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 work in music.

Jacqueline Fontyn's Early Life

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 music pieces. When she was 14, she decided she wanted to be a composer.

She continued her piano lessons with Marcel Maas. She also studied music theory and composition. She learned from Marcel Quinet in Brussels and Max Deutsch in Paris. Jacqueline also learned how to conduct an orchestra in Vienna. Her teacher there was Hans Swarovsky. She finished her studies in 1959.

Jacqueline Fontyn's Career in Music

Jacqueline Fontyn has had a very busy and important career.

Leading Choirs and Orchestras

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. She led this orchestra for two years.

Teaching Music

From 1963 to 1970, she taught music at the Royal Flemish Music Conservatory in Antwerp. She taught a subject called counterpoint. From 1970 to 1990, she was a professor at the Conservatory of Brussels. There, she taught counterpoint and later, composition.

Jacqueline Fontyn also taught music in other countries. She taught at Georgetown University and the American University in Washington, D.C.. She also taught at the University of Maryland. She worked as a music teacher in many cities around the world. These include Baltimore, Los Angeles, Cairo, Seoul, and Tel Aviv.

Awards and Honors

Jacqueline Fontyn has received many special awards. One of the most famous is the Prix de Rome. She also won the Oscar Esplanada prize in Spain in 1962. In 1988, she received the Prix Honegger.

She is a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Poetry and Fine Arts of Belgium. In 1993, the King of Belgium gave her the title of Baroness. This was to recognize her many contributions to art and music.

Jacqueline Fontyn's Musical Works

Jacqueline Fontyn has written a lot of music. Her works include pieces for orchestras, chamber groups, and pianos. She has also written music for wind orchestras and other performers.

Orchestral Music

She has composed many pieces for full orchestras. Some of these include "Danceries" (1956), "Galaxy" (1965), and "Evoluon" (1972). She also wrote "Colinda" (1991) for Cello and Orchestra. Her piece "... it is an ocean ..." (2000) is for flute, harpsichord, and strings.

Chamber Music

Jacqueline Fontyn has also written music for smaller groups of instruments. These are called chamber works. Examples include "Musica a quattro" (1966) for piano quartet. She also wrote "battements d'ailes" (1997) for a saxophone quartet.

Piano Music

She has many pieces written just for the piano. Some of her piano works are "Capriccio" (1954), "Ballade" (1963), and "Le Gong" (1980). She also wrote "Aura, Hommage à Brahms" (1982).

Wind Orchestra Music

Jacqueline Fontyn has composed music for wind orchestras too. "Frise" (1975) and "Créneaux" (1982) are examples. Her piece "Aratoro" (1992) is for a symphonic wind band. It also includes two large percussion groups and a piano.