Marcel Peeters
Biography
Marcel Peeters (18 September 1926, Antwerp, Belgium – 4 April 2020, Antwerp, Belgium) was a Belgian composer and arranger.
Peeters' first musical activity occurred when he became a clarinet player in the amateur wind band De Werker. In 1945 he became a pupil at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Antwerp, and two years later he graduated with a First Prize in the class of Jos Van Rickstal. In the meantime he had studied privately with Karel De Schrijver. He spent his military service in the welfare section of the army, providing entertainment for the soldiers. He conducted the welfare orchestra in many shows for the Belgian troops in Germany, and it was here that he discovered the big band and light music repertoire. After his national service he played with different big bands and toured through Europe and North Africa.
In 1958 Peeters was recruited by the Swiss radio orchestra, Beromunster Unterhaltungs Orchester. This gave him the opportunity to experiment with his own ideas and theories and he thus became an experienced composer and arranger. In 1962 he was asked to join the famous Hazy Osterwald Sextett as arranger. He produced television shows, film and recordings and worked with great stars such as Catherina Valente, Peter Alexander, Sacha Distel and Henry Salvador. After working for one year with the renowned dance orchestra of Max Greger in Münich, Peeters was invited to make arrangements for recordings of the London Symphony Orchestra with singer Placido Domingo. In 1982 he joined Dolf van der Linden and the famous Dutch radio orchestra Metropool Orkestwriting.
His interest in arranging for wind band started when Pierre Kuypers (former conductor of the Dutch Royal Military Band) asked him to arrange music for the Royal Military Band and the Philips Wind Band.
Peeters is also known to have written under the pseudonym "Peter Laine."
Works for Winds
- Abstractions (1994)
- Air (as arranger) (1996)
- All Blue (2005)
- April in Paris (as arranger)
- Ballad for Winy (1997)
- Ballet Dreams (as arranger) (1992)
- The Belly-Dancers (with Gay) (2004)
- Big City and Country Side (as arranger)
- British Mood (as arranger with Gay) (2003)
- Canzoni d'Italia (as arranger) (2007)
- Car (2004)
- Cartoon (as arranger)
- Castafiora (with Gay) (1999)
- Charles Chaplin (as arranger)
- Charleston Forever (as arranger) (1919)
- Church Street Bells (2002)
- Circus Mosaics (2001)
- Cleydael Castle (2001)
- Cugat's Cocktail (1941/1952/2002)
- Czardas Mood (as arranger with Gay) (2003)
- Evita (as arranger) (1976-1977)
- Fairy Street Samba (with Gay) (1999)
- The Famous Bamba (as arranger with Gay) (2001)
- Fiesta Olímpica (as arranger) (1992)
- Florida Trail (2001)
- Gloria Olympica (as arranger) (1993)
- The Godfather Saga (as arranger) (1972)
- Grande Finale (as arranger)
- Gute Nacht, Freunde (as arranger) (1971)
- HAFABRA follies (with Gay) (2002)
- Happy March (with Gay) (2001)
- Hill Street Blues (as arranger) (1980/2005)
- Issa Hymn (as arranger)
- Jesus Christ Superstar (as arranger) (1969/2008)
- Koning Voetbal (as arranger)
- La Grande Parade (as arranger) (1985)
- Las Vegas Strip (2005)
- Lekhayim! (as arranger with Gay) (2001)
- Les Misérables (as arranger) (1980/1987)
- The Magnificent Seven (as arranger)
- Magyarpola (with Gay) (1999)
- Mexican Dances (as arranger) (2002)
- Misty (as arranger) (1991)
- Music-Hall Music (with Gay) (2007)
- My Fair Harmony (with Gay) (1999)
- My Way (as arranger) (1995)
- Naar de Speeltuin (as arranger)
- Nino Rota Film Music (as arranger) (2006)
- Opus for Max (with Gay) (2003)
- Pepper and Salsa (2005)
- Planet Cruiser (2006)
- Pop for the People (as arranger) (1992)
- The Porgy and Bess Collection (as arranger) (2008)
- Prélude pour Frédéric
- The Producers (2000/2006/2011)
- Puppets (2003)
- The Rakes of Mellow (as arranger)
- Revival Rag (as arranger) (1989)
- Russian Mood (as arranger with Gay) (2001)
- Salsa Soufflé (2005)
- Salty Salsa (2004)
- Saludos de Barcelona (as arranger) (1992)
- Sami's Dream (with Gay) (2000)
- Sister Act Medley (as arranger) (1999)
- Space Stones (2002)
- Space Walker (2001)
- Spanish Trilogy (as arranger) (2000)
- Straight Ahead (with Gay) (2001)
- Sunny Sunday (2001)
- That Crazy Charleston (as arranger) (1993)
- Three Short Stories (2005)
- Voyages (as arranger) (1992)
- Wiener Mood (as arranger with Gay) (2001)
- With a Smile to the Classics (as arranger) (1988)
Resources
- "PEETERS Marcel." HAFABRA Music. Web. Accessed 24 October 2020
- "Marcel Peeters." Robert Martin. Web. Accessed 24 October 2020