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Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Cor Lemaire

Cornelis Johannes Lemaire was a Dutch Pianist, conductor, and composer, best known for his collaborations with Wim Kan and Annie MG Schmidt.

He was born on 11 June 1908, in an artistic family. His parents were Jan Lemaire Sr. and Anna Anken.  His brother Jan Lemaire Jr. was also an actor.

Cor Lemaire’s career spanned over 60 years, and he composed more than 1000 songs.

Here are the top remarkable facts about him.

1. He Studied at Metropolitan Music School

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At the age of 12, Lemaire went to study at the metropolitan music school on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam, where the conservatory was also located.

He started composing music at the age of fifteen at the conservatory, where Julius R枚ntgen, Schulz, Henri毛tte Bosmans, and Sem Dresden played an important role in development. 

However, His studies were regularly interrupted due to a lack of school fees due to the financial difficulties his family was facing. 

He was only able to complete his education after the director of the school offered him a part-time job, and was able to complete his studies.

2. He Graduated as a Pianist

Cor graduated as a pianist after he received a sore 3陆 out of the highest possible score of 4. He was asked whether if he wanted to continue for the “Prix d’excellence” to which he declined.

He never gave reasons as to why he declined to continue but it didn’t stop him from having a brilliant career as a musician in the cabaret world.

3. He Performed With Louis David Cabaret

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At the age of 25, Cor joined and accompanied Louis Davids on the grand piano tour in the Kurhaus in Scheveningen. He also composed songs for him such as the song 鈥淗ollywood鈥�.

He also recorded his first composition, which earned him 10 guilders. For six years he worked as an accompanist in the winter at Rudolf Nelson’s famous cabaret and at Davids in the summer.

4. Cor Lemaire was a Member of ABC Cabaret

He rose to prominence in the 1930s as the pianist-composer for Louis Davids. He also composed the music for the feature film Boefje together with Cor  Steyn.

 After David’s death in 1939, Cor was invited by Wim Kan to take part in a tour of his cabaret to the Dutch East Indies. There they were arrested and put in a camp by the Japanese after the war broke out.  They only returned to the Netherlands in 1946  after the end of the war.

5. He was married to a fellow Musician

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After col returned from Japan, he divorced his first wife and married a fellow musician Elizabeth Patman.

He and Patman met on stage during one of his performances, the couple married in 1948, and together they had two children.

 6. He formed his own cabaret

In 1952, Lemaire left the ABC cabaret to form his own cabaret company, Cabaret Arabesque, which included Hetty Blok, among others. 

That same year, he started working with  Annie MG Schmidt. He composed several melodies for her radio and television programs. The most popular was the “Familie Doorsnee”, and later the television program Pension Homeless.

 One of his most famous compositions was ” I would like to put you in a box,”  which was performed by Henk van Olsen, and recorded by Donald Jones. 

7. He Played the Lead role in a Television Play

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In 1960 debuted on TV for the first time. He played the lead role in the television play 鈥淭he Barpianist鈥�, by Ted Allen. 鈥�, he also featured in the same capacity in 鈥淶out is de Zeewind鈥�, a musical by Cor Mulder, made in 1965.

In 1962 Cor composed the music for the feature film “Fairy Fair in the Rain” in which Co van Dijk, Andre van den Heuvel, and Kees Brussewere the main actors. The film was directed by  Kees Brusse.

8. He Returned a Golden Harp award Medal

In his later years, Cor Lemaire lived a relatively withdrawn life. This was mainly because he didn’t like the new music in the 60s. He said as long as he was concerned, the quality of music was going down.

when a Golden Harp was awarded to the Zangeres Zonder Naam in 1975, he returned his own medal which he had been awarded years earlier.

9. He was awarded The Order of Orange-Nassau

In his career, spanning more than 60 years, Lemaire composed and produced more than 1000 songs. He also composed and wrote music for other famous musicians of the 20^th century.

For his accomplishment, Cor was awarded the Order of Orange Nassau during his 60^th birthday celebrations in 1968.

The Order of Orange-Nassau is awarded for longstanding meritorious service to society, the State, or the Royal House.

10. He Collaborated with Caroline Kaart

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In the 1960s Cor started collaborating with Caroline Kaart which resulted in a number of television appearances as well as the production of a long-playing record (“A song with Caroline”).

Caroline Kaart was an opera singer of Scottish descent, presenter, and music teacher.