Hanssens, Charles-Louis

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Hanssens, Charles-Louis

Hanssens, Charles-Louis, Belgian cellist, conductor, and composer; b. Ghent, July 12, 1802; d. Brussels, April 8, 1871. As a child of 10 he played in the orch. of the National Theater in Amsterdam. After serving as 1st cellist of the orch. in the Brussels theater (1824–27), he taught harmony at the Brussels Cons. He subsequently conducted opera at The Hague and in Ghent. From 1848 to 1869 he was conductor at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. Among his works were 8 operas, 15 ballets, 9 syms., overtures, orch. fantasies, a Violin Concerto, a Cello Concerto, a Clarinet Concerto, several piano concertos, string quartets, masses, cantatas, and a cappella choruses.

Bibliography

L. de Burbure, Notice sur C.-L. H. (Antwerp, 1872); L. Bäwolf, C.-L. H. (Brussels, 1895).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire