A native of
Antwerp, where he was educated in a
Jesuit school, Van Dyck studied both
law and
philosophy in
Leuven before deciding to become an
opera singer. The
notary under whom he was studying introduced him to the conductor
Joseph Dupont. He became a journalist, working for ''
Le Courrier de l'Escaut in Antwerp and La Patrie'' in Paris. From his arrival in Paris and debut at the
Concerts Lamoureux in the first act of
Tristan und Isolde he studied with
Emmanuel Chabrier and became a close friend of the composer. The singer repaid Chabrier by advocating for performances of his operas in
Karlsruhe and other places where he appeared. During the years appearing at the
Orchestre Lamoureux concerts, Van Dyck sang in
La Damnation de Faust, fragments from
Sigurd,
Tristan und Isolde,
Die Walküre,
Les Sept péchés capitaux of
Otto Goldschmidt, and the premiere of
Le Chant de la Cloche by
Vincent d'Indy. With Camille de Roddaz, Van Dyck provided the libretto for Massenet's ballet set in
Courtrai ('Légende mimée et dansée en un acte')
Le Carillon, for the Vienna State Opera in February 1892. He died in
Berlaar, Belgium, in 1923. He was awarded several civic honors:
Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur,
Order of Leopold,
Order of Franz Joseph, the
Order of Saint Stanislaus, the
Order of the Zähringer Lion, the
Star of Romania. ==References==