Joseph Jongen
Born: December 14, 1873; Liège, Belgium
Died: July 12, 1953; Sart-lez-Spa
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Joseph Jongen owes his fame almost entirely to the audiophile market; every innovation in recording technology brings a handful of releases of his extravagantly scored and generously melodic Symphonie concertante for organ and orchestra (1926). Little do audiophiles suspect that Jongen was a prolific and able composer in many genres, particularly but not exclusively in the field of organ music.
At age 7, Jongen entered the Liège
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Works
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Allegro appassionato, Op. 79 (2)
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Alleluia for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 112 (2)
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Andante espressivo for Viola and Piano (2)
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Aquarelles, Op. 59 (1)
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Aria and Polonaise for Trombone and Piano, Op. 128 (5)
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Ballade for Piano no 1, Op. 105 (1)
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Ballade for Piano no 2, Op. 119 (1)
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Bourrée dans le style ancien for Piano, Op. 123 (1)
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Cantilène, W 143 (1)
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Chant de May, Op. 53 no 1 (9)
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Comala (1)
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Concert à Cinq, Op. 71 (1)
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Concertino for Viola and Piano, Op. 111 (2)
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Concerto for Harp, Op. 129 no 1 (2)
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Concerto for Wind Quintet, Op. 124 (1)
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Danse lente, Op. 56 (2)
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Deuxième Etude de Concert, Op. 65 no 2 (2)
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Élégie, W 12 (1)
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Elegy for 4 Flutes, Op. 114 no 1 (1)
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Elévation, W 11 (1)
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En forme de valse for Piano, Op. 43 (1)
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Fantasie sur deux Noëls populaires wallons, Op. 24 (1)
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Feuille rapportées de Louvain pour orgue ou harmonium, W 152 (1)
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Feuille rapportées de Louvain pour orgue ou harmonium, W 153 (1)
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Fugue (dans le style de J.S. Bach), W 88 (1)
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Gaudeamus (1)
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Gaudeamus: Verset pour la fête de l’Assomption, W 350 (1)
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Humoresque for Cello and Organ, Op. 92 (2)
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Hymne for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 78 (2)
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Improvisation-Pastorale for Organ, W 338 (1)
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In Memoriam quatre improvisations pour harmonium (1)
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Intermezzo-Piccolo for Piano 4 hands (1)
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Introduction et danse, Op. 102 (3)
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Jeux d'enfants for Piano 4 hands, Op. 120 (1)
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Jeux de nymphe, Op. 91 no 2 (1)
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Larghetto for Organ, Op. 38 no 2 (1)
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Légende, W 287 (1)
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Marche religieuse for Organ, Op. 38 no 1 (2)
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Mass, Op. 130 (3)
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Mazurka and Napolitania for Piano, Op. 76 (1)
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Mazurka for Piano, Op. 126 no 2 (1)
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Menuet-Scherzo for Organ, Op. 53 no 2 (2)
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Miniatures for Orchestra (3): Le bon chîval (1)
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Offertoire sur l’Alma redemptoris mater pour orgue ou harmonium, W 169 (1)
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Pages intimes, Op. 55 (1)
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Paraphrase d'après la 2me Sonate pour violon seul (1)
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Paraphrases (2) sur deux noëls wallons, Op. 114 no 2 (1)
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Pastorale Pièce en la, W 134 (1)
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Pensée d’automne, Op. 47 no 2 (1)
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Petit Pièce, W 313 (1)
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Petit Prélude, W 319 (1)
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Petite préludes (24) dans tous les tons, Op. 116: no 1 (1)
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Petite préludes (24) dans tous les tons, Op. 116: no 2 (1)
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Petite préludes (24) dans tous les tons, Op. 116: no 3 (1)
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Petite préludes (24) dans tous les tons, Op. 116: no 4 (1)
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Pièce pour grand orgue, W 28 (1)
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Pieces (10) for Piano, Op. 96 (1)
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Pieces (2) for Piano, Op. 33 (2)
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Pieces (2) for Piano, Op. 33: no 1, Soleil à midi (2)
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Pieces (2) for Piano, Op. 33: no 2, Clair de Lune (2)
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Pièces (3) faciles pour harmonium, Op. 38 no 3-5 (1)
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Pieces (3) for Harmonium, W 145-147 (1)
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Pieces (4) for Organ, Op. 37 (1)
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Pieces (4) for Organ, Op. 37: no 3, Prière (4)
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Pieces (4) for Organ, Op. 37: no 4, Chorale in E major (2)
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Pieces (5) for Organ, Op. 5 (1)
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Pièces en Trio (2) for Flute, Cello, and Harp, Op. 80 (3)
