Meester, Louis de

Meester, Louis de, Belgian composer; b. Roese-lare, Oct. 28, 1904; d. Ghent, Dec. 12, 1987. He was mainly autodidact as a composer. After serving as director of the Meknes Cons, in French Morocco (1933–37), he returned to Belgium and studied with Absil. From 1945 to 1961 he worked for the Belgian Radio. He was director of the Inst. for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music at the Univ. of Ghent from 1961 to 1969.

Works

dramatic:Van een trotse vogel, musical comedy (1948); La Grande Tentation de Saint Antoine, opera buffa (1957; Antwerp, Nov. 11, 1961); 2 is te weining, 3 is te veel (2 is too little, 3 is too much), opera (1966; Palermo, June 13, 1969); Paradijsgeuzen (Beggars in Heaven), opera (1966; Ghent, March 26, 1967); incidental music. orch.: Magreb for Viola and Orch. (1946); Capriccio (1948); Sprookjesmuziek (1949); Sinfonietta Buffa (1950); 2 piano concertos (1952, 1956); Musica per archi (1955); Amalgames (1956); Marine (1957); Concertino for 2 String Orchs. (1965); Serenade for Flute, Oboe, and Strings (1967); Tombeau voor P.-P. Rubens (1977). chamber: Cello Sonatina (1945); Divertimento for Wind Quintet (1946); 3 string quartets (1947, 1949, 1954); String Trio (1951); Tafelmuziek for Flute, Oboe, Violin, Viola, and Cello (1953); Sonata for Solo Guitar (1954); Violin Sonata (1957); Serenade for Harpsichord and 11 Strings (1958–59); Postludium for Organ and Brass (1959); Divertimento for Piano Quartet (1970); 3 Interludes for Flute and Organ (1975); piano pieces. vocal:La Voix du silence, cantata for Baritone, Narrator, Women’s Chorus, and Chamber Orch. (1951–54); Ballade van de gebarste trommel for Narrator and Orch. (1973); choruses. other: Electronic pieces.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire