Johan Wagenaar
Encyclopedia
Johan Wagenaar was a Dutch
composer
and organist
.
, out of wedlock, he was the son of Cypriaan Gerard Berger van Hengst and Johanna Wagenaar. Wagenaar's parents were of different social strata: his father was an aristocrat, while his mother was of more humble origins. For this reason, Wagenaar's parents were not married, and thus Wagenaar received his mother's name as his family name. While Wagenaar resented that his parents never got married, he was by no means neglected by his father.
Wagenaar evidenced a talent for music as a child. However, he did not begin to receive a formal education in music until age 13, with subsequent instruction in piano, organ, violin, theory, and composition. He was under the tutelage of the composer Richard Hol
and the organist Samuel de Lange, Jr. In 1892, he studied with Brahms'
friend Heinrich von Herzogenberg
in Berlin
, specifically taking lessons in counterpoint
.
In 1888, he succeeded Richard Hol as organist of Utrecht Cathedral, and earned fame for his skills at organ performances. In Utrecht, Wagenaar became a teacher at the music school in 1896, and the school's director in 1904. He also received an appointment with the Utrecht Municipal Orchestra (Utrechtsch Stedelijk Orkest). Between 1919 and 1937, Wagenaar was director of the Royal Conservatory at the Hague. His pupils included Peter van Anrooy, Emile Enthoven, Henri van Goudoever, Alexander Voormolen
, Leon Orthel, Allard de Ridder
, Willem Pijper
and Bernard Wagenaar
.
On 23 July 1897, Wagenaar married Dina Petronella van Valkenburg. They had two daughters. He died in Den Haag
.
had a modest influence on his works, but a much more pronounced influence was Richard Strauss
.
In his later years, Wagenaar received an honorary Doctorate of Music from Utrecht University
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
.
Life
Born in UtrechtUtrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, out of wedlock, he was the son of Cypriaan Gerard Berger van Hengst and Johanna Wagenaar. Wagenaar's parents were of different social strata: his father was an aristocrat, while his mother was of more humble origins. For this reason, Wagenaar's parents were not married, and thus Wagenaar received his mother's name as his family name. While Wagenaar resented that his parents never got married, he was by no means neglected by his father.
Wagenaar evidenced a talent for music as a child. However, he did not begin to receive a formal education in music until age 13, with subsequent instruction in piano, organ, violin, theory, and composition. He was under the tutelage of the composer Richard Hol
Richard Hol
Richard Hol was a Dutch composer and conductor, based for most of his career at Utrecht. His conservative music showed the influence of Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann and the Leipzig school, though as a conductor he offered Dutch audiences the modern music of Hector Berlioz and Richard...
and the organist Samuel de Lange, Jr. In 1892, he studied with Brahms'
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
friend Heinrich von Herzogenberg
Heinrich von Herzogenberg
Heinrich Picot de Peccaduc, Freiherr von Herzogenberg was an Austrian composer and conductor descended from a French aristocratic family....
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, specifically taking lessons in counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
.
In 1888, he succeeded Richard Hol as organist of Utrecht Cathedral, and earned fame for his skills at organ performances. In Utrecht, Wagenaar became a teacher at the music school in 1896, and the school's director in 1904. He also received an appointment with the Utrecht Municipal Orchestra (Utrechtsch Stedelijk Orkest). Between 1919 and 1937, Wagenaar was director of the Royal Conservatory at the Hague. His pupils included Peter van Anrooy, Emile Enthoven, Henri van Goudoever, Alexander Voormolen
Alexander Voormolen
Alexander Voormolen was a Dutch composer. Son of the soldier and politician Willem Voormolen, he studied piano with Willem and Marinus Petri and composition with Johan Wagenaar in Utrecht....
, Leon Orthel, Allard de Ridder
Allard de Ridder
Allard de Ridder was a Canadian conductor, violist, and composer of Dutch birth. He was notably the first conductor of both the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, the latter of which he founded in 1944...
, Willem Pijper
Willem Pijper
Willem Pijper ; Zeist, 8 September 1894 - Utrecht, 18 March 1947) was a Dutch composer, music critic and music teacher.-Life:Pijper was born at Zeist, near Utrecht, on 8 September 1894 of strict Calvinist working-class parents. His father, who sometimes played psalm accompaniments on the harmonium,...
and Bernard Wagenaar
Bernard Wagenaar
Bernard Wagenaar was a Dutch/American composer, conductor and violinist.Wagenaar, not related to the Dutch composer Johan Wagenaar, was born in Arnhem. He studied at Utrecht University before starting his career as a teacher and conductor in 1914. He moved to the USA in 1920, where he became a...
.
On 23 July 1897, Wagenaar married Dina Petronella van Valkenburg. They had two daughters. He died in Den Haag
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
.
Works
Wagenaar's compositions include operas, cantatas, organ music, and orchestral works. The music of Hector BerliozHector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
had a modest influence on his works, but a much more pronounced influence was Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
.
In his later years, Wagenaar received an honorary Doctorate of Music from Utrecht University
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
.
Partial list of compositions
- De Schipbreuk, cantata (1889)
- Frithjofs Meerfahrt, overture op. 5 (1884)
- King Lear, overture, op. 9
- Romantic intermezzo, op. 13
- Levenszomer, fantasy for orchestra, op. 21
- Cyrano de Bergerac, overture, op.23 (1905)
- Saul en David (Saul and David), symphonic poem, op. 24 (1906)
- De getemde feeks (The Taming of the Shrew), overture, op. 25 (1909)
- De cid, op. 27 (1908)
- Symphoniëtta, op. 32
- Driekoningenavond (Twelfth Night), overture, op. 36 (1928)
- Wiener Dreivierteltakt, waltz cycle, op. 38 (1929)
- De Philosophische Prinses, overture after Carlo GozziCarlo GozziCarlo, Count Gozzi was an Italian playwright.Born in Venice, he came from an old Venetian family from the Republic of Ragusa...
, op. 39 - Larghetto for oboe and orchestra, op. 40
- Aveux de Phèdre for soprano and orchestra, op. 41 (text by Jean RacineJean RacineJean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
) - Amphytrion, overture, op. 45 (1938)
- De koopman van Venetië (The Merchant of Venice), opera after Shakespeare
- Calme des nuits, song for a capella chorus
- Feestmars (1937)
- Elverhoï, symphonic poem (1940)