Toduţă, Sigismund

Toduţă, Sigismund, Romanian composer and teacher; b. Simeria, May 30, 1908; d. Cluj, July 3, 1991. He studied with Negrea at the Cluj Cons. (1931-33), and later at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome (1936-38) with Pizzetti (composition) and Casella (piano); also took courses in musicology at the Pontificio Istituto di Musica Sacra in Rome (Ph.D., 1938, with a diss. on G.F. Anerio). In 1946 he was appointed to the faculty of the Cluj Cons. (he was its director from 1962 to 1964); in 1971 he became managing director of the Cluj State Phil. His music was distinguished by a flowing Romantic melody in large rhapsodic sonorities.

Works

dramatic: Opera: Meşterul Manóle (Master-builder Manóle; 1943-7; as an opera-oratorio, 1977-82; Cluj, Oct. 1, 1985). ORCH.: Egloga (1933); Symphonic Variations (1940); Piano Concerto (1943); 4 concertos for Strings (1951; 1972-73; 1974; 1980); Divertisement for Strings (1951); 5 syms.: No. 1 (1954), No. 2, “in memoria lui George Enesco” (1954-56), No. 3, Ovidiu {1957), No. 4 (1961), and No. 5 (1963-76; Cluj, Feb. 7, 1976); Uverturä festiva (1959); Simfonieta (1966; Cluj, Jan. 21, 1977); Concerto for Winds and Percussion (1975-76; Cluj, Sept. 4, 1976); Concerto for Flute and Strings (Sibiu, April 3, 1984); Simfonia B—A—C—H (1984); Concerto for Oboe and Strings (1986). CHAMBER: Cello Sonata (1952); Flute Sonata (1952); Violin Sonata (1953); Oboe Sonata (1956); Mo, 4 pieces for Harp (1975); 6 Pieces for Oboe (1981); piano pieces, including Passa-caglia (1943), Sonatina (1950), Preludiu, Coral, Toccata (1973-75), and 3 Pieces (1980). VOCAL: 3 oratorios: Miori\a (1958-68; Bucharest, Oct. 7, 1968), Balada steagului (1961), and Pe urmele lui Horea (1976-78; Cluj, Dec. 2, 1978); choruses; songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire