Kee, Piet(er Willem)
Kee, Piet(er Willem)
Kee, Piet(er Willem), eminent Dutch organist, pedagogue, and composer, son of Cornelius Kee; b. Zaandam, Aug. 30, 1927. He received training in organ from his father, and then from Anthon van de Horst at the Amsterdam Cons, (graduated, 1948). In 1941 he made his debut as an organist in Zaandam. In 1953, 1954, and 1955 he won the International Organ Improvisation Competition. From 1952 to 1987 he served as organist at St. Laurens in Alkmar, and from 1956 to 1989 as municipal organist at St. Bavo in Haarlem. He was prof, of organ at the Sweelinck Cons, in Amsterdam from 1954 to 1987. In 1972 he was made a Knight of the Order of Oranje-Nassau, and in 1987 he was elected an honorary fellow of the Royal Coll. of Organists in London. Kee has composed many solo works for organ, including Variations on a Carol (1954), Triptych on Psalm 86 (1960), 4 Manual Pieces (1966), and Bios (1994), as well as Confrontation for 3 Street Organs and Church Organ (1979). Among his other works are Music and Space for 2 Organs, 3 Trumpets, and 3 Trombones (1969), Integration for Chorus, Flageolet, Mechanical Birds, Barrel Organs, and Church Organ (1980), Plight for Flute (1992), Network for 2 Organs, Recorder, Saxophone, and Synthesizer (1996), choral pieces, and arrangements of hymns and folk songs.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire