EDE TERÉNYI

Terényi, Ede (b. Târgu-Mureş, 12 March 1935), composer, musicologist and pedagogue, studied at the music college in Târgu-Mureş (1942-52), earned his diploma from the G. Dima Music Academy in C1uj-Napoca. For over two decades he has been a professor of harmony, counterpoint and composition at the same institute. He received the Enescu Scholarship in 1957 and the Enescu Prize of the Romanian Academy in 1960. He was also awarded the scholarship of the International Courses and Festivals for Modern Music in Darmstadt. His outstanding works include the Aphoristic Sonata for piano, Pasărea măiastră (“The Magic Bird”, variations for orchestra, available on Electrecord ST-ECE 0907), Composition B.A.C.H. for organ, Terzine di Dante for baritone, trombone and piano, Symphony for Strings in Memoriam Bakfark (Electrecord ST-ECF 01807), Madrigals to Poems by Baint Balassi, Attila Jozsef (Electrecord ST-ECE 01160), Songs to Poems by Andre Ady for baritone and piano, Piano-Playing, a Sonatina and Sonata for violin and piano, String Quartets No.1 and No. 2, Concerto for String Orchestra,  Vivaldiana, Capriccio grazioso, Handeliana, Golden Spring, Silver Forest, Choral Concerto and Swing Suite. Besides in Romanian musical centers, his works have been played in Budapest, Prague, Graz, Nuremberg, Darmstadt, Hanover, Utrecht, Paris, Brussels and Helsinki.

EdeTerényi’s language followed several stages. In his first works we notice the influence of the Magyar folklore from Transylvania and his superior form of expression form Bartok’s music. Then, in the ‘60s, Ede Terényi founds himself a personal musical language characterized by the transfiguration of the Bartok elements and the Webern serial music in a vision in which the mark of the autochthonous folklore stays clearly perceptible. Later, in the ‘70s, the penetration towards the music of the ‘new w. We’ of the contemporary generation was concretized in a new composition orientation based on the musical graphism. Gradually, this tendency to an ever concise drawing of the musical parameters led to the search for an antipole, found in the autochthonous music of the remotepast - XV-XVI-th century. More recently, Ede Terényi seeks the possibilities of bringing to life again archaic elements in an ever more modern form. In the field of musicology, Ede Terényi shows himself permanently concerned by stylistic analyses of the contemporary music, regarding directly the specific aspects of the musical language and particularly of harmony. The different studies announce for the future a general theory of harmony for the music of the first five decades of the XX-th century. His musicologic activity includes also the field of essay, which he cultivates with a sustained frequency, some of these essays being gathered in his book “Does the Music Stay Music?”

WORKS

(selective list)

Orchestral music:

“Brancussiana” symphony: (The majestic bird, The bird in space, The gold bird), 1965; In memoriam Valentin Bakfark Symphony, 1978; Symphony for 2 percussionists, 1978; “Space and Light” symphony, 1988; “Mountains, Forests, Dreams” symphony, 1988; “Mass-Paraphrases” for strings, 1992; “Legend of Transylvania” symphony, 1993; “Départ”  - In memoriam Benjamin Britten, chamber symphony for strings, 1996; Five “Kodály-Portraits”, 1997;

Vocal-symphonic music:

“Te Deum Laudamus”, 1990; “Stabat Mater”, 1990; Mass in A (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei), 1991.

Concertante music:

“Vivaldiana”, concerto for flute and orchestra, 1983; “Lullyana”, concerto for solistic groups and orchestra, 1984; “Hommage à Telemann”, concerto for trumpet and orchestra, 1984; “Baroque rhapsody” - Hommage à J.S.Bach, concerto for cello and orchestra, 1984; “Scarlattiana - Capriccio grazioso”, concerto for harp and orchestra, 1985; “Haendeliana”, concerto for viola and orchestra, 1985; “Golden spring”, concerto for clavichord and orchestra, 1986; “The silver forest”, concerto for percussion instruments (1 soloist), 1987; “Summertime”, concerto for bassoon and orchestra, 1987; “La Puerta del Sol”, concerto for violin, cello and orchestra, 1988; “The autumn fires”, concerto for two violins and orchestra, 1989; “Queen Mab”, concerto for bassoon and orchestra; Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 1, 1989; “The Venetian Anonymous”, concerto for piano and orchestra No. 2, 1989-91; Jazz-Concerto for harp and orchestra, 1990; “The seven towered castle”, concerto for violin and chamber orchestra, 1993; “Purcell-Epitaph”, concerto for organ and symphonic orchestra, 1997.

