August Louis Baeyens received his musical training at the Royal Flemish Music Conservatory in Antwerp, studying solfège, viola, and harmony. As a composer, Baeyens developed chiefly through the study of composers such as Debussy, Wagner and Strauss; this interest gave him the reputation of a revolutionary within the confines of the very traditionalist conservatory. It makes sense that the first concerto he wrote for a solo instrument was his Concerto for Viola (Concerto voor altviool) in 1956. A recipient of the first prize award for viola while in conservatory, he performed as a violist in orchestras throughout Flanders. The concerto is in three movements: Moderato, Larghetto espressivo, and Allegro.