Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Bra şov Series VIII: Art • Sport • Vol. 4 (53) No. 1 – 2011

FOLKLORIC LANGUAGE MIRRORED IN THE ROMANIAN INTERWAR MUSICAL CREATION

D. PEPELEA 1 A. VARDI 2

Abstract: The decline of the tonal-functional system has led to re- actualizing the interrupted “historical thread” of modal musical thinking. The restoration of this thread is due to the first wave of the national musical schools (the second half of the 19 th century) and, subsequently, to the second wave (the first half of the 20 th century) with their aesthetics oriented towards folkloric cultures. Materialized in the “reaction to the leading tone”, it brings about the creation of new modes for organizing the musical language. This way, the representatives of the Romanian musical school introduce within the musical creation the folk melodies, with their diatonic scales, intuiting the peasant’s authentic folklore, as well as the modal harmony.

Key words: Romanian musical school, folklore music, modal harmony.

1. Introduction experience, as well as the one of the Russian musical school’s representatives is Once with Debussy, the consistent taken over and carried forward in some operation in the musical-composition 20 th -century composers’ creation. This practice of some anhemitonic diatonic way, Messiaen elaborated a modal structures (such as the pentatonic or the technique of great actuality, which opens hexatonic scale) becomes systematic, the access paths towards: laying the tolls of an unmistakable stylistic - Introducing the particular ethos of unity. The Modalism of the representatives oriental exotic modes and of natural of the Russian musical school (Borodin, modes, detached from the chirping Mussorgski or Rimski-Kosakov) can chant of the birds. therefore be caught a glimpse of, in its new - Including the synthesis modalism harmonic attire or in the capacity to within creation. “forge” new modal structures, non- - Working procedures with “low traditional, precursory to the synthesis density” modes” [7]. modes (tone-semitone scale, lied mode - Serializing the modes. with increased quint, etc.).Debussy’s

1 Dept. of Performing Arts, Transilvania University of Bra şov, . 2 Highschool of Music, University of Akron, Ohio, USA . 36 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Bra şov. Series VIII • Vol. 4 (53) No. 1 - 2011

