The Life and Significance of Gheorghe Enescu (George Enesco) 1881-1955 Donald Maurice New Zealand School of Music Nov

1. The Life and Significance of Gheorghe Enescu (George Enesco) 1881-1955 Donald Maurice New Zealand School of Music November 26, 2006

2. How was he viewed? Yehudi Menuhin (in his 70s) – “the greatest musician and the most formative influence I have ever received” Pablo Casals – “the greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart…For Enesco I would do anything…He is the most amazing musician I have met in my whole life” Nadia Boulanger – “Deep down only composing mattered to him... no-one met Enescu without revering him; he was a great person…he remained an emblem of generosity, of profound musical knowledge, in his innermost soul” André Gédalge – “Of all my pupils [who included Ravel, Boulanger, Honegger, Ibert and Milhaud] Enescu was the only one to have real ideas and inspiration” Martin PJ Marsick (Enescu at 15) – “this pupil possesses in the highest degree all the qualities which belong to a great virtuoso, in timbre, intonation, technique and profundity of style

3. Memory His prodigious memory absorbed virtually the entire classical canon, from Bach to Stravinsky He could sit down at the piano and begin at any point in The Ring, or a Beethoven Quartet, or the Rite of Spring, or any one of at least 150 Bach cantatas, and play from memory, bringing out every nuance of the writing After reading once through Ravel’s Violin Sonata, with Ravel at the piano, Enescu closed the music and played it from memory and performed it the next day. An identical anecdote applies to a performance of Bartók’s Second Violin Sonata, with the composer at the piano. Bartók was deeply impressed by his power of musical understanding and spoke of Enescu reading through one of his (Bartók’s) orchestral works, giving him back the score, and then on the following day conducting the rehearsal from memory, bringing out every nuance of the writing

4. Recordings • Over 60 as conductor • Over 20 as violinist • Over 10 as pianist

5. Why does he remain obscure? Noel Malcolm’s observations (1990) : • Gross inefficiency of Romanian Communist regime in producing scores and recordings • Unlike Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland, no western importer has ever managed to obtain a regular supply of recordings from Romania • Ceaucescu’s cultural policy narrowed his reputation and diminished his stature by presenting him as a nationalistic, “folkloric” composer • Judging him on his early Romanian Rhapsodies is like forming an opinion of Ravel based only on Bolero • Enescu was the last person to engage in self-advertisement of any kind • The public’s reluctance to accept him as a composer when he was a musical giant as a violinist, pianist and conductor

6. Personal observations • His music is not generally included in musicological studies • Even today, many scores and recordings are difficult to locate • His music, to play, ranges from difficult to very difficult • His music is rarely programmed by soloists, chamber groups or orchestras* • His music is rarely broadcast* * With the exception of the two Romanian Rhapsodies

7. Early childhood • Born 19 August 1881 • At 4 - took violin lessons from lăutari (gypsy), Lae Chioru. Learned to read music and began piano • At 5 - composed a hymn tune, a waltz and a 24 bar “opera” for violin and piano • At 7 - violinist Eduard Cuadella advised him to go to the Vienna Conservatorium. Studied German and French • At 8 - began concert career • At 9 - performed Paganini’s D major Concerto. Studied harmony, counterpoint, history, chamber music, violin, piano and cello • At 10 - gave nine concerts in Vienna including Mendelssohn’s Concerto and dazzling showpieces by Vieuxtemps, Wieniawski and Sarasate

8. Age 13-15 • At 13 - gave debut in Bucharest including his Piano Sonata • At 14 - began study at the Paris Conservatoire. Composition lessons with Massenet. Began writing his first full-scale symphony. Several works for violin. Violin study with Marsick • At 15 - wrote two movements of a violin concerto, never completed. First public concert entirely of his own works. Two more symphonies, numerous other piano and orchestral works • In 1896 Fauré replaced Massenet as professor of composition. • Counterpoint teacher, André Gédalge, required him to write a different fugue on the same subject every week for a year • From age 15-23 wrote drafts of ten string quartets

9. Age 16-20 – sample of 30+ works • 1897 - Poème Roumain Op. 1 This was so successful that 9,000 francs was raised towards a Stradivarius violin for him • 1897 - First Violin Sonata Op. 2 Beethoven, Schumann and Saint-Saens influence • 1898 - First Cello Sonata Op. 26, No. 1 Schumann and Brahms influence • 1898 - Variations for two pianos Op. 5 Brahms and Fauré influence • 1899 – Second Violin Sonata Op. 6 Dedicated to Thibaud • 1900 - Octet for strings Op. 7 Described as massively contrapuntal – dedicated to André Gédalge • 1901 - Two Romanian Rhapsodies Op. 11, Nos.1&2 By the end of his life he was heartily sick of the success enjoyed by his Rhapsodies, which had eclipsed all his other works

