Joseph Callaerts

Joseph Callaerts ( born August 11, 1830 in Antwerp, † March 3, 1901 in Antwerp) was a Belgian organist, bells, composer and university teacher.

Life and work

Joseph Callaerts began his musical training as a chorister at the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp. He then studied at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels harmony with Jean -Henri Simon and the organ with Jacques -Nicolas Lemmens (1823-1881), and he won a first prize for organ in 1856. From 1850 he was organist at the Jesuit college of his hometown. In May 1855, he was the successor of Charles Delin on the place of organist of the Cathedral of Antwerp, after he had been for two years as his deputy. In addition, he was appointed municipal carillon ( Carilloneur de la ville ) instead of Jan Frans Volckerick in January 1863. From 1867 on he taught the subjects of organ and harmony at the Antwerp school of music ( Antwerpse Muziekschool ), which was renamed at the instigation of its director Peter Benoit ( 1834-1901 ) in 1898 in the Royal Flemish Conservatory ( Koninklijk Vlaamsch Muziekconservatorium ). At this music school Callaerts until his death in 1901 the organ class.

Callaerts was also a valued advisor for organ building, and his opinion was requested by the performers Pierre Schyven for the restoration of the great organ of the Cathedral of Antwerp. The inauguration concert on December 17, 1891 brought him together with Alphonse Mailly ( 1833-1918 ) and Charles -Marie Widor ( 1844-1937 ) from Paris.

His Symphony for large orchestra and his trio with piano was rewarded by the Belgian Royal Academy with a price.

Importance

The back had been lived openness to the romantic organ music of the 19th century, more recently, a general reassessment of the organ works of Joseph Callaerts result. The long time only limited distribution of his works is certainly the one attributed that his works are inspired by traditional German, the foot attributable to the Bach revival school because he so the new, represented by Hector Berlioz, Franz Liszt and César Franck currents rather foreign to stand; the other reason is probably his ordinary life and work as an organist and organ teacher in Antwerp - he was only a little life came from his native Florence. However, he used many friendly contacts with renowned composers of his time at home and abroad (France, England, USA and Germany ), where Felice - Alexandre Guilmant and Charles -Marie Widor be mentioned particularly in Paris ( both as been a pupil of Lemmens ) and beyond Uso Seifert (1852-1912) in Dresden. Callaerts has trained a large number of students; one of them was the future director of the Antwerp Conservatory Émile Wambach, also a meritorious organist.

Callaerts work includes vocal music ( songs, arias, sacred and secular choral works as well as masses, motets, cantatas and choruses ), orchestral works ( including a four-movement symphony and the symphonic poem Le Retour d' Ulysse, " The Return of Ulysses " ), piano music, chamber music and the one-act operas Le Retour imprévu ( " the unexpected return "); be organ contains approximately sixty titles. On the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the death of the composer took place on 5 May 2001 ( at the 11th International Organ Festival at St. Elizabeth's Church in Bonn), the German premiere of his Concerto for Organ and Orchestra in F minor op 18 instead (soloist: Otto Depenheuer, also the Cologne cathedral orchestra, conductor: Karl Kühling ).

Works (selection)

• Stage Works Opera Le Retour imprévu (Antwerp 1889)

• Grande Fantaisie de Concert for Organ and Orchestra, Op 4
• Symphonic poem Le Retour d' Ulysse
• Symphony in four movements (1879 )

• Lentevreugd for two tenors and two basses
• Mass for soprano, alto, bass and organ, Op 24
• Cantata Te Temps des Etudes for Solo, Choir, Piano and Orchestra

• Trio in A Minor for Piano, Violin and Cello, Op 15 (1882 )
• Andante sostenuto for cello or violin and piano, Op 16

• Piano Sonata op 3
• Impromptu Op 6
• Caprice, Op 8
• Fantaisie - Barcarolle, Op 11
• Air de Ballade Op 15
• Roosje uit de modal
• Symphony for piano four hands

• Quinze Improvisations, Op 1 (fifteen improvisations )
• Grande Fantaisie de Concert, Op 5
• 24 Pieces for Organ in two series, each with 4 booklets: Book I: Pastorale, Méditation, Marche Solenelle op 20
• Book II: Adoration, Canzone, Sortie Solenelle op 21
• Book III: Prière, Petite Fantaisie, Op 22 Marche Nuptiale
• Book IV: Cantilène, Communion, Toccata et Final, Op 23
• Book V: Mélodie, Invocation, Marche de Fête, Op 28
• Book VI: Toccata, Offertoire et Duo, Marche Funèbre op 29
• Book VII: Prière (No. 2), Allegro Giocoso, Marche Triomphale op 30
• Book VIII: Elégie, Benediction Nuptiale, Scherzo, Op 31

Literature (selection )

• EGJ Gregoir: Les Artistes Musiciens - Belges au XVIIIme et au XIXme siècle, Bruxelles 1885
• Hedwige Baedk - Schilders: Joseph Callaerts (1830-1901), protagonist een van de 19de - eeuwse Belgian Organ School, where organ music, XXII, 1999 No. 3 (September)
• Algemeene Muziek Encyclopedie - (J. Robijns / Miep Zijlstra ), Vol 2, Haarlem 1980, page 99