- Resorting to modes with limited etc.) or Anatol Vieru with the string of transposition. prime numbers (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, etc.). . Through translating these numeric 2. The premises of an original creation proportions, or some geometrical schemes, in elements of musical range, new modal The issue of the folkloric-essence systems were obtained and creatively modalism started to arouse the Romanian applied, named synthesis modal systems. composers’ interest, as a new concept upon the rural musical folklore became 3. Stylistic directions in the interwar conspicuous in the cult musical creation. Romanian music However, beside the Prelude to Unison by G. Enescu (1903) and of Kiriac’s choral The important changes occurred in the creation, this concept will only bear full composition thinking on the realm of the fruit starting with the third decade of the musical language, the alert rhythm that 20 th century. The innovations brought to the characterizes the evolution of music during creation by the two precursory composers the first half of the 20 th century led towards are connected to the use of new scales of a wide palette of the orientations and chromatic sounds with increased second tendencies outlined within this time (Kiriac) or with mobile steps (Enescu), or of interval. Octavian Laz ăr Cosma remarks systems with fewer elements. An example that, unlike the previous epochs, wherein of subtle interpenetration of some old pre- every composing personality fit within the pentatonic modal systems with the tonal limits of a current, during the world is constituted by the Prelude to contemporary epoch, there become more Unison from the Suite I for Orchestra by characteristic the lack of fitting, the , wherein there may be seen inclusion of the attributes specific to how the heptatonic is formed through several currents, directions, in one’s own interpenetrations of pre-pentatonic modes style, the evolving appeal to different [2]. modalities, often situated at other The generation of modern Romanian composition pole. During this period, composers manifested modal when the oscillations are striking, “the preoccupations connected to: need is felt more than ever to find that - Folkloric modal diatonism (Sabin Dr ăgoi) spine, that axis, which, in the plurality of or Byzantine (Paul Constantinescu). the stylistic directions, should confer a - Modal chromatism resulted from relative stability, through the connection to procedures such as tetra-chord the same point” [1]. This role of polarizing scordatura (P.Constantinescu) or from factor of all stylistic directions adopted by the use of the modes with increased the Romanian composing art is assumed by second (Mihail Jora). the inexhaustible folkloric collection. This - Interweaving the modal with the way, although there are stylistic serialism (Filip Laz ăr, Zeno Vancea, differentiations on the level of every Constantin Silvestri). creator’s signature language, there cannot Intense modal preoccupations were be stated that none of them has resorted to registered in the wave of Romanian this valuable and original source, even if composers after 1950. New modal this one does not assert itself to the same solutions were thereby reached, as extent in every one’s creation. The Wilhelm Berger proceeds with the perimeter of our composing art is Fibonacci sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, inevitably focused on oscillating towards D. PEPELEA et al. : Folkloric Language Mirrored in the Romanian Interwar Musical Creation 37 sheer folklore and new directions, in a and of the doina and the types of musical superior synthesis. Leaning on the declamation, starting from Wagner and suggestions proceeding from currents of Debussy, Bartók and Janá ček, up to the wide circulation, our music assumes schönbergian Sprechgesang etc.” [2]. Impressionist, Neoclassical, Neo- The classical valences of the Romanian Romantic, Expressionist impulses, re- folklore (the symmetry of the popular melting them in the stylistic matrix of the dance and of the children’s songs or of autochthonous folklore. some species of the urban folklore, the The adopted stylistic directions solve the giusto cadency of the carol, the diatonic, issue of the conciliation between universal the motion and character contrast doina- and national, between tonal and modal, dance , the major-minor parallelism) stand between the vertical-harmonic and for the premises of the orientations in the horizontal-melodic conceptions, finding composing art’s modalities of Dr ăgoi, authentic solutions in the instrumental Andricu, Filip Laz ăr, and, later on, Zeno creation of the period we have tackled. The Vancea or Paul Constantinescu. However, integration of the Romanian composing art these classical coordinates characterizing in the European national schools’ the interwar Romanian composing thinking contemporaneousness will be done, in this are differently materialized in the spirit of stage, through modelling all components of sobriety, equilibrium and symmetry the musical discourse – melody, rhythm, illustrated by the composers’ individual harmony, polyphony – and, under a more styles. At Sabin Dr ăgoi, they are enhanced dissimulated guise, of the form. According through the miniature character of the to the musicologist Cl.L. Firca’s opinion creation, holding it within restrained “it is eloquent, for instance, that within the formal dimensions, through observing the creation laboratories, there are «processed» structural integrity of the popular melody, and fructified together, in different through initiating a modal harmonic association and synthesis formulas: the language; his works for piano (miniatures, suggestions offered by the popular monody carols, doinas), for chorus, for voice and and heterophony, the solutions of modal piano are a genuine “practical textbook of harmony and polyphony (deduced in their harmony” of the popular melody from the turn from the Romanian folkloric or South of Ardeal, which proves the variety liturgical modalism, from the still «ruling» of possibilities that the folklore offers to one of Impressionist source or even from musicians [5]. some neighbouring national schools’ The aspect of the consistently quadric- experience in the field of the modal vocal harmonic-polyphonic joints technique), the hyper-chromatic tonal pertaining to these musical pieces proves harmony and the imitative, Neo-Baroque- the transfer of the choral writing into the type or even linear-type polyphony, the instrumental-orchestral one. Succeeding to style norms and the Classical or Bartók’s remakes and harmonisations of Neoclassical architectonic principles and popular songs – whereof also Romanian the formal and genre particularities of the ones – Dr ăgoi will set correspondence folklore, the asymmetrical rhythms and the relations among the Romanian and laws of the parlando system from the Hungarian creations of this style. folklore and, on the other hand, the The manner of reflecting the folkloric expressions that the rhythm acquires at valences in the neoclassical vision will Stravinski ( ostinato, polyrhythmic prove to be characteristic to Filip Laz ăr’s complexes etc.), the recitative of the ballad musical nature. His concertos for piano, 38 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Bra şov. Series VIII • Vol. 4 (53) No. 1 - 2011 the Three Romanian Dances for Violin and picturesque valences ( Gypsies by F. Piano, Sonata for Piano, Sonata for Violin Laz ăr), in the direction of the grotesque- will join to the same neoclassical direction nuance comic ( Two Symphonic Sketches that Ravel, Bartók, Prokofiev followed. by Th. Rogalski, At the Market by M. Jora, The economy of means, the maximum the operas Words from Matthew by concentration of the form, the contour I. Nonna-Otescu and A stormy Night by P. clarity and precision of the themes “are – Constantinescu). M. Jora is deemed the Cl.L.Firca states – a few of the composer who installed within the metamorphoses that, sometimes, rather Romanian music, the Expressionist from an anti-Romantic or anti- orientation, expression of the humour, Impressionist reaction than from the sarcasm, grotesque. This tendency was led preoccupation of «returning to the farther by his disciples C. Silvestri, Classics», an entire contemporary musical D. Lipatti, P. Constantinescu. The musical literature seemed to have imprinted on the implications of this orientation are classical concept” [2]. Liberally found in achieved through a melodic language F. Laz ăr’s creation, the neoclassical echoes inspired from the urban folklore (romance, may be also detected in creations by Dinu fanfare music, oriental-coloratura or pop- Lipatti or Mar ţian Negrea. music and entertainment music etc.), The direction of treating in the spirit of through musical portrayals, through the the Neo-Baroque polyphonic rigor verve of that typical rhythmical ostinato (imitation, canon) the popular-origin set of (stravinskian motor), representing an themes has been joined, ever since the ornamental amplification of the popular fourth decade, by composers such as Zeno accompaniment , through the harshness of Vancea, Sigismund Todu ţă , Ludovic the orchestration or the tension of a Feldman etc. chromatic harmony, on the line of Bartók’s Restoring the thread of Kiriac’s tradition, or Stravinski’s anticipations. we may speak, also like about a We may talk, in this stage, of the Neoclassical phenomenon , not rooted in perpetuation of an Impressionist direction the Western tradition, but in a rich in the Romanian school, direct descendant “autochthonous musical-poetical tradition” of Alfonso Castaldi’s composing school [2], about the reappraisal of the Byzantine (among his students, there are D. Cuclin, I. patrimony, a fact especially enhanced in Nonna-Otescu, A. Alessandrescu, M. Paul Constantinescu’s “Byzantine-style” Andricu), the symphonist who cultivated creations (the two oratorios, a trio of both the post-Romantic tradition (in strings, Byzantine Sonata for Soloist Wagner-Strauss filiation) and the Violoncello ). In P.Constantinescu’s case, Impressionist one (separately, or realizing the psalm melody stands for the source of a a mediation line between them) [2]. vocal-type instrumentalism and constitutes The thread of this Romanian-print a reply of the popular vocal collection of Impressionism may be followed in some melodies, which makes up the source for Mar ţian Negrea’s scores (suite for piano the vocality of Sabin Dr ăgoi’s Impressions from Countryside), M. Jora instrumental-orchestral language. (first part of the suite Landscapes from The Expressionism’s penetration in the Moldavia), T. Rogalski (the first of the Romanian music (through creations of Two Caprices for orchestra) and, later on, Rogalski, Jora, Laz ăr) materializes in in musical works by Dinu Lipatti, works with obvious programmatic nuance, Constantin Silvestri etc. directed towards exploiting some exotic, D. PEPELEA et al. : Folkloric Language Mirrored in the Romanian Interwar Musical Creation 39

