Haagse Kunstkring: there was (is?) music in that!
by Chris Verhoog
Anyone who starts comparing the current state of affairs in many fields with earlier times often comes to surprising discoveries. As an amateur musicologist, as writer dezes pertinently wishes to consider himself, despite his status as a professional musician, you also start looking for connections and relationships.
Questions loom, and each one generates new questions.
Why, however, loyal HKK followers will ask, is the word “zat” in the title of this story, and is “zit” placed in parentheses, and even then with a question mark? Well, it has to do with the surprises revealed by a little research into the musical history of the HKK. So what surprises are there to report?
First of all, the observation from yearbooks and minutes of the Haagse Kunstkring that the fourth section was apparently of such great importance that the concerts were attended by most prominent people in the then ‘Hague world’, but also by those from far beyond. Thus Queen Emma and Prince Hendrik were among the guests on several occasions, (contemporary!) composers such as d’lndy Chausson, Skriabin, Bortkiewicz, Diepenbrock, Voormolen, Dresden, Liliën and many others, regularly visited the Kring, and works by the youngest generation of French composers were performed at a time when almost all of our Dutch musical life was German oriented.
In addition, a great Dutch singer such as Jos Orelio was honored in the Kring, there were regular concerts with works by contemporary Dutch composers, and it was more or less tradition that successive directors of the Royal Conservatory (formerly called Royal School of Music) such as Carel Oberstadt, Johan Wagenaar and Sem Dresden had an important input. What a lot was happening in the Circle alone in the field of music!
Where did people in those days get that enormous élan to keep coming up with new programs? Times were not that rosy all the time, were they? Let us take a look at a random period from the ‘crisis years’. Season 1934-35: 10 concerts, of which one by a large number of members of the fourth section and also the performance of the parodic opera ‘De Fortuinlijke Kist’ composed by Johan Wagenaar. Season 1935-36: 12 concerts and one Evening of Dance to music by Poulenc and Orthèl, among others, newcomers of the time.
Apparently, membership in the HKK was also a matter of course for members of the Residentie Orkest at that time. At least, we often find names of former orchestra members in the programs. One had ensembles that performed mainly (or for the first time) in the Kring, such as the Bohemian String Quartet (season 1896-1897), the Haagsche Trio Vereeniging (Textor/Hack/lsterdael) on April 17, 1906.
That the ensembles came and went, but the people stayed, we see in the line-up of the “Dutch Quintet” (Oberstadt, Hack, v. d. Burg, Vink, lsterdael) which enjoyed a splendid press and royal interest during their performance on April 8, 1915 Of course, even then there were many routine concerts with mediocre programs, sometimes performed by mediocre musicians and with sometimes (deservedly or not) bad reviews.
It is again amusing to see how delightfully a critic has been wrong when it came to important masters. Thus, on May 16, 1923, works by Auric, Satie (morceaux en forme de poire!), among others, were performed, the criticism of which read: “It may be pointed out here that we had expected more from these French hypermoderns; however, the songs of Mr. Mesens from Brussels distinguished themselves as superior works.
Among all the changing programs, line-ups, board members, organizers and against all the changing winds, even then for a number of years one true figure from The Hague was faithfully working on the same subject for years: Hugo van Dalen with Russian music.
In the years from 1922 to 1940 (!) we find Hugo van Dalen in the books almost every year, who then again gave a ‘Russian concert’ or a ‘Russian evening’ or a ‘lecture on Russian music’ or, for an important part, took care of it. That someone is able to provide ‘his’ Kring with new concerts for almost 20 years and also managed to ensure that Serge Bortkiewicz from Berlin came to the Netherlands to play his own works on February 3, 1923, in front of a packed hall, may be called a great achievement.
One cannot help but come to the conclusion, reading the chronicles, comparing facts and dates, visiting eye and ear witnesses, that the Haagse Kunstkring has long been a center of great importance for the whole of cultural The Hague, perhaps for the Netherlands. Here was a “platform,” a “workshop” without the need for these hideous titles, where performers and composers met, played together, discussed, argued (yes, even then). Where people walked away angry and came back almost immediately, for good measure. It just worked and everyone knew it. One can rightly sigh, looking at the last twenty years that much has been lost. However, that is barren.
To take heart, let’s take another look at what great (performing) tone artists the HKK has had within its walls. We then come across such names as: Julia Culp, Bart Verhallen, Julius Röntgen, Rosa Spier, Tecla Bruckwilder, Willem Ravelli, Jaap Stotijn, To v. d. Sluijs, Alexander Moskoski, Theo v. d. Pas, Hans Schouwman, Léon Orthel, Jaap Callenbach, Boris Pelsky, Anton v. d. Horst, Laurens Bogtman, Felix de Nobel, George van Renesse and many others.
