Vanden Berghe, Philippe

Philippe Vanden Berghe – Mazurka de salon op. 30 (ca. 1866?)

(Menen, 8 December 1822 – Menen, 5 January 1885)

Philippe Vanden Berghe was born into a well-to-do family in Menen; his father was a merchant, landlord and homeowner as well as a local councillor. His school years at Sint-Aloysius College in Menen were rather difficult, which according to school reports was due to his fickleness and ‘a weakness of character.’ His attention was clearly elsewhere: ‘Gifted with a great talent for study, he could have the most brilliant successes, but instead of dedicating himself to study, he only shows interest in drawing and music.’1 According to some sources, he studied literature at the University of Leuven after his secondary education, but no evidence of this has been found. Around 1853 he married Leonie Mulle, with whom he would have eight children and to whom he would dedicate his Deux pensées fugitives pour piano op. 20. At the time of his marriage – he was about thirty years old – he was already registered as a rentier; later on in his children’s birth and marriage records, this became tobacco manufacturer and landlord. That Vanden Berghe was wealthy is also evident from his spacious house on the Leiekaai in Menen, one of the largest and most beautiful in the city. He also held a number of official positions. …

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