True Romania

Grigoraş Dinicu (April 3, 1889 – March 28, 1949) was a Romanian composer and violinist. He is most famous for his often-played virtuoso violin showpiece Hora Staccato (1906) and for making popular the tune Ciocârlia (The Skylark), composed by his grandfather Angheluş Dinicu for "nai" (the Romanian pan flute). Jascha Heifetz once said that Grigoraş Dinicu was the greatest violinist he had ever heard.


Dinicu wrote it for his graduation in 1906 from the Bucharest Conservatory, and performed it at the ceremony. Subsequently it has been arranged for other combinations of instruments, notably trumpet and piano. It is a short, fast work in a Romanian dance style, and has become a favorite encore of violinists, especially in the 1932 arrangement by Jascha Heifetz. The piece requires an exceptional command of both upbow and downbow staccato. The character of the piece also demands the notes be articulated in a crisp and clear manner so that the vibrancy of music comes out.










Infos from Wikipedia.