André Henri Constant van Hasselt
Encyclopedia
André Henri Constant van Hasselt ( ; 5 January 1806 – 1 December 1874) was a Flemish
poet
.
, Van Hasselt was first educated in his native town. He studied his Atheneum (school for 12- to 18-year-olds) at the University of Liège
(Hoogeschool van Luik), then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
, where he earned his doctor in rights. From 1827 up to 1832 he established himself as a lawyer in Maastricht. In 1833 he left Maastricht, then blockaded by the Belgian forces, and made his way to Brussels
, where he became a naturalized Belgian, and was attached to the Bibliothèque de Bourgogne. In 1843 he entered the education department, and eventually became a provincial inspector of normal/elementary schools in Antwerp. Two years later he was appointed special inspector to the normal schools and kept this job until he died at Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
, a suburb of Brussels, on the 1st of December 1874.
, and as a French-writing poet André van Hasselt had to overcome the difficulties of writing in a language foreign to his home land. He had published a Chant héllenique in honour of Canaris
in the columns of La Sentinelle des Pays-Bas as early as 1826, and other poems followed. His first volume of verse, Primeveres (1834), shows markedly the influence of Victor Hugo
, which had been strengthened by a visit to Paris in 1830. His relations with Hugo became intimate in 1851-1852, when the poet was an exile in Brussels. In 1839 he became editor of the Renaissance, a paper founded to encourage the fine arts.
His chief work, the epic of the Quatre Incarnations du Christ, was published in 1867. In the same volume were printed his Études rythmiques, a series of metrical experiments designed to show that the French language could be adapted to every kind of musical rhythm. With the same end in view he executed translations of many German songs, and wrote new French libretti
for the best-known operas of Mozart, Weber
and others.
Van Hasselt's fame has continued to increase since his death. A series of tributes to his memory are printed in the Poesies choisies (1901), edited by M. Georges Barral for the Collection des poètes français de l'etranger. This book contains a biographical and critical study by Jules Guillaume, and some valuable notes on the poet's theories of rhythm
.
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Life
Born at MaastrichtMaastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
, Van Hasselt was first educated in his native town. He studied his Atheneum (school for 12- to 18-year-olds) at the University of Liège
University of Liège
The University of Liège , in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium, is a major public university in the French Community of Belgium. Its official language is French.-History:...
(Hoogeschool van Luik), then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
United Kingdom of the Netherlands
United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name used to refer to Kingdom of the Netherlands during the period after it was first created from part of the First French Empire and before the new kingdom of Belgium split out in 1830...
, where he earned his doctor in rights. From 1827 up to 1832 he established himself as a lawyer in Maastricht. In 1833 he left Maastricht, then blockaded by the Belgian forces, and made his way to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, where he became a naturalized Belgian, and was attached to the Bibliothèque de Bourgogne. In 1843 he entered the education department, and eventually became a provincial inspector of normal/elementary schools in Antwerp. Two years later he was appointed special inspector to the normal schools and kept this job until he died at Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
Sint-Joost-ten-Node or Saint-Josse-ten-Noode is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium....
, a suburb of Brussels, on the 1st of December 1874.
Writings
His native language was DutchDutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, and as a French-writing poet André van Hasselt had to overcome the difficulties of writing in a language foreign to his home land. He had published a Chant héllenique in honour of Canaris
Constantine Kanaris
Constantine Kanaris or Canaris was a Greek Prime Minister, admiral and politician who in his youth was also a freedom fighter, pirate, privateer and merchantman.-Early life:...
in the columns of La Sentinelle des Pays-Bas as early as 1826, and other poems followed. His first volume of verse, Primeveres (1834), shows markedly the influence of Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
, which had been strengthened by a visit to Paris in 1830. His relations with Hugo became intimate in 1851-1852, when the poet was an exile in Brussels. In 1839 he became editor of the Renaissance, a paper founded to encourage the fine arts.
His chief work, the epic of the Quatre Incarnations du Christ, was published in 1867. In the same volume were printed his Études rythmiques, a series of metrical experiments designed to show that the French language could be adapted to every kind of musical rhythm. With the same end in view he executed translations of many German songs, and wrote new French libretti
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
for the best-known operas of Mozart, Weber
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
and others.
Legacy
A selection from his works (10 vols, Brussels, 1876–1877) was edited by MM. Charles Hen and Louis Alvin. He wrote many books for children, chiefly under the pseudonym of Alfred Avelines; and studies on historical and literary subjects. The books written in collaboration with Charles Hen are signed Charles André. A bibliography of his writings is appended to the notice by Louis Alvin in the Biographie nat. de Belgique, vol. vii.Van Hasselt's fame has continued to increase since his death. A series of tributes to his memory are printed in the Poesies choisies (1901), edited by M. Georges Barral for the Collection des poètes français de l'etranger. This book contains a biographical and critical study by Jules Guillaume, and some valuable notes on the poet's theories of rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
.