THE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETYChapter of

THE INTERNATIONAL VIOLA SOCIETYAssociation for the Promotion of Viola Performance and Research

No. 28 Newsletter April, 1985

Harry Danks:On the Tenth Anniversaryof Terns's Death page 5

Ann Woodward:Notes on the CoolidgeCompetition and BerkshireFestival of 1919 page 12

Preview ofBoston Congress

David Schwartz:The Studio Violist ­An EndangeredSpecies?

Maurice Gardner:A Musician's Diary

page 3

page 9

page 16

THE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETYChapter of

INTERNAnONALE VIOLA-FORSCHUNGSGESELLSCHAFT

MAURICE W. RILEY, PRESIDENT512 Roosevelt Blvd.Ypsilanti, MI4B197313 • 482-6288Emeritus Prolessor of Violin-ViolaEastern Michigan University

MYRON ROSENBLUM, PASTPRESJDENT39-23 47th StreetSUnnyside, NY 11104OueensbOfoughCommunity Cottege

DWIGHT POUNDS. VICE PRESIDENT1713 Oaren CourtBowlIng Green. Ky 42101Western Kentucky University

ANN WOODWARD,TREASURER209 W. Unlverslly DriveChapel Hill. Ne 27514UnIversity 01 North Carolina

HAROLDKLATZ. SECRETARV1024 Maple AvenueEvanston, IL 60202ViOlist In Chicago Symphony,AdvertiSing lor AV5 Newsletter

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS

DAVID OALTONArchivist. InternationalPrimrose Viola Archives.Eoltcr. A,V.S. NewsletterBrigham Young UniversityProvo, utah 84602

PAUL DOKTOR215 West 88th StreetNew York, NY 1002.4Jullliard SchoolMannes College of MusIc

MILTON KATIMS8001 Sand Point Way NEIIC«Seattle, WA98115

LOUIS KIEYMAN1343 Amalifi DrivePacilic Palisades. CA 90272Private Teacher in theLos Angeles Area

DONALD McINNESProfessor of ViolaSChool 01 MusicUniversity 01 MichiganAnn Arbor". MI 48109

ROBERT OPPELT26305 Coolidge AvenueOak Park, MI 48237Privata teacher in Detroit area

JOSEPH DE PASQUALE532 Latavette RoadMerion Station, PA 19066Principal Viola. Philadelphia OrchestraProf. 01 Viola, Curtis msutute

ROBERT SLAUGHTER1705 North Riley RoadMuncie, IN 47304Ball State University

mOMAS TATTON2705 Rutledge WayStockton, CA 95207University 01 the Pacific

MARCUS THOMPSON19 Florence StreetCambridge, MA 02139Mass mst. 01 recn..New England Conservalory

FRANCIS TURst16 Coniston OfiveRochester, NY 14610Easlman School 01 Music

COORDINATOR WITH THECANADIAN VIOLA SOCIETY

A. BAIRD KNECHTEL103 North DriveISlington, ONT M9A 4R5canadaPresident, Canadian Viola Society HONORARY PRESIDENT

OR. WILLIAM PRIMROSEdeceased

The American Viola Society andNew England Conservatory of Music

present the

XIII InternationalViola Congress

Marcus Thompson, Artistic Director

June 12-16, 1985New England Conservatory, Boston, Massachusetts

Performances, masterclasses, lectures, and panel discussions with:Atar Arad, Paul Doktor, Burton Fine, Rosemary Glyde, Kim Kashkashian, Joseph de Pasquale,

Cynthia Phelps, Maurice Riley, Abraham Skemick, Milton Thomas, Marcus Thompson,Walter Trampler, and Ann Woodward.

Appearances by:The United States Air Force Orchestra, Lt. Dennis Layendecker, Conductor

Alea III, Theodore Antoniou. Music DirectorThe John Oliver Chorale, John Oliver,Conductor

Viola Section of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Christian Woehr, PrincipalMembers of the New England Conservatory Faculty

Composers In Attendance:Judith Shatifi Allen; Henry Lazarof, William Thomas McKinley, and Anthony Newman.

Includes premiere performances, play-alongs, and exhibitsof instruments, bows, music, books, and recordings.

Fur further information and housing reservations, contact:Gail Eaton. Director of Public Affairs.

