The Sound and Musical Landscape of a Non-Existent City: Contributions to Research on Sound Archaeology Based on the Example of the Pre-War Jewish Quarter in Lublin

Abstract

Prior to the Second World War, the multicultural city of Lublin was an important centre of Jewish culture. Of that period, only Brama Grodzka [City Gate], which used to be the passageway between the Christian and the Jewish parts of Lublin, has “survived”. Nowadays, it houses Brama Grodzka – Teatr NN [City Gate – Theatre NN], a cultural centre which provides display areas for commemorative exhibitions and organises various cultural and educational events. In the 1990s, a permanent project on the everyday pre-war life in the “Jewish city” (as well as the Jews’ situation during the time of the German occupation) was launched here. The collected source material was integrated into commemorative exhibitions. These projects show that the past of non-existent Jewish quarters can be reconstructed not only visually, but also acoustically, making it possible to recreate the ethnomusical landscape of the city that has ceased to exist. This article presents the sound and musical landscape of the city of Lublin and its vicinity, using the example of the Jewish quarter of Lublin, taking into account traditional music and its various transformations.