horn, harmony and composition classes. Concurrently he conducted the conservatory orchestra in interesting concert programmes and wrote several textbooks, some of which by large exceed the merely didactic level. One of Mengal’s most remarkable students is François-Auguste Gevaert (1828-1908), who made a great career as a composer, conductor, musicologist and pedagogue.

In his Ghent years Mengal also composed several works for the choir Société des Mélomanes. In 1846 this Ghent-based choir also performed his choral work Juich Rhyn! in the Cologne Gürzenich hall at the meeting of the Vlaemsch-Duitsche Zangverbond (Flemish-German Singing Society).

Mengal died on 4 July 1851, two days before his swan song was to be heard in his native town: on 6 July his choral work L’invocation was performed by Les Mélomanes at an international choral competition organised by this Ghent choir. They held a fund-raising in order to erect a funeral memorial in his honour at the Campo Santo cemetery. During the inauguration on 18 July 1859 Gevaert’s De profundis and his hymn À Mengal were performed.



Jan Dewilde
(translation: Jo Sneppe)