Alexandru Hrisanide (June 15, 1936 – November 19, 2018) was a Romanian

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

who was a representative of late 20th century Romanian

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

. A Netherlands resident since 1974, he taught piano and composition at the

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

and

Tilburg Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-larg ...

Academies of Music. Hrisanide's music achieves an original synthesis between archaic melos and modes on the one hand, and the accomplishments of the modern Viennese school on the other. He won the

Lili Boulanger Marie Juliette "Lili" Boulanger (; 21 August 189315 March 1918) was a French composer and the first female winner of the Prix de Rome composition prize. Her older sister was the noted composer and composition teacher Nadia Boulanger. Biography ...

Foundation Prize in 1965.

Biography

Born in

Petrila Petrila (; hu, Petrilla) is a town in the Jiu Valley, Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located near the confluence of the rivers Jiul de Est, Taia, and Jieț. The town administers four villages: Cimpa (''Csimpa''), Jieț (''Zsiec ...

, Romania, Hrisanide studied piano and composition at the Bucharest Academy of Music between 1953 and 1964. His composition teachers were

Mihail Jora Mihail Jora (; 2 August 1891, Roman, Romania - 10 May 1971, Bucharest, Romania) was a Romanian composer, pianist, and conductor. Jora studied in Leipzig with Robert Teichmüller. From 1929 to 1962 he was a professor at the Bucharest Conservatoir ...

Paul Constantinescu Paul Constantinescu (; 30 June 1909, Ploieşti – 20 December 1963) was a Romanian composer. Two of his main influences are Romanian folk music and Byzantine chant, both of which he used in his teaching. One of his students was composer Margar ...

and

Tudor Ciortea Tudor Ciortea (28 November 1903 – 13 October 1982) was a Romanian composer, musicologist, and music educator. Life and career Ciortea was born in Brașov and began his music studies under Gheorghe Dima in Cluj. He went on to study at the Buchar ...

; he studied piano with

Florica Musicescu Florica Musicescu (21 May 1887, Iaşi–19 March 1969, Bucharest) was a renowned Romanian pianist and musical pedagogue, daughter of the renowned composer, conductor and musicologist Gavriil Musicescu. She taught piano music for many decade ...

and . In 1965 he continued his musical studies with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

at the

American Conservatory of Music The American Conservatory of Music (ACM) was a major American school of music founded in Chicago in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt (1851–1931). The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It developed the Conservato ...

(

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

), and in 1965 and 1966 he participated in the Darmstadt Internationale Ferienkurse, contemporary music workshops. From 1959 he was a teacher at the Bucharest Music High School No. 1. He later taught at the Bucharest Academy of Music until 1972, when he left Romania. He was also active as a piano soloist, particularly in the field of

new music New music may refer to: Musical styles and movements Pre-20th century * Ars nova, musical style in 14th-century France and the Low Countries * '' Le nuove musiche'', collection of monody by Giulio Caccini * New German School, music style in late 1 ...

. Many Romanian composers dedicated their works to Hrisanide. He is the first Romanian pianist to have performed in recitals with a

prepared piano A prepared piano is a piano that has had its sounds temporarily altered by placing bolts, screws, mutes, rubber erasers, and/or other objects on or between the strings. Its invention is usually traced to John Cage's dance music for ''Bacchanale' ...

. His studies and articles appeared in ''Muzica'' and ''

Contemporanul ''Contemporanul'' (The Contemporary) is a Romanian literary magazine published in Iaşi, Romania from 1881 to 1891. It was sponsored by the socialist circle of the city. A new magazine ''Contimporanul ''Contimporanul'' (antiquated spelling of ...

''. Between 1972 and 1974 he was a visiting professor at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

, and in 1974 he became a professor at the

and

Academies of Music. He performed as a pianist in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Yugoslavia, Belgium, Spain, the United States, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Britain and Canada. Hrisanide died at the age of 82 in

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

, Netherlands.

