Brassart, Johannes b. 1400 d. October, 1455 Composer. An influential member of the Burgundian School of Renaissance music. Born in Lowaige, Flanders (now Belgium), he was ordained a priest in Liege in 1422. In 1431 he was employed as a Papal Singer in Rome, where he met composer Guillaume Dufay; his best known compositions, the motets "O flors fragrans" and "Te dignitas presularis", were probably written during this period. From 1434 to 1443 he served Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund and later Empress Elisabeth as Rector of the Royal...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards) Cathedral of Saint-Paul, Liege, Liege, Belgium
Gretry, André Ernest Modeste [heart only] b. February 8, 1741 d. September 24, 1813 Composer, born in Liege. Wrote many operas, also some ballet and orchestral music. The bottom photograph shows his statue in front of the Opera House, Liege (Belgium) - his heart is interred behind the grille beneath the statue. Place de I Opera, Liege, Liege, Belgium Plot: His heart is in an urn behind the little grille under his statue
Harmel, Pierre Charles b. March 16, 1911 d. November 15, 2009 Belgium Prime Minister, Diplomat. He was Prime Minister of Belgium from July 1965 to March 1966. Trained as a lawyer, he became a member of the United Nation's General Assembly in the late 1940s. He served as his country's minister of education and justice during the 1950s, and as a minister of the civil service in the early 1960s. Harmel was the author of the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) policy of detente towards the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, based on tough national and...[Read More] (Bio by: Nils M. Solsvik Jr.) Robermont, Liege, Liege, Belgium
Jaspar, Bobby (Robert-Louis-Joseph) b. February 20, 1926 d. March 4, 1963 Musician. Born in Liège, Belgium, he was a jazz saxophonist, flautist and composer, noted for starting the first European Be-Bop group, "The Bob Shots". During the 1940s, he shared the stage of the Paris Jazz Festivals with artist such as Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Chet Baker, Sidney Bechet and Albert Nicholas. Before starting his own group, he recorded with Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Eddie Costa, J.J. Johnson, Herbie Mann and many other notable New York jazz artists of the period in the...[Read More] (Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith) Cimetiere de Robermont, Liege, Liege, Belgium
Thomas, René-François-Auguste-Nicolas b. February 25, 1926 d. January 3, 1975 Musician. Born in Liege, Belgium, he is regarded as one of the finest European jazz guitarist. Self-taught, he began playing in 1954, with Bobby Jaspar in Paris and soon was a greatly in demand sessions player. In addition to performing with the top European jazz musicians, he worked with Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Kenny Clarke, Lou Bennett and Han Bennink. He also was a member of Stan Getz's band (1958-63). His recordings included "Guitar Groove" (1960), "Meeting Mr. Thomas" (...[Read More] (Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith) Cimetiere de Robermont, Liege, Liege, Belgium
b. 1400 d. October, 1455
b. February 8, 1741 d. September 24, 1813