Lucien Goethals (26 June 1931 – 12 December 2006) was a
Belgian composer.
Life
Lucien Goethals was born 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 in ...
, but spent his formative years in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, where he studied at the Dima Conservatory of
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
. When he returned to Belgium, he continued his studies at the
Royal Conservatory in Ghent up to 1956, where he earned his first prize in
organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
, music history,
counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...
, and
fugue
In music, a fugue () is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the c ...
. He later studied orchestration with Norbert Rosseau, and
serial technique
In music, serialism is a method of composition using series of pitches, rhythms, dynamics, timbres or other musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though some of his contemporaries were als ...
and
electronic composition
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means (electroacou ...
with
and De Meester. He worked at the IPEM in Ghent ever since it was founded in 1962, and was its artistic director from 1970 to 1987. He died in Ghent, aged 75.
Aesthetics
Goethals was a stubborn proponent of "high" culture, in opposition to
postmodernism
Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or Rhetorical modes, mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by philosophical skepticism, skepticis ...
thinking, which wants to dissolve the separation between "high" and "low" culture into the function of a global post-industrial culture of consumption.
Compositions
*''Musica Dodecafonica'', for piano (1959)
*''Twee Kristallen'', for piano (1961)
*Studies I–VIIb, for tape (1962–73)
*''Diálogos'', for wind quintet, percussion, 2 string quintets, string orchestra, and 4-track tape (1963)
*''Endomorfie I'', for violin, piano, and tape (1964)
*''Endomorfie II'', for 8 winds (1964)
*''Cellotape'', for cello with contact microphone, piano, and tape (1965)
*''Lecina'' (6 songs, text: J. Van der Hoeven), for mezzo-soprano, flute, violin, and cello (1966)
*''Sinfonía en gris mayor'', 2 orchestras, percussion, 2 tapes (1966)
*''Contrapuntos'', for 1–12 tapes (1967)
*''Mouvement'' (String Quartet No. 1) (1967)
*''Vensters'' (text: J. Van der Hoeven), mobile for 2 speakers, cello, piano, percussion, 4 film projectors, and 4 tapes (1967)
*''Cáscaras'' (text: C. Rodriguez), cantata for mezzo-soprano and 5 instruments (1969)
*''Hé!''
ollaborative work with Karel Goeyvaerts and Herman Sabbe">Karel_Goeyvaerts.html" ;"title="ollaborative work with Karel Goeyvaerts">ollaborative work with Karel Goeyvaerts and Herman Sabbe(text: Herman Sabbe), for mime, 10 instruments, tapes, and slide projector (1971)
*Concerto for Orchestra (1972)
*''Llanto por Salvador Allende'', for trombone (1973)
*''Melioribus'', for tape (1973)
*''Tres paisajes sonores'', for flute, oboe, horn, trombone, violin, double bass, and harpsichord (1973)
*''Diferencias'', for 10 winds (1974)
*''Polyfonium'', for tape (1975)
*Four Pieces for Orchestra (1976)
*''Pluriversum'', for tape (1977)
*''Música con cantus firmus triste'', for flute and string trio (1978)
*''Pampa'' (R. Güiraldes), mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, and percussion (1979)
*''Polyfonium II'', for tape (1980)
*Concerto for bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, and orchestra (1983)
*''Concierto de la luz y las tinieblas'', for organ and orchestra (1990)
*''Synthèse '92'', for tape (1991)
*String Quartet No. 2 (1992)
Bibliography
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Footnotes
External links
Goethals biographyon CeBeDeM website.
Website of the Stichting Lucien Goethals on IPEM
Koninklijk Conservatorium Brusselnow houses most works and manuscripts of Goethals, after the bankruptcy of CeBeDeM in 2015.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goethals, Lucien
1931 births
2006 deaths
20th-century classical composers
21st-century classical composers
Twelve-tone and serial composers
Belgian classical composers
Belgian male classical composers
Electroacoustic music composers
20th-century Belgian male musicians
21st-century male musicians