Jan Pieter Hendrik van Gilse
(Rotterdam, May 11, 1881 - Oegstgeest, September 8, 1944)
Dutch composer and conductor.

Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_van_Gilse

Jan van Gilse fait partie des nombreux musiciens néerlandais dont on ne joue plus la musique en dehors de leur pays d’origine. Un tel oubli s’explique en partie par le peu de charisme du compositeur. Disciple de Humperdink à Berlin, Gilse mena une grande partie de sa carrière en Allemagne et en Italie. Après la Première Guerre mondiale, il revint dans son pays. La germanophobie ambiante le contraignit à démissionner de l’Orchestre d’Utrecht dont il était le chef. Il se consacra à la création de la société des compositeurs néerlandais afin de protéger les droits de ses compatriotes. Violemment antinazi, il fut de plus en plus inquiété par l’occupant allemand. Il mourut dans l’anonymat, évitant le sort de ses deux fils résistants, qui finirent devant le peloton d’exécution

 

 

 

Life

Coming from a family of theologians, Jan van Gilse showed an early aptitude for piano playing and composing. From 1897 onwards, Van Gilse would study at the Cologne conservatory. After his teacher, Franz Wüllner, died in 1902, he continued his studies with Engelbert Humperdinck in Berlin. From 1909 to 1911, he studied in Italy. In 1901, Van Gilse received the Beethoven-Haus Prize in Bonn for his (First) Symphony in F major; In 1906, the Michael Beer Prize was awarded to him for his Third Symphony, 'Erhebung' ('Resurrection'; for soprano solo and orchestra).

In addition to composing, Van Gilse soon developed an interest in conducting. He started out with the Bremen opera, a post which was followed by appointments in Munich and Amsterdam. After the breakout of the First World War made travel difficult, he moved back to the Netherlands. From 1917 until 1922, he was the conductor of the Utrecht Municipal Orchestra (Utrechtsch Stedelijk Orkest).

In 1921, Van Gilse resigned the post after a conflict with the orchestra board of directors. Van Gilse had been attacked for some time by the composer and music critic Willem Pijper in the daily Utrechts Dagblad, attacks that grew in viciousness as time progressed. Van Gilse's request that Pijper be denied access to concerts was stalled for such a time that he lost faith and resigned. The board subsequently refused him a farewell concert.

Eight years later Van Gilse put his Utrecht experiences to paper. The autobiography that materialised was sizeable, and contained almost 350,000 words. However, because he didn't spare anyone or anything (including himself), Van Gilse doubted whether the manuscript would ever see the light of day. It was eventually edited and published in 2003.

During World War II, Van Gilse became actively involved with the resistance movement against the German occupation of the Netherlands. Both his sons, who were also resistance fighters, were killed by the occupiers before Van Gilse himself succumbed (probably to pneumonia) in the autumn of 1944. To protect his shelter, he was buried in an unmarked grave outside the village of Oegstgeest.

Organiser

From 1933 to 1937, Van Gilse served as director of the Utrecht conservatory. He was also active in protecting the interests of composers in The Netherlands. In 1911, Van Gilse was one of the founders of the Society of Dutch Musicians (Genootschap van Nederlandse Componisten or GENECO). One year later, he was instrumental in founding the Dutch Bureau for Musical Copyrights (Buma).

Reputation

Van Gilse's early style is indebted to German late romanticism. After about 1920, however, it becomes more modernist. His opera Thijl (1940), often regarded as his masterpiece and arguably the most important opera in Dutch musical history, is one of his last works and a totally individual conception. An attempt by the German occupiers to destroy all of Van Gilse's work was prevented by his collaborators.

Recently, interest for Van Gilse has increased, helped by the publication of his autobiography (edited by Hans van Dijk) and a biography. The German label CPO is set to record his five symphonies as well as the opera Thijl in the near future, under the direction of conductor David Porcelijn.

Bibliography

  1. Hans van Dijk (ed.), Memoires Jan van Gilse, 1917-1922. Walburg Press, 2003. 635 pp. ISBN 13 : 978-9-05730-225-1
  2. Hans van Dijk, Jan van Gilse, strijder en idealist. Een bijdrage tot de kennis van de Nederlandse muziekgeschiedenis in de periode 1900 - 1944. Frits Knuf, 1988.

