Jacques-Nicolas (Jaak-Nicolaas) Lemmens (3 January 1823 – 30 January 1881), was an

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

, music teacher, and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

for his instrument.

Biography

Born at Zoerle-Parwijs, near

Westerlo Westerlo () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises seven towns: * Westerlo centrum * * Tongerlo * Heultje * Voortkapel * Oosterwijk * In 2021, Westerlo had a total population of 25,288. Th ...

, Belgium, Lemmens took lessons from

François-Joseph Fétis François-Joseph Fétis (; 25 March 1784 – 26 March 1871) was a Belgian musicologist, critic, teacher and composer. He was among the most influential music intellectuals in continental Europe. His enormous compilation of biographical data in the ...

, who wanted to make him into a musician capable of renewing the organ-player's art in Belgium. Fétis sent him to

Adolf Friedrich Hesse Adolf Friedrich Hesse (30 August 1809 – 5 August 1863) was a German organist and composer. Life Hesse was born and died in Breslau. He studied in his home town with the organists Friedrich Wilhelm Berner and Ernst Köhler (1799–1847). He wa ...

in Germany to learn

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

's tradition. In 1847, Lemmens won the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

's prestigious ''

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

'' with his ''Le roi Lear'' ("King Lear"). One year later he published his first work for organ: ''Dix improvisations dans le style sévère et chantant'' ("Ten improvisations in a strict and singing style"). In March 1849 he was appointed organ teacher at the Royal Brussels Conservatoire, aged only 26; and he trained numerous young musicians, including two eminent Frenchmen,

Alexandre Guilmant Félix-Alexandre Guilmant (; 12 March 1837 – 29 March 1911) was a French organist and composer. He was the organist of La Trinité from 1871 until 1901. A noted pedagogue, performer, and improviser, Guilmant helped found the Schola Canto ...

and

Charles-Marie Widor Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the late Romantic era. As a composer he is known for his ten organ symphonies, especially the toccata of his fifth organ sympho ...

. During 1852 he gave

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

recitals in Saint Vincent de Paul, La Madeleine and Saint Eustache churches in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he stunned audiences with his technique. Particularly notable was his brilliant pedal-playing, which owed a good deal to his studies of Bach's music (at the time Bach's organ works were not at all well known in France). In 1857 he married the English

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

Helen Sherrington (1834–1906), who in the following decade emerged as a leading English concert and operatic singer. He died at

Zemst Zemst () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the villages of Elewijt, Eppegem, Hofstade, Weerde, Zemst-Laar, Zemst-Bos and Zemst proper. On January 1, 2024, Zemst had a total popu ...

, near

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

, Belgium.

Compositions for organ

* Dix Improvisations dans le style sévère et chantant (1848) * École d'Orgue, basée sur le plain-chant romain (Orgelschule, 1862), incl.: ** Prélude à 5 (Grave) in E-flat major ** Prière (Moderato cantabile) in E major ** Fanfare (Allegro non troppo) in D major ** Cantabile (Allegretto) in B minor ** Final (Allegro) in D major * Four organ pieces in free style : Allegretto in B flat, Christmas-Offertorium, Fantasia in A minor, Grand Fantasia (The Storm) in E minor (1866) * Trois Sonatas (1874): ** Sonate Nr. 1 "Pontificale" in D minor ***1. Allegro moderato ***2. Adagio ***3. Marche Pontificale (Maestoso) ***4. Fuga (Fanfare) ** Sonate Nr. 2 "O Filii" in E minor ***1. Prélude (Allegro non troppo) ***2. Cantabile (Andante) ***3. Fuga (Allegro con fuoco) ** Sonate Nr. 3 "Pascale" in A minor ***1. Allegro ***2. Adoration (Andante sostenuto) ***3. Finale "Alleluia" (Maestoso recitando - Allegro)

Lemmensinstituut

At the request of the Belgian clerical authorities, Lemmens returned to Belgium to found a school for Church music in

in 1879. This was to become the future

Lemmensinstituut The Lemmensinstituut The Lemmensinstituut (Lemmens Institute) is a Belgian conservatory of music. It was founded in Mechelen, in 1879, by the Belgian bishops as the ''École de musique religieuse'' (School of Religious Music). It was later rena ...

after its move to

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

in 1968. Lemmens could only work at the development of this school for two years, as he died on 30 January 1881. He was succeeded by

Edgar Tinel Edgar Pierre Joseph Tinel (27 March 185428 October 1912) was a Belgium, Belgian composer and pianist. He was born in Sinaai, today part of Sint-Niklaas in East Flanders, Belgium, and died in Brussels. After studies at the Brussels Conservatory ...

References

* Lowell Lacey, '"Jaak-Nicolaas Lemmens" (1823–1881) in ''Adem''. 1979. * François Sabatier, ''Lemmens, Jacques-Nicolas'' a
Grove Music Online
* Annelies Focquaert, ''Lemmens, Jacques-Nicolas'' a
SVM

External links

* 1823 births 1881 deaths Belgian classical organists Belgian male classical organists Belgian male classical composers Belgian Romantic composers Academic staff of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels Prix de Rome (Belgium) winners 19th-century Belgian classical composers People from Westerlo 19th-century Belgian male musicians 19th-century organists Belgian music educators {{Belgium-composer-stub