Piet Kee facts for kids
Pieter William Kee (born August 30, 1927 – died May 25, 2018) was a famous Dutch organist and composer. He was known around the world for his amazing musical skills, especially playing the organ and making up music on the spot.
Piet Kee's Life Story
Piet Kee was born in a town called Zaandam in the Netherlands. He loved music from a young age and studied organ, piano, and how to write music at the Amsterdam Conservatory. He was so good that he won a special award called the Prix d'Excellence. He also won first place three times in a row at a big competition in Haarlem where musicians had to make up music on the spot! This helped him become a well-known concert organist all over the world.
From 1954 to 1988, Piet Kee taught music at schools in Amsterdam. He also taught at a special summer school for organists in Haarlem. He was the main organ player at two very important churches in the Netherlands: the St. Laurens church in Alkmaar (from 1952 to 1987) and the famous St. Bavo church in Haarlem (from 1956 to 1989).
Piet Kee was incredibly good at improvising, which means making up music as he played. He also wrote many pieces of music. One of his well-known pieces is "Haarlem Concerto." He made many recordings of his music, playing on old and important organs in Europe. These recordings won several awards. In 1988, he received a special award from the Royal College of Organists along with another famous composer, Olivier Messiaen.
In 2014, some of Piet Kee's music was played at a special concert in Amsterdam. One piece, called The Organ, was even played on five different pipe organs at once! Piet Kee passed away in Haarlem when he was 90 years old.
What Music Did Piet Kee Write?
Piet Kee wrote many different kinds of music, especially for the organ. Here are some examples of his compositions:
- For Organ Alone:
* Triptych on Psalm 86 (1960) * Two Organ Pieces (1962), which included a Fantasia on "Wachet Auf" and a Passion Choral. * Four Pieces for Manuals (1966), which are pieces played only with the hands on the organ keyboard. * Bios (1995), a piece with seven different parts. * The Organ (2000), which was inspired by paintings.
- For Organ with Other Instruments:
* Music and Space (1969) for two organs, trumpets, and trombones. * Confrontation (1979) for a church organ and three street organs. * Haarlem Concerto (2006) for organ and an orchestra. * Performance (2009) for alto saxophone and organ. * Magic Pipes (2012) for panpipes and organ.
- Other Compositions:
* The World (1999), a short oratorio for a choir and singers. * Heaven (2000), a piece for a choir with echo effects. * Frans Hals Suite (1990) for carillon, which is a musical instrument with many bells. * Flight (1992) for a flute solo. * Kampanella (2011) also for carillon.
Piet Kee was also famous for his improvisations, which are musical pieces he made up on the spot during performances.
Piet Kee's Recordings
Piet Kee made many recordings of his music throughout his career. His first recordings came out in 1954 on labels like Telefunken and Philips. Starting in 1989, he made a series of eleven recordings for Chandos Records. These recordings featured music by many different composers, from Sweelinck to Messiaen. He played on famous organs across Europe, including those at St. Bavo Haarlem, St. Laurens Alkmaar, and Roskilde Cathedral in Denmark. Many of these recordings are now available to listen to online.
