Barbier, René (Auguste-Ernest)

Barbier, René (Auguste-Ernest), Belgian composer and teacher; b. Namur, July 12, 1890; d. Brussels, Dec. 24, 1981. He studied with Gilson at the Brussels Cons, and with Dupuis at the Liège Cons. He taught at the Liège Cons. (1920–49) and at the Brussels Cons. (1949–55); concurrently was director of the Namur Cons. (1923–63). In 1923 he received the Belgian Royal Academy Prize for his symphonic poem Les Génies du sommeil, and in 1968 he was elected to membership in the Academy.

Works

DRAMATIC: Opera: Yvette (1910); La Fête du vieux Tilleul (1912). Ballet : Les Pierres magiques (1957). ORCH.: Pièce symphonique for Trumpet and Orch. (1918); 2 piano concertos (1922, 1934); Les Génies du sommeil, symphonie poem (1923); Les Éléments: Suite Platonicienne (1935); Poème for Cello and Orch. (1936); Fantaisie concertante for Violin and Orch. (1937); Cello Concerto (1938); Poco adagio et Allegro brillante for Clarinet and Orch. (1940); Diptyque (1941); La Musique de perdition, symphonie poem (1947); Introduction (Fanfare) et 3 Esquisses symphoniques (1956); Pièce concertante for Violin or Saxophone and Orch. (1958); Guitar Concerto (1960); 3 mouvements symphoniques for Strings (1962); Tableau symphonique (1963); Horn Concerto (1964); Introduction et Allegro symphonique (1967); Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Percussion (1967); Ouverture concertante (1969); Concertino for 2 Guitars and Strings (1971). CHAMBER: Violin Sonata (1914); Piano Quintet (1915); Viola Sonata (1916); Piano Trio (1919); String Quartet (1939); Quartet for 4 Horns (1956); Quartet for 4 Saxophones (1961); Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano (1971). VOCAL: Oratorios and other works.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire