Diderik Wagenaar (born 10 May 1946 in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

) is a Dutch

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and musical theorist.

Life and work

Wagenaar has lived and worked all his adult life in The Hague. Born to a musical family that includes

Johan Wagenaar Johan Wagenaar (1 November 1862 – 17 June 1941) was a Dutch composer and organist. Life Born in Utrecht, out of wedlock, he was the son of Cypriaan Gerard Berger van Hengst and Johanna Wagenaar. Wagenaar's parents were of different social stra ...

, he began playing piano at the age of eight and by the time he was fourteen had set his sights on a musical vocation. As a teenager in the early 1960s he loved Renaissance music,

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

, and

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", "B ...

; at the age of eighteen he began studying music theory with Jan van Dijk, Hein Kien and Rudolf Koumans and piano with Simon Admiraal at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. As a composer he is essentially self-taught. It was during his student's chamaar years in the mid-60s that Wagenaar began to develop as a composer. Although fascinated by the concerts given by

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mont ...

and

Bruno Maderna Bruno Maderna (21 April 1920 – 13 November 1973) was an Italian conductor and composer. Life Maderna was born Bruno Grossato in Venice but later decided to take the name of his mother, Caterina Carolina Maderna.Interview with Maderna‘s th ...

with the Hague Philharmonic, he admits to having "no real grip" at that time on the musical avant-garde, and began to look around for other starting-points for his own music. In addition to his fascination with jazz, an important encounter at that time was with the music of

Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, one of the first American composers of international renown. His music was largely ignored during his early career, and many of his works went unperformed f ...

, which taught him the value of inclusivity. It also encouraged his tendency to attempt a synthesis between tonality and atonality, to connect previously disparate systems of musical thought. Today Wagenaar feels that the notion of a "music of inclusion" can be seen as an important aspect of the new Dutch music as a whole. His music is closely linked with that of his friend

Louis Andriessen Louis Joseph Andriessen (; 6 June 1939 – 1 July 2021) was a Dutch composer, pianist and academic teacher. Considered the most influential Dutch composer of his generation, he was a central proponent of The Hague school of composition. Although ...

and treats similar ideas in perhaps an even more rigorous manner. Though the ideas may be complex, they are always presented in a clear and straightforward manner. His other influences include

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

, a key figure for the composers of the Hague school, but also importantly Monk and

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

. His works include commissions for the ensembles Orkest de Volharding,

Hoketus Hoketus was an amplified musical ensemble founded by Dutch composer Louis Andriessen in the Netherlands in 1976. The group was originally formed to perform Louis Andriessen's minimal composition ''Hoketus'', but remained together and began to p ...

, Slagwerkgroep den Haag and

Icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

and for the

Concertgebouw Orchestra The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra ( nl, Koninklĳk Concertgebouworkest, ) is a Dutch symphony orchestra, based at the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw (concert hall). Considered one of the world's leading orchestras, Queen Beatrix conferred the "R ...

Works

* 2010-2014 ''Canzone sull' Infinito'', for voices and orchestra * 2012 ''....e mi sovvien....'', for instrumental ensemble * 2008-2009 ''Preludio all'infinito'', for orchestra * 2007-2008 ''Quadrivium'' (formerly known as ''Estensione''), for two pianos * 2006 ''Libro di melodie'', for piano solo * 2005-2006 ''Ricordanza'' (Ríevocazioni dell’Orfeo di Claudio Monteverdi), for orchestra * 2003 ''Tango waltz, Scherzo da ballo'', for orchestra * 2002 ''Pantomima'', for large ensemble ( Orkest de Volharding in collaboration with

) * 1998-2000 ''Galilei'' (on texts by

Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...

, Roberto Bellarmino,

Blaise Pascal Blaise Pascal ( , , ; ; 19 June 1623 – 19 August 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic Church, Catholic writer. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen. Pa ...

), for orchestra * 1998 ''Rookery Hill'', for ensemble (

) * 1998 ''Musica dopo l'epistola'', for brass quintet * 1995 (revised 1996) ''La caccia'', for trombone * 1995 ''Trois poèmes en prose'' (on a text by

Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited fro ...

