Gerard von Brucken Fock

Gerardus Hubertus Galenus von Brucken Fock (28 December 1859 – 15 August 1935) was a nineteenth-century classical Dutch pianist who gave up his career as a performer to compose and paint. Constantly torn between art and church, he traveled much in Europe, later establishing himself in Amsterdam. He married the daughter of a member of the Zeeland parliament. He joined the Salvation Army and traveled from place to place in France, preaching and playing organ. He was also considered a very good draftsman and watercolorist whose works often inspired his own musical pieces. His orchestral works frequently lean towards French Impressionists like Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Life Family and education Gerard von Brucken Fock (also known as Geert) was born as Gerardus Hubertus Galenus Fock on Ter Hooge Castle, Koudekerke, in the outskirts of Middelburg where he spent the summers of his early childhood. His father was Henri Dignes von Brucken Fock and his mother Johanna Kuykendall. He had three brothers, one of them being Abraham Emilius von Brucken Fock, a soldier who later acquired fame as a composer as well. Less than four years later his father changed his name to “von Brucken Fock”