Guillaume Lekeu (January 20 1870 – January 21 1894) was a Belgian (Wallon) composer of classical music.
Life
Lekeu, who was born in Verviers, Belgium, took his first lessons at the conservatory in that city. In 1879, his parents moved to Poitiers. There, he finished school while he continued his music studies autodidactically. At the age of 15, he composed his first piece. In 1888, his family settled down in Paris where Lekeu became a student of César Franck. After Franck's death, Vincent d'Indy became his new teacher. In 1891, he obtained a second Second Prix de Rome for his cantata Andromède. The famous violin virtuoso Eugène Ysaÿe asked him for a violin sonata. Ysaÿe played this composition for the first time in March 1893, and it remains Lekeu's most popular piece. At the age of 23, Lekeu fell ill with typhoid fever and died in Angers only one day after his 24th birthday. He was buried in a suburb of Verviers.
Compositions
Lekeu composed about 50 pieces. Today, most of them can be found in the archives of several conservatories, and several of them have been recorded a number of times, notably the violin sonata. His style shows influences of Franck, Wagner and Beethoven, though he was never a mere imitator of those masters. He used cyclic principles; that is to say, themes in his works will often recur from movement to movement, as they do in a good many of Franck's and d'Indy's compositions. In general, Lekeu is regarded as a highly talented composer who died far too young.
- Works for orchestra
- Première étude symphonique (1889)
- Deuxième étude symphonique (1889)
- Adagio pour quartet d'orchestre (1891)
- Fantasy on two folktunes from Angers (1892)
- Introduction and Adagio for brass band (1892)
- Vocal Music
- Andromède, poème lyrique et symphonique for soloists, choir and orchestra (1891)
- Chant lyrique for choir and orchestra (1891)
- songs
- Chamber Music
- String Quartet in G major (1888)
- Piano Quartet in B minor (1892/93, completed by d'Indy)
- Piano Trio in C minor (1890/91)
- Violin Sonata in G major (1892/93)
- Cello Sonata in F minor (1888)
- Piano Sonata in G minor (1891)
External links
- Guillaume Lekeu was listed in the International Music Score Library Project
- http://chihiro.net/lekeu/lekeu1.htm
- Guillaume Lekeu memorial at Find A Grave
