Paul Constantinescu

Paul Constantinescu was a Romanian composer of the 20th century known for combining the aesthetics of Romanian folk music and Byzantine chant. His large worklist contains music in most secular and sacred genres, and he was also admired for his mastery of harmony and orchestration.

Constantinescu was born in 1909 in Ploieşti, Romania, and he began studying the violin and music theory when he was ten years old. He attended the Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatory in Bucharest from 1928 to 1933, where his instructors included Alfonso Castaldi, Dimitrie Cuclin, and Mihail Jora. It was also during this time that he was awarded an Enescu Prize for his Suite in Romanian Style. He continued his education at the Royal Theater and Music Academy from 1933 to 1934, and then with <a href="spotify:artist:5S7ng3VLQQc1hgGl8MQyZ5">Joseph Marx</a>, Oskar Kacasta, and <a href="spotify:artist:0Fx0FF13vvAQ3gmBE5LmhH">Franz Schmidt</a> in Vienna. While still a student, Constantinescu became hugely successful when his opera A Stormy Night was staged by <a href="spotify:artist:1Dmp8ZmzBoX5DAdI9asIwC">Jonel Perlea</a> in Bucharest. After completing his studies, Constantinescu taught in Lugoj for a few years. He returned to Bucharest for a teaching position at the Bucharest Academy of Religious Music, and he won an additional Enescu Prize in 1938.

From 1941 to 1944, he taught at the School of Military Music, followed by his long tenure as the professor of harmony at the Bucharest Conservatory. Constantinescu's other successes from this period include the 1939 premiere of the Wedding in the Carpathians ballet, and Valentin Gheorghiu's premiere of the Piano Concerto in 1953, with <a href="spotify:artist:2xCoyP2dHT0HEO0DrDsrSd">Constantin Silvestri</a> and the Philharmonic Orchestra. Also a musicologist, Constantinescu compiled Romanian folk music and folklore, and he included the study of Byzantine chant and Romanian folk music in his lectures. He remained active as an educator and composer until his untimely death in 1963. His distinctive style can be heard on several albums including Bridges, Vol. 2 with Chamber Melange, Following the River: Music along the Danube with Florian Mitrea, and the 2024 release Paul Constantinescu: Piano Concerto; Wedding in the Carpathians. ~ RJ Lambert, Rovi