She made that instrument sing

This Rauner piano accordion belonged to Irmgard Ray (nee Ruf) who was born in Recklinghausen, Germany in 1924. Having previously learned to play the piano, the accordion was presented to Irmgard by her Mother, Freda, prior to the family’s transport to Riga Ghetto. The instrument was held in safekeeping by a neighbour until Irmgard’s return and was later played on rare occasions for family in Australia.

Irmgard spent time in several concentration camps and endured a death march. This accordion is representative of life before the atrocity of war; a life of family, community and a thriving Jewish culture. In her recollections of early life in Herne, Irmgard mentions attending a modern synagogue where she was a member of the choir. The organ, a relatively progressive addition to the repertoire of music offered at synagogues, was played as an accompaniment.

In general, families of the Weimar Republic held musical ability in high regard. Prior to 1933, within a flourishing culture of classical composers and internationally recognised musicians, children both Jewish and non-Jewish were encouraged and supported in their artistic endeavours. Freda Ray was probably influenced in much the same way when she nurtured Irmgard to learn the piano and later purchased the accordion. It is the songs and melodies of this period, played from memory, that Irmgard’s son Jeffrey remembers so fondly:

“She made that instrument sing. She knew the melodies by heart. These were joyous times”.