Henri Verbrugghen

Henri Adrien Marie Verbrugghen (1 August 1873 – 12 November 1934) was a Belgian musician, who directed orchestras in England, Scotland, Australia and the United States.

He was born in Brussels.

In 1907, he was the soloist in the first performance in England of the Violin Concerto in D minor by Jean Sibelius.[1]

Verbrugghen was Chief of Staff at the Glasgow Athenaeum School of Music[2] He is one of those featured in "Who's Who in Glasgow in 1909"[3]

In 1927 he composed his Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena for the choir of St Mary's Basilica in Minneapolis, which is still popular in various congregations in the Midwest which celebrate the Tridentine Latin Mass. In 1928, he was elected a national honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity, the American fraternity for men in music.

He died in 1934.

There is a Verbrugghen Street in the suburb of Melba in the Australian national capital, Canberra. All the streets in the suburb are named after significant figures in Australian music. Verbrugghen Hall at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Sydney also commemorates his name.

References

  1. ^ Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed., 1954
  2. ^ "Who's Who in Glasgow in 1909: HENRI VERBRUGGHEN". gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  3. ^ Eyre-Todd, George (25 January 2006). "Who's Who in Glasgow in 1909: A biographical dictionary of nearly five hundred living Glasgow citizens and of notable citizens who have died since 1st January, 1907". gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2026.