Brewaeys, Karel
Biografie
Jan Dewilde (translation: Jo Sneppe)
After his studies at the Brussels Royal Conservatory, where he obtained first prizes for harmony and organ, Brewaeys was a music teacher from 1908 until 1954 and organist at the collegiate St Gudule's Church in Brussels. Concurrently, likewise in Brussels, he was associated from 1910 to 1961 with the St Nicholas' Church as concertmaster and also for 35 years with the Finisterrae Church as organist.
His activities as a composer mainly span the period between 1915 and 1959. The Mass Onze Lieve Vrouw van de vrede (Our Lady of Peace) for six-part mixed choir was composed in the trenches during the First World War. This Mass was created in Fécamp (Normandy) in 1917, and was followed by several other performances, amongst others in 1919 at St Nicholas' Church and both on 15 May 1938 and on 24 December 1944 at St Gudule's.
A remarkable work is Noël des petits nègres, which Brewaeys wrote in 1936 for tenor, choir, keyboard, tom-tom and orchestra. His oratorio Evangelische kerstdag (Evangelical Christmas) was broadcast several times by the BRT (Belgian Radio) after its creation in 1935.
Furthermore Brewaeys made hundreds of arrangements for schools and churches.
Bibliografie
Anderen over deze componist
- L.G.: Karel Bréwaeys (1880-1962), in: Het madrigaal, jrg. 11, nr. 2, 1965, p. 51-52.
- N.N.: Verrijk uw koorbibliotheek, in: Het madrigaal, jrg. 12, nr. 2, 1966, p. 53-55.
- Roquet, F.: Brewaeys, Karel, in: Lexicon Vlaamse componisten geboren na 1800, Roeselare, 2007, p. 84.