George Enescu: His Pianism and Solo Piano Works
ABSTRACT
George Enescu (1881-1955) was one of the most significant master musicians of the twentieth century. A multifaceted genius in music, he was without a doubt the greatest musical talent ever born in Romania—the father of Romanian nationalism in art music. He was and is Romania’s most celebrated composer. The depth of feeling Enescu had for his homeland is clearly expressed in many of his compositions where he used themes or stylistic devices inspired by Romanian folk music. His oeuvre encompasses almost all forms and musical genres, and in essence represents the Romanian heart, mind, and soul.
Aside from being a composer, he was considered one of the greatest violin interpreters of his time. He was also a magical conductor, superlative pedagogue, and accomplished pianist. Little research has been done on Enescu as a pianist and his piano music. In this essay, I highlight the pianism of George Enescu, an area that has been overshadowed by his other talents.
The Introduction describes my personal connection with Enescu and his music and provides some general information on who he was as a man and as a musician. Chapter One presents concise biographical information on Enescu’s upbringing, artistic development, and career. Chapter Two describes his compositional style. At the heart of this study is Chapter Three, which contains information on his most underappreciated talent and career as a pianist. What follows in Chapter Four is an overview of selected piano works along with a more in-depth musical analysis of three of his piano works. A conclusion and bibliography close the document.
If you would like to read more, my dissertation is available at www.proquest.com.
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