George Draga

George Draga (b. April 26, 1935 in Aldeşti, Romania) is a composer of classical music.

Education

Draga attended the Musical Military High School (1946-1954) under Hans Hoerath and Dumitru Văsescu (clarinet), Alexandru Teodorescu and George Manoliu (violin), Constantin A. Ionescu (theory and solfege), Anastasie Danu (harmony), Ion Totan (instrument theory and orchestration). He also attended the Bucharest Conservatoire (1957-1963) under Victor Iuşceanu (theory and solfege), Ion Dumitrescu (harmony), Nicolae Buicliu (counterpoint), Anatol Vieru (composition and orchestration), Alexandru Paşcanu (instrument theory), Tudor Ciortea (musical forms), Zeno Vancea (music history), Tiberiu Alexandru and Emilia Comişel (folklore), Dumitru D.Botez (choir conducting), and Madeleine Cocorăscu (auxiliary piano).

History

Between 1963 and 1993 Draga was editor of MUZICA, the journal of the Union of Composers and Musicologists of Romania. In this capacity he published analyses of works by composers Aurel Stroe, Ştefan Niculescu, Tiberiu Olah, Wilhelm Berger, Cornel Ţăranu, Zeno Vancea, and others, and gave lectures on music in several cities in the country. Between 1993 and 1998 he was a museographer at the George Enescu Museum in Bucharest where, among other things, he filed descriptive cards of most of Enescu's works.

In 1989 he was awarded the Union of Composers’ Prize for small-size works for Concert Overture No. 1.

Works

Draga has written ten symphonies, two rhapsodies, six cantatas, concertos for various instruments (including violin, flute and bassoon), folk dance suites from various regions of Romania, twelve marches for brass band, a symphonic poem, and numerous other works. What follows is a partial sample:

• Concert Overtures No. 1 and 2
• Heterophonies
• Concert Mass
• Prelude for string orchestra and wind quintet
• Concert Music
• Choral music
  • Songs from Năsăud
  • Sunflower – Twelve Choir Songs with lyrics by Monica Pillat
  • Songs from Maramureş
  • Carols from Maramureş
  • Dragu-mi la veselie… (Joy’s My Heart’s Delight…)
  • Vino, bade, joi la noi… (This Thursday Come Love My Way …)
  • Badea-i cu două drăguţe… (Two Girls My True Love Has …)
• Chamber music
  • Sonata for Piano
  • Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
  • Toccatta for Piano
  • Scherzo for Violin and Piano
  • Variations for Piano
  • Quartet for Woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon)
  • Quintet and Octet for Brass Instruments
  • Variations for Flute and Piano
  • Echo for Bassoon Solo

References

(Source: interview with the author)