François-Auguste Gevaert photo c1896 - IMSLP

François-Auguste Gevaert (31 July 1828 in Huysse, near

Oudenaarde Oudenaarde (; french: Audenarde ; in English sometimes ''Oudenarde'') is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, H ...

– 24 December 1908 in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

) was a Belgian musicologist and composer.N. Slonimsky, Ed., ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'', 8th ed., Schirmer Books, NY

Life

His father was a baker, and he was intended for the same profession, but better counsels prevailed and he was permitted to study music. He was sent in 1841 to the

Ghent Conservatory The Royal Conservatory of Ghent (Dutch: Koninklijk Conservatorium Gent) is a royally chartered musical institution. It is now a part of the University College Ghent. History The Royal Conservatory of Ghent is a royally chartered musical instituti ...

, where he studied under Édouard de Sommere and Martin-Joseph Mengal. Then he was appointed organist of the Jesuit church in that city. Soon Gevaert's compositions attracted attention, and he won the Belgian Prix de Rome which entitled him to two years' travel. The journey was postponed during the production of his first opera and other works. He finally embarked on it in 1849. After a short stay in Paris he went to Spain, and subsequently to Italy. In 1867 Gevaert, having returned to Paris, became "Chef de Chant" at the Academie de Musique there, in succession to the popular operatic composer

Fromental Halévy Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (; 27 May 179917 March 1862), was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera ''La Juive''. Early career Halévy was born in Paris, son of the cantor ...

. Four years later, he was appointed head of the

Brussels Conservatoire The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (french: Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles, nl, Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Provid ...

. In that role, he "exerted a far-reaching influence through his historical concerts, producing works of all nations and periods." Though during his lifetime Gevaert's own music enjoyed considerable success in Belgium (it included no fewer than a dozen operas, two of which were ''Quentin Durward'' and ''Le Capitaine Henriot''), it is now forgotten, save for some of his choral pieces, which have recently been issued on CD by the Fuga Libera label. Nowadays he is mostly remembered, even in his native land, less as a composer than as a teacher, historian, and lecturer. His many prose writings include a ''Treatise on Instrumentation'' (still sometimes used today), a book on harmony, and a ''Vade Mecum'' for organists. Notable students of Gevaert included

Alfred Wotquenne Alfred Wotquenne (; 25 January 186725 September 1939) was a Belgian musical bibliographer, best known for his catalogues of the works of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Christoph Willibald Gluck. Biography Wotquenne was born in Lobbes, Hainault, B ...

, who is best known for having provided the first thorough listing of C.P.E. Bach's compositions, whilst Gevaert's daughter Jacqueline Marthe married the singer and art historian

Hippolyte Fierens-Gevaert Hippolyte Gevaert or Fierens-Gevaert (1870, Brussels - 1926, Liège) was a Belgian art historian, philosopher, art critic, singer and writer. Life He had studied at the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles in 1890 and won first prize for singing. Th ...

Honours

* 1881: Grand Officier in the Order of Leopold. * 1896: Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold.Laatste Nieuws (Het) 17-05-1896

Selected works

* Te Deum (1843) * Ouverture ''Flandre au lion'' (1848) * Fantasia sobre motivos españoles (1850) * Requiem (1853) * Vers l'avenir (1905) * Grand' Messe de Noël ''Puer Natus est Nobis'' (1907) * Quartet for clarinet, horn, bassoon and piano Operas *Georgette, ou le moulin de Fontenoy (1853) * Le billet de Marguerite (1854) * Les lavandières de Santarem (1855) * Quentin Durward (1858, libretto by

Michel Carré Michel Carré (20 October 1821, Besançon – 27 June 1872, Argenteuil) was a prolific French librettist. He went to Paris in 1840 intending to become a painter but took up writing instead. He wrote verse and plays before turning to writing lib ...

and

Eugène Cormon Pierre-Étienne Piestre, known as Eugène Cormon (5 May 1810 – March 1903), was a French dramatist and librettist. He used his mother's name, Cormon, during his career. Cormon wrote dramas, comedies and, from the 1840s, libretti; around 15 ...

after

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

* Le diable au moulin (1859) * La Château Trompette (1860) * Le Capitaine Henriot (1864) Secular Cantatas * België (1847) * Le roi Léar (1847) * Évocation patriotique (1856) * De nationale verjaerdag (1857) * Le retour de l'armée (1859) * Jacob van Artevelde (1864)

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gevaert, Francois-Auguste 1828 births 1908 deaths 19th-century classical composers 20th-century classical composers Belgian classical composers Belgian male classical composers Romantic composers Belgian opera composers Male opera composers Belgian music educators Prix de Rome (Belgium) winners People from Oudenaarde Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) 20th-century Belgian male musicians 19th-century Belgian male musicians