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Enesco Music.
I have been preparing the Enesco Concerpiece for viola and piano in F minor. My question is: how do you make your rythymm/bowings in the piece sound free and improvisatory. There is a certain Spontanious, gypsy like quality to the music that I can't seem to master...It just doesn't sound like I'm playing Enesco the way Enesco would have played Enesco...any suggestions from anyone who has experience in playing his compositions in general. I have tried things like singing rythyms, but when I pick the instrument up it still sounds so contrived...how can I give it that gypsyish quality I am aiming for?
Replies (27)
Hi Brandon,
I don't know the viola work in question, but based on your comments maybe my own experiences with Enesco's violin music can give you some ideas. The Third Violin and Piano Sonata is in an explicitly folk character, and presents very specific challenges, in terms of adhering to the written notation and being precise with ensemble (really difficult!), while projecting this improvisationary character. I agree with Buri that it is important to be able to stick closely to what's written, so as to have a clear understanding of the underlying structure of phrases, how the string part exactly relates to the piano's, and so that when you come to playing it "with freedom", it does not sound like a fudged blur. Menuhin said about this particular Sonata that it was so well written you only had to play exactly what was written. I think that may be going a little bit too far if taken too literally, and if you compare his own recording, that of other Enesco disciples Ferras and Haendel and Enesco's himself, there are significant differences. But certainly, as much as possible, the improvisation needs to take place without losing touch of the pulse- in between the lines as it were. That's as far as regards the rhythmical aspect of the matter. Then there's the whole issue of sound colours. To complement what Buri said about trusting your own instincts, I also believe you really need to be acquainted with the world this music comes from. I think immersing yourself in gypsy music and balkan folk music, even klezmer music, is crucial, until you feel at one with it. You could even look for the films by the Bosnian Emir Kustarica like "Black Cat, White Cat" and "Time of the Gypsies", it's not precisely the same idiom, but it is strongy related, and you get a feel for this magical, somewhat crazy and often very moving universe. The really fun part, I found, was experimenting with the array of sounds you need to create in this music-it stretches your capacities in really imaginative ways! Certainly, a wide range of bow pressures and articulations is key. But if you really visualise the environment you're depicting, feel the longing for the land, and the manic, often bawdy humour, added to the element of rhythmic clarity, the idiom should then come much more naturally. It's not an overnight process, but you'll definitely come out of it knowing more about the expressive possibilities of the instrument.
Best, Nathaniel
Greetings,
Brandon, I had some more rather crude suggestions but I was so enthralled by Nathaniel@s post I forgot to send them.
One sneaky way of developiong dynamic sense is to play the piece with the exact reverse of what is printed. When you go back to the original it somehow becomes larger than life.
Another thing I wondered is are you making a clear distinction between what the bow does (dynamics) and the vibrato( intensity) if these become confused one often cannot get the result we imgaine. You could try using @non expressive@ bowing , that is with regular, m,athematical division and just using the vibrato to create the expressivenes . Then add the creative use ofthe bow for dynamcis and see if things are any different.
My last question, was just how gypsy like Enescu is? I mean when I listen to his Bach which is a -must- I find a player with an immense cinsciousness of architecture and structure. Its a kind of discipl;ine rather than gypsy abandon.
Cheers,
Buri
hi..i learned the enesco prelude and i had the same problem. i think its just something that comes from within
Just realised I have a recording of this Concert piece, with Enesco on the piano and a violist called Radulescu I know nothing about. I read that it was composed at Faure's instigation, and like the Second Vln&Pno Sonata, it sounds it. In fact, it's far more French ebb-and-flow kind of music than Romanian folk, so I'm curious, Brandon, as to where your concern comes from. It's nearly surprising Enesco wasn't playing both instruments at once, honestly, that guy was something else, a real Renaissance man of his time. Very glad Buri (enthralling? well, whatever you say, but I sure don't aim to distract!) defended the honour of his Bach: I was rather tearing my hair out at a thread some time ago which called it excruciating, or something to that effect. And about this great sense of architecture, the more I play the 3rd Sonata, the more I realise how tightly organised it is. I guess he brought together the best of both worlds. Of course, that's leaving aside the differences between Gypsy and Romanian folk, which is a matter for an ethnomusicologist. But if great gypsy improvisations are anything like jazz, then they have more of a structure than meets the ear.
