Louël, Jean (Hippolyte Oscar)

Louël, Jean (Hippolyte Oscar), Belgian composer and conductor; b. Ostend, Jan. 3, 1914. He studied at the Ghent Cons. with Joseph Ryelandt (composition), and at the Brussels Cons, with Joseph Jongen (theory) and Defauw (conducting). He then studied conducting with Bigot and Paray at the Paris Cons. (diploma, 1943), winning the Belgian Prix de Rome in 1943 for his cantata La Navigation d’Ulysse. He became a teacher at the Brussels Cons. (1943), and was director of music academies in Alost (1945–49) and Anderlecht (1949–56). He was founder-conductor of the chamber orch. of the Concerts di Midi in Brussels (1949–70). In 1956 he became inspector of music schools in Flemish Belgium. In 1959 he became a teacher of composition at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth, retiring in 1984.

Works

orch.:Fantaisie sur 2 chansons de trouvères (1942); Suite for Chamber Orch. or Piano (1942); Burlesque for Bassoon and Orch. (1943); March funèbre and Triomfmarch (1945); 2 piano concertos (1945, 1949); Concerto da camera for Flute and Orch. (1946–47); 2 violin concertos (1950, 1971); 3 syms.: No. 1 (withdrawn), No. 2 for Strings (1968), and No. 3 (1984–85); Toccata and Fugue for Winds (1974); Rhapsody (1975); Horn Concerto (1981); Funeral Music (1984); Cello Concerto (1986). chamber: Clarinet Sonata (1935); Brass Trio (1951); Wind Quintet (1958); Violin Sonata (1960); Suite for Flute, Cello, Vibraphone, and Harp (1967); L’Art d’être Grand’père, 10 pieces for Piano (1978); Saxophone Quartet (1983); Sonata for Solo Violin (1985); Clarinet Quartet (1986).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire