Charles Baetens courtesy of his great-grandson, Dion Beck
Charles Baetens (1823-1908) was a professional
violist, violinist, and composer. His studies began in Holland,
where he was born.
For three generations his family
had been musicians. His father gave him instructions on the
violin when he was four years old. So marked was his talent as a
child it attracted the attention of Emperor William I of
Germany, who sent him to Brussels. [The
Evening World, January 16, 1908]
Although all biographies have given 1826 as the
birth date and The Hague as the place of birth, his
great-granddaughter, Marianne Hall, has obtained from the Centraal
Bureau Voor Genealogie in the Hague a birth certificate which
gives the birth date of January 14, 1823 at Leiden for Charles
Nicolas François Baetens. His father was Joannes Baptist Barends (b.
1782) and his mother was Theresia Naats (b. 1791). His
father was a "trumpeter of the 2nd division," who lived in the
Witte Poort district of Leiden.
The earliest notice of a public appearance by Baetens was on June
26, 1841 when he performed with his sister, a pianist, at a soirée
in The Hague. [Kunstkronijk,
Uitgegeven ter Aanmoediging en Verspreiding der Schoone Kunsten
(Tweede Jaar 1841-1842, Sgravenhage, Nederlandsche Maatschappij
van Schoone Kunsten), p. 5.]
.
Upon winning a scholarship from the Royal Conservatory of The
Hague, he traveled to Brussels where he studied violin with Charles
de Bériot
(the lover of Maria
Malibran) and composition with François-Joseph
Fétis. On
August 16, 1843 Baetens married Alida Maria Bruinink at The
Hague. Sometime during the 1840s Baetens apparently
entered the English military where he conducted and arranged music
for military bands in England and in India. After a two-year stint
in India he returned to London where he played violin in the Royal
Italian Opera Orchestra and in the Philharmonic. [David
M. Bynog, "Charles Baetens: Portrait of a
nineteenth-century violist."]
In 1849 he became principal violist of the Gentlemen's Society
Orchestra under the direction of Sir
Charles Hallé (1819-1895), who was very close friends with Manuel
Patricio García. Both his violin and viola playing were
highly esteemed. In a review of the Sextet in E flat, Op.
30 for piano, two violins, viola, violoncello and double bass, by
George
Onslow (1784-1853), Baetens' contribution as second violin
was noted:
M. Baetens pleased us
much by his method of bowing, and by his blending his second
fiddle so well with his right and left-hand coadjutors, aiming
at a general in preference to an individual effect—the very
first end to be arrived at in the interpretation of chamber
music.
[The Musical World, Vol.
25 (1850), p. 101]
As was his performance in Beethoven's "Archduke
Trio" in B-flat, Op. 97:
Mr.
Baetens is a capital chamber performer, so unobtrusive and
anxious for the success of the whole—not for his own display.
[The Musical World, Vol. 25 (1850), p. 789]
For the twenty odd years that Baetens worked
with Hallé, he not only played in the orchestra
but contributed several orchestral compositions and arrangements.
An Overture by Baetens opened Hallé's concert on
Wednesday, October 9, 1850.
In the first overture, we hailed
with much pleasure and promise an entirely new feature at
these concerts, in a highly creditable specimen of the
creative talent of the orchestra. It is a manuscript
composition, by M. Baetens, one of the new principals of the
band, whose exquisite tenor-playing [viola-playing] we have
more than once had occasion to notice, and who needs no
further confirmation of the reputation which he enjoys, with
those who know him more intimately, than this work, evidently
the production of a thorough musician. As such, it is hardly
possible to judge of all its merits at a single hearing. M.
Baetens has judiciously avoided the prevailing fault of too
many young composers of the present day, who, in the affected
eccentricities of a would-be originality,—the result of
mistaken talent or perverted study,—would seem to aim merely
at running counter to all established laws in the constitution
of music, without having the credit of one single new idea. In
his overture, our modest aspirant has, on the contrary, wisely
conformed to preconceived notions, and constructed it after
the best models. Though it may lack startling novelty, there
is much freshness even in the familiarity of his subjects, his
treatment of which displays a complete knowledge and skillful
management of orchestral resources. The melodies are graceful,
and we were particularly struck with the beautiful effect of
the finale. Altogether, it is a work we shall be glad to hear
again.
