DESCRIPTION:
Joseph Jongen (1873-1952) was a Belgian composer, organist and teacher. He essentially grew up in the Liège Conservatoire, which awarded him the Belgian Prix de Rome in 1897. After his grand tour, he returned to his alma mater as a professor of harmony and counterpoint. After the Great War, the family moved to Brussels where Jongen was named professor of fugue at the Royal Conservatoire. Later he directed the Conservatoire from 1925 until 1939. Jongen wrote a good handful of compositions for the harmonium, including a set of Trois Pièces from 1908. The set was dedicated to the composer’s friend Emile t’Serstevens, whose two-manual harmonium d’art reportedly inspired the music. (According to my sources, that instrument was probably built by the Mazet firm, and based on the registrations in the score, I suspect it had an 8’ Voix Celeste.) “Angelus” is the middle piece of the set, depicting in music the thrice-daily ringing of the angelus bell and its call to prayer. Indeed, by naming the outer pieces of the set “Prière de Matin” and “Prière du Soir” (q.v.), Jongen lets the three pieces represent the three sets of daily prayers. I must admit that I also hear birds singing in alpine meadows, responding to the church bells in the distance. Jongen completed this piece on 12 August 1908. Recorded 12 August 2015, performed by Michael Hendron on his Mustel harmonium d’art, built in Paris in 1887.