Antoine-Joseph "Adolphe" Sax was a Belgian inventor and musician who invented the saxophone in the early 1840s, patenting it in 1846. He also invented the saxotromba, saxhorn and saxtuba, and redesigned the bass clarinet in a fashion still used to the present day. He played the flute and clarinet.
Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe was a Belgian virtuoso violinist, composer, and conductor. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tsar".
Pierre Max Dubois, sometimes given as Pierre-Max Dubois was a French composer of classical music, conductor, and music educator. He was a student of Darius Milhaud, and though not widely popular, was respected. He brought the ideas of Les Six, of which his instructor was a member, into the mid-1900s. This group called for a fresh artistic perspective on music. The music of Dubois is characteristically light hearted with interesting harmonic and melodic textures.
Jean-Baptiste Singelée was a Belgian classical composer of the romantic period.
Claude Ledoux is a Belgian composer, born in 1960.
Julianus Marie August De Boeck was a Belgian composer, organist and music pedagogue. He was the son of organist and director Florentinus (Flor) De Boeck (1826-1892)
The Royal Conservatory of Brussels is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Providing performing music and drama courses, the institution became renowned partly because of the international reputation of its successive directors such as François-Joseph Fétis, François-Auguste Gevaert, Edgar Tinel, Joseph Jongen and Marcel Poot, but more because it has been attended by many of the top musicians, actors and artists in Belgium such as Arthur Grumiaux, José Van Dam, Sigiswald Kuijken, Josse De Pauw, Luk van Mello and Luk De Konink. Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, also studied at the Brussels Conservatory.
Désiré Louis Corneille Dondeyne was a French conductor, composer and teacher who was born in Laon in the Aisne département.
Frédéric Devreese was a Belgian composer of mostly orchestral, chamber and piano works that have been performed throughout the world; he was also active as a conductor. Devreese is known for his film scores, including Benvenuta by André Delvaux and The Cruel Embrace by Marion Hänsel.
Marcel Michel, Baron Poot was a Belgian composer, professor, and musician who was born in Vilvoorde and died in Brussels.
Paul Gilson was a Belgian musician and composer.
Maurice Vaute was a Belgian composer of classical music, conductor and music teacher.
Daniel Sternefeld was a Belgian composer and conductor.
John Read Giordano is an American orchestra conductor, professor of music, composer, and former concert saxophonist.
Roland Cardon was a Belgian composer, pedagogue, flautist, clarinetist and multi-instrumentalist. He often published works under the name Guy Rodenhof.
Norbert H. J. Nozy is a contemporary Belgian conductor, music educator, and classical saxophonist.
Elie Apper is a Belgian classical saxophonist who is well known as a former member of the Saxophone Quartet of Belgium. The quartet was founded in 1953 and made its American debut December 9, 1970, in Fort Worth with the Youth Orchestra of Greater Fort Worth. The Quartet was founded by Francois Daneels, who was a professor of saxophone at the Brussels Conservatory.
The history of jazz in Belgium starts with the Dinant instrument maker Adolphe Sax, whose saxophone became part of military bands in New Orleans around 1900 and would develop into the jazz instrument par excellence. From then on the early history of jazz in Belgium virtually runs parallel to developments in the country of the birth of jazz, from the minstrel shows in the late 19th century until the first Belgian jazz album in 1927 and beyond.
François Daneels was an internationally renowned virtuoso classical saxophonist, a prolific composer, and music educator from Belgium. From 1954 to 1981, Daneels was professor of saxophone at his alma mater, the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.
Edward Abraham Lefebre was a virtuosic saxophonist in the late nineteenth century, best known for his work with Patrick Gilmore, John Philip Sousa, C. G. Conn, and the New York Saxophone Quartette Club. His frequent international performances and continued advocacy of the saxophone led to his nickname of "Saxophone King”.
