Eugen Doga (Евгений Дмитриевич Дога, translit. Yevgeniy Doga) (born March 1, 1937) is a Moldovan/Romanian composer. After the fall of the Soviet Union he lives in Moscow, Russia.
Eugen Doga was born on March 1, 1937 in the village Mocra,
Ribnita, to Dumitru and Lisaveta Doga a family of peasants. Since
childhood the future master was fond of the musical art tradition of
performing musicians. In E. Doga’s native village (Mocra) lived at the
time Fedot Murga - one of the famous fiddler-musicians family. “I have a
lot of memories from my childhood’s years, I still remember the sugar
candies without paper wrap... There were also expensive ones. I watched
with envy at the boys who were opening very slowly, the real candy
wrapped in glossy paper, which was very beautiful. It makes my mouth
water even today recalling all this... Once I had the chance to open my
wrapped candy very demonstrative, in order that everyone would have seen
it, I still can feel its flavor... I can remember the candy wrapper and
even that it was a square candy. I was a war child, that hadn’t had a
swing, but I was still lucky to have a proper upbringing...
The fate once brought me, a barefoot child towards a great
instrument, which seemed to be more than a stove- heated bed. It was
painted black, glistening mysteriously – it was a grand piano. I was
fascinated. I approached very shy and I didn’t understood how it
happened that, from all keys that were fumbling touched by my feverishly
fingers, I pressed by accident three white keyboards, which have filled
like a fluid my soul and imagination for the rest of my life. I
caressed for decades the keyboards, I bewitched the sounds, being
tempted to connect to the whole universe organ, but I felt attracted
more and more to the accord that sounded totally accidental, the mystery
of which I have not unveiled and maybe I will never do...
Once, I don’t know by what miracle, a real orchestra arrived to
our village. It was a real, symphonic orchestra. The club from my
village, frankly it wasn’t a real club; it was only the name of it! –It
even didn’t have a proper stage, it couldn’t fit them all, and that is
why a lot of instrumentalists, including some giant violins, were
playing off the stage. A fantastic and lasting music was flowing, while a
person was "threatening" the orchestra with a wand. It was very curious
for me that no one was dancing, when there was so much music performed!
The naughty kids were getting closer and were stealthily touching the
giant violins that were from another world ... Only later I realized
that the giant violins were actually contrabasses.
I love freedom, no border spaces, height. As a child, I climbed
the highest acacia to the top branches, so that my head would be above
the highest top ... this height longing had followed my always. For me
the sun was always a bright, burning uphill. My eyes and my hopes were
always turned to the highest point in the sky, toward the zenith, but I
haven’t seen this apogee ... If I would have to ask God for anything,
then I would ask him to bring my childhood back.
I want that the people would realize that they are adults as
late as possible, or they should know that the feeling of childhood is a
benefic source for the state of mind; it is that life-giving energy,
which helps you create and share joy around you.
The perceptual experience gained in childhood and early life,
marked by the effervescence of the popular song, the living image of
fiddlers Pofirie and Fedot Murga, descendants of the famous violinist
dynasty of Gheorghe Murga, the picturesque charm of the fanfare and the
musical band (taraf) of the village Mocra, Ribnita, will be the defining
elements in the formation of his esthetic conceptions. They will
gradually shape a genuine artistic credo.
Over a long time panorama and a spring chromatic, made of raw
grass green, of a swath black and apple blossom white there is the
gentle voice of the artist Eugen Doga, who said he had a difficult, but a
beautiful childhood! And if he could only ask God for something, he
would ask to turn him the childhood. He doesn’t need the age of a child,
but the state of being child, to able, to discover the world again and
again, to be surprised every time, never get the feeling that he has got
enough from this life: "All think that, now is the moment when I write
music, but they are wrong, all the music was composed in my childhood".
In the same countryside landscape Eugen Doga is recalling his father
bringing him to his first day of school by riding a black horse. The
artist with sadness stir up that memory when his mother sold the carpet
from the main room to give an opportunity for Eugen Doga to continue
his studies.
Studies:
1943 - 1951 - Primary school from Mocra village.
1951 - 1955 – Music Secondary school (Lyceum) from Chisinau, cello class of professor Pablo Giovanni Baccini.
1955 - 1960 - Chisinau State Conservatoire, cello class of Professor Gregory Hohlov.
1960 - 1965 - Institute of Arts from Chisinau, class of
composition and music theory, Professor Solomon Lobel. Symphonic
conducting courses.
During his years of studying, Eugen Doga met Porfirie Murga.
While being a student at the “Gabriel Musicescu” Conservatory (today -
Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts) E. Doga took part at some
folklore expeditions and recorded on magnetic tape a lot of songs
performed on violin by Porfirie Murga. E. Doga processed more than 24
songs taken from the repertoire of this fiddler musician. E. Doga made
his first steps towards mastering the laws of professional music at
Music College of "Stefan Neaga" from Chisinau. Doga's teacher for the
main instrument is Paul Bacinin. The cellist Paul Bacinin graduated the
Kiev Conservatory, and had performed in many orchestras from Ukraine,
became later conductor and professor, and has fully manifested himself
in the symphony orchestras of Tiraspol (Radio Orchestra) and Chisinau
(Radio Philharmonic Orchestra).
