Jef Van den Berg was born at Merksem (Belgian province of Antwerp) on
18 October 1917. He studied solfeggio (musical theory), piano and
bassoon at the Antwerp conservatory. In the 1940s and 1950s he was
pianist in several light orchestral ensembles, and directed his own.
From 1970 till 1982 he taught solfeggio at the (Antwerp) Studio Herman
Teirlinck. In 1961 - 1982 he worked for Flemish (Dutch-language
Belgian) public broadcaster BRT, first as director, later also as
producer, making cabaret, revues, the talent hunt 'Ontdek de Ster' and
the popular Sunday afternoon show 'Binnen en Buiten'.
He also composed music for light programs such as 'Wat doen we met de
liefde?' and TV cabaret ('De Kanarifant') and made arrangements for
musical comedies such as 'Muziek voor twee' or 'De dame en de knecht'.
In 1957 the Festival della Canzone at Venice awarded him the Silver
Lion for the song "'k Vergeet u nooit, Venetië" (Dutch for 'I'll never
forget you, Venice'), written in collaboration with Bert De Corte. Jef
Van den Berg furthermore wrote music for Flemish singers such as Will
Ferdy, Louis Neefs and Lize Marke, who became the first female Belgian
Eurovision song context entry, in 1965 in Napels, singing his 'Als het
weer lente is' (When spring returns).
In 1963 Van den Berg, who advocated opportunities for his fellow
Flemings, received the Dutch-language music prize of the Belgian
artists union SABAM. He died at his home in Berchem (near Antwerp) on
April 21, 2007.
