Jan George Bertelman


Jan George Bertelman, was a Dutch composer and music teacher.

Life and work

Bertelman was born in Amsterdam in 1782, the son of Henry Joost Bertelman and Johanna Shock. When Bertelman was nine years old, his father died. He studied with Daniel Bracht Huyser, a blind organist who worked at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. In addition to his musical studies, Bertelman provided for his mother and himself through working other jobs. In Amsterdam, Bertelman was a composer, organist and music teacher. His pupils included John Bree, Richard Hol and Hermina Maria Dijk.
Bertelman was an honorary member of four organizations: the Royal Academy of Arts, the Society for Utilities General, the Society for the Promotion of Musical Arts, and the Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome. In 1842, he was appointed Knight of the Order of the Dutch Lion.
Bertelman married Dorothea Christina Kathman in Amsterdam on April 28, 1820. He died in January 1854 at the age of 72 in Amsterdam. His son, Johannes Jacobus Bertelman, was a painter and later became the co-founder of the .
Bertelman was buried in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, Bertelmanstraat and Bertelmanplein are named after him.
Bertelman is regarded as a competent music theorist who contributed to the development of harmony theory for musical instruments and as one of the first Dutch composers who realized the importance of Bach. As a composer he is considered a good but conservative artist.

Selected compositions