{"id":{"repo_id":"ghent","oai_identifier":"oai:archive.ugent.be:8701207"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/ghent/oai:archive.ugent.be:8701207","repository":{"repo_id":"ghent","name":"Ghent University","base_url":"https://biblio.ugent.be/oai"},"display":{"title":"Brave Belgians of the Belle Époque : a study of the late-romantic Ghent horn playing tradition","abstract":"‘Brave Belgians of the Belle Époque’ is an artistic case study that unravels the paradigm of a flourishing legacy of horn playing in Ghent at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries. In around 1870 Belgian horn playing undertook a drastic stylistic volte-face. The earlier joyful and elegantly ornamented manner instigated by such eminent musicians as Martin-Joseph Mengal (1784-1851) and Jean-Désirée Artôt (1803-1887) suddenly changed into a highly lyrical and poetic musical language with an emphasis on transparency, simplicity, and accessibility. A strong generation of horn players trained, aided and abetted by the artistic and institutional achievements of François-Auguste Gevaert (1828- 1908) and Adolphe Samuel (1824-1898) developed a horn school that emphasized functional technical proficiency in the service of free artistic expression. From the end of the nineteenth century onwards, the center of gravity of this tradition was located in the horn studios of Jean Deprez (1840-1902), Charles Heylbroeck (1872- 1945), and Maurice Van Bocxstaele (1897-1974) at the Royal Ghent Conservatory. This training line developed a particular educational methodology and inspired composers to create a highly evocative repertoire in which verbal-style expression was of primary importance. This had a notable impact on horn playing worldwide through a diaspora of émigré players, commonly nicknamed ‘brave Belgians’ by their contemporaries. Their life stories and achievements are exemplary of the relation between musical, educational, social, organological and artistic developments that emerged in Belgium during the Belle Epoque era. The rediscovery of this lost legacy was enabled by analysis of a comprehensive time capsule of related archival findings, historical instruments and repertoire. Findings were contextualized from the perspective of a modern-day performer, creating a practice- based framework that reflects musical performance and perception, artistic identity and the education of musicians, past, present and future.","abstract_html":"‘Brave Belgians of the Belle Époque’ is an artistic case study that unravels the paradigm of a flourishing legacy of horn playing in Ghent at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries. In around 1870 Belgian horn playing undertook a drastic stylistic volte-face. The earlier joyful and elegantly ornamented manner instigated by such eminent musicians as Martin-Joseph Mengal (1784-1851) and Jean-Désirée Artôt (1803-1887) suddenly changed into a highly lyrical and poetic musical language with an emphasis on transparency, simplicity, and accessibility. A strong generation of horn players trained, aided and abetted by the artistic and institutional achievements of François-Auguste Gevaert (1828- 1908) and Adolphe Samuel (1824-1898) developed a horn school that emphasized functional technical proficiency in the service of free artistic expression. From the end of the nineteenth century onwards, the center of gravity of this tradition was located in the horn studios of Jean Deprez (1840-1902), Charles Heylbroeck (1872- 1945), and Maurice Van Bocxstaele (1897-1974) at the Royal Ghent Conservatory. This training line developed a particular educational methodology and inspired composers to create a highly evocative repertoire in which verbal-style expression was of primary importance. This had a notable impact on horn playing worldwide through a diaspora of émigré players, commonly nicknamed ‘brave Belgians’ by their contemporaries. Their life stories and achievements are exemplary of the relation between musical, educational, social, organological and artistic developments that emerged in Belgium during the Belle Epoque era. The rediscovery of this lost legacy was enabled by analysis of a comprehensive time capsule of related archival findings, historical instruments and repertoire. Findings were contextualized from the perspective of a modern-day performer, creating a practice- based framework that reflects musical performance and perception, artistic identity and the education of musicians, past, present and future.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Billiet, Jeroen"],"institution":"Universiteit Gent. Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Maes, Francis","Vercruysse, Rik"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021","date_published":"2021","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:23:03Z","subjects":["Performing Arts","Horn","Ghent","Music Education","Tradition","Cultural Networks"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8701207","https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8701207/file/8701225"],"render_values":[{"text":"https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8701207","href":"https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8701207","code":true},{"text":"https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8701207/file/8701225","href":"https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8701207/file/8701225","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8701207","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Maes, Francis","Vercruysse, Rik"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Billiet, Jeroen"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2021"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Universiteit Gent. Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["dissertation","info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis","info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Performing Arts","Horn","Ghent","Music Education","Tradition","Cultural Networks"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8701207","http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8701207","https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8701207/file/8701225"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["‘Brave Belgians of the Belle Époque’ is an artistic case study that unravels the paradigm of a flourishing legacy of horn playing in Ghent at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries. In around 1870 Belgian horn playing undertook a drastic stylistic volte-face. The earlier joyful and elegantly ornamented manner instigated by such eminent musicians as Martin-Joseph Mengal (1784-1851) and Jean-Désirée Artôt (1803-1887) suddenly changed into a highly lyrical and poetic musical language with an emphasis on transparency, simplicity, and accessibility. A strong generation of horn players trained, aided and abetted by the artistic and institutional achievements of François-Auguste Gevaert (1828- 1908) and Adolphe Samuel (1824-1898) developed a horn school that emphasized functional technical proficiency in the service of free artistic expression. From the end of the nineteenth century onwards, the center of gravity of this tradition was located in the horn studios of Jean Deprez (1840-1902), Charles Heylbroeck (1872- 1945), and Maurice Van Bocxstaele (1897-1974) at the Royal Ghent Conservatory. This training line developed a particular educational methodology and inspired composers to create a highly evocative repertoire in which verbal-style expression was of primary importance. This had a notable impact on horn playing worldwide through a diaspora of émigré players, commonly nicknamed ‘brave Belgians’ by their contemporaries. Their life stories and achievements are exemplary of the relation between musical, educational, social, organological and artistic developments that emerged in Belgium during the Belle Epoque era. The rediscovery of this lost legacy was enabled by analysis of a comprehensive time capsule of related archival findings, historical instruments and repertoire. Findings were contextualized from the perspective of a modern-day performer, creating a practice- based framework that reflects musical performance and perception, artistic identity and the education of musicians, past, present and future.","‘Brave Belgians of the Belle Époque’ is een artistieke case-studie, die het paradigma van een bloeiende Gentse hoorntraditie in de late negentiende en vroege twintigste eeuw ontrafelt. Omstreeks 1870 onderging het hoornspelen in België een drastische stilistische ommezwaai. De vroegere vrolijke en elegant versierde speelstijl die ontwikkeld was onder eminente musici als Martin-Joseph Mengal (1784-1851) en Jean-Désirée Artôt (1803-1887) transformeerde plots tot een uitgesproken lyrisch-poëtisch idioom met een klemtoon op transparantie, eenvoud en toegankelijkheid. Een sterke generatie spelers, opgeleid met en bijgestaan door de artistieke-educatieve ideeën van conservatoriumdirecteurs François-Auguste Gevaert (1828-1908) en Adolphe Samuel (1824-1898) ontwikkelden een hoornschool die functionele techniciteit in dienst stelde van vrije artistieke expressie. Vanaf het einde van de Negentiende eeuw centraliseerde het zwaartepunt van deze traditie zich in de hoornklassen van Jean Deprez (1840-1902), Charles Heylbroeck (1872- 1945) en Maurice Van Bocxstaele (1897-1974) aan het Koninklijk Conservatorium te Gent. Deze hoornschool ontwikkelde een specifieke educatieve methodiek en zou componisten inspireren tot het schrijven van een bijzonder educatief repertoire waarin ‘verbale’ expressie van primair belang was. Ze had een duidelijke impact op de kunst van het hoornspelen wereldwijd, door een diaspora van migrerende hoornisten die door hun tijdgenoten vaak met de bijnaam ‘dappere Belgen’ (‘brave Belgians’) bedacht werden. Hun levensverhalen en verwezenlijkingen illustreren als geen ander de wisselwerking tussen de muzikale, educatieve, sociale, organologische en algemeen-artistieke ontwikkelingen die België te beurt vielen tijdens de Belle Époque. Analyse van een omvangrijke tijdscapsule van gerelateerde instrumenten, partituren, en archiefstukken leidde tot een herontdekking van het universum van deze ‘verloren’ traditie. De bevindingen werden in de context en het perspectief van een hedendaagse uitvoerder geplaatst en resulteerden in een praktijkgericht denkkader dat tools aanreikt voor reflectie over muzikale uitvoering en -perceptie, artistieke identiteit en de opleiding van musici in verleden, heden en toekomst."