Frida Salomon-Ehrlich

Frida Ehrlich, a Jewish poet and composer, was born on September 30, 1899 in Herrlisheim (Bas-Rhin), Alsace. Her parents were Heymann Ehrlich and Sophie Levy. When she was 10, her mother died, followed shortly afterwards by her father. Relatives in nearby Offendorf took her in. Frida developed a close relationship with her cousin Rosette Rebekka Braun, who became her sister-in-law in Luxembourg.

In the early 1920s, she lived in Paris at Le Toit familial, the former Home israélite pour jeunes filles, founded by Adélaïde de Rothschild. Frida was probably trained there as a seamstress. At this institution, her interest in literature, language and music was encouraged and developed. 

In 1924, Frida Ehrlich married in Dudelange (in the south of Luxembourg) Joseph Bruno Salomon (b. 1898 in Diekirch; d. 1953), later choirmaster of the synagogue, and became herself a Luxembourgish citizen. Four years later, she gave birth to her daughter Solange Sophie. At the end of 1932, the family moved to the Belair district of the capital. Together with Bruno Salomon’s brother Marcel and his family, the Solomons built a house. On the first floor, they set up a small but successful menswear factory.  

Frida Salomon-Ehrlich has written several poems and song lyrics. She set some texts to music. She wrote vocal works for choir and solo voice, as well as solo songs and songs for voice and piano. Some of Frida Salomon-Ehrlich’s works were known to the public. Her songs were broadcast on Radio Luxembourg between 1936 and 1939. They were also included in concert programs, notably for Mother’s Day. On 27 January 1940, a now lost joint composition by Bruno and Frida Salomon-Ehrlich for choir and solo was performed by the choir of the synagogue in Luxembourg City as part of the bank holidays. However, this could possibly be the surviving manuscript Fir Grossherzogins Geburtstag 1935 (see “Written Documents” section). Details of radio broadcasts and concerts can be found in the “Press” selection. Frida Salomon-Ehrlich also sent her poems to the Grand Duchess Charlotte on her birthday (National Day) or on Mother’s Day. Later, the Grand Duchess helped the family escape to the USA, as recounted by her daughter Solange (Sonya Hartog) in an interview for the USC Shoah Foundation. 

On 15 October 1941, Frida Salomon-Ehrlich and her family fled Nazi-occupied Luxembourg. Their clothing factory had been “aryanized” (expropriated), they had been driven out of their home and Solange was no longer allowed to attend high school. They obtained passes to Spain and embarked on a months-long odyssey to the United States, via Paris, Barcelona and Lisbon. From Barcelona, a group of Luxembourg refugees sent a poem written by Fri(e)da to the Grand Duchess, which includes the verse “Sie ass, wat mir sinn… Emigrant” (“She is what we are… an emigrant”). You’ll find this poem reproduced in the “Written Documents” section (see also Schmitt-Kölzer 2021).

The family lived in New York, Columbus (Georgia) and Chicago. Frida produced neckties at home; her husband Bruno, who also composed music, worked as a tailor. After the war, the Solomons decided to return to Luxembourg. Frida began composing music again, and her songs were performed in concerts again, notably on Mother’s Day in 1947 and 1949.  

Their daughter Solange wished to return to the United States, so the Salomon family left Luxembourg for good in 1951. Frida first found work in a medical practice, then worked for 10 years at the reception desk of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. The first years in the United States were a productive period for her musically. In 1954 and 1955, Frida (Frieda) Salomon-Ehrlich registered a copyright for four of her musical works, but this copyright was not renewed. She also continued to write poetry, notably for the Eisenhowers and Kennedys. Frida Salomon-Ehrlich died in August 1986 in New York.  

Unfortunately, no historical recordings of Frida Salomon-Ehrlich’s compositions have been found, but today they are attracting renewed interest. Yvonne Timoiano, who lives in Austria, arranged the 1948 song Zum Gedenken for solo cello and performed it on 15 April 2018 at Cinqfontaines/Fünfbrunnen in commemoration of the 75^th anniversary of the last deportations to Theresienstadt and Auschwitz.