Alexander Tamir
Alek Volkoviski was born in 1931 in Vilna, Poland (now Vilnius, Lithuania). A musical prodigy, he began studying piano at the age of five. When the Germans occupied Vilna in 1941, his family was forced into the ghetto, where music became a form of resilience.
In early 1943, at just eleven years old, Volkovskiy composed a song that would become an enduring symbol of the Jewish experience during the Holocaust. The Jewish Council of the Vilna ghetto announced a music competition, and Volkovskiy's composition, "Shtiler, shtiler" (Hush, hush), emerged as the winning entry.
The song, with lyrics added by ghetto poet Shmerke Kaczerginski, was a carefully crafted lullaby. Its original line "all roads lead to Ponar" was modified to "all roads lead there now" due to the increasingly dangerous environment. Despite the subtle change, the audience understood the stark implication of the lyrics, referencing the execution site of Vilna's Jews.
The piece was first performed at one of the last Jewish Council-organized concerts before the ghetto's liquidation. Volkovskiy was already recognized as a remarkable pianist and had previously composed music, including a musical setting for Avraham Sutzkever's poem 'A nem ton dem ayzn'.
With the liquidation of the Vilna ghetto, Volkovskiy and his mother were sent to a concentration camp. They were among the few Vilna Jews to survive the war. After liberation in 1945, he emigrated to Israel and changed his name to Alexander Tamir.
In Israel, Tamir continued his musical education, studying piano in Tel Aviv with Eliyahu Rodiakov and composition with Yitzhak Edel. He participated in the 1948 War of Independence and graduated from "Geula" High School.
In 1951, Tamir met pianist Bracha Eden while studying at the Rubin Academy. Encouraged by their teacher Alexander Schroeder, they formed a piano duo that would become internationally renowned. Their debut performance was in 1954 in Israel, and they won the Italian Vercelli Competition in 1957.
Over the next five decades, the Eden-Tamir Duo performed over 5,000 times worldwide, playing with major orchestras and appearing on television and radio. They were particularly noted for their recordings of works by Brahms, Mendelssohn, Mozart, and others, and were the first to perform the piano duet version of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring".
Tamir became a senior professor at the Rubin Academy and served as its dean. He founded the Young Artists Competition and the Israel Chopin Society, and was a board member of the International Federation of Chopin Societies.
In the 1990s, Tamir and Eden began performing and teaching in China, Russia, and Poland. They established the International Duo Piano Seminary in 1997.
"Shtiler, shtiler" remains a poignant reminder of the musical creativity that persisted even in the most challenging circumstances. The song continues to be performed today, commemorating the Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
Sources
Fater, Y., 1970. Yidishe muzik in poyln tsvishn beyde velt-milkohmes, Tel Aviv: Velt federatsye fun poylishe yidn.
Freund, F., Ruttner, F. & Safrian, H. eds., Ess Firt Kejn Weg Zurik.: Geschichte und Lieder des Ghettos von Wilna, 1941-1943, Vienna: Picus.
Katsherginski, S. & Leivick, H. eds., Lider fun di Getos un Lagern, New York: Alveltlekher Yidisher Kultur-Kongres.es.
