Jean Absil was a Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 modernist music composer, organist, and professor at the Brussels Conservatory.

Biography

Absil was born in Bonsecours, Hainaut, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. He was a pupil of Alphonse Oeyen, organist at the basilica of Bonsecours. From 1913 he studied organ

Organ (music)

The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...

 and harmony

Harmony

In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...

 at the Brussels Conservatory , but upon graduating, decided to concentrate on composition

Musical composition

Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...

 instead. In 1922 Absil won the Belgian Prix de Rome

Prix de Rome (Belgium)

The Belgian Prix de Rome is an award for young artists, created in 1832, following the example of the original French Prix de Rome. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp organised the prize until 1920, when the national government took over. The first prize is also sometimes called the Grand Prix...

 and in 1934 the Prix Rubens, which allowed him to travel to Paris, France. Here, he met fellow contemporary composers Ibert, Milhaud

Darius Milhaud

Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...

, and Honegger

Arthur Honegger

Arthur Honegger was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. He was a member of Les six. His most frequently performed work is probably the orchestral work Pacific 231, which is interpreted as imitating the sound of a steam locomotive.-Biography:Born...

. Absil gained international prominence with the premiere of his first piano concerto

Concerto

A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...

 (op. 30).
In 1930, Absil began teaching harmony at the Brussels Conservatory, becoming a professor of Fugue

Fugue

In music, a fugue is a compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation and recurs frequently in the course of the composition....

 6 years later. Amongst his pupils there was Paul Danblon

Paul Danblon

Paul Danblon is a Belgian composer, opera director and administrator, and journalist. He was one of the pioneers of scientific journalism on RTBF . In 1954, after graduating in chemistry from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Danblon joined the RTBF current events programme, Carnets de...

. He also taught at Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth and the Etterbeek Music School. In 1955, he was elected to the Belgium Royal Academy. In 1974, at the age of 80, Absil died in Uccle, Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

.

Compositions

Initially, Absil was influenced by the late Romantic

Romantic music

Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....

 school, particularly Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...

 and Richard Strauss

Richard Strauss

Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...

. Around the time Absil made his trip to Paris in 1934, Absil began to adopt a more modern style. This included the use of polyphony and polymodal structures, influenced by contemporary composers such as Milhaud and Schoenberg

Schoenberg

Schoenberg is the surname of several persons:* Arnold Schoenberg , Austrian-American composer* Claude-Michel Schoenberg , French record producer, actor, singer, popular songwriter, and musical theatre composer...

.

The ear never suffers from an impression of tonal insecurity when listening to Absil’s music: while it is no longer possible to find a reference to the classical major or minor tonalities, the composer invents new modes, which he replaces for each piece. From these modes emerge chords which, even if they are different from the classical ones, also have an expressive sense (tension or resolution). Absil never practised a real atonality: the apparent tonal independence of the voices always resolves itself into a unique tonality.

Among his many compositions are the Ballade, op. 129, for solo piano (which is played with the left hand only) as well as 3 Pièces (played with the right one only).

Being a skilled pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

 Absil composed a lengthy repertoire for the instrument, including three sonatinas

Sonatina

A sonatina is literally a small sonata. As a musical term, sonatina has no single strict definition; it is rather a title applied by the composer to a piece that is in basic sonata form, but is shorter, lighter in character, or more elementary technically than a typical sonata...

 (written in 1937, 1939, and 1965 respectively) and two Grand Suites. The Grand Suites (Op.110, composed in 1965) served as a tribute to Frederic Chopin

Frédéric Chopin

Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....

. In 1946, he composed another work, Hommage à Schumann

Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....

and eleven years later the Passacaglia in Memoriam Alban Berg

Alban Berg

Alban Maria Johannes Berg was an Austrian composer. He was a member of the Second Viennese School with Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and produced compositions that combined Mahlerian Romanticism with a personal adaptation of Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique.-Early life:Berg was born in...

, both of them for piano. He also composed one opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

, Les voix de la mer, and a cycle of five symphonies, the first of which (op. 1) he composed at 27, when he was a pupil of Paul Gilson. It won the Prix Agniez in 1921. His last composition was the Piano Concerto no. 3, op. 162.

