Jef van Hoof

Jef Van Hoof (8 May 1886 – 24 April 1959) was a Belgian composer and conductor with a Flemish ethnic background.

[1] Born in Antwerp, Van Hoof was a pupil of Paul Gilson and was heavily influenced by the works of Peter Benoit.

His dedication to the Flemish cause led him to collaborate with the German occupiers in World War I, for which he was subsequently sentenced to eight months in prison.

In 1933 he founded the Flemish National Song Festival [nl] (Vlaams Nationaal Zangfeest) where he worked as a conductor for many years.

He is particularly known for writing the Flemish patriotic song "Groeninge" to a text by Guido Gezelle.