That even then the Music Department was considered capable, and indeed performed, of lighting up celebrations, we read, among other things, in the yearbook.
Arnold Spoel arranged music for operetta at closing parties April 22 and 24, 1897. All genres of music were covered. Thus, several times a (smaller) opera was performed.
Chronologically, these were: 1896- “The Shipwreck” by Johan Wagenaar.
1898- ‘La Surprise de l’Amour’ by F. Poix. 1920- ‘La Serva Padrona’ by G. B. Pergolesi. 1935- ‘The Fortunate Chest’ by Johan Wagenaar. Pity that performances of Milhaud’s ‘Le Boeuf sur Ie toit’ and Monteverdi’s ‘L’lncoronazione di Poppea’ (already planned in 1925!), among others, did not go ahead.
The connection between dance and music was abundant. There was a dance event almost every year, certainly not shunning the moderns. Several times attention was paid to oriental dance forms. Many dancers have received a place in the yearbooks in connection with activities of the HKK: Xandra Stradowska, Randa le Noble, Joanne Booges, Dewi Soehita Urdayana, Hanneken Mouton, Peter Léoneff, Zizi Kosa and others.
At the beginning of its existence, the Kring still had Soirées and Matinées which were also announced as “fairly regular musical matinées every 14 days on Sundays in the Society rooms. One of these, that of 7 ap.ril 1895 was attended, among others, by Alphons Diepenbrock. Later the name ‘concert’ was used more often.
May I conclude this brief overview with a selection of a few people, events and topics, each of which reflects a certain facet of the history of the fourth division of the HKK.
Feb. 17, 1893 Convivial meeting with Vincent d’lndy and Ernest Chausson Feb. 1896 Matinée with Skriabin and Jacques van Lier
March 3, 1896 Johan Wagenaar, The Shipwreck in K & W.
1897 First appearance of the Bohemian String Quartet in the Netherlands
November 3, 1898 Edouard Risler present at the Circle
November 20, 1900 Soirée Arnold Spoel
January 17, 1902 Soirée François Rass
May 6, 1902 Soirée Carel Oberstadt
Nov. 27, 1902 Inauguration of Johannes Orelio in K & W.
1904 Peter Benoit evening featuring mainly Flemish artists Nov. 9, 1906 Recital by Elly Ney and Jan Manifarges
April 28, 1905 Dvorak evening
Season 1908/1909 Series “Dutch Composer Matinées,” no. IV of this: unpublished works by Willem Andriessen and Philip Loots
May 1, 1912 Oberstadt evening
April 2 and 8, 1915 Holland Quintet, in the presence of Queen Emma and Prince Henry April 11
1918 Concert with Tecla Bruckwilder and Willem Ravelli
April 26, 1919 Constant van Wessem, lecture on Debussy
Jan. 17, 1920 Arthur Petronio on modern music in Italy
February 7, 1920 Concert lgnacy Lilien
May 1, 1920 Musical dramatic evening led by Johan Wagenaar
Jan. 8 and March 26, 1921 Concerts of modern French music (Milhaud, Aubert, Soulage, Delune, Ravel)
Oct. 14, 1922 First of many Bortkiewicz recitals by Hugo van Dalen, followed by
Feb. 3, 1923 Serge Bortkiewicz in the Circle
May 16, 1923 Le Groupe des Six
Jan. 3, 1925 Violin virtuose lbolyka Gyarfas
Jan. 10, 1925 Concert of modern songs (Milhaud, Respighi, Honegger)
May 8, 1926 Russian vocal Kedroff quartet (at Han van Meegeren’s expense)
May 13, 1927 Lecture by Van Haersma Buma on wireless telephony i.e. music
Nov. 3, 1928 Marguerite Couperus sings historical songs in matching costume
April 20, 1929 Performance by Hans de Bock (son of Théophile) and others in works by Ravel and himself
February 24, 1930 Léon Orthel in his own work
Oct. 25, 1930 Concert by Moskowsky including first performance of Bartok’s 1st rapso die for violin and piano
Nov. 24, 1931 Jubilee concert HKK 40 years with works by Röntgen, Oberstadt, Van Anrooy (cover of program by Vilmos Huszar)
March 28, 1936 Concert Jacq. v. d. Burg on the occasion of his first concert with the HKK in March 1896
April 1, 1936 Czech sonata evening (Benda, Janacek, Arman, Vorisek, Martinu)
April 5, 1937 Hans Schouwman and Laurens Bogtman
April 2, 1940 Lecture by Sem Dresden
May 25, 1941 Jubilee concert 50 years HKK at the Gemeentemuseum including Bouten’s ‘Beatrijs’ set to music by Alexander Voormolen
Feb. 17, 1947 Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears at the Art Circle, followed by
November 14, 1948 Michael Tippelt