Wim Franken (7 January 1922,

Assen Assen () is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in the Netherlands, city rights in 1809. Assen is known for TT Circuit Assen, the ...

– 21 April 2012,

Deventer Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, bu ...

) was a Dutch composer,

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

and

carillonneur A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

.Mensenlinq.nl: ''"Componist en beiaardier Wim Franken overleden"''

Life and work

Franken studied piano with J. Wilderbeek and T. Hart Nibbrig-de Graaf, theory with Hugo Godron and Karel Mengelberg, carillon with Leen 't Hart and Peter Bakker. He taught piano at the music schools in

Hilversum Hilversum () is a city and municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is the largest urban centre in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller towns. Hilvers ...

and

Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, about 20 km from the city of Utrecht and 40 km south east of Amsterdam. As of 1 December 2021, the municipality had a population of 158,531, making it the second- ...

and was carillonneur in the city of

Weesp Weesp () is a city, an urban area in the municipality of Amsterdam and a former municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It had a population of in . It lies on the river Vecht and next to the Amsterdam–Rhine Canal in an are ...

and at the

Zuiderkerk The Zuiderkerk (, "southern church") is a 17th-century Protestant church in the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The church played an important part in the life of Rembrandt and was the subject of a painting by Cla ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

.Wim Franken biography at Muziek Centrum Nederland
Franken composed operas, ballets, orchestral works, chamber music, piano and organ works, choral music, song cycles, film scores and electronic music. He is a noted composer of music for

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

, making exceptional contributions to the repertoire, including the ''Torenmuziek'' series for carillon and

brass instrument A brass instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. Brass instruments are also called labrosones or labrophones, from Latin a ...

Selected works

:Franken's music is published by

Donemus Donemus (compounded from Documentatiecentrum nederlandse muziek) is the Dutch institute dealing with the documentation of contemporary music composed in the Netherlands. Originally a publisher of scores, between 1960 and 2000 Donemus also publis ...

, Amsterdam. ;Stage * ''De keizer en de nachtegaal'', School Opera in 3 acts (`1961–1963); after the story by

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...

* ''Roxelane en de beren'', Ballet (1964–1965) * ''Il sacro furto'', Church Opera (2001); libretto by the composer ;Orchestral * Sinfonietta (1956) * Concerto for String Orchestra (without double bass) (1958) * ''Circo'' for chamber orchestra (1952–1961) * ''Rapsodie over vijf Europese volksliederen'' (1964) * ''Muziek uit de film "Portret van Frans Hals"'' for chamber orchestra (1963) * ''Divertimento naar de balletmuziek "Roxelane en de beren"'' (1965) ;Concertante * Concertino for piano and string orchestra (1952) * ''Rapsodia campestra'' for violin and orchestra (1957, 1967) * ''Concert in G'' for piano and orchestra (1975) * Concerto for piano, brass and percussion (1976) ;Chamber music * Sonata for oboe solo (1947) * Divertimento for flute, viola, cello and piano (1948) * ''Serenata'' for chamber ensemble (flute, clarinet, trumpet, 2 violins, cello, piano) (1948, revised 1979) * Sonata for viola solo (1948) * Sonata for violin or clarinet and piano (1953, revised 1972) * Serenade for flute (piccolo), piano and double bass (1957–1958) * ''Horlepiep'', Folk Dance Arrangement for string quartet (1967) * ''Intermède à la Russe'' for accordion ensemble * ''En passant'' for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn (1989) * Sonata for cello and piano (1993) * ''Tijdeloos'' for 6 recorders and 2 organs (1983/2006) ;

Carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

* '' en fughetta over een oud Frans kerstlied'' (1952) * ''Prélude, fantasie (over twee oud-Nederlandse volksliederen) en rondeau'' for carillon or piano (1956, revised 1962) * ''Arioso en passacaglia'' (1959) * ''De geuzen (over de oud-Nederlandse liederen: "Helpt nu u zelf, zo helpt u God" en "Slaat op den trommele, van dieredomdeine")'', Torenmuziek No. 1 for carillon, brass and percussion (1961); version for carillon in C (1962) * ''Zes ritmische studies'' (6 Rhythmic Studies) for carillon or piano (1963) * ''Musica di campanile (omaggio a Jan P. Sweelinck)'', Torenmuziek No. 2 for carillon, brass and percussion (1965) * ''Rapsodie française sur trois chansons populaires'' (1968) * ''Drie impressies naar Frans Hals'' for 4- or 5-octave carillon (1969) * ''Mascarade: quatre scènes de ballet'' (1974) * ''Torenmuziek No. 3'' for carillon, brass and percussion (1978) * ''Nachtlied: metamorfosen over een avond- en een ochtendlied'' for 4- or 5-octave carillon (2 players) (1979) * ''Sic preludebat'' (1981, revised 1985) * ''In de wind'', Torenmuziek No. 4 for 3 carillons (4 players), 3 trumpets and snare drum (1982) * ''Le cercle céleste'' for carillon 4-hands (1986) * ''Groninger rapsodie'' (1988) * ''Echo'', Torenmuziek No. 5 for carillon 4-hands and brass ensemble (1997) * ''Scarlattiana'', Torenmuziek No. 6 for carillon and brass ensemble (2003) ;Organ * Sonata for organ (1956, revised 1992) ;Piano * Piano Sonata No. 1 (1946) * Piano Sonata No. 2 (1950–1951) * ''Suite from the Ballet Music "Jan Klaassen op reis"'' (1951) * Sonatina (1953) ;Vocal * ''Zes Rilke-liederen'' (6 Rilke Songs) for low voice and piano (1946–1959); words by

Rainer Maria Rilke René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926), shortened to Rainer Maria Rilke (), was an Austrian poet and novelist. He has been acclaimed as an idiosyncratic and expressive poet, and is widely recogni ...

