Les Synthétistes were a group of Belgian composers whose goal was to synthesize the modern musical tendencies starting in 1925. Drawing mainly on the influence of Ravel, Stravinsky, Hindemith and Honegger, the group's aesthetic was broadly neo-classical. Of its members, Marcel Poot achieved the widest general recognition. All of them were ex-pupils of the Belgian composer

Paul Gilson Paul Gilson (Brussels, 15 June 1865 – Brussels, 3 April 1942) was a Belgian musician and composer. Biography Paul Gilson was born in Brussels. In 1866, his family moved to Ruisbroek in the Belgian province of Brabant. There he studied th ...

and started the organization as a way to celebrate their teacher's 60th birthday in 1925. Their first act was to publish the magazine ''La Revue Musicale Belge''. The group aspired to be a Belgian counterpart to the famous French composing group

Les Six "Les Six" () is a name given to a group of six composers, five of them French and one Swiss, who lived and worked in Montparnasse. The name has its origins in two 1920 articles by critic Henri Collet in '' Comœdia'' (see Bibliography). Their mu ...

. The first concert devoted to these synthesists took place in December 1929 and was directed by Constant Moreau. Their first big official concert took place on the 27th of Februari 1930 in the

Royal Conservatory of Brussels The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (, ) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Providing performing music and drama courses, the institution became renowned par ...

. It was played by the ''Groot Harmonieorkest van de Belgische Gidsen'' and conducted by

Arthur Prévost Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

Members

René Bernier René Eugène Camilla Henri Alfred Albert Bernier ( Saint-Gilles, 10 March 1905 - Elsene, 8 September 1984) was a Belgian teacher at Western Canada High School who dabbled in music. Biography René Bernier was a son of the painters Géo Bernier ...

(1905–1984) * Francis de Bourguignon (1890–1961), his works include the Piano Concertino, op. 99 (1952) * Gaston Brenta (1902–1969), composed ''Matinée d’été'' in 1968 * Théo De Joncker (1894–1964) * Robert Otlet (1889–1948) * Marcel Poot (1901–1988), composer of ''Vrolijke: Ouverture joyeuse'' (1934) * Maurice Schoemaker (1890–1964), known for the symphonic poem ''Vuurwerk'' (aka ''Feux d’artifice'', 1922) * Jules Strens (1893–1971), best known for
Danse funambulesque
' (1929)Jules Strens: ''Danse Funambulesque'', 5º Festival Turina (2015)

References

Belgian composers Composition schools Music organisations based in Belgium {{Belgium-band-stub