Bob van Asperen (born 8 October 1947, in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

) is a Dutch harpsichordist and early keyboard instrument performer, as well as a conductor. He graduated in 1971 from the

Amsterdam Conservatory The Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA) is a Dutch conservatoire of music located in Amsterdam. This school is the music division of the Amsterdam University of the Arts, the city's vocational university of arts. The Conservatorium van Amsterdam ...

, where he studied the

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

with

Gustav Leonhardt Gustav Maria Leonhardt (30 May 1928 – 16 January 2012) was a Dutch keyboardist, conductor, musicologist, teacher and editor. He was a leading figure in the historically informed performance movement to perform music on period instruments. Le ...

and the

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks' ...

with Albert de Klerk. Since then he has been performing extensively in Europe and the rest of the world as a soloist and accompanist/conductor. In addition to his live performances, he has recorded repeatedly for several labels, including Sony, EMI, Teldec, Virgin, and Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, specialising in the keyboard repertoire of the 16th - 18th centuries, such as the harpsichord works of Froberger, J. S. Bach, and

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

. One of the most important discography projects he has undertaken is the complete keyboard works of C.P.E. Bach and also the complete sonatas of Catalan composer Antonio Soler (Astrée, 1992). Various other projects are under way, while many of his recordings have been awarded numerous prizes, such as the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and the Diapason d'Or. Bob van Asperen has taught at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and the

and for the past thirty years he has given master-classes in Europe, USA and elsewhere. In addition to his teaching activities, he has contributed as a musicologist and editor of several modern editions of works by J. S. Bach and Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, as well as other early Dutch composers.

External links

Biography on Bach Cantatas Website

Biography on Oxford Index

Biography on allmusic.com

Biography on Piccola Academia di Montisi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asperen, Bob van 1947 births Living people Dutch harpsichordists Dutch conductors (music) Male conductors (music) Dutch classical organists Male classical organists Dutch musicologists Academic staff of the Royal Conservatory of The Hague Musicians from Amsterdam 21st-century conductors (music) 21st-century organists 21st-century male musicians