List of works (alphabetical)

based on the list of scores available at the Belgian Documentation Centre for Contemporary Music :

• A cloche-pied op. 139 - 1968, for children's voice and piano
• Alcools op. 43 - 1940, for 4 mixed voices a cappella
• Allegro brillante op. 132 - 1967, for 2 pianos
• Allegro brillante op. 132 - 1967, for piano and orchestra
• Alternances op. 140 - 1968, for piano
• Asymétries op. 136 - 1968, for 2 pianos
• Ballade op. 129 - 1966, for piano (left hand)
• Ballade op. 156 - 1971, for alto saxophone, piano and small orchestra
• Berceuse - 1932, for alto saxophone or viola or cello and small orchestra
• Berceuse - 1932, for cello or viola or alto saxophone and piano
• Bestiaire op. 58 - 1944, for mixed Choir a cappella
• Burlesque op. 100 - 1958, for oboe and piano
• Cache-cache op. 117 - 1963, for middle voice and piano
• Chaconne
  Chaconne
  A chaconne ; is a type of musical composition popular in the baroque era when it was much used as a vehicle for variation on a repeated short harmonic progression, often involving a fairly short repetitive bass-line which offered a compositional outline for variation, decoration, figuration and...
  
  op. 69 - 1949, for violin
• Chanson de quatre sous - 1942, for middle voice and piano
• Chansons de bonne humeur op. 49 - 1942, for two-part women's choir (S.-Mz.) and orchestra
• Chansons de bonne humeur op. 49 - 1942, for two-part women's choir and piano
• Chansons plaisantes - 2e recueil op. 94 - 1956, for two-part children's choir and piano
• Chansons plaisantes op. 88 - 1955, for 2 children's voices
• Cimetière - 1927, for middle voice and piano
• Cinq bagatelles op. 61 - 1944, for piano
• Cinq chansons de Paul Fort op. 18 - 1935, for 2 equal voices and piano
• Cinq choeurs - 1930, for three-part women's choir and piano
• Cinq mélodies - 1927, for middle voice and piano
• Cinq mélodies op. 12 - 1933, for Mezzo-Soprano and string quartet
• Cinq pièces faciles op. 138 - 1968, for clarinet or alto saxophone and piano
• Colas Chacha - ?, for large orchestra
• Colindas op. 87 - 1955, for three-part choir a cappella
• Concert à cinq op. 38 - 1939, for flute, violin, viola, cello and diatonic harp
• Concertino op. 42 - 1940, for cello and orchestra
• Concertino op. 42 - 1940, for cello and piano
• Concertino op. 122 - 1964, for viola and piano
• Concertino op. 122 - 1964, for viola and string orchestra
• Concerto grosso op. 60 - 1944, for wind quintet and string orchestra
• Concerto n°2 op. 124 - 1964, for violin and orchestra
• Concerto n°2 op. 124 - 1964, for violin and piano
• Concerto n°2 op. 131 - 1967, for 2 pianos
• Concerto n°2 op. 131 - 1967, for piano and orchestra
• Concerto n°3 op. 162 - 1973, for 2 pianos
• Concerto n°3 op. 162 - 1973, for piano and orchestra
• Concerto op. 11 - 1933, for violin and orchestra
• Concerto op. 11 - 1933, for violin and piano
• Concerto op. 30 - 1937, for 2 pianos
• Concerto op. 30 - 1937, for piano and orchestra
• Concerto op. 54 - 1942, for viola and orchestra
• Concerto op. 54 - 1942, for viola and piano
• Concerto op. 155 - 1971, for guitar and small orchestra
• Contes op. 76 - 1951, for trumpet and piano
• Contrastes op. 143 - 1969, for 2 guitars
• Croquis pour un carnaval op. 137 - 1968, for clarinet quartet and diatonic harp
