Hess, Joachim

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Hess, Joachim

Hess, Joachim, Dutch organist, harpsichordist, and music scholar of German descent; b. Leeuwarden, Sept. 24, 1732; d. Zeist, Dec. 27, 1819. While still a youth, he served as organist at the Lutheran church in Leeuwarden. After serving as organist at the Lutheran church in Gouda (1749–53) and at the Grote Kerk in Maasluis (1753–54), he returned to Gouda as organist at the Grote Kerk (1754–1813). Hess was an authority on the organ. His Dispositien der merkwaardigste Kerk-Orgelen, welken in de zeven vereenigde provincien als mede in Duytsland en elders aagetroffen worden (Gouda, 1774), continued in MS (c. 1815), and in Korte schets van de allereerste uitvinding en verdere voortgang der orgelen tot op dezen tijd (Gouda, 1810), are primary sources on the history of organ building. He also wrote two guides to performing practice, Luister van het orgel and Over de vereischten in eenen organist (Gouda, 1807).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire