George Enescu His Influence As a Violinist and Pedagogue
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“Perfection…..does not interest me. What is important in art is to vibrate oneself and make others vibrate." (George Enesu) George Enescu His influence as a violinist and pedagogue by Ji Won Kim Master of Music (Research) Performance 2011 The University of Sydney Statement by author This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfilment of requirements for Master of Music degree at the Sydney Conservatorium, University of Sydney. 1 Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude and enormous respect to Associate Professor Goetz Richter who has been an inspiring supervisor for this work. His encouragement and support has made this humble thesis possible. I also would like to thank my mother and brother who have been patient and supportive throughout. 2 Abstract George Enescu, a timeless figure in music history, inspired me to write this thesis. His statement "perfection…..does not interest me. What is important in art is to vibrate oneself and make others vibrate" truly captivated me. His pedagogy seemed to be unlike any other teachers that are known today. Enescu’s intuitive artistry and his self-effacing approach to music making identify him as a special musician. His life, playing style and instrumental characteristics, his pedagogy and legacy are investigated in this thesis. I argue that the holistic characteristic of the comprehensive musician Enescu should inform contemporary approaches to violin performance and violin pedagogy and are able to contribute to a more authentic and truthful way of music making. 3 Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................... 2 Abstract .................................................................................. 3 Chapter 1: The Life of George Enescu ......................................... 6 1.1. Enescu’s Childhood ....................................................................................................................................... 8 1.2. Studies in Vienna ........................................................................................................................................ 10 1.3. Studies in Paris ............................................................................................................................................ 14 1.4. Concert and Teaching Career following Graduation .................................................................... 19 1.5. Summary ........................................................................................................................................................ 21 Chapter 2: Enescu’s Style and Aesthetic Roots ........................... 23 2.1 Influences ....................................................................................................................................................... 24 2.2. Aesthetic roots .................................................................................................................................................. 26 i. Lautari ................................................................................................................................................................... 26 ii. Franco-Belgian School ................................................................................................................................... 29 iii. Viennese School .............................................................................................................................................. 30 iv. French school ................................................................................................................................................... 32 2.3 Enescu and Bach ................................................................................................................................................ 33 2.4 Characteristics .................................................................................................................................................... 34 i. Improvisatory performance and holistic creative impulse ............................................................. 34 ii. Sound .................................................................................................................................................................... 35 iii. Glissandi ............................................................................................................................................................. 37 iv. Intonation .......................................................................................................................................................... 39 v. Importance of Bach ......................................................................................................................................... 40 2.4 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................... 41 Chapter 3: Enescu’s Technical Characteristics ............................ 42 3.1 What is technique? ............................................................................................................................................ 42 3.2 Flesch and Steinhausen ................................................................................................................................... 43 3.3 Relevant technical features ........................................................................................................................... 45 i. Bow arm / hand .......................................................................................................................................... 45 ii. Trills and left hand function ........................................................................................................................ 48 iii. Vibrato ................................................................................................................................................................ 49 3.4 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................... 50 4 Chapter 4: Enescu’s Pedagogy ................................................. 52 4.1 Method ................................................................................................................................................................... 53 4.2 Flesch and Enescu ............................................................................................................................................. 55 4.3 Flesch’s pedagogical paradigm .................................................................................................................... 57 4.4 Enescu’s pedagogical paradigm ................................................................................................................... 58 4.5 Limitations of both paradigms ..................................................................................................................... 62 Chapter 5: Enescu’s Legacy ..................................................... 63 5.1 The influence of Enescuism ........................................................................................................................... 63 5.2 Enescu’s pedagogical influence .................................................................................................................... 64 5.3 Enescu’s contemporary significance ......................................................................................................... 66 Bibliography .......................................................................... 69 Discography ........................................................................... 78 5 Chapter 1: The Life of George Enescu George Enescu was a Romanian composer, an accomplished conductor and a performer whose immense contribution to violin playing remains influential to date. Enescu’s abilities extended over the mastery of multiple musical instruments. The author of Violin Virtuosos, Henry Roth, describes him as a violinist “of vastly diversified talents.”1 A contemporary of Enescu, Carl Flesch, says that “it is impossible to say which of his gifts deserves to be regarded as the greatest since his qualities as composer, conductor, violinist and pianist were about equally outstanding”.2 His charisma as a musical performer and his spirituality as a composer and conductor make Enescu unique in music history where he has no rival. Numerous testimonies identify Enescu as an ingenious teacher and his influence continues to resonate until today. One can question what made Enescu such a unique figure both as a performer and as a teacher. Are the individuality and the character of both activities related, and if so, in what ways? What makes him different to other virtuosos and pedagogues? Did his ability as a composer make him a different performer and a more effective teacher? Why was his pedagogy so seemingly different to that of his contemporaries Carl Flesch or Otakar Sevcik? Can we even compare his intuitive pedagogy to more systematic and analytical methods? Overall it seems that Enescu’s major interest and enthusiasm focussed on composition above anything else. This may have resulted in the fact that history has given more attention to his compositions rather than his work as a performer and pedagogue. Enescu’s life and work as a composer has been researched and documented