Gerrit Jan van Eijken

Who was Gerrit Jan van Eijken?

Gerrit Jan van Eijken was a Dutch composer. He studied first under his father, Gerrit van Eijken, who was organist and bell-ringer at the Grote Kerk in Amersfoort. His elder brother Jan Albert van Eijken was also a composer.

In 1859 the organist Karl Emanuel Klitzsch commented favourably in the Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik on his works. But after initial successes he suffered from disappointment as a composer and became prey to alcoholism. In his last years he earned a living as an organist in London, and died at the age of 46.