Alphons Diepenbrock

Alphonsus Johannes Maria Diepenbrock ( born September 2, 1862 in Amsterdam, † April 5, 1921 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch composer, writer and philologist.

Life

Alphons Diepenbrock was - together with four other siblings - son of Ferdinand Hubert Aloys Diepenbrock ( a native of Bocholt ) and Johanna Josephina Kuytenbrouwer. Diepenbrock received as a child piano and violin lessons and wanted to be a conductor, but studied on his father's request from 1880 classical philology at the University of Amsterdam. In 1888 he completed his studies with a dissertation on Seneca summa cum laude. He then worked for several years as a high school teacher in 's- Hertogenbosch, returned in 1895 but returned to Amsterdam. There he taught ancient languages ​​and has written articles for various magazines, among others on topics from music, literature, painting and politics. In 1895 he married Elisabeth de Jong van Beek en Donk ( 1868-1939 ). In marriage two daughters were born.

As a composer, largely self-taught, was his first major published work in 1896 a mass for tenor, men's chorus and organ. Since the premiere of his Te Deum (1902 ), he was considered a leading Dutch composer of his time. The Dutch conductor Willem Mengelberg championed the music Diepenbrock. Friendly contact was also found with Gustav Mahler, who visited Holland in 1903 and wrote to his wife Alma: " A very interesting Dutch musician named Diepenbrok who writes very peculiar church music, I 've met here. "

Work

Diepenbrock work is stylistically the late Romantic committed, but also draws on the vocal polyphony of the 16th century ( Palestrina) returned. First, the influence of Wagner is palpable; after 1910 his sentence is much more transparent manner under the influence of French Impressionism.

Diepenbrock composed predominantly vocal music (especially piano and orchestral songs and choruses ), where he set texts of numerous German, Dutch and French poets. He also wrote sacred music as well as several drama and stage music.

Selections

• Academische Feestmarsch (1882 )
• Stabat Mater dolorosa (1888 )
• Missa in the festo (1891 )
• Te Deum (1897 )
• Hymn for Violin and Piano ( 1898)
• Hymns to the Night (1899 )
• In the great silence, orchestral song (1906 )
• Marsyas, incidental music (1910 )
• De night, orchestral song (1911 )
• Gijsbrecht van Aemstel, incidental music (1912 )
• Lydian night for voice and orchestra (1913 )
• De bird, incidental music by Aristophanes (1917 )
• Elektra, incidental music by Sophocles (1920 )