[The Musical World, Vol. 25 (1850), pp. 680-81]
This was most likely
the Ouverture
No. 2 de Concert à Grand Orchestre composed in 1846 at
The Hague. This is the only extant orchestral work by Baetens
and was quite an accomplishment for the 23-year-old composer. It
is clearly inspired by Mendelssohn and there are obvious
borrowings from that composer's overture to A Midsummer
Night's Dream. There are also reminiscences of the first
movement of Schubert's 9th Symphony (premiered posthumously by
Mendelssohn in 1839). But there are also passages of
considerable originality and beauty. To see the score and listen
to an audio clip, click on the links below under the list of
works. Among the works Baetens composed for the Gentlemen's
Society Orchestra, his Albion: Grand National Fantasia on
English, Irish, Scotch and Welsh Melodies, premiered
in 1857, was particularly popular in its day.
Baetens seems to
have been something of a character: in January of 1860 he was
imprisoned in the Liverpool jail. [The London Gazette, January 10, 1860, p. 106]
And in 1871 there must have been some sort of
falling-out with Hallé who declared in a letter of October 21,
1871 that Baetens "has not resigned but has been
dismissed." [Robert Beale, Charles
Hallé: A Musical Life, (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007), p. 152]
Charles Hallé and Manuel Patricio Garcia playing chess from a sketch by Richard
Doyle (1824-1883)
Undaunted, Baetens came to the United States
where he was engaged as first violist with the Thomas Orchestra under the
direction of Theodore
Thomas (1835-1895). It was with this orchestra that he
gave the first complete performance of Berlioz's Harold in Italy
on October 28, 1874 while on tour in Boston. In
1878, when Thomas became head of the
Cincinnati College of Music, Baetens was procured to teach viola
and perform in the orchestra. He also taught violin, piano ("with
violin accompaniment"), harmony, composition, instrumentation, and
"vocal reading at sight" at his home at 452 Elm Street. [Church's Musical Visitor, November 1881]
A contract he signed in 1881, however, stipulated that he teach
viola, violin, piano, theory, ensemble classes, and "furthermore
to give his entire professional services as performer or teacher
as directed by the College, and not to give lessons or to perform
outside of the College without its consent." [Entire
manuscript can be seen on-line
at the website of the Cincinnati History
Library and Archives] Perhaps it was this sort of
tyrannical control of his time and energy that induced Baetens, in
1888, to move to Omaha, Nebraska.
He first came to Omaha
in 1887 with an orchestra that played a one-night engagement
there. He was so taken with the area that he moved to Omaha
and established a music studio in the old Boyd
Theatre.
.......
He was considered something of an
"eccentric character" by his Omaha friends. As a young man
he had fought several pistol duels, and finally committed
suicide by shooting himself the day after his 82nd birthday.
[Music of Old Nebraska,
Authors Catalog.]
He continued to perform and teach at least
until 1897 by which time he was known
as "Dr. Baetens" or "Professor Baetens." [The Musical Critic,
vol. 1, No. 2, Chicago, Nov. 16, 1897]
"You must be able to play the thing
standing on your head," old Dr. Baetens used to say.
[From "Getting Ready for the Violin Recital" by
George Barker, Jr., The Etude
(July 1921), p. 470]
Baetens claimed that "he applied for and
received the degree of doctor of music at Oxford" in 1885. [Omaha World Herald, November 20, 1898]
This "instant degree" apparently coincided with a trip to England
and Holland that year:
Another Professor of the
Faculty, so well and favorably known here, who was identified
with the college almost from the beginning and of whom
Theodore Thomas once said, ‘He is the only viola player I ever
had in my orchestra,’ will find himself during the vacation
months in sturdy old England—Charles Baetens. He goes to visit
his wife and children, residing in London. But the poetry of
his tour is to be found in the fact that, after an absence of
thirty six years, he will visit his mother country—Holland the
land of dikes and canals. Here he will find many relatives,
and more friends, with whom he spent the youth of his days.
[Cincinnati
Commercial Tribune, July 12, 1885]
Sadly, unable to cope
with a final illness, he committed suicide on January 14,
1908—his 85th birthday.
In a fit of despondency due to ill health,
Charles Baetens, the violinist and composer, committed
suicide yesterday by shooting himself through the heart.
He quietly celebrated his eighty-second [sic: see
third paragraph at the top of the page] birthday
yesterday, and at that time gave no sign of mental
depression. [The Evening World, January 16, 1908]
Despite the suicide, he was given a
simple funeral service at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church.
