About
In 1934 the Christian Oratory Association "Bel Canto" was founded in Bussum. The choir is mainly concerned with old church music. In May 1940 the choir activities are temporarily stopped. In 1942 a group of members went looking for a new rehearsal room and a new conductor and appointed Jack Loorij as the conductor.
AGE JACK P. LOORIJ
In those days, rehearsals take place above a printing works on Veldweg. The difficulties are great: embezzlement, raids, lack of fuel. In addition to paying membership fees, members must also bring a gift in kind: wood, peat or coal. By transforming itself into a church choir, the choir prevents it from joining the Kulturkammer and sees the opportunity to give a performance of the oratory Die Schöpfung in the Wilhelminakerk on 1 May 1942.
Because singing is not permitted in public in English, the choir, in one of its versions of parts of the Messiah, is temporarily satisfied with a Dutch translation.
After the liberation and thanks to contacts with the Canadian Entertainment Committee of the Netherlands, the choir sings, as thanks for the liberators, the English version of the Messiah rehearsed in secret in the Grote Kerk in Naarden. On 8 May 1946, Judas Maccabaeus, the oratory of liberation, freedom and heroism, is performed in the Westerkerk in Amsterdam. In the same year, the choir is invited to perform the Messiah in December 1946 in the Concertgebouw, and the choir also appears on the radio. The board of Bel Canto considers this such a great honor that it is decided to change the name of the choir to "De Haendelvereeniging", with ae not to be confused with a trade association. In 1947 the choir received the Royal Approval and the Haendel Association was established by Royal Decree. To indicate that the choir wants to promote Handel at the national level, the name "Dutch" is added 10 years later.
The Messiah is performed annually, albeit in a different version (Handel wrote 17 alternative versions).
The now "Dutch" Handel Association is growing over the years into a very powerful and thriving association. A lot is being achieved. Gramophone records and radio and television recordings are made.
Queen Juliana and her mother Princess Wilhelmina also regularly visit the concerts and later also Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus.
In the 1970s there were a number of radio and TV broadcasts from the Messiah, Acis and Galathea, The Indian Queen and Alexanders Feast, among others.
Thanks to its reputation, the NHV can give many concerts, including through the "buy-out" system. The organizing body rents the orchestra, choir and soloists and the NHV runs no financial risks. This makes it possible, among other things, to give extra versions of the Messiah.
After a collaboration of 40 years, Jack Loorij says goodbye to the Dutch Handel Association on March 7, 1987 with the performance of The Kingdom by Elgar, in the Concertgebouw.
AGE THIJS KRAMER
A period of guest conducting ends on 1 March 1989 and Thijs Kramer is appointed permanent conductor.
His first concert is Die Jahreszeiten by Haydn, then the annual Messiahs in December and in May 1990 Judas Maccabaeus on the occasion of the 45th liberation day in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam.
Thijs Kramer discovers the original manuscript of the Elias by Mendelssohn Bartholdy in England. In the German Urfassung the world premiere of this piece is performed in the Concertgebouw, the Pieterskerk in Leiden and also during a trip through Germany in Leipzig and Halle in October 1993.
The Dutch Handel Association has been in existence for fifty years in 1996 and is celebrating this with an anniversary concert in the Grote Kerk in Naarden on 19 April with Jubilate, Coronation Anthems and Händel's Foundling Hospital Anthem.
Under the guidance of Thijs Kramer for over 20 years, the choir sings 4 to 5 concerts each year and, in addition to the Messiah, presents a richly varied program of well-known and less well-known choral works.
The members of the choir are very proud when the Royal House requests to sing during the ecclesiastical wedding ceremony of Prince Floris and Aimée Söhngen in the Grote Kerk in Naarden.
Thijs Kramer says goodbye on October 8, 2011. He is succeeded by Andrew Wise, who is now the permanent conductor of the Dutch Handel Association.