George Enescu

George Enescu (August 19, 1881, Liveni ”“ May 4, 1955, Paris)

1899: Enescu, 18 years old, composes his Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano (Op. 6). "He always spoke of his Violin Sonata No.2 as being, with the Octet for Strings (Op.7) of 1900, his first characteristic piece, and for this reason they were important for Romanian music as a whole."

1926: Enescu composes Sonata No. 3 "Dans le style populaire roumain". "The sonata's three movements are filled with "parlando rubato" lines and textures, their elaborate ornamentation reaching back to Romania's long occupation by the Turks and to the country's once very large Gipsy population."

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