Although his father was an amateur singer, he strongly disapproved of his son's musical interests, expecting him to follow him in the family business.

Being fundamentally self-taught, he had some minor musical successes before his parents finally approved and sent him to study with Salomon Jadassohn in Leipzig in 1881-1883.

From 1895 to 1922 he was head of teaching and composition at the Amsterdam conservatory but rather than impose his own music on his pupils, he left them the freedom to develop their own style - a break with the policies of his predecessor Johannes Verhulst.

At one meeting of the Dutch Musicians' Association (Nederlandse Toonkunstenaars Vereeniging), Zweers' Second Symphony was programmed along with Huyschenruyter's Concert Overture.

Dumbstruck by this display of artist's arrogance, Huyschenruyter stood silent until Zweers burst out laughing: "Of course, because your overture is in D, and my symphony is written in E flat!"

Its large scale prohibited it from being performed very often and made publication expensive (the publisher A.A. Noske experienced a great loss as sales were poor), but the work was, and is, regarded as a milestone in the development of Dutch music[citation needed], combining folk tunes with a lyrical description of Dutch landscapes.