Marcel Mihalovici
Marcel Mihalovici (Bucharest, 22 October 1898 – Paris, 12 August 1985) was a French composer born in Romania. He was discovered by George Enescu in Bucharest. He moved to Paris in 1919 (at age 21) to study under Vincent d'Indy. His works include his "Sonata number 1 for violin and piano" (1920), "Mélusine" opera (1920, libretto by Yvan Goll), his "1st string quartet" (1923), "2nd string quartet" (1931), "Sonata number 2 for violin and piano" (1941), "Sonata for violin and cello" (1944), "Phèdre" Opera (1949), "Étude in two parts for piano and instrumental ensemble" (1951) and "Esercizio per archi  (1960). Many of his piano works were first performed by his wife, the concert pianist Monique Haas. Mihalovici was the original composer for the music of Samuel Beckett's radio play Cascando" (1962). His "Fifth Symphony" features a soprano singing a setting of a Beckett poem, and he used "Krapp's Last Tape" as the basis for a small opera, Krapp, ou, La dernière bande. His memories of their friendship are recounted in the collected work "Beckett at Sixty A Festschrift" by John Calder, Calder and Boyars (1967). A strong proponent of neoclassicism, during his career Mihalovici embraced a variety  of contemporary styles, with a harmonic language ranging from chromaticism to serialism. Romanian folk music influenced his unconventional use of rhythmic variation and instrumental colour.