Matthijs Vermeulen

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Vermeulen (1920)

Matthijs Vermeulen (born February 8, 1888 in Helmond , † July 26, 1967 in Laren ; born Matheas Christianus Franciscus van der Meulen ) was a Dutch composer and music journalist .

Life

Vermeulen was the eldest son of a blacksmith. He became a student of Daniel de Lange and Alphons Diepenbrock . From 1909 to 1920 he worked as a music critic in Amsterdam , which - in addition to professional appreciation - earned him above all hostility, such as that of the conductor Willem Mengelberg . After he made his diatribe Long live Sousa ! (the audience partially understood Troelstra , the name of a socialist revolutionary, and feared the revolution) when the Concertgebouw Orchestra performed the 7th Symphony by Cornelis Dopper , Vermeulen was denied entry to the concert hall for future concerts. This incident could also be one of the reasons that Vermeulen's Symphony No. 2 from 1919/20 Prélude à la nouvelle journée (described by Mengelberg as unplayable) had to wait until the 1950s for its premiere. Vermeulen moved abroad for many years (he lived in Paris until 1946) in order to continue his work as a composer and journalist. He later moved back to the Netherlands and worked as a music editor for the weekly De Groene Amsterdammer until 1956 .

plant

His total of 7 symphonies are highly polymelodic and complex in their simultaneous combination of musical lines. In this regard, Vermeulen is reminiscent of Allan Pettersson , and in part also of Edgar Varèse or Charles Ives . His 5th Symphony pushes these tendencies to the extreme and for a long time only proved to be successfully playable in the rehearsals and the performance for the single recording (by the Dutch label Donemus). In the meantime (June 30, 1997) Ingo Metzmacher performed it with the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra at a concert in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw .

Vermeulen's work also includes songs with piano and orchestral accompaniment, chamber music including two cello sonatas and a string quartet, as well as incidental music for The Flying Dutchman ( De Vgende Hollander ).

Complete catalog of works

1914 - 1st Symphony (Symphonia Carminum)
1917 - On ne passe pas (for tenor and piano)
1917 - Les filles du roi d'Espagne (for mezzo-soprano and piano)
1917 - The soldier (for baritone and piano)
1917 - La veille (for mezzo-soprano and piano; 1932: version with orchestra)
1918 - Sonata pour violoncelle et piano
1920 - 2nd symphony (Prélude à la nouvelle journée)
1921 - 3rd Symphony (Thrène et Péan)
1923 - Trio à cordes ( string trio )
1925 - Sonata pour piano et violon
1930 - De Vgende Hollander (for orchestra)
1938 - Deuxième sonate pour piano et violoncelle
1941 - 4th Symphony (Les Victoires)
1941 - Trois salutations à notre dame (for mezzo-soprano and piano)
1944 - Le balcon (for mezzo-soprano or tenor and piano)
1945 - 5th symphony (Les lendemains chantants)
1958 - 6th symphony (Les minutes heureuses)
1959 - Prélude des origines (for baritone and piano)
1961 - Quatuor à cordes ( string quartet )
1962 - Trois chants d'amour (for mezzo-soprano and piano)
1965 - 7th Symphony (Dithyrambes pour les temps à venir)

Matthijs Vermeulenprijs

The Matthijs Vermeulenprijs (Matthijs Vermeulen Prize) is the most prestigious award for Dutch composers. The Matthijs Vermeulen Aanmoedigingsprijs exists for young composers .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Vermeulen, Matthijs. In: MGG Online (subscription required).
  2. ^ Website of the Matthijs Vermeulenprijs
personal data
SURNAME Vermeulen, Matthijs
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch composer
DATE OF BIRTH February 8, 1888
PLACE OF BIRTH Helmond
DATE OF DEATH July 26, 1967
Place of death Laren (North Holland)