Karel Miry (14 August 1823 – 5 October 1889) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

composer. He was one of the first Belgian composers to write operas to librettos in Dutch and is known as the composer of the music for

De Vlaamse Leeuw "" (; The Flemish Lion) is the official anthem of Flanders, a region and community in Belgium. Composition The words of this anthem were written in July 1847 by Hippoliet Van Peene (1811–1864) who was clearly inspired by the song ''Sie s ...

, the national anthem of

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

, for which

Hippoliet van Peene Hippoliet Jan Van Peene (1 January 1811 in Kaprijke – 19 February 1864 in Ghent) was a Flemish physician and playwright. He studied medicine at the State University of Leuven and became a physician in Kaprijke and later in Ghent. In 1847 he w ...

wrote the lyrics. Karel Miry was born and died in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...

, where he studied the violin with Jean Andries and harmony and composition with Martin Joseph Mengal at the Royal Conservatory. He completed his studies at the

Royal Conservatory of Brussels 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 ...

, where he was a student of

François-Auguste Gevaert François-Auguste Gevaert (31 July 1828 in Huysse, near Oudenaarde – 24 December 1908 in Brussels) was a Belgian musicologist and composer.N. Slonimsky, Ed., ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'', 8th ed., Schirmer Books, NY Li ...

. Miry succeeded Andries as a professor of harmony and counterpoint in 1857, and in 1871 he became the assistant director under

Adolphe Samuel Adolphe-Abraham Samuel (11 July 1824 Liège, Belgium – 11 September 1898 Ghent, Belgium) was a Belgian music critic, teacher, conductor and composer. Biography Adolphe-Abraham Samuel was born in Liège in an artistic family. His parents en ...

of the conservatory. In 1875, he was appointed as inspector of music at the municipal schools of Ghent; in 1881 the state-aided schools were added to his responsibility. Karel Miry died in 1889 in Ghent. Miry was well known for his

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

s, operettas,

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

s, and lyrical dramas. While he is one of the first composers to use Dutch language libretto’s, several French works were also written by him. He also composed romances, songs, and cantatas. His most famous work is ''De Vlaemsche Leeuw'' (The Lion of Flanders), which was very popular and became the official national anthem of the Flemish Community on 6 July 1973.

Honours

* 1885: Officier in the Order of Leopold.Handelsblad (Het) 21-07-1885

Operas

* ''Wit en zwart'' (opera in 1 act, libretto by Hippoliet van Peene, premiered on 18 January 1846, in Ghent) * ''Brigitta'' (opera in 3 acts, libretto by Hippoliet van Peene, premiered on 27 June 1847, in Ghent) * ''Anne Mie'' (opera in 1 act, premiered on 9 October 1853, in Antwerp) * ''La Lanterne magique'' (opera in 3 acts, libretto by Hippoliet van Peene, premiered on 10 March 1854, in Ghent) * ''Karel V'' (opera in 5 acts, libretto by Hippoliet van Peene, premiered on 29 January 1857, in Ghent) * ''Bouchard d'Avesnes'' (opera in 5 acts, libretto by Hippoliet van Peene, premiered on 6 March 1864, in Ghent) * ''Maria van Boergondië'' (opera in 4 acts, libretto by N. Destanberg, premiered on 28 August 1866, in Ghent) * ''De Keizer bij de Boeren'' (opera in 1 act, libretto by N. Destanberg, premiered on 29 October 1866, in Ghent) * ''De occasie maakt den dief'' (opera in 1 act, libretto by N. Destanberg, premiered on 24 December 1866, in Ghent) * ''Frans Ackermann'' (opera in 4 acts, libretto by N. Destanberg, premiered on 13 October 1867, 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 ...

) * ''Brutus en Cesar'' (opera in 1 act, libretto by P. Geiregat, premiered on 14 October 1867, in Ghent) * ''Le Mariage de Marguerite'' (opera in 1 act, libretto by M. de Wille, premiered on 27 November 1867, in Ghent) * ''Een engel op wacht'' (opera in 1 act, libretto by P. Geiregat, premiered on 8 December 1869, in Brussels) * ''La Saint-Lucas'' (opera in 1 act, libretto by J. Story, premiered on 17 February 1870, in Ghent) * ''Het Driekoningenfeest'' (opera in 1 act, libretto by P. Geiregat, premiered in 1870, in Brussels) * ''De dichter en zijn droombeeld'' (opera in 4 acts, libretto by

Hendrik Conscience Henri (Hendrik) Conscience (3 December 1812 – 10 September 1883) was a Belgian author. He is considered the pioneer of Dutch-language literature in Flanders, writing at a time when Belgium was dominated by the French language among the upper cl ...

, premiered on 2 December 1872, in Brussels) * ''De twee zusters'' (opera in 1 act, libretto by P. Geiregat, premiered in 1872, in Brussels) * ''Muziek in t'huisgezin'' (opera in 1 act, libretto by N. Destanberg, premiered in 1873) * ''Het arme kind'' (opera in 1 act, libretto by J. Story, premiered in 1874, in Ghent) * ''De kleine patriot'' (opera in 4 acts, libretto by J. Hoste, premiered on 23 December 1883, in Brussels) * ''La Napolitaine'' (opera in 1 act, libretto by J. de Bruyne, premiered on 25 February 1888, in Antwerp)

References

Karel Miry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miry, Karel 1823 births 1889 deaths 19th-century classical composers Belgian classical composers Belgian male classical composers Belgian opera composers Male opera composers 19th-century Belgian male musicians