Compositions

* Stage music: ''Acte pour un homme seul'' by Samuel Beckett (1965), tape music. * Vocal-symphonic music: ''C'était issue stellaire, cantata'' for male choir, organ, winds and percussion, poem by S. Mallarmé. Paris, Edition Salabert, 1969 premiered in Zagreb, 1997 Biennale of Contemporary Music, Croatian RTV Orchestra. * Symphonic music: ''Poem for orchestra'' (1959); ''Passacaglia for big orchestra'' (1959), premiered in Bucharest. 1967, RTV Orchestra, Ludovic Bács (conductor); ''Vers-Antiqua. Homage to Euripides'' (1960), premiered In Hannover, 1966; ''Ad perpetuam rei memoriam'' (1967), three pieces for orchestra, Wiesbaden, Edition Ahn-Simrock, 1968, premiered in Bucharest, 1967, Bucharest Philharmonic, Mircea Basarab (conductor); ''RO'' for large orchestra (1968); ''Sonnets'' (1990), concerto for harpsichord and orchestra, premiered in Bucharest, 1994, New Music Week; "....the past and present and...." ''Concerto Per Cello'' 995–1996 * Film music: ''The Painter's Hands'' (1967), Nina Behar (director). * Chamber Music: ''Classic Suite for Piano'' (1954–1957), Sonata No. 1 for Piano (1955–1965), Bucharest, Edition Muzicală, 1966; ''Piano Pieces I–XIII'' (1955–1964), Köln, Edition Hans Gerig, 1968, also in ''Rumänische Klavierminiaturen für Kinder und Jugendlichen'', Leipzig, Edition Peters, 1976 (Sunset); ''Sonata no. 1 for flute and piano'' (1957); ''Sonata no. 3 for flute and piano'' (1957), ''Sonata fot violin and piano'' (1957), Bucharest, 1968; ''Trio for violin, viola and bassoon'' (1958); ''String Quartet'' (1958), Bucharest, Edit . 1969; Sonata for Piano No. 2 "Sonata Piccola" (1959, 1967); Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1960–1962), Bucharest, Edition Muzicală, 1964; Sonata No. 2 for Piano and Flute (1960–1962), Bucharest, Edition Muzicală, 1969; ''Volumes, Inventions for cello and piano'' (1963), Bucharest, Edition Muzicală, 1967, also Paris, Edition Salabert, 1969; Sonata for Piano No. 3 "Picasso Sonata" (1956–1964), Bucharest, 1968; ''Music for viola and piano (Sonata)'', 1965, Bucharest, 1968, Edition Gerig, 1974; ''Wave (unda) for organ'' (1965), Paris, Edition Salabert, 1969; ''Searching for the vertical (In căutarea verticalei)'' (1965), three pieces for oboe solo, Köln, Edition Hans Geig, 1969; ''M. P. 5 (Music for 5)'', quintet for violin, viola, cello, saxophone tenor (or clarinet in B) and piano, Paris, Edition Salabert, 1969, premiered in Köln,

Westdeutscher Rundfunk Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln (''West German Broadcasting Cologne''; WDR, ) is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the conso ...

(Musica Nova); ''Directions'' (1967–1969), quintet for winds, Paris, Edition Salabert, 1969; ''Mers-Tefs'' for violin solo (1968); ''Musique pour R. A., Première Musique pour RA'' (1968–1969), experiment for piano and magnetic tape, premiere, Südwestfunk Baden-Baden, 1969; ''Seconde Musique pour RA'' (1969), experiment for piano and tape, premiere Köln, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, 1969; ''Troisième Musique pour RA'' (1970), piano and magnetic tape; ''Quatrième Musique pour RA''`(1970); ''Sixième Musique pour RA'' (1970), piano and magnetic tape; ''Soliloquium II for string quartet'' (1970). * Choral Music: ''When the first star was born'', 1959, mixed choir, text by Eugen Frunza; ''A song for light and sun'' (1961), mixed choir, text by Nina Cassian; ''Pale leaf, yellow leaf'', choir for two equal voices, text by Tudor Arghezi in ''Songs and madrigals'', edited by Petru Simionescu, Bucharest, Edition Muzicala,1966. * Vocal Music: ''Three songs for children'', voice and piano (1955), Bucharest, Edition Muzicală, 1963; ''Four Lieder'' (1956), voice and piano, text by Tudor Arghezi; ''Two Lieder'' (1957), voice and piano, text by Lucian Blaga; ''Two Lieder'' (1958), voice and piano, text by Zaharia Stancu (Electrecord CS 030); ''The River'' (1959), text by Nicolae Coman; ''The she-kid (Iada)'' (1961), voice and piano, text by Tudor Arghezi, Bucharest, Edition Muzicala; ''Fertility'' (1962), voice and piano, verses by Nina Cassian; ''C'était issu stellaire'' (1965), voice and piano, text by St. Mallarmé, in ''Jeune école contemporaine'', Paris, Edition Salabert, 1969; ''Mirabile auditu'' (1968), voice and piano, text by Nichita Stanescu; ''Patru sen (??)'' (1969) for voice, oboe¸clarinet and harp, text by Radu Rupea. Main source:

Viorel Cosma Viorel Cosma (30 March 1923 – 15 August 2017) was a Romanian musician and teacher who came to wider prominence as an exceptionally prolific musicologist and a pioneering lexicographer. Through his scholarship he also achieved distinction as a ...

