Guillaume Lekeu

Guillaume Lekeu ( born January 20, 1870 in Verviers, Belgium, † January 21, 1894 in Angers, France) was a Belgian composer.

Life

The Walloon composer received his first lessons at the Conservatory of his hometown. In 1879 his parents moved to Poitiers. He attended the local grammar school and continued his musical studies continued self-taught. In his new home he composed his first work at the age of 15 years.

In 1888, the family settled in Paris, here was Lekeu student of a native of the nearby city of his birth César Franck, and after his death in 1890, he studied with Vincent d' Indy on. A visit to the Bayreuth Festival in the summer of 1889, lasting impression on him.

He received in 1891 with his cantata Andromède the second Prix de Rome.

The famous violin virtuoso Eugène Ysaÿe asked him to compose a sonata for violin and piano, which Ysaÿe premiered in March 1893. This sonata was Lekeus most famous work. Typhus, he died at the age of 24 and was buried in a suburb of Verviers.

Works

He created about 50 works. The majority thereof rests in the archives of the conservatories, his works are influenced by César Franck, Beethoven and Wagner.

  • Orchestral works Première étude symphonique (1889 )
  • Deuxième étude symphonique (1889 )
  • Adagio for Orchestra Quartet (1891 )
  • Fantaisie sur deux airs populaires pour orchester Angevins ( Fantasy on two folk tunes from Angers) (1892 )
  • Introduction and Adagio for Wind Orchestra (1892 )
  • Vocal music " Andromède, poème lyrique et Symphonique " for soloists, choir and orchestra ( 1891)
  • " Chant lyrique " for chorus and orchestra (1891 )
  • Songs
  • Chamber Music String Quartet in G major (1888 )
  • Piano Quartet in B minor (1892 /93 by d' Indy added)
  • Piano Trio in C minor (1890 /91)
  • Violin Sonata in G Major (1892 /93)
  • Cello Sonata in F minor (1888 )
  • Piano Sonata in G minor (1891 )
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