Devroye, Théodore-Joseph

Devroye, Théodore-Joseph, Belgian music scholar; b. Villers-la-Ville, Brabant, Aug. 19, 1804; d. Liége, July 19, 1873. He trained for the priesthood at the seminaries in Mechelen and Liége, and was ordained in Miinster in 1828. He was active at the church of St. Christophe in Liége (1830–35), then was canon at Liége Cathedral and precentor for the Liége diocese. He advocated the restoration of churches, the building of organs, and the revitalization of church music; he also promoted the reform of plainsong melodies in Catholic liturgy.

Writings

(all publ. in Liége unless otherwise given): Traite de plainchant a Vusage des seminaires (1831; 2nd ed., 1839); Vesperale romanum sive Antiphonale romanum abreviatum cum Psalterio (1842; 3rd ed., 1860); Manuale cantorum ad laudes et parvas horns, juxta Breviarum romanum, cum psalmis capitulis et orationibus (1849); Processionale romanum continens responsoria, hymnos, antiphonas psalmos in processionibus dicenda additis laudibus vespertinis de SS. Sacramento de S. Cruce de Beata M.V. et suppleneto ex pontificali romano (1849); Graduate romanum juxta missale et officia nomvissme auctoritate Apostolica pro universali ecclesia approbata (1851; 3rd ed., 1869); Manuale cantorum officia propria Sanctorum ecclesiae cathedralis civitatis et diocesis Leodiensis (1858); Concours de musiques religieuses (Brussels, 1867); Sur la peinture chretienne (Antwerp, 1871).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire