Johan Wagenaar

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Johan Wagenaar (1 November 1862, Utrecht – 17 June 1941, Den Haag) was a Dutch composer and organist. Born out of wedlock, he was the son of Cypriaan Gerard Berger van Hengst and Johanna Wagenaar. The parents were of different social classes, with his father of the aristocrat class while his mother was "of more humble origins"^[1]. For this reason, Wagenaar's parents were not married, and thus Wagenaar had his mother's name as his family name.

Wagenaar evidenced a talent for music as a child. However, he did not begin to receive a formal education in music until age 13, with subsequent instruction in piano, organ, violin, theory, and composition. He was under the tutelage of the composer Richard Hol and the organist Samuel de Lange, Jr. In 1892, he studied with Heinrich von Herzogenberg in Berlin, specifically lessons in counterpoint.

In Utrecht, Wagenaar had become a teacher at the music school, and also a musician with the Utrecht Municipal Orchestra (Utrechtsch Stedelijk Orkest). In 1888, he succeeded Richard Hol as organist of Utrecht cathedral, and earned fame for his skills at organ performances. He was appointed director of the Utrecht Music School in 1896.

On 23 July 1897, Wagenaar married Dina Petronella van Valkenburg. They had two daughters^[2].

Wagenaar worked also as a choral conductor in Utrecht, with the Toonkunstkoor Utrecht, and in The Hague, with the Haagse Toonkunstkoor. In his own turn as a music teacher, his pupils included Peter van Anrooy, Emile Enthoven, Henri van Goudoever, Alexander Voormolen, Leon Orthel and Willem Pijper.

Wagenaar's compositions^[3] include operas, cantatas, organ music, and orchestral works. The music of Hector Berlioz had a modest influence on his works, but a much more pronounced influence was Richard Strauss.

In his later years, Wagenaar received an honorary Doctorate of Music from Utrecht University. Between 1919 and 1937, Wagenaar was director of the Royal Conservatory at the Hague.