Alphons Diepenbrock

Alphonsus Johannes Maria Diepenbrock, Dutch composer, essayist, and classicist, was not a musician by training. Raised in a prosperous Catholic family, he studied classics at the University of Amsterdam, earning his doctorate in 1888. Diepenbrock taught until 1894, when he chose to pursue music, despite being self-taught. His distinctive musical style fused 16th-century polyphony with Wagnerian chromaticism, later incorporating impressionistic influences from Debussy's music. Although his talents were underrated in his lifetime, Diepenbrock was an esteemed figure in musical circles, with works inspired by a diverse array of literary and cultural sources.