Karel Hašler
31 October 1879, Prague, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]
22 December 1941, Mauthausen concentration camp, Upper Danube, Germany [now Upper Austria, Austria]. (frozen to death)
Karel Hašler fut un
compositeur, un acteur du Théâtre national, un scénariste et un producteur. Il
est né le 31 octobre 1879, dans la banlieue de Prague. Il est arrêté par la Gestapo
le 17 octobre 1941, et déporté au camp de concentration de Mauthausen, en
Autriche. Un matin d'hiver, il fut dénudé et attaché avec d'autres prisonniers
sous une douche glacée. Il resta ainsi jusqu'à sa mort, le 22 décembre 22 1941.
Karel Hašler, c'est avant tout l'auteur de plus de 300 chansons, dont beaucoup sont devenues populaires de son vivant encore. Il fut aussi l'un des fondateurs de l'Union de protection des auteurs (OSA), destinée à la défense des droits des auteurs d'oeuvres musicales, surtout des compositeurs et auteurs de textes.
Membre de la troupe du Théâtre national de Prague, Karel Hasler a joué dans une quinzaine de films, mais il a surtout assisté aux débuts de nombreux cabarets et théâtres d'opérette. Par exemple en 1909, il a co-fondé, puis dirigé le théâtre musical de Lucerna, à l'origine tchéco-allemand. Patriote et auteur de plus de 300 chansons vénérant le charme de Prague, mais impliquant aussi une critique sociale et politique, Hasler fut immédiatement pointé du doigt par les autorités nazies, après l'instauration du régime fasciste dans le pays. L'installation d'une plaque commémorative en son honneur dans l'ancien crématorium du camp de Mathausen a été initiée par le Club culturel des Tchèques et des Slovaques à Vienne. Son vice-président Richard Basler, qui a évidemment des racines tchèques, ajoute :
·Aha! To je ta Praha!
·Andulicka
·Bily kvitek
·Chic Parisienne
·Ci je Praha? Nase!
·Hezka vzpominka
·Ja mam doma gramofon
·Ja mam holku od Odkolku
·Ja neumim shimmi tancovat
·Jen kdyz mame svobodu
·Juruv synek
·Kam pak na nas, bolsevici!
·Kdyz jsem se rozsoup
·Kdyz mne ma panenka nechce rada mit
·Kdyz muzika zacne hrat
·Kdyz nad Prahou...
·Kdyz pada v Praze prvni snih
·Kostelicek
·Libej mne dal
·Malostranske strechy
·Modre z nebe
·Muj kamarad
·My jsme ti chlapci plesati
·Nad Prahou tancily hvezdicky
·Nase zem' je jako zahradka
·Na svete mam jedinou
·Na te Male Strane
·Panenka pro stesti
·Pani muzikanti, nez se rozedni
·Pisen o ztracenem venecku
·Pisnicka o strarem kocourovi
·Pluji mraky do daleka
·Podskalak
·Po starych zameckych schodech
·Potkalo me stesti
·Praha - srdce Evropy
·Praho, jak mam te rad!
·Prazsky pisnickar
·Pred Vejtonskou hospodou
·Princezna v hermelinu
·Smes vojenskych pisni Karla Hašlera
·Spiritus, spiritus
·Stare topoly
·Strahovacek
·Strary dum
·Studentska svetnicka
·Svaty Vaclav zada prazsky magistrat
·Svoboda je svoboda
·Ta nase pisnicka ceska
·Tulak
·Ty petrinske strane
·U svateho Mateje
·Vecer za Strahovskou branou
·Vendelinek
·Vltavo, Vltavo
·V tom sareckem udoli
Actor, Composer, Writer, Miscellaneous Crew, Director, Producer
Actor - filmography
- Pantáta Bezousek (1941) .... Burdych
- Roztomilý clovek (1941) .... Editor-in-chief
... aka A Charming Man (International: English title) - Za tichych noci (1941) .... Karel Hašler
... aka In the Still of the Night (Canada: English title) - Jarni pisnieka (1937) .... Chodec
... aka Spring Song (UK) - Vzdusné torpédo 48 (1936) .... MUDr. Marvan
... aka Air Torpedo 48 (USA: informal title) - At zije neboztík (1935) (as K. Hašler) .... Petr Kornel
... aka Long Live with Dearly Departed (UK) - Jedenácté prikázání (1935) .... The Police Captain
... aka The Eleventh Commandment (International: English title: informal literal title) - Král ulice (1935) .... Martin Antoni/Martin
- Za ranních cervánku (1934) .... Josef Dobrovský
- Srdce za pisnicku (1933) .... Hugo Strindberg
... aka A Heart for a Song (International: English title) - Jindra, hrabenka Ostrovínová (1933) .... Muzikant Jahoda
... aka Jindra, the Countess Ostrovín (UK) - Písnickár (1932) .... Pavel Hala
- Varhaník u sv. Víta (1929) .... Organist
... aka The Organist at St. Vitus' Cathedral (informal literal English title) - Batalión (1927) .... JUDr. Frantisek Uher, advocate
... aka Battalion (Europe: English title: informal literal title) - Falesná kocicka (1926) .... Doctor Karel Verner, dentist
... aka The Little False Cat (Europe: English title: informal title) - Cikán Jura (1922)
- Ahasver (1915) .... Malírcin manzel Valentin
- Ceské hrady a zámky (1914) .... Karel Hašler
... aka Czech Castles and Palaces (Europe: English title)
Composer - filmography
- Za tichych noci (1941) (song "Po starých zámeckých schodech")
... aka In the Still of the Night (Canada: English title) - Rote Rosen - blaue Adria (1938) (song "Rote Rosen - Blue Adria", "O du mein alter Stephansturm ...")
