Doru Popovici
Encyclopedia
Doru Popovici is a Romanian
composer
, musicologist, writer and musical concerts manager.
, Romania, a city close to the border of what was formerly Yugoslavia, now Serbia
. His father was Ioan Popovici, a surgeon assassinated in 1959 in the Gherla
political prison, accused of being an "Enemy of the Romanian State" because he helped write the Hungarian
Counter-Revolution. His mother, Eugenia Popa, was the daughter of an Orthodox
priest.
Popovici graduated from the Constantin Diaconovici Loga High School in Timişoara
in 1950 and in the same year decided to pursue a musical career. He moved to Bucuresti where he was admitted to the Ciprian Porumbescu Music Conservatory from which he graduated in 1955 with a degree in composition. Popovici studied under Mihail Andricu, Mihail Jora
, Paul Constantinescu
in harmony, Martian Negrea in counterpoint, Theodor Rogalski in instrumentation, and Zeno Vancea in history of music. It is to be taken into consideration that Mihail Jora was Max Reger
, a student in Leipzig
and that Mihail Andricu was Gabriel Fauré
, a student in Paris. In 1966 Popovici married Alina Musat, a music teacher, musicologist, and author of Ottorino Respighi
, (Ed. Muzicala, 1972). Starting in 1968 Popovici made regular trips to Darmstadt
, Germany, and studied modern composition technique with György Ligeti
, Karlheinz Stockhausen
, and Iannis Xenakis
. He became an SACEM
member, a French professional association that collects payments of artists' rights. In the same year he started working as a musical editor in the Romanian Radio Society. From 1970 to 1990 he was employed as a musical journalist by the Saptamina newspaper, conducted by the writer Eugen Barbu
. Since 1990 he has been a History of Music professor at Spiru Haret University
in Bucharest
.
with works such as "The Piano Sonata" (edited at Leipzig, Ed. Peters), "The Violin and Piano Sonata", "Wires Quartet" and many lied
s. The Serial Dodecaphonic, (he is the first Dodecaphonic composer in Romania), "Mariana Pineda", "Prometheus", "Homage to Palestrina", "The Pigeons of Death", "August Night", "Homage to Tuculescu" quintet (edited in Paris, Ed. Salabert), "Trio" (for violin, cello, piano), Symphony no. 1, 2 and "Homage to Eminescu" (Edited in Paris, Ed. Salabert); Post-Byzantine
with the "Statornicie", "The Prostitute" operas, Symphony no.1, 2, Byzantine Poem, "Byzantine Hymns", "The Wedding" ballet
, and "Codex Caioni".
.
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, musicologist, writer and musical concerts manager.
Biography
Doru Popovici was born in ReşiţaResita
' is a city in western Romania and the capital of Caraş-Severin County, in the Banat region. Its 2004 population was 83,985.- Etymology :The name of Reşiţa, might comes from the Latin recitia, meaning "cold spring", as the great historian Nicolae Iorga once suggested, presuming that the Romans...
, Romania, a city close to the border of what was formerly Yugoslavia, now Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. His father was Ioan Popovici, a surgeon assassinated in 1959 in the Gherla
Gherla
Gherla is a city in Cluj County, Romania . It is located 45 km from Cluj-Napoca on the Someşul Mic River, and has a population of 24,083....
political prison, accused of being an "Enemy of the Romanian State" because he helped write the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
Counter-Revolution. His mother, Eugenia Popa, was the daughter of an Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
priest.
Popovici graduated from the Constantin Diaconovici Loga High School in Timişoara
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
in 1950 and in the same year decided to pursue a musical career. He moved to Bucuresti where he was admitted to the Ciprian Porumbescu Music Conservatory from which he graduated in 1955 with a degree in composition. Popovici studied under Mihail Andricu, Mihail Jora
Mihail Jora
Mihail Jora was a Romanian composer, pianist, and conductor.Jora studied in Leipzig with Robert Teichmüller. From 1929 to 1962 he was a professor at the conservatoire of Bucharest. He worked 1928 to 1933 as a director/conductor of the Broadcasting Orchestra in Bucharest...
