Burbure de Wesembeek, Léon de

Burbure de Wesembeek, Léon de – Fantaisie et air varié pour cor en Fa ou cornet à pistons (Arrangement for wind orchestra by Bart Snauwaert)

(Dendermonde, August 16, 1812 – Antwerp, December 8, 1889)

(1837)
Arrangement for wind orchestra by Bart Snauwaert

Léon de Burbure de Wesembeek was born in 1812 in an ancient noble family from Dendermonde. Apart from Léon, also his brother Gustave (1815-1893) had musical talents. Aged seven Léon took music lessons (solfège and cello) from Joseph Troch, a local Kapellmeister. He went to grammar school (humanities and classics studies) at the Royal Secondary School (“College”) in Ghent. During his studies of law at the University of Ghent, De Burbure founded the symphonic orchestra ‘La Lyre Académique’. With this orchestra he performed his first orchestral composition, when in June 1829 Willem I paid a visit to Ghent University. At the outbreak of the 1830 revolution De Burbure returned to his native town. With the help of theoretical works he continued his music studies as an autodidact. In this period he wrote Chant des bardes (Song of the Bards, for four-part mixed choir and orchestra). Upon the reopening of the university he returned to Ghent to complete his studies, obtaining his law degree on 8 August 1832.

After his return to Dendermonde De Burbure became particularly active in local cultural life. Thus he was asked to be the leader of the ‘Société philharmonique de Sainte Cécile’. In 1832 together with the poet Prudens van Duyse (1804-1859), his friend and fellow townsman, he wrote L’épée d’honneur offerte au général Chassé (The Sword of Honour Offered to General Chassé). As conductor of the ‘Société des échos de la Dendre’ De Burbure had been delegated to attend the first ‘Beethovenfest’ in Bonn in August 1845. This ‘Society of the Echoes of the River Dender’ played a prominent role in the developing choral life that was then mainly flourishing in the region around Dendermonde. The choir was the winner in many competitions, often with works by De Burbure. In addition to plenty of choral music De Burbure in those years composed concert overtures, sacred music, romances and, between 1832 and 1835, no less than 37 string quartets and quintets. …

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