1865–1937 · Belgium
August De Boeck (1865–1937) was a Belgian composer and organist from Merchtem. He studied at the Brussels Conservatoire, taught harmony and later directed the conservatoire in Mechelen. His music grew out of late Romanticism and the Russian school, and later brought impressionism into Belgian music. The site has his Nocturne for piano.
August De Boeck was born on 9 May 1865 in Merchtem, Belgium. His father, Flor De Boeck (1826–1892), was the town organist of Merchtem. His grandfather led a wind band. The composer later spent his last years in the same town and died there.
From 1880 De Boeck studied organ at the Brussels Conservatoire in the class of Alphonse Mailly; the studies lasted until 1885. He later became Mailly's assistant and remained one until 1902. At the same time he studied harmony and composition, mainly with H. F. Kufferath.
In 1889 De Boeck met the young Paul Gilson. Gilson became a close friend, taught him orchestration and encouraged him to compose. Gilson and De Boeck were among the most important late Romantic composers of Flanders.
De Boeck's music was influenced by Richard Wagner and by the Russian school, in the persons of Alexander Borodin and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. In his later works impressionism entered Belgian music.
From 1892 De Boeck worked as an organist in various Belgian churches. In 1909–1920 he was professor of harmony at the Antwerp Conservatoire, and he also taught in Brussels. His students included Maria Scheepers. In 1921–1930 he directed the conservatoire in Mechelen.
In 1930 De Boeck retired and returned to his native Merchtem. In 1932 he was elected to the municipal council, but over the whole term he attended only one meeting. In 1934 he was made a Commander of the Order of Leopold. The composer died on 9 October 1937 in Merchtem.
De Boeck wrote more than 400 works: vocal and stage, sacred and instrumental. His style grew out of late Romanticism with an eye on Wagner and the Russian school, and later took on traits of impressionism. The greatest successes were the Rhapsodie Dahoméenne (1893), in versions for symphony orchestra and for wind band, the violin and piano concertos, and, among the operas, Théroigne de Méricourt and La Route d'Emeraude.
His operas include Théroigne de Méricourt (1901), about a heroine of the French Revolution, and La Route d'Emeraude (1921), after a novel by E. Demolder. He also wrote Reinaert de Vos (1909) and the operettas Papa Poliet (1918) and Totole (1929).
His works include songs: 54 set Flemish texts, 45 set French ones, and 57 are children's songs. He also wrote a set of three masses for organ with three voices, a viola and piano piece, the Fantasia in G minor (1916), and a Cantilène for cello and chamber orchestra (1936).
The site has one of his pieces for solo piano, the Nocturne (De Boeck - Nocturne), at the intermediate-plus level. It is the place to start getting to know the composer at the keyboard.