The services, like the life of the
deceased, were simple. Except for the strains of the organ
at the opening and close there was no music, and the
services comprised merely the prayers, the ceremonial
censing of the body and a brief address by the officiating
priest.
Father Walsh took up in his address
the comfort of religion in times of trial using as his text
the words, "Come unto me, all ye that are weary and
heavy-laden and I will refresh you." Emphasizing the fact
that all men seek something above and beyond themselves,
Father Walsh made a strong plea for the true service of God
in human life on earth. "The pagan," he declared, "has
turned time and time again to the things of this world,
seeking some divinity, adoring now virtue, now vice. But all
such seeking is but vanity. Vanity of vanities, all is
vanity except the seeking for union with the true God,
except the constant service of the true God. It is only the
Christian religion that can sustain us in our trials as well
as in our fortunes."
[Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, Saturday, January 18, 1908,
p. 5]
In 1908, the year
Baetens died, his Albion: Grand fantasia on Scotch, Irish and
English Airs was published by Carl Fischer in an arrangement
for band by Miguel C. Meyrelles (b.
Portugal, 1837; d. Washington
D.C., 17 August 1900).
It had already been performed for years in the U.S. and seems to
have been even more popular in the U.S. than the orchestral
version had been in England. There are several notices of
performances from the 1880s through the 1920s. It was featured,
for example, as the finale of a Grand Concert performed by Cappa's
Seventh Regiment Band, N.G.S.N.Y. for the Veteran Firemen's
Association of the City of New York on their Transcontinental
Excursion from New York to San Francisco in September 1887. And it
eventually became a staple in performances of Buffalo Bill's
Cowboy Band!
Click on the image to hear a performance of Baetens' Albion:
Fantasia on Scotch, Irish, and English Airs (1908) (arr. by
M.C. Meyrelles) by The Americus Brass Band:
WORKS by Baetens
Baetens seems to have composed all throughout his life:
Musical
America last week contained the following complimentary
notices of two Omaha composers:
“In addition to her musicians who have made themselves
reputations as performers, Omaha has a number whose names have
become well known as composers. At the head of these, of
course, is Dr. Charles Baetens, one of the best teachers of
harmony in this country. He has composed a number of songs,
overtures, masses and solos for the violin.”
[Omaha
World Herald, January 22, 1899]
Unfortunately, only a
few of his works were published. Hopefully, with time and
research, some of his manuscripts may surface. If anyone has
information about additional Baetens' compositions, please e-mail
me at: radomski@csusb.edu.
Ouverture No. 1 [If
there was an Ouverture No. 2, there must have been a No.
1!]
Ouverture No. 2 de Concert à Grand Orchestre [1846]
[Koninklijke Bibliotheek. Den Haag, 2595 BE Netherlands]
[Microform copy at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona]
Click here to download the score: Ouverture No. 2.
Click here to listen to a synthesized performance: Ouverture No. 2 Audio.
(If you first download the score to your desktop you can then
listen to the audio while following the score.)
Be sure to check the review (most likely of this work) from The
Musical World above.
Overture [Performed October 9, 1850 (see the review above);
given the comments in the review, this is probably the Ouverture
No. 2.]
1st Concerto for violin [1853]
"Baetens showed his fine tone and stopping in a solo from his own
concerto for the violin, and got much applauded." [The
Musical World, Vol. 31, No. 2 (January 8, 1853)]
The National
Selection, composed expressly for the Manchester Art Treasures
Exhibition Concerts, etc. [Pianoforte with cornet ad lib.
Parts.] London: Joseph Williams, [1857]
[British Library: Music Collections h.721.a.(8.)]
Albion: Grand National Fantasia on English,
Irish, Scotch and Welsh Melodies [1857]
A band arrangement by M.C. Meyrelles was published by Carl
Fischer in 1908. [Sousa Archives]
An arrangement for piano by Carl Kiefert was published in 1905
by J. Williams. [British Library]
Fantasiestücke. For viola and cello. [Bynog]
Fantasia on Airs from the Bohemian Girl. For viola and
piano. [1862 according to Bynog]
String Quartet in B minor [unpublished, 1864]
The quartet of Mr.
Baetens—the well-known tenor player from Manchester—was a
genuine success, and it likely to be heard again. [Review of a
concert at Henry Baumer's. The Musical World, June 18,
1864, p. 395]
Tarantelle (flute solo) [Spitzer (ed.), American
Orchestras in the Nineteenth Century (Chicago: U. of
Chicago Press, 2012) lists one performance in
Cincinnati in 1870]
Cadenzas for the Concerto for Flute and
Harp by Mozart (K. 299/297c), composed for the "Grand Mozart
Night" by the Thomas Orchestra in Central Park.
