Henri-Jacques de Croes

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Henri-Jacques de Croes

Henri-Jacques de Croes (baptized September 19, 1705 in Antwerp , † August 16, 1786 in Brussels ) was a composer and violinist from the Austrian Netherlands , today's Belgium.

Life

From 1723 Henri-Jacques de Croes was the first violinist at the Antwerp Cathedral. From 1729 to 1744 he had a job as Kapellmeister with the postmaster general Prince Alexander Ferdinand von Thurn und Taxis , who resided in Brussels and in the Palais Thurn und Taxis in Frankfurt , whom he evidently accompanied regularly to both residences. Back in Brussels, from 1744 he was concertmaster in the court orchestra of the Austrian governor Karl Alexander von Lothringen , which was conducted by Jean-Joseph Fiocco . Two years later, de Croes took over Fiocco's position and was officially confirmed in office in 1749; he held this until his death.

De Croes worked during the transition from baroque to “ style galant ”. After his stay in Frankfurt, his compositional work was close to the “ New Sensibility ” style and was shaped by French and Italian influences.

His son Henri-Joseph de Croes (1758–1842) was also a violinist and from 1776 to 1783 Kapellmeister of the Prince of Thurn and Taxis in the Regensburg residence.

Work (selection)

His work includes concerts that can be assigned to the genre of the concerto grosso , numerous masses and other church works, some of which have been lost, as well as chamber music and a comic opera.

His style is a mixture of Italian and French influences. His trio sonatas are influenced by Arcangelo Corelli . The divertimenti are in the tradition of the French suite. In the concerti and solo concertos, de Croes adopts the three-movement form that was emerging in Italy; some works also show elements of the Mannheim School . The cantata-like motets also follow the Italian and French tradition, for example he adopts the style of Henri Dumont, who worked at the French court .

  • Op. 1 VI. Concerti for 2 violins, 2 violins, viola and B. c. (1734)
  • Op. 1 Six Sonates en trio (Paris, around 1743)
  • Op. 2 Six Divertimento for 2 violins, viola and B. c.
  • Op. 3 Six Sonates en trio, pour deux violons et basse continuë (1752)
  • Op. 4 Six Sonates en quatre Parties for 2 violins, viola and B. c.
  • Op. 5 Six Sonates en Trio pour les Violons Flûtes et Basse-Continue (1762–1768)
  • Op. 6 Sinfonia for 2 violins, viola and B. c.
  • 9 flute concerts
  • also numerous missing instrumental works, including 16 church symphonies
  • Les Amours de Colin et de Colette , opéra comique (November 4, 1756 Brussels) (lost)

literature

  • Suzanne Clercx-Lejeune : Henri-Jacques de Croes, compositeur et maître de musique du prince Charles de Lorraine (Académie Royale de Belgique, Brussels, 1940)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Thierry Levaux: Dictionnaire of Composers de Belgique du Moyen Age à nos jours , p 142-143, Editions: "Art in Belgium" in 2006, ISBN 2-930338-37-7
  2. ^ A b Suzanne Clercx-Lejeune:  Croes, Henri-Jacques de. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
personal data
SURNAME Croes, Henri-Jacques de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Croes, Henricus-Jacobus de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian baroque composer
DATE OF BIRTH baptized September 19, 1705
PLACE OF BIRTH Antwerp
DATE OF DEATH August 16, 1786
Place of death Brussels