Lodewijk Mortelmans

Lodewijk Mortelmans ( born February 5, 1868 in Antwerp, † June 24, 1952 ) was a Belgian musician and composer.

Biography

Lodewijk Mortelmans was the son of the Antwerp printer Karel Mortelmans and his wife Isabella. Overall, he had five siblings, including his older brother, the painter Frans Mortelmans. Lodewijk studied music until the age of 19 years and then took Peter Benoit private lessons in composition and orchestration.

Mortelmans was a member of the artist group " De Scalden ", " study" and " De Kapel ". At the age of 25, he reached in 1893 at the Prix de Rome in the 1st place. Many of his songs he composed poems by Guido Gezelle. After 1899 successfully in Antwerp afforded his symphonic work, one saw him there as the leading musicians of the city and he was next to Paul Gilson be the most outstanding composer of his generation, who renewed the Flemish music life deep.

From 1901 to 1924 he was professor of counterpoint and fugue at the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Antwerp, which he held until his retirement in 1933 also initiated in the connection. He also taught at the School of Church Music in Mechelen interdiözesischen, later named after Jacques -Nicolas Lemmens Lemmens Institute emerged from the Leuven. In 1903 he founded the Society of the New concerts ( Maatschappij der Nieuwe concertos ) in Antwerp, where he acted as a conductor. The offer Pablo Casals to work as conductor of the Boston Symphonic Orchestra, he had to turn down due to the death of his first wife and two joint sons in the war in 1917, when he was alone responsible for the remaining five children. Later he was married to his second wife, the pianist and music teacher Gabriëlle Radoux.

Mortelmans was a co-founder of the Belgian Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers ( SABAM ) and Eugène Ysaÿe Competition, today's International Music Competition Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. He was admitted as a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Sciences, seal and Fine Arts of Belgium and received high Belgian and Dutch Awards. His works include, among others, the opera " De Kinderen der Zee ".