James Simon
Illustration — Portrait photo of the musician James Simon James Simon (29 September 1880 – 12/14 October 1944) was a German composer, pianist and musicologist.
James Simon

anonym · Schwäbisches Bilderblatt, Nr. 9, 26. Juli 1924, S. 2. · Public domain
- Born
- 1880 · Berlin.
- Nationality
- German Reich
- Occupation
- composer · musicologist · pianist
- Fields
- opera
- Languages
- German
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Illustration — Portrait photo of the musician James Simon James Simon (29 September 1880 – 12/14 October 1944) was a German composer, pianist and musicologist.
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
getty · 500668976 · gnd · 1221826166 · museum · 3717a2a5-9f24-4357-bd08-2c682186c0b1 · wikidata · Q827852
In this article
Timeline
Timeline
• Born on 29 September 1880 in Berlin • Married on 1 May 1907 to Anna Levy in Berlin • Birth of his son, Jörn Martin Simon on 14 September 1910 in Berlin • Birth of his son, Ulrich Ernst Simon on 21 September 1913 in Berlin • Emigration: 1 April 1933, via Zürich to Amsterdam, the Netherlands • Death of his son, Jörn in 1937 in Russia during the purge of the Moscow Trials • Deported from Westerbork 5 April 1944 to Theresienstadt, ghetto • Transferred 12 October 1944, to Auschwitz, extermination camp • Death: 14 October 1944, Auschwitz, extermination camp – officially declared dead, age 64
Biography
Biography
James Simon was born into a Jewish family in Berlin and murdered in Auschwitz in 1944 following his internment at Theresienstadt. He studied at the Musikhochschule in Berlin piano (Conrad Ansorge) and composition (Max Bruch). In 1934 he was forced to leave Germany to Zurich, later Amsterdam where he was arrested and deported to Theresienstadt. From there, on 12 October 1944, James Simon boarded the transport to Auschwitz and was murdered in a gas chamber shortly after his arrival. He was last seen sitting on his suitcase composing music. His older son, Jörn Martin Simon, died in the purge of the Moscow Trials in 1937. The younger son, Ulrich Ernst Simon, survived, escaping to London, where as a young man he converted to Christianity, became a noted Anglican writer and theologian, and was a member of the council of King's College London.
Identity and overview
Identity and overview
The following is established of the heading itself.
Works and production
Works and production
The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count. Composer, 1880-1944.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Berlin
Named but not plotted · 1
Auschwitz.
Death place
Published works
While some of Simon's piano pieces, songs and his opera Frau im Stein (1918) (based on Rolf Lauckner’s work) were published, many of his compositions remain unperformed. He is called the "Lost Composer". His Lamento für Cello und piano (in jemenitischer Weise), Meinem Lieben Martin! (17/18 December 1938) was premiered in Prague by Czech cellist František Brikcius as part of the "Weinberger Tour" on 23 April 2007 at the Spanish Synagogue. A cantata, Ein Pilgermorgen (A Pilgrim’s Morning, 1929–30) for soprano, tenor, baritone, chorus and orchestra to a text by Rilke, survives in manuscript.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 1221826166, James, Simon.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
- Getty Union List of Artist Names 500668976, James, Simon.
General reference · The Getty Research Institute
Institutional database
- MusicBrainz artist record for James Simon
Scholarly · MetaBrainz Foundation
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q827852: James Simon
General reference · Wikidata
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
MusicBrainz artist record for James SimonMetaBrainz Foundation
Institutional witnessauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 1221826166, James, Simon.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessauthority file
Getty Union List of Artist Names 500668976, James, Simon.The Getty Research Institute
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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