André Devaere: Complete Works

This disc ended up in my CD player through a pleasant encounter that was facilitated by this very listening diary. It contains the complete compositional output of a turn-of-the-century Flemish composer who perished at the tender age of 24 in the early weeks of the First World War.

André Devaere was born August 28th (a Virgo, as I am) 1890 in Kortrijk in a family with 12 children. His father Octaaf was an organ player in the local Sint-Maarten church. His mother Hermine died at an early age, leaving Octaaf to take care of nine children. André's brother Antoon, who would go on to become a painter, later wrote about his father: "He lived a very withdrawn life. After our mother's early death he felt lonely and spent much time in his study, where he would play the piano from time to time. In the morning mostly scales and etudes as technical work, whilst in the evenings we would hear Beethoven, Wagner, Liszt and Bach." One wonders who took care of the kids ...

Anyway, André would turn into one of the most promising piano virtuosos of the time. He was even followed by Princess Clémentine, Leopold II's youngest daughter. And he also had compositional ambitions. The result of his early efforts are collected on this disc: a few shorter piano pieces, a full-fledged 15 minute piano sonata, a short song cycle and two works for organ.

Whether he would have made it into an important composer is hard to judge from these works Stylistically they form a fairly heterogeneous collection. The piano compositions made not much of an impression on me. None of them show a strong grasp of musical form, whether classical or organic, in my opinion. Stylistically they meander between salon music and disjointed flourishes of Lisztian bravura. Harmonically the music seem to be quite unsettled with lots of dissonances and unresolved chords. Whether he was experimenting with an advanced idiom or simply missed the necessary skills to keep things more tidily together, I can't say. But the overall effect is rather kaleidoscopic.

The songs, set to French texts, rely on an at first sight more traditional musical language, connecting to Fauré and perhaps Debussy. But here too it is hard to get a grip on the melodic contours and harmonic foundation. But these songs are certainly not unpleasant to listen to and very well recorded too.

The two organ works have more to offer. It is particularly the last piece, Les Bourdons de Notre Dame de Courtrai, which I found rather captivating. This is a prelude and fugue that pays respect to André's teacher at the Brussels conservatory Edgar Tinel (1854-1912) as evidenced by the work's two key themes (TINEL (FBGEE) and EDGARD (EDGAD)). The deep bells of the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk provide an ominous ostinato accompaniment. In the cogent form and alluring tonal palette we have evidence of a genuinely fertile musical imagination. The piece was finished in June 1914, just a few months before André was sent into battle.

For me the real value of this recording lies in the unexpected insights it provides in Belgium's musical life at the time when people like Mahler, Strauss and Debussy where the dominant forces in serious music. The 50-page booklet that accompanies the recording is a gem, featuring a rich collection of striking photographs and facsimiles and a well documented and richly informative essay by Hannelore Devaere. The report about André's short campaign in the Belgian army is harrowing, showing how the war turned a lively and hugely talented young man into a death-obsessed warrior. Thanks to DD for acquainting me with this work.