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Kennes, Henri

° Antwerpen, 15/09/1891 — † Wommelgem, 14/06/1988

Erik Zwysen (translation: Joris Duytschaever)

With most other Flemish comp osers from the 20th century Henri Kennes [1] now shares the fate of oblivion. However, in the interbellum period he was an acclaimed and renowned conductor and composer, mainly in the genre of the operetta. After some years in the Netherlands he conducted in all important theatres of Antwerp. In 1939 he became the chief of the orchestra at the Koninklijke Nederlandse Schouwburg (Royal Dutch Theatre) in Ghent. After the war he conducted many years at ‘Het Witte Paard’ (The White Horse) in Blankenberge, while concurrently arranging orchestrations for Armand Preud’homme. He died at the age of 96 on 14 June 1988 in Wommelgem.

Henricus Leo Kennes was born on 15 September 1891 in Antwerp, the son of Josephus Augustus Kennes, himself also a musician, and Maria Carolina De Weert, both Antwerpians. In Antwerp he studied violin with Jos Camby, piano with Gerard Dyckhoff, and harmony with Karel Gras. During the first World War he fled to the Netherlands, where he pursued advanced studies in counterpoint and fugue with the Dutch composer Hubert Cuypers. He played there as a violinist and dedicated his compositions Soldaten der Koningin (The Queen’s Soldiers) and Danses de Princesse to the Dutch queen. On 11 June 1918 he married Maria Johanna van Beusekom in Vlissingen. Thereupon he stayed some more years in the Netherlands, conducting companies for light opera, for example at the ‘Rozentheater’ in Amsterdam. During the Passion plays in Amsterdam some of his fugues were executed, and in the 1920s the ‘Amsterdamsche orkestvereniging’ (Orchestral Society of Amsterdam) regularly programmed his Pax in terra for violin and cello on the occasion of the concerts in the Artis zoo.

In Belgium Kennes was listed with the association of musical artists as a violinist and pianist, but his fields were mainly those of composing and conducting. In 1925 he served as conductor of Jules Dirickx’s operetta company for the summer season in the Antwerp People’s Palace. He disposed there of a small but outstanding orchestra with which he managed each time to bring the merry audience immediately before the third act under the spell of a subdued mood, often using music of his own. Thus Corinne Caneau-Corijn played Kennes’ violin solo Mia Amata with an exceptional virtuosity during the intermezzo of the operetta De Dolle Lola (Die tolle Lola, 1919) by Hugo Hirsch. For the winter season Kennes relocated to the orchestra of the Hippodrome under the baton of Lode Van de Velde, where he served as repetiteur together with Jan Douliez. The following summer he returned to the People’s Palace, in the meantime renamed to Prado Theatre by Ernest Kindermans and Frans Wijnans, taking over as a conductor from John Coppens. After a short summer vacation the Prado became a leading theatre for light opera. Again Kennes enabled members of the orchestra to shine with solo performances. His dreamy Sérénade à Lola was played ‘with unparallelled tenderness’ by Mrs. Caneau-Corijn, the audience taking it in ‘with breathless admiration’. Kennes also managed to charm his public very persuasively with his Boschklanken (Forest Sounds) and his Lenteweelde (Spring Profusion) for flute, oboe and clarinet. However, after one season the theatre closed down.

The jobless musicians combined their forces in a consortium and continued to play for a while in the Flemish Opera. On the occasion of the 35t0h anniversary of Rubens’s birth the consortium offered a Rubens Revue in the Rubens Palace in August 1927, resulting in high praise for the exceptionally successful musical arrangement by Kennes. Unfortunately, some conflicts led to its premature discontinuation. However, shortly afterwards the musicians started an operetta season at the Rubens Palace, managed by the former director of the Hippodrome theatre, Victor Neutgens.

