Peter Kooij (or, internationally Kooy, born 1954, in Soest) is a Dutch bass singer who specializes in

baroque music Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Classical music, Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance music, Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Class ...

Biography

Kooij started his musical career at 6 years as a choir boy. However he started his musical studies as a violin student. He came back to singing, with tuition from

Max van Egmond Max van Egmond (born 1 February 1936 in Semarang) is a Dutch bass and baritone singer. He has focused on oratorio and Lied and is known for singing works of Johann Sebastian Bach. He was one of the pioneers of historically informed performance of ...

at the

Sweelinck Conservatorium 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 ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

which led in 1980 to the award of the diploma for solo performance. His international career started in 1981 under the direction of

Philippe Herreweghe Philippe Maria François Herreweghe, Knight Herreweghe (born 2 May 1947) is a Belgian conductor and choirmaster. Herreweghe founded La Chapelle Royale and Collegium Vocale Gent and is renowned as a conductor, with a repertoire ranging from ...

, with La Chapelle Royale and the Collegium Vocale Gent, with whom he interpreted mainly

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

, and also performed

Henri Dumont Henri Dumont (also Henry Du Mont, originally Henry de Thier) (1610 – 8 May 1684) was a baroque composer of the French school, born in the Southern Netherlands. Life Dumont was born to Henry de Thier and Elisabeth Orban in Looz ( Borgloon). Th ...

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'' ''H.146, Marche en rondeau''. This theme is st ...

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( – 22 March 1687) was a French composer, dancer and instrumentalist of Italian birth, who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he spent most of his life working in the court o ...

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque music, Baroque composer and organ (music), organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and one of the most important composers of ...

and Jean Gilles. From the mid-1990s much of his career was dedicated to the recording of Bach's complete

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

s with the

Bach Collegium Japan Bach Collegium Japan (BCJ) is composed of an orchestra and a chorus specializing in Baroque music, playing on period instruments. It was founded in 1990 by Masaaki Suzuki with the purpose of introducing Japanese audiences to European Baroque musi ...

, directed by

Masaaki Suzuki is a Japanese organist, harpsichordist, conductor, and the founder and music director of the Bach Collegium Japan. With this ensemble he is recording the complete choral works of Johann Sebastian Bach for the Swedish label BIS Records, for whi ...

. In 2002 he founded together with Monika Frimmer,

Christa Bonhoff Christa Bonhoff is a German contralto and mezzo-soprano singer. Early life Bonhoff was born in Westphalia. Education Bonhoff studied singing at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, Hochschule für Musik Hamburg with Annie Schoonus ...

and Dantes Diwiak a quartet ''Tanto Canto'' to sing rarely performed music

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

, with piano or with ensemble. The quartet recorded in 2005 excerpts from the collections ''Augsburger Tafel-Confect'' (short for: ''Ohren-vergnügendes und Gemüth-ergötzendes Tafel-Confect'', in English: ''Augsburg Table Confectionery, Pleasuring the Ears and Delightful to the Soul'') of the composers

Valentin Rathgeber Johann Valentin Rathgeber (3 April 1682 – 2 June 1750) was a German composer, organist and choirmaster of the Baroque Era. Life Rathgeber was born in Oberelsbach. His father, an organist, gave him his first music lessons. At the beginning ...

and

Johann Caspar Seyfert Johann Caspar Seyfert (1697 – 26 May 1767, Augsburg) was a German composer, violinist and lute player. He was a music director in Augsburg where he was born and died. In 1746 he added a fourth volume to the ''Augsburger Tafel-Confect'', which Val ...

. Kooij has been teaching singing at the

Royal Conservatory of The Hague The Royal Conservatoire (, KC) is a conservatoire in The Hague, providing higher education in music and dance. The conservatoire was founded by King William I in 1826, making it the oldest conservatoire in the Netherlands. Since September 2021, t ...

since September 2005.

Recordings

With Philippe Herreweghe

* 1981 : ''Motets pour la Chapelle du roy'', Henri Dumont (Chapelle Royale) * 1985 : ''Motet Pour l'Offertoire de la Messe Rouge'' H.434 and ''Miserere'' H.219, Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Chapelle Royale) * 1985 : ''Grands Motets'', Jean-Baptiste Lully (Chapelle Royale) * 1985 : ''

St Matthew Passion The ''St Matthew Passion'' (), BWV 244, is a '' Passion'', a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander. It sets the 26th and 27th chapters of th ...

