Tom Dissevelt

Dutch Electronic Music Pioneer

Dutch composer and jazz musician, born March 4, 1921 in Leiden, Netherlands, died in 1989 in Soest, Netherlands. Tom Dissevelt was one of the most experimental musician in the Netherlands. Under the influence of Karlheinz Stockhausen's music, he was hired in 1956 by Philips in order to develop new ways in music on a scientific base in the natural sciences laboratory. Together with Dick Raaijmakers and other collaborators, he produced electronic experimental music between 1956 and 1963. This was 7 years before the release of the Dr. Who-Theme, which is acknowledged to be one of the first electronic music pieces. The musical compositions and recordings were not appreciated by Philips and Dissevelt left the company. He played bass for Wim Sonneveld and Toon Hermans and eventually became a forgotten musician. 15 years after his death in 1989, his wife Rina, the sister of Rita Reys, found a crate of tapes on the attic of their house. She made the tapes available to music historians which led to a reissue of these works in 2004.