Romanian Music

Casting a comprehensive look on the Romanian classical music one reaches that it is deeply rooted in our century folk music as well in the byzantine and psalm music, the two last ones being the source of the church music art.

The most important composition schools belonging to the previous century were those in the north and east of Moldavia where names like Gavril Muzicescu, Ciprian Porumbescu, Eusebiu Mandicevski have set forth; in Transylvania and Banat - Gheorghe Dima, Iacob Muresianu, Ion Vidu.
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th the trend created by the "Carmen Choir Society" took the leed which imposed a highly professional composition, able to highlight the truest Romanian folklore as well as the grim grandeurs of the byzantine music, having a wide variety of sound and rhythm freed from the influence of the German and French romanticism in music. It is against theese background that D. G. Kiriac and George Cucu have imposed themselvess. Thus is shaped the "Front generation" which fought in War World I to build "Great Romania" as it was but natural to be or, in other words a Romania in whose history the civilisation and culture of the antic Dacia - Roman land should be continued. These generations dominated by George Enescu's genius as well as by the very talented composers Mihail Jora, Mihail Andricu, Sabin V. Dragoi, Dimitrie Cuclin, Martian Negrea, Constantin Dimitrescu.
The generation after George Enescu brought their contribution to the improvement of the Romanian music and among them mention should be made of Paul Constantinescu, Sigismund Toduta, Zeno Vancea, Ion and Gheorghe Dumitrescu, Alfred Mendelsohn, Constantin Silvestri, Tudor Ciortea, Theodor Rogalski.
Nicolae Labis's generation gave as names like: Tiberiu Olah, Stefan Niculescu, Aurel Stroe, Anatol Vieru, Dumitru Capoianu, Pascal Bentoiu, Theodor Grigoriu, Cornel Taranu and afterwards Nicolae Brandus, Liviu Glodeanu, Mihai Moldovan, Octavian Nemescu, Corneliu Cezar.

Thus we have mentioned part of the truly professional composers in our country. Their styles are manifold starting with the western means of expression taken as thesis up to those specific to our folk music taken as anti-thesis and thus achieving original syntesis.

Our composers have endeavoured their wonderful work under the exquisite meaning of Nicolae Iorga's words: "Life is a gift, don't give it back but with due respect and with full gratitude".

Last update: 2003, February 24
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