Jan Blockx

Despite the fact that he was Benoits favorite pupil, Blockx wanted to make his own way in life, independent of his teacher and the Flemish Movement.

Unlike Benoit, Blockx never intended his works to have the educational, uplifting effect that was typical for the Flemish Movement.

This caused tensions between student and master: despite the fact that Blockx's work helped to spread Flemish music across the Belgian borders and even saved the Vlaamse Opera from bankruptcy, Blockx received a lot of complaints from his fellow Flemish composers for publishing his works in French and through the Parisian music publisher Heugel.

World premiere in Nederlandsch Lyrisch Toneel in Antwerp in 1877 Thyl Uylenspiegel - performed for the first time in Brussels on 18 January 1900.

Cantatas Jubelgam De Klokke Roelandt (The Clock Roelandt) Het Vaderland (The Fatherland) Die Scheldezang (Those Scold Singing) Feest in der Lande (Party in the Country) Vredesang (Peace) Op den Stroom (On the Streem) Het Droom van't Paradies (The Dream of Paradies) Symphonic poems Kermisdag (Fun Fair Day) Symfonisch Drieluik (Symphonic Trilogy).

Portrait of Jan Blockx drawn by Enrico Caruso (1909, Ghent University Library )