de Burbure, Gustave

Jan Dewilde (translation: Jo Sneppe)

Brother of the composer and musicologist Léon de Burbure (1812-1889), Gustave de Burbure was a passionate music lover who played as a clarinettist, appeared as a singer, and composed music mainly for choir as well as for wind and percussion orchestra.

Like his brother, he probably received his first music lessons from Joseph Troch, bandmaster of Our Lady's Church in Dendermonde. Later, together with his brother, he explored various music methods for wind and percussion instruments. This co-operation between the two musical brothers intensified when Léon was appointed as the director of the Dendermonde music society Société philharmonique de Sainte Cécile. Around that time Gustave de Burbure as well as his friend and fellow townsman Prudens vanDuyse got themselves talked about. After an Orangist article in Le J ournal de Gand of 3 October 1832 he was accused of libel towards the Belgian flag. Eventually the case was dismissed and he was even appointed as music leader of the cantonal legion of the Dendermonde militia.

Gustave de Burbure studied law at Ghent University. Upon his marriage in 1841 he took up his residence in Ghent, where he worked as a tax collector of Registration and Lands, and as of 1859 as a registrar of mortgages. He also made himself useful as a member of the administrative commission of the Ghent Conservatory. In this function he devoted himself to giving this municipal institution the status of Royal Conservatory, an objective he was able to realise in 1879. Shortly afterwards he became chairman of the Conservatory administrative commission. Concurrently he was active as director of the Ghent choir 'Le Cercle lyrique' and as major of the Ghent militia first legion.

For the militia band he composed many marches, pas redoublés, gallops, waltzes and airs variés, as well as opera overture transcriptions (like La prison d'Edimburg, L'aspirant, La princesse de Grenade) and variations on popular operatic themes. His fantasy on Le choeur de baigneuses from Les Huguenots was included in the repertoire of the Scouts band. In addition to this music for wind and percussion instruments he also composed church music (e.g. a Tantum ergo and a Salve Regina), piano and guitar music, romances and choral music (mainly written for the choir 'La lyre gantoise', which he conducted himself). Part of his work was published in Journal royal de musique militaire (Paris). Other compositions were published in Ghent and Brussels.

In 1882 Gustave de Burbure became registrar of mortgages in Brussels, so he moved to the capital. There he passed away on 25 October 1893.

Gustave de Burbure was honorary member of the Academia de Santa Cecilia in Rome, and Knight (1873) as well as Officer (1890) of the Leopold Order. In 1889 he was knighted.