This dissertation investigates the life and work of the Polish composer Leon Kaczmarek (1903-1978), specifically the compositions he wrote throughout the time of his imprisonment in the Nazi Dachau concentration camp in Germany between 1940 and 1945. The study represents a compelling contribution to the field by unearthing the biography and the musical heritage of a previously unexplored composer of the 20th century, one of the most prolific from the Nazi concentration camps. Through a combination of textual investigation, musical analysis, historical musicology, and performance practice, this thesis brings back to light previously unknown works from the Holocaust period. By offering a unique scholarly framework to examine the ways in which Leon Kaczmarek affirmed his own artistic identity, this project reviews the meaning of his pieces and how they relate to compositions written in other camps, the extent of his collaborations with his fellow prisoners in Dachau, as well as the human experience behind their works in order to understand how they responded to extremely threatening circumstances. In considering the multifaceted perspectives through which Kaczmarek had created his compositions, with the help of edited scores and recordings, this research project restores the voices of marginalised individuals from the ashes of historical oblivion to eternal remembrance, serving as a vehicle to memorialise the Holocaust for future generations.

This thesis has been divided into four chapters. The first provides a biographical account of Leon Kaczmarek and a review of the musical activities that occurred in the Dachau concentration camp, including an overview of the history and repertoire of the German camp choir of which he was director. The second chapter offers an in-depth analysis of all the pieces featuring lyrics written by his fellow prisoners, in which the rediscovered compositions bear the essence of their lyricists with Kaczmarek’s work as a musical frame. In the third chapter, the investigation focusses on the works set to pre-existing German poems in which Kaczmarek’s musical creation becomes a vehicle for introspection through which the composer sheds light on his most personal reflections. In addition, the third chapter examines the works he was allegedly forced to compose, and the ethical considerations surrounding this. Finally, the fourth chapter explores the instrumental compositions written by Kaczmarek, in particular his solo piano compositions, revealing how he was able to highlight his Polish national identity through music.