Wannes Van de Velde

Biography

Born from a father metallurgist, but endowed singer, and of a mother dressmaker and housewife, but magnet to be sung during work, it grows in Zirkstraat, one of the oldest streets of Antwerp, in the district of the marines (Schipperskwartier), near the port. The parental residence was located above a store of Spanish specialities, the counter of Valence , which still exists but whose name was changed into El Valenciano . One sang, at the house and the bar: satirical love songs, songs, songs of combat, etc, Wannes becoming thus the heir to an authentic popular culture. Child, it attended the insanity of the war, and account later with acuity in its texts will return from there. The deep aversion of the war that it kept some will show through in several of its songs.

In 1953, Wannes, which one still called Wim, was registered with the royal Academy of the Visual arts in Antwerp. During its years of studies, it expressed already a long-lived interest for the music, and the popular song in particular. When one day, a desilvered Spaniard, Sábas Gómez there Marín, from return of England and passage in Antwerp, came to play of the guitar Flamenco with the Academy, Wannes could discuss with him. Thus Wannes learned the Cante jondo, the major song of Andalusia, and was initiated with the secrecies of flamenco.

At this enivrement by the visual arts and musical, it was abruptly put a term when Wannes was called up for the military service in 1958, for military service which, earlier than it had not wished, will frustrate it its youth: “ permanent humiliation that had me to be endured, will write he in “Prelude”, the ugliness registered in the places and in mentalities, the apprehension vis-a-vis the firearms, and the frozen eyes of the military careers were to me a test which caused to start, more deeply than I did not realize there myself, my courage of living. ”

Its interest for the old popular songs does not weaken about it therefore. To the beginning of the the Sixties, being put in search of such songs, it was brought to examine yellowed books, as the work of Edmond de Coussemaker, Popular songs of the Flemings of France . It was not long writing itself of the texts and in composing the music of it. Its first songs originated in anger, and especially the impotence, with respect to the demolition of the old historical center of Antwerp, of the district where it had grown. It was surrounded then of a group of musicians who shared his interest for the popular song: Flor Hermans (Violin), Bernard Slow Van (Accordion), and Walter Heynen (Flute), this last taking responsibility for its major part of the musical compositions and arrangements. This co-operation gave place in 1966 to a first disc, heading simply “Wannes Van de Velde”. The choice of the Dialect from Antwerp - which, for Van de Velde, was an obviousness, much more than one choice, given that he had never spoken about another way - was not appreciated by the intelligentsia of the time: the ABN, the Dutch normalized, only seemed admissible, and it was thus of this linguistic standard that one was supposed to use for artistic creations of high behavior.

In the Seventies, it precipitated on the theater. With a Flemish collective of young actors, International Nieuwe Scene, and with the Italian director Arturo Corso, it created the spectacle Mistero Buffo, spectacle made up of an assembly of monologs of Dario Fo, accounts of the guillare , and Italian popular songs selected and adapted by Wannes. At the time of assembling this part to Essen (Germany), where it had been engaged under advise musical, it made the meeting of its future wife, the actress Christa Bernhardt. Mistero Buffo was an international success, and was in particular extremely applauded the festival of Avignon.

At the same time, one of its songs, “Ik wil deze nacht in straten verdwalen”, of which Benoît Lamy was useful as musical illustration for its film (French-speaking) “Home Sweet Home” (chnason whose Wannes had, for the occasion, makes a bilingual version), was a considerable success, including in French-speaking Belgium, where Wannes will pass henceforth, with the Rum group, for one of the great figures of the Flemish folk. Beginning of the year seventy, it wrote also the songs of a play with great success, “Uit of parochie van misery”, inspired by a work of John Wilms. Will follow, with the beginning of the year eighty, a part for puppet theater, Water in Wijn (`Eau and wine'). In 1984, it took part in IJslandsuite , musical project of Dree Peremans (on the fishermen of Iceland), then, in 1987, with Het Zwarte Goud (`Black gold', on the life of the minors), which was the continuation.

Meanwhile however, Van de Velde renonçait by no means with its activities in the musical field, making appear e.a. the Stadsgedachten albums and Tussen of lichten. In these same years came to join the group Jan Wellens (Guitare), Walter Poppeliers (Contrebasse) and, a few years later, Gilberte Van den Plas (violin). The sound of the group evolves/moves, to some extent organically, of a traditional folk worms of more tinted arrangements of Flamenco. In the plan of the words, the repertory remains a mixture of adaptations of old texts and satirical poems, abrasive of a more current vocabulary.

In 1992, Van de Velde began again, in duet with Hans De Booij, an old tube of Bobbejaan Schoepen, De Lichtjes van of Schelde , and succeeds in making it appear once again in the prize lists. In the Nineties followed one another three more new CD, but in 1995, it lost his faithful friend Walter Heynen, his fellow traveller and musical mentor. In 1996, Wannes left in round with a quartet Jazz, and in 1999, it produced single CD with the singer of blues Roland Van Campenhout, CD on which was reproduced in particular a superb version Dutchwoman of Masters off War (become Oorlogsgeleerden ) of Bob Dylan.

In 2000, a Leucémie was diagnosed at Van de Velde. In 2001, it made appear a compilation of texts, Flamencoschetsen (`drafts flamenco'), where it expresses its great affection for this musical genre. In 2003 appeared Met een lint flight jasmijnen (`with a ribbon piqué of jasmines'), translations of texts of the poetess and singer flamenco Amparo the Cortes. In 2005, cured and given of its disease, Groep Wannes Van de Velde, composed of the musicians Jan Wellens (guitar), Gilberte Van den Plas (violin), Stefan Wellens (violin) and Ben Faes (double bass), starts a new round, named In maat van of seizoenen (`at the rate of the seasons').

Not only its music, but also its style of particular song and its talent of narrator go back to a secular European musical tradition deeply enracinée, and having its ramifications in several countries. The thorough study that it carried out on authentic from Antwerp popular art doubles of a full knowledge of the music of other people and their multiple mutual influences. Its musical culture and its knowledge of languages gave access to him easily the musics popular Spanish, Italian, Greek, Jewish, French and Anglo-Saxon, which all were present and alive in its birthplace. In its function of teacher to the Studio Hermann Teirlinck, Flemish school of theater considered, it inspired by innumerable actors and chansonniers, as much in Flanders that with the Netherlands. Although officially not having never been indicated `stadsdichter' (appointed poet chosen by the municipality of Antwerp), Wannes Van de Velde is well regarded as such, “AD vitam”, by from Antwerp population. It is not exaggerated to say that it is an alive legend and a true institution, in its birthplace and beyond.

Rewards

Wannes Van de Velde was seen decreeing several prices. We will quote:

Szukalski Award 1989
Price Gilbert Van Geert 1993
Sabam 1994
Zamu Award 1995
Premio Andalucía of the town of Ayamonte (Huelva) (2000)

It was indicated by the Flemish Commission like candidate prize winner at price UNESCO for the music 2005.

Discography

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