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George Enescu
 
 
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George Enescu (pronunciation in Romanian
Romanian language

Romanian or Daco-Romanian ; self-designation: limba rom?na, ) is a Romance languages spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova....
: ; known in France as Georges Enesco) (August 19, 1881, Liveni – May 4, 1955, Paris) was a Romanian composer
Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
, violin
Violin

The violin is a Bow string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
ist, pianist
Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an musical ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
, conductor
Conducting

Conducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors....
 and teacher, preeminent Romanian musician of the 20th century, and one of the greatest performers of his time.

as born in the village of Liveni, Romania
Romania

Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
 (Dorohoi County at the time, today Botosani County
Botosani County

Botosani is a county of Romania, in Moldavia, with the capital city at Botosani....
), and showed musical talent from early in his childhood.






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George Enescu (pronunciation in Romanian
Romanian language

Romanian or Daco-Romanian ; self-designation: limba rom?na, ) is a Romance languages spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova....
: ; known in France as Georges Enesco) (August 19, 1881, Liveni – May 4, 1955, Paris) was a Romanian composer
Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
, violin
Violin

The violin is a Bow string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
ist, pianist
Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an musical ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
, conductor
Conducting

Conducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors....
 and teacher, preeminent Romanian musician of the 20th century, and one of the greatest performers of his time.

Biography

He was born in the village of Liveni, Romania
Romania

Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
 (Dorohoi County at the time, today Botosani County
Botosani County

Botosani is a county of Romania, in Moldavia, with the capital city at Botosani....
), and showed musical talent from early in his childhood. A child prodigy
Child prodigy

A child prodigy is someone who at an early age masters one or more skills at an adult level. One heuristic for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 13 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding field of endeavor....
, Enescu created his first musical composition at the age of five. Shortly thereafter, his father presented him to the professor and composer Eduard Caudella
Eduard Caudella

Eduard Caudella was a Romanian opera composer, also a violin virtuoso, conductor, teacher and critic. He studied with Henri Vieuxtemps....
. At the age of seven, he entered the Vienna Conservatory, where he studied with Joseph Hellmesberger, Jr.
Joseph Hellmesberger, Jr.

Josef ?Pepi? Hellmesberger, Jr. was an Austrian composer, violinist and Conducting.Hellmesberger was son of violinist and conductor Joseph Hellmesberger, Sr....
, Robert Fuchs
Robert Fuchs

Robert Fuchs was an Austrian composer and music teacher.As Professor of music theory at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, Fuchs taught many notable composers, while he was himself a highly regarded composer in his lifetime....
, and Sigismund Bachrich
Sigismund Bachrich

Sigismund Bachrich , aka Sigmund Bachrich, was a Hungary composer, violinist, and violist.He was born in ?abokreky nad Nitrou in 1841. He studied violin at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna from 1851 to 1857 with Joseph B?hm....
, and graduated before his 13th birthday, earning the silver medal. In his Viennese concerts young Enescu played works by Brahms
Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms , composer and pianist, was one of the leading musicians of the Romantic music. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene....
, Sarasate
Pablo de Sarasate

Pablo Mart?n Melit?n de Sarasate y Navascu?s...
 and Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born, and generally known in English-speaking countries, as Felix Mendelssohn was a Germany composer, pianist, organist and conducting of the early Romantic music period....
. In 1895 he went to Paris to continue his studies. He studied violin with Martin Pierre Marsick
Martin Pierre Marsick

Martin Pierre Joseph Marsick , was a Belgium violin player and teacher.In 1854, seven-year old Marsick was admitted to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Li?ge, to study violin with D?sir? Heynberg....
, harmony with André Gédalge
André Gedalge

Andr? Gedalge , was an influential France composer and teacher....
, and composition with Jules Massenet
Jules Massenet

Jules Massenet was a France composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era....
 and Gabriel Fauré
Gabriel Fauré

Gabriel Urbain Faur? was a French composer, organist, pianist, and teacher. He was the foremost French composer of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th century composers....
.

