Rudolf Karel

[1880-1945]

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"A dedicated Czech patriot who fought against Nazi oppression through the underground resistance movement, composer Rudolf Karel continued to compose impressive works using only fragments of charcoal and toilet paper during his arrest and imprisonment.

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Rudolf Karel was born on 9 November 1880 in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. Although he originally read law at Charles University in Prague, from 1899 to 1904 Karel pursued a degree at the Prague Conservatory in composition, studying organ with Josef Kliĉka, piano with Karel Hoffmeister, and music theory with Karel Knittl. In 1903, he joined Anton Dvorǎk’s composition masterclass as his last student. Among the many recognised composers who also studied with Knittl and Dvorǎk was Karel’s fellow Czech composer Josef Suk."

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Excerpt from "Rudolf Karel" by Dr Ryan Hugh Ross, ORT Music and the Holocaust website​

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For more information, please visit: 

https://holocaustmusic.ort.org/places/theresienstadt/rudolph-karel/​​​​​​​​