August de Boeck

He studied from 1880 at the Brussels Conservatory with Alphonse Mailly organ, from 1885 to 1902 was de Boeck 's assistant. His organ studies he graduated in 1884 with honors. His other areas of study at Hubert Ferdinand Kufferath, harmony, counterpoint and fugue he graduated in 1889 also with honors. In 1891 he acquired the still rare Diplôme de capacité for his virtuoso organ at the Conservatoire.

With Paul Gilson he formed a close friendship. Although they were almost the same age, de Boeck is often regarded as a student Gilson seen.

From 1892 to 1921 he was employed as organist at various churches; 1892-1894 at the Onze Lieve Vrouw ter Noodt in Merchtem, 1894 at St. Boniface Church in Elsene and 1900 in the Carmelite monastery church in Elsene.

From 1909 to 1920 was professor of harmony at the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Antwerp. Thereafter, until 1926, he was still at the conservatory in Brussels. In 1921 he was appointed director of the Conservatory in Mechelen, he held this position until his retirement in 1930.

His compositions are stylistically to those of Paul Gilson close, he mixed as the latter influences of Richard Wagner and the Russian music of his time, especially by Rimsky -Korsakov, to a post- romantic kind of style. When his masterpiece is considered his 1921 listed in Ghent opera " La Route d' Emeraude ".