10. Overall output • Aged 11-20 About 100 works (33 published) • Aged 21-30 31 works • Aged 31-40 12 works • Aged 41-50 7 works • Aged 51-60 8 works • Aged 61-74 8 works The decline in quantity of works reflects his increasing career as a violinist and conductor – necessary to provide him with a livelihood

11. Some of the major works • Oedipe (opera) – 21 year gestation period (1910-1931) • Four youthful symphonies • Three completed symphonies, two uncompleted • Three orchestral suites • Numerous other orchestral works • Various works for solo instrument with orchestra • Two string quartets • Two piano quartets • One piano quintet • One piano trio • String octet • Three violin sonatas • Three piano sonatas • Two cello sonatas

12. Composer Influences • Brahms First Violin Sonata (1897) • Romanian folk music in traditional harmonic setting Poème Roumain (1897) and the Two Rhapsodies (1901) • Fauré and Franck Second violin sonata (1899) • Wagner First Symphony (1905)

13. Use of Folk and Gypsy Music Lăutari (gypsy) influence, while incorporated into earlier works, appears in a new kind of harmonic setting from 1924. Enescu was feeling dissatisfaction with the idea of subjecting simple folk tunes to complicated musical development. He likened the practice of placing folk melodies with exotic tonality within a major/minor texture to setting a diamond in concrete.

14. Enescu on gypsy musicians Enescu’s attitude to gypsy musicians was markedly different to that of Bartók, though he does differentiate between the lăutari and the café musicians. “I have derived a great deal from the music of the lăutari, we should be thankful to the gypsies for having preserved our music, this treasure which we are only now appreciating”

15. India – Gypsy relationship Gypsy migrations westward from North India are acknowledged as early as 390BC, arrival in Constantinople by 1068 and right across Western Europe from the 15th century. The relationship between traditional Romanian music and Indian music is yet to be clearly identified but it is highly likely that the Lăutari, while preserving traditional Romanian music, seasoned it more than lightly with imported Indian musical spices. It is also likely that what is referred to as traditional Romanian music had to some degree already been affected by gypsy migrations in the early years of the second millenium. It is this hypothesis that will drive my future research into Enescu’s composition.

16. The Third Violin Sonata Notes by the composer "First Movement: The cries and complaints of unhappy Rumanian refugees (in the days of their tribulation as an oppressed people) in their mountain retreats…anguished lamentations of those who lost their homes and fertile valleys. In the relative peace of their mountain refuge where the enemy could not reach, they stretch out their arms with hope and prayer to the distant horizon, awaiting a miracle to happen for their salvation and deliverance. In vain do they pray; their misery deepens and grows until it reaches desperation.

17. Second Movement: Mysterious voices and strange cries out of the deep and dark night, sinister omens, oriental, distant sounds shrouded in the shadows of pessimism. Third Movement: Among the unhappy folk is one who, in a fit of drunkenness, finds his consolation in a sort of deliberate philosophical and abstract indifference, and thus reaches sublime serenity and splendid isolation, a state of ‘Nirvana’ in the midst of the unhappy world around him."

18. Indian InfluenceDr Chintamani Rath A Raga is a complex concept that comprises several features of which the use of certain specific notes to the exclusion of others and in specific combinations are but two. Other features are certain types of ornaments to be used (or avoided) permissible registers, tempi and time of performance. All of these characteristics must be present for it to be called Raga music. For this reason I will not go so far as to say that Enescu’s subjects or motifs in this work bear the stamp of Raga. However I was distinctly reminded of certain Raga through the course of listening to this beautiful and evocative sonata.

19. Observations – 1st movement • 1st subject – The first phrase somewhat resembles a Raga we call Basant Mukhari. This is soon replaced by the Raga Bhairavi. Because these two are closely related, I chose Bhairavi as the closest Raga. • Audio examples: 1. Enescu’s original… 2. with the rhythmic cycle KehervaTala added by tabla 3. Auchar Alap (short introduction) in Bhairavi 4.Approximation of Enescu’s melody… 5. supported by percussion cycle (Keherva) and improvised upon, as an episode, in Bhairavi, before returning to the melody, and then ending with the Indian equivalent of a coda (here a very short codetta!)

20. 2nd subject – I was reminded of three Raga in the course of this short subject: Brndavani Sarang, Megh Malhar and Bhairavi. Bhairavi occurred naturally to the mind on account of the clever manner in which Enescu guides the second subject back to the very first little motif of his first subject, meshing together the two very different subjects as if the contrasting sentiment of the second cannot but lead to that of the first. • Audio examples: 1. Enescu’s original… 2. with the rhythmic cycle Tala Addha added by tabla 3. Auchar Alap in Brndavani Sarang 4. Auchar Alap in Megh Malhar 5. Auchar Alap in Bhairavi 6.Approximation of Enescu’s melody, slowed down to fit the dictates of Addha Tala… 7. supported by (Addha Tala) and improvised upon, as an episode, in Brndavani Sarang, Megh Malhar and “modulating” through Bhairavi to go back to the motif that sets the first subject in motion.

21. CONCLUSION