New England Conservatory, 290 Huntington Ave•• Boston, MA 02115 Tel. (61i) 262·1120.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12

Preview of BostonCongress

12:00-5:003:00-5:005 :00-5:305:30-7:308:05

Congress XIII RegistrationAVS Board MeetingCocktail sOpening Banquet

CONCERT of chamber musicperformed by New Engl andConservatory Facul ty.(Jordan Hall)

1 :30-3 :30

4:00-6:00

8:00

companied Sonatas, SonataOp. 25 114 (Kashkash t an,Trampler)MASTER CLASS CONCERTO ANDRECITAL REPERTOIRE, JOSEPHDE PASQUALEPANEL: MEET THE COMPOSER,with JUDITH SHATIN ALLEN,HENRI LAZAROF, CHRISTIANWOEHR, LARRY ALAN SMITH.CONCERT BY ALEA III ANDTHE NEC SCHOLARSHIPQUARTET • MILTON THOMASWALTER TRAMPLER, ROSEMARYGLYDE.

THURSDAY, JUNE 13

9:15-10:15 PANEL Maurice Riley andFranz Zeyringer: Historyof the Viola and itsLiterature.

11:00-12:00 RECITAL with piano:Cynthia Phelps, Winner ofthe 1984 Lionel TertisInternational ViolaCompetition.

1:30-3:15 MASTER CLASS in orchestralstudies and preparationfor auditions AbrahamSkernick.

3 :30-4 :30 DISCUSSION AND DEMONSTRA­TION on ways to reduce andavoid harmful tension inplaying.

5:00-6:00 RECITAL with piano: PaulDoktor

8:00- CONCERT The United StatesAi r Force Orchestra,Lt. D. Layendecker,conductor, Anthony Newman(guest conductor), Josephde Pasquale, RosemaryGlyde, Marcus Thompson,sol oi sts ,

FRIDAY, JUNE 14

9:15-10:15 LECTURE-RECITAL violaand forte-pi ano AnnWoodward.

11:00-12:00 Nintieth Birthday Tri­bute: PAUL HINDEMITH TheTwo Unpubl i shed Unac-

SATURDAY, JUNE 15

9: 00-11: 00 MASTER CL ASS FOR PRE­COLLEGE STUDENTS AND THEIRTEACHERS.

11:00-12:00 RECITAL WITH HARP ANDVOICES, BURTON FINE.

1 :45- PRE-CONCERT PREMIERE:Music for Four Violas,Jordan Hall

2:00-2:50 CONCERT by members of theRPO Viola Section.

3:00-4:30 Viola Play-Along Membersof Audience join those onstage.

5:00-6:00 AVS Membership Meeting8:00- CONCERT by the USAFO, JOC,

Atar Ar a d , AbrahamSkernick, Kim Kashkashian.

SUNDAY, JUNE 16

9:15-10:15 LECTURE/DEMO How to getthe most from yourpractice

10:30-12:00 Question and answer MIXERon the Exhibit Floor

Deadline Extended

I n the recent ma i 1 i ng of regi stra­tion forms for the XIII InternationalViol a Congress to be held in BostonJune 12-16. 1985, the following feesfor registration are given:

RegUlarBefore April 1 ($65)After April 1 ($75)

3

Ii

.II

VIOLIN MAKERSRestorers and Dealers

Sale and Repair of fine violins,violas, cellos, and bows

New violins, violas, and cellos made byPeter and Wendela Moes

Certificate of Merit1984 American Federation ofViolin &: Bow Makers CompetitionGold Medal1984 Violin Society ofAmerica International Competition

Members: American Federation of Violin &: Bow Makers

Moes & Moes Ltd.157 West 91st Street New York, NY10024 212/496·9151'

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StudentBefore April 1 ($40)After April 1 ($50)

The reduced prices quoted for"Before Aprll 1" will be in force up toMay 1. After May 1, the registrationfees will advance $10 per person.

This extension of the special feefor early registration does notguarantee accommodations in the Conser­vatory Dormitory. If you wish to stayin the dormitory, be sure to get yourregistration fees and reservations inearly. Special rates are also avall­able at the Sheraton-Boston Hotel &Towers, which is a ten-minute walk fromthe Boston Conservatory campus. Foradditional information about costs orhousing write to:

Gall Eaton, Director of PublicAffairs, New England Conservatory ofMusic, 290 Hunti ngton Ave., Boston,MA 02115. Telephone : (617)262-1120.

