Review – Frits Zwart, Jan Zwart

Frits Zwart, Jan Zwart. Biografie van een gedreven organist en toonkunstenaar.
Utrecht: KokBoekencentrum Uitgevers, 2025
748 blz.
ISBN 9789043543750
ISBN 9789043543767 (e-book)
Prijs: € 39,99 (hardback),
€ 24,99 (e-book)
Bestellen: www.kokboekencentrum.nl

Jan Zwart is a unique phenomenon in Dutch organ culture. I am not the only person to have been captivated by his organ music in my youth. Although his work now seems to be performed less frequently, even within circles devoted to popular Protestant organ music, his name still carries an almost magical resonance. A cult arose around him, yet he was also met with resistance and vilification. He may be regarded as the father of the popular chorale settings which, in a variety of forms, live on to this day. In his own lifetime, it was above all his organ recitals on the radio that brought him recognition and appreciation among a wide audience.