Links

Biography of Jan van Gilse (in Dutch) at the Institute for Dutch History in The Hague.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfY5XSvg6-Y

http://catalogus.donemus.nl/minisis/publications.php?/144/muzisn_link/publications_detail/sisn+3717?COMMANDSEARCH

http://www.donemus.nl/componist.php?id=184&lang=EN

Works

Chamber

1927 Trio : für Flöte, Violine und Bratsche (18')
1922 Strijkkwartet : (1922 - onvoltooid) [red. Hans van Dijk] (11')
1916 Nonet : hobo, klarinet, fagot, hoorn, 2 violen, altviool, violoncel, contrabas (28')

Orchestra and Ensemble

1940 Treurmuziek bij den dood van Uilenspiegel : uit de dramatische legende "Thijl" voor orkest (12')
after 1935 Andante con moto
1936 Kleine wals : voor orkest (10')
1928 Praeludium to "Der Kreis des Lebens", cantata
1928 Prologus brevis : für Orchester
1926 Drei Tanzskizzen für Klavier und kleines Orchester. (Klavierstimme mit unterlegtem II. Klavier)
1922 Symphony No. 5 in D major (Fragment)
1910-15 Symphony No. 4 in A major
1909 Variaties over een St. Nicolaasliedje : voor klein orkest  (Bewerking voor piano 4 handig, van den componist)
1907 Symphony No. 3 in D minor, "Erhebung" for soprano and orchestra : Arnhem - Bremen Mai 1906 - September 1907 (55')
1903-04 Vorspiel zu der Richard Dehmel'schen Dichtung Eine Lebensmesse : für grosses Orchester
1903; rev. 1928 Symphony No. 2 in E flat major : (Sinfonische Fantasie für grosses Orchester) 1902/1903 : revidiert 1928 (33')
1901 Symphony No. 1 in F major - October 1900-12 Juni 1901 (45')
1900 Concert ouverture : in c Moll : Januari-April 1900 (9')

Vocal Music

1942 Rotterdam  [tekst van] Jan Prins (unfinished)
1940 Mannenkoor : uit de dramatische legende "Thijl" : (Slaet op den trommele) : voor twee solisten (bariton en bas), mannenkoor en orkest tekst: Hendrik Lindt (3')
1925 Lied auf dem Flusse : für hohe Stimme und Klavier : Gedicht: Li Tai Po (3')
1923 Drei Gesänge aus Rabindranath Tagore's Der Gärtner : (The gardener) : für eine Sopranstimme und Orchester
1915 Drei Gesänge aus Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali : für eine Sopranstimme und Orchester (14')
1908 2 liederen : op Duitse tekst : für eine hohe Singstimme und Klavier
1908 Vier liederen : op teksten van Detlev von Liliencron : zang en piano
no. 1. Auf eine Hand
no. 2. Auf einer grünen Wiese
no. 3. Hans der Schwärmer
no. 4. Säntis
1908 Lied der heiligen Jungfrau : aus "Schwester Beatrix" von Maurice Maeterlinck : (Deutsch von Oppeln-Bronikowsky) : für eine mittlere Stimme und Klavier (2')
1908 Neergebrand : voor een middenstem en piano [tekst] (Dina Mollinger Hooyer)
1907 Erhebung : Sinfonie No 3 : für eine hohe Sopranstimme und grosses Orchester : Arnhem - Bremen Mai 1906 - September 1907 (55')
1905 Zwei Abendlieder : für eine mittlere Singstimme und Klavier (5')
1905 Drei Gesänge : für eine mittlere Singstimme und Orchester
1902 Sulamith : für Sopran, Tenor u. Barytonsolo, Chor u. grosses Orchester (Dichtung von Emil Prinz zu Schönaich-Carolath) (30')
1902 3 Gedichte von Richard Fedor Leopold Dehmel : für eine hohe Singstimme und Klavierbegleitung
no. 1. Waldnacht
no. 2. Entweihung
no. 3. Geheimnis
  Vier Gedichte von Conrad Ferdinand Meyer : für eine mittlere Singstimme und Klavier
no. 1. Der Reisebecher
no. 2. Auf dem Canal Grande
no. 3. Eingelegte Ruder
no. 4. Schnitterlied

Opera - Theater

1940 Thijl : dramatische legende in een proloog, drie bedrijven en een epiloog : naar "De heldhaftige, vroolijke en roemrijke daden van Uilenspiegel en Lamme Goedzak in Vlaanderenland en elders" van Charles de Coster, libretto van Hendrik Lindt (170')
1913 Frau Helga von Stavern : Musikdrama in drei Aufzügen : (nach einer friesischen Legende) Text und Musik von Jan van Gilse (200')