Ballet mistress Mrs. Katicza also relocated from the Hippodrome. Here too the intermezzos by Kennes were highly appreciated, resulting in frequent demands for repeats. Kennes also gave chances to other composers, such as August De Boeck’s Allegro con fuoco, performed by Karel Gras. In February 1928 the company found its venue in the El Bardo theatre run by Mrs. Charlotte Noterman. Until April Henri Kennes conducted the orchestra, Lode Van de Velde taking over from him. On that occasion a reviewer wrote about Kennes: “Never did we manage to catch him out, he always managed to personally earn a large portion of the success with his orchestra, delivering subtly detailed executions of the score, and contributing very captivating intermezzos, often of his own making. He soon enjoyed the general sympathy of the regular visitors.“

In April 1928 Kennes took over from Ivan Delrue as conductor in cinema Odeon, with specific responsibility for the musical arrangements of the silent movies. Prominent members of his orchestra included violinists Nic Lahaye and Hipp. Steylaerts, cellist Antoon Horemans and pianist Irma Van Trier. When on 28 March 1930 some important movie theatres switched to sound movies the Odeon still kept its orchestra for a while. Later in the 1930s Kennis conducted a traveling company which performed all over Flanders, temporarily under the name ‘Antwerpsch Operettentournee’ (Antwerp Operetta Tour). In vain he tried to find a regular venue for the most important performances. From 1935 on he wielded the baton for the summer operetta season at the Empire or the Scala.

As a well-known conductor Kennes did of course also perform at other venues. Thus in February 1937 he was a guest conductor of the symphonic orchestra, together with Lode Van de Velde, at the prestigious grand ball of the artists. In 1938 and 1939 he conducted some revues by Gust Bastiaensen and Mark Tralbaut at the Hippodrome. Nevertheless his existence remained precarious, no matter how active he was as a conductor. In 1939 he wrote to his friend Tralbaut: “because of all my financial setbacks since the end of the summer season last year at the Empire, my last ‘francs’ are disappearing so fast that in a couple of days I’ll be completely broke!“

However, from October 1939 he was hired as conductor of the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Schouwburg in Ghent, succeeding Emiel Verwilst. During the last show of the season Kennes still conducted his own ballet composition De kus van den Sater (The Satyr’s Kiss), based on a scenario by Mark Tralbaut. Kennes aspired to the position of director as well, but after one season the Second World War put an end to his position and to this ambition. His activities as a conductor during the occupation, e.g. in the ‘Volkstheater’ - formerly ‘Alhambra’ - in Brussels resulted in problems after the war, including imprisonment for a couple of months. Even so, he was active again in January 1946 as conductor of a traveling operetta company based in Brussels. With the operetta company José Morrisson he toured all over Flanders. In February 1948 he became the regular conductor at the theatre ‘Het Witte Paard’ (The White Horse) in Blankenberge, a popular seaside resort.

During the interbellum period Kennes was also renowned as a composer of works with more substance. On Sunday 27 November 1921 the ‘Club Fraternel’ executed his operetta Glimwormen (Glowworms) at the ‘Cercle Artistique’ in Antwerp. In April 1927 the Louvain company ‘Tooneelwacht’ (Theatre Guard) presented his lyrical drama Ben Hur, with a libretto by Hendrik De Maeyer, secretary of the city of Sint-Niklaas, at the Alhambra Theatre in Louvain. It was enthusiastically acclaimed: “With painstaking care the least intention of the author is clarified, each theatrical event is adequately transposed into music. A broad stream of melody flows uninterruptedly, contributing with its extraordinary richness to the distinctive characteristics of the beautiful score, appreciated in exceedingly flattering words by Fl. Van de Mueren, professor of Music History at Ghent University, singling out the masterly orchestration for special praise at a public homage where the composer was honoured with a marvellous commemorative medal. Van der Mueren also felt that, after the 6 performances for full houses, “Ben Hur” was destined for equally great triumphs at more prestigious venues.“ More performances followed in September 1928 at the theatre ‘De Nieuwen Cirkus’(The New Circus) in Ghent.

