MOORTEL, Arie Van de

Arie VAN DE MOORTEL (Brussels, 17th July 1918 - Brussels, 1st May 1976) studied at the Royal Conservatories of Ghent and Brussels and persued a triple career as viola-virtuoso, composer and pedagogue.

He was a member of the “Trio of the Court of Belgium”, the “Belgian Piano-quartet of London and the “String-Trio Maurice Raskin”. In addition, he formed a duo with pianist Lydie Lekeu, his wife. From 1945 to 1947 he was a member of the Belgian Radio Orchestra. Since 1946 he taught chamber music at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent and since 1962 he gave the same course at the Conservatory of Mons. In 1957 he became principal of the Music Academy of Anderlecht.

As a composer, he prefers a tonal language and uses polytonality to obtain an extension of musical expression. His orchestration is richly coloured and diversified. Some of his works received awards, amongst them the “Prize Staf Nees” in 1951 for a composition for carillon; in 1954 his “Woodwind Trio” was selected by the Societá del Quartetto G.B. Viotti and in 1957 he received the first Prize from the Carillon Commission of Rotterdam for his “Capriccio”.

He was also involved in musicological research and especially interested in the reconstruction of old or unknown manuscripts. As honorary member of the “Foundation Eugène Ysaye” he edited many a posthumous composition of this Master.

[© CeBeDeM]

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