Léon Jongen (2 March 1884 – 18 November 1969) was a Belgian composer and organist.

Musical career

He was born in Liège, on March 2, 1884. His father Alphonse had an atelier there and worked as a woodcarver. Jongen studied at the

Royal Conservatory of Liège Royal Conservatoire of Liège The Royal Conservatoire of Liège (RCL) (French Conservatoire royal de Liège, Dutch Koninklijk Conservatorium Luik) is one of four conservatories in the French Community of Belgium that offers higher education cour ...

and was appointed as organist at the Saint-Jacques church of Liège after his graduation in 1898. He left his post at Saint-Jacques church in 1908 in order to tour Europe with a piano quartet. He eventually settled in Paris, becoming accompanist to the tenor Imbart de la Tour. In 1913 he won the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

with his cantata ''Les fiancés de Noël''. After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Jongen travelled the world: he visited Africa,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, China, Japan, and

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

. While in Hanoi he conducted the Tonkin Opera from 1927 to 1929. In 1934 he returned to Belgium to become a professor of fugue 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 ...

. The Commission de surveillance gave his several directorial responsibilities in 1938 and officially appointed him as director on August 1, 1939. He succeeded his brother Joseph Jongen. His appointment as director lasted till 1949. Between 1960 and 1962 Léon Jongen was the chairman of the

Queen Elisabeth Competition The Queen Elisabeth Competition ( nl, Koningin Elisabethwedstrijd, french: Concours musical international Reine Élisabeth) is an international competition for career-starting musicians held in Brussels. The competition is named after Queen ...

. Jongen composed symphonic works and operas. Even though he was a great admirer of the French romantic school and even knew some influence by

César Franck César-Auguste Jean-Guillaume Hubert Franck (; 10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a French Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in modern-day Belgium. He was born in Liège (which at the time of his birth was pa ...

, his musical style evolved towards more modernistic traits. He died 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 ...

Selected works

* Étude Symphonique pour Servir de Prélude à l' Oedipe Roi 1908 * Roxelane 1920 * Suite Provençale 1926 * Suite Provençale No. 3 1926 * Campeador 1932 * In Memoriam Regis 1934 * Malaisie 1935 * Venezuela 1936 * Fanfare 1939 * Improvisation 1943 * Six Esquisses 1943 * Quatre Miniatures 1949 * Musique pour un Ballet 1954 * Divertissement en Forme de Variations sur un Thème de Haydn 1955 * Fanfare 1957

References

External links

Biography and list of works at CeBeDeM
1884 births 1969 deaths Flemish composers Prix de Rome (Belgium) winners Royal Conservatory of Liège alumni {{Belgium-composer-stub