Harry Kappen: The Quiet Power of a Melodic Soul

There are some artists whose music sings louder than their voice ever needs to. Dutch musician and music therapist Harry Kappen is one of those rare, soft-spoken souls who creates symphonies not just with notes, but with intention, reflection, and a deep compassion for the human heart. In his latest album Four, Kappen doesn’t simply offer a collection of songs—he opens a window into a life lived with feeling, nuance, and remarkable self-awareness. From his heartfelt love letter to his wife to a spirited cry against fake news, his songs are both deeply personal and universally resonant. In this candid conversation, the introspective composer talks about growing up with daydreams, finding truth through melody, and what it means to be brave in love, in life, and in music.

Harry, when people listen to “Four, what do you hope they truly feel—not just hear, but feel—in their hearts?

Writing my music is like writing a book or painting a picture. It is a reflection of how I feel at that moment. That can go in all directions and the result is what it is. If others recognize themselves in that, that is beautiful, I think, especially for people who find it more difficult to put their own feelings and thoughts into words. That is how it works for me too; I can also be moved by the music of others. By a text, by a melody line, by an atmosphere. I like to catch myself being moved by the music of someone else and then ask myself what that is about. Music is for me the way to get close to my feelings. I am not about someone else’s heart, only the person who feels addressed is about that. ‘Four’ was not made with that purpose either. Everyone has the freedom to do with it what he/she wants.

You’ve spent much of your life helping others through music therapy. What has that taught you about your own wounds?

Music has taught me to be able to translate my feelings well. Better than I can do that verbally; I am a fairly introverted person. Not in 1 song, but by being busy with music year in year out. By being able to do that, I can better place and deal with my own ‘wounds’. Not that I have many wounds, by the way. I have learned that music is mainly a beautiful way to describe my sensitivities and wishes. Very personal usually, but also a safe way to do that in music. That is also the power of music therapy. It is an indirect way to be able to express yourself and also a universal way that everyone can understand if they want to.

You describe “Courage” as a love letter to your wife and your future together. Was there a moment when you realized love would be your greatest act of bravery?

I don’t consider it ‘bravery’ to let love determine my future. I’ve learned to be  someone who accepts reality as it is. Many people around me tell me that they think it is brave of me to move to another continent for love. But I consider it more as being open to the things that come my way. And what could be more beautiful than accepting love as it comes to you?

Your music blends so many genres—rock, jazz, Latin. Is that a reflection of your personality? Are you a man of many inner voices?

It is mainly a reflection of all the music I have taken in. I love so many types of music. But I did grow up in an environment where rock and blues music played a big role. So the guitar often plays a big role in my own new music. But I also do not want to limit myself too much to 1 style; every song, subject, requires its own approach and I am in the fortunate position that I have multiple possibilities to shape subjects in different musical ways. I do not want to go so deep that I call it ‘my inner voices’, rather it is my practical musical skills that enable me to do so.

You once said you don’t write with a particular style in mind. But deep down, do you think there’s one sound that feels like home to you?

I have been playing guitar since I was young, of course the sound of the guitar will always play a prominent role, but in different roles from clean to screaming. From sensitive to powerful. Guitar is closely linked to rock, so it makes sense that my roots lie there and where I feel at home. But I can also feel very much at home in a ballad with a mellotron atmosphere or with a pointed brass section in a funk number. I also like arranging strings in an orchestra. In that respect, you can compare me a bit with Bowie in terms of ‘feeling at home musically’. Where I really feel at home is not in a certain style of music but in the way of playing, in the dynamics of music, in building up a song, letting myself be carried away by the mood.

As a father, a husband, and a therapist, how do you find the quiet space needed to create something as intimate as this album?

Well, sometimes I have more time and I make great progress and sometimes it goes a bit slower, but when I’m working on an album I’m actually working on it continuously. The rides in my car play a big role. I often have my phone at hand when I sing melody in my car, my phone is full of ideas. My son has left home by now, so he doesn’t take up that much of my time anymore. Furthermore, I’m good at withdrawing into my own little world and I hardly watch TV (only the news often). Apparently I’m also good at time management. I’m also not in a hurry and musically I’m not dependent on others, so it actually goes by itself.

In “Break These Chains”, you speak out against fake news and social division. Do you ever feel like a lone voice in a very noisy world?

No, I hear a lot of sounds and opinions around me that are just as worried as I am. And I know for sure that many people are worried, only they express themselves in a different way than I do. As for that ‘noisy world’; it is of course true that everything goes faster, is noisier than before, but it is also a choice of yours to participate in it. I make sure that I don’t get lost in it. Making music helps with this, by making music I can distance myself from everything and position myself better as an observer. Someone else might do that by reading a lot or by making other art. Also because of the reactions I get to my music I don’t really have the feeling that I am a ‘lone voice’.

You mentioned summers in Groningen as a teenager, watching Bonanza and dreaming of endless days. Do you still carry a piece of that boy with you when you write?

Always. I had a nice childhood, in my family, but also with like-minded friends around me with lots of room for playing, music, adventure, nature, and lots of fantasy :). I hope to never lose that feeling of being a boy, it is the basis of a lot of musical pleasure now.

Paul McCartney, Prince, David Bowie—legends you’ve admired. If you could sit down with just one of them today, what would you want to ask?

I think we’ll talk about how songs came about, for example, about how they worked. I actually suspect that there won’t be that many differences. I wouldn’t ask that many more questions, because I wouldn’t know what to ask in the first place. Such a conversation would be more about how they were in life, what their motivation was. But that’s it, I don’t think everything has to be clear, I like the myth. I’m also a bit afraid that if I were to ask them too much, that myth might burst into disappointment.

And finally, Harry… when all the music fades and it’s just you and silence, who are you really?

When the music fades, I am a quiet introverted guy who likes to observe people, people on the street, in their daily work, but also someone who thinks a lot in his head about everything that happens around him. Someone who likes to cook and wants to cook for others. Someone who likes humor and who laughs a lot, even about the smallest things. Someone who picks up his guitar when it is quiet for too long.