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Brave Belgians of the Belle Époque : a study of the late-romantic Ghent horn playing tradition"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Maes, Francis","Vercruysse, Rik"],"dc:creator":["Billiet, Jeroen"],"dc:date":["2021"],"dc:description":["‘Brave Belgians of the Belle Époque’ is an artistic case study that unravels the paradigm of a flourishing legacy of horn playing in Ghent at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries. In around 1870 Belgian horn playing undertook a drastic stylistic volte-face. The earlier joyful and elegantly ornamented manner instigated by such eminent musicians as Martin-Joseph Mengal (1784-1851) and Jean-Désirée Artôt (1803-1887) suddenly changed into a highly lyrical and poetic musical language with an emphasis on transparency, simplicity, and accessibility. A strong generation of horn players trained, aided and abetted by the artistic and institutional achievements of François-Auguste Gevaert (1828- 1908) and Adolphe Samuel (1824-1898) developed a horn school that emphasized functional technical proficiency in the service of free artistic expression. From the end of the nineteenth century onwards, the center of gravity of this tradition was located in the horn studios of Jean Deprez (1840-1902), Charles Heylbroeck (1872- 1945), and Maurice Van Bocxstaele (1897-1974) at the Royal Ghent Conservatory. This training line developed a particular educational methodology and inspired composers to create a highly evocative repertoire in which verbal-style expression was of primary importance. This had a notable impact on horn playing worldwide through a diaspora of émigré players, commonly nicknamed ‘brave Belgians’ by their contemporaries. Their life stories and achievements are exemplary of the relation between musical, educational, social, organological and artistic developments that emerged in Belgium during the Belle Epoque era. The rediscovery of this lost legacy was enabled by analysis of a comprehensive time capsule of related archival findings, historical instruments and repertoire. Findings were contextualized from the perspective of a modern-day performer, creating a practice- based framework that reflects musical performance and perception, artistic identity and the education of musicians, past, present and future.","‘Brave Belgians of the Belle Époque’ is een artistieke case-studie, die het paradigma van een bloeiende Gentse hoorntraditie in de late negentiende en vroege twintigste eeuw ontrafelt. Omstreeks 1870 onderging het hoornspelen in België een drastische stilistische ommezwaai. De vroegere vrolijke en elegant versierde speelstijl die ontwikkeld was onder eminente musici als Martin-Joseph Mengal (1784-1851) en Jean-Désirée Artôt (1803-1887) transformeerde plots tot een uitgesproken lyrisch-poëtisch idioom met een klemtoon op transparantie, eenvoud en toegankelijkheid. Een sterke generatie spelers, opgeleid met en bijgestaan door de artistieke-educatieve ideeën van conservatoriumdirecteurs François-Auguste Gevaert (1828-1908) en Adolphe Samuel (1824-1898) ontwikkelden een hoornschool die functionele techniciteit in dienst stelde van vrije artistieke expressie. Vanaf het einde van de Negentiende eeuw centraliseerde het zwaartepunt van deze traditie zich in de hoornklassen van Jean Deprez (1840-1902), Charles Heylbroeck (1872- 1945) en Maurice Van Bocxstaele (1897-1974) aan het Koninklijk Conservatorium te Gent. Deze hoornschool ontwikkelde een specifieke educatieve methodiek en zou componisten inspireren tot het schrijven van een bijzonder educatief repertoire waarin ‘verbale’ expressie van primair belang was. Ze had een duidelijke impact op de kunst van het hoornspelen wereldwijd, door een diaspora van migrerende hoornisten die door hun tijdgenoten vaak met de bijnaam ‘dappere Belgen’ (‘brave Belgians’) bedacht werden. Hun levensverhalen en verwezenlijkingen illustreren als geen ander de wisselwerking tussen de muzikale, educatieve, sociale, organologische en algemeen-artistieke ontwikkelingen die België te beurt vielen tijdens de Belle Époque. Analyse van een omvangrijke tijdscapsule van gerelateerde instrumenten, partituren, en archiefstukken leidde tot een herontdekking van het universum van deze ‘verloren’ traditie. De bevindingen werden in de context en het perspectief van een hedendaagse uitvoerder geplaatst en resulteerden in een praktijkgericht denkkader dat tools aanreikt voor reflectie over muzikale uitvoering en -perceptie, artistieke identiteit en de opleiding van musici in verleden, heden en toekomst."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8701207","http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8701207","https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8701207/file/8701225"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Universiteit Gent. Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte"],"dc:rights":["info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess"],"dc:subject":["Performing Arts","Horn","Ghent","Music Education","Tradition","Cultural Networks"],"dc:title":["Brave Belgians of the Belle Époque : a study of the late-romantic Ghent horn playing tradition"],"dc:type":["dissertation","info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis","info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:23:03Z"}