Psalm 122

Listening to uploads of Dutch organists on Contrebombarde, especially those of psalm preludes, the impression could arise, that Dutch organ playing was and is very much influenced by the romantic style of organists like Jan Zwart and Feike Asma, van Tilburg etc.

They certainly still have a big influence , especially among amateur-organists and the more conservative Dutch Christian population. There even are contemporary composers writing in that romantic idiom.

In professional circles there has been a different development. Those who studied the organ at the Dutch conservatoria, populated by the best Dutch organ teachers, mostly developed a different kind of style, more along the lines of the contemporary German composers like Micheelsen, Distler and Pepping and French composers Tournemire, Langlais and Durufle.

In the seventies bundles were published with preludes to the new Liedboek 1973, composed by leading contemporary Dutch composers. I intend to do a small series on preludes and harmonizations of the psalms.

Koos Bons (1921–1996)
was one of Holland’s leading organists of the twentieth century.
He was one of the first Dutch organists to play Bach’s and Cesar Franck’s complete organ works in a series of concerts in Rotterdam.

He studied with Piet v.d. Kerkhoff, Marcel Dupre, Everhard van Beijnum (piano) and Cor Kee (improvisatie).
He played the Seiffert organ of the Immanuelkerk in Maassluis for 42 years, a three manual instrument and gave many concerts in Holland and Europe.

He also had many pupils; a number of them became professional musicians themselves.

Once, sitting next to Dupre on the organ bench of the St. Sulpice, he heard Marcel improvise a seven voice fugue after the service as if he played a written-down composition: flawless: a moving expierence!

Koos taught me harmony and contrapunt for my exams. What a guy!