Eeden Jan, Jean Baptiste van den, *26 December 1842, Ghent, †4 April 1917, Mons (West Belgium), Belgian composer. He studied at the conservatoire in Ghent under C. Miry and in Brussels under F.-J. Fétis. In 1869, he was awarded the Prix de Rome for his cantata Faust’s laatste Nacht. To further his studies, he then undertook a four-year tour of France, Germany, Austria and Italy. In 1878, he took up the post of director of the music school in Mons, which was transformed into a conservatoire in 1884.
Eeden was initially influenced by Wagner, and later by verismo, but eventually developed his own style. Through his use of Flemish texts, compositions tailored to the requirements of prosody, and his exploration of historical themes, Eeden became – alongside P. Benoit and J. Blocx – one of the leading figures of the national school in Flemish music of the second half of the 19th century.
Literature: M. Delsaux Jan van den Eeden, Mons 1925.
Jacob van Artevelde, oratorio, 1865
Jacoba van Beieren, oratorio, 1865
Het laatste oordel (“the last judgement”), oratorio, 1867
Messe en ré, sacred work, 1873
Brutus, oratorio, 1874
Suite d’orchestre en mi bémol, 1874
De Geuzenstrijd der XVIe eeuw, symphonic poem, 1876
En mer, oratorio, 1886
Roland de Lassus, oratorio, 1894
Numance, opera, performed in Antwerp 1898
Rhéna, opera, performed in Brussels 1912
Anima Christi, sacred work
De Wind (“the wind”), cantata
Faust’s laatste Nacht (“Faust’s last night”), cantata
Het Woud (“the wood”), cantata
Judith ou La siège de Béthulie, dramatic scene for solo voice and orchestra
Pater Noster, sacred work
numerous choral works and solo songs
numerous chamber pianos and organ works
