Johannes Verhulst

Johannes Josephus Hermanus Verhulst ( born March 19, 1816 in The Hague, † 17 January 1891 in Bloemendaal ) was a Dutch conductor and composer of the Romantic period.

Life

Johannes Verhulst came from a modest family background and received his first musical education as a chorister. However, when the boy was only working as an assistant at the music shop Weygand & Co, was recommended to him a higher musical education. Johannes Verhulst visited one of the first 1826 new music school founded The Hague. There, he studied violin and music theory. In 1836 he studied with Charles Hanssens, the former conductor of the French opera, composition. Appeared at this time, with the support of the Maatschappij tot Bevordering the Toonkunst ( " Society for the promotion of music " ), already the first compositions by Verhulst in pressure. Made aware of it, the Dutch King William II Verhulst enabled the continuation of his education abroad.

1837 was the composer to Paris, but moved in 1838, after a brief stay in Cologne to Leipzig, where he was in close contact with Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and was influenced by his musical style. In addition, Verhulst was there at the circle of Davidsbündler to Robert Schumann. 1838 to 1842 was head of the music Verhulst society Euterpe. On a visit to the Netherlands in 1842, the King of Verhulst and his work was so impressed that he appointed him court music. Then left the composer Leipzig and settled again in The Hague. However, his compositional works were in his home, where the taste in music oriented more to France, initially recognized less, and were printed only in small numbers. On the other hand, he acquired in the following years a major international name for himself as a conductor. In 1848 he was in Rotterdam conductor of the " Society for the promotion of music ", 1960 Head of Diligentia and 1864 in Amsterdam, head of the company Felix Meritis and the St. Cecilia concerts. In these leadership positions he controlled virtually the entire musical life in the Netherlands. In 1886 he was appointed on the occasion of his 70th birthday honorary member of the Diligentia, but he retired a few months later into private life, also because of its rejection of the musical innovations of the New German School. ( Although he rejected the music of Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt, so he headed yet the Dutch premieres of the third symphony of Anton Bruckner and the Symphony in F minor by Richard Strauss).

Johannes Verhulst was married to Johanna Elisabeth Cornelia Rochussen, sister of the Dutch painter Charles Rochussen. With her he had six children, of whom two daughters, Anna Charlotte ( as a pianist ) and Louise Henriette ( as a singer ) made ​​careers. Verhulst was a knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion -. Together with Woldemar Bargiel and Friedrich Gernsheim was responsible for the Bach revival in the Netherlands Verhulst.

The Amsterdam City District of Amsterdam Zuid, a street was named after him.

Works

Stylistically Verhulst is particularly strongly influenced by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Robert Schumann. In his songs, which sound to almost only Dutch texts, Verhulst handle priority back to texts of the Dutch folk poet Jan Pieter Heye.

Selection:

  • Symphony in E minor, Op 46
  • Overtures
  • 3 string Quartets
  • Church music ( Requiem for male choir, several trade fairs)
  • Songs and Chorwereke
William II of the Netherlands Symphony No. 3 (Bruckner) Jan Jacob Rochussen Integrated Authority File
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