Many of Enescu's works were influenced by Romanian folk music, his most popular compositions being the two Romanian Rhapsodies (1901–2), the opera Œdipe (1936), and the suites for orchestra. He also wrote five symphonies (two of them unfinished), a symphonic poem
Symphonic poem

A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in one movement in which some extramusical program provides a narrative or illustrative element....
 Vox maris
Vox Maris

Vox maris is a symphonic poem finished around 1954, by the Romanian people composer George Enescu.The poem is scored for a large orchestra?quadruple woodwind, six horns, four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, five percussionists, two harps, piano and strings?with an off-stage choir of sopranos, altos and tenors and a tenor soloist...
, and much chamber music (three sonatas for violin and piano, two for cello and piano, a piano trio, quartets with and without piano, a wind decet (French, "dixtuor"), an octet for strings, a piano quintet, a chamber symphony for twelve solo instruments).
Cantacuzino Enescu 1
In 1923 he made his debut as a conductor in a concert given by the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra is an orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is historically considered to be one of the "Big Five " American orchestras....
 in New York City. In 1935, he conducted the Orchestre Symphonique de Paris and Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin

Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, Order of Merit, Order of the British Empire was a violinist and conducting who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom....
 in Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major. He also conducted the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic

The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active symphony orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842. Based in New York City, the Philharmonic performs most of its concerts at Avery Fisher Hall....
 between 1937 and 1938. In 1939 he married Maria Rosetti (known as the Princess Cantacuzino through her first husband Mihail Cantacuzino), a good friend of the future Queen Marie
Marie of Edinburgh

H.M. The Queen of Romania was a member of the British Royal Family who became the queen consort of Romania as spouse of King Ferdinand I of Romania....
 of Romania. While staying in Bucharest
Bucharest

Bucharest is the capital city, industrial and commercial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the D?mbovita River....
, Enescu lived in the Cantacuzino Palace on Calea Victoriei
Calea Victoriei

Calea Victoriei is a major avenue in central Bucharest. It leads from Splaiul Independentei to the north and then northwest up to Victory Square, Bucharest, where Soseaua Kiseleff continues north....
 (now the Muzeu National George Enescu, dedicated to his work).

He lived in Paris and in Romania, but after World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 and the Soviet occupation of Romania
Soviet occupation of Romania

The Soviet occupation of Romania refers to the period from 1944 to August 1958, during which the Soviet Union maintained a significant military presence in Romania....
, he remained in Paris.

He was also a noted violin teacher. Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin

Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, Order of Merit, Order of the British Empire was a violinist and conducting who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom....
, Christian Ferras
Christian Ferras

The following is a translation from .Christian Ferras was a French violinist.Ferras began studying the violin with his father, who was a pupil of Marcel Chailley....
, Ivry Gitlis
Ivry Gitlis

Ivry Gitlis is an Israeli violinist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.Born in Haifa, British Mandate of Palestine to Russian parents, Gitlis studied violin at the Conservatoire de Paris....
, Arthur Grumiaux
Arthur Grumiaux

Arthur Grumiaux was a Belgian violinist who was also proficient in piano....
, and Ida Haendel
Ida Haendel

Ida Haendel, CBE is a British violinist of Polish descent....
 were among his pupils. He promoted contemporary Romanian music, playing works of Constantin Silvestri
Constantin Silvestri

Constantin Silvestri was a Romanian Conducting and composer....
, Mihail Jora
Mihail Jora

Mihail Jora was a Romanian people composer, pianist, and conductor.Jora studied in Leipzig with Robert Mueller. From 1929 to 1962 he was a professor at the conservatoire of Bucharest....
, Ionel Perlea and Martian Negrea.

On his death in 1955, George Enescu was interred in the Père Lachaise Cemetery
Père Lachaise Cemetery

P?re Lachaise Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the city of Paris, France at , though there are larger cemeteries in the city's suburbs.P?re Lachaise is one of the List of cemeteries in the world....
 in Paris.

