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Composers persecuted in WWII

During the Second World War, many composers were persecuted by the Nazi’s, because they either had a Jewish background or refused to comply with Nazi rules. Their music was banned from all public performance. The Leo Smit Foundation, founded in 1996, is committed to regain this music.

In more than 200 concerts, we’ve brought to life music that was lost and forgotten. With this website, we share with musicians, programmers and music lovers worldwide what we’ve found, starting with music from composers who lived and worked in the Netherlands.

Here you can search for composers, works for various instrumentations or vocal repertoire. Find scores, look at manuscripts and listen to sound samples.

featured composer

Andries de Rosa (1869 - 1943)

Born into a humble family, Andries de Rosa was trained to become a diamond worker. But as a young man he moved to Paris pursuing a career in music, which was no easy task. He was part of the left-wing literary circles and avant-garde of that time. He eventually settled in 1912 in Amsterdam, becoming involved in socialist movements. Later in life, composing was increasingly diminished by his many administrative functions; cultural education was of paramount importance to him. De Rosa and his … more

new additions

February 23, 2023

Julius Hijman

Sonatine voor altsaxophoon in Es en piano
I. Allegretto II. Andantino III. Allegro con brio Amsterdam 1934
February 9, 2023

Paul Sanders

Dans ballerina
December 19, 2022

Hans Lachman

Sonata for cello and piano

Trio à cordes - Dick Kattenburg

play continuously

1937-1938. 1939 Includes a drawing of a string trio in water colour, …

Support this site

Are you happy with the attention we pay to this almost forgotten music? Consider a donation to help us continue and expand this collection.

U.S.-based donors may support our activities in a tax-efficient way through a contribution to the Leo Smit Fund at the Netherland-America Foundation, Inc. Because the NAF is a public charity, within the meaning of Sections 501 (c)(3) and 509 (a)(1) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, donors may claim the tax benefits allowed by U.S. tax law for their contributions.

Please visit http://thenaf.org/leo-smit-foundation for more information.

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Forbidden Music Regained

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