On the Tenth Anniversaryof Tertis's Death

byHarry Danks

The benefi ct al i nfl uence of certa i nartists over people and events qulteoften only spans their own lifetime,while that of others establ ishessomething good and lasting long afterthey have 1eft us. Surely that greatartist of the viola Lionel Tertisbelongs to the second category. Hishigh standard of playing and teachingthe instrument. as well as editingmusic for the viola together with hispioneer work in designing an instrumentthat would be avallable to all playersat a reasonable cost, have sustainedthrough the years, and have beencoptributing f nf l uences to modern-dayteaching and playing which are produc­ing such fine players in all parts ofthe worl d. It was not always so, and

to offer evidence of this one need onlyrefer to the fi rst performance of theWalton Viola Concerto in 1929 when PaulHindemith played it in London. At thattime I doubt if more than three playersin the British Isles could have stoodon a concert pl atform and pl ayed thework from beginning to end. Today atevery orchestral audition panel I aminvited to join, the concerto appearstime and time again offered by ap­plicants for a position in a violasection.

Does the modern generation ofviolists appreciate what Lionel Tertisand William Primrose in their differentways did in lifting the viola as a soloinstrument up that steep incline to theconcert platform? Being an optimist, Ilike to think that they do.

It is ten years since Tertis died on22 February 1975 in London, a city heloved and 1 ived in for nearly 100years. I heard Tertis for the firsttime in recital in 1934 when he wouldhave been fifty-eight years 01 d andjust about at the peak of his career.For me, a young violinist struggling tomaster the instrument, this event wasamazing, something unbel ievable. Herewas a small man playing on a largeviola and pr-oduct ng the most 1ovel ysound that I had ever heard from astringed instrument. He had every­thing: beautiful sound, consistantintonation, fine technique and a lovelyway of phrasing a melody. He was thecomplete musician and artist. Duringthe course of that recital, my futureplans as a string player were turnedupside down, and I had to become aviolist and study with the man who soenthralled me. I wrote to him and heagreed to hear me pl ay on 18 November1934 at his home near Epsom Downs, somemiles south of London.

Tertfs as a Teacher

I have been asked many times whatLionel Tertis was like as a teacher andmy answer is that he was very strict

5

and finn in all he said and did withthe viola. He was unrelenting aboutintonation often to the poi nt ofexhaustion--on my part. He was fit andstrong. his smallness of staturedeceiving. and I invariably ti redbefore he di d though I was just abouttwenty-two years old while he was nearsixty.

I well remember one particul ar1esson which I thought I had preparedthoroughly and I approached his homewith confidence hoping for some praiseand encouragement. The pi ece understudy was the fi rst movement of theElgar Cello Concerto which he hadarranged with the composer's pennissionand blessing. From the first chord. Iwas in trouble and he would not allowme to pass on to the second bar until Icould convince him that I knew whichnotes were out of tune. He demonstrat­ed how to cross check with other notes.how to listen intently until the soundcame over as a "compl ete c t rcl e ofsound." He maintained that every notein tune had a "round" sound to it.

At one point. I touched the piano tocheck the note which I apparantly couldnot determi ne correctly. He wasfurious. and today with hindsight--as Inow understand the situation--I wasdoubting his judgement. "Never trustthe pianol It is the one instrumentthat is never in tune." he bellowed atme. The whole 1esson of one hour wasspent in this fashion without let up onintonation. and at the end he was justas adamant and rel entl ess as at thebeginning. His parting remark to me asI left the house was. "You must believeme. Danks. or we cannot work to­gether." I was completely shatteredand travell ed back to my home in thecenter of Engl and that in those daystook just over four hours by train.

I have had students who played badlyand sometimes wasted an hour ofprecious time but I always tried tooffer some crumb of comfort when seeingthem to the door of the house. Not so.

6

Tertis. After one very gruelling1e s son. he opened the door and sa i dthat unl ess I coul d show much moreimprovement it was useless continuingwith him.

