Lodewijk De Vocht

Composer - Conductor - Educator

Lodewijk De Vocht (1887-1977) was a towering figure in the musical life of Antwerp in the first half of the twentieth century. He was an outstanding and influential  composer, conductor and teacher. 
De Vocht had a particular affinity for vocal music. His exceptional boy’s soprano voice led Emiel Wambach to include him in the choir of the Cathedral of Our Lady. There he developed a fascination with the expressive power of the human voice. Undoubtedly he achieved his greatest fame with his mixed choir Chorale Caecilia, a  choir which met with international acclaim. De Vocht was deeply devoted to his choir and conducted it for more than fifty years. It  inspired  many of his original choral compositions.
The most important part of his oeuvre consists of sacred music for voice, and even his secular choral music is bathed in a mystical atmosphere. In his instrumental music the ‘cantabile’ element is strongly present. Stylistically, De Vocht evolved from a romantic way of writing to an impressionistic one. His approach to the human voice as an instrument is most clearly audible in his magnum opus, his  Symphony for large orchestra and choirs (1932).
De Vocht lives on in the compositions that he  left us. The most striking characteristics are a strong melodic expressiveness, the perfect symbiosis of lyrics and music, their spirituality and the musical expression of the absolute, and a sense of connection with nature.
Read on to discover more about this timeless music !

 

Composer

De Vocht wrote his first compositions at the age of sixteen (songs, choral works and the cantata  Groeninghe). He would continue writing mainly music for voice, though in the beginning he only composed innovative symphonic poems, such as Morgenstemming  ( Morning Mood, 1906) Ontwaking ( Awakening, 1908) , In Ballingschap  ( In Exile, 1914), Woudgetover ( Forest magic, 1924), Naar Hoger Licht. (To a higher Light, 1925). Later followed the Serenade for cello and strings (1931) and concertos for violin (1944) cello (1955) and recorder (1957).

Conductor

In addition to his activities as a composer, Lodewijk De Vocht also became a brilliant  conductor. 
As a violinist in de 'Maatschappij der Nieuwe Concerten' ( the Orchestra of the Society of New Concerts)  he had worked under the direction of Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Hans Richter and Felix Weingartner. 
In 1912 he succeeded Emiel Wambach as Kapellmeister of Antwerp Cathedral.
In 1915 he became conductor of Constance Teichmann’s and Amanda Schnitzler-Selb’s women’s choir, which he expanded into the Chorale Caecilia a year later. 

Educator

As Kapellmeister of the Cathedral (1913-1950) De Vocht formed a whole generation of boy singers.

 

He also applied his pedagogical insight to countless choral works for liturgical use, in which he made clear his vision on choral practice. 
 

 

 

The Composer

De Vocht wrote his first compositions at the age of sixteen (songs, choral works and the cantata Groeninghe). He would continue writing mainly music for voice, though in the beginning he only composed innovative symphonic poems, such as Morgenstemming (Morning Mood, 1906) Ontwaking (Awakening, 1908), In Ballingschap (In Exile, 1914), Woudgetover (Forest magic, 1924), Naar Hoger Licht (To a higher Light, 1925). Later followed the Serenade for cello and strings (1931) and concertos for violin (1944) cello (1955) and recorder (1957).


Lodewijk De Vocht’s most original compositions are intended for choirs: complex, sometimes wordless choral studies, the Symphony for large orchestra and choirs, the "Korensymfonie" (1932) ( the Choral Symphony) and four studies for mixed choir. 

 

He also wrote a lot of religious music:  Jaarkrans (Year wreath), cantica, psalms, Christmas carols) and cantats ( Lofzang voor Antwerpen ( Hymn to Antwerp) , Volkenhulde ( Peoples' tribute, for the 1930 World Fair), Scaldis Aeterna ( 1956)  and the lyrical  oratorio Primavera (1962-1967). 

 

Finally he wrote also solo songs ( on poems by Guido Gezelle,  Jozef Simons,  August Cuppens, Bert Peleman… ),  chamber music (Trio for woodwinds, 1955) , solo works for piano and/or orchestra and music for guitar.  

The Conductor

In addition to his activities as a composer, Lodewijk De Vocht also became a brilliant  conductor. 
As a violinist in de 'Maatschappij der Nieuwe Concerten' ( the Orchestra of the Society of New Concerts)  he had worked under the direction of Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Hans Richter and Felix Weingartner. 


In 1912 he succeeded Emiel Wambach as Kapellmeister of Antwerp Cathedral.
In 1915 he became conductor of Constance Teichmann’s and Amanda Schnitzler-Selb’s women’s choir, which he expanded into the Chorale Caecilia a year later. 
In 1921 he replaced Lodewijk Mortelmans as conductor of the "New Concerts" and in 1935 he became conductor of the Antwerp Conservatory  concerts. The repertoire was wide, ranging from Renaissance polyphony  to contemporary compositions, by himself and his contemporaries Stravinsky, Honegger, Milhaud, Roussel, Bartok, Prokofiev, Ravel.


With the Chorale Caecilia every year he  performed the J.S. Bach St. Matthew 's Passion. With the Orchestra of the Nex Concerts he gave breathtaking performances of Les Euménides by Darius Milhaud and Jeanne d’ Arc au Bûcher by Arthur Honegger, two composers with whom he worked closely. He became the main performer of Jeanne d’Arc au Bûcher, performing it about 40 times, notably in Paris  and the 1946 and 1947 Holland Festivals. In 1943 he recorded it on record for "His Master’s Voice" and in 1960 he conducted it in a live Eurovision broadcast. 


In numerous testimonials we read that concerts under his direction were unforgettable experiences.

The Educator

As Kapellmeister of the Cathedral (1913-1950) De Vocht formed a whole generation of boy singers. He also applied his pedagogical insight to countless choral works for liturgical use, in which he made clear his vision on choral practice. 


In 1921 De Vocht was appointed  teacher of harmony at the Antwerp Conservatory succeeding Edward Verheyden. In that position he taught Daniel Sternefeld, Jef Maes and André Cluytens. Four year later he became responsible for the orchestra class and eventually became director in 1944.  


As a teacher De Vocht was explicitly committed to the young generation. He founded ‘Jeugd en Muziek Antwerpen’ ( Youth and Music Antwerp) and was director of Queen Elisabeth’s Chapel.

“

The Lodewijk De Vocht Foundation strives to spread  the music of Lodewijk De Vocht. 

It provides access to the collection of scores and promotes them to potential performers.