* ''Volkswijze'', 5 Songs for voice and piano (1959); words by J. Slauerhoff * ''Yoeng Poe Tsjoeng'', 8 Songs on Old Chinese Poems for high voice and piano (1959); Dutch translation by J. Slauerhoff * ''Zes Slauerhoff-liederen'' (6 Slauerhoff Songs) for medium voice and piano (1961–1967) or low voice and piano (1992); words by J. Slauerhoff * ''Cinq poèmes de François Villon'' for tenor and piano (1969); words by

François Villon François Villon (Modern French: , ; – after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities. Villon wrote about some of these ex ...

;Choral * ''Holland'' for male chorus and piano or organ (1957); also for male chorus, carillon and brass ensemble; words by Carel Steven Adama van Scheltema * ''Cantate campanae op randschriften van oude luid-, slag- en beiaardklokken'' for mixed chorus and orchestra with obligato piano (1962) * ''Curaçau'', Folk Song Arrangement for male chorus, wind ensemble (1963) * ''As de boer 'n poar klompen aan het'', Folk Song Arrangement for chorus and orchestra (1963) * ''Ik zeg adieu'', Folk Song Arrangement for chorus and orchestra (1963) * ''In Holland staat een huis'', Folk Song Arrangement for chorus and orchestra (1963) * ''Onze patriotjes'', Folk Song Arrangement for chorus and orchestra (1963) * ''Cinq poèmes de Jacques Prévert'' for mixed chorus a cappella (1964); words by

Jacques Prévert Jacques Prévert (; 4 February 1900 – 11 April 1977) was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. His best-regarded films formed part of the poetic realist moveme ...

* ''Daar het nu feest van Pasen is'', Folk Song Arrangement for mixed chorus and chamber orchestra (1966) * ''Nieuwjaarslied'', Folk Song Arrangement for female chorus and chamber ensemble (1966) * ''Te Laren op de dam, Folk Song Arrangement for male chorus and chamber ensemble (1966) * ''Boerenjongs en wichter'', Folk Song Arrangement for mixed chorus and orchestra (1966) * '' 't Haasken'', Folk Song Arrangement for mixed chorus and orchestra (1966) * ''Weefliedje (Terschelling)'', Folk Song Arrangement for mixed chorus and orchestra (1966) * ''Wie wil er mee naar Wieringen varen'', Folk Song Arrangement for mixed chorus and orchestra (1966) * ''Wel Anne Marieke'', Folk Song Arrangement for mixed chorus and chamber orchestra (1967) * ''Heederik-cantate'' for mixed chorus, orchestra and tape (1968) * ''Sneeuw-liedje: volksliedje uit grootmoeders tijd'', Folk Song Arrangement for unison chorus (or solo voice) and orchestra (1971) * ''Het zingende meisje: volksliedje uit grootmoeders tijd'', Folk Song Arrangement for chorus of like voices and orchestra (1971) * ''Huzaren-liedje'', Folk Song Arrangement for chorus of like voices and orchestra (1971) * ''Tancuj, tancuj (Csárdás)'', Folk Song Arrangement for chorus of like voices and orchestra (1971) * ''Eine kleine Mozartreise: op gedichten en brief-fragmenten van Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart'' for mixed chorus and brass quintet or piano (1980) * ''Windstreken: voor de verenigde ensembles van een muziekschool en geluidsband'' for children's chorus, ensemble and tape (1981) * ''De vloed in klank'', Oratorio for narrator, soloists, 3 choruses, 6 recorders, 3 organs, 2 orchestras and tape (1983–1984) * ''Le déluge: trois fragments tirés du mystère "Le déluge" d'Alfred de Vigny'' for mixed chorus a cappella (1985) * ''In weer en wind'' for children's chorus and piano (1985); words by the composer * ''Missa Nicolaï'' for mixed chorus, canto della comunità, brass, 2 organs (1994) * ''Luctor et emergo: gedeelten uit het oratorium De vloed in klank'' for chamber chorus, male chorus, brass and 2 organs (1984/1996); words by A. de Vigny, H. Marsman, M. Revis

References

External links

*
Wim Franken biography at Muziek Centrum Nederland

Wim Franken homage with photograph: ''Ode aan musicus Franken''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franken, Wim 1922 births 2012 deaths Dutch male classical composers Dutch classical composers Dutch classical pianists Carillonneurs People from Assen 20th-century classical pianists Male classical pianists 20th-century Dutch male musicians Composers for carillon