Simon Gokkes

21 Mar 1897 - 5 Feb 1943

• OCCUPATION: Musician, Director, Composer
  
• BIRTH: 21 Mar 1897, Amsterdam
• DEATH: 5 Feb 1943, Auschwitz

• MARRIAGE: 22 Nov 1922, Amsterdam

1.  David Jacob Gokkes
2.  Rachel Simona Gokkes

                                              _Joseph Davids Gokkes ___________+
                                             | (1790 - 1859) m 1821            
                       _Jacob Joseph Gokkes _|
                      | (1825 - ....) m 1850 |
                      |                      |_Leentje de Vries _______________+
                      |                        (1785 - 1859) m 1821            
 _David Gokkes _______|
| (1862 - 1931) m 1895|
|                     |                       _Benjamin Wolf Liepman de Vries _+
|                     |                      | (1785 - 1865) m 1825            
|                     |_Rebecca de Vries ____|
|                       (1824 - ....) m 1850 |
|                                            |_Jansje Izaak van der Sluis _____+
|                                              (1797 - 1875) m 1825            
|
|--Simon Gokkes 
|  (1897 - 1943)
|                                             _Elkan Jacob Rimini _____________+
|                                            | (1775 - ....) m 1805            
|                      _Jechiël Rimini ______|
|                     | (1811 - 1892) m 1843 |
|                     |                      |_Judith Abraham Messias _________
|                     |                        (1774 - ....) m 1805            
|_Rachel Rimini ______|
  (1864 - 1934) m 1895|
                      |                       _Simon de David Vieijra _________+
                      |                      | (1781 - 1830) m 1805            
                      |_Rebecca Vieijra _____|
                        (1823 - 1892) m 1843 |
                                             |_Sara Messias ___________________+
                                               (1783 - 1850) m 1805            

[468]
Sim Gokkes (1897-1943) is known as an innovator of synagogal music. As a boy, his first singing lessons were from Ben Geysel, an opera singer and at that time conductor at the Rembrandt-Theater with the Opera of 'Pauwel en Kreeft'. His second teacher was Victor Schlesinger, cantor of the Rapenburg Synagogue in Amsterdam. In 1912 Gokkes finished his first compositions: 'Ngolinu Leshabiag' and 'Yigdal'. The last one was performed at this synagogue.
Gokkes was conductor of several choirs while still in his teens (1914). He was very successful as he won first prize in a competition for 'double-male-quartets' in 1915. Later, at the Amsterdam Conservatory as a student of Sem Dresden, he studied piano with flute as a second instrument. He finished his studies in 1919.
He worked as an assistant director at the Netherlands Opera of 'Pauwels en Kreeft' and in 1921/22 he founded 'The Amsterdam School of Choir'. His main goal was to educate singers and equip them not only with good technical skills but especially train them in compiling and singing artistically challenging repertoire. In 1925, as conductor of 'De Vereenigde Zangers', he successfully performed several operas that had been almost forgotten: 'Il matrimonie Segreto' by Cimarosa, 'Les deux journées' by Cherubini and 'Le Voyage en Chine' by Basin. In that same year he celebrated a major success with his 'Psalm 130', chosen by the jury of the international singing competition 'Polyhymnia' in Haarlem as the best of 116 entries. For years Gokkes was the director of Santo Serviçio, the choir of the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam. He composed a Suite for small orchestra on the Jewish song 'Inter dem Kinden Wiegele', 'Kinah' for wind quintet and soloists with texts based on the Lamentation of the Prophet Jeremiah (chap. 1), an oratorio for large orchestra, choir and soloist, 'Cain' for male choir as well as several other works. The book 'Shir Kadesh' contains his compositions for the service at the synagogue.
In 1923 Gokkes married Rebecca Winnik. She was a pianist and they got two children: David and Rachel. Together with his entire family, Sim Gokkes was murdered in Auschwitz on February 5, 1943. His musical inheritance has almost completely been lost. Few of his works (manuscripts) can be found in the collection of the Nederlands Muziek Instituut.

Sim Gokkes manuscripts in the collection of the Nederlands Muziek Instituut, The Hague:

De Pelgrim voor Jeruzalem, Amsterdam May 1928
Text: Israel de Haan
Voice and piano
Autograph score

Kaddisch, Amsterdam June 1928
Voice and piano
Autograph score

C'en est fait, June 1928
Text: Ernest Bussy
Voice and piano
Autograph score

Kermesse d'été, Amsterdam May 1928
Text: Willem de Mérode
Voice and piano
Autograph score

Duiven, Amsterdam May 1928
Text: François Pauwels
Voice and piano
Autograph score

La lune blanche luit dans les bois, Amsterdam June 1928
Text: Verlaine
Voice and piano
Autograph score

Twee Hebreeuwse liederen, Amsterdam 1926
Text: Jehuda-ben Samuel Hallevi
Voice and piano
Autograph score

Kaddisch, Amsterdam June 1928
Voice and piano
Autograph score

Sonatine, June 1939
Piano
Autograph score

Kinah, Amsterdam April 1928
To the lamentations of Jeremiah Chapter I verses 1-8
Solo voices , wind kwintet and piano
Autograph score
An edition of the score is being prepared by the Nederlands Muziek Instituut in co-operation with Donemus

Source: Leo Smit Foundation

___________________________________________________________________

Zilveren Jubileum van Sim.Gokkes.

Sim Gokkes, die op 7 December a.s. zijn 25-jarig toonkunstenaarschap herdenkt, is deze loopbaan reeds op 15-jarige leeftijd begonnen met het componeren van "Ngoleinoe Lesjabeeiag" dat evenals het onmiddelijk daarop "Jigdal", het eerste door het koor in de Rapenburgerstraat-Synagoge werd uitgevoerd.

Reeds op 10-jarige leeftijd was de jubilaris opgemerkt door Ben Geysel, den toenmalige kapelmeester van het Rembrant-Theater bij de Opera pauwels en Kreeft, die hem geheel belangeloos zangonderricht gaf, hetgeen later door voorzanger Schlesinger werd voortgezet. Verder ontving hij o.a. zangles van Mevr.W.de Veer-de Lange en onderwijs in de verschillende andere vakken aan het Instituut voor Muziek te Haarlem, onder directeur Joh.de Veer. Ook op spraakstudie legde de heer Gokkes zich toe. Op circa 18-jarige leeftijd kwam hij aan het Conservatorium onder Sem Dresden - over wien hij met grote bewondering spreekt en van wien hij, naar eigen zeggen zeer veel geleerd heeft - en behaalde in 1919 zijn einddiploma.

Simon heeft gewoond tot 2-2-1943 in de Tilanusstraat 78.I. te Amsterdam.

Source: Dutch Jewry Data Base

[14776]
Bron Burgerlijke stand - Huwelijk
Archieflocatie Noord-Hollands Archief
Algemeen Gemeente: Amsterdam
Soort akte: Huwelijksakte
Aktenummer: reg.4L;fol.10
Datum: 22-11-1922
Bruidegom Simon Gokkes
Leeftijd: 25
Geboorteplaats: Amsterdam
Bruid Rebecca Winnik
Leeftijd: 27
Geboorteplaats: Amsterdam
Vader bruidegom David Gokkes
Moeder bruidegom Rachel Rimini
Vader bruid Jacob Winnik
Moeder bruid Rachel Koopman
Nadere informatie beroep Bg.:muziekleraar;beroep vader Bg.:koopman;beroep Bd.:pianolerares;beroep vader Bd.:diamantslijper