), for soprano and orchestra * 1994 ''Cat music'', for two violins * 1994 ''Speld'', for music box * 1993 ''Lent, vague, indécis'', for instrumental ensemble * 1992 ''Solenne'', for six percussionists * 1991 ''Le chat ''(from album ''Tien vocale minuten''), for mezzo-soprano * 1990 ''Tessituur'', for orchestra * 1989 ''La volta'', for piano solo * 1988 ''Triforium'', and wind orchestra and percussion * 1988 ''Festinalente'', for solo trumpet with brass orchestra and percussion * 1987 ''Schigolch'', two voices and two mouth organs and string or wind instrument * 1985 (revised 1986) ''Limiet'', for string quartet * 1985 ''Crescent'', for 34 wind instruments * 1981-1984 (revised 1986) ''Metrum'', for symphony orchestra and obligato saxophone quartet (arranged in 1995 by

John Godfrey John Ferguson Godfrey, (born December 19, 1942) is a Canadian educator, journalist and former Member of Parliament. Background Godfrey was born in Toronto, Ontario. His father, Senator John Morrow Godfrey (June 28, 1912 – March 8, 2001), ...

, for ensemble (

)) * 1981 ''Stadium'', for two pianos * 1972-1980 ''Canapé'', romantic music for piano, clarinet, violin and cello * 1979 ''Vier min één'', three pieces for three trumpets * 1979 ''Tam Tam'', for 12 instrumentalists (

) * 1976 (revised 1978) ''Liederen'', for brass instruments, two pianos and double bass ( Orkest de Volharding) * 1975 ''Tango for Jet'', for ensemble ( Orkest de Volharding) * 1973 (revised 1990) ''Praxis'', symphony for two grand pianos with oboe ad libitum * 1969 ''Kaleidofonen I'', for alto saxophone and piano * ? ''2 liedjes: Slaapliedje voor Emanuel - Cradle song'', for voice solo

Recordings

*''Huib Emmer • Diderik Wagenaar • Gilius van Bergeijk'' includes ''Kaleidofonen I'' performed by Gilius van Bergeijk (alto sax) and Gerard Bouwhuis (piano). LP, Ooyevaer Disk 36-31 * ''Diderik Wagenaar: Composers' Voice Portrait'' Gerard Bouwhuis, Netherlands Wind Ensemble and Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Geert Van Keulen, Arie Van Beek, and Lucas Vis. ''La Volta'', ''Stadium'', ''Solenne'', ''Liederen (Canzonas)'' and ''Metrum''. Donemus CV 29 *''Diderik Wagenaar: Composers' Voice Portrait'' Ensemble Icebreaker. ''Metrum'' (arr. John Godfrey), ''Rookery Hill'' and ''Tam Tam''. Donemus CV 94 * ''ConSequenze'' includes ''La caccia''. Done Composers' Voice KN2. Key Notes (Donemus' magazine) - Special release for subscribers only *''Wie is bang voor Nederlandse muziek?'' includes ''Rookery Hill'' by Wagenaar performed by Ensemble Icebreaker (same recording as on Donemus CV 94). Donemus NM Classics 93007 * ''Radio Kamer Orkest - Ernest Bour • Ed Spanjaard • Groot Omroepkoor - Kees van Baaren • Peter Schat • Theo Loevendie • Diderik Wagenaar - Aspects of Music from the Netherlands 17'' includes ''Tessituur'' performed by Radio Kamer Orkest conducted by Ed Spanjaard. BFO/Radio Nederland * ''Music Box - 32 composities voor muziekdoos'' includes ''Speld''. VPRO EigenWijs EW 9413 * ''Rumori - De organisatie van geluid... - 1995/1996'' includes ''Cat Music'' performed by Marijke van Kooten and Marin Mars

References

Last FM biography page, accessed 4 February 2010Donemus biography page accessed 4 February 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagenaar, Diderik 1946 births Living people Dutch male classical composers Dutch classical composers 20th-century classical composers Musicians from Utrecht (city) Musicians from The Hague 20th-century Dutch male musicians