Leo Caerts, a music maestro who masoned out an imperium

The scene is Heppen, a municipality on the outskirts of Leopoldsburg, in the Belgian province of Limburg. The date: 15 February 1931, the heart of winter. A child is born that will one day shape the Belgian music scene forever. His name? Leonardus Caerts, though in the early years family and friends called him Nar, which is the Dutch word for jester. 

Initially, the man that would one day make music history earned his living as a mason...but he’d been bitten by the music bug, playing the accordion and the piano and even teaching the trombone! Leo Caerts would eventually find his true calling in music. He even founded a little orchestra, The Carinas, and eventually became the leader of the orchestra of Will Tura, another famous Belgian with a lot of merit. 

Leo Caerts’ major influence on the Belgian music scene would be two-fold: as a hit song writer for many other famous Belgians, and as a music store owner. In terms of songwriting, he’s written for Will Tura, Jo Vally, Rocco Granata, Rita Deneve and countless other Belgian legends, but his greatest success was writing the music to Eviva España, which earned him honorary citizenship of Madrid. The song has been translated into multiple languages and is often played in Spanish stadiums.  

On the other hand, Caerts and his wife opened a music shop on the Vismarkt in Tessenderlo, just West of his native Heppen, with a minimal budget. Leo even put some of his own instruments for sale in the shop to get things started. The Caerts family later opened a second store in the Naamsestraat in the heart of Leuven, a music shop that would grow to be known as a veritable institution. 

Caerts lived until the ripe age of 94, passing away on 11 October 2025, leaving behind a tremendous musical legacy, mourned by musicians professional and amateur alike, including the author of this article. In a Facebook post of the music store that carries his name, his family put it quite aptly: “Founder of Muziekhandel Leo Caerts, Musician, Composer, Entrepreneur, Honorary citizen of Madrid, but above all our dad and grandpa.” 

Clearly adored by his family and revered by many, Leo (or Nar) lives on through his offspring, who continue to leave their mark on the music world. Did you know, for example, that Brutus singer Stefanie Mannaerts, is his granddaughter? 

In Dutch, we say “beautiful songs don’t last long”. Nar is an exception to that rule. He will be missed. 

Photo: Leo Caerts