Yngwie Janseghers
I rewrite my own rules as I compose

With a name like his, it’s hardly surprising that Yngwie Janseghers grew up surrounded by music. At the age of four, he played Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters for his grandfather; later, he swapped the guitar for the organ, harmonium and harpsichord. But his love of writing proved to be the strongest. When describing his journey, it’s striking just how many kilometres he’s covered. 

YNGWIE JANSEGHERS
I can’t stay in one place for long. I started my bachelor’s degree in Antwerp, but went on an Erasmus exchange to Norway in my second year. In my third year, I came to Ghent to study under Daan Janssens. We have similar tastes and hit it off straight away. During my master’s, I also wanted to go on an Erasmus exchange, this time to Graz. I’ll be starting my second master’s degree there soon.”

LINDE VERJANS
Has that desire to go abroad always been there?

YJ
Actually, yes. As a young boy, when I first discovered jazz, I used to dream of studying at Juilliard or Berklee. Those places are steeped in history. You have to dream big and think realistically (laughs).

LV

Oslo came first.

YJ

Quite interesting actually, because it’s a bit of an outlier compared to everything else that’s happening here. Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland… they’re all pretty much cut from the same cloth. The music in Scandinavia is really different. Life there is different too. I fell in love with the country straight away and learnt a great deal there.

LV

You’ll be heading back to Graz, in Austria, soon.

YJ

That’s because I got on really well with the teacher there, Clemens Gadenstätter. I became familiar with his work through Frederik Neyrinck, who had studied under him for a short while. When I sent an email with two pieces, I received a reply asking if I could send an explanation of the philosophical aspect of my music. It turned out to be typical of his teaching style. Lessons were mostly conversations about the ‘why’. Why do you write quiet music? What is the impact of that? What does it mean, for example, to write a lullaby? After one of those hour-and-a-half-long conversations, I’d always come out feeling full of inspiration. Then I’d try to write down as much as possible, as quickly as I could.

The question of why I write something has always been essential to me. I rarely write intuitively. I love anything that can be reasoned out. I start with an algorithm, or a structure. With Bram Van Camp in Antwerp, I rediscovered Bartók and the use of the golden ratio. That has stayed with me. I still apply the golden ratio in many of my works. Because it works. Usually, I distort it so much that it ultimately ceases to be a golden ratio. But I always find a reason for taking that as my starting point.

LV

Is it even possible to perform music that has been created in such a calculated way?

YJ

Yes, definitely! It’s far less complex than it might seem at the moment. Essentially, it’s always triplets and quintuplets, sometimes a septuplet. And it’s all just an approximation.

LV

Is accessibility a goal when writing?

YJ
I try to write music that is music, rather than a mathematical formula expressed in sound. I always take it as a compliment when people with no musical background have enjoyed my music. I start with a structure, but at some point in the process I throw it out. I rewrite my own rules as I compose.

LV

What was so interesting about KASK & Conservatorium?

YJ

Daan, of course. And the other teachers too: Filip Rathé and Jesse Broekman. There are also contemporary music students in Ghent, which is naturally very interesting for a composer. I was also given more freedom in organising my final exam. It didn’t have to be for a specific ensemble, but could be very varied. For my bachelor's project, for example, I wrote a piece for flute and electronics, an orchestral work and a piece for a Baroque ensemble and voice. It also offers opportunities in terms of collaborations. During my studies, I was able to write for Spectra and Het Collectief, which was, of course, a great learning experience.

LV
Where do you get your assignments now?

YJ
From various areas. Much of it comes from collaborations with friends. One advantage of having studied in so many places is that you build up a wide network. For example, I regularly write for a percussionist, Jonas Eventad, whom I met in Oslo. I’m currently working on a forty-minute piece for him, in which we literally treat everything as an instrument. There’s a tone in everything. By experimenting together, combined with Jonas’s vast knowledge and astonishing imagination, we’re creating something new. And Kant, a shared source of inspiration, also plays a part.

I also often collaborate with Stan Geudens, who I went to art school with. And I apply for lots of calls. There are two ways this can work: either you submit a finished piece and it’s selected, or you submit a few works and a concept and are chosen to write a new piece based on those.

LV

Do you often work on several pieces at the same time?

YJ

I also often collaborate with Stan Geudens, who I went to art school with. And I apply for lots of calls. There are two ways this can work: either you submit a finished piece and it’s selected, or you submit a few works and a concept and are chosen to write a new piece based on those.