Van de Wall, Willem (1887-1953) | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

Name: Van de Wall, Willem (1887-1953)

Historical Note: Willem van de Wall was born in Amsterdam and emigrated to New York at 22 and served as a harpist in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and New York Symphony. He also was a choral director of the Washington Opera Company, a college professor, and a pioneer in the development of music therapy. “Music is a great unseen friend accompanying us from our cradle to our grave, always expressing for us, caressing us with, our dearest emotions of life,” he wrote in a pamphlet entitled Music as a Means of Discipline.

Sources: Clair, A. A., & Heller, G. N. (1989). "Willem van de Wall: Organizer and Innovator in Music Education and Music Therapy." Journal of Research in Music Education, 37 (3), 165–178. https://doi.org/10.2307/3344667

Records or Manuscript Collections Created by Van de Wall, Willem