Verschraegen, Gabriël

Lien Alaerts (translation: Joris Duytschaever)

Already as a child Gabriël Verschraegen was in touch with music. His father, a baker, participated in music life in Eksaarde-Doorslaar, particularly with the village brass band and the local church choir. It was the conductor of this choir, Alfons Platel, who discovered the boy’s talent and urged his parents to encourage it. Through the support of a well-to-do family member Verschraegen was enabled to take his first lessons with the Brussels organist Jean Collot. For three years Verschraegen went through an intensive course of solfège, harmony, piano and organ-playing. Subsequently Collot advised him to pursue his organ studies with Flor Peeters at the Higher Interdiocesan Institute for Church Music (Lemmens Institute) in Mechelen. In addition to organ-playing he also studied solfège and harmony with Henri Durieux, practical harmony with Staf Nees, harmony, counterpoint and piano with Marinus de Jong, and singing and plainchant with Jules Van Nuffel. He graduated as laureate with distinction in 1939.

Subsequently he moved to the Conservatory of Ghent. There he earned the Higher Diploma for organ with Flor Peeters in 1943, with special distinction. In addition to his credentials in the field of the organ, he also earned diplomas for fugue, harmony and composition with Jules-Toussaint De Sutter. Verschraegen became a busy man as organist, teacher and director. In 1944 he was appointed as titular organist at St Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent. This office entailed the musical adorning of the daily chapter mass and the Sunday services as well as the accompaniment of the cathedral choir. As an organist he made several concert tours at home and abroad, including the United States and the Soviet Union. From 1948 he took over the organ class at the Conservatory of Ghent from his former teacher Flor Peeters. Between 1962 and 1968 he was director of the Municipal Music Academy of Lokeren, graduating in 1968 to the directorship at the Conservatory of Ghent, remaining in that position till his death in 1981.

In 1946 he founded together with Berten De Keyser the first Flemish organ magazine, De Schalmei (The Shawm), which ceased publication already in 1950. When Verschraegen co-organized the organ conference in the White Canon abbey of Tongerlo in 1951, he was also involved in the founding of the periodical De Praestant, which can be regarded as the successor of De Schalmei. In 1956 he founded the Organ Centre in Ghent with a view to organizing the annual organ cycles at St Bavo’s Cathedral as well as the international Johann Sebastian Bach competition every five years. From the Ghent Organ Centre also originated the impulse for the founding of the Flanders Festival in Ghent. Together with Gaby Moortgat, Verschraegen presented the series ‘Old Organs in Flanders’ for the radio. Besides he was the president of the Ghent chapter of ‘Youth and Music’. He also frequently served as a jury member in organ and composition competitions in Ghent, Geneva, Munich and Prague. Verschraegen was highly praised as a connoisseur of early organ literature. Besides he was a specialist of Reger and Bruckner as well as being one of the rare performers of César Franck in that era.

In his own compositions both components can be heard: a harmonious synthesis of the French and German style, with neo-classical influences. He himself describes his compositions as works which were constituted by virtue of “a solid construction, pure counterpoint, clear lines, a bright and transparent style, and above all: supremacy of the melody”. His most important works are the organ compositions which were written from 1950 on, and which were often inspired by Gregorian chant. Besides organ music he also composed chamber music, works for piano, choral works and songs on texts by Guido Gezelle, Yvonne Waegemans and Jozef Staes.