This week on “The Lost Chord,” we anticipate Easter with a symphony by devout Belgian composer Joseph Ryelandt.
Born in Bruges in 1870, Ryelandt was raised to value culture, tradition, and faith. He was unhindered by financial concerns for the first half of his very long life. World War I, however, badly affected his finances. The father of eight children himself, he took up teaching out of necessity at the age of 54. He did so with some hesitation, but was relieved to find it truly rewarding. He was appointed director of the Bruges Conservatory in 1924.
While his academic and creative work evidently brought him enormous satisfaction, life at home was saddened by the gradual decline of his wife’s health. She died in 1939. Ryelandt composed very little during the Second World War. A few chamber works followed, and then he abandoned composition altogether. He devoted his retirement to literature – writing poetry and reading the world’s classics. He died, following a brief illness, in 1965, at the age of 95.
Of all of his works, he considered his five oratorios the most important, though he composed much else, including six symphonies (the first of which he destroyed). None of the symphonies were performed until 1960. It was then that the Symphony No. 4 received its belated premiere, on a concert in celebration of the composer’s 90th birthday.
Ryelandt’s inspiring Fourth Symphony was composed in 1912-1913, on the very eve of World War I. Like nearly everything he wrote, the work is an outgrowth of his personal faith. About twenty minutes in, a choir of tenors appears, to sing a passage from Thomas à Kempis’ “The Imitation of Christ.” The triumphant chorus that concludes the piece is from the Credo, as heard in the traditional Catholic Mass.
Then, following the symphony, and in the time remaining, we’ll hear another Credo setting, by Franco-Flemish composer Josquin des Prez.
I hope it will suit the mood for your Easter Vigil. I invite you to join me for “Creative Spirits” on “The Lost Chord,” now in syndication on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!
Clip and save the start times for all three of my recorded shows:
PICTURE PERFECT, the movie music show – Friday at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT
SWEETNESS AND LIGHT, the light music program – Saturday at 11:00 AM EDT/8:00 AM PDT
THE LOST CHORD, unusual and neglected rep – Saturday at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT
Stream them, wherever you are, at the link!
