Max Vredenburg is primarily known for his pioneering role in the establishment of Jeugd en Muziek Nederland (Youth and Music in the Netherlands). As a music critic, he worked for almost all the Dutch newspapers, sharing his extensive knowledge with his readers. As a composer, he left a varied output. A special man, who honestly and tirelessly expressed his love for music, he was modest and amiable, with an exemplary work ethic and a keen desire to achieve his goals.

Max David Vredenburg was born in Brussels on 16 January 1904 and was raised in a Dutch-Jewish family. To escape the violence of war they fled to The Hague. Max was only eleven, and at that stage was more comfortable with French rather than with Dutch. In 1922, after high school, he began working for a company that imported dried fruit, but he soon resigned: his heart lay with music. He studied theory and composition at The Hague Conservatoire with the composer Henri Geraedts (1892–1975), who advised him to attend the École Normale de Musique in Paris, and so, during 1926 and 1927, he studied with Paul Dukas – and he also met Albert Roussel, whose music had always inspired him. He now began to compose seriously. Roussel introduced him to one of the leading publishing houses at that time, Éditions Maurice Senart, which published his song Vous m’avez dit without charging him a fee. His Six pièces pour piano were published by Enoch & Cie, also based in Paris.

Back in The Hague he joined the Social Democratic newspaper Vooruit (‘Onwards’) and the annual journal De Socialistische Gids as a music critic. He also began teaching at the Conservatoire. His interest in contemporary music, already aroused in Paris, continued to grow. He co-founded the successful Haagsche Studiekring voor Moderne Muziek (The Hague Study Group for Modern Music), which premiered works by Hindemith, Janáček, Poulenc, Schoenberg, Stravinsky and Dutch contemporaries; for three years he served as its director and gave performances at its concerts. He also served as a board member for the Nederlandsche Vereeniging voor Hedendaagse Muziek (Contemporary Music Society of the Netherlands), founded by the composer and conductor Daniel Ruyneman (1886–1963), and was the editor of its monthly magazine. His articles were published in such periodicals as the Amsterdam monthly Caecilia.