• Croquis sportifs op. 85 - 1954, for band
• Danses bulgares op. 103 - 1961, for band
• Danses bulgares op. 103 - 1959, for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon
• Danses bulgares op. 103 - 1959, for piano
• De tijd - ?, for Children's choir and piano
• Déités op. 160 - 1972, for orchestra
• Deux danses rituelles op. 105 - 1960, for small orchestra
• Deux mélodies - 1933, for middle voice and piano
• Deux poèmes op. 53 - 1942, for Soprano and piano
• Divertimento op. 86 - 1955, for saxophone quartet and orchestra
• Du rythme à l'expression I op. 108 - 1961, for piano
• Du rythme à l'expression II op. 108 - 1961, for piano
• Echecs op. 96 - 1957, for piano
• Enfantines op. 52 - 1942, for middle voice and piano
• Epouvantail op. 74 - 1950, for orchestra
• Epouvantail op. 74 - 1950, for piano
• Esquisses sur les 7 péchés capitaux op. 83 - 1954, for piano
• Etude n°3 - 1963, for concert drum and piano
• Etude XI - ?, for 4 timpani and piano
• Etude XI - ?, for concert drum and piano
• Evasion op. 8 - 1927, for high voice and piano
• Fanfares op. 118 - 1963, for band
• Fantaisie - Caprice op. 152 - 1971, for alto saxophone and band
• Fantaisie - Caprice op. 152 - 1971, for saxophone and piano
• Fantaisie - Humoresque op. 113 - 1962, for clarinet and piano
• Fantaisie - Humoresque op. 113 - 1962, for clarinet and string orchestra
• Fantaisie concertante op. 99 - 1958, for violin and orchestra
• Fantaisie concertante op. 99 - 1958, for violin and piano
• Fantaisie rhapsodique op. 21 - 1936, for cello quartet
• Fantaisie op. 40 - 1939, for violin, viola, cello and piano
• Féeries op. 153 - 1971, for piano
• Grande suite n°2 op. 110 - 1962, for piano
• Grande suite op. 62 - 1944, for piano
• Heure de grâce op. 98 - 1958, for high voice and piano
• Hommage à Lekeu op. 35/bis - 1939, for orchestra
• Hommage à Schumann op. 67 - 1946, for piano
• Humoresques op. 126 - 1965, for piano
• Images stellaires op. 161 - 1973, for violin and cello
• Introduction et Valses op. 89 - 1955, for orchestra
• Jeanne d'Arc op. 65 - 1945, for orchestra
• L'album à colorier op. 68 - 1948, for two-part children's choir and piano
• La mort de Tintagiles op. 3 - 1926, for orchestra
• Le chant à l'école op. 144 - 1969, for Choir a cappella
• Le chapeau chinois (extr.) op. 64 - 1944, for Tenor and piano
• Le chapeau chinois op. 64 - 1944, for opera
• Le chapeau chinois op. 64 - 1944, for S. 2T. Bar. B. and piano
• Le cirque volant op. 82 - 1953, for choir (2 children's voices), Narrator and piano
• Le miracle de Pan op. 71 - 1949, for orchestra
• Le miracle de Pan op. 71 - 1949, for piano
• Le zodiaque op. 70 - 1949, for piano, choir (4 mixed voices), Soloists and orchestra
• Le zodiaque op. 70 - 1949, for Soloists, choir and 2 pianos
• Légendes op. 91 - 1956, for band
• Les bénédictions op. 48 - 1941, for Soloists, choir and piano
• Les bénédictions op. 48 - 1941, for Soloists, choir, large orchestra and organ
• Les chants du mort op. 55 - 1943, for mixed vocal quartet and orchestra
• Les chants du mort op. 55 - 1943, for mixed vocal quartet and piano - Soprano - Alto - Tenor - Bass
• Les météores op. 77 - 1951, for orchestra
• Les voix de la mer op. 75 - 1951, for opera
• Les voix de la mer op. 75 - 1951, for Soli, mixed choir speech choir and piano