The ti de eventually turned for mewhen the musi c I pl ayed to him wasnewly published and I had not evenstudied it with him. This was theSuite of Vaughan Williams which slippedout of my music case and fell at hisfeet one day at a lesson. He picked itup and expressed some pl easure that Ihad purchased a copy and brought italong. He placed It on the music standand suggested that I play the firstpart to him. I was scared but di d mybest expecting to be stopped at anymoment for corrections. It was not so.and I completed the movement. To myastonishment he congratul ated me on amusi cal and well thought-out readi ng.He even sat at the piano and played twomore of the pi eces with me. I wasoverjoyed. I cannot explain why. butour relationship improved after thisand lessons became something to lookforward to. These 1asted unti 1 theoutbreak of war In 1939.

His method of teach i ng I suspectvaried from one student to the next.If he was engaged with another pupilwhen I arrived at the house. Mrs.Tertis would receive me and show me into an adjoining room and invariablyoffer some refreshment as she knew themiles I had travelled. This of coursedi d not permit one to see or witnessanother student under i nstructi on butneither did other players hear mylesson. I have talked this over with anumber of past Tertis pupils all ofwhom agree with my experience but atthe same time think that this was not acontrived plan. rather his way ofobtaining full attention from thestUdent under examination.

He was very tense for the wholeperi od of the 1esson and insisted onevery mistake In intonation andtechn I que bei ng repeated and correct-

He repeated1 y demonstrated his ideaof producing a big sound by having thebow cling to the string while keepingan eye on its position between thebridge and fingerboard. Once satisfi­ed, he would turn to the vibrato andinsist on a strong "pu'l l f nq" actionthat reqUired some strength in the lefthand, again and again amplifying hispoints by demonstration. He was mostpersuasive and Tertis students could beidentified by their sound.

Tertis played on a large instrumentwith a back length of 17 1/6 incheswhich was attributed to Montagnana andfrom which he produced a beautifulsound. He also had a technique in bothhands that was equal to anythingwritten for the instrument; in fact, Ialways felt he had a hidden reservesupply that was rarely used. Whenlistening to him either at a lesson orin concert, the overall impression wasone of fine sound and interpretation.The undoubted technique he possessedwas simply there to enable him toachieve these objectives.

celebrate Te r t t s r s ninety-sixthbirthday. My colleagues in the violasecti on of the BBC Symphony Orchestraagreed to join me in this uniqueconcert. During one of my visits tothe house, Mr. Tertis asked if I knewof the "sonata" by Max Reger forunaccompanied viola. When I askedwh i ch one of the th ree, he lookedsurprised and confessed that until PaulDoktor on a recent social visit hadp1 ayed the first one to him, he wasignorant of thei r exi stence. Thepub l ication of the three suites hadescaped his notice as they were firstissued in Hamburg by Simrock in 1916which was during World War 1. Thissonata was selected as the opener givenin the Wigmore Hall to honour hisbi rthday before a packed hall ofviolists and viola lovers.

ed. I never remember him indulging ini d1 e tal k, hi s comp1 ete concentrati onbeing focused and sharply fixed uponthe student and the music under study.One facet of his method was thecomplete absence of scales and stud­ies. In all the years I played to him,not once were these technical materialsmentioned. Many years later I askedthe reason for this and his reply wasin keeping with his straightforward andhonest approach, "I always trusted thatyou and all others wou1 d take care ofthat without any interference from me."

At one lesson he suddenly asked whatI was reading in any leisure moments Ihad away from the viola and suggestedthat I read about famous men ina11wa1 ks of 1ife and, if it was poss t b1 ein my part of the country, to go andlook at good paintings. I have toconfess that my upbringing had notembraced such luxuries but I certainlytook his advice and became a regularmember of our local library.

During the course of the lesson hewas always ready to demonstrate a pointin playing, in fact, the viol a wasconstantly held in the playing positionso that when something did not pleasehim he at once played over the offend­ing passage often before I had finishedit myself. This was of tremendousval ue to be so close and hear and seehim produce the glorious sound hemade. He rarely played in unison as Iknow some professors do.

The Repertoire

He often said in later 1 ife thatwhen he began the study of the violathe repertoi re was almost non-ext stentand consisted of Berlioz's Harold inItaly. the Mozart Symphonie Concertanteand the two Brahms sonatas which meansthat he took part in and witnessed thegrowth of the music we now have for thei nstrument--but with one except ion.During the year 1972, a suggestion wasmade that a concert of music for violaensemble be given on 29 December to

Hee r s ,play

was also persuasive with compos­G1 azounov and Ravel heard himand promised a work for the

7

Rare instruments and bowsExpert appraisals

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instrument. Unfortunately, it was notto be as both composers died withoutfUlf1l1ing their promises given toTerti s, However, many other composerswere persuaded to contribute to thescant known repertoire and a number ofhis English contemporaries weregenerous. Tertis was a great influencein British music during his lifetimewith the viola always at the center ofhis music-making and ambitions.

Harry Danks, one of the distinguishednames among violists in the BritishIsles, began his viola studies withLionel Tertis in 1935. He was theprincipal viol ist for several decadesbefore and after World War II of theBBC Symphony. He has been professor ofviola at the Guildhall School of Music,London, and has al so produced hisimportant treatise The Viola d'Amore in1975.

The Studio Violist - AnEndangered Species?

A Personal Viewby

David Schwartz

A shocki ngly small sel ect group ofmusicians is employed in the multi­billion dollar motion picture, tel e­vis ion, "j i ngl e " and phonographrecording industry. And of these, onlya handful are viol ists, mostly in LosAngeles and New York. Of the 300,000members of the AmericCln Federation ofMusicians in the United States andCanada, about 1,000 earn a livingsolely from commercial sessions. A fewmusicians who play in symphony andballet orchestra, or who teach, a1 soearn a portion of their income from thecommercial world.

For entry into this field, unlessone is a blood relative of a musicproducer, mastery of the instrument,si ghtreading, versatility and tact are

essential. A 747 pilot once said ofhis job that it was "An eternity ofboredom interspersed with moments ofterror," and I have sometimes felt thesame way about my work. At 8:00a.m. one morning as I opened the pagesof a new motion-picture manuscriptexpecti ng the usual whol e-note "foot­balls," I discovered to my surprise aviola solo of post-Bartokian complex­ity. I had exactl y th i rty seconds tolook at it before the conductor'sdownbeat. We p1 ayed it through onceand then recorded it. Stress is partof the game!

Sightreading agility is a must.Studio musicians are paid by the hour,and to delay the session while learninga part would be fatal to a career inthis field. You are as good as your1ast performance, true of every facetof the music world. Practicingunfamiliar music with a metronome isone way to improve sightreading skill.The use of a click-track (metronomebeat> in headphones is commonplace, andfrequently, in what is called "sweeten­i ng," it becomes necessa ry to match anout-of-tune a1ready-recorded perform­er. In other words, you must also playout-of-tune along with the "arti st", arather disturbing accomp1 ishment!Fortunately, this is not the norm.

The Clef

There are many fine composers in therecordi ng worl d, but it is possi bl e toencounter some who have made a quantum1eap from writi ng for a rock-group toundertaking a motion-picture score.The viola clef may be as unfamiliar tothem as Egypti an hieroglyphics are tome. Many copyists also find the altoclef unfathomable and as a consequence,more mistakes occur in the viola partth ani n a ny other secti on of thescore. This has necessitated question­ing the notes quite frequently, andsome composers have sol ved the probl emby simply no longer using violas. Ifind it the better part of valor not toask too many questions about wrong

9

notes. but to try to co r r ec t themmyself. Facil ity in transposition andthe ability to read·an octave higher orlower in the alto. treble and bassclefs have often proved useful to me.And. when a composer-conductor beats atri angul ar karate-chop 3/4 time for a1egato ph rase and pl eads "Smoother!Smoother!." bite your tongue. try notto close your eyes. and do as he says.not as he demonstrates! Tact is anessential tool for survival.

Background in a variety of musicalstyl es is important. Symphoni c. operaand chamber music hel p shape a musi­cian. but the studio violist must alsohave a feel ing for jazz. rock. andother contemporary forms. In my owncase. I was the principal violist ofthe Cleveland Orchestra before joiningthe army in World War II. The cultureshock of symphonic life ("square")transferred to the Glenn Miller("swinging") U.S. Army Air ForceOrchestra was enlightening. and gave mea deep appreciation of the fantasticability of fine jazz musicians to sensethe styl e of a pi ece and to improvi seinstinctively and freely. This helpedexpand my musical perceptions and hasstood me in good stead in the commer­cial field.

Everything has been grist for themill. While a member of the legendaryToscanini NBC Symphony I also pl ayedthe Sid Caesar Comedy Hour. Thesoloists I have performed with rangefrom Primrose. Rachmaninoff. Kreisler.Rubinstein and Heifetz to Sinatra.Streisand. Michael Jackson and "Cannon­ball" Adderley. What fun it's allbeen! We are the sum of our totalexperi ence. and 1'm grateful for itall.

Jobs Eliminated

Before the advent of television.every radio station in major citiesboasted a live orchestra. ranging fromsymphonic to chamber size. There werealso large orchestras in all the big

10

movie theatres across the country.Television and the unrestricted use ofphonograph recordings on radio el imi­nated thousands of jobs for musicians.The young musician today no longer hasthese opportunities to hone his craft.

While the free-lance field has beenvery lucrative for its tiny group ofmusicians. it is unreal istic toanti ci pate future growth. Unauthor­ized tapi ng of phonograph records andfilms is epidemic. resulting in deepcuts in musi ci ans' income. Runawayfilm-making has resulted in the use ofEuropean recording musicians. to thedetriment of American empf oymerrt, andthe rapid displ acement of live music­ians by sophisticated synthesizers andcomputerized music has further narrowedan already dwindling field. Much ofwhat is now heard on radio. televisionand in motion pictures is syntheticmu sic. One keyboard composer at hi selectronic console can compose andrecord an enti re orchestral score.Unfortunately. an audience nurtured onrock and roll's mechanized soundprefers it to the rich. live orchestralsounds that we string players cherish.

There will always be symphonyorchestras and stri ng quartets. andsome 1ive musicians will earn a 1iVingin the commercial field. but as thenumbers sh ri nk, onl y the best pl ayerswill survive. While young violistshave unlimited opportunities for study.with many school s competi ng forscholarship students. it is hoped thatthei r teachers wa rn them of thedifficulty of obtaining full-timeemployment playing the viola. Majorsymphony orchestras are besieged withqualified applicants for each rarevacancy. Young pl ayers would be welladvised to be open to every kind ofmusical experience. It will all berewardi ng--sometimes in unexpectedways. The evol uti on of a career mayencompass many diverse changes ofdirection.

Musical tastes do change. and there

PUBLISHERS OF MUSIC FOR THE SERIOUS VIOLIST

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is recent evidence that the now-adultbaby-boom generation is beginnfng toturn away from rock. May this hopefultrend continuel Dare we dream that wewill always hear the distinctive velvetvoice of the viola in the full orches­tra1 scores of tomorrow's comme rc i a1music?

David Schwartz studied violin withJoachim Chassman and graduated from theCurtis Institute of Music as a violastudent of Louis Bailly and MaxAronoff. He was principal viola of theClevel and Orchestra, the Gl enn Mill erAi r Force Orchestra, and the Detroi tSymphony, solo viola for Pablo Casalsin Puerto Rico and member of the famedToscanini NBC Symphony. He toured theU.S., Canada, South America and the FarEast as violist of the Paganini Quartetand was a founding-member of the YaleStri ng Quartet and associ ate Professorof Viola and Chamber Ensemble at YaleUniversity. Having been princi palviolist on hundreds of motion picture,tel ev i sion and phonograph recordi ngs,he was five times voted MVP(MostValuable Player) on viola by NARAS(National Academy of Recording Arts andSciences), and was awarded EmeritusMVP.

Notes on the CoolidgeCompetition and Berkshire

Festival of 1919by

Ann M. Woodward

The year 1919 may mark a revolution­ary change in the composition of worksfor viola. In the preceding centuryrelatively few important works had beenwritten that featured the viola as asolo instrument, perhaps due to therather unsatisfactory tone of thesmall-sized viol as in use for most ofthat period. The late nineteenthcentu ry brought changes in the concept

12

of viola size and tone, and with itcame the first appointment of a violist(as opposed to a violinist-violist) tothe facul ty of a conservatory. Inearl y twenti eth-century Eng1 and, thelegendary violist Lionel Tertis beganto emerge as a proponent of solo violamusic and as a teacher of a risinggeneration of violists. In 1919 animportant factor in encouraging thecomposition of viola and piano workswas a chamber-music competition for asonata or suite sponsored by El izabethSprague Cool i dge. The prize was $1000and a performance at the secondBerkshire Chamber Music Festival onSouth Mountain in Pittsfield, Mas­sachusetts. The festival was run byMrs. Coolidge from 1918 until 1925, atwhich time she endowed the ElizabethSprague Cooli dge Foundati on to promotechamber music through commissions,public concerts, and festivals (e.g.,the Coolidge Festivals held in CoolidgeAuditorium at the Library of Congress).

The 22 Ma rch 1919 issue of Musi calAmerica carried an announcement of theCooli dge competition. The followingwere li sted as members of the jury:LQyis Bailly Qf Paris (violist of theFl onza1ey Quartet and 1ater to be thefirst viola teacher at the CurtisInstitute in Philadelphia), HenriRa bQyd Qf BQstQn (em i nent Frenchcomposer, conductor of the BostonSymphony Orchestra for the 1918-1919season, and di rector of the Pari sConservatoire from 1922 until 1941-­Mr. Rabaud was forced to resign fromthe jury at the end of April due tocommitments in Paris; and was replacedby GeQrge LQngy Qf Bcs'ton-r-Fr'ench oboevi r-tuoso, fi rst oboe of the Bos t onSymphony Orhcestra from 1898-1925, andfounder in 1916 of the LQngy SchQQl ofMusic, Cambridge, Massachusetts),Frederick Stock Qf Chicago (engaged in1895 as first viola of the ThomasSymphony Orchestra--later the ChicagoSymphony Orchestra--and in 1905 asconductor, a post that he hel d untilhis death in 1942), Rybin Goldmark QfNew York (composer and teacher who was

t«

appointed head of composition at theJuilliard School in 1924), RichardAl dricb of New York (mus! c editor ofthe New York Times from 1902-1923), andGeQrge Copeland Qf BQstQn (pianist andexponent of avant-garde music of thetime). The announcement goes on to saythat the prize-winning work woul d beperformed by Mr. Bailly and Mr. Cope­1and (who was for some unknown reasonrepl aced in the performance by thereknowned pianist, Harold Bauer) at thesecond Berkshire Festival. ThecompetitiQn was to close on 15 July.

In the competition, the remarkablenumber of seventy-twQ manuscripts wereentered anonymously. (The large numberwas 1amented by Mr. Gol dmark inaletter to Mrs. Coolidge, included inher correspondence at the Libra ry ofCongress.) In the end, the jUdges weredeadlocked in thei r deci s i on betweentWQ pieces. Mrs. Cool idge had pre­viously invited the jUdges and perhapsa few others to a private hearing ofthe prize-winning cQmposition scheduleda month before the festival. It wasshe who then broke the tie. The winnerwas the Suite of Ernest Bloch. Much tQeveryone's amazement, the secondcomposition was the Sonata of anunknown young woman, Rebecca Clarke.

Rebecca Clarke's Sonata

Rebecca Clarke was born in England,studied composition with CharlesStanford and viola with Lionel Tertis,and came tQ the United States in 1916.At the time of the competition, MissClarke was an acquaintance and neighbQrof Mrs. Coolidge in Pittsfield. JudgesAldrich and Stock--both of whomapparently had favored the Cl arkeSonata for the prize--commented toMrs. Coolidge in letters immediatelyafter the hearing that it is as wellthat the award went to Mr. Bloch. Hadit gone to Mi ss Clarke, it WQul d besaid that it was given, to quoteMr. Aldrich, "through influence orfriendship or some other motive thathas no place in such a competition."

He expressed the fear that a judgementin favor of Miss Clarke would have hada disastrous if not fatal effect on theintegrity of the Coolidge competition.

The first public performance of theClarke Sonata took place at Pittsfieldon 25 September 1919 at the secondBerkshi re Festival with Louis Bailly,violist, and Harold Bauer, pianist.The other works on the program were theBeethoven String Quartet in A minor,opus 132, and the Elgar String Quartetin E minor, opus 83, performed by theBerkshire String Quartet of whichBailly was a member that year. HerbertE. Peyser in Mysical America, 4 October1919, wrote of the Festival:

•.• And of a truth, Mi ss Clarkecould hardly have achieved morenotoriety had she carried off theprize money itself ... It wasliberally applauded and earned theyoung Englishwoman an ovation whenshe came out tQ bow at the finish.

The sonata, wh il e by no meansmusic of signal importance orappreciable distinctiQn ororiginal ity, is yet a product ofhealthy and agreeable talent,conceived in real sincerity ofspi rit and executed with noi nconsi derabl e adroitness. Itbetrays few evidences of labor andits 1ack of tedi ous music-maki ngis accentuated by a very prai se­worthy conciseness. The work wasbegun, it appears, in Hawaiiand finished in Detroit. It has apoet i c motto, two li nes from deMusset's "Nuit de Mai": "EQWprends tQn 1utbe. 1a vie de 1ajeunesse Fermente. cetta Quit dansles yeines de Dleu." ("Poet takethy lute, the life of youth pulsestQnight in the veins Qf GQd.")

