Johannes Verhulst

King William II urged him to return to The Hague in 1842, where he dedicated himself to the writing of Dutch songs for some time.

However, his conservative taste led to an increasing amount of criticism, particularly his refusal to endorse or execute performances of the music of Berlioz, Franz Liszt, and most of all Wagner.

If orchestra directors wished to see works by these composers performed, they had to handle the organisation themselves and engage a guest conductor - and risk the wrath of Verhulst, which could be considerable.

In 1886, Verhulst was appointed an honorary member of Diligentia on the occasion of his seventieth birthday, but the membership was revoked after less than three months.

Verhulst wrote dozens of songs in the tradition of Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann, usually on texts provided by the Dutch author J. P. Heije.