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Pièces en Trio (2), Op. 95: no 1, Elégie nocturnale (1)
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Pièces en Trio (2), Op. 95: no 2, Allegro appassionata (1)
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Poème, Op. 16 (1)
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Prelude and Fugue for Organ, Op. 121 (1)
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Prelude Élégiague, Op. 47 no 1 (2)
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Preludes (13) for Piano, Op. 69 (1)
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Preludes (13) for Piano, Op. 69: Airs de fêtes (1)
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Preludes (13) for Piano, Op. 69: Angoisse (1)
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Preludes (13) for Piano, Op. 69: Appassionata (1)
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Preludes (13) for Piano, Op. 69: Giovenzza (1)
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Preludes (13) for Piano, Op. 69: no 11, Papillons Noirs (1)
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Preludes (13) for Piano, Op. 69: Nostalgique (1)
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Preludes (13) for Piano, Op. 69: Poir danser (1)
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Préludes et versets (20), W 9 (1)
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Première Etude de Concert, Op. 65 no 1 (2)
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Prière, Op. 108 no 2 (1)
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Quartet for Strings no 1 in C minor, Op. 3 (1)
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Quartet for Strings no 2 in A major, Op. 50 (1)
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Quartet for Strings no 3 in D major, Op. 67 (1)
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Rhapsodie for Piano and Wind Quintet, Op. 70 (2)
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Sarabande dans le style ancien, Op. 23a (1)
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Sarabande triste, Op. 58 (2)
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Scherzetto for Organ, Op. 108 no 1 (3)
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Sérénade for Piano, Op. 19 (1)
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Serenades (2) for String Quartet, Op. 61 (1)
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Sonata for Cello and Piano in C minor, Op. 39 (2)
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Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 77 (4)
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Sonata for Violin and Piano no 1 in D major, Op. 27 (1)
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Sonata for Violin and Piano no 2 in E major, Op. 34 (1)
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Sonata heroïca, Op. 94 (15)
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Suite en forme de sonate for Piano, Op. 60 (1)
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Suite for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 48 (2)
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Symphonie concertante for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 81: Toccata (1)
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Symphony concertante for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 81 (4)
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Thomas l'Agnelet: Arrière, arrière tous, vous autres (1)
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Thomas l'Agnelet: Le chien, le chien! Il a menti (1)
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Toccata (1)
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Toccata for Organ in D flat major, Op. 104 (3)
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Toccata for Piano, Op. 91 no 1 (1)
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Toccata français for Organ in D flat major, Op. 14 (1)
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Trio for Piano and Strings, Op. 10 (1)
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Trio for Violin, Viola and Cello, Op. 135 (1)
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Biography |
by James Reel
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Joseph Jongen owes his fame almost entirely to the audiophile market; every innovation in recording technology brings a handful of releases of his extravagantly scored and generously melodic Symphonie concertante for organ and orchestra (1926). Little do audiophiles suspect that Jongen was a prolific and able composer in many genres, particularly but not exclusively in the field of organ music.
At age 7, Jongen entered the Liège Conservatory; it wasn't until he was 19 that he joined a locally important organ class, but within four years he was winning the highest honors for his playing. Simultaneously, he was making a name for himself as a composer; a string quartet of his won first prize in the 1894 Royal Academy of Belgium competition, and his cantata Comala brought him the Prix de Rome in 1897.
During the 1890s Jongen served as organist at churches in Liège, but at the turn of the century he also found time to embark on a four-year tour of Europe. During this period he took composition lessons from Richard Strauss, and met Gabriel Fauré and Vincent d'Indy, becoming thoroughly familiar with the Schola Cantorum's educational setup in Paris.
Jongen settled in Brussels in 1905, teaching at the Scola Musicae, the Belgian equivalent of the Schola Cantorum, while commuting to the Liège Conservatory. World War I drove Jongen and his family to the safety of England, where he formed the Belgian (Piano) Quartet. The end of hostilities allowed Jongen to return to Belgium, where he began teaching at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1925 became its director. He simultaneously directed two concert series in Brussels and tutored Princess Marie-José in harmony. After his retirement in 1939 he devoted himself to composing and designing an organ for Belgian Radio.
Jongen's musical style is difficult to classify. It is richly romantic, though Jongen drew inspiration as much from such early figures as Mendelssohn and Chopin as from such later stalwarts as Wagner and Franck. He was a superb colorist, especially in his chamber music, showing more than a little influence of Debussy's Impressionism. Ultimately, despite the late, mild influence of Stravinsky, he seemed most aligned with the aesthetics of Fauré, although Jongen was fonder than his predecessor of the grand gesture. His works, in addition to the Symphonie concertante, include several large organ compositions, most notably the Sonata eroïca, as well as a great deal of chamber music, concertos, and songs. |
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