160
8 In the Meantime in Groningen
his retirement had promised him. Also Hudig, a young neighbor, who quickly
became a friend, read to him regularly from geological and historical works, and
those evenings were a great pleasure for both of them. Mrs. Kapteyn read him
novels of their choice every day, and colorful magazine stories that amused him.
They also worked together a lot, because gradually it became a habit for her to
write the letters he dictated. And since his correspondence was very extensive,
this was an invaluable help. And so the difficult years went by, until his eyes
healed and he himself was master of his fate again.
Joost Hudig (1880–1967) was a chemical engineer, specialized in soil science. He worked at the ‘Rijks-landbouwproefstation’, the national facility for
agricultural experiments in Groningen. He assisted Kapteyn in his activities
for the Natural Sciences Society, and, as mentioned above, he later became
Henriette’s second husband.
When he was about 60 years old, he attended a music course to learn to understand this form of art better. He was not very talented musically, never played any
musical instrument and did not have a beautiful voice. However, he had his own
way of musical expression, which was called ‘trumpets’ at home. As soon as it was
heard, Mrs. Kapteyn was irresistibly driven to the piano and she accompanied
him, which created a rather original effect. One could hear him coming home
singing all the time, even in the middle of his work he could suddenly burst into
singing, mostly pieces from well-known sonatas and symphonies, which were
familiar to him. He always wished to hear the same old familiar pieces, the new
compositions had little attraction to him. But art itself, the unattainable, was for
him a mystery, it filled him with a quiet, almost shy reverence and for an artist he
felt the deepest awe. He followed a music course, given by Peter van Anrooy, the
then conductor of the Groningen orchestra, which interested him exceptionally.
Every Wednesday evening he attended the musical performance of the orchestra
in ‘de Harmonie’, he immersed himself in the beauties of music and felt himself
enriched all over again. His acquaintance with van Anrooy, which soon became
a warm friendship, brought him closer to art. He found many parallels between
science and art. Were not both in their highest form selfless and working for the
ideal they had set themselves, searching for truth and purest expression? Insensitive to worldly fame and prosperity to give the highest that dwells in her? This
is how he saw art as the sister of science.
Peter Gijsbert van Anrooy (1879–1954) was appointed conductor of the
local orchestra of Groningen in 1905. In 1910 he became conductor in Arnhem
and again later (in 1917) of the ‘Residence Orchestra’ in Den Haag, also known
as the The Hague Philharmonic. The ‘Harmonie’ (see Fig. 8.5) dates from
1856. It featured a large concert hall with reputedly famous acoustics. After
8 In the Meantime in Groningen
his retirement had promised him. Also Hudig, a young neighbor, who quickly
became a friend, read to him regularly from geological and historical works, and
those evenings were a great pleasure for both of them. Mrs. Kapteyn read him
novels of their choice every day, and colorful magazine stories that amused him.
They also worked together a lot, because gradually it became a habit for her to
write the letters he dictated. And since his correspondence was very extensive,
this was an invaluable help. And so the difficult years went by, until his eyes
healed and he himself was master of his fate again.
Joost Hudig (1880–1967) was a chemical engineer, specialized in soil science. He worked at the ‘Rijks-landbouwproefstation’, the national facility for
agricultural experiments in Groningen. He assisted Kapteyn in his activities
for the Natural Sciences Society, and, as mentioned above, he later became
Henriette’s second husband.
When he was about 60 years old, he attended a music course to learn to understand this form of art better. He was not very talented musically, never played any
musical instrument and did not have a beautiful voice. However, he had his own
way of musical expression, which was called ‘trumpets’ at home. As soon as it was
heard, Mrs. Kapteyn was irresistibly driven to the piano and she accompanied
him, which created a rather original effect. One could hear him coming home
singing all the time, even in the middle of his work he could suddenly burst into
singing, mostly pieces from well-known sonatas and symphonies, which were
familiar to him. He always wished to hear the same old familiar pieces, the new
compositions had little attraction to him. But art itself, the unattainable, was for
him a mystery, it filled him with a quiet, almost shy reverence and for an artist he
felt the deepest awe. He followed a music course, given by Peter van Anrooy, the
then conductor of the Groningen orchestra, which interested him exceptionally.
Every Wednesday evening he attended the musical performance of the orchestra
in ‘de Harmonie’, he immersed himself in the beauties of music and felt himself
enriched all over again. His acquaintance with van Anrooy, which soon became
a warm friendship, brought him closer to art. He found many parallels between
science and art. Were not both in their highest form selfless and working for the
ideal they had set themselves, searching for truth and purest expression? Insensitive to worldly fame and prosperity to give the highest that dwells in her? This
is how he saw art as the sister of science.
Peter Gijsbert van Anrooy (1879–1954) was appointed conductor of the
local orchestra of Groningen in 1905. In 1910 he became conductor in Arnhem
and again later (in 1917) of the ‘Residence Orchestra’ in Den Haag, also known
as the The Hague Philharmonic. The ‘Harmonie’ (see Fig. 8.5) dates from
1856. It featured a large concert hall with reputedly famous acoustics. After