A distinguished Belgian organist, composer, teacher and music administrator, Joseph Jongen won a composition prize at the Royal Academy of Belgium and later the coveted Prix de Rome. Jongen was appointed professor of harmony and counterpoint at the Royal Conservatory in Liege. After World War I, Jongen assumed professorship at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels and in 1925 was appointed the Conservatory’s director. Jongen's composition style is very unique, and his compositions have recently become more and more recognized and performed.