• Les voix de la mer: Choeur aérien op. 75 - 1951, for women's choir
• Marines op. 36 - 1939, for piano
• Mythologie op. 84 - 1954, for large orchestra
• Nymphes et faunes op. 130 - 1966, for band
• Ouverture op. 75 - 1965, for opera
• Passacaille op. 101 - 1959, for piano
• Peau d'Ane op. 26 - 1937, for band
• Peau d'Ane op. 26 - 1937, for Soloists, speaking parts and orchestra
• Peau d'Ane op. 26 - 1937, for theatre music
• Peau d'Ane: Air de Peau d'Ane op. 26 - 1937, for Soprano and orchestra
• Peau d'Ane: Air de Peau d'Ane op. 26 - 1937, for Soprano and piano
• Peau d'Ane: Air du Prince op. 26 - 1937, for Tenor and orchestra
• Peau d'Ane: Air du Prince op. 26 - 1937, for Tenor and piano
• Peau d'Ane: Air du Roi op. 26 - 1937, for Bass and orchestra
• Peau d'Ane: Air du Roi op. 26 - 1937, for Bass and piano
• Peau d'Ane: Airs de ballet op. 26 - 1937, for chamber orchestra
• Peau d'Ane: Final du 3e acte op. 26 - 1937, for Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Tenor, Bass and piano
• Peau d'Ane: Suite op. 26 - 1937, for chamber orchestra
• Petit bestiaire op. 151 - 1970, for guitar
• Petite suite op. 20 - 1935, for band
• Petite suite op. 20 - 1935, for chamber orchestra
• Petite suite op. 20 - 1935, for fanfare
• Petites polyphonies op. 128 - 1966, for 2 equal voices and piano
• Phantasmes - 1936, for Contralto, alto saxophone, percussion and piano
• Philatélie op. 46 - 1940, for mixed vocal quartet and 14 instruments
• Philatélie op. 46 - 1940, for Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Tenor, Bass and piano
• Pièces caractéristiques op. 123 - 1964, for guitar
• Pièces en quatuor op. 35 - 1938, for saxophone quartet
• Pierre Breughel l'Ancien op. 73 - 1950, for Soloists, choir and piano
• Pierre Breughel l'Ancien op. 73 - 1950, for Soloists, mixed choir, speech choir, Narrator, large orchestra and organ
• Poésie et vélocité op. 157 - 1972, for piano
• Prélude et barcarolle - ?, for guitar
• Printemps op. 59 - 1944, for children's voices with piano accompaniment
• Quatre esquisses op. 154 - 1971, for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon
• Quatre pièces op. 150 - 1970, for guitar
• Quatre poèmes op. 12 - 1933, for middle voice and piano
• Quatuor à clavier op. 33 - 1938, for violin, viola, cello and piano
• Quatuor à cordes n°1 op. 5 - 1929, for 2 violins, viola and cello
• Quatuor à cordes n°2 op. 13 - 1934, for 2 violins, viola and cello
• Quatuor à cordes n°3 op. 19 - 1935, for 2 violins, viola and cello
• Quatuor à cordes n°4 op. 47 - 1941, for 2 violins, viola and cello
• Quatuor n°2 op. 28 - 1937, for cello quartet
• Quatuor op. 31 - 1937, for 4 saxophones
• Quatuor op. 132 - 1967, for 4 clarinets
• Quintette op. 16 - 1934, for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon
• Rêves op. 80 - 1952, for middle voice and piano
• Rhapsodie brésilienne op. 81 - 1953, for band
• Rhapsodie brésilienne op. 81 - 1953, for orchestra
• Rhapsodie bulgare op. 104 - 1960, for orchestra
• Rhapsodie flamande op. 4 - 1928, for band
• Rhapsodie flamande op. 4 - 1928, for orchestra
• Rhapsodie n°2 op. 34 - 1938, for orchestra
• Rhapsodie n°5 op. 102 - 1959, for 2 pianos
• Rhapsodie n°5 op. 102 - 1959, for band
• Rhapsodie n°6 op. 120 - 1963, for horn and piano
• Rhapsodie roumaine op. 56 - 1943, for violin and orchestra
