Archive Bertus van Lier

Number of the description of the archive:

UBGcb017

Description of the archive made by:

Frida van Til, 2024

Description of the collection

Brief overview

Name of the archive: Archive Bertus van Lier (1906-1972)

Provenance: Donated by Gerrit Jan Hoenderdaal

Dated: ca. 1927-1974

Size: 1 archive box, two scores, 5 tubes

Language of the materials: Dutch, German

Summary: Archive of Bertus van Lier (1906-1972), composer

Archive number: UBG017

Institute: University of Groningen

Retainer: University Library Groningen

Provenance and acquisition

Biography

Bertus (Lambertus) van Lier was born in Utrecht on 10 September 1906. He received his first music lessons, theory and cello lessons as an eight-year-old at Utrecht's Toonkunst music school, and with the boys' choir of “Toonkunst” he sang in performances of Bach's Matthew Passion.

As a grammar school student, he got involved in the performance of a Greek tragedy, Bacchantes by Euripides, for which Dutch composer and author on music Willem Pijper had composed music. Thus began Van Lier's relationship with Pijper, who immediately accepted him as a pupil. After his final exams in 1927, Van Lier wanted to continue his studies with Pijper to study singing at the Conservatory. Pijper did not allow him to study singing. So Van Lier studied composition with Pijper (1926-1932) and cello as a principal subject with Orobio de Castro at the Amsterdam Conservatory. He completed his studies with a course in orchestral conducting with the conductor Hermann Scherchen in Strasbourg (1933).

Van Lier taught composition at the Utrecht Conservatory, the Rotterdam Toonkunst Conservatory and the Amsterdam Muzieklyceum, among others. With some regularity, he was invited as a guest conductor.

Van Lier's music is characterised by a very personal sound with important elements of flowing melody, strict counterpoint, euphonious harmonics and thoughtful metrics.

In 1960, Van Lier accepted an appointment at the University of Groningen, where he taught musicology. In 1964, the RUG awarded him an honorary doctorate. Van Lier's public lecture as lecturer was entitled Rhytme and Metrum, one of the recurring themes in his thinking and work. During his Groningen years, he conducted the student orchestra ‘Bragi’.

Van Lier died in 1972, aged 65, at his home in Roden.

Source: http://www.bertusvanlier.nl/biografie.html

Acquisition

Future additions

Contents and collation

The archive contains sheet music, books, scores, overprints.

Instructions for users of the archive

Accessibility

The archive is accessible for research purposes. To look at the archive, a University Library Access Pass is required. 

Limitations to use

The materials in this archive are available for viewing only. They cannot be borrowed. When consulting these materials, the rules set out in the Reglement voor de gebruikers van de Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit Groningen apply. Reproductions, insofar as they are allowed, are to be made in line with the rules set out in the Tarieven en diensten Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. 

Accessing the archive

An inventory of the archive is available.

Citations

When referencing (materials from) this archive, the following information must be provided in full at least once. After this, an abbreviated citation suffices.

• Archive: University Library Groningen, Archive Bertus van Lier

• Individual items: Groningen, UB, Bertus van Lier [UBG017]

Requests

The materials in this archive can be requested in SmartCat or by sending an email to the Special Collections department.