Hendrik Andriessen – A Complete Biography

Introduction

Hendrik Franciscus Andriessen (1892–1981) was a Dutch composer, organist, and influential educator whose elegant, French-tinged musical language helped refresh Catholic liturgical music in the Netherlands while he also produced symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and two operas. A pillar of Dutch musical life between the World Wars and into the postwar decades, he belonged to a remarkable artistic family, with his brother Willem and children Louis and Jurriaan also becoming composers.

Childhood

Andriessen was born on September 17, 1892, in Haarlem to organist-choirmaster Nicolaas (“Nico”) Hendrik Andriessen and painter Gesina Vester. The household was steeped in the arts—siblings included the pianist and composer Willem and sculptor Mari—giving Hendrik early, practical exposure to church music at Haarlem’s St. Joseph’s Church, where his father served.

Youth

He studied composition with Bernard Zweers and organ with Jean-Baptiste (Charles) de Pauw at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, while also absorbing the influence of Dutch symphonist Alphons Diepenbrock. In 1913, after his father’s death, he succeeded him as organist at St. Joseph’s. In 1919 he married pianist Johanna (“Tine”) Anschütz. These years established him both as a brilliant improviser at the organ and as a composer with a lyrical, refined harmonic voice influenced by French models.

Adulthood

From 1934 Andriessen was organist of St. Catherine’s Cathedral in Utrecht, while teaching at the Amsterdam Conservatory and at the Institute for Catholic Church Music in Utrecht. He became director of the Utrecht Conservatory in 1937, a post he held until 1949. During the Nazi occupation he refused to join the Nederlandsche Kultuurkamer; his music was banned, and he was held as a hostage at Kamp Sint-Michielsgestel in 1942. After the war he became director of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (1949–1957) and served as Professor of Musicology at the Catholic University of Nijmegen. Among the many students he influenced were Albert de Klerk, Herman Strategier, and Jan Mul.

Major compositions

Andriessen’s catalogue spans church and concert hall with a consistent blend of clarity, lyricism, and contrapuntal craft.

• Sacred choral music. His masses and canticles, including Missa diatonica (1935), Magnificat (1936), Missa Christus Rex (1938), Te Deum (1943), and Missa solemnis (1946), typify his role in renewing Dutch Catholic liturgical music.
• Orchestral music. He wrote four symphonies (1930–1954) alongside orchestral essays such as Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Johann Kuhnau (1935), Ricercare (1949), and the Concerto for Organ and Orchestra (1950).
• Organ works. A lifelong organist, he produced cornerstone pieces for the instrument, including the series of Chorals (1913–1921), Sinfonia (1939), and Theme with Variations (1949).
• Songs and chamber music. The song cycle Miroir de peine (1923) is widely admired for its expressive economy; chamber music includes string quartets, wind pieces, and a piano trio (1939).
• Stage works. His operas Philomela (1948–49) and De spiegel uit Venetië (1963–64) display his lyrical instinct and classical poise.

Death

Andriessen died on April 12, 1981. Following a requiem Mass at the Josephkerk in Haarlem, he was buried at Begraafplaats Berkenrode in nearby Heemstede, beside his wife Tine.

Conclusion

Hendrik Andriessen stands as a key bridge between late-Romantic Catholic musical traditions and a cleaner, modern Dutch style, filtered through French influences and articulated with lucid craft. As composer, organist-improviser, and institution builder, he shaped generations of Dutch musicians and left a body of liturgical, orchestral, and chamber music that continues to be performed and recorded. His legacy endures not only through his own works but also through his students and his musically prodigious family.