Guitarist, teacher and composer, born in Berlin (Germany), died in Eindhoven. His father was Dutch and his mother was German, he lived up to 1945 in Berlin. He became acquainted to music and especially to the guitar as member of a catholic youth organization. So he decided to study guitar 1935-1937 with Carl Henze and 1938-1942 with Bruno Henze. He worked as commercial clerk, but had many part time jobs as solo guitarist at several theatres, orchestras and at the opera house. Because of his Dutch nationality, he was not drafted into the war service. But in 1945 there was the order of the Soviet occupation power that all strangers had to leave Berlin. Therefore he settled down in the Netherlands, though he could not speak Dutch. He became now full time guitar teacher at the music schools of Heerlen, where he lived, Arnhem and Maastricht. Coming from the German school, he was one of the men, who helped foster the playing of the classic guitar in the Netherlands and Belgium as well. Because of his use of the method ‚Das Gitarrespiel‘ by Bruno Henze, it became very popular in these countries. Since 1952 he was teacher at the conservatory Maastricht for the next 30 years. In 1955, for the first time, a diploma in guitar was offerd at a Dutch conservatory. The teacher was Hans-Lutz Niessen and the student was Mijndert Jape (winner of the first prize of the ‚Concours international de guitare‘ de Radio France, Paris 1960). Niessen and Jape also had many successful performances as a guitar duo. Other successful students of Niessen are Charles Fabri, Karl Jansen, Guus Dreesens, Han Jonkers, Hein Sanderink, Olga Franssen, Barbara Antonietti, Gerard Preemen.
(Rainer Stelle)