Jef Maes was born in Antwerp in 1905. He studied music both at the Antwerp Conservatory and privately, and played the viola with the leading ensembles and orchestras of Antwerp.
He was a co-founder of the Antwerp Philharmonic Orchestra, now known as the Royal Flanders Philharmonic Orchestra.
Maes called himself a modern romanticist, ‘a 19th-century poet in the body of a 20th-century orchestrator’. He deliberately used an uncomplicated style of composing, but his works always have an excellent structure, fluent melodic lines, strong rhythmic impulses and clear thematic form.
He left us three grand symphonies:
Symphony no. 1, 1953
Symphony no. 2, 1965
Symphony no. 3, 1975
also several worthwhile concertos:
Viola Concerto, 1943
Piano Concerto no. 1, 1948
Violin Concerto, 1951
Harpsichord Concerto, 1955
Piano Concerto no. 2, 1975
and just one string quartet, 1970
He was a co-founder of the Antwerp Philharmonic Orchestra, now known as the Royal Flanders Philharmonic Orchestra.
Maes called himself a modern romanticist, ‘a 19th-century poet in the body of a 20th-century orchestrator’. He deliberately used an uncomplicated style of composing, but his works always have an excellent structure, fluent melodic lines, strong rhythmic impulses and clear thematic form.
He left us three grand symphonies:
Symphony no. 1, 1953
Symphony no. 2, 1965
Symphony no. 3, 1975
also several worthwhile concertos:
Viola Concerto, 1943
Piano Concerto no. 1, 1948
Violin Concerto, 1951
Harpsichord Concerto, 1955
Piano Concerto no. 2, 1975
and just one string quartet, 1970