Simon Gomperts was the eldest of the eight children from the musical family of Aäron Gompertz and Hester van Leeuwen. He was born in the Lepelstraat in Amsterdam on 13 May 1891, after his parents were married in Den Haag on 20 August 1890 as both his parents were born in Den Haag. Simon’s musicality was expressed in his choice of profession: he played the double bass and from 1927 to 1941 he was a…