As Erika says, there is an extent to which you can experiment all you like, and that's really important and creative, but it does have to come from within. That need not be pessimistic, but I think we're talking about a cultural thing, and you have to be in contact with it for it to rub off.
Greetings,
Nathaniel, I ocassionally take lessons from a Japanese player called Rieko Suzuki. She adores the Enesco recording too.
Cheers,
Buri
Greetings,
Brandon, here is an anecdote about Enesco from one of the best books on Enesco- George Enescu:His Life and Music (London Toccata Press 1990)
`...Ravel burst in with the manuscript of his newly completed Violin Sonata and asked Enescu to play it with him that evening for the publishers...they read the work through, Enescu stoping ocassionally to ask for clarifications. Then they resolved to play it through once more-and Enescu closed his part and played the entire sonata from memory`
`His musical Language is strongly Romantic in character and more obviously tonally based than many central European composers....Noel Malcolm has pointed out the `harsh and resonant use of folk elements comes at times curiously close to Janacek` In an interview in 1924 Enescu remarked that `the one thing one can do properly with folk music is to rhapsodize it with repetitions and juxtapositions.` In 1928 he said ` You can develop a folk tune in only one way: dynamic progression and repetition.` As far ashe was concerned `an essential feature of folk song is the way it distances itself frrom harmony: the lightest harmonising is the most authentic` Through these procedures he retained a Romanian spirit and melodic coloring , moulding these to his individual processes of melodic and harmonic development, much as with Bartok`s use of Hungarian material.`
(FRom an essay by Amanda Bayley)
Cheers,
Buri
Buri,
I once heard that part of the reason that Enesco's compositional output was relatively low was because so many of the works he did right were never actually written down, but imbedded in his memory. What a crazy talent!
Thanks for the help, guys:). I should probably read up on Enesco and what he was probably looking for in his own music, along with the music of his influences. Although, as Nathaniel said, the Concertpiece isn't all that gypsyish, elements of that are still there. There's just a certain listlessness that is required to play this piece that I just haven't gotten yet, and I'm going to have to practice and study very hard to express that quality. Which is pretty ironic....
Greetings,
yeah, why don`t you just stay in bed for a week...
Cheers,
Buri
I just realised... the answer to this is Nyquil......it's all coming together now;)
Greetings,
it`s prunes you fool,
Cheers,
Buri
Greetings,
ypou might also find it helpful to listen to a recording of the piano quintet. There is a superb recording on the Naxos labe with the Saloman (?) ensemble,
Cheers,
Buri
I've read that Enesco blamed his limited compositional output on his violinist's career, something of a lifelong frustration I gather.
Menuhin was apparently present at that Ravel-Enesco. Worth being a fly on the wall to witness that encounter (probably even better being Menuhin).
Buri, it's good to know there are at least three people who appreciate the Bach. No, seriously, I know there are many more, but the odd philistine who can't hear past the odd scratch still makes me irate.
Brandon, I see what you mean by listless. In case you don't know it, if you find a record of the Second Violin Sonata, that has that feeling on a larger scale and couched in a French style. Enjoy your practise/listlessness.
Ahh... This is something I am very familiar with, being also Romanian and part gypsy. I just performed his 3rd Violin Sonata, for the first time in my career. At first, when I looked at it, I felt very intimidated. With time, after attempting to read it more and understand it, it became clear to me that Enesco wrote down every expresion, every nuance and dynamics needed to accomplish the gypsy style. Slowly I started feeling the piece, within three weeks it was flowing quite well. I did however practice with metronome, to get a sense of the correct rhythms intended by Enesco. Once I knew these pretty well I started taking some liberties, some rhythm wise, some with vibrato intensity, some with chords and so on. I guess I personalized it, as one should, this piece is not intended to be performed like a Bach or a Mozart, but rather to have it mold onto one's personality and let that come out with its subtleties and differences. Besides that, not all gypsies sound the same. By the way, Enesco's very first violin lessons were taken from a blind gypsy violinist, in the town of Liveni, province of Moldova. Hence his 'gypsy' influence in this piece. Anyway, aside from playing his pieces (I premiered on the West Coast one of the unpublished pieces for violin and piano named Impromptu Concertant) I collect Enesco memorabilia and anecdotes. One very funny anecdote, told to me by a Romanian violinist is worth sharing:
While in Paris, Enesco liked to chat and play music with Alfred Cortot, the great French pianist. One day, while they were studying some musical writings at Enesco's residence, the door bell rang. Enesco opened the door and was greeted by a young Romanian violinist, who introduced himself as Alexandru (Alex, for short). He asked Enesco to accompany him in an upcoming recital, as Enesco was a good piano player. Enesco answered 'Yes, but with one condition. This gentleman here (and he pointed to Afred Cortot) will turn the pages.'