The operetta Millioenenbruid (Bride of the Millions), with a libretto by Karel van Rijn, was executed several times, also in March 1929 at the Koninklijke Nederlandse Schouwburg in Ghent, where Van Rijn was the director. In June 1929 Kennes himself presented this operetta in Antwerp at the Koninklijke Vlaamse Opera. He could take advantage of an outstanding orchestra with such fine musicians as the violinist Steylaerts, the viola player Baeyens, the cellist Horemans, the flute-player Thomas, the trumpet-player Vennix, the pianist Paul Douliez, and the harpist Suzy De Backer. The ballet mistress was Mrs. Hallez. The singers were Wiske Ghijs, Johan Heesters, Louis Belloy, Mark Tralbaut, and others. The review in the Muziekwarande, albeit not without criticism, was favourable: “The score is definitely melodious and very modern. Perhaps somewhat loud and difficult. The jazzy element is equally up the composer’s alley as the sensitive and the decorative. To be sure, he goes a bit over the top with the so-called melodrama, which sometimes interferes with the understanding, especially in I. The introduction to III, with a felicitous violin solo, kept the audience in rapt attention. In short: a victory to be counted with!“

The reviewer of Het Tooneel even took a step further with his opinion that at last a Flemish art of operetta had come into its own: “Kennes has even surpassed the national tunesmith, the celebrated Emiel Hullebroeck (…). If we compare the best bits from this score with the beautiful, somewhat sweetish, always charming intermezzos which he used to offer a couple of years ago at the Prado, then we can easily appreciate how the young composer has already covered quite a distance on the road to greater self-fulfilment and stronger originality.“ The operetta was produced again in October 1930 at the Luna Theatre in Antwerp under the baton of Emiel Verwilst. On 30 October 1937 it was broadcast on the Belgian radio.

In October 1931 Kennes himself conducted his operetta Parade, with a libretto by Louis De Vriendt, at the K.N.S. in Ghent. In January 1933 the Luna Theatre in Antwerp performed his operetta Klatergoud (Tinsel) under the baton of Henri Claessens. For this operetta, too, De Vriendt wrote the libretto. In February 1940 a lot of attention was paid to the execution at the Royal Flemish Opera in Antwerp of the “cheoreographic mimodrama’ De Zwarte Maaier (The Black Reaper). This creation under the baton of Daniël Sternefeld preceded Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. From the review in the Antwerpsch Tooneel: “In this score we most of all admired the great variety, the technical structure being truly remarkable and the modernism not very aggressive. Before we were impressed by the wide range of paints and shades displayed by Kennes, but this time it seems to us that he has foregrounded mainly - and too much - the gloomy colours.“

His operetta Breughelkermis (Breughel Fair), with a libretto by Marc Belloy, was programmed to be premiered in the season 1944-45 at the Brussels People’s Theatre, then directed by Jos Sterkens. Yet the liberation of Belgium started in September 1944, resulting in suspension of all activities at the Brussels theatre. This operetta was, however, performed in September 1969 and February 1970 at the Royal Flemish Opera. On the occasion of the premiere in 1969 Het Handelsblad abundantly praised the ‘first-class musical service’ that Czech conductor Jan Valach devoted to the score. The score by Kennes “is something that remains unabatedly attractive, without however providing peak moments to give the creation genuine wings. First and foremost there is pleasant alternation of three-four time and even measures. The (numerous) arias and duets “sing” well, and the orchestration is steeped in colour and life.“

[1] Also Henry, Hendrik or Rik Kennes

Bibliografie

Anderen over deze componist

  • Bronnen Eric Zwysen: Gegevens bevolkingsregister / Archief Letterenhuis Antwerpen / Het Tooneel - Het Antwerpsch Tooneel, diverse jaargangen / Cinema- en Tooneelwereld, diverse jaargangen / Diverse kranten en tijdschriften.
  • Lambrechts, L.: De Muziek in Antwerpen - II. Orkestleiders, in: Muziek-Warande, jrg. 8, nr. 3, maart 1929, p. 58.
  • N.N.: Varia, in: Harop, jrg. 21, nr. 7, september 1969, p. 222.
  • Roquet, F.: Kennes, Hendrik ('Henry'), in: Lexicon Vlaamse componisten geboren na 1800, Roeselare, 2007, p. 417.

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