Laurent Menager was a Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

 composer, choirmaster, organist and conductor who is often referred to as Luxembourg's national composer. He founded the national choral association Sang a Klang (1857) and composed many songs, orchestral music and operettas as well as music for brass bands and the theatre.

Biography

The son of a baker, Menager was born on 10 January 1835 in the Pfaffenthal

Pfaffenthal

Pfaffenthal is a quarter in central Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg.In 2001, the quarter had a population of 1,208 people....

 quarter of Luxembourg City

Luxembourg (city)

The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg...

. He attended the Luxembourg Athenée

Athénée de Luxembourg

The Athénée de Luxembourg , is a high school in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It's commonly called Stater Kolléisch or De Kolléisch, and is the nation's oldest high school.-Brief history:...

 before continuing his studies with Professor Hiller at the Academy of Music

Hochschule für Musik Köln

The Cologne University of Music is a music college in Cologne, and Germany's largest academy of music.-History:The academy was founded by Ferdinand Hiller in 1850 as Conservatorium der Musik in Coeln...

 in Cologne

Cologne

Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...

. Employed for no less than 46 years by the municipality of Luxembourg, he was a professor at the Luxembourg Music School

Conservatoire de Luxembourg

The Conservatoire de Luxembourg is a conservatoire in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. The conservatoire was founded in 1906, after a private donation made possible its establishment, which had been mandated under a Grand Ducal decree issued in 1904...

. He also taught music and singing at the Athenée

Athénée de Luxembourg

The Athénée de Luxembourg , is a high school in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It's commonly called Stater Kolléisch or De Kolléisch, and is the nation's oldest high school.-Brief history:...

 and at the teachers training school and directed several choral societies. He was a friend of the poets Dicks

Dicks

Edmond de la Fontaine , better known by his pen name of Dicks, was a Luxembourgian jurist, poet, and lyricist, known for his work in the Luxembourgish language. He is considered the national poet of Luxembourg, and, along with Michel Lentz and Michel Rodange, one of the most important figures in...

 and Lentz

Michel Lentz

Michel Lentz was a Luxembourgian poet. He is best known for having written Ons Hémécht, the national anthem of Luxembourg....

, collaborating with them on several compositions. His compositions covered choral works, symphonies, operettas, chamber music and music for military bands. Of particular interest is his church music. His Pie Jesu and Ihr lieben Vöglein are among his most masterly compositions.

When Menager died on 7 February 1902, he had become so popular that he was mourned by the entire nation. Over 6,000 people, including representatives of 45 societies, attended his funeral.

Selected works

Chamber music:

• "Quatuor à cordes" (1859)

Choral works and lieder:

• "De schie long" (1894)
• "Unsere Heimath"
• "Margréitchen"
• "De Lëtzebuerger Greechen"
• "Déi schéinste Blumm"
• "Eng Tréin"
• "Ihr lieben Vögelein"
• "Aus der Kannerzäit"

Operettas:

• "Den Här an d'Madame Tullepant" (1893)
• "Den Här President"
• "En ass rosen"
• "De scheie Jong"

Discography

• "Laurent Menager - Historesch Opnamen", Centre national de l'audiovisuel, Luxembourg, 2005. Collection of three CDs.