Mama Regina and the Sphinx
Mama Regina and the Sphinx

Author(s): ALICE NĂSTASE BUCIUTA
Subject(s): Cultural history, Music, Social history, 19th Century, Sociology of Art, History of Art
Published by: Addleton Academic Publishers
Keywords: Carmen Sylva; George Enescu; Romanian arts; patronage; music education; Queen Elisabeth of Romania; scholarship; cultural influence; artistic mentorship; transnational arts;
Summary/Abstract: There are destinies meant to intersect, like the destiny of George Enescu (1881–1955), the greatest Romanian musician of all times, and Queen Elisabeth of Romania (1843–1916), the wife of King Carol I (1839–1914), who are linked in many ways, even before they met. Their hypersensitive way of seeing and understanding the world contributed to their artistic approach of life and to their enormous contribution to the arts. The Poet-Queen, well known under her pen name Carmen Sylva, first Queen of Romanians, protector, and upholder of arts, restless ambassador of Romanian traditions had a decisive influence on George Enescu’s career, being the provider of his first scholarship, when he was 13 years old, despite the fact that the two of them had not yet met at the time. With the help of this scholarship, George Enescu studied composition in Paris, under the guidance of prestigious personalities, such as Jules Massenet or Gabriel Fauré, and made immense progress.

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