Music in the Kaunas Ghetto against the background of Vilijampolė (Slabodka) history

ENThe article presents a review of musical life in the Kaunas Ghetto against the background of the history of Vilijampolė, a suburb of Kaunas. The focus of this research is the activities of the Ghetto musicians, as well as the melodies and lyrics of Jewish songs which were created during the Second World War. The aims of this article are: 1) to ascertain the reasons for establishing the Jewish Ghetto in Vilijampolė; 2) to examine the traditions of musical life in the Ghetto; 3) to reveal the hopes, political views and the artistic consciousness of the Jewish community through the analysis of the orchestra concerts and songs performed by the Ghetto residents.