Rudolf George Escher
Encyclopedia
Rudolf Escher was a Dutch
composer
and music theorist. He left compositions for chamber orchestra and orchestra
, vocal and one electronic composition. Escher was also a poet
, painter
and writer
.
and mineralogist Berend George Escher and the Swiss Emma Brosy. His father was a son of the engineering George Arnold Escher and half-brother of the graphic artist Maurits Cornelis Escher. At the age of four, Escher moved with his family to Batavia, Dutch East Indies
, where his father worked as a geologist for the Batavian Petroleum Company. His father was a good pianist and he gave the young Escher piano lessons.
, now in Leiden. Escher went to the Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden
and continued his piano lessons, now with Bé Hartz. He also played the violin
and got harmony lessons. After four years he quit school. At first he could not choose between music, visual arts
and letters but in 1929 he decided to become a composer. Next he wanted to go to the conservatoire in Keulen. The Dutch composer Peter van Anrooy advised him to study piano. On second thoughts Escher went to the Toonkunst Conservatoire in Rotterdam
in 1931. Until 1937 he studied the piano as major with the cello as minor. From 1934 to 1937 he also studied composition with Willem Pijper
as his teacher. Escher's debut was in 1935 with his First piano sonata. He also attracted attention in 1938 with an important essay: Toscanini and Debussy, magic of reality. In this essay his views towards composing are evident. He also wrote a view poems, which were published in Forum.
on May 14. He lost his house and all his possessions.
During the Second World War Escher composed Musique pour l'esprit en deuil (1941-3). This work made him overnight the most important composer in the Netherlands. About the compositions from the war, he wrote: 'My work from this period has got a sort of gravity, a doggedness here and there, which makes it clearly to realize as grown amid disasters. For me, personally, that is the ethical significance of it: they are constructions of the mind, in a time that 'mind' (if you can still call it that way) is used almost exclusively for destructive purposes.’
Soon after the war Escher wrote weekly for the Groene Amsterdammer as contributor for visual arts and music. He turned out to be a talented poet and published poetry
in literary magazines to up in the fifties. Socially he had nothing to complain about; he was offered several administrative functions, his compositions were successfully performed and his publications were followed with interest.
After 1946 Escher befriended the Dutch composter Matthijs Vermeulen
. They cherished the same social, communist ideals and literary interest. Despite of their friendship they both had enough trust in each other so that they could still write critical about the others compositions. Escher's communist ideals were expressed in its membership of the Communist Party (from 1934 to 1940). He wrote a few critiques for the monthly communist periodical Politics and Culture, with his pseudonym A. Leuvens. During the fifties he became critical about the Russian communism
, which he considered as a failure. What remained was his left political orientation.
In 1958 Escher was present at the 32nd ISCM-festival in Strasbourg
. About this he wrote reviews to his friend and composer-colleague Peter Schat
. In 1960 he was present at the same festival in Cologne
. Here he got excited about Pli selon pli
of Pierre Boulez
. Thus Escher began experimenting with electronic music
and serialism
in the sixties. He took lessons in the technique of electronical music with lectures in elementary sound mechanics, electro-physics and sound technology in Delft
. Afterwards he experimented in the Studio for Electronic Music in Delft and then at the Institute of Sonology
in Utrecht
. He decided to ask for analysis classes with Boulez, with reference to the piece he heard in Cologne
. From 3 to 7 Novembre 1960 he visited Boulez in Baden-Baden
. Those days were spent on analysing Improvisations sur Mallarmé I & II of Boulez. At last Escher concluded that the techniques did not feel right for him. Nevertheless, in his Wind Quintet from 1967 serial music can be found. He uses structure formulas that remind of Boulez. His visit led a few weeks later to a purification of his works: He wrote a request to the director of publisher Donemus
to remove four works unconditionally and three with any restrictions.
In 1960-61 Escher gave lessons at the Conservatoire of Amsterdam. He used his experience with Boulez to gave a lecture on 'the meaning of structure and form at Debussy with reference to recent serial composition techniques by Boulez. Afterwards he became Scientific Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Musicology
at the University of Utrecht from 1964 to 1977. His specialization was 'Aspects of the twentieth century'. He gave a lecture 'characteristic structure- and formcriteria in the music of the twentieth century'. Next to the music theory he also explored the world of music as semantic
sign system and the Audiology
.