Organ music:

“Composition - B.A.C.H. Mass”, 1967; “Variations on a theme from 17th-century”, 1970; “Ciaconna” - Hommage a Messiaen, 1978; “Odae cum harmoniis” / Honterus, 1548 / 1983; “Septem dolores”, 1988; “Stella aurorae”, 1988; “Introitus”, 1988; “Semper felice”, 1988; “Octo felicitatis”, 1989; “Et in Terra Pax”, 1990; “Kyrie” (with solo voice), 1990; “Die sieben Worte des Erlosers am Kreuz” (with baryton solo and percussion), 1990; “Hymnus pro Dominica Palmarum” (vocal soloist and organ), 1990; “Glocken” (vocal soloist and percussion), 1991; “Messianesques” - In memoriam Messiaen, No. 1-3, 1993; “In solemnitate corpores Christi”, 1993; “Die Trompeten Gottes”- In memoriam G.W. Berger, 1995; “Epiphania Domini”, 1997.

Chamber music:

Sonatinas for violin and piano No. 1,2, 1955, 1984; Stringquartet No. 1,2,3,4, 1974, 1984, 1992, 1996; Sonata no.1 on Bartókians motivs for violin and piano, 1980; Quartets for percussion instruments: No.1. - Swing Suite – “Tahiti”, 1985; No.2. - For Four – “Hommage to America”, 1986; No.3. - Parade – “Hommage à Satie”, 1988; “Sky-Skep” - Paganiniana, quintet, 1995; “Lydian Quartet” with percussion, 1987; “Figures”, duet for clarinet and percussion, 1992; “White Trajectory”, septet, 1993; “Musica Design No.1”, septet, 1996; “In the “boutique” of Don Quijotte”, sextet for percussion instruments, 1996; “Bernstein-Variations”, quartet for two pianos and two percussion partys, 1996; “Oasis in the Demented Desert”, trio for soprano, clarinet and piano, 1997

Music for soloist instruments:

“Un poco alla Bartók”, piano, 1957; Praeludiums for solo flute No. 1, 2-3, 1961, 1972; “Sonata Aforistica” for piano, 1961; Sonata for violin solo, 1985; “Scarlattiana”, 4 sonatas for piano, 1986; “Rhythmes” for piano solo, 1991;

Song cycles:

“Medals” for baritone and piano, No. 1-3, 1968; “In memoriam Ady” for baritone and piano, No. 1-3, 1968; “Terzine di Dante” for baritone, trombone and piano No. 1-3, 1972; “Ady songs”- series I-II for baritone and piano, No. 1-3, 4-6, 1977; “Songs form Transylvania” – series I (No. 1-4), II. (No. 1-4), III. (No. 1-5), 1981, 1981, 1986; “Dumbshows” [Pantomime] for mezzo-soprano, piano and percussion instruments, 1982; “Romantic Lieds” - No. 1-20 (text in German) - for soprano, mezzo-soprano and piano, 1984; “The forest’s heart” (lyrics by Lucian Blaga) for mezzo-soprano and piano, 1986, “Gipsy Songs” for soprano and piano, No. 1-4, No. 5-14, 1986, 1998; “Vier biblische Lieder” / Münchener Codex /, for soprano and organ, 1989; “Carmina Angelica” - No. 1-4, for soprano and piano (text in Latin), 1991; “Maria Madre” - No. 1-5 (lyrics in Spanish by Alfonso X.: “Las cantigas de Santa Maria”) for mezzo-soprano and piano, 1992; “Il. cantico del Sole” - No. 1-10 (lyrics in Italian by San Francisco d'Assisi) for baritone and piano, 1994; “Les vagues à l'âme” (lyrics in Franch, by Tristan Tzara) for soprano and piano, 1995; Days and nights of nomads (lyrics in Gypsy, collected by folklore) for soprano and piano, 1985-1998 “Hortus deliciarum” (lyrics in English), for soprano, percussions and harpsichord, 1985; “Behind of silence” (haikus by Şerban Codrin), 1998: “Japonese flovers” (haikus in japonese, by M. Basho), 1998; “Kalevala”, one act opera (lyrics in finish by Elias Lönrroth), 1999; “Mephistofaust” (lyrics in German by Goethe), for soprano and piano, 1999;

Choral music:

Five madrigals for mixed choir, 1972; Madrigals for women's choir No. 1-12, 1988; Five chorus on biblical texts for mixed choir, 1990; Mass for three equal voices (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei), 1993; Chorus for equal voices, (collection), 1996; “Asperges me”, mixed chorus, 1993; “Black-Red”, mixed chorus, 1994; “The doors of sky”, mixed chorus, 1996; “Veni, veni Jesu”, chorus for equal voices, 1997; Collection for children's and women’s choir, 1997; Collection for mixed choir, 1997;

Pedagogic works:

“Playsongs for children” - series I-II-III, 1973-75; “Pianistic games” series I-VIII, 1973-75.

