Paul Gilson
Paul Gilson (born June 15, 1865 in Brussels ; † April 3, 1942 there ) was a Belgian composer .
Life
In 1866 the parents' family moved from Brussels to Ruisbroek in the Brussels area. There he received his first music lessons in piano and some harmony from the monastery organist, the conductor of the church choir and the local fanfare orchestra Auguste Cantillon . Around 1880 he also wrote his first works for choir or fanfare orchestra here. He later maintained this closeness to the choir and the wind orchestra as a composer and it is also noticeable in his symphonic works. He is commonly referred to as the father of Belgian brass music because he composed high-quality works for this medium.
He completed his studies at the Brussels Conservatory with François-Auguste Gevaert (1828–1908) composition and with Charles Duyck harmony and counterpoint . In 1889 he won the Prix de Rome with his cantata Sinai .
During his concert life in Brussels, on the one hand, he got to know and appreciate the operas by Richard Wagner and, on the other hand, the colorful orchestral play in the works of the composers of the so-called Russian National School ( Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow , Alexander Glasunow and Alexander Scriabin ). He maintained an intensive correspondence with César Cui (1835–1918) and the music publisher Mitrofan Beljajew (1836–1904). He visited all of the three composers mentioned above.
From 1899 to 1904 he was professor of harmony at the Conservatory in Brussels and until 1906 at the Conservatory in Antwerp . In 1909 he was appointed inspector for general music lessons in Belgium by the Ministry of Culture. He held this position until 1930.
In 1924 he founded the magazine La Revue Musicale belge with Marcel Poot (1901–1988) and Maurice Schoemaker (1890–1964) . He remained editor-in-chief until the last issue of this magazine in December 1939.
He was the intellectual father of the group Les Synthétistes , in which he united former students in order to incorporate well-founded contemporary works into everyday music with bundled strength. Even if the individual members of this group ( René Bernier , Francis de Bourguignon , Théo de Joncker , Marcel Poot, Maurice Schoemaker , Jules Strens and Robert Otlet ) did not reach the goal with varying degrees of intensity, everyone was talking about them.
As a composer, he is one of the most famous Belgians. His oeuvre includes more than 100 symphonic works. Connoisseurs consider him to be the heart of the romantic, symphonic music tradition in Belgium. Broad lyric poetry, thematic thinking and, above all, a remarkable mastery of orchestral colors characterize his oeuvre.
Works
Works for orchestra
- 1890 Alla Marcia Rhapsody for string orchestra
- 1890 Rhapsody à la marcia
- 1892 La Mer 4 Symphonic Sketches
- Lever de soleil
- Chants et Danses de Matelots
- Crépuscule
- Tempete
- 1892–1893 Melodies Ecossaises for string orchestra
- The Flowers Of The Forest
- Sweet May Morning
- Jig and Song
- 1900 Overture Symphonique No. 1
- Alvar
- 1903 Overture Symphonique No. 2
- 1904 Overture Symphonique No. 3
- 1929 Parafrazen op Vlaamse folk songs
- Sailors Dance
Works for wind orchestra
- 1902 Concerto pour Saxophone n ° 1
- 1903 Variation symphonique for brass
- 1909 Rapsody
- 1892/1925 La Mer 4 symphonic sketches for symphonic wind orchestra transcribed by Arthur Prevost
- Lever de soleil
- Chants et Danses de Matelots
- Crépuscule
- Tempete
- 1930 tornacum
- 1930 Grande Marche du Centenaire
- 1948 Moeder for speaker and fanfare orchestra
- Binché
- Brabant - marche militaire
- Danse geurrière from the ballet La Captive
- Deuxième Rhapsody
- Deuxième Valse Symphonique
- Encore un! allegro
- Epithalame (wedding procession)
- Fantasy
- Gavotte Monsignor
- Homage to Weber
- Interlude Solennel
- L'Heureux Voyage
- Le Rétour au Pays: Prière avant le départ
- Marche commemorative
- Marche Cortège
- Marche Panégyrique
- Merxem - Allegro Militaire
- Montréal - Allegro de concert
- Overture »Eleusines«
- Patrol Albanaise
- Poème Symphonique en Forme d'Ouverture
- Polka fataiseste
- Rhapsody laudative
- Rhapsody Hawaîenne
- Richard III Overture
- Terugkeer near het vaderland
- Triumph march
- Variations
- Valse symphonique no. 1
- Valse symphonique no. 2
- Vestris - Danse mimique
- Quarantenaire - Marche Solennelle
Stage works
- 1890 Le Démon Dramatic cantata based on texts by Lermontow in 2 acts for soloists, choir and orchestra
- 1892 Francesca da Rimini Dramatic oratorio based on Dante for solos, choir and orchestra
- 1895 Gens de mer (Zeevolk) lyrical drama in 2 acts
- 1896–1900 La Captive Ballet in 2 acts
- 1903 Princesse rayon de soleil (Prinses Zonneschijn) légende féerique 4 acts
- 1910 Les Aventuriers (Rooversliefde) musical drama in 1 act
- 1910–1921 Les Deux Bossus ballet pantomime in 1 act
- 1940 Elijah music for the tragedy by Cyriel Verschaeve
- Daphne ballet
Other works
- 1889-1890 Six Mélodies
- 1902 Petite Suite Rustique for piano
- 1934 Le Mas d'Icare for a film by Carlo Queeckers for string orchestra
- 1934–1936 Romantic werkjes
- 1940 Aria di Timpani con 6 Variazioni
- Suite Nocturne for piano
- Six Chansons Ecossaises based on texts by Leconte de Lisle
Books and writings
- 1913 Le Tutti orchestral
- 1923 Traité de lecture musicale
- 1923 Traité d'harmonie (3 volumes)
- 1926 Traité de musique militaire
- Solfège - Cours complet de la lecture musical a 9 Volumes (9 volumes)
- 1955 Arthur Meulemans: Paul Gilson (1865–1942). 14 pages, 1 portrait
Web links
- Works by and about Paul Gilson in the catalog of the German National Library
- Sheet music and audio files by Paul Gilson in the International Music Score Library Project
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gilson, Paul |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Belgian composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 15, 1865 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brussels , Belgium |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 3, 1942 |
| Place of death | Brussels , Belgium |