.
In 1980 Escherfriends and -experts united in the Escher Committee. Among others were Willem Boogman, Elmer Schönberger and Dirk Jacob Hamoen involved. The widow of the composer has compiled and commented a work catalogue of all Escher's works, with help of the committee.
In 1992 the Centrum Nederlandse Muziek revealed the full correspondence between Escher and the composer Peter Schat
. Between May 13, 1958 and August 5, 1961 the two friends wrote each other 33 letters and postcards. In the letters they talked about compositions of others and their own and they discussed about issues in aesthetics
and music theory. The letters illustrate both composers, but they also give insight in the Dutch history, aesthetics and theory of the twentieth-century music, from the breeding to reception of serialism
.
In the same year as the recealing of the correspondence Peter Schat published a sent on letter to the late Escher. In the letter Schat described the process of removal that was happening in that time. He also notified to Escher about the existing state of affairs in the Netherlands.
In 1999 David Moore wrote that Escher is one of the Netherlands' most prominent composers of the previous generation. Leo Samama was also laudatory when we mentioned Escher's work: 'Together with the Sinfonia per dieci strumenti (1973/75), the Flute sonata (1976/79]] and the Trio for clarinet, viola and piano (1978/79), the Wind Quintet belongs to the works of a master - one of the few our country has known -, of an artist that has developed such a personal language, a personal grammar, a personal sound, that every statement about French or German influences, about old or new music, about place and time are futile and meaningless.'
There is a foundation named after Escher for young composers. The foundation is in management at the Prins Bernard Culture Foundation since 2006 as a CultureFoundation on name. The Rudolf Escher Composers Foundation supports young composers financially to follow a study or masterclass in domestic or abroad. It also supports projects where the work of young (Dutch) composers is being performed and of concerts where works of Escher are being performed. The foundation is set by the board of the Rudolf Escher Committee and the inherit of Escher.
for his orchestral work Musique pour l’esprit en deuil, yet before the first performance sounded. One year later he received the Dutch Government Prize for the suite for piano Arcana. He also received the Music price of the city of Amsterdam for Le vrai visage de la paix for choir a cappella
. For Le tombeau de Ravel he got the Prof. Van der Leeuw Prize in 1959. Twice he could receive the Visser-Neerlandia Prize, for Nostalgies (1961) and the Wind Quintet (1968). Between these prizes he got the Willem Pijper Prize in 1966 for the Sonata concertante for cello and piano. Eventually Escher received the Johan Wagenaar Prize in 1977 for all his works.
• 1975 Three Poems by W.H. Auden for choir a cappella
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 music theorist. He left compositions for chamber orchestra and orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, vocal and one electronic composition. Escher was also a poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Youth
Escher was born as a son of the geologistGeologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
and mineralogist Berend George Escher and the Swiss Emma Brosy. His father was a son of the engineering George Arnold Escher and half-brother of the graphic artist Maurits Cornelis Escher. At the age of four, Escher moved with his family to Batavia, Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
, where his father worked as a geologist for the Batavian Petroleum Company. His father was a good pianist and he gave the young Escher piano lessons.
Study
In 1922, five years later, they were back in the NetherlandsNetherlands
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...
, now in Leiden. Escher went to the Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden
Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden
Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden is a gymnasium in the Netherlands. Located in Leiden, it is one of the oldest schools in the Netherlands. Its history dates back to the Middle Ages...
and continued his piano lessons, now with Bé Hartz. He also played the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and got harmony lessons. After four years he quit school. At first he could not choose between music, visual arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
and letters but in 1929 he decided to become a composer. Next he wanted to go to the conservatoire in Keulen. The Dutch composer Peter van Anrooy advised him to study piano. On second thoughts Escher went to the Toonkunst Conservatoire in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in 1931. Until 1937 he studied the piano as major with the cello as minor. From 1934 to 1937 he also studied composition with 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,...
as his teacher. Escher's debut was in 1935 with his First piano sonata. He also attracted attention in 1938 with an important essay: Toscanini and Debussy, magic of reality. In this essay his views towards composing are evident. He also wrote a view poems, which were published in Forum.