So, they agreed on that, the recital day came and went. Next morning's paper had a little blurb on Alex's recital, something like this;
"Last night I attended a violin recital given by Alex (his last name here). In this listener's view, the person who turned the pages should have played the piano, the person who played the piano should have played the violin and the person who played the violin should have turned the pages!"
Is anyone familiar with Enesco's Impressions From Childhood suite for Violin and Piano?
Greetings,
that is such a beautiful work. The Kremer ecroding is very fine. I hope to introduce it to more people here in Japan over the next few years,
Cheers,
Buri
Andrei writes:
"I know how difficult it is for somebody who is not Romanian to play Enescu, but, belive me, the Romanian feeling is something which you can`t GET, you feel it or not."
Andrei, I couldn't agree with you more on this point. However, on a different point, I strongly believe that Enesco's 3rd Violin Sonata has gypsy influences. You are right when you mention the Romanian folklore throughout Enesco's music, and particularly in this Sonata (as it is subtitled "In Romanian Folk Style"), but there are passages that can only be played in a gypsy style. And perhaps I'm not very clear when I say 'gypsy style', I'm not talking about the gypsy music per se, rather about the technique(s) involved in playing such passage. Take for example the Moldavian 'hora' quotation at figure 12, where one needs to play with certain gypsy flair and technique (varying the intensity of vibrato for ex.) Or three bars before figure 17, going up on a gliss. to high B in a virtuosic way that can only be related to gypsy style of playing. To sum it up, you're right when saying Enesco shouldn't be approached with a Sarasate style in mind but there are certain passages where one can inject more of a gypsy style. Otherwise, this piece will never sound the way Enesco intended it to sound. Best wishes and 'Noroc'!
Dumitru; what you describes is not typical for gypsies alone.
And Andrei, Gypsies around the worls plays different music, just as the Germanic and other folkgroups does.
There is great difference between Roumanian, Hungarian and Finnish gypsy music.
Greetings,
Andrei, you are absolutely right to point out that we should strive to understand origins and cultural nuances to the best of our ability, whatever music we are performing. But, to be fair, I think that is what the participants in this discussion have actually been doing so far. I don’t think anyone was remotely considering slapping some kind of pseudo gypsy veneer on this great music. (I am not convinced that Zigeunerweisen is a good example of gypsy music either in some senses..)
I also have a very strong image in my head of that superb musician, Gitlis, saying that to reduce music to one -correct- interpretation is to insult the quality of the music itself. Can we conclude from this that after a performer has learnt the score, embedded themselves in the cultural context of the work and so forth, that their own cultural mores don’t have some contribution to make?
And why have a dig at Americans’ purported lack of culture? This is the country that produced ‘Grapes of Wrath’ (a much better economics text book than Das Kapital, for example) and if you checkout Amazon .dot con you will find that Oprah Winfrey"s book of the month is ‘Anna Karenina.’
Though of course one might have to bear in mind the Woody Allan quip "I’m taking a speed reading course. Yesterday I read War and Peace. It was about Russia.’
Cheers,
Buri
do you really think somebody has to be roumanian to play enescu?
Greetings,
I always find this issue rather strange Owen. I pointed out on another thread that Hubermann claimed to be able t get intot he music of any country by absorbing the folk music firts and then going ta the music itself.
And if it is especially true about east Euopean music being exclusive to natives then why not other music only for other people?
Of course, if you are unfamiliar with the culture and art then it takes a long time for even a very sensitive person to absorb tose new things but after much time is an opene minded foreigner really less aware/alive to another countires culture than some generic middle class salary man who watches Hollywood movies with Japanese subtitlesin his free time?