4. Stages in enhancing the folkloric uses folkloric formulas, even quoting language in the interwar musical them, developing the popular-essence creation modalism. There is interesting to remark that the The connection with folklore not only stages undergone by the folkloric meant a limitation to the stage of simply orientation are stylistically superimposed remaking popular creations; the on the rhythms of Enescu’s creation, from enhancement of the folkloric language using the quotation, to remaking or within Romanian music has gone through composing in the spirit of the Romanian an entire history in cult creation, which popular music, to essentializing, to materializes once with Enescu’s musical extracting archetypal elements from an old pieces ( Romanian Poem and Rhapsodies) tradition which may be projected in and continues nowadays. An important universality. The first stage, of directly step for the interwar autochthonous using the pre-existing folkloric datum, in creation, achieved in the direction of guise of quotation [6], may be noticed in deepening the folklore’s enhancement, is some works by Sabin Dr ăgoi ( Suite of constituted by the establishment of the Popular Dances for Piano, Rustic Romanian Composers’ Society, during the Entertainment etc.), or Zeno Vancea year 1920, society that will patronize the (isolated, in Covers), or Romanian musical movement, raising it to (Three Symphonic Pictures); the second the summit of the musical „avant-gardism” stage, of faithfully imitating folklore, may through retrieving some universal- be noticed at Filip Laz ăr ( Entertainment provenience phenomena, such as poly- for Orchestra), at Z. Vancea (the ballet tonalism and poly-modalism, the negation Werewolf ), or in the cycle of the suite and of the modal diatonic and the achievements of the miniature for piano, at M. Andricu, of chromatic order. Composers of the M. Negrea, P. Constantinescu etc., and the generation that was just beginning to rise, imitation achieved from a certain distance Filip Laz ăr, Zeno Vancea, Constantin may be noticed in the orchestral suites of Silvestri, Marcel Mihalovici made F. Laz ăr or M. Jora ( Landscapes from successful attempts of creating worldwide Moldavia) ; the third stage, of imprinting recognized compositions. the folklore-intrinsic musical As regards the specific character of the characteristics, through loans or thematic Romanian music, three directions existed, influences transferred to cult creation, whereof two resort to enhancing the which acquires thereby a specifically popular source and a third one, formed of Romanian content, imposes popular genres the so-called universalists (D. Cuclin, C.C. with evoking, suggestive content, with Nottara, A. Alessandrescu), neither rejects programmatic virtues (carol, dance, doina, the autochthonous formulas, nor considers wail, long song) even in the pure, non- them an absolutely necessary condition. As programmatic musical creation: Sonata III regards the first two directions, one of for Piano and Violin by G. Enescu, them, represented by M. Jora, F. Laz ăr, Z. Sonatina for Piano by M. Negrea, Quartet Vancea, C. Silvestri, M. Mihalovici, of Strings Op.9 by M. Jora, Sonata for gingerly resorts to folklore, avoiding the Piano Op.15 by F. Laz ăr. These stages, of quotation, which would convey the enhancing the folkloric language in the cult creation a regional character and the other creation, sensitively materialize in every one, represented by S. Dr ăgoi, M. Negrea, composer’s individual style. The outlook T. Ciortea, P. Constantinescu intensely disparities in the composing conception of 40 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Bra şov. Series VIII • Vol. 4 (53) No. 1 - 2011 the representatives for the period we deal year of George Enescu’s death” [3]. As the with, start, first and foremost, from every end of the interwar stage in music is one’s vision, focused on an either melodic- deemed to have occurred only in 1949, and polyphonic or harmonic thinking. Doru not in the years subsequent to the War’s Popovici frames P. Constantinescu, Ion and end, but once with the stylistic turning Gh. Dumitrescu within the post-Enescu point befalling under the influence of the composers who are representative for the new social-historic changes, we deem that harmonic modal-folkloric conception, unlike the period we have dealt with covers, the polyphonic conception, represented, he under a relatively unitary aspect, almost 30 dares say, by Z. Vancea, S. Todu ţă , T. years of Romanian music. Ciortea [4]. Mar ţian Negrea and Mihail Jora are harmonist by excellence, of post- References Romantic origin, Impressionist in the first case, Expressionist in the second. The 1. Cosma, O.L.: Coordonate ale unit ăţ ii extreme tension of the harmonic language is de concep ţie şi diversit ăţ ii stilistice în a particularity of Jora’s language, which muzica româneasc ă (Coordinates of brings him near to another contemporary Conception Unity and Stylistic creator, F. Laz ăr. Pascal Bentoiu deems to Diversity in Romanian Music). In: be defining for certain creators, such as Muzica magazine (1971) No. 5, p. 9-12. Mihail Jora, Filip Laz ăr, an “abrupt 2. Firca, Cl.L.: Direc ţii în muzica harmonism, effect of the polytonal româneasc ă, 1900 -1930 (Directions in conglomerates and even of enclosing the Romanian Music). . Academy chromatic whole”, mirroring “the boundary Press, 1974. feature between the post-Romantic world, 3. Herman, V.: Form ă şi stil în noua intensely chromatic, and the Expressionist crea ţie muzical ă româneasc ă (Form one, technically doubled by atonalism” [2]. and Style in the New Romanian Musical Creation). Bucharest. Musical 5. Conclusions Publishing House, 1977. 4. Popovici, D.: Tradi ţie şi inova ţie în The ever-evolving studies upon handling muzica româneasc ă contemporan ă the folkloric language subordinate to the (Tradition and Innovation within stages that our music from the first half of Contemporary Romanian Music). In: the 20th century has gone through during Muzica magazine (1974) No. 2, p. 1-4. its crystallization process. In this respect, 5. Rădulescu, N.: Sabin V. Dr ăgoi. Vasile Herman voices the following: “as Bucharest. Musical Publishing House, the entire first half of the century, 1971. Romanian music was dominated by 6. Vancea, Z.: Crea ţia muzical ă George Enescu’s overwhelming româneac ă, sec. XIX-XX (Romanian personality, settling the limits of this great Musical Creation, 19 th -20 th Century) , period must consider the very limits in Vol.1. Bucharest. Musical Publishing time of his existence and creation. We House, 1968. deem therefore to be extreme dates the 7. Vieru, A.: Cartea modurilor (Book of years 1899 – moment of indefeasible self- Modes). Bucharest. Musical Publishing assertion of Enescu’s creation, through the House, 1980. apparition of the Second Sonata in F minor for Violin and Piano, Op.6 – and 1955, the