Sonderstab Musik

During the Second World War the 'Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg' was set up, an organisation which aimed for the elimination of Jewish cultural life in the rest of Europe. A 'Sonderstab Musik' was also established, staffed by distinguished German musicologists whose task was to locate musical manuscripts, books and instruments. Its initial target was the possessions of Jewish musicians and composers who had fled the Nazi regime, but in the end it boiled down to a general confiscation and removal of Jewish possessions, including those connected with music-making. This book describes the activities of the 'Sonderstab Musik' in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.