VAN RYSSELBERGHE, Jenny

Jenny Van Rysselberghe was a Belgian organist and composer. She was a student at the Ghent Conservatory from the age of seven, where she had Léandre Vilain as a teacher's organ. She won first prizes in music, harmony, figured bass, chamber music and organ. She started composing when she was still a student at the conservatory. She often gave recitals, including at the Kursaalorgan in Ostend, where she sometimes replaced her teacher Vilain during his concert tours. Her playing style and repertoire were wide-ranging: arrangements of popular classical music pieces, in addition to mainly contemporary organ work. She wrote a total of 87 works for choir, orchestra, piano, voice, horn and violin. She also wrote occasional music for Ghent revues ("A travers l'Exposition. Revue à grand spectacle"). In 1931, she also composed "Salomés dans" for piano or small orchestra, intended for performance during the passion play "Het ging van Onze Heer" by the Ninoof author Paul De Mont from 1926.