ODD FIND
Huil van de Wolff
A sound monument under the overhang of the Muziekgebouw for horn player Jan Wolff: every 22nd of the month at 8 pm it plays wolf howls, ship horns and lapping water, shaped by the weather.
A monument you listen to
Most monuments want you to look at them. This one wants you to wait. Huil van de Wolff is a small column under the big overhang of the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, the concert hall on the waterfront east of Centraal Station. On the 22nd of every month at 8 pm, it plays a short concert of its own.
What you hear is wolf howls, a ship's horn and the sound of lapping water. The mix is not fixed. The installation reads the weather. Temperature, humidity, wind direction and wind speed all shape the sounds. A cold, windy evening will not sound like a still, damp one, so even if you come twice, you will not hear the same piece.
The name is a pun on the man it remembers. Huil means howl, and the surname is Wolff.
Who was Jan Wolff
Jan Wolff (1941 to 2012) was a horn player and a concert organiser. He put on concerts at De Ysbreeker, but he found that hall less and less suitable for the music he wanted to present. That frustration led to the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, which was completed in 2005. The text on the column calls him the spiritual father of the building.
Wolff had another passion. He loved being on the water and was captain of the tugboat Anna Sophia. That explains the ship's horn and the lapping water. The wolf is the joke, and the harbour sounds are the sailor.
The work was designed by the composer Martijn Padding, together with Johan van der Kreij, who programmed it and works as a sonologist, and René Bakker, an instrument maker. It was put into use on 22 December 2015.
What to look for
Stand under the overhang and look for the column. It is small, and you can walk past it without noticing. The inscription is in Dutch and in English. It says that every 22nd of the month at 8 pm, the Howl of the Wolff sounds here, and that it is a tribute to Jan Wolff.
The text is only legible if you walk around the column several times. Do that. It gives you something to do while you wait for the hour.
Sometimes there is live classical music at the installation as well. On 22 August 2022, ten years after Wolff died, two horns played Call by Louis Andriessen here. Nothing is guaranteed, but it is worth checking before you come on a 22nd.
On any other day, the column is silent. You can still read it and look out over the IJ, but you will have to imagine the howl.
Before you go
- Walk east from Centraal Station along the IJ to the Muziekgebouw, about twelve minutes on foot. The column is under the big overhang.
- The sound plays on the 22nd of every month at 8 pm. Arrive a few minutes early so you do not miss the start.
- It is free and outdoors, so dress for the weather. The weather also shapes what you hear.
- Walk around the column a few times to read the inscription. It is only legible from several sides.
- On other days the column is silent, so check the date before you make the trip.
What people say
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