Jacobus (Jaap) Valkhoff (16 August 1910 in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
– 3 July 1992 in
Hook of Holland
Hook of Holland ( nl, Hoek van Holland, ) is a town in the southwestern corner of Holland, hence the name; ''hoek'' means "corner" and was the word in use before the word ''kaap'' – "cape", from Portuguese ''cabo'' – became Dutch. The English t ...
) was a Dutch musician, composer and lyricist.
He wrote his most famous lyrics in 1961 at the request of
Johnny Hoes, "Hand in hand, kameraden" (Hand in hand, comrades). The melody was already 70 years old (composed by
Wilhelm Speidel) and the words were used to cheer on several Dutch football teams such as
Ajax Amsterdam and
Feyenoord Rotterdam. Hoes sang the song for all clubs at first, but the Feyenoord version proved to be the most popular, and it became the official club anthem.
Aged 81, he died in a car accident in
Hook of Holland
Hook of Holland ( nl, Hoek van Holland, ) is a town in the southwestern corner of Holland, hence the name; ''hoek'' means "corner" and was the word in use before the word ''kaap'' – "cape", from Portuguese ''cabo'' – became Dutch. The English t ...
in 1991. In 1998 a statue to commemorate him, located at the corner of the Schilderstraat and the Schiedamsedijk in Rotterdam, was unveiled by alderman
Hans Kombrink.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valkhoff, Jaap
1910 births
1992 deaths
Feyenoord
Musicians from Rotterdam
Dutch accordionists
Road incident deaths in the Netherlands
20th-century accordionists