Edgar Tinel was born Petrus Josephus Edgardis Tinel on March 27, 1854 in the Tinel-Wagemans family in Sinay. He is the second son of a series of 11 children. His father is a teacher and sexton. Little Edgar soon shows great interest in music. For musical training and further education, Oscar, his eldest brother, and Edgar go to Eksaarde twice a week - by foot - to take piano lessons from Ferdinand Van Durme. In Sint-Niklaas they take the first violin lessons. In 1863 he joins Oscar in Brussels where they take lessons at the Conservatory. They stay in a boarding school. He provides for his daily needs, among other things by giving private lessons. In 1872 he obtained a second prize for piano with, among others, Beethoven's "Hammerklaviersonata, opus 106". In 1873 he wins first prize for keyboard performance. He performs in many cities: Brussels, Ghent, Sint-Niklaas, Lokeren, Aachen, Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin. In 1874 he performed an extremely difficult work by John Urich in London. Meanwhile Tinel starts to compose. His first composition will be 'Four Nocturnes'. This is followed by 'Three Fantasy Pieces'. He comes into contact with the poetry of Ema Coeckelbergh from Sint-Niklaas and asks her permission to set the poems to music. That will be his opus 5: 'Quatre Mélodies'. They got along really well and on September 1, 1877 they married. In the meantime his father died in 1876. In 1877 Tinel is one of the six participants in the important competition: the "Prix de Rome". He wins the prize with 'Klokke Roeland'.
In 1879 the Belgian bishops founded a school for religious music in Mechelen, with Jaak Lemmens as director. In 1881, 27-year-old Tinel succeeds him. In that year his mother also dies. In 1883 he met Brahms in Cologne and in September of that year he became seriously ill but recovered. In the meantime he got to know Guido Gezelle. They meet regularly and Gezelle writes a poem about Tinel: 'Hebt gi Tinel Edgar Tinel gezien ...' From their collaboration arise 'Six spiritual songs', opus 33, 'Six Mary songs', opus 34 and 'Four Advent songs', opus 35. In 1886 he started composing on 'Franciscus', opus 36. In 1888 it was performed for the first time in Mechelen. It will be performed more than a thousand times in his lifetime. He becomes inspector of the music schools in 1889.
In 1896 he taught counterpoint and fugue at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels. When Gevaert dies in 1909, Tinel succeeds him.
In 1897 his 'Godelieve', opus 43 is created and in 1908 'Katharina', opus 44.
In 1902 he becomes a member of the Royal Academy of Belgium.
In 1909 he becomes the king's last Kapellmeister. He was also a music teacher for Queen Elisabeth. Edgar Tinel dies on October 28, 1912.

You will find the biography of Edgar Tinel on youtube: Levensschets
You can also find a video about Edgar Tinel's piano career on youtube: Tinel als pianovirtuoos