Joop Voorn (16/10/1932 - 11/07/2021), a Dutch composer; born in The Hague, The Netherlands. He studied piano, organ and harmony with, among others, Jean Claessens. From 1952 to 1966 he studied philosophy and theology, partly in Rome, where he also followed counterpoint lessons with Edgardo Carducci (Istituto Pontificio di Musica Sacra). After having finished his theological studies in Nijmegen, he studied composition and music theory with Jan van Dijk at the Brabant Conservatory of Music, and piano with Polo de Haas. In 1969 he obtained his certificate music theory B, with a special note for Stravinsky's dodecaphony. He also studied painting, at the Academy of Beautiful Arts in Arendonk (Belgium).
In 1969 Voorn was appointed teacher for music analysis and counterpoint at the Brabant Conservatory of Music, a function he held until 1995.
As a composer Voorn has principally written in the dodecaphonic style (from Cyclus for organ to the choral work Of the twelve years old one in the temple). Serial elements (rhythm) can be found among others, in Ludi et Interludi and the Second string quartet, for example. He also made use of the so-called proportional notation, sometimes combined with metric notation (Trio Nakupenda, Sucevita Chorals and Immobile). Around 1975 he returned to the exact notation system. From that time on a clear chord quality can often be heard again. Though Voorn's music cannot be called tonal, more traditional harmonies are not shunned. In his music Voorn does not pursue aggresive or "rough" effects. There are two principles that rule his musical ideas: the linearity of polyphony, and the invention of sound. Voorn pursues a certain melodiousness, clearness, transparency of sound. His music is never "noisy", neither in sound, nor in its emotional contents.
In 1975 Voorn was awarded the Conservatory Prize for composition. In 1988 he was awarded the 3rd prize at the Florilège Vocal competition in Tours (France).