Work
In 1940 the Second World War started in the Netherlands. Many of Escher's compositions from his study period got lost in the bombing of RotterdamRotterdam Blitz
The Rotterdam Blitz refers to the aerial bombardment of Rotterdam by the German Air Force on 14 May 1940, during the German invasion of the Netherlands in World War II. The objective was to support the German troops fighting in the city, break Dutch resistance and force the Dutch to surrender...
on May 14. He lost his house and all his possessions.
During the Second World War Escher composed Musique pour l'esprit en deuil (1941-3). This work made him overnight the most important composer in the Netherlands. About the compositions from the war, he wrote: 'My work from this period has got a sort of gravity, a doggedness here and there, which makes it clearly to realize as grown amid disasters. For me, personally, that is the ethical significance of it: they are constructions of the mind, in a time that 'mind' (if you can still call it that way) is used almost exclusively for destructive purposes.’
Soon after the war Escher wrote weekly for the Groene Amsterdammer as contributor for visual arts and music. He turned out to be a talented poet and published poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
in literary magazines to up in the fifties. Socially he had nothing to complain about; he was offered several administrative functions, his compositions were successfully performed and his publications were followed with interest.
After 1946 Escher befriended the Dutch composter Matthijs Vermeulen
Matthijs Vermeulen
Matthijs Vermeulen , was a Dutch composer and music journalist.- Early life :...
. They cherished the same social, communist ideals and literary interest. Despite of their friendship they both had enough trust in each other so that they could still write critical about the others compositions. Escher's communist ideals were expressed in its membership of the Communist Party (from 1934 to 1940). He wrote a few critiques for the monthly communist periodical Politics and Culture, with his pseudonym A. Leuvens. During the fifties he became critical about the Russian communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, which he considered as a failure. What remained was his left political orientation.
In 1958 Escher was present at the 32nd ISCM-festival in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. About this he wrote reviews to his friend and composer-colleague Peter Schat
Peter Schat
Peter Schat was a Dutch composer.Schat studied composition with Kees van Baaren at the conservatories in Utrecht and The Hague from 1952 until 1958, and then went on to study in London with Mátyás Seiber in 1959 and with Pierre Boulez in Basle in 1960–61...
. In 1960 he was present at the same festival in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. Here he got excited about Pli selon pli
Pli selon pli
Pli selon pli is a piece of classical music by the French composer Pierre Boulez. It is for solo soprano and orchestra, and is based on the poems of Stéphane Mallarmé...
of Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
. Thus Escher began experimenting with electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
and serialism
Serialism
In music, serialism is a method or technique of composition that uses a series of values to manipulate different musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though his contemporaries were also working to establish serialism as one example of...
in the sixties. He took lessons in the technique of electronical music with lectures in elementary sound mechanics, electro-physics and sound technology in Delft
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
. Afterwards he experimented in the Studio for Electronic Music in Delft and then at the Institute of Sonology
Institute of Sonology
The Institute of Sonology is an education and research center for electronic music and computer music based at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague in the Netherlands.-Background:...
in Utrecht
Utrecht
Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands.The name may also refer to:* Utrecht , of which Utrecht is the capital* Utrecht , including the city of Utrecht* Bishopric of Utrecht* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht...
. He decided to ask for analysis classes with Boulez, with reference to the piece he heard in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. From 3 to 7 Novembre 1960 he visited Boulez in Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
. Those days were spent on analysing Improvisations sur Mallarmé I & II of Boulez. At last Escher concluded that the techniques did not feel right for him. Nevertheless, in his Wind Quintet from 1967 serial music can be found. He uses structure formulas that remind of Boulez. His visit led a few weeks later to a purification of his works: He wrote a request to the director of publisher Donemus
Donemus
Donemus is the Dutch institute dealing with the documentation of contemporary music composed in the Netherlands....
to remove four works unconditionally and three with any restrictions.
