DRESDEN, SEM

DRESDEN, SEM (1881–1957), composer and teacher. Born in Amsterdam, Dresden studied there and with Pfitzner in Berlin. In 1914 he founded a choral ensemble which gave concerts of the works of the great Dutch composers and of Renaissance and modern works. He was director of the Amsterdam Conservatory (1924–37) and of the Royal Conservatory at The Hague (1937–40; 1945–49), and for a number of years president of the Society of Dutch Composers and of the Dutch section of the International Society of Contemporary Music. His compositions include Chorus Tragicus for choir, wind instruments, and percussion (1928, after Vondel's Hierusalem verwoest); Psalm 84 for choir "based on an old Hebrew prayer"; concertos for various instruments; orchestral and chamber works; and an opera, Toto (1945). He also wrote and edited books on music history and theory.