, ''Lexicon Muzicieni din România''.

Critical edition

* ''Neue Rumänische Klaviermusik'', Köln, Edition Hans Gerig, 1969.

Discography

* ''Trio for violin, viola and bassoon'' (1958), 1969, Electrecord CS 022. * ''M. P. 5 ( Music for 5)'', quintet for violin, viola, cello, saxophone tenor (or clarinet in B) and piano, Music Nova, Electrecord CS 022. * ''Sonata for clarinet and piano'' (1960–1962), 1969 (ECE 0389). * ''Sonata no. 2 for piano and flute'' (1960–1962), Bucharest, 1969, Electrecord CS 020. * ''Volumes, Inventions for violoncello and piano'' (1963), Bucharest, 1969 Electrecord CS 020. * ''Searching the vertical (In cautarea verticalei)'', 1965, three pieces for solo oboe, Electrecord CS 032). * ''Two Lieder'' (1958), voice and piano, text by Zaharia Stancu, Electrecord CS 030. * ''...the past, the present and... (Concerto for cello)'', in: ''Four Cello Concertos'', Ensembles of the Brabant Conservatory, Jan Cober (conductor), Mirel Iancovici (cello), Fontijs KKCD 97019, 1996. * ''3 Piese pentru pian, CD I din Pagini muzicale din cariera pianistei Liana Serbescu'', Electrecord, EDC 1089-1090, 2013. * Anatol Vieru: ''Jeux'', Radio-Television Studio Orchestra, Ludovic Baci conductor, Alexandru Hrisanide (piano), Electrecord ECD 1152.

Students

, Jan-Willem Rozenboom, Hawar Tawfiq, Vera Micznik,Vera Micznik
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Bibliography

* Coman, Lavinia: "Alexandru Hrisanide, un campion al avangardei musicale" (Alexandru Hrisanide, a champion of musical avantgarde), ''Muzica'', serie nouă, XXVII, 6, pp. 44–71. * Cosma, Viorel: "Hrisanide, Alexandru", in ''Muzicieni români, Lexicon'', Bucharest, Ed. Muzicală a Uniunii Compozitorilor, 2016, pp. 237–238. * Cosma, Viorel: "Hrisanide, Alexandru", in ''Muzicieni din România, Lexicon'', vol. 4 (H–J), București, Ed. Muzicală, 2001, pp.72–76. * Cosma, Viorel: "Alexandru Hrisanide", in ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...

'', London, Macmillan, 1980. * ''

Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'' is a major reference work in the field of music, originally compiled by Theodore Baker, PhD, and published in 1900 by G. Schirmer, Inc. The ninth edition, the most recent edition, was published in 20 ...

'', sixth edition, London, Collier Macmillan, 1978. * Dalhaus, C. and Eggebrecht, A. H.: Brockhaus ''

Riemann Musiklexikon The Riemann Musiklexikon (RML), is a music encyclopedia founded in 1882 by Hugo Riemann. The 13th edition appeared in 2012. History The Riemann Musiklexikon is the last undertaking of an individual to write a comprehensive encyclopedia in the fi ...

