Alexei Starcea's romances on the lyrics by Grigore Vieru

The article examines the romances written by Alexei Stârcea on the lyrics of GrigoreVieru, one of the most famous poets in Moldova. The romances "Plai moldovenesc" and "Dor de plai" are focused on the theme of love for the Motherland, in the center of the song "Lautare mai" is placed the image of the Moldovan folk musicians - lautarii (fiddlers), and "Cantecul mamei" (Mother's song) is a lyricaldramatic monologue of an aging woman addressed to her son. Appearing in the years 1966-1968, the pieces by A. Stârcea demonstrate a characteristic tendency of the composer's work of this period, namely the penetration of some special features of the song genre into the romance. This can be traced in the couplet form of the romances, in the folkloric character of the genuistic basis, in the relative simplicity of the musical language and interpretative tasks. The romances are distinguished by an accessible melodic vocal line, which allows the singer to demonstrate his potential and show the capabilities of the vocal apparatus in the conditions of a fairly comfortable tessitura.