Sam Swaap (Amsterdam, 15.10.1888 – Den Haag, 08.11.1971): Dutch violinist and conductor. Studied at the Amsterdam conservatory and from 1904-1907 with Carl Flesch (1873-1944), the famous violin pedagogue who had pupils such as Szymon Goldberg, Ida Haendel, Josef Hassid, Jo Juda, Isolde Menges, Ginette Neveu, Ricardo Odnoposoff, Joachim Röntgen, Max Rostal, Henryk Szeryng, Henri Temianka and Josef Wolfsthal.
1900-1913: violinist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra
1913-1915: concertmaster in Abo (Finland)
1915-1917: second concertmaster of the Residentie Orkest, The Hague
1917-1949: first concertmaster of the Residentie Orkest, The Hague.
1948: he formed the Dutch Chamber Symphony Orchestra and conducted this orchestra.
Also conductor of the Hague West Netherlands Symphony Orchestra.
He formed a duo with cellist Charles van Isterdael, with whom he recorded several 78rpm records. This duo was also part of the Haagsche Strijkkwartet: Sam Swaap, first violin; Adolf Poth, second violin; Jean Devert, viola; Charles van Isterdael, cello. I do not know exactly how long this quartet existed: it was founded in 1918 and in any case celebrated their 20th anniversary in 1938, with unchanged line-up.
At the Gala concert on the occasion of Juliana and Bernhard’s wedding anniversary in The Hague in 1937, the Nazi Horst Wessellied was played! Conductor Peter van Anrooy refused to conduct and was replaced by Captain Walther Boer. Twenty orchestra members refused to play and were replaced. Concertmaster Sam Swaap demonstratively stood in front of the audience with his violin under his arm while the Nazi song was played. During the 2nd World War he was dismissed from the Residentie Orkest. In 1944 he was deported to concentration camp Theresienstadt. After the war he came back to the Residentie Orkest and resumed playing from november 1945 until 1949.
The composer Léon Orthel (1905-1985) dedicated his Capriccio op. 19 (1939) to Sam Swaap.
Sam Swaap, violin:
00:00 1 Arioso (Händel)
03:52 2 Le déluge: Prélude (Saint-Saëns)
78rpm 30 cm: HMV C 4817 (2-097900/1)
Matrix nrs.: Cc 2032-1 / Cc-2034-3
Recorded: 1922 10 26
11:54 3 Liebesfreud (Kreisler)
15:44 4 Liebesleid (Kreisler)
78rpm 30 cm: HMV C 4821 (2-097904/5)
Matrix nrs.: Cc 3451-1 / Cc 3446-2
Recorded: 1923 09 17
15:44 5 Caprice (Fiorillo)
18:37 6 Berceuse de Jocelyn (Godard)
78rpm 25 cm: HMV B 4619 (7-97911/12)
Matrix nrs.: Bb 3444-3 / Bb 3445-2
Recorded: 1923 09 17
1 – 2: + piano and organ
3 – 6: Lawrance Collingwood, piano
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