Editions – Scores:

Madrigale No. 1-5 pentru cor mixt [Five madrigals for mixed chorus], Bucharest, 1977; Cvartet de coarde No. 1. [String-quartet No. 1.], Bucharest, 1979; “In memoriam Bakfark” - Simfonie pentru orchestră de coarde “In memoriam Bakfark” symphony for string-orchestra], Bucharest, 1983; Sonata No. 1. on bartókians motivs for violin and piano, Bucharest, 1986.

Musicology books:

“The music remain music? - studies, essays as concerns the phenomenon of the 20th century music”, Kriterion, Bucharest, 1978, 152 p.; “Veress Sándor monography” - composer and musicologist, Berna, Schweiz, Zenemukiadó, Budapest, 1982, 100 p. (joint authors: Berlász Melinda, Demény Janos); “The harmony of the modern music (1900-1950) - Harmony handbook, Academia de Muzică "Gh.Dima", Cluj, 1983, 198 p.; “Hungarian composers from Romania - monography, partial published in: Igaz Szó No. 1-9, Târgu-Mureş, 1983, aprox. 40 p.; Brockhaus-Riemann Zenei Lexikon, Zenemükiadó, Budapest, 1983-84, aprox. 50 p. (33 composers); Radio Budapest, three conferences, April, 1991; “The periodical evolution theory of the European polyphonic music”, I.M.F. Congres, Budapest, 1987; “Cluj, the city of the music - Video monograph and musicological study”, Radio-TV, Budapest, Debrecen, 1992; “Musical centers in Transylvania - monographic study”, Radio Budapest, 1993; “Church music documents from Transylvania - monographic study” Hungarian Art Academy Edition, Budapest, 1994; “Balassa Sándor - composer, Budapest – monography”, Hungarian Art Academy Edition, Budapest, 1995.

Musicological studies:

“The problem of the polyvalence in the modern harmonize”, LM, i (1965); “Some aspects of the diminished octave”, LM, ii (1966); “Types of cadences finale in the contemporary music”, LM, iv (1968); “Specific accords successions to the modern music”, LM, v (1969); “Structures of accord stratas in the 20th century music”, LM, vi (1970); “Types of clusters”, LM, vii (1971); “Creators, works, styles – musical drama study”, Zenetudományi Írások, Kriterion, Bucharest, (1977); “The harmonic world of George Enescu's Chamber Symphony”, LM, viii--ix (1979); “Harmony a determinating agent in the evolution of European music culture”, LM, x-xi (1979); “Harmonic aspects specific to the period of renewing autohtonous music, with special reference to the creation of the composers of Cluj-Napoca”, LM, xii-xiii (1979); “Sigismund Toduţă's harmonic concept in the light of his a cappella choral music”, LM, xiv (1979); “The major triad in the 20th century music - the theory of the harmony”, Zenetudományi Írások, Kriterion, Bucharest, (1981); “Enescu in 1981”, Igaz Szó, No. 8, Târgu-Mureş, (1981); “Bartókiana - studies, essays”, Utunk, Cluj, (1981); “Laudatio musicae - study of musical stylistics”; Revue musicale suisse, No. 4, Zürich, (1982) and: Zenetudományi Írások, Kriterion, Bucharest, (1983); “The teaching of music at the level of the present days demands”, Korunk, No. 8, Cluj, (1983); “The contemporary romanian music: 1. Folklorism-Neofolklorism, 2. Archaism-Neoarchaism, 3. Serialism-Repetitive music, 4. Romantic symphony - Jazz symphony, 5. Opera music and oratorio music”, Broadcasts, Germany, (1984); “Central Harmonic Patterns in the Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 by George Enescu” LM, xvii-xviii (1985); “The harmonic world of Claude Debussy reflected in the 24 Preludes for piano (I.)”, LM, xix-xx (1986); “Pianistic games -- Games with piano, study by modern technique of the piano”, Zenetudományi Írások, Kriterion, Bucharest, (1986); “The church music of Transylvania, XVI-XXth century”, The Church Music Festival, Budapest, (1992); “Commeinorations-Essays John Cage, Olivier Messiaen Sándor, Lajtha László, and others”, Helikon, Cluj, (1992-93);

Prizes:

The Prize of the Union of Composers and Musicologists from Romania, for the following works: “Stringquartet No. 1”, 1974; “In memoriam Bakfark - symphony for string orchestra”, 1978; The “George Enescu” Prize of the Romanian Academy, for the following work: “In memoriam Bakfark”, 11 July 1980; The “Bartók-Pásztory” Prize on Foundation Bartók-Pásztory USA Hungary behalf, Budapest, 1994

Bibliography:

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Edited by Stanlez Sadie,London, 1992, p. 693-694; Brockhaus-Riemann Lexikon, vol. III, Budapest 1983; Bulletin d 'Informations de l 'Union des Cornpositeurs, Roumanie, ­September, 1995, p.41-49; V. Cosma: Muzicieni români (Bucharest, 1970); I. Sava - L. Vartolomei: Dictionar de muzică (Bucharest, 1979.)