D'Hooghe, Clément

Karolien Selhorst after Jan Dewilde (translation: Joris Duytschaever)

Clément D’Hooghe was born in Temse. His father was a versatile musician: violinist and organist, director of the local music academy, conductor of the brass band, sexton-organist and teacher of piano and organ. In 1919 Clément D’Hooghe moved to Antwerp, where he was a private pupil of Alexander Papen, then adjunct organist of the cathedral. At the Royal Flemish Conservatory he earned degrees in harmony, organ (with Arthur De Hovre), counterpoint and fugue. In addition he studied practical harmony and piano. In 1927 his studies at the Conservatory culminated with the Prize Albert De Vleeshouwer for composition. Afterwards he rounded out his capacities in religious music with Jules Van Nuffel, in orchestration and composition with Paul Gilson, and in organ playing, focussing on improvisation, with Marcel Dupré in Paris.

Meantime he was already active as organist in several Antwerp churches: St George (1924-26), the Holy Ghost (1926), and eventually St Paul’s (1926-1951). This church, smack at the center of the Sailors’ Quarter, boasted a flourishing music chapel with a rich tradition. After the Motu Proprio encyclica of 1903 orchestras had disappeared from most rood lofts. Not so at St Paul’s, however. In this stimulating environment Clément D’Hooghe was, in close alliance with conductor Gust Persoons, jointly responsible for several talked-about productions with soloists, choir, organ, and orchestra. A lot of Flemish music got pride of place, e.g. Benoit, Wambach, Gevaert, De Boeck, Van Nuffel, Meulemans, Van Hoof, Persoons (whose Ruusbroeck Mass was premiered on 26 January 1936) and D’Hooghe himself. Clément D’Hooghe was a very talented organist to boot, with a divine gift for improvisation, sometimes subversively introducing frivolous tunes, thus bridging the gap between high and low culture.

Between 1928 and 1936 D’Hooghe was also artistic director of the Antwerp Empire and Roxy theatres, big cinemas where an orchestra accompanied the silent movies and provided musical intermezzos between the films. D’Hooghe had to take care of the accompanying music. Sometimes this was limited to a slick knitting together of existing music fragments, but in addition he made adaptations on the basis of classic themes or composed original music. D’Hooghe attempted to make classical music palatable for the cinema audience by offering, instead of the run-of-the-mill entertainment music, an "entr’acte musical" with a selection of themes by Benoit, Blockx, Wambach and Gilson as well as easily accessible compositions from the international repertoire.

In the same vein he conceived his directorship of the Berchem musical academy from 1929 on as a task to educate the people. In his capacity as director he wrote a lot for youngsters: cantatas and dozens of songs for children. For the music academy he also organized symphonic concerts. In 1942 D’Hooghe was appointed at the Antwerp Conservatory as teacher of practical harmony and transposition. After a brief suspension after the war he was in the running for the position of organ teacher in 1947, but Flor Peeters secured the job.

The "repression" had damaged his health. D’Hooghe had not yet reached the age of 52 when he died on April 1, 1951, in Wilrijk. Even so, he left behind an impressive oeuvre of about 400 works (including the adaptations). Functional music looms large, occasional pieces such as marching songs and festive songs and cantatas such as Moederweelde (The Wealth of Motherhood), for the inauguration of a maternity in Temse in 1936, or In Memoriam Minister Arthur Vanderpoorten, on a text by Karel Jonckheere, in 1946.

While serving in this popular and functional music in a subordinate role, the composer comes more into his own elsewhere, exploring a more contemporary language with touches of French impressionism. In his piano music, for example, where besides a sonata and some sonatines he shows a preference for genre pieces (Avondstemming) (Evening Mood), Chinoiserie, Solitude) and dances. These works conspicuously offer both light-hearted joy of playing and of listening.

Curiously enough the organist D’Hooghe only composed some fifteen works for pipe organ, amongst them four Toccatas, Kleine suite (Little Suite), Vrolijke optocht (Merry Parade), Elegie (Elegy). He adapted some of his piano and organ works for symphonic orchestra, but besides he also wrote a few original compositions for orchestra. In Symfonisch gedicht: hulde aan drie nationale toondichters (Symphonic Poem: Homage to Three National Composers, 1939) he pays an original tribute to César Franck, August De Boeck and Peter Benoit (with quotations from the Rubens March and My Mother Tongue). Kaboutersballet (Gnome Ballet, 1942) is perhaps his most popular work for orchestra, witness the six recordings by the radio orchestra. The tripartite Orkestsuite (Suite for Orchestra) won in 1942 the competition "Entertainment music" for the NIR (National Radio Institute). Besides he composed some works in the concerto genre, such as the Romantisch Concerto (Romantic Concerto, 1949) and the Legende (Legend) for cello solo and orchestra (1942).

Next to the organ the cello was D’Hooghe’s preferential instrument. He wrote several pieces for cello solo, for cello solo accompanied by 8 cellos, and for cello and piano, such as the elaborate cello sonata (1945). The rest of his chamber music, too, deserves better than the total indifference that it is treated with today. In addition to the occasional pieces mentioned before, D’Hooghe composed quite a few vocal works, such as dozens of art songs on texts by, among others, René De Clercq, Willem Gijssels, August Van Cauwelaert, Maurice Maeterlinck and Guido Gezelle.

The major part of D’Hooghe’s religious choir music was written for St Paul’s: Missa in honorem S.Pauli for 2 equal voices and organ (1930); Te dicimus praeconio, a hymn on the Gregorian Ave Maris Stella for baritone, male choir, organ and orchestra (1940); Psalm 145 Lauda anima mea Dominum for mixed choir, organ and orchestra (1941); O Jesu amor mi, for 2 equal voices and organ; Magnificat, for 3 equal voices, organ and strings (1942); the second Missa in honorem S.Pauli, also known as Missa gregoriana; Missa brevis, for 2 or 3 equal voices (1944); Ave Maria, Regina Sacratissimi Rosarii, for three-part mixed choir and brass ensemble. Furthermore he composed some arrangements of Adeste fideles, Adoro Te, Pie Jesu and Tantum Ergo.