Thanks to P. Bacinin, E. Doga has not only mastered the
performing art, but later has had the opportunity to work with the
musical collectives of National Radio.
The master has made his first step in choral composition
already in the early stage of study, while learning in the composition
class of S. Lobel.
After graduation the class of composition, Eugen Doga continues
his professional improvement by following the outlined plan by his
teacher S. Lobel and creates after the first attempt to write film
music, a series of 9 a capella choirs compositions.
First of all he studied cello (1951-1955). Cello was a
difficult instrument to perform, because of an ungifted teacher, until
he came to a class of a great musician, Pablo Baccini - italian, who
later became Pavel Ivanovich Bacinin. He taught E. Doga to work,
although for a boy that came from country, the work wasn’t something new
he should get to use to. He led his pupils in the music world with ease
and enthusiasm. He made him fall in love with the music in their future
profession. During this time, Eugen wrote his first waltz in the end on
the music sheet. He showed that to his friends, and they laughed at
him, because that waltz was written in two quarters instead of three.
After that has followed a long period of silence. He graduated the
college with the Cello concert of C. Saint-Saens.
At the conservative he was secretly composing something in the
notebook. And one day at a repetition of Moldavian Radio Orchestra,
where he was combining the work between the studies (1957-1962), came
his colleague Maria and offered a popular song for the next day’s
concert. Orchestra conductor, P.I. Bacinin, said it would be good for
her to performed one more song. Maria sadly admitted that she has only
one popular song. Eugen said that he has a song, although this was only
the desire to have a song. The conductor was not surprised; he leisurely
agreed to introduce it into the program. Quickly finding the lyrics, E.
Doga wrote a song until morning, and wrote also the orchestra scores.
This was the first appearance from the "underground" and the first
performance in the future famous singer Maria Biesu. Later it was
already difficult to determine to what the composer pays more attention
to the cello or composition. The scores were particularly interesting
for him.
He orchestrated the works of Haciaturian, Shostakovich, Chopin,
Grieg, also the venerable and semi-professionals composers from Moldova
– the young composer had had a good deal of orchestrate and
compositions arrange work. This was an excellent composition school for
orchestra together with the theoretical study of a new musical
creativity field.
During his studies at the conservatory, he played cello’s main
repertoire, and completed the studies by performing "Rococo style
variations" by P. Chaikovsky. But the pain that persists for a long time
the in left hand, eventually paralyzed him. After partial recovery, it
became clear that he will not be able to perform and that he will have
to take seriously and professionally the work of composition. There have
followed another five years at the conservatory, but already in the
class of– M. S. Lobel at his main matter and M.Kopîtman - for polyphony.
They were brilliant masters that were different in style and
dedication, but just as profound and worthy.
Maturity:
Doga make his first appearance in local music with a strings quartet (1963). Throughout the years at
the beautiful age of 65, the master confesses: "I don’t like the course
of time. I'd turn it backwards to youth. Youth is wonderful. For it does
not have insurmountable obstacles. Youth is not conscious about the
time, the tiredness feeling, the quiet... At that time, or even by the
first breath, I was discovering the world, the moon and sun, forests and
rivulets with chirping birds and flocks of sheep, with beautiful
stories from grandparents... Let's better climb above the sky, towards
the stars and infinities. There youth is eternal. There is the place
where the dreams take us, music does, or maybe contrary."
He began his career, already from his students years, as a
cellist in the State Committee of the R.S.S.M. (Moldavian Soviet
Socialist Republic) Orchestra for TV and Radio-broadcasting (1957-1962).
He then taught as a professor at the Music School "Stefan Neaga" from
Chisinau (1962-1967) and was a member of the Editorial Board of the
Ministry of Culture from R.S.S.M. (1967-1972).
The field where he is standing in force and that brought him
the international reputation: is the art of composition. He makes his
first appearance in 1963 with a string quartet that will give him the
opportunity to impose himself towards the conquest of professional
altitude through vocation and availability. He is the author of valuable
works of entertainment, film and stage music. Apart from his concern
towards the cinema, he is the author of several original compositions
(songs that became hits, chamber works and ballet compositions).
Eugen Doga writes also film music, becoming one of the most
famous composers of movie and TV films in the post-Soviet space. He
started in Moldova-film studio in 1967, writing the music for the comedy
“We need a gatekeeper”. He wrote music to more than 200 films.
The diverse spectrum of genres approached by the composer;
shows his interest towards various ways of sound expression for various
stylistic and thematic areas. His music is, in all stages, exciting,
vibrant and honest, it captures the listener with the melodic generosity
and the emotional authenticity that it communicates.
In the political field, Eugen Doga was a member of the CPSU
(Communist Party of Soviet Union) in 1976. He was elected popular deputy
to the Supreme Soviet of the R.S.S.M. in IX - XI legislatures, then as
deputy in the first Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. He also was a
member of the Composers Board of the U.S.S.R. (Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics) and Union Composers of Moldova, vice president of
UCM.