In 1960-61 Escher gave lessons at the Conservatoire of Amsterdam. He used his experience with Boulez to gave a lecture on 'the meaning of structure and form at Debussy with reference to recent serial composition techniques by Boulez. Afterwards he became Scientific Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Musicology
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
at the University of Utrecht from 1964 to 1977. His specialization was 'Aspects of the twentieth century'. He gave a lecture 'characteristic structure- and formcriteria in the music of the twentieth century'. Next to the music theory he also explored the world of music as semantic
Semantics
Semantics is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata....
sign system and the Audiology
Audiology
Audiology is the branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Its practitioners, who treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage are audiologists. Employing various testing strategies Audiology (from Latin , "to hear"; and from Greek , -logia) is...
.
Heritage
Escher died at 68 in De Koog on the Frisian Island TexelTexel
Texel is a municipality and an island in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the biggest and most populated of the Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea, and also the westernmost of this archipelago, which extends to Denmark...
.
In 1980 Escherfriends and -experts united in the Escher Committee. Among others were Willem Boogman, Elmer Schönberger and Dirk Jacob Hamoen involved. The widow of the composer has compiled and commented a work catalogue of all Escher's works, with help of the committee.
In 1992 the Centrum Nederlandse Muziek revealed the full correspondence between Escher and the composer Peter Schat
Peter Schat
Peter Schat was a Dutch composer.Schat studied composition with Kees van Baaren at the conservatories in Utrecht and The Hague from 1952 until 1958, and then went on to study in London with Mátyás Seiber in 1959 and with Pierre Boulez in Basle in 1960–61...
. Between May 13, 1958 and August 5, 1961 the two friends wrote each other 33 letters and postcards. In the letters they talked about compositions of others and their own and they discussed about issues in aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
and music theory. The letters illustrate both composers, but they also give insight in the Dutch history, aesthetics and theory of the twentieth-century music, from the breeding to reception of serialism
Serialism
In music, serialism is a method or technique of composition that uses a series of values to manipulate different musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though his contemporaries were also working to establish serialism as one example of...
.
In the same year as the recealing of the correspondence Peter Schat published a sent on letter to the late Escher. In the letter Schat described the process of removal that was happening in that time. He also notified to Escher about the existing state of affairs in the Netherlands.
In 1999 David Moore wrote that Escher is one of the Netherlands' most prominent composers of the previous generation. Leo Samama was also laudatory when we mentioned Escher's work: 'Together with the Sinfonia per dieci strumenti (1973/75), the Flute sonata (1976/79]] and the Trio for clarinet, viola and piano (1978/79), the Wind Quintet belongs to the works of a master - one of the few our country has known -, of an artist that has developed such a personal language, a personal grammar, a personal sound, that every statement about French or German influences, about old or new music, about place and time are futile and meaningless.'
There is a foundation named after Escher for young composers. The foundation is in management at the Prins Bernard Culture Foundation since 2006 as a CultureFoundation on name. The Rudolf Escher Composers Foundation supports young composers financially to follow a study or masterclass in domestic or abroad. It also supports projects where the work of young (Dutch) composers is being performed and of concerts where works of Escher are being performed. The foundation is set by the board of the Rudolf Escher Committee and the inherit of Escher.
Prizes
Escher received several prizes for his compositions during his live. In 1946 he got the Music prize of the city of AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
for his orchestral work Musique pour l’esprit en deuil, yet before the first performance sounded. One year later he received the Dutch Government Prize for the suite for piano Arcana. He also received the Music price of the city of Amsterdam for Le vrai visage de la paix for choir a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
. For Le tombeau de Ravel he got the Prof. Van der Leeuw Prize in 1959. Twice he could receive the Visser-Neerlandia Prize, for Nostalgies (1961) and the Wind Quintet (1968). Between these prizes he got the Willem Pijper Prize in 1966 for the Sonata concertante for cello and piano. Eventually Escher received the Johan Wagenaar Prize in 1977 for all his works.
