Zes Composities (6 compositions) Opus 19

1. Preludium, Largo con espressione 0:00
2. Intermezzo, Allegro agitato 3:17
3. Improvisatie, Andante con moto 4:16
4. Canon, Allegretto affettuoso 5:42
5. Melodie, Con anima 6:58
6. Preludium, Un poco Adagio 8:05

Johan van Nuenen (1880-1970) was a watchmaker by trade. From the age of twelve he received lessons in organ, harmony and counterpoint. In 1901 he was appointed organist in his home town of Berlicum, a position he would hold for 69 years. He further developed his skills in counterpoint through self-study: fugue, canon and double counterpoint. For this self-study he built up a collection of scores, including by contemporary composers such as Strauss, Debussy and Hindemith.
In Berlicum he was also the conductor of a wind orchestra, with which he won prizes at competitions, and a mixed choir, with which he performed classical choral works and operettas.
Johan van Nuenen composed choral works (partly for the Catholic liturgy) and organ works. Initially in a classical-romantic idiom, later there were also late romantic and early modern influences. We see the latter in the six compositions opus 19 (1935): the two preludia in a Wagnerian idiom, the other compositions are more in the direction of Hindemith due to their expanded tonality and polyphonic writing. Alternating short pieces, and if played as a unit, a small suite is created.
Although Van Nuenen is almost forgotten today, he had a good reputation as a composer at the time. Some of his works have been published abroad (Liège and Paris). Well-known organists such as Jan Zwart and Marcel Dupré played his works for the radio.