Willem de Haan (1849–1930)

[tpaloj]

Willem de Haan (1849 Rotterdam – 1930 Berlin)

Willem de Haan was a Dutch composer, a pupil of Nicolai, de Lange, and Bargiel; later in Leipzig Cons. (1870–1). In 1873 he became a music director at Cäcilia Singverein in Bingen am Rhein on the interecession of Ferdinand Hiller and Friedrich Gernsheim. From 1876 he led the Mozartverein in Darmstadt, in 1877 the second capellmeister at the orchestra of the Hoftheater there and as Hofkapellmeister in 1878 (Wikipedia) / 1895 (Baker's). He stayed in Darmstadt until 1914; in 1919 he withdrew completely from the music world. Towards the end of his life in 1923 he settled in Berlin with his daughter.

An (incomplete) list of works:

• Violin Sonate, op. 3, composed in Leipzig
• Die kleine Seejungfrau, overture (1871)
• Der Königssohn, cantata
• Das Grab im Busento, cantata
• Macbeth, incidental music
• Harpa, op. 10, cantata for mixed choir and orchestra (1881)
• Zwei Symphonic Sätze, op. 14
• Der Kaiserstochter, opera (1885)
• Die Inca-Söhne, opera (1895)
• Das Lied vom Werden und Vergehen, cantata for mixed choir and orchestra (1904)
• Das Märchen und das Leben, cantata for mixed choir and orchestra (1911)

(Sources: Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians 3rd ed.; the composer's Dutch wikipedia page.)


Overture "Die kleine Seejungfrau"

The score of de Haan's early Overture to H.C. Andersen's fairytale "The little Mermaid" is dated "Leipzig de 15. Febr. 1871" on the last page of its manuscript. The scanned manuscript can be found on the website of Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln.

The earliest info on its performances I could find is in the Kölnische Zeitung (26.4.1872), where according to an advertisement, the performance was to be led by the composer. I couldn't find further info or reviews of this performance. However, in 1873 the Overture was given again in Köln with the Kölnische Zeitung advertising this upcoming performance of the Overture being given, contradictorily, "zum Ersten Male". There followed a somewhat mixed review in Kölnische Zeitung (22.12.1873). Here is the part concerning this Overture:

Recht freundliche Aufnahme fand ein Erstlingswerk eines jungen Musikers: "Ouverture zu Andersen's Märchen", "Die kleine Seejungfrau" von Willem de Haan. Richtiger wäre es ein Instrumentalsatz über das Märchen zu nennen. Denn man merkt etwas vom feuchten Element darin, auch von der kleinen Seejungfrau und am meisten von der Palette, auf der eine viel kunstgeübtere Hand schon früher die Farben zu solchen coloristischen Effecten gemischt. Es ist die alte solide Ouverturenform, langsame Einleitung, thematisch aufgebauter bewegter Satz und leider dazu noch ein die Wirkung abschwächender letzter Satz, der ausklingt, als ob ein unlösbares Fragezeichen hinter ihm stehe. Der Erfindung und der Arbeit ist einiges Verdienst nicht abzusprechen, aber einstweilen schätzen wir an dieser "Ouverture" höher, was sie verspricht, als was sie leistet.

All in all, I found this Overture pretty excellent and enjoyable. It is somewhat lengthy, though. The orchestral writing is very detailed and gracefully put together with good craftmanship, outstanding even for a composer's early work, all things considered.

I wanted to take some extra time to make the score and parts, too. The materials can be freely downloaded from IMSLP, once copyright check clears (usually in a few days).
https://imslp.org/wiki/Die_kleine_Seejungfrau_(Haan,_Willem_de)

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsrGE4SRsdA - Dorico + Noteperformer

[eschiss1]

3 other works, including the violin sonata and 2 Symphonic pieces Op.14 (also the opera The Emperor's Daughter, op.12, after Georg Wilhelm Jacoby), can be found so far on IMSLP.
Ersten male has sometimes meant "for the first time in that place", I've found when reading journals from that time.

[Wheesht]

This article in the Österreichische Musik- und Theaterzeitung, Heft 15, 1894 gives some interesting information about him and mentions that it was at the first performance of the overture to The Little Mermaid that he met Hiller and Gernsheim.

[tpaloj]

This article in the Österreichische Musik- und Theaterzeitung, Heft 15, 1894 gives some interesting information about him and mentions that it was at the first performance of the overture to The Little Mermaid that he met Hiller and Gernsheim.

Very nice, thank you for finding this article!

Ersten male has sometimes meant "for the first time in that place", I've found when reading journals from that time.

That is probably the case - first time in another city, in another venue, with another orchestra etc.

[Ilja]

For those able to read Dutch (or German, it's quite close), there's this biographical article on De Haan in Caecilia from 1876.

[Alan Howe]

Ersten male

The full phrase is 'zum ersten Mal(e)' (the 'e' is optional in the Dative case). It simply means 'for the first time'.