Coenen, Frans (EN)

Coenen Frans, *26 December 1826 Rotterdam, †24 January 1904 Leiden, son of Ludovicus, Dutch violinist and composer. After studying under his father, in 1840–43, he studied violin with B. Molique in Stuttgart and H. Vieuxtemps in Brussels. In 1838, he made his first public appearance, performing Introduction and Variations by F. David. In 1848–50, he gave concerts in Venezuela, Central America and the United States with the pianist H. Herz, and in 1851–54, he toured South America with the pianist E. Lübeck. In 1854, he settled in Amsterdam, where from 1856, he led a string quartet, presenting a repertoire little known in the Netherlands; he also played in various orchestras. In 1871, he chaired two singing societies specialising in Renaissance music. From 1877 to 1895, he was the director of a music school (from 1884 a conservatory).

Coenen’s choral works, with a generally homophonic texture, reveal the influence of F. Mendelssohn, R. Schumann and G. Meyerbeer. His salon mazurkas, composed during a tour of South America, used to be very popular.