Coenraad V. Bos

Coenraad Valentijn Bos (7 December 1875 – 5 August 1955) was a Dutch pianist, most notably as an accompanist to singers of lieder.[1] His peers such as Gerald Moore considered him the doyen of accompanists in his day.[2]

Coenraad V. Bos ca. 1911
Julia Culp and Coenraad V. Bos, circa 1915

Biography

He was born in Leiden in 1875. He studied under Julius Röntgen and at the Berlin High School for Music.[3] He decided early to become an accompanist, a field of which he made a special study.

On 9 November 1896, in the presence of the composer, and still a month shy of his 21st birthday, he accompanied the Dutch baritone Anton Sistermans at the premiere of Brahms' Vier ernste Gesänge in Vienna.[4][5]

For many years he worked with singers such as Raimund von zur-Mühlen, Elena Gerhardt (USA tour 1920, Spanish tour 1928), Julia Culp, Frieda Hempel, Alexander Kipnis,[6] Gervase Elwes, Ludwig Wüllner and Helen Traubel (he accompanied Traubel on a world tour in 1945–46).[5]

He appeared with the 13-year-old Yehudi Menuhin in Berlin on 23 April 1929,[7] and they exchanged inscribed photographs of themselves in commemoration of the event[5] (Bos's gift to Menuhin is now in the Museum of the Royal Academy of Music[8]).

He recorded lieder of Brahms, Reger, Schubert, Schumann and Wolf with Elena Gerhardt (1927–32). He figures prominently in the Hugo Wolf Society's Complete Edition 1931–38, accompanying Gerhardt, Herbert Janssen, Gerhard Hüsch, Alexandra Trianti and Elisabeth Rethberg.[9][10]

He died in Chappaqua, New York, United States on 5 August 1955, aged 79.[1][3][11]

Legacy

He preserved his musical memories in "The Well-tempered Accompanist" (1949; co-written with Ashley Pettis).[12][13]

References
  1. "Coenraad V. Bos, Accompanist, Dies. Pianist, Authority on Lieder, Was Friend of Brahms Lectured at Juilliard". New York Times. August 6, 1955. Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  2. His name appeared in older sources as Coenraad van Bos, but that was an error; his middle name was Valentijn (also spelt Valentyn) leading to the form Coenraad V. Bos.
  3. Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed, 1954, Vol. I, p. 828, BOS, Coenraad v.
  4. The Organ Music of Johannes Brahms - Barbara Owen. Books.google.com.au. 2007-06-25. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  5. "Coenraad Valentijn Bos - meesterbegeleider" (in Dutch). 401dutchdivas.nl. Archived from the original on 2013-01-12. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  6. "Alexander Kipnis sings "Michelangelo Lieder"". YouTube. 2011-02-03. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  7. "Yehudi Menuhin's Concert List". Toshima.ne.jp. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  8. "Museum & Collections - Royal Academy of Music". Apollo.ram.ac.uk. 1929-04-26. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  9. "The Hugo Wolf Society - The Complete Edition 1931-1938". ArkivMusic. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  10. "An Eloquent Story". Ozartsreview.hostingsuccess.com. 2010-08-04. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  11. Some sources say he died in Mount Kisco on 6 August.
  12. http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001457501
  13. https://www.amazon.com/The-Well-Tempered-Accompanist-Coenraad-Bos/dp/B000WHBDX4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337639390&sr=8-2
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