The Flemish repertoire for trombone and brass ensembles in combination with organ is a little-known and fragmented corpus, into which this project breathes new life. It is situated at the intersection of the Flemish Brass ensemble culture and the rich organ tradition in our region. The trombone itself also has a history as a liturgical instrument, for example as a festive reinforcement of the organ, but also -- within a brass ensemble -- as a mobile alternative to the organ.
Around 1960, some monumental works for organ and brass were written in Flanders. Two of these works occupy a central place in the present study: Flor Peeters (1903-1986), then director of the Conservatoire, wrote an 'Entrata Festiva' (1959), a festive work for organ, two trumpets, two trombones, timpani and unison choir ad libitum; and Arthur Meulemans (1884-1966) wrote a concerto for large organ, trumpet, horn and trombone (1962) at the end of his career.
A corpus of late nineteenth-century and twentieth-century works for organ and brass instruments is being constructed around the aforementioned repertoire, including a collection of unexplored manuscripts from the heritage library of the Conservatoire. In collaboration with trombonist Bram Fournier and Peter Van de Velde, titular organist of Antwerp Cathedral, a contextualised performance is used to create a connected collection of the repertoire.
The project builds on a previous research project on Belgian Trombone music, which Bram Fournier carried out in 2019 within Labo XIX&XX
Researchers: Stijn Saveniers, Bram Fournier, Peter Van de Velde
