The Suite No. 2 for piano, in
D major
D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor.
The D major scale is:
:
Ch ...
,
Op. 10 ("Des cloches sonores"), is the second piano suite by
George Enescu
George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanian composer, violinist, conductor and teacher. Regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history, Enescu is featured on the Romanian five lei.
Biog ...
, composed between 1901 and 1903 in Paris. It was published in 1904, and is dedicated to
Louis Diémer
Louis Joseph Diémer (14 February 1843 – 21 December 1919) was a French pianist and composer. He was the founder of the Société des Instruments Anciens in the 1890s, and also gave recitals on the harpsichord. His output as a composer was exten ...
.
The
Toccata
Toccata (from Italian ''toccare'', literally, "to touch", with "toccata" being the action of touching) is a virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virtuo ...
was written in August 1901 and the suite was completed in the summer of 1903 with three other movements, for presentation at a competition organised by the periodical ''Musica''. It was entered in the piano division of the competition, the Pleyel Prize, under the motto "Des cloches sonores". It won first place. The judges included
Claude Debussy
(Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...
,
Vincent d'Indy
Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy (; 27 March 18512 December 1931) was a French composer and teacher. His influence as a teacher, in particular, was considerable. He was a co-founder of the Schola Cantorum de Paris and also taught at the Par ...
,
Georges Hüe
Georges Adolphe Hüe (6 May 1858 – 7 June 1948) was a French composer of european classical music, classical music.
Biography
Hüe was born in Versailles (city), Versailles into a noted family of architects. His musical education included stud ...
,
Pierre Lalo
Pierre Lalo (6 September 1866– 9 June 1943) was a French music critic and translator. He was the son of the composer Edouard Lalo. His reviews for the Parisian paper ''Le Temps'' combined conservatism and wit; among his principal targets was the ...
,
Charles Malherbe
Charles Théodore Malherbe (21 April 1853 – 5 October 1911) was a French violinist, musicologist, composer and music editor.
Life and career
Malherbe was born in Paris, son of Pierre Joseph Malherbe (1819–1890) and Zoé Caroline Mozin (1832â ...
,
Reynaldo Hahn
Reynaldo Hahn (; 9 August 1874 – 28 January 1947) was a Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor, music critic, and singer. He is best known for his songs – ''mélodies'' – of which he wrote more than 100.
Hahn was born in Caracas b ...
,
Henri de Curzon,
Gabriel Pierné
Henri Constant Gabriel Pierné (16 August 1863 – 17 July 1937) was a French composer, conductor, pianist and organist.
Biography
Gabriel Pierné was born in Metz. His family moved to Paris, after Metz and part of Lorraine were annexed to Germ ...
, and
Alfred Cortot
Alfred Denis Cortot (; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his poeti ...
. It is a composition that shows a French-style neoclassicism, the musician himself recognizing the influence of Debussy, but Enescu's Romanian folklore is not absent, rather, unobtrusive.
Divided into four movements, a performance requires about twenty minutes.
* Toccata
* Sarabande
* Pavane
* Bourrée
The First UK performance was given by pianist Anda Anastasescu in the Wigmore Hall, London, on 30th December 2005, 101 years after the work’s publication. The piano recital was preceded by an interview with the artiste on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Woman’s Hour’ with Martha Kearney; and an Enescu-Silvestri exhibition created by John and Ben Gritten, was on display in the Wigmore Hall.
References
Cited sources
*
Further reading
*
Malcolm, Noel. 1990. ''George Enescu: His Life and Music'', with a preface by Sir
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name:
* Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor
** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England
** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to the v ...
. London: Toccata Press. .
* Hoffman, Alfred, and Adrian Rațiu. 1971. "Succese ale simfonistului (1900–1906)". In ''George Enescu: Monografie'', 2 vols., edited by Mircea Voicana, 237–329. Bucharest: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România.
External links
Discographie de la ''Suite n°2'' pour piano, op. 10(French)
*
{{Authority control
1903 compositions
Compositions by George Enescu
Compositions in D major
Neoclassicism (music)
Suites by George Enescu