'', vol. II, Mainz, Edition Schott and München, Edition Piper, 1989. * Frank Paul, Altmann W.: ''Kurzgefasstes Tonkünstler-Lexicon'', A–K, 2, 15th edition, Wilhelmshaven, Heinrichshofen's Verlag. * Sava, Iosif and Vartolomei, Luminita: ''Small Musical Encyclopaedia'', Craiova, Edition Aius, 1997. * Sandu-Dediu, Valentina: "Towards modern music in Romania". ''East Central Europe''. 30 (2): 1–19. * Șerbescu, Liana: "Enigma Alexandru Hrisanide", ''Studii de Muzicologie'', Iași, XIV, 2019, pp. 196–207. * * Popovici, Doru : ''First Auditions'' in Tribuna, Cluj, 6, no. 28 (284), 12.07. 1963. * Balan George: "Alexandru Hrisanide", in ''Contemporanul'', 4 (850), 25.01.1963. * Notes from concerts in ''Contemporanul'', 26 (976), 25.06.1965. * Pinter, Lajos: "Alexandru Hrisanide külfoldi sikerei" (Al. Hrisanide's success abroad. Interview) in ''Üj Élet'', Tg. Mureș, 15.16.1966. * Scurtulescu, Dan: "Works by Alexandru Hrisanide" in ''???'' Bucurest 16, no. 8, VIII 1966. * Codreanu, Petre: "Radio and Television Orchestra concert: Alexandru Hrisanide – Ludovic Baci", in ''Informatia Bucurestiului'', 14,. 4193, 3 II 1967 * Constantinescu, Grigore: "Passacaglia by Alexandru Hrisanide", in ''Muzica'', Bucharest 17, no. 3.III 1967. * Miereanu, Costin: Alexandru Hrisanide: "Ad Perpetuam Rei Memoriam", in ''Contemporanul'', Bucurest, no. 52 (1107), 29 XII 1967. * Țăranu, Cornel: Prime auditii. Alexandru Hrisanide "Ad Perpetuam Rei Memoriam", in ''Tribuna'', Cluj, 12, no. 7 (577), 15 II 1968. * R.R. : "Interview with Al. Hrisanide about Music = Poetry + Logic", in ''Ateneu'', Bacau, 5, no. 9 (50), IX 1968. * Sava, Iosif: "Al. Hrisanide: Roads wide open for contemporary music", in ''Scînteia Tineretului'', 24, no. 6073, 28 XI 1968 (in Romanian). * Țipei, Sever: "Alexandru Hrisanide", in ''România Literară'', Bucharest, 2, no. 19, 8 V 1969. * Hoffman, Alfred: "Chamber music", in ''România Liberă'', Bucharest, 28, no.8049, 9 IX 1970. * Țipei, Sever: "Alexandru Hrisanide: Romanian music fits in perfectly with world music", in ''România Literară'', Bucharest, no.47, 19 XI 1970 (in Romanian). * Ionescu, Miruna: Interlocutor: Al. Hrisanide. "First of all I am interested in Romanian contemporary music", in ''Informația Bucureștiului'', Bucharest, 18, no 5478, 16 IV 1971. * Ziffren, Abbie: "Romanian pianist debuts in U.S.", in ''The Valley News'', 17 I 1973. * Finn, Robert: "Composer Urges Study of Classics", in ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'', Cleveland, 4 V 1973. * Finn, Robert: "Pianist Showcases Countrymen's Works", in ''The Plain Dealer'', Cleveland, 5 V 1973. * "Al. Hrisanide" in ''Contemporanul'', Bucharest, no.30 (1393), 20 VII 1973. * Moravcsik, Michael: "Artist from Bucharest", in ''Old Oregon'', Oregon, vol. 52, no. 3 Spring 1973. * Honegger, Marc and Massenkeil, Günter: ''Das grosse Lexicon der Musik'', vol. IV, Herder, Freiburg-Basel-Wien, 1976. * Pedigo, Alan: ''International Encyclopaedia of Violin-Keyboard Sonatas and Composer Biographies'', Boonville, Arriaga Publications, 1979. * "Romanian Music at Carnegie Hall", in ''Jurnal Intern'', 2, no. 158, 11 VI 1991. * Cosma, Viorel: "The George Enescu International Festival and the Romanian diaspora", in ''Romania Libera Extern'', 2, no. 68, 8 IX 1991. * Florea, Anca: "Alexandru Hrisanide: pianist and composer". In ''Vestitorul Românesc'', Bucharest, no. 37 (85), 17 IX 1991. * Manea, Ion: ''Encyclopedia. Romanians in Western science and culture'', Davis, Edition ARA Publications, vol. 13, 1992. * Zottoviceanu Elena: "Master copy", in ''Spectacolul Muzicii'', Bucharest, no. 36, 25 X 1995 (in Romanian).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hrisanide, Alexandru 1936 births 2018 deaths People from Petrila Romanian pianists Romanian composers 21st-century pianists