Daniël De Lange

* 11 July 1841 In Rotterdam
† 30 Januar 1918 In Point Loma California Daniël De Lange Was Born Into A Musical Family In 1841. His Father Samuel Sr. Was A Dominant Force In The Rotterdam Music Scene As Organ Player Carilloneur And Music Teacher. Daniël’s Brother Samuel Jr Was Also To Become A Prominent Piano And Organ Player. Both Brothers Were Subjected To Rigorous Music Education From An Early Age Even Their Bedroom Wall Was Used To Teach Them Staff Notation. De Lange Studied The Cello In Brussels And Traveled Europe From 1858. After That He Worked In Paris From 1864 To 1870 Where He Met Leading Musical Figures Such As Berlioz Bizet And Massenet To Whom He Dedicated His First Symphony In 1868. After His Return To The Netherlands He Became Primarily Interested In Choral Music. In 1875 De Lange Founded The Toonkunstkoor Leiden ‘Leiden Music Choir’ And Thereby Found A Suitable Platform To Perform The Choir Repertoire. The Concertgebouw Orchestra Founded In 1888 Regularly Called Upon De Lange’s Choir To Perform With Them. A Number Of Choir Appointments Followed Among Which Was The Amsterdam Choir Caecilia With Whom He Introduced Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony To The Netherlands. De Lange Was A Man Of Many Interests And Talents. He Became A Driving Force In Dutch Music Education Supporting Educational Reform. In 1876 He Entered The Service Of The Amsterdam Daily Nieuws Van Den Dag ‘News Of The Day’ And Became The First Regular Dutch Music Critic An Example Was Soon Followed By Others. He Also Became The First Chairman Of The Dutch Association For Music History In 1881 Just One Example Of His Interest In Music History. In These Later Years His Output As A Composer Diminished Not Only In Quantity But Also In Depth. He Also Adopted A More ‘Germanic’ Style In Tune With Contemporary Preferences. In 1894 De Lange And Others Founded The Amsterdam Conservatory Of Which He Became The Director One Year Later. In That Capacity He Was Responsible For Employing Bernard Zweers As Head Of Teaching And Composition That Same Year. He Was To Continue In This Position Until He Resigned In 1914 To Leave For The United States. By That Time De Lange Had Become A Devotee Of The Theosophy Movement And Until His Death In 1918 He Taught At The Isis Conservatory Of Music At Point Loma California An Institution Run By The Theosophic Movement. De Lange Was For A Long Time A Notable Figure Within The Dutch Musical Community Because Of His Many Engagements Because Of His Skill And Because He Was Also An Esteemed Teacher But Not Least Because Of His Striking Appearance A Tall Gaunt White-Haired Man Sporting A Long Goatee Who Knew How To Use A Flamboyant Entrance To Full Effect. Text Kindly Provided By Ilja Nieuwland Amsterdam read less