Benoit, Peter (Leopold Léonard)

Benoit, Peter (Leopold Léonard), eminent Flemish composer; b. Harlebeke, Belgium, Aug. 17, 1834; d. Antwerp, March 8, 1901. He studied at the Brussels Cons, with Fétis (1851–55); while there he earned his living by conducting theater orchs. and wrote music for Flemish plays. At the age of 22 he produced his first opera in Flemish, Het dorp in’t gebergte (A Mountain Village), staged in Brussels on Dec. 14, 1856. With his cantata Le Meurtre d’Abel Benoit obtained the Belgian Prix de Rome (1857); however, he did not go to Italy, but traveled instead in Germany. As part of his duties he submitted a short Cantate de Noël to Fétis, who praised Benoit’s music; he also wrote the essay L’École de musique flamande et son avenir, proclaiming his fervent faith in the future of a national Flemish school of composition, of which he was the most ardent supporter. His one-act opera Roi des Aulnes was presented in Brussels (Dec. 2, 1859). The Théâtre-Lyrique of Paris tentatively accepted it, and Benoit spent many months in Paris awaiting its production, which never took place; in the meantime he acted as second conductor at the Bouffes-Parisiens. In 1863 he returned to Belgium, where he produced his second Flemish opera, Isa (Brussels, Feb. 24, 1867). In 1867 he founded the Flemish Music School in Antwerp; he militated for many years to obtain official status for it. In 1898 it was finally granted, and the school became the Royal Flemish Cons. Benoit remained its director to the end of his life. In Belgium Benoit is regarded as the originator of the Flemish musical tradition in both composition and education; but although he cultivated the Flemish idiom in most of his works, his musical style owes much to French and German influences. Apart from his successful early operas, he wrote the opera Pompeja (1895), which was not produced. He also composed the Flemish oratorios Lucifer (Brussels, Sept. 30, 1866; highly successful; considered his masterpiece), De Schelde (1868), and De Oorlog (War; 1873), a dramatic musical score, Charlotte Cor day (1876), an historical music drama, De Pacificatie van Ghent (1876), a children’s oratorio, De Waereld in (In the World; 1878), the oratorio, De Rhijn (1889), and the cantatas Hucbald (1880) and De Genius des Vaderlands (1880). Of his church music, the most important is his Quadrilogie religieuse (Antwerp, April 24, 1864), of which the component parts had been separately performed in 1860, 1962, and 1863; also Drama Christi (1871). Benoit wrote relatively little instrumental music; his symphonic poems for piano with orch. and for flute with orch. have been performed. He also composed many songs in French and in Flemish. In his propaganda for national Flemish music, Benoit contributed numerous papers and articles, among them Considérations à propos d’un projet pour l’institution de festivals en Belgique (1874), Verhandeling over de nationale Toonkunde (two vols., Antwerp, 1877-79), De Vlaamsche Muziekschool van Antwerpen (1889; a history of the Flemish Music School), and De Oorsprong van het Cosmopolitisme in de Muziek (1876). In 1880 he was elected a corresponding member of the Belgian Royal Academy, and in 1882, a full member.

Bibliography

L. Mortelmans, P. B. (Antwerp, 1911); H. Baggaert, P. B.: Een kampion der nationale gedachte (Antwerp, 1919); J. Hore-mans, P. B. (Antwerp, 1934); A. Pols, Het leven van P. B. (Antwerp, 1934); C. van den Borren, P. B. (Brussels, 1942); R. Boschvogel, P. B. (Tiel, 1944); A. Corbet, P. B.: Leven, werk en beteekenis (Antwerp, 1944); G.-M. Matthijs, P. B. (Brussels, 1944); F. van der Mueren, P. B. in het huidig perspectief (Antwerp, 1968); H. Willaert, P. B., de levenswekker (Brussels, 1984).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire