Flothuis, Marius (Hendrikus)

Flothuis, Marius (Hendrikus), Dutch composer and musicologist; b. Amsterdam, Oct. 30, 1914. He received his rudimentary musical education at home from his uncle, who taught him piano. He then had piano lessons with Arend Koole and studied piano, harpsichord, and theory with Hans Brandts-Buys. After studying classical philology at the Univ. of Amsterdam (1932–36) and musicology at the Univ. of Utrecht (1932–34), he returned to the Univ. of Amsterdam to study musicology (1934–37). Flothuis was awarded his doctorate in 1969 for his diss. Mozarts Bearbeitungen eigener und fremder Werke (publ. in Kassel, 1969). He served as asst. manager of the Concertgebouw Orch. Amsterdam. After the occupation of the Netherlands by the Germans in 1940, he was dismissed from his job (his wife was half Jewish). On Sept. 18, 1943, he was arrested by the Nazis on the charge of hiding Jews, and trans-ported to the concentration camp in Vught, the Netherlands, and a year later to a German labor camp. His liberation came on May 4, 1945, in a forest near Schwerin. He returned to Amsterdam and was reinstated at his managerial job at the Concertgebouw Orch. in 1953. From 1955 to 1974 he was artistic director of the Concertgebouw Orch. In 1974 he was appointed prof. of musicology at the Univ. of Utrecht. In his compositions, Flothuis adopted the motivic method of melodic writing and its concomitant form of variations in freely dissonant counterpoint and largely neo- Classical format. Dissatisfied with his youthful works, he destroyed his MSS dating before 1934.

Works

ORCH Concertino for Small Orch. (1940); Small Overture for Soprano and Orch. (1942); Dramatic Overture (1943–46); Flute Concerto (Utrecht, Dec. 19, 1945); Concerto for Horn and Small Orch. (1945); Valses sentimentales for Small Orch. (1946; also for Piano, 4-Hands); Concerto for Piano and Small Orch. (1946–48); Capriccio for Wind Orch. (1949); Capriccio for String Orch. (1949); Concerto for Violin and Small Orch. (1950; Utrecht, Jan. 14, 1952); Fantasia for Harp and Small Orch. (1953; Amsterdam, May 26, 1955); Sinfonietta concertante for Clarinet, Saxophone, and Small Orch. (1954–55; Amsterdam, June 2, 1955); Concert Overture (1955); Rondo festoso (Amsterdam, July 7, 1956); Clarinet Concerto (1957); Symphonic Music (1957); Spes patriae, sinfonietta for Small Orch. (1962); Espressioni cordiali, 7 bagatelles for Strings (1963); Canti e Giouchi (Songs and Games) for Wind Quintet and Strings (1964); Concertino for Oboe and Small Orch. (1968); Per Sonare ed Ascoltare, 5 canzonas for Flute and Orch. (1971); Nocturne (1977); Cantus amoris for Strings (1979); Adagio for String Orch. and Speaking Voice (1997). CHAMBER: Sonata for Solo Cello (1937–38); Nocturne for Flute, Oboe, and Clarinet (1941); Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, and Bassoon (1941–12); Sonata da camera for Flute and Piano (1943); Aria for Trumpet and Piano (1944); 3 Pieces for 2 Horns (1945); Ronde champetre for Flute and Harpsichord (1945); Sonata for Solo Violin (1945); Partita for Violin and Piano (1950); Pour le tombeau d’Orphee for Harp (1950); Trio serio for Viola, Cello, and Piano (1950–51); Sonata da camera for Flute and Harp (1951); Small Suite for 12 Harps (1951; in collaboration with L. van Delden); String Quartet (1951–52); Small Suite for Oboe, Trumpet, Clarinet or Saxophone, and Piano (1952); Divertimento for Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Violin, Viola, and Double Bass (1952); 4 invenzioni for 4 Horns (1963); Partita for 2 Violins (1966); Concertino for Oboe, Violin, Viola, and Cello (1967); Allegro vivace for 2 Harps (1969); Caprices roumains for Oboe and Piano (1975); Adagio for Piano, 4-Hands, and Percussion (1975); Romeo’s Lament for Horn (1975); Canzone for 2 Clarinets, Basset Horn, and Bass Clarinet (1978); Capriccio for 4 Saxophones (1985–86); Sonata for Oboe, Horn, and Harpsichord (1986); Preludio e Fughetta for 3 Trumpets (1986); Quartet for 2 Violins, Viola, and Cello (1991–92); Quintet for Harp, Flute, Violin, Viola, and Cello (1995); piano pieces. VOCAL: Hymnus for Soprano and Orch. (1965); Santa Espina for Mezzo-soprano and Orch. (1985–86); numerous other pieces, including choral works and songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire