Maria Chefaliady-Taban

Chefaliady-Taban was born in Iaşi and studied at the Iaşi Conservatory, studying piano with Anetta Boscoff and theory and solfege with Enrico Mezetti.^[1][2] She continued her studies from 1883–85 in Vienna with Joseph Dachs, Joseph Gansbacher, Adolf Prosnitz and Joseph Hellmesberger at the Akademie fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst.^[1][3] Chefaliady-Taban was offered a scholarship to stay another year in Vienna, but was homesick for Romania. On her return to Bucharest she married Vasile Taban, a cashier at the Ministry of Finance, but the couple divorced after five years.^[4]

After completing her studies, Chefaliady-Taban performed as a concert pianist, debuting on 11 November 1880, and performing works by Bach, Schumann, Beethoven and Greig.^[1][2] She appeared at the Romanian Athenaeum and the National Theatre, and performed on an Erard Piano that she had specially commissioned in Paris.^[4] Later she became a singing teacher in Iasi and Bucharest, teaching at the Humpel Girls' Institute. Students of Chefaliady-Taban include Adelina Kneisel, Julieta Missir, Aurelia Protopopescu and Mircea Stefanescu.^[2]

Chefaliady-Taban died in Bucharest on the 11 June 1932, aged sixty-nine.^[2]

Chefaliady-Taban's style has been called romantic, and she incorporated folk-lore into her compositions. She composed choral works and songs. Selected works include:^[5][2]

• Hora carturarului Urechia (Scholar Urechia’s Ring Dance) choral work (1901)
• Imnul studentilor universitari romani (Romanian Students’ Anthem) (1901)
• Atit de frageda (So Tender) (1900)
• O, ramii (Oh, don’t Go) (1905)