Orchestral music
- 1943 Musique pour l'esprit en deuil
- 1951 Hymne du Grand Meaulnes (to be revised as Chant du Grand Meaulnes)
- 1954 SymphonySymphonyA symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
nr. 1 (1953–54) - 1958 SymphonySymphonyA symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
nr. 2 (revised in 1964 en 1971) - 1969 Summer Rites at Noon (1962–1969) to be revised
- 1977 Orchestration of Six épigraphes antique (Claude Debussy) (1975–1977)
Chamber music
- 1935 Sonata No. 1 for piano
- 1937 Passacaglia for organ
- 1943 Sonata concertante for cello and piano
- 1944 Sonata for two flutes op.8
- 1944 Arcana suite for piano (formerly Arcana Musae Dona)
- 1946 Trio d’anches for oboe, clarinet and bassoon
- 1949 Due Voci for piano
- 1949 Non Troppo ten easy pieces for piano
- 1949 Sonata for flute solo op.16
- 1951 Sonatina for piano
- 1952 Le tombeau de Ravel
- 1953 Air pour charmer un lézard op.28 for flute solo
- 1959 Trio for violin, viola en cello
- 1967 Wind Quintet Quintetto a fiati
- 1969 Monologue for flute
- 1973 Sonata for clarinet solo
- 1976 Sinfonia per dieci instrumenti
- 1978 Sonata for flute and piano (1975–78)
- 1978 Trio for clarinet, viola and piano.
Vocal music
- 1951 Chants du désir (Quatre Poèmes de Louise Labé) for mezzo and piano
- 1951 Nostalgies (H.J.M. Levet) for tenor and orchestra (revised in 1961)
- 1952 Strange meeting (Wilfred Owen) for bariton and piano
- 1953 Le vrai visage de la paix (P. Eluard) for choir a cappella(revised in 1957)
- 1955 Songs of Love and Eternity for choir a cappella
- 1957 Ciel, air et vents (Trois poèmes de Ronsard) for choir a cappella
- 1970 Univers de Rimbaud (Arthur Rimbaud) for tenor and orchestra
• 1975 Three Poems by W.H. Auden for choir a cappella
Articles
- Toscanini en Debussy: magie der werkelijkheid (Rotterdam, 1938)
- ‘Maurice Ravel’, Groot Nederland (Amsterdam, 1939)
- ‘Rudolf Escher: Musique pour l'esprit en deuil’, Sonorum speculum, xx (1964), 15–33
- ‘Rudolf Escher: Quintetto a fiati’, Sonorum speculum, xxxiv (1968), 24–32
- ‘Debussy and the Musical Epigram’, Key Notes, no.10 (1979), 59–63
- Debussy: actueel verleden, ed. D. Hamoen and E. Schönberger (Buren, 1985)
- met M.C. Escher: Beweging en metamorfosen: een briefwisseling (Amsterdam, 1985)
- E. Voermans, ed.: Brieven, 1958–1961 (Zutphen, 1992) [briefwisseling tussen Escher en P. Schat]
Literature
- Escher, Beatrijs, ed. Rudolf Escher: het oeuvre, catalogue raisonné. Amsterdam, 1998.
- Samama, Leo. ‘Escher, Rudolf.’ Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 19 Januari 2011.
- Samama, Leo. ‘Vermeulen, Pijper en Escher - Drie erflaters in de muziek van de twintigste eeuw: drie vrienden.’ Erflaters van de twintigste eeuw. Amsterdam: Querido, 1991: 264-289. [in Dutch]
- Voermans, Erik, ed. Brieven, 1958-1961. Zutphen, 1992. [correspondence between Escher and P. Schat, in Dutch].
External links
- YouTube - Toccata (Arcana Musae Dona) 1944 by Sepp Grotenhuis, piano
- YouTube - Hymne du Grand Meaulnes (1950-51)
- YouTube - Sonata Concertante part 1 by Doris Hochscheid (cello) and Frans van Ruth (piano)
- YouTube - Sonata No. 1 for piano
- YouTube - Musique pour l'esprit en deuil
- YouTube - Le tombeau de Ravel part 1 by the Zvezdoliki ensemble
- Donemus: Escher