EMINESCU AND THE ART OF THE LIED. THE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN EMINESCU’S POETRY AND MUSIC

Authors

  • Sergiu GARABAJII PhD Candidates, “Sigismund Toduță” Doctoral School, “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music, Cluj-Napoca (Romania). E-mail: garabajiisergiu@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9891-9043
  • Sonia ILINCĂI PhD Candidates, “Sigismund Toduță” Doctoral School, “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music, Cluj-Napoca (Romania). E-mail: soniadiugan99@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3839-7879

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24193/subbmusica.2025.spiss4.18

Keywords:

Lied, Mihai Eminescu, musicality, poetry, music, literature, cultural heritage, vocal interpretation

Abstract

The article explores the interdependence of the arts, focusing on the fusion of poetry and music within the art of the Lied. It outlines the evolutionary development of the Lied genre and traces its historical lineage from the Baroque period (Haendel) through Classicism (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven) to the “Golden Age” of the nineteenth century (Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, Mahler, R. Strauss). The study also presents interpretative perspectives on the genre, emphasizing the importance of the text and the expressive power of the word, the role of imagination, the primacy of emotion over empty perfectionism, and the centrality of the text and the singer–pianist partnership. The central section focuses on Mihai Eminescu as a cultural and artistic landmark. It synthesizes key biographical and intellectual-formative elements (Ipotești, Cernăuți, Blaj, Vienna, Berlin; Aron Pumnul; Junimea and Titu Maiorescu), the main themes and symbols of his poetry (according to M. Cimpoi), his relationship with Veronica Micle, and the intrinsic musicality of his verse. The article describes how the musicality of Eminescu’s versification shapes the composition of Lieder based on his poems, and it presents critical perspectives that affirm Eminescu’s enduring presence as a source of inspiration and a “canonical value” that fosters “the awareness of the unity of the Romanian cultural space.” The Lied is thereby portrayed as a space of synthesis between music and the word.

References

Books:

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Caracostea, Dumitru. Arta cuvântului la Eminescu (The Art of the Word in Eminescu). Institute of Literary History and Folklore Publishing House, 1938.

Călinescu, George. Viața lui Mihai Eminescu (The Life of Mihai Eminescu). Cartex 2000 Publishing House, Bucharest, 2005.

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Cioabă, Cătălin (selection, notes, chronology, and preface). Mărturii despre Eminescu. Povestea unei vieți spusă de contemporani (Testimonies about Eminescu: The Story of a Life Told by His Contemporaries). Humanitas Publishing House, Bucharest, 2022.

Dumitrescu-Bușulenga, Zoe, Sava. Eminescu și muzica (Eminescu and Music). Musical Publishing House, Bucharest, 1989.

Eminescu, Mihai. Poezii (Poems), annotated edition, selection, chronology, and notes by Cătălin Cioabă. Humanitas Publishing House, 2019.

Eminescu, Mihai, and Veronica Micle. Dulcea mea Doamnă/ Eminul meu iubit – Corespondență inedită (My Sweet Lady / My Beloved Emin: Unpublished Correspondence). Polirom Publishing House, 2019.

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Codreanu, Theodor (Professor, PhD). Eminescu și oglinzile ființei (Eminescu and the Mirrors of Being). [Online article].

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Fonari, Victoria. Haos și Cosmos în creația eminesciană în discursul critic al lui Mihai Cimpoi (Chaos and Cosmos in Eminescu’s Creation in Mihai Cimpoi’s Critical Discourse). Akademos, No. 2/2020, Moldova State University.

Garabajii, Sergiu. Renato Bruson: Arta cântului, autenticitate și disciplină. Conexiuni între operă și muzica de cameră (Renato Bruson: The Art of Singing, Authenticity and Discipline. Connections between Opera and Chamber Music). Studia UBB Musica, Vol. LXX, No. 1 (2025): 227–238.

Morariu, Leca. Eminescu și Veronica Micle, publicat în Buletinul Mihai Eminescu (Eminescu and Veronica Micle). Published in Buletinul Mihai Eminescu, Year 10, No. 17, 1939.

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Stănescu, Nichita. Lesson on Poetry: How We See Poetry. YouTube. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L55jbGS1Do. Accessed August 9, 2025.

Stănescu, Nichita. On Eminescu’s “Luceafărul” (TVR Archive). YouTube. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3117e4v2k_g. Accessed August 9, 2025.

Tighineanu, Ion. Honorary message for the national tour “Eminescian Lyricism.” YouTube. Available at https://youtu.be/gQhiHs_Lc1Y .

TVR Archive. Nichita Stănescu – Brâncuși Is Mine! (excerpt from episode 2). YouTube. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBR1eEEAIjo. Accessed August 9, 2025.

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Published

2025-12-30

How to Cite

GARABAJII, S., & ILINCĂI, S. (2025). EMINESCU AND THE ART OF THE LIED. THE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN EMINESCU’S POETRY AND MUSIC. Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai Musica, 70(Special Issue 4), 281–296. https://doi.org/10.24193/subbmusica.2025.spiss4.18

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