- Jarni pisnieka (1937) (song "Ta nase krasna zem je jako pohadka")
... aka Spring Song (UK) - Divoch (1936) (song "Pod oblohou modré Adrie")
... aka Wild Girl (UK) - Jana (1935)
- Jedenácté prikázání (1935) (as Hašler)
... aka The Eleventh Commandment (International: English title: informal literal title) - Král ulice (1935)
- Za ranních cervánku (1934) (song "Ty sumavské hory" music)
- Matka Krácmerka (1934) (song "Valcík")
... aka Mother Kracmerka (UK) - Poslední muz (1934)
- Srdce za pisnicku (1933)
... aka A Heart for a Song (International: English title) - U snedeného krámu (1933)
... aka The Ruined Shopkeeper (International: English title: informal title) - Jindra, hrabenka Ostrovínová (1933) (song "My nikdy svoji nebudem")
... aka Jindra, the Countess Ostrovín (UK) - Písnickár (1932)
Writer - filmography
- Babicka (1940) (as K. Hašler)
- Hordubalové (1939)
- Ircin románek (1936) (screenplay)
... aka Irca's Romance (UK) - Vojnarka (1936) (screenplay)
- Vzdusné torpédo 48 (1936)
... aka Air Torpedo 48 (USA: informal title) - Jánosik (1935) (uncredited)
- Král ulice (1935) (screenplay)
- Za ranních cervánku (1934) (screenplay)
- V tom domecku pod Emauzy (1933)
... aka In the Little House Below Emausy (UK) - Písnickár (1932) (screenplay)
- Ceské hrady a zámky (1914)
... aka Czech Castles and Palaces (Europe: English title)
Miscellaneous Crew - filmography
- Za tichych noci (1941) (lyricist)
... aka In the Still of the Night (Canada: English title) - Jarni pisnieka (1937) (lyricist)
... aka Spring Song (UK) - Jedenácté prikázání (1935) (lyricist)
... aka The Eleventh Commandment (International: English title: informal literal title) - Matka Krácmerka (1934) (lyricist)
... aka Mother Kracmerka (UK) - Srdce za pisnicku (1933) (lyricist)
... aka A Heart for a Song (International: English title) - U snedeného krámu (1933) (lyricist)
... aka The Ruined Shopkeeper (International: English title: informal title) - Písnickár (1932) (lyricist)
Director - filmography
- Ircin románek (1936)
... aka Irca's Romance (UK) - Srdce za pisnicku (1933)
... aka A Heart for a Song (International: English title) - Ceské hrady a zámky (1914)
... aka Czech Castles and Palaces (Europe: English title)
Producer - filmography
- Jánosik (1935) (producer)
Ta nase pisnicka Ceska,
Ta je tak hezka, tak hezka,
Tak jako na louce kyticka,
Vyrostla ta nase pisnicka.
Az se ta pisnicka ztrati,
Pak uz nic nebudem mit,
Jestli nam zahyne,
Vsechno s ni pomine,
Potom uz nebudem zit.
Our Czech song is so sweet,
it is so sweetly alluring,
just like flowers on the meadow,
That’s how our song has become.
Then, if we should lose our songs,
nothing in life will remain,
if it should ever die,
each thing will pass away,
Nothing in life will remain
To je ta pisnicka Ceska
Kterou si zpivame dneska.
Poslyste, lidicky, zahodte vidlicky,
Bez tak uz neni co zrat.
Vsecko nam sebrali,
Vsecko nam sezral,
Nechali jen ten protektorat. (See note 1)
To je ta pisnicka Ceska,
Kterou si zpivame dneska.
Hosi od gestapa, vy tu pekne spite, (See note 2)
Vy se odtud domu nikdy nevratite.
Nevratite se vy nikdy domu zpatky,
Budu pro vas plakat otcove I matky,
Zustante tady jako bidne tretv.
It is that Czech song,
That we are singing today.
Listen, folks, throw away the forks,
Anyway there is nothing to eat now,
All they took from us.
All they devour from us.
And left the Protectorate to us.
It is that Czech song,
That we are singing today.
You bad men of the Gestapo,
You are nicely sleeping here,
You will never return to your homeland.
But you will never return
Notes
1.Protektorat. March 15th, l939, the second black day for our nation. A definite liquidation of Czechoslovakia. On short Hitler’s order the “Protektorate Bohmen and Mahren” was created. For next several years the brown tyranny suppressed all human rights in my country.
2.Gestapo. Geheime State Polizie (Secret state police), terror of those creatures “black dressed SS men” sent thousands of Czech men, women and children to the concentration camps and killed there 400,000 mostly educated Czechs.