Forbidden Music Regained


Leo Smit Stichting
Search this site

Explore scores and sound samples

Composers persecuted in WWII

During the Second World War, many composers were persecuted by the Nazi’s, because they either had a Jewish background or refused to comply with Nazi rules. Their music was banned from all public performance. The Leo Smit Foundation, founded in 1996, is committed to regain this music.

In more than 200 concerts, we’ve brought to life music that was lost and forgotten. With this website, we share with musicians, programmers and music lovers worldwide what we’ve found, starting with music from composers who lived and worked in the Netherlands.

Here you can search for composers, works for various instrumentations or vocal repertoire. Find scores, look at manuscripts and listen to sound samples.

featured composer

Leo Kok

Leo Kok (1893 - 1992)

The term ‘homo universalis’ or Renaissance Man originated as a description of individuals, that helped humanity escape the dark ages by virtue of their open minds and tenacious pursuit of new knowledge.  Leo Kok was such a polymath in his own lifetime, the twentieth century;  a gifted football player, a pianist of the highest level, a vocal coach, a composer. He also had a great interest in literature and politics. As an anti-fascist activist he joined the resistance …   more

new additions

Read about composers

Biographies in English, written by specialist authors and experienced researchers.

Search compositions

Browse through work lists or search by instrumentation, duration or genre. Find published scores, manuscripts and sound samples.

Find recordings

Recording information is linked to composers’ biographies as well as to individual compositions.