Willem Pijper

Willem Pijper (Zeist, September 8, 1894 - Utrecht, March 18, 1947) was a Dutch composer, music critic and music teacher. Pijper was born at Zeist, near Utrecht, on 8 September 1894 of strict Calvinist working-class parents. His father, who sometimes played psalm accompaniments on the harmonium, taught him the names of the notes of the treble clef when he was five. Willem subsequently discovered the use of sharps and flats and began composing simple melodies.