Pieter Hellendaal facts for kids

Pieter Hellendaal (born April 1, 1721 – died April 19, 1799) was a Dutch composer, organist, and violinist.

When he was 30 years old, he moved to England. He lived there for the rest of his life. In England, people knew him as Peter Hellendaal. He was one of the most important Dutch composers of the 1700s. His son, also named Peter Hellendaal, became a musician too.

Life Story

Early Years and Learning Music

Pieter Hellendaal was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on April 1, 1721. His father, Johannes Hellendaal, was a candle-maker. He also taught music and played with amateur musicians. Johannes made sure Pieter had a strong music education. Pieter learned to play the organ and the violin.

In 1731, Pieter's family moved to Utrecht. Pieter, who was still young, became the organist at the St. Nicholas Church. This was a very important job. The church was famous for its organ music. Its main organ was very old and well-known. Pieter played this organ when he was just ten years old. From 1732 to 1737, he was an official organist there.

Studying in Italy

When Pieter was 15, his family moved to Amsterdam. Soon, his amazing violin talent was noticed. The city secretary helped him go to Italy to study music. He stayed there for six years, from 1737 to 1743.

For two of those years (1740–1742), he studied in Padua. His teacher was Giuseppe Tartini, who was the most famous violinist of that time.

Starting His Career

After returning to Amsterdam in 1742, Pieter looked for places to play music. He played in city hostels to earn money. In 1744, he decided to settle down. He married the daughter of a wealthy surgeon and started a family.

He also got permission to open his own music publishing company. He soon published his first two works. These were sonatas for violin and a bass instrument. Publishing his own music became a big part of his life. He often added notes to help amateur musicians play his works.

Pieter did not have a steady music job yet. So, he worked as a freelance musician. He played in The Hague and Leiden. In The Hague, he played for Prince William IV and his English wife, Anne of Hanover. Anne loved music very much. Perhaps she made him think about moving to England. He might have thought he could earn more money there.

In Leiden, Pieter regularly played the organ at the Mare Church. He also played for music lovers and students around the University of Leiden. He even studied music at the University for two years, from 1749 to 1751.

Moving to England

In 1752, when he was 30, Pieter moved his family to England. Many people there, both rich and middle-class, loved music. They also played instruments themselves. This meant there were many jobs for talented musicians like Pieter.

In London, Pieter quickly became a well-known composer and violin soloist. London newspapers often wrote about his performances. He played at famous places like Hickford's Rooms. He even met George Frideric Handel, another famous composer. Handel helped Pieter get paid for playing violin solos during a performance in 1754.

Pieter still wanted a steady job. From 1760 to 1762, he worked as an organist at St. Margaret's Church in King's Lynn. This was a steady job, but it was far from London.

Life in Cambridge

In 1762, at age 40, Pieter moved to Cambridge. He found a good place to settle down there. He was hired as an organist at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He could teach, give concerts, and compose music.

Fifteen years later, in 1777, he became the organist at Peterhouse Chapel. He worked there for 37 years until he died in 1799. He is buried near the church, at Little St Mary's.

Peter Hellendaal the Younger

Pieter's son, born around 1756 in London, was also named Peter Hellendaal. People sometimes called him "Peter Hellendaal the Younger."

Peter the Younger became a violinist, clarinetist, and composer. He helped his father publish music in the 1790s. For example, he chose and arranged pieces from his father's Collection of Psalms and Hymns for churches. This book also included one of Peter the Younger's own songs.

The last time we hear about Peter the Younger was in 1801. He played a solo in a concert that featured a piece written by his father. He died later that year, at age 45. He lived only two years longer than his father.

Musical Works

Pieter Hellendaal wrote many different kinds of music. These include violin sonatas in the old Italian style. He also wrote pieces for keyboard, violin, and cello. He composed vocal works like songs and canons.

His Six Concerti Grossi (published around 1758) were in an older style. In these pieces, several solo instruments play together with a larger group of musicians. This type of music stayed popular in England for a long time.

Instrumental Music

• Six Sonatas for Violin and Basso Continuo, Opus 1 (around 1745)
• Six Sonatas for Violin and Basso Continuo, Opus 2 (around 1750)
• Six Concerti Grossi in Eight-Parts, Opus 3 (around 1758)
• Six Solos for Violin and Basso Continuo, Opus 4 (around 1760)
• Eight Sonatas for Cello and Basso Continuo, Opus 5 (1780)
• Three Grand Lessons for harpsichord or fortepiano, Violin, and Cello, Opus 6 (around 1789)
• Hellendaal's Celebrated Rondo for Viola and Basso Continuo (around 1790)
• Eleven Sonatas for Violin and Basso Continuo (found in a manuscript at the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge)

Lost Instrumental Works

Some of his instrumental works are now lost. These include:

• Twelve 'Solos' for Viola and Basso Continuo (around 1778)
• Six Sonatas for Harpsichord and Viola or Flute (around 1791)
• A Harpsichord Concerto
• A Viola Concerto
• A Clarinet Overture
• A Clarinet Trio

Vocal Music

• Glory be to the Father (a five-part Canon, 1769)
• The Cock Match (a four-part Catch, 1769)
• Love inform thy faithful creature (a four-part Glee, around 1775)
• Strepton and Myrtilla (a Cantata with Violin solo, Viola or Flute, and Basso Continuo, around 1785)
• A collection of psalms and hymns (around 1790)
• A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the use of parish churches (arranged by Pieter Hellendaal the Younger, 1793)
• Tweedledum and Tweedledee (a four-part Glee with Basso Continuo, around 1790)
• 'Two Glees' (four-parts with Strings and Basso Continuo, around 1791)

Lost Vocal Works

One vocal work, Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount (around 1797), is also lost.

Recordings

You can find recordings of Pieter Hellendaal's music, such as:

• Pieter Hellendaal: 6 Concerti Grossi – played by the European Community Baroque Orchestra.
• Pieter Hellendaal: "Rondo in D major" – on the album English 18th-century Violin Sonatas.