It"s a big issue, I guess,
Cheers,
Buri
Owen writes:
"do you really think somebody has to be roumanian to play enescu?"
Absolutely not! But to be able to play it in the style which Enesco intended for it, it helps being born and raised in that culture. It gives you an advantage of already knowing the style.
God knows, I tried to play Celtic fiddle, Charanga and even blue grass. It's not in my blood but I still play it. That's why I agreed with Andrei on his point. I've listened to a few recordings of this Sonata and very few sounded in Romanian style, the ones that did being Romanian violinists. It makes a difference.
Matthias writes:
"Dumitru; what you describes is not typical for gypsies alone."
I am not sure I understood what you meant.
The two examples I pointed out in my previous post were in referrence to a style which is prevalent in that part of the world, the 'fusion' (for the lack of a better word) between Romanian folk music and gypsy music. Whomever believes there is a separate gypsy music and there is folk music couldn't be more wrong. The two intertwine into one style, become one after all but there's always a gypsy element to be found in there. And that's exactly what I was referring to, before.
It isnt indispensable to be a gipsy to play well gipsy stile. Have and old vinyl by Stephen Staryk, probably the best canadian violinist ever, who is of ukranian origin, and plays romanian and hungarian music with a gipsy orch.Its absolutly wonderful!
Fascinating issues and undercurrents here...A secondary point: I don't want to establish a hierarchy of richness of folklore, and no question the Balkan regions are especially rich and complex, but there definitely is such a thing as American, Australian, and Belgian folklore. My educated guess is there's even a distinction between Walloon and Flemish folk, if one cares to look into it. Also, I'm 99,99% sure that when Menuhin talks in his various autobiographical writings about Enesco's music and the influences which enabled him to embrace it, he talks of his trip to Romania as a child and of playing with a band of Gypsy musicians outside his hotel, near Enesco's residence. And Enesco himself was taught by a famous Gypsy violinist of the time- so there's definitely some overlap. In any case, no question it's an advantage to have been exposed to a culture and its idioms from birth in order to capture its essence, but one should remember that Enesco was, by all accounts, an exceptionally worldly, cosmopolitan, one might even say universal man: no matter how close to his roots his music, I doubt he would have wanted it placed in some kind of interpretative ghetto.
Greetings,
as Nathaniel said /impled. Whereever there are people there is a rich folklore. The Shamanistic (?) Amerindian culture for example is as rich and complex as one could possibly wish for. A folklore/culture that escaped marauding Europeans to som extent is also to vbe found inHawaii.
I do think this quesion has a lot to do with language thouhg. Mozxart"s father stressed the need to be a goodgrammarian/speaker and I think he was tyring to make a very serious point.
Composer ssuch as Mozart were being driven to sonme extent by language as tehy wrote and familiarity with the rythms and nuances of as many European languages as posisble is a big plus am guessing.
I am having to perform the Bartok 44 duets very shortly and have only been able to resolve some of the many articulation and rythmic problems through applying language to the music itslef- a procedure Szigeti advocated. It would be so much easier if I could seak Hungarian...
Another exmple I come across frequesntly is that the Japanese have more trouble with triplet rythms and the kind found in William Tell where the emphasis just naturally falls wrong for them. Some very thoughtful Japanese have argues thT this is connected with a -non-horse riding- culture. I take thiswith a small pinch of salt since I have never been on one of those damn animals,
Cheers,
Buri
more animistic than shamanistic i think
Greetings,
tell that to the Shamans. Though they were pretty amanistic.
Cheers,
Buri
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May 29, 2004 at 01:19 PM · Greetings,
Bandon, hard to be specifc but, I suggest somewhat paradoxically that you forgetthe improvisatiry appraoch for a while and try to achieve very strict precision. Follow the notation very carefully for a while and get it from meomry as well. After this stage you might feel freer to experiment with things. One useful but contraversial idea for a later stage is to try and forget about the expressive marking written on the page and let your body instinctively play the dynamics and stuff that it feels appropriate to the music. Tehn go bakc to the original and let Enescos marking be an extra layer of expressivness taht you lay on top of what your instinct tells you do to. Playing with this approach at a later stage can throw up interesting ideas.
Cheers,
Buri