Arthur Meulemans

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Arthur Meulemans (born May 19, 1884 in Aarschot , † June 29, 1966 in Brussels ) was a Belgian composer and conductor .

Life

Meuleman's father was a craftsman and music lover at the same time, who composed dance music himself. The young Arthur Meulemans received his first music lessons from his father and an uncle and began studying at the Lemmens Institute in Mechelen at the age of 16 . There he received organ lessons from Oscar Depuydt , the conservatory director Edgar Tinel gave him lessons in counterpoint and composition, and Aloys Desmet taught him in harmony . After graduating in 1906, Meulemans taught harmony himself at the Church Music Institute in Mechelen, went to the Koninklijke Atheneum in Tongern in 1914 and founded the Limburg Organ and Singing School in Hasselt in 1917 , of which he remained director until 1930. In 1930 he became conductor of the Belgian Radio Orchestra in Brussels. In 1942 he resigned from this post in order to devote himself entirely to composition. In 1954 he became president of the Koninklije Vlaamse Academie.

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With over 350 works, Meulemans is one of the outstanding Belgian composers of the first half of the 20th century, not only qualitatively but also quantitatively. Stylistically, he is clearly influenced by French impressionism, especially Debussy . In Belgian music history he stands between the late romanticists Peter Benoit and Edgar Tinel with their successors, and August Baeyens , who was the first to open himself to completely contemporary trends. Meuleman's orchestral setting is dense, but colorful. His music shows quite harmonic sharpness, but does not leave the framework of tonality. Much of his compositions have a descriptive-programmatic character, often with reference to his Flemish homeland.

About a third of Meulemans' compositions is orchestral music, most of which was composed between 1930 and 1942 (that is, when he was the conductor of the Belgian Radio Orchestra). Among them, 15 Sinfonien, which often nickname carry (z. B. No. 3 For Symphony , no. 6 sea Symphony , no. 7 Zwaneven, a heath Symphony , no. 8 fall Symphony , no. 10 Ps Symphony with choir, no. 13 Rembrandt Symphony ). There are also over 40 concert works for piano, organ and almost all instruments of the symphony orchestra (except tuba and double bass), as well as overtures, symphonic poems (e.g. Pliny 'Fontein , 1913) and variations. There are also 3 operas ( De Vikings , 1919, Adriaan Brouwer , 1925, Egmont , 1944), oratorios (e.g. Sacrum Mysterium , 1917), 10 masses, songs, choirs and chamber music.

literature

  • Alfred Baumgartner: Propylaea World of Music - The Composers - A lexicon in five volumes . Propylaen Verlag, Berlin 1989, ISBN 3-549-07830-7 , pp. 33/34, volume 4 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Meulemans, Arthur
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian composer and conductor
DATE OF BIRTH May 19, 1884
PLACE OF BIRTH Aarschot
DATE OF DEATH June 29, 1966
Place of death Brussels