Léon Jongen
Joseph Jongen | |
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 Léon Jongen, composer, with pianists Edouardo del Pueyo and Jules Gentil at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, circa 1958. | |
| Born | Marie-Victor-Justin-Léon Jongen 2 March 1884 |
| Died | 18 November 1969 (aged 85) |
| Education | Liège Conservatoire |
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Léon Jongen (2 March 1884 – 18 November 1969) was a Belgian composer and organist.
Musical career
He was born in Liège on 2 March 1884. His father Alphonse had an atelier there and worked as a woodcarver.[1] He was the younger brother of Joseph Jongen. Jongen studied at the Royal Conservatory of Liège and was appointed as organist at the Saint-Jacques church of Liège after his graduation in 1898.[2] He left his post at Saint-Jacques church in 1908 in order to tour Europe with a piano quartet.[2] He eventually settled in Paris, becoming accompanist to the tenor Imbart de la Tour.[2] In 1913 he won the Prix de Rome with his cantata Les fiancés de Noël.
After the First World War, Jongen travelled the world: he visited Africa, India, China, Japan, and Hanoi. While in Hanoi he conducted the Tonkin Opera from 1927 to 1929.[3] In 1934 he returned to Belgium to become a professor of fugue at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. The Commission de surveillance gave his several directorial responsibilities in 1938 and officially appointed him as director on 1 August 1939. He succeeded his brother Joseph Jongen.[1] His appointment as director lasted till 1949.[1] Between 1960 and 1962 Léon Jongen was the chairman of the Queen Elisabeth Competition.[4]
Jongen composed symphonic works and operas. Even though he was a great admirer of the French romantic school and even knew some influence by César Franck, his musical style evolved towards more modernistic traits. He died in Brussels.
Selected works
- Étude Symphonique pour Servir de Prélude à l' Oedipe Roi 1908
- Roxelane 1920
- Suite Provençale 1926
- Suite Provençale No. 3 1926
- Campeador 1932
- In Memoriam Regis 1934
- Malaisie 1935
- Venezuela 1936
- Fanfare 1939
- Improvisation 1943
- Six Esquisses 1943
- Quatre Miniatures 1949
- Musique pour un Ballet 1954
- Divertissement en Forme de Variations sur un Thème de Haydn 1955
- Fanfare 1957 [5]
References
- ^ a b c Whiteley, John Scott (1997). Joseph Jongen and His Organ Music. Pendragon Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-945193-82-1.
- ^ a b c Henri Vanhulst and John Scott Whiteley (2001). "Jongen, (Marie Victor Justin) Léon". Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.14473.
- ^ Randel, Don Michael (1999). The Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-00084-1.
- ^ "75 years of shared music" (PDF). Queen Elisabeth Competition. 2012.
- ^ "Klassika: Werkverzeichnis Léon Jongen (1884-1969)". www.klassika.info. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
External links