Today, Bucharest houses a museum in his memory; likewise, the Symphony Orchestra of Bucharest
George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra

The George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra is the most representative musical institution of Romania.Founded in 1886, under the supervision of Eduard Wachman, the Romanian Philharmonic Society had as purpose the creation of a permanent symphonic orchestra in Bucharest....
, as well as the George Enescu Festival
George Enescu Festival

The George Enescu Festival is the biggest classical music festival and classical international competition held in Romania, and one of the biggest in Eastern Europe....
, are named and held in his honor.

Works

Ateneul Roman B


Selected Works

For a complete list, see List of compositions by George Enescu
List of compositions by George Enescu

This is a list of compositions by George Enescu....
.


Opera

  • Œdipe, tragédie lyrique in four acts, libretto by Edmond Fleg, op. 23 (1910-1931)


Symphonies

  • Symphony No. 1 in E flat major
    Symphony No. 1 (Enescu)

    Symphony No. 1, Op. 13 vividly reflects composer George Enescu's training in Vienna, where he studied with Robert Fuchs and mastered the Brahmsian tradition in composition....
    , op. 13 (1905)
  • Symphony No. 2 in A major, op. 17 (1912-1914)
  • Symphony No. 3 in C major, with chorus, op. 21 (1916-1918)


Other Orchestral Works

  • Poème Roumaine, symphonic suite for orchestra, op. 1 (1897)
  • Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 in A major, op. 11 (1901)
  • Romanian Rhapsody No. 2 in D major, op. 11 (1902)
  • Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major, op. 9 (1903)
  • Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C major, op. 20 (1915)
  • Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major Suite Villageoise, op. 27 (1937-1938)


Chamber Works


String Quartets
  • String Quartet No. 2 in G major, op. 22 (1950-1952)


Sonatas
  • Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, op. 2 (19??)
  • Violin Sonata No. 2 in F minor op. 6 (1899)
  • Violin Sonata No. 3 in A minor dans le caractère populaire roumain, op. 25 (1926)
  • Cello Sonata No. 1 in F minor, op. 26 (1898)
  • Cello Sonata No. 2 in C major, op. 26 (1935)


Other Chamber Works
  • Octet for Strings, op. 7 (1900)
  • Dixtuor in D major, for wind instruments, op. 14 (1906)
  • Impressions d'Enfance, for violin and piano, op. 28 (1938)
  • Piano Quintet in A minor, op. 29 (1940)
  • Piano Quartet No. 2 in D minor, op. 22 (1943-1944)
  • Chamber Symphony, for 12 instruments, op. 33 (1954)
  • Concertstück, for viola and piano (1906)
  • Legende
    Legende

    Legende A solo work for trumpet and piano, composed by George Enescu and premiered by Merri Franquin , professor of cornet at the Paris Conservatoire....
    , for trumpet and piano (1906)
  • Cantabile et Presto, for flute and piano (1904)


Piano Music
  • Piano Suite No. 1 in G minor, Dans le style ancien op. 3 (1897)
  • Piano Suite No. 2 in D major, op. 10 (1901/1903)
  • Piano Suite No. 3, Pieces impromptues op. 18 (1913-1916)
  • Piano Sonata No. 3 in D major, op 24 (1933-1935)


Songs

  • Sept Chansons de Clement Marot, for tenor and piano, op. 15 (1907-1908)


Media


See also

  • Category:Compositions by George Enescu
    • George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra
      George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra

      The George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra is the most representative musical institution of Romania.Founded in 1886, under the supervision of Eduard Wachman, the Romanian Philharmonic Society had as purpose the creation of a permanent symphonic orchestra in Bucharest....
    • List of 20th century classical composers
      List of 20th century classical composers

      This is a list of over 1400 classical composers.Also see:* List of 20th century classical composers by birth date,* List of 20th century classical composers by death date....


    External links