzer

Night by Elie Wiesel The Oath by Elie Wiesel Raoul Wallenberg: Swedish Diplomat and Humanitarian (Holocaust Biographies) by Thomas Streissguth

The Rescue: The Story of How Gentiles Saved Jews in the Holocaust by Milton Meltzer

Smoke and Ashes: The Story of the Holocaust by Barbara Rogasky The Survivor in Us All: Four Young Sisters in the Holocaust by Erna F. Rubinstein

Tell Them We Remember: The Story of the Holocaust by Susan Bachrach

An Unbroken Chain: My Journey Through the Nazi Holocaust by Henry A. Oertelt and Stephanie Oertelt Samuels We Survived the Holocaust by Elaine Landau Writers of the Holocaust (Global Profiles) by Sherri Lederman Mandell

World History Series - The Holocaust by Michael V. Uschan


Opera 4-8 years old

Bantam of the Opera by Mary Jane Auch Brundibár (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards) by Tony Kushner and Maurice Sendak

The Dog Who Sang at the Opera by Marshall Izen, Jim West, and Erika Oller

Encore, Opera Cat! by Tess Weaver and Andrea Wesson

Lady White Snake: A Tale From Chinese Opera by Aaron Shepard and Song Nan Zhang. Lambs' Tales from Great Operas by Donald Elliott

Madame Butterfly: The Story of the Opera by Giacomo Puccini by Giacomo Puccini, J. Alison James, and Renata Fucikova The Magic Flute: An Opera by Mozart by Kyra Teis The Magic Flute: The Story of Mozart's Opera by Margaret Greaves and Francessca Crespi Oddhopper Opera: A Bug's Garden of Verses by Kurt Cyrus (Paperback - April 1, 2007) Opera by Crystal Kirgiss Opera Cat by Tess Weaver and Andrea Wesson The Phantom Cat of the Opera by David Wood, Gaston Leroux, and Peters Day ______________________________________________________________________________________

Opera 9 years old & up

Adventures in Music Opera book by Roy Bennett

The Barefoot Book of Stories from the Opera by Shahrukh Husain, Shackle Shahrukh Husain, and James Mayhew Bravo! Brava! A Night at the Opera: Behind the Scenes with Composers, Cast, and Crew by Anne Siberell and Frederica von Stade Sing Me a Story: The Metropolitan Opera's Book of Opera Stories for Children by Jane Rosenberg and Luciano Pavarotti The Random House Book of Opera Stories by Adele Geras The Young Person's Guide to the Opera: With Music from the Great Operas (Book & CD) by Anita

Ganeri and Nicol


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Brundibár Study Guide

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