Upon the subjective program hereinafforded, Miss Clarke has writtenthree movements of which tWQ arecouched ina ki nd of vehementsenti mentalism with an evocative

13

and capricious scherzo serv tnq ascontrastive interlude ••• Inharmonization of her mater­ial. •• the composer q u I c k l ydemonstrates how effectually shehas absorbed Debussy and hi sdi sci p'l es and apostl es, even toour very own Charles MartinLoeffler•.•Best of all, the sonatais written with as fi rm grasp ofthe viola's capabilities (it isMiss Clarke's instrument) and apiano part of independent richnessand amplitude. In the balance andcoordination of the two will befound one of the gratifyi ngfeatures of this ingratiatinglysuperficial work. The stunningperformance by Messrs. Bauer andBailly would have exalted muchless interesting music.

The manuscript (preserved in theLibrary of Congress) indicates that thesonata was finished in July, 1919.Miss Clarke herself performed the workearly in 1920 in a New York Cityconcert to which she invited Mrs. Co­oli dge.

Bloch's Suite

The Swiss composer, Ernest Bloch,studied violin and composition in bothSwitzerl and and Germany at the end ofthe nineteenth century. He came to theUnited States in 1916 as conductor fora dance company and taught bothprivately and at the Mannes School inNew York during the years 1917-1920.He apparently had been contacted byMrs. Coolidge about her viola competi­tion, for on 27 May 1919, he wrote hernoting the suggestion she had made tohim several months before and ask i ngfor the regulations of her competi­tion. The Suite was given its firstpublic performance on 27 September 1919at .t.he Berkshire Festival in Pitts­field, again by Bailly and Bauer. Theother works on the program were theSaint-Saens String Quartet in G major,opus 153, and the Beethoven Septet inE-flat major, opus 20, performed by the

14

Berkshi re quartet and guests. Peyser,in the Musi cal Amerj ca review of 4October, is ecstatic:

The suite is not only great music,it is epoch making. It will beplayed in New York this winter-­perhaps even twice, and thecomposer is preparing an orches­tral translation of the luxuriantpiano part. There will beoccasion then to delve more deeplyinto its secrets and analyze morepenetrat i ngl y its mean i ngs andmethods. For fi rst judgement onsuch a creation is prone to befallible in all but the certaintyof greatness.

Of sensuous charm and allurementsthereof there is none in th i smusi c of awful gri p and terr1fi cconcentration. The mood in thefirst movement is drasti c,cutti ng, bitter, with exoticsuggestiveness--an exoticism ofthe Far East--that of the secondunutterably saturnine. I find itimpossible to dissect and considerthe thing from the standpoint ofharmony or thematic material. Yetthe structure is as so11 d as thefoundati ons of the universe andnothing is wasted or overmanipu­lated ... The third is a lentoof mystic introspectiveness andboundless nobility of concepti on-­a movement weighted with fathom­less beauty. The suite will becaviar to all but those whoinstinctively feel its primevalforce. All honor then, tothose whose vision was sufficientto award it the palm. Mr. Blochwas, I must repeat, ten timesfortunate in the interpreters hehad at his service.

According to Bloch's notes in thesketches (preserved in the Library ofCongress), except for the fi rst twomeasures which come from earlier workdone in New York in 1917 or 1918, thesuite was completely written in New

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FANTASIA IN C MINOR

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York in 1919; it was begun in February,interrupted in March by a boutw i thinfluenza, resumed· in April, andcomp1 eted in May. The sketch of thelast movement perhaps gives an indica­tion of his joy of recovery fromi nf1 uenza and the end of winter as hewrote "sun and flowers!" at thebeginning. The final score bears amotto that is not i nc1 uded in theprinted version: "Sapientia, meditationon mortis, sed vitae" (Wisdom,contemp1 ation not of death, but oflife).

What were the other seventy works?A little more sleuthing is necessary toascertain this information. HugoKortschak, first violinist of theBerkshire Quartet and the person whocoordi nated the efforts of the jury,may have been the only person to knowthe names of