, Paul Constantinescu
Paul Constantinescu
Paul Constantinescu was a Romanian composer.-Major works:*Piano concerto*Violin concerto*Symphony No.1*The Nativity *A stormy night *Pana Lesnea Rusalim...
in harmony, Martian Negrea in counterpoint, Theodor Rogalski in instrumentation, and Zeno Vancea in history of music. It is to be taken into consideration that Mihail Jora was Max Reger
Max Reger
Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger was a German composer, conductor, pianist, organist, and academic teacher.-Life:...
, a student in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and that Mihail Andricu was Gabriel Fauré
Gabriel Fauré
Gabriel Urbain Fauré was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th century composers...
, a student in Paris. In 1966 Popovici married Alina Musat, a music teacher, musicologist, and author of Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi was an Italian composer, musicologist and conductor. He is best known for his orchestral "Roman trilogy": Fountains of Rome ; Pines of Rome ; and Roman Festivals...
, (Ed. Muzicala, 1972). Starting in 1968 Popovici made regular trips to Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, Germany, and studied modern composition technique with György Ligeti
György Ligeti
György Sándor Ligeti was a composer of contemporary classical music. Born in a Hungarian Jewish family in Transylvania, Romania, he briefly lived in Hungary before becoming an Austrian citizen.-Early life:...
, Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
, and Iannis Xenakis
Iannis Xenakis
Iannis Xenakis was a Romanian-born Greek ethnic, naturalized French composer, music theorist, and architect-engineer. He is commonly recognized as one of the most important post-war avant-garde composers...
. He became an SACEM
SACEM
SACEM may refer to:* The Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique is a French professional association collecting payments of artists’ rights and distributing the rights to the original authors, composers and publishers...
member, a French professional association that collects payments of artists' rights. In the same year he started working as a musical editor in the Romanian Radio Society. From 1970 to 1990 he was employed as a musical journalist by the Saptamina newspaper, conducted by the writer Eugen Barbu
Eugen Barbu
Eugen Barbu was a Romanian modern novelist, short story writer, journalist, and correspondent member of the Romanian Academy. The latter position was vehemently criticized by those who contended that he plagiarized in his novel Incognito and for the anti-Semitic campaigns he initiated in the...
. Since 1990 he has been a History of Music professor at Spiru Haret University
Spiru Haret University
The Spiru Haret University is a private university in Bucharest, Romania, founded in 1991 by the president of Tomorrow's Romania Foundation, Aurelian Gh. Bondrea, as part of the teaching activities of this foundation. The university claims this has been done according to the model used by the...
in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
.
Music
Popovici's work can be divided into three stages: Post-ImpressionismPost-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism is the term coined by the British artist and art critic Roger Fry in 1910 to describe the development of French art since Manet. Fry used the term when he organized the 1910 exhibition Manet and Post-Impressionism...
with works such as "The Piano Sonata" (edited at Leipzig, Ed. Peters), "The Violin and Piano Sonata", "Wires Quartet" and many lied
Lied
is a German word literally meaning "song", usually used to describe romantic songs setting German poems of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf...
s. The Serial Dodecaphonic, (he is the first Dodecaphonic composer in Romania), "Mariana Pineda", "Prometheus", "Homage to Palestrina", "The Pigeons of Death", "August Night", "Homage to Tuculescu" quintet (edited in Paris, Ed. Salabert), "Trio" (for violin, cello, piano), Symphony no. 1, 2 and "Homage to Eminescu" (Edited in Paris, Ed. Salabert); Post-Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
with the "Statornicie", "The Prostitute" operas, Symphony no.1, 2, Byzantine Poem, "Byzantine Hymns", "The Wedding" ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, and "Codex Caioni".
Books
Popovici has written 33 books about the history of music, novels, musicians biography studies, and numerous poems using blank verseBlank verse
Blank verse is poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the sixteenth century" and Paul Fussell has claimed that "about three-quarters of all English poetry is in blank verse."The first...
.
Awards
- 20 Romanian Composers Union awards (1953–present)
- Pro Musica award (Budapest)
- The Yugoslavian Composers Society Prize
- The Romanian Academy Prize
- The "Tristan Tzara" medal
- "Comendattore d'Italia" title (1982)