Henryk Apte

Henryk Apte was a prominent figure in the cultural and musical life of the Jewish community in Krakow during the early 20th century. A violinist, lawyer, and passionate advocate for Jewish national culture, Apte dedicated his life to the promotion and development of Jewish music, both locally and internationally. His leadership in various musical organizations, coupled with his work as a music critic, played a crucial role in shaping the cultural landscape of the Jewish community in Krakow. His efforts were not only a testament to his deep love for music but also aligned with the broader Zionist goals of fostering Jewish national identity.

Born on July 13, 1888, in Krakow, Apte pursued an education that combined his interests in both law and music. He graduated from the Jagiellonian University in 1910 with a law degree and earned his doctorate in 1911, quickly becoming a well-known lawyer in Krakow. Simultaneously, Apte nurtured his passion for music, learning to play the violin in his hometown and furthering his studies in musicology under the guidance of Guido Adler in Vienna. His debut as a violinist came in 1913, after which he became a frequent soloist and chamber musician.

Apte's contributions to Krakow's Jewish musical life were manifold. He co-founded and presided over the Jewish Music Society and the "Shir" choral society, both of which were instrumental in promoting the works of Jewish composers and musicians. Through these organizations, he organized concerts that showcased the talents of local Jewish composers such as Wilhelm Mantel, Paweł Anhalt, and Benzion Wischniowitz. He also engaged musicians from Vienna, like Joachim Stutschewsky and Edward Steuermann, to teach and perform in Krakow, further enriching the city's cultural scene.

In addition to his organizational work, Apte was a prolific music critic, writing extensively for the Zionist magazine *Nowy Dziennik* (*New Daily*). His reviews covered a wide range of topics, from European classical music to Jewish national compositions. He was particularly noted for his detailed historical sketches of composers and insightful commentary on performances. His critiques often reflected his broader concern for the quality and direction of Krakow's musical offerings, lamenting the absence of significant works and advocating for the inclusion of composers like Beethoven, Mahler, and Bruckner.

From February 1920 until the end of the newspaper's existence, Apte was the main music reporter and reviewer. Scholar and musicologist Józef Opalski assessed Apte's journalistic activity in the following words:

Henryk Apte wrote very objective and professional assessments of concerts and opera performances in the Jewish bourgeois Nowy Dziennik ( Music in the columns of the Krakow press , in: Krakow musical 1918 – 1939 , ed. M. Drobner, T. Przybylski, Krakow 1980, p. 236). The critic began his cooperation with the newspaper with a colourful report Musical impressions from Vienna (27.02.1920; 28.02.1920); in it he compared the musical life of Kraków and the capital of Austria (of course in favour of Vienna...), the text mentions such great names as Richard Strauss and Lotte Lehmann.

The impact of Apte's work extended beyond Krakow. He was instrumental in bringing Jewish music to smaller towns in Galicia and organizing significant musical events, such as the first concert of Jewish symphonic music in Krakow in 1930. His dedication to the cause was evident in every aspect of his work, from his fundraising efforts to his hands-on involvement in concert preparations, such as the 1928 performance of Bach's compositions for a Jewish audience in Tarnow.

Tragically, Apte's life was cut short during the Holocaust. After spending part of the Second World War in Lviv and Wieliczka, he was murdered in the Bełżec extermination camp in 1942. His legacy, however, lives on through the profound influence he had on the musical and cultural life of the Jewish community in Krakow and beyond.

Sources

Sylwia Jakubczyk-Ślęczka, Musical Life of the Jewish Community in Interwar Galicia. The Problem of Identity of Jewish Musicians

Krzysztof Skwierczynski, Music criticism in the Jewish Nowy Dziennik in the years 1918–1923, Trubadur 1(30)/2004