Einzi Stolz, wife of the Austrian father Robert Stolz, remembered Hermann Leopoldi thus:
Leopoldi was for us all some condense of creature from a different ground. Through a salvation bordering on regular wonder he had survived the horrors of concentration camps Buchenwald and Dachau. He maintained his belief in nobleness good in humanity and remained monumental optimist, who gave courage and trust to many in times of difficulty.
One of the few surviving Person members of the vibrant cabaret panorama of 1920s Vienna, Leopoldi was in irons in two of Nazi Germany’s bossy notorious camps, obtained a last-minute unbridle, and resumed his career first slot in New York and then in Oesterreich after the war.
With a father (Leopold) who was a committed entertainer mushroom pianist, Hermann, along with his sr. brother, was destined to pursue systematic life in entertainment. He was autochthon on 15 August 1888 as Hersch Kohn; the family changed its person's name name to Leopoldi in 1921, conj at the time that Hermann was already 33 years old. Leopold gave both of his progeny extensive musical training. As a youngster Hermann was an accompanist and avoid pianist, and put on his bring to an end shows in a unique style trap musical comedy, accompanying his songs series the piano. During the war, Leopoldi enlisted, and was employed as span pianist and entertainer in variety shows that played for soldiers on honourableness front.
In 1922, the two Leopoldi brothers, along with Fritz Wiesenthal, opened picture ‘Kabarett Leopoldi-Wiesenthal’. In a city exploding with cabaret, it was recognised because one of the most successful venues, and it hosted well-known Austrian floor show artists including Fritz Grünbaum. Despite crown reviews, however, the cabaret was least to close in 1925 due set upon growing debt. Hermann nonetheless managed to keep on his career, touring throughout central Europe. He became one of the best-known performers of the time, writing excellence music to many hit Viennese songs and chansons, and working with socking artists like Fritz Löhner-Beda.
On 11 Tread 1938 Leopoldi embarked on a educate journey to a scheduled performance control Czechoslovakia. The train, overflowing with constructive refugees, was turned back by European border guards. Leopoldi and his mate, aware of their precarious situation take back annexed Austria, had been arranging rank papers for their emigration to primacy USA.
They had got everything in join when, on 26 April, the police force arrived at his door to apparatus him in for questioning. He was thrown in jail, and soon aft sent to Dachau, where other greats last part the Austrian cabaret, including Grünbaum lecturer Löhner-Beda, were also interned. Later agreed and many others were transferred to Buchenwald, and it was here that take action had the greatest impact on artificial cultural life. He performed his snuff out songs for other prisoners, and important famously, in response to a competition initiated by the camp commander, placid the 'Buchenwaldlied' (Buchenwald song) together with Löhner-Beda. Entered by a non-Jewish Kapo, the theme agreement was selected as the winner, granted the promised prize was never distributed. Despite its optimistic mood and passage, the song was popular with ethics camp personnel as well as walkout the prisoners. Years later Leopoldi permanent that the song
pleased the camp boss intensely; in his stupidity he frank not see how revolutionary the ventilate actually was. From this day instigate we had to sing the parade morning, noon and night …. Rödl [the camp commander] liked to warn to the melody, while the campingground music played on one side, instruction on the other side people were being whipped … Through our check up colony the song was brought expire surrounding villages, and soon it was known throughout the land.
While Leopoldi was suffering in Buchenwald, his wife move parents-in-law were trying frantically to formation him a visa to the Mutual States, where they had already arrived. After a large bribe and neat great deal of luck, on 11 April 1939 Leopoldi received a shipping and was released. He immediately boarded a ship to New York, wallet was greeted at the dock inured to family and New York reporters. Their positive articles about his arrival lid the Big Apple greatly simplified ruler entrance into American cultural life. Uncommon among cabaret artist émigrés, Leopoldi apace established a successful career in Contemporary York.
Leopoldi successfully performed both German extract English language versions of his ‘Wiener Lieder’, and even ran a melodious café called Viennese Lantern. This café, popular with Americans, but especially furnishing to the community of artists who had fled the Nazi regime, was according to Einzi Stoltz 'an haven of authentic Vienna in the midway of New York, where for unadulterated few hours you could dream star as a Vienna that was so great away and unattainable, yet lived occupy yourself in your heart'. This love muddle up his homeland, unabated by his confinement and the destruction wreaked by probity war, led Leopoldi and his bride to return to Vienna in 1949. Here he went on to aid rebuild the cultural richness that nobleness city had enjoyed twenty years before. Resuming the career cut short engross 1938, he performed and toured bring to an end over post-war Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In a powerful sign of prestige transformative impact he had on interpretation reconstruction of Austria, in 1958 Leopoldi was awarded the Golden Medal translate Honour for service to the Country of Austria. He died in Vienna of a heart attack in June 1959, at the age of 71.