• Rhapsodie roumaine op. 56 - 1943, for violin and piano
• Rites op. 79 - 1952, for band
• Roumaniana op. 92 - 1956, for band
• Sicilienne - 1950, for flute or clarinet or saxophone and piano or harp
• Silhouettes op. 97 - 1958, for flute and piano
• Six choeurs I op. 18 - 1935, for children's choir and piano (1 voice)
• [divers], for
• Six choeurs II op. 18 - 1935, for two-part children's choir and piano
• Paul Fort, for
• Six poèmes de Maurice Carême op. 109 - 1961, for 3 equal voices
• Maurice Carême, for
• Sonate op. 115 - 1963, for alto saxophone and piano
• Sonate op. 134 - 1967, for violin
• Sonate op. 146 - 1970, for violin and piano
• Sonatine en duo op. 112 - 1962, for violin and viola
• Sonatine n°2 op. 37 - 1939, for piano
• Sonatine op. 27 - 1937, for piano
• Suite bucolique op. 95 - 1957, for string orchestra
• Suite mystique op. 145 - 1969, for flute quartet
• Suite n°2 op. 141 - 1968, for cello and piano
• Suite pastorale op. 37 - 1939, for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon
• Suite pastorale op. 37 - 1939, for piano
• Suite sur des thèmes populaires roumains op. 90 - 1956, for saxophone quartet
• Suite op. 51 - 1942, for cello and piano
• Suite op. 78 - 1952, for trombone, tuba or cello and piano
• Suite op. 92 - 1956, for small orchestra
• Suite op. 114 - 1963, for guitar
• Suite op. 135 - 1967, for 2 guitars
• Suite op. 149 - 1970, for trumpet in C or B flat and piano
• Sur un paravent chinois op. 147 - 1970, for guitar
• Symphonie n°1 en ré mineur op. 1 - 1920, for orchestra
• Symphonie n°2 op. 25 - 1936, for large orchestra
• Symphonie n°3 op. 57 - 1943, for orchestra
• Symphonie n°4 op. 142 - 1969, for large orchestra
• Symphonie n°5 op. 148 - 1970, for large orchestra
• Tahi - Taho op. 8 - 1932, for middle voice and piano
• Thrène op. 66 - 1945, for two-part choir (equal voices), organ and 2 Narrators
• Trente études préparatoires à la polyrythmie op. 107 - 1961, for piano
• Trente études préparatoires à la polyrythmie op. 107 - 1961, for piano
• Trio à cordes n°1 op. 17 - 1935, for violin, viola, cello
• Trio à cordes n°2 op. 39 - 1939, for violin, viola, cello
• Trio n°2 op. 158 - 1972, for violin, cello and piano
• Trio op. 7 - 1931, for violin, cello and piano
• Triptyque op. 106 - 1960, for small orchestra
• Trois choeurs op. 15 - 1934, for 4 men's voices a cappella
• Trois impromptus op. 10 - 1932, for piano
• Trois pièces op. 32 - 1938, for piano
• Trois pièces op. 32 - 1938, for piano (right hand)
• Trois pièces op. 119 - 1963, for 2 guitars
• Trois pièces op. 121 - 1964, for bandoneon
• Trois Pièces op. 127 - 1965, for organ
• Trois poèmes d'Arthur Cantillon op. 9 - 1932, for 4 unaccompanied mixed voices
• Trois poèmes de Tristan Klingsor op. 45 - 1940, for middle voice and piano
• Trois poèmes de Tristan Klingsor op. 45 - 1940, for middle voice and small orchestra
• Trois vocalises op. 116 - 1963, for middle voice and piano
• Ulysse et les Sirènes op. 41 - 1939, for 1 Bar., 2 Narr., men's choir, women's choir and piano
• Ulysse et les Sirènes op. 41 - 1939, for Soloists (1 Bar., 2 Narrators), men's choir, women's choir and small orchestra
• Variations symphoniques op. 50 - 1942, for large orchestra
• Variations op. 93 - 1956, for piano
• Zoo op. 63 - 1944, for vocal quartet a cappella