'', BWV 244, Johann Sebastian Bach (Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale) * 1987 : ''Musikalische Exequien'', Heinrich Schütz (Chapelle Royale) * 1988 : ''Johannes Passion'', BWV 245, Johann Sebastian Bach (Collegium Vocale, Orchestre de la Chapelle Royale) *1988 :

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

, Gabriel Fauré (version 1893) (Chapelle Royale, Ensemble Musique Oblique) * 1989 : ''Weihnachts-Oratorium'', BWV 248, Johann Sebastian Bach (Collegium Vocale) * 1989 : ''Les Lamentations de Jérémie'', Roland de Lassus (Ensemble Vocal Européen de la Chapelle Royale) * 1990 : Cantata ''Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats'', BWV 42, Johann Sebastian Bach (Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale) * 1990 : Magnificat, BWV 243, and Cantata ''Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott'', BWV 80, Johann Sebastian Bach (Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale) * 1990 : Missae, BWV 234 & 235, Johann Sebastian Bach (Collegium Vocale) * 1991 : ''Cantatas for bass'', BWV 56, 82 &

128 128 may refer to *128 (number), a natural number *AD 128, a year in the 2nd century AD *128 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *128 (New Jersey bus) *128 Nemesis, a main-belt asteroid *Fiat 128, also known as the Zastava 128, a small family car **SEAT ...

, Johann Sebastian Bach (Chapelle Royale) * 1990 : Requiem, Jean Gilles (Chapelle Royale) * 1991 : Missae, BWV 233 & 236, Johann Sebastian Bach (Collegium Vocale) * 1992 : Cantatas, BWV 131, 73 et

105 105 may refer to: *105 (number), the number * AD 105, a year in the 2nd century AD * 105 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 105 (telephone number), the emergency telephone number in Mongolia * 105 (MBTA bus), a Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority ...

, Johann Sebastian Bach (Collegium Vocale) * 1992 : ''Missa Viri Galilei'', Palestrina (Ensemble Vocal Européen de la Chapelle Royale) * 1993 : Cantatas, BWV 39, 93 et

107 107 may refer to: *107 (number), the number *AD 107, a year in the 2nd century AD *107 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *107 (New Jersey bus) *107 Camilla, a main-belt asteroid *Peugeot 107, a city car See also

*10/7 (disambiguation) *Bohrium, ...

, Johann Sebastian Bach (Collegium Vocale) * 1996 : '' Geistliche Chormusik'', Heinrich Schütz (Collegium Vocale)

With Ton Koopman

* 1992 : ''Motets à double Choeur'' H.403, H.404, H.135, H.136, H.137, H.392, H.410, H.167 by

(The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra). 2 CD Erato.

With Masaaki Suzuki

* 1995-2008 : Bach's complete cantatas (Bach Collegium Japan)

Solo recitals

* ''Mein Herz ist bereit'' German Solo cantatas for bass, violin and b. c. from the 17th century. - Bruhns ''Mein Herz ist bereit'',

Buxtehude Buxtehude (; , ), officially the Hanseatic City of Buxtehude (), is a town on the Este River in Northern Germany, belonging to the district of Stade in Lower Saxony. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region and attached to the city's S-Ba ...

, Tunder, Pachelbel,

Rosenmüller Rosenmüller is a surname of German origin. People with that name include: *Johann Rosenmüller Johann Rosenmüller (1619 – 10 September 1684) was a German Baroque music, Baroque composer, who played a part in transmitting Italian musical sty ...

, J. P. Krieger, Biber ''Nisi Dominus'' CordArte Ensemble, Pan Classics PC10211 2005 * ''De profundis clamavi'' – Weckmann, Bruhns, Geist, Buns, J. C. Bach. Armonia Sonora, Ramée 2007 * ''Harmonia Sacrae'' – Tunder ''An Wasserflüssen Babylon'', Meder ''Gott hilf mir; Ach Herr, strafe mich nicht mit deinem Zorn'', Christoph Weckmann ''Lamentatio Wie liegt die Stadt so wüste'',

Christoph Bernhard Christoph Bernhard (1 January 1628 – 14 November 1692) was born in Kolberg, Pomerania, and died in Dresden. He was a German Baroque composer and musician. He studied with former Sweelinck-pupil Paul Siefert in Danzig (now Gdańsk) and in W ...

''Sie haben meinen Herrn hinweggenommen'',

Buns A bun is a type of bread that is round and small enough that it can generally be eaten hand-held. Whether a bun is considered sweetened or unsweetened differs between countries: it is considered sweetened in the United Kingdom, a savory bread in ...

''Obstupescite'' Peter Kooij,

Hana Blažíková Hana Blažíková (born 2 December 1980) is a Czech soprano and harpist. She is focused on Medieval music, Medieval, Renaissance music, Renaissance and Baroque music, appearing internationally. She has recorded as a member of the Bach Collegium J ...

, L'Armonia Sonora, dir. Mieneke van der Velden,

Ramée Outhere Music is a Belgian classical music and jazz publisher, directed by Charles Adriaenssen, which owns several formerly independent labels, many of them boutique early music specialists: * Fuga Libera, a Belgian label founded in 2004 under t ...

. 2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kooy, Peter 1954 births Living people Dutch basses 20th-century Dutch male opera singers Dutch performers of early music Conservatorium van Amsterdam alumni People from Soest, Netherlands 21st-century Dutch male opera singers