Paul Danblon (25 July 1931 – 8 February 2018) 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, opera director and administrator, and journalist. He was one of the pioneers of scientific journalism on RTBF (Radio télévision belge de la communauté française). In 1954, after graduating in chemistry from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Danblon joined the RTBF current events programme, ''Carnets de l'Actualité''. He went on to specialize in producing and presenting popular science programmes such as ''La Bouteille à encre'', ''Connaître'', and ''Le point de la médecine''. He is the author of two books in the area: *''150 ans de sciences (1830–1980) '' (Paul Legrain, Brussels, 1980) *''L'espace'' (Lombard, Brussels, 1964) Danblon has also had a parallel career in the arts. He studied composition at the Brussels Conservatory with

Jean Absil Jean Absil (23 October 1893 – 2 February 1974) was a Belgian composer, organist, and professor at the Brussels Conservatoire. Biography Absil was born in Bonsecours, Hainaut, Belgium. His teacher there was Alphonse Oeyen, organist at the basil ...

and

Marcel Quinet Marcel Alfred Quinet (6 July 1915 – 16 December 1986) was a Belgian composer and pianist. He studied at the Mons Conservatory briefly and then the Brussels Conservatory, where he obtained prizes for harmony in 1936, counterpoint in 1937, f ...

. His first work, a piano concerto, premiered in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

in 1954. His other compositions include: *''Les Troyennes'' (1954) -

Oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...

to a libretto by Jean Le Paillot *''Cyrano de Bergerac'' (1980) -

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 ...

composed for the 150th anniversary of the creation of the Belgian state, with

Gabriel Bacquier Gabriel Bacquier (; 17 May 1924 – 13 May 2020) was a French operatic baritone. One of the leading baritones of the 20th century and particularly associated with the French and Italian repertoires, he was considered a fine singing actor equ ...

in the title role. He joined the

Opéra Royal de Wallonie The Opéra royal de Wallonie is a Belgian Opera house located on the Place de l'Opéra, in Liège, Belgium. Together with La Monnaie and the Vlaamse Opera, the ''Opéra royal'', as it is colloquially known, is one of the three major opera house ...

in Liège as a stage director in 1974, and in 1990 wrote the text for a musical entertainment performed by the company, ''Divertimento doux-amer de Mademoiselle Mozart''. In 1992, he became the General Director of the Opéra Wallonie, a post he held until 1996. A prominent member of the Belgian

Laïcité (; 'secularism') is the constitutional principle of secularism in France. Article 1 of the French Constitution is commonly interpreted as discouraging religious involvement in government affairs, especially religious influence in the determin ...

movement, he is the founder and president of the Centre Laïque de l'Audiovisuel. His book, ''Au bonheur de vivre: libres propos d'un mécréant'' (Éditions Complexe, 1999), traces the evolution of his religious philosophy which began with devout

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and evolved into agnostic

humanism Humanism is a philosophy, philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and Agency (philosophy), agency of Human, human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical in ...

.RTBF (12 November 2000) He has also written many articles and essays in this area, including: *"La laïcité et les médias", ''La Pensée et les Hommes'', 1985, pp. 66–75. *"Le rationalisme est-il en crise?", ''La Pensée et les Hommes'', 1991, pp. 153–159. *"Europe, terre d'humanisme... De quel droit ", ''Espace de Liberté'', 1997, pp. 17–28. *"Des souris et des hommes", ''Belgique: toujours grande et belle'', 1999, pp. 219–224.

References

* RTBF
''Noms de dieux: Paul Danblon''
12 November 2000 (in French). Accessed 23 January 2009.

extract from ''Cent Wallons du siècle'', Institut Jules Destrée, Charleroi, 1995 (in French). Accessed 23 January 2009.

La Maison Internationale de la Poésie (in French), Accessed 23 January 2009. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Danblon, Paul 1931 births 2018 deaths Belgian composers Male composers Belgian male musicians Belgian journalists Male journalists Science journalists Opera managers