OSCAR VAN HEMEL

Oscar van Hemel

After completing his music studies in Antwerp, Oscar van Hemel moves to the Netherlands, where, during World War I, he is a violinist in the orchestra of the Netherlands Opera. He later works primarily as a teacher and composer. Van Hemel is a frequent jury member in competitions for concert ...
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componist, viool

Biography Oscar van Hemel

After completing his music studies in Antwerp, Oscar van Hemel moves to the Netherlands, where, during World War I, he is a violinist in the orchestra of the Netherlands Opera. He later works primarily as a teacher and composer. Van Hemel is a frequent jury member in competitions for concert and marching bands and choirs. He is a music critic for the daily newspapers De Gooi- en Eemlander and De Maasbode. Van Hemel cultivates a lyrical style of composing of which the Violin Concerto and the symphonies are good examples. Regarding the latter, the music critic Jos Wouters writes: “A powerful, notable build-up of the themes and colourful harmony, which in fact always retains the gravitational force of an ordered tonality, together with bi- and multi-tonal sound complexes, are factors that dominate his musical thought”.

0193 - 1933

His composition initially shows his affinity with the French impressionists, but the influence of Willem Pijper, with whom Oscar van Hemel has studied since 1931, now becomes audible. He dedicates his first 'Sonate' for violin and piano, composed near the end of his lessons with Pijper, to his teacher.

Willem Pijper

1892

Oscar van Hemel is born in Antwerp on August 3.

1918

Oscar van Hemel takes up residence in Bergen op Zoom, where he teaches the piano, violin and music theory at the City Music School.

1938 - 1939

The Société Royale d' Harmonie of Antwerp awards Oscar van Hemel third prize for the 'Trio' for violin, viola and piano. The following year he wins third prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels for his 'Pianokwartet'.

1946

Van Hemel wins the Music Prize of the City of Amsterdam for his 'Violin Concerto' (1944) and an award from the Dutch government for 'Ballade' (1942), for large orchestra.

1948

Oscar van Hemel is appointed a music theory teacher at the Roman Catholic Conservatory of Music in Tilburg – today’s Fontys Conservatorium.

1949

Van Hemel moves to Hilversum, where he occupies himself with composing in addition to teaching. Many of his compositions are commissioned by the Dutch government or the broadcasting organisations.

1952

Van Hemel’s patriotism finds expression in among other things his choral pieces on texts by Anton van Duinkerken and 'Hart van Nederland' [The Heart of the Netherlands] on a text by Bertus Aafjes.

1953 - 1958

With the '4me Quatuor à cordes', Oscar van Hemel wins second prize at the International Competition for String Quartet Compositions in Liège. His 'Herdenkingshymne 1940-1945' [Hymn in Memory of 1940-1945] (1955) wins the Music Prize of the City of Amsterdam and the sacred cantata 'Maria Magdalena' is awarded the Visser Neerlandia Prize in 1958.

1962

Van Hemel is awarded the Professor van der Leeuw Prize for the '4me Quatuor à cordes' and the Visser Neerlandia Prize for the 'Quartettto di strumenti ad arco no. 6' (1961). He is made a Knight in the Order of Orange Nassau.

1964

Oscar van Hemel is awarded the Culture Prize by the City of Hilversum.

1971

Van Hemel also receives the Culture Prize of the Province of North Brabant.

1981

Oscar van Hemel dies in Hilversum on July 9.

Photos Oscar van Hemel

Audio/Video Oscar van Hemel