Angelet, Charles-François

Annelies Focquaert (translation: Joris Duytschaever)

Charles-François’ earliest music education was imparted to him by his father, who was a music teacher. At the age of seven the boy already played his first piano recital. In 1814 the position of organist in Wetteren became vacant: he applied and got the appointment. In 1821 he moved to the Conservatoire in Paris with a view to perfecting his piano playing in the class of Zimmermann. There he earned a First Prize in 1822 and immediately he was appointed as repetiteur.

He was taught harmony and accompaniment by Dourlen and completed his studies with composition lessons by Fétis himself, who at that time was still director there and who felt Angelet was heading for a promising career as a composer. Rather unexpectedly Angelet returned to Brussels, where he undertook a futile attempt to prove his mettle as a piano teacher at the Royal Music School (the predecessor of the Conservatoire). On 21 June 1829 he was appointed as court pianist of king Willem of Orange, without however enjoying this position for long: a persistent illness cut his life short at barely 35 years of age.

His compositions mainly consist of piano music, largely based on well-known opera melodies, but also a symphony that won a prize at a competition in Ghent in 1820, a trio and some songs.