Joseph Callaerts (11 August 1830 – 3 March 1901) was a Belgian

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

carillonneur A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and music teacher. He was an important member of the Belgian school of organ playing.

Biography

Joseph Callaerts (sometimes referred to as Jozef) was born in 1830 in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, and spent nearly all of his life in that city. He started learning music when he was a boy, singing in Antwerp's choir of the Cathedral of Our Lady. As a young man, he studied the organ with

Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens Jacques-Nicolas (Jaak-Nicolaas) Lemmens (3 January 1823 – 30 January 1881), was an organist, music teacher, and composer for his instrument. Biography Born at Zoerle-Parwijs, near Westerlo, Belgium, Lemmens took lessons from François-Josep ...

at the Brussels Royal Conservatoire, and he won the first prize in organ at that institution in 1856. Starting in 1850, Callaerts served as the organist at the Jesuit College in Antwerp. In 1855 he became the organist at

Antwerp Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady ( nl, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Antwerp, Belgium. Today's see of the Diocese of Antwerp started in 1352 and, although the first stage of construction was ended in 1521, has never been ...

and in 1863 he became

of the city of Antwerp. From 1867 on, he taught organ and

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

at the

Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp The Royal Conservatoire Antwerp ( nl, Koninklijk Conservatorium Antwerpen) is a Belgian conservatory of music, dance and drama in Antwerp, Belgium. It was founded in 1898 as the Royal Flemish Conservatoire by Peter Benoit. The legislation on uni ...

, which had its name changed to the Royal Flemish Conservatoire in 1898. He also gave expert advice in the building of several organs. Callaerts's compositions include an opera called ''Le Retour imprévu'', a symphony, a piano concerto, an organ concerto, a violin and orchestra concertpiece, chamber music, choral music, songs and many works for solo organ and solo piano.

Selected works

* Stage work ** Opera ''Le Retour imprévu'' (Antwerp 1889) * Orchestral works ** Grande Fantaisie de Concert for organ and orchestra Op. 4 ** Symphonic poem ''Le Retour d'Ulysse'' ** Symphony (1879) * Vocal work ** ''Lentevreugd'' for two tenor and two bass voices ** Messe, graduel & offertoire for four-part chorus (or soloists) and organ Op. 4 ** Mass for soprano, alto, bass and organ Op. 24 ** At least 2 other masses ** Cantata ''Le temps des études'' (''Het studieleven'') for solo, chorus (three equal voices), and orchestra, Op. 19 * Chamber music ** Trio in A minor for piano, violin and cello Op. 15 (1882) ** Andante sostenuto for cello or violin and piano Op. 16 * Piano works ** Piano sonata Op. 3 ** Impromptu Op. 6 ** Caprice Op. 8 ** Fantaisie-Barcarolle Op. 11 ** Air de Ballade op. 15 ** ''Roosje uit de dalen'' ** Symphony for piano 4 hands * Organ works ** Fifteen Improvisations Op. 1 ** Grande Fantaisie de Concert Op. 5 ** 24 pieces for organ in 2 series each with 4 books: *** book I: Pastorale, Méditation, Marche Solennelle Op. 20 *** book II: Adoration, Canzone, Sortie Solennelle Op. 21 *** book III: Prière, Petite Fantaisie, Marche Nuptiale Op. 22 *** book IV: Cantilène, Communion, Toccata et Final Op. 23 *** book V: Mélodie, Invocation, Marche de Fête Op. 28 *** book VI: Toccata, Offertoire et Duo, Marche Funèbre Op. 29 *** book VII: Prière (No. 2), Allegro Giocoso, Marche Triomphale Op. 30 *** book VIII: Elégie, Bénediction Nuptiale, Scherzo Op. 31 ** Adoration ** Intermezzo in B minor (1898) ** Invocation ** ''Prayer'' No. 1 and No. 2 ** Solennelle marche ** Tantum ergo ** two sonatas: No. 1 in C minor, No. 2 in A major (posthumously published in 1908)

References

Sources

*Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1900), p 98

External links

*
Biography at Orgelkunst.be
{{DEFAULTSORT:Callaerts, Joseph Belgian classical composers Belgian male classical composers Belgian classical organists Male classical organists Cathedral organists Composers for pipe organ Carillonneurs Romantic composers 1830 births 1901 deaths 20th-century Belgian male musicians 19th-century Belgian male musicians 19th-century organists