Musicescu, Gavriil

(pseudonym of Gavriil Vakulovich Muzychenko). Born Mar. 20, 1847, in Izmail, present-day Ukrainian SSR; died Dec. 8, 1903, in Iaşi, Rumania. Composer, choirmaster, and musical and public figure.

In 1866, Musicescu graduated from the Iaşi Conservatory. He improved his talents at the Court Choir and at the St. Petersburg Conservatory (1871–72). From 1872 to 1903 he was a professor at the Ia§i Conservatory and from 1876 to 1903 he directed the metropolitan’s choir in Ia§i. Under Musicescu’s direction, the choir became an important singing group.

Musicescu played a great role in the development of professional Rumanian and Moldavian choral culture. His works include church music, romances, choral versions of Rumanian and Moldavian folk songs, and piano arrangements of folk melodies. He also harmonized and translated into contemporary notation some old church hymns.