[New York Herald, August 17, 1875]
Overture, Night and
Morning [Spitzer lists performances from 1876 to 1879 in
Philadelphia and New York City]
Elegy. For viola. [Spitzer lists performances at Gilmore
Garden in New York City in 1878]
Trio, for violin, violoncello, and piano, [unpublished, 1879].
At the Musical
Club to-morrow afternoon two new compositions by Mr. Charles
Baetens will be performed. They are an Introduction and
Tarentella for flute to be played by Mr. Wittgenstein, and a
trio for piano, violin, and violoncello to be played by
Messrs. Mees, Baetens, and Hartdegen.
[Cincinnati
Daily Gazette, May 10, 1879]
Introduction and
Tarantella, for flute and piano, 1879.
[A]n
interesting novelty in the shape of a tarantella for flute,
with piano accompaniment, composed by Mr. Charles Baetens,
viola player of the Thomas Quartet and Orchestra, and
Professor of Theory and Harmony in the College of Music.
[Cincinnati Daily Gazette, 6-23-79]
See also the review for the preceding Trio.
This is likely the same as the Tarantelle,
mentioned by Spitzer, performed in 1870; perhaps the
Introduction was added in 1879.
Why
do lovers sigh? For solo voice
and piano. Words by "Chalk Level" (Cincinnati: John Church, 1880).
Free download available at: Library
of Congress (1).
Click here to listen to a performance by Jammie
Hampton:
Why Do Lovers Sigh? 1. Through the wood the birds sing; Ah, why, ah why— Why do they sing and fly? Loving, mating in the spring— In the summer caroling, In the autumn on the wing... Little triflers, how they sing... Ah why, ah why, ah why, Why love, and sing, and fly? 2. Sweetest flowers soonest blow, Ah, why, ah why— why do they bloom and die? By meadow side and brooks flow, Opening in the summer's glow, Dying 'neath the winter's snow... Sweetest flowers soonest blow... Ah why, ah why, ah why, Why do they soonest die? 3. Warmest love grows soonest cold, Ah, why, ah why— Why do lovers sigh? In the spring time, love is bold, In the summer flame-lit gold, In the autumn chill and cold. Dear love, sweet love, chill and cold; Ah my, ah my, ah my. That all things sweet must die! Ah my, ah my, ah my— That love must die!
Invocation. For SATB and piano.
Words by C.M. Clark (Cincinnati: John Church & Co., 1881).
Free download available at: Library
of Congress (2).
June Has Come: Canzonetta. For solo voice and piano. Words
by "Chalk Level" (Cincinnati: John Church & Co., 1881).
Free download available at: Library
of Congress (3).
Click here to listen to a
performance by Jammie
Hampton:
Trio, for violin,
viola and cello; unpublished, 1881. Reviewed in the Cincinnati
Commercial on April 27, 1881:
"The music of Mr. Baetens
is written in the simple, naïve style of Papa Haydn, now
unhappily obsolete or obsolescent." [Bynog]
Quartette in A Minor [String Quartet], unpublished,
1881. Baetens won a $200. prize for this work in Cincinnati.
[Bynog]
a. (I) Grave.
(2) Allegro energico.
b. Andante
expressive.
c. Scherzo
vivace assai.
d. Allegro con
brio.
First Violin---------Charles Baetens
Second
Violin------Henry Buick
Viola----------------J.A.
Broeckhoven
Violoncello----------Michael Brand
[Cincinnati
Commercial Tribune, February 5, 1882]
Mr. Charles
Baetens’ quartet in A minor was awarded the first prize, and
we think there was no opposition to this with those who heard
this magnificent composition. There is everything represented
in this work that constitutes a good composition[:] harmonies
of rare beauty, artistical arrangement, and learned
instrumentation throughout. With this composition we are at a
loss to mention those movement which excel most. They really
are all excellent; but, if it is necessary to make a
discrimination to our taste, we would call the scherzo, and
above all, the final movement, the most powerful ones.
[Cincinnati Daily Gazette,
February 8, 1882]
A Midsummer's Holiday: fantasia for orchestra, [unpublished,
1884].
[The Musical Visitor, September 1, 1884]
Duo Brillante Concertante, for
viola and violoncello, [unpublished, 1885?]
In The Musical
Club Rooms are given during each season some of the most
charming performances imaginable. On the evening of the 29th
ult. Mr. Baetens’ Prize Quartet in B minor Op. 46 [sic;
presumably this was the prize-winning Quartette in A minor
listed above], and his Duo Brillante Concertante for
viola and violoncello were elegantly performed.
[The
Musical Visitor, vol. 14, No. 1, January 1885]
Nocturne (Cincinnati: John Church &
Co., [1887])
[The American Bookseller (July-December,
1887)]
Gavotte Élégante, dedicated to "Miss Ida Leland." In
Modern Classics for Violinists, compiled by Roland de
Berton (New York: Carl Fischer, 1894).
Click to download violin
score (the Gavotte is on p. 26).
Click to download piano
score (the Gavotte is on p. 62).
Click here to listen to a synthesized performance of Baetens' GAVOTTE for violin.
(Although the performance is artificial, it still gives a good
idea of the work's charm.)
Fantasia [for violin], Op. 54, dedicated to "Miss Emma
Balbach." (New York: Carl Fischer, 1894).
[New York Public Library].
Click here to listen to a synthesized performance of Baetens' FANTASIA for violin.
Concerto in D Major for Violin, dedicated
to Herbert Butler [1894].
Unpublished; The Omaha Daily Bee of Sunday, November 4,
1894, mentions a new violin concerto by Charles Baetens performed
by Mr. Butler. This was Herbert
Butler (1864-1946) who studied violin, theory, composition
and orchestral conducting for four years with Baetens before going
to Europe to studied with, among others, Joseph Joachim. After
returning from Europe he taught violin at the Chicago [American]
Conservatory. [The Musical Critic,
(Chicago) vol. 2, no. 12, October, 1899]
Than came the distinct event of the
afternoon, the premiere of Dr. Charles Baetens’ new concerto
in D major, dedicated to and played by his pupil, Mr.
Herbert Butler, Mr. Martin Cahn accompanist. The composition
shows careful and conscientious study, somewhat conventional
in form and suggestive in the opening bars of Rubenstein,
but beautifully worked out, strongly phrased and
technically, quite difficult. It is undoubtedly Dr. Baetens’
strongest effort in composition, and is, in every sense,
worthy of the composer, who enjoys the largest measure of
respect in this community. It was hard, however, to judge of
the orchestration, the piano score not being sufficient to
give one a clear idea of its balance, but Mr. Cahn played
with skill and judgment. Mr. Butler received many
compliments for his very scholarly rendition of the concerto
of his master. He played the difficult passages with ease
and fine ability, although at times he seemed to lose the
governing theme in the care he bestowed upon the runs. But
his was a personal triumph, and he made a step forward
through his work of Monday that, taken advantage of, will
land him among the “big wigs” of the violin. Dr. Baetens was
called for and responded in a few happy words, saying that
much of the credit of the composition was due the
intelligent manner which marked its interpretation. [Omaha
Daily Bee, November 4, 1894]
IMPORTANT NEWS!
Through the help of the Butler family, the autograph score of this
concerto was found in September 2017 at the home of Butler's
daughter, Emily Fleischman. A photo of the autograph score can be
seen at the Herbert
Butler webpage.
Click to download the score: Concerto in D.
Click to hear a synthesized performance: Concerto in D audio.
Fantasia: The Shamrock, Rose and Thistle [1894?] for
band.
Performed at the San Francisco "Mining Fair" in
February of 1898 [San Francisco Call, February 16, 1898],
by Bellstedt's Famous Band in Denver on July
24, 1910 [Denver Municipal Facts, July 23, 1910], and in
Iowa City in
August of 1912, etc. John Philip Sousa also
arranged this tune [Sousa Archives, University of Illinois].
Polka Française, for piano, dedicated "To my daughter
Regina" (Regina
Baetens Beck, 1891-1976); unpublished; manuscript in
possession of Baetens' descendants. [Bynog]
Click to hear a synthesized
performance of Baetens' POLKA
FRANÇAISE. One senses a bit of
ragtime influence!
An Offertorium, for
organ,dedicated to Maud E. Mueller, unpublished;
manuscript in possession of Baetens' descendants. [Bynog]
Click to hear a synthesized performance of
Baetens' OFFERTORIUM.
Pastorale, for organ, dedicated to Thomas J. Kelly,
1897.
