Jacqueline Fontyn facts for kids

Jacqueline Fontyn (born December 27, 1930) is a famous Belgian composer, pianist, and music teacher. She was born in Antwerp, Belgium. The King of Belgium gave her the special title of Baroness. This was to honor her amazing contributions to music and art.

Early Life and Musical Journey

Jacqueline Fontyn started playing the piano when she was just five years old. Her first teacher was Ignace Bolotin. By the age of nine, she was already writing her own small musical pieces. When she was 14, she knew she wanted to be a composer.

She continued her piano studies with Marcel Maas. She also learned about music theory and composition. Her teachers for these subjects were Marcel Quinet in Brussels and Max Deutsch in Paris. Jacqueline Fontyn also studied how to conduct an orchestra in Vienna with Hans Swarovsky. She finished her studies in 1959.

A Career in Music and Teaching

Jacqueline Fontyn has had a very busy and important career in music. In Antwerp, she started a choir called Le Tympan. She led this choir for seven years. She also conducted the Symphonic Orchestra of the Catholic University of Leuven for two years.

From 1963 to 1970, she taught music at the Royal Flemish Music Conservatory in Antwerp. Later, from 1970 to 1990, she became a professor at the Conservatory of Brussels. There, she taught composition, which is the art of creating music.

Her teaching career also took her to many other places. She taught at Georgetown University and the American University in Washington, D.C.. She also taught at the University of Maryland. Beyond the United States, she shared her musical knowledge in cities like Baltimore, Los Angeles, Cairo, Seoul, and Tel Aviv.

Awards and Recognition

Jacqueline Fontyn has received many special awards for her work. These include the famous Prix de Rome and the Oscar Esplanada prize in 1962. In 1988, she won the Prix Honegger. She is also a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Poetry and the Fine Arts of Belgium. In 1993, the King of Belgium honored her with the title of Baroness. This was a big recognition of her artistic achievements.

Musical Works

Jacqueline Fontyn has composed a wide variety of musical pieces. Her works are performed by orchestras, small groups, and solo instruments.

Orchestral Compositions

These are pieces written for a large orchestra.

• 1956 Danceries
• 1957 Vent d'Est for Accordion and Strings 12
• 1957 Mouvements Concertants for two pianos and strings
• 1964 Six ébauche
• 1965 Galaxy for chamber orchestra
• 1970 Colloque Quintet for Winds and Strings
• 1971 Per Archi for string orchestra
• 1972 Evoluon
• 1977 Quatre sites
• 1978 Halo for harp and 16 instruments or chamber orchestra
• 1979 Ephémères for mezzo-soprano and orchestra
• 1982 Créneaux
• 1983 Arachne
• 1988 In the green shade
• 1991 Colinda for Cello and Orchestra
• 1992 On a landscape by Turner
• 1996 L'anneau de jade
• 1998 Goeie Hoop
• 2000 ... it is an ocean ... for flute, harpsichord and strings
• 2001 Au fil des siècles
• 2002 A (small) Winter Night's Dream

Chamber Music Pieces

These works are for smaller groups of instruments.

• 1966 Musica a quattro for Piano Quartet (for violin, viola or clarinet, cello and piano)
• 1981 Mime 7 for flute or clarinet or saxophone and piano
• 1983 controversy for clarinet or bass clarinet or tenor saxophone and percussion
• 1983 Pro & Antiverb (e) s for soprano and cello
• 1997 battements d'ailes for Saxophone Quartet
• 2005 Eolus for piccolo, three flutes, alto flute and bass flute

Works for Piano

These are pieces written for one or two pianos.

• 1954 Capriccio
• 1963 Ballade
• 1964 Mosaici
• 1980 Le Gong
• 1980 Bulles
• 1982 Aura, Hommage à Brahms
• 2003 Diurnes
• 1971 spiral for two pianos
• 2004 hamadryads piano four hands
• 2005 Kobold Pianola/Phonola

Works for Wind Orchestra

These compositions are for a band made up of wind instruments.

• 1975 Frise for Symphonic Wind Band
  • Mobile e sfumato
  • Espressivo
  • Vivace
• 1982 Créneaux for Symphonic Wind Band
  • Assembly (meeting)
  • Contemplation (Meditation)
  • Faisceaux (beam)
  • Météores
  • Brouillard (fog)
  • Choral varié
• 1992 Aratoro (a Maori word meaning "path, to be discovered") for Symphonic Wind Band with two large groups of percussion and piano
• 1993 Blake's mirror for mezzo-soprano and Symphonic Wind Band
  • The Angel
  • The Fly
  • The Tiger
  • Song

Other Compositions

• 1986 Cheminement for soprano and eight performers