Arthur Meulemans's Symphonie No. 4: A Neglected Masterwork for Winds

Abstract

Born May 9th, 1884, Arthur Meulemans’s robust oeuvre of more than 350 compositions has gone largely unnoticed in the 21st Century. As the first conductor of the Belgium National Radio Orchestra, Meulemans played a prominent role in shaping the Belgian musical landscape by embracing the musical influences of Debussy, and incorporating many of the impressionistic-era compositional techniques into his own music. Meulemans’s Symphonie No. 4 in A for winds and percussion stands clearly in place alongside his 14 other symphonies. Written in 1935 for orchestral winds, the symphony is a substantial work for wind ensemble as its motivic development and formal construction demonstrate the composer’s talent as a master craftsman. Premiered in 1939 by the Belgium National Radio Orchestra, under the direction of Franz André, the work has only been performed a handful of times and only by two ensembles in the United States. In the same vein as works such as Florent Schmitt’s Dionysiaques (1913), Jules Strens’s Danse Funambulesque (1930), and Ernst Toch’s Spiel fur Blasorchester (1926), this symphony is worthy of further exploration.

The purpose of this document is to provide biographical information on the composer, an in-depth presentation of the history and performances of the work, and an accompanying critical edition of the score and parts. This critical edition is constructed largely from the 1935 manuscript and serves to correct numerous errors and discrepancies found within the 1965 published score and parts. As the current score and parts are nearly impossible to acquire, the author hopes that this new edition will allow for greater accessibility of the piece, in turn making the work more likely to be programmed by college and university wind ensembles across the globe.