Easter is a
time when all the world begins anew and in this work-a-day
time the tendency is toward gorgeous bonnets, but Mr. Thomas
J. Kelly had something new which he was saving and those who
attended the Easter evening service at the First Methodist
church heard one of the prettiest organ compositions offered
in Omaha for a long time. It was a “Pastorale” from the pen of
Dr. Charles Baetens and dedicated to Mr. Kelly.
[Omaha
World Herald, April 25,
1897]
Thomas
James Kelly (b. Ireland, 1870; d. Cincinnati
[?], 1960) was organist at both the First Methodist Church
and the St. Mary's Avenue
Congregational Church, and directed the Mendelssohn Choir
and the Mondamin Choral Society in Omaha. In 1898 he was
appointed Superintendent of the Bureau of Music at the
Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition in Chicago.
In 1918 he moved to Cincinnati where both he and his wife
taught voice at the Cincinnati Conservatory. He became an
American citizen in 1918. From 1929 until 1951 he was
director of Cincinnati's Orpheus Club. In recognition of his
innumerable contributions, the first endowed chair at the
Cincinnati College-Conservatory (The Thomas James Kelly
Distinguished Professorship) was established in his name.
Our United
States: A National Song. Lyrics by Abraham Rudy. (Omaha,
Nebraska, [1897]).
Free download available at: The
Polley Music Library.
The board of
education at its last meeting unanimously accepted the
proposal of Prof. Abraham Rudy to furnish a copy of his
patriotic song, “Our United States,” free to each teacher in
the public schools provided that they were sung in the
schools. He composed the words of the song, and the music was
composed by Dr. Charles Baetens.
[Omaha World Herald, February 2, 1897]
Romance, for cello, dedicated to Mr.
Charles Tulleys, [1897].
[Omaha World Herald, October 23, 1899]
Although this may have been dedicated to
Charles Tulleys in 1899, it had already been performed by Mr. John
Brown at Creighton College on February 21, 1897. [Omaha
World Herald, February 18, 1897]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bynog, David M. . "Charles Baetens: Portrait of a
nineteenth-century violist." American String Teacher, vol.
59 no. 4 (2009),
46-49. Brainard's Biographies of American Musicians[originally published 1887-1889]. E.
Douglas Bomberger (ed.). (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1999),
p. 19:
Baetens,
Charles (fl. 1856-1887); No. 81 (October 1884). Mr. Baetens
was born in Holland (the Hague) and first received
instruction at the Royal Conservatory, where he won the
first prize, which entitled him to two years study at
Brussels without personal expense. Here he studied the
violin under Charles de Bériot and composition under
François-Joseph Fétis. In 1856 he went to London, where his
mental acquirements gained him first a position to conduct
and arrange music for military bands. Then later he was made
British Band master. This position he filled for six years,
remaining with his regiment during its stay in Calcutta,
India. Returning to England, he gave up military duty and
became a member of the Philharmonic and the Royal Italian
Opera Orchestra and formed with Herr Joseph Joachim and
Signor N. Riatto one of the original quartets of the
celebrated Monday Popular chamber concerts in St. James
Hall. He at that time gained an enviable reputation as a
composer and arranger of orchestral music. The instrument to
which he devotes all his energies for public performance is
the viola, and therein he has no equal today in America. In
1872 Theodore Thomas secured him as the principal viola of
his orchestra. There he remained until he came to
Cincinnati, where he now resides and where he is considered
one of the best and most successful teachers. Some of his
confreres accuse him of being ultra old school in his tastes
and convictions. True, he has a profound admiration for
Mendelssohn, but not more so than for the beloved musician
of all ages, Beethoven. His grasp on the literature of his
art is wide, and if his views are in any way confined, the
fact never appears on the surface. No matter what may be,
Mr. Baetens is an able musician, a thorough scholar in the
theory of music, and a man who is deserving of great
respect.
Charels Baetens taught at the Cincinnati
College of Music in the mid-1880s and is last found in
the Cincinnati City Directory of 1887-1888.
—James Radomski With thanks to Molly Nelson-Haber for valuable
research assistance,
And also to David Bynog for help in updating the list of
works.
And to
Marianne Hall for clarifying birth/marriage information and
assistance in locating scores. Published May, 2013.
(Updated July 5, 2013.)
(Updated again January 18, 2014.)
(And again on June 23,
2014.)
(And September 18, 2014.)
(And May 16, 2016.)
(And June 28, 2018.)
