• The Music Maker of Auschwitz IV

  • By: Jaci Byrne
  • Narrated by: Toby Stephens
  • Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (1 rating)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Music Maker of Auschwitz IV  By  cover art

The Music Maker of Auschwitz IV

By: Jaci Byrne
Narrated by: Toby Stephens
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.49

Buy for $19.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The inspirational true story of an Allied POW appointed Kapellmeister to the Nazis in Auschwitz.

When called up to fight in yet another World War, Drum Major Jackson promised his beloved wife, Mabel, that he would return to lead his band and play for her once more.

In May 1940, he was captured at Dunkirk and interned in several German forced labour camps throughout Poland. Two years later, he was transferred to Auschwitz IV, part of the notorious concentration camp complex where it is not widely known held Allied POWs.

When his captors appointed Jackson their ‘Kapellmeister’ (man in charge of music), he seized the opportunity to provide entertainment for his fellow prisoners at rehearsals and cover for escapees during concerts.

Finally liberated in May 1945, malnourished and gravely ill, Jackson carried his secret war diary - an incredible exposé on five years of life and death in Nazi concentration camps.

The Music Maker of Auschwitz IV, based on Jackson’s diary, is written by his granddaughter. It is a thrilling testament to the resilience one man found in the darkest of times through his two greatest loves - music and the woman who waited for him.

©2021 Jaci Byrne (P)2021 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"I was gripped by this book. It is a must-read." (Kenneth G. Ross, Australian playwright of Breaker Morant)

What listeners say about The Music Maker of Auschwitz IV

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One Mans Tale of Survival

Let's be thankful that Henry Barnes Jackson managed to hold onto his labor camp diaries so that decades later we could hear how a simple twist of musical fate helped with his survival in the camps. And thanks also to Jaci Byrne, his granddaughter, for getting the diaries organized for publication.

Toby Stephens was the perfect narrator for Heny's story. His narration style draws you into the story in a way that makes it hard to leave.

Good job Jaci, Henry, and Toby for bringing this to life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!