Flor Peeters
Encyclopedia
Flor Peeters was a Flemish
composer
, organist
and teacher
.
(in the Kempen region, near the Belgian-Dutch border), he was the youngest child in a family of eleven. When sixteen years old, he began his studies at the Lemmens Institute in Mechelen
(since moved to Leuven
), which was named after the nineteenth-century organist Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens
. At this college, his teachers were Lodewijk Mortelmans
, Jules Van Nuffel
and Oscar Depuydt. Depuydt was well known at the time for his collaboration with the Desmet brothers on the first set of Gregorian
accompaniments produced by the Lemmens Institute.
Peeters would later collaborate with Jules van Nuffel and the Institute's other professors, to produce the Nova Organi Harmonia. In 1923 he became an organ teacher at the Institute; simultaneously he acquired the position of chief organist
at the St. Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen, which he held for most of the rest of his life. He collaborated with the cantor at the cathedral Jules Van Nuffel
.
As an organist and pedagogue, Peeters enjoyed great renown, giving concerts and liturgical
masterclasses all over the world. He also made recordings of sixteenth-, seventeenth- and eighteenth-century organ music; some of these have been reissued in recent years on compact disc
. Most of his own pieces (he wrote well over 100) were for his own instrument, for choir, or for both.
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
.
Biography
Born and raised in the village of TielenTielen
Tielen is a village in the province of Antwerp in Flanders, Belgium. It is part of the municipality of Kasterlee. The nearest town is the neighbouring town of Turnhout. Other neighbouring villages are Vosselaar, Lichtaart, Poederlee, Lille and Gierle....
(in the Kempen region, near the Belgian-Dutch border), he was the youngest child in a family of eleven. When sixteen years old, he began his studies at the Lemmens Institute in Mechelen
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
(since moved to Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
), which was named after the nineteenth-century organist Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens
Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens
Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens , was an organist and composer for his instrument.Born at Zoerle-Parwijs, near Westerlo, Belgium, Lemmens took lessons from François-Joseph Fétis, who wanted to make him into a musician capable of renewing the organ-player's art in Belgium...
. At this college, his teachers were Lodewijk Mortelmans
Lodewijk Mortelmans
Lodewijk Mortelmans was a Belgian composer and conductor of Flemish ancestry. He was from a family of five children born to Isabella and Charles Mortelmans...
, Jules Van Nuffel
Jules Van Nuffel
Jules Van Nuffel , was a musicologist, composer, and a renowned expert on religious music.-Biography:...
and Oscar Depuydt. Depuydt was well known at the time for his collaboration with the Desmet brothers on the first set of Gregorian
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
accompaniments produced by the Lemmens Institute.
Peeters would later collaborate with Jules van Nuffel and the Institute's other professors, to produce the Nova Organi Harmonia. In 1923 he became an organ teacher at the Institute; simultaneously he acquired the position of chief organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
at the St. Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen, which he held for most of the rest of his life. He collaborated with the cantor at the cathedral Jules Van Nuffel
Jules Van Nuffel
Jules Van Nuffel , was a musicologist, composer, and a renowned expert on religious music.-Biography:...
.
As an organist and pedagogue, Peeters enjoyed great renown, giving concerts and liturgical
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
masterclasses all over the world. He also made recordings of sixteenth-, seventeenth- and eighteenth-century organ music; some of these have been reissued in recent years on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. Most of his own pieces (he wrote well over 100) were for his own instrument, for choir, or for both.
External links
- Flor Peeters on Studiecentrum voor Vlaamse Muziek
- List of works