93-Year-Old Veteran Hears His Symphony for the First Time
By: CNN
Updated: November 11, 2012
"My name is Harold Van Heuvelen. My age is 93 and I am a veteran
of World War Two.
In 1945, I was stationed in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the New Orleans army air base. Peace in Europe had already been written so they said we could do anything we wanted to. I decided to write a symphony.
During those 70 years that it set on the shelves. I would look at it every once in a while and think: "why is not this being played?"
"My brother and I came upon the bound copy of the symphony
I talked to Senator Carl Levin, a senator from Michigan where my dad lives.
Senator Levin wrote a letter to the Defense Department and the next thing we knew, we had a letter back from the Army secretary saying we would like to perform the symphony."
"I was kind of worried what I would see and I was so grateful when I opened the score and saw that it was tonal piece of music, very accessible, very melodic, neoromantic.
It has a special meaning. When you sit down and play something and you know exactly what's behind it. "
"So, the first movement of my symphony is about the sadness of that period. The extreme sadness and sorrow of the Holocaust and the terrible loss of life. "
"The second movement is sort of being geared for war. "
"The third movement is the warfare itself. The boys going to Omaha Beach and invading Germany."
"At the end of that movement, I have a victory march."
In 1945, I was stationed in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the New Orleans army air base. Peace in Europe had already been written so they said we could do anything we wanted to. I decided to write a symphony.
During those 70 years that it set on the shelves. I would look at it every once in a while and think: "why is not this being played?"
"My brother and I came upon the bound copy of the symphony
I talked to Senator Carl Levin, a senator from Michigan where my dad lives.
Senator Levin wrote a letter to the Defense Department and the next thing we knew, we had a letter back from the Army secretary saying we would like to perform the symphony."
"I was kind of worried what I would see and I was so grateful when I opened the score and saw that it was tonal piece of music, very accessible, very melodic, neoromantic.
It has a special meaning. When you sit down and play something and you know exactly what's behind it. "
"So, the first movement of my symphony is about the sadness of that period. The extreme sadness and sorrow of the Holocaust and the terrible loss of life. "
"The second movement is sort of being geared for war. "
"The third movement is the warfare itself. The boys going to Omaha Beach and invading Germany."
"At the end of that movement, I have a victory march."
