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Born: May 19, 1927 - Haarlem, the Netherlands
Died: December 26, 2013 - Zeist, the Netherlands |
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The Dutch organist-cantor, Maarten Willem Kooij, received his first instrumental lessons (violin) from Mr. Vierveijzer, violinist from the then Haarlemse Orkest Vereniging (Haarlem Orchestra Association). After World War II, he studied with Jacob Bijster organ and with Martin J. Lürsen theory and composition. The study concluded with the obtaining of the State Diploma for Organ and Theory in 1949. He founded the still existing Haarlems Kamerkoor with whom he performed for the first time in the Netherlands, among others, the Passions of Heinrich Schütz in their original form. Maarten Kooij is mentioned with honor in the standard work Haarlems Muziekleven in de Loop der Eeuwen by the author Jos de Klerk.
For several years, Maarten Kooij was an organist on the beautiful Müller cabinet organ in the Gereformeerd or Burgerweeshuis on the Olieslagerslaan. In the hall of this orphanage he gave with an instrumental group with the motto: Always perform compositions on an authentic set of instruments and with an interpretation that was common in its genesis.
From 1950 to 1971, Maarten Kooij served as Cantor-Organist of the Oude Kerk in Soest. He was appointed Artistic Director of the Stichting Muziekkring de Nederlandse Cantorij, established in 1959. This made him one of the first in the Netherlands to perform historically sound Baroque music and with authentic instruments.
As a free-lance employee at the NCRV, Maarten Kooij delivered several important series, not only specializing in late Renaissance and Baroque music. With the NCRV's famous Vocal Ensemble at the time, he performed for the first time in the Netherlands all motets by Johannes Brahms, works by Ernst Kreneck (Lamentationae Jeremiae) and Charles Ives, among others.
Maarten Kooij founded a children's choir with his own church in Soest, with whom they worked very methodically and rigorously. With this, performances of the J.S. Bach's Passions and works of Kreneck, among others. From 1963 to 1985, he was a member of the Landelijke Commissie voor de Kerkmuziek van de Raad voor de Eredienst (National Commission for Church Music of the Council of Worship) and for several years as music advisor to the Commissie van het Dienstboek (Commission of the Service Book) in the Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk. He contributed to the creation of the Liedboek voor de Kerken.
In 1971 Maarten Kooij was appointed the first Cantor after the Reformatie aan de Domkerk in Utrecht. There he set up the weekly concert series "Zaterdagmiddagmuziek Domkerk" (Saturday afternoon music Dom Church). Initial performances included: Te Deum by Will Eisma, works by Hans Kox, Joep Straesser, Tera de Marez Oyens, Caroline Ansink (Psalm 22) Graham Wettham, Sofia Gubaidulina. In 1985 he gave a Seminar in Leipzig on the interpretation of the motets by J.S. Bach.
From 1973 to 1987 Maarten Kooij taught at the Utrechts Conservatorium. In 1991 he resigned from his duties as cantor and devoted himself entirely to his conducting position at the Nederlandse Cantorij.
As a composer, Maarten Kooij wrote Lucas-passie, commissioned by the NCRV, in 1963, the first passion in the Dutch language. He composed a double-choir Te Deum for the city of Utrecht, which saw the birth of numerous motets and song adaptations and Mattheuspassie for women's choir and organ. Instrumentally, various organ works can be mentioned. One of the last compositions is the song series Dichtungen eines ermordeten Volkes from 1998. Several municipal songs have also been written by him. The popular Kettinglied is an example of this. In April 1992 he was appointed a Knight of the Order of Orange - Nassau. He married Ine Vollaard on February 1, 1950. His son is the bass singer Peter Kooy. |
