Léon Jongen


Léon Jongen was a Belgian composer and organist.

Musical career

He was born in Liège, on March 2, 1884. His father Alphonse had an atelier there and worked as a woodcarver. Jongen studied at the Royal Conservatory of Liège and was appointed as organist at the Saint-Jacques church of Liège after his graduation in 1898, a position he held till 1904. In 1913 he won the Prix de Rome with his cantata Les fiancés de Noël.
After the First World War, Jongen travelled the world: he visited Africa, India, China, Japan, and Hanoi. While in Hanoi he conducted the Tonkin Opera from 1927-1929. In 1934 he returned to Belgium to become a professor of fugue at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. The Commission de surveillance gave his several directorial responsibilities in 1938 and officially appointed him as director on August 1, 1939. He succeeded his brother Joseph Jongen. His appointment as director lasted till 1949. Between 1960 and 1962 Léon Jongen was the chairman of the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
Jongen composed symphonic works and operas. Even though he was a great admirer of the French romantic school and even knew some influence by César Franck, his musical style evolved towards more modernistic traits. He died in Brussels.

Selected works