A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Verhulst, Johannes
VERHULST, Johannes Josephus Herman, was born March 19, 1816, at the Hague, and was one of the earliest students at the Royal School of Music there, where he learned violin and theory. He afterwards played in the orchestra of the French Opera under Charles Hanssen, and wrote many pieces, amongst others an Overture in B minor which was published by the Society tot Bevordering der Toonkunst. An allowance from the King enabled him to go first to Cologne, where he studied with Joseph Klein, and then to Leipzig, where he arrived Jan. 12, 1838, and was well received by Mendelssohn, and soon after made Director of the important 'Euterpe' Concerts. There and in Germany he remained till 1842, when he returned to the Hague and was at once decorated by the King, with the order of the Lion and made Director of the Music at Court. Since then he has resided at Rotterdam and the Hague, and at Amsterdam, where for many years he has conducted the Felix Meritis Society, and the Cecilia Concerts, as well as the Diligentia Society at the Hague. As a conductor he is very famous in his own country. His compositions comprise symphonies, overtures, quartets, much church music (amongst other pieces a Requiem for men's voices is much spoken of), songs and part-songs, to Dutch words. Verhulst's music is little known out of his own country. In England the writer only remembers to have heard one piece, an intermezzo for orchestra called 'Gruss aus der Ferne,' performed occasionally at the Crystal Palace. Verhulst's friendship with Schumann was one of the great events of his life. How close and affectionate it was may be judged from the many letters given in Jansen's 'Die Davidsbündler,' and especially the following note written at the end of one of Schumann's visits to Holland:
Dear Verhulst,—Good-bye. It delighted me to find you in your old spirits. Unfortunately you cannot say the same of me. Perhaps my good genious may yet bring me back to my former condition. It delighted me too to find that you have got so dear a wife: in that matter we are both equally fortunate. Give her a nice message from me, and take a hearty greeting and embrace for yourself from your old
Schumann's 'Overture, Scherzo, and Finale' (op. 52) is dedicated to Verhulst, who possesses the autograph, with the following inscription.[1]
J. J. Verhulst
übergiebt die Partitur des alten Opus
mit alten Sympathien.
Rotterdam d. 18 Dec. 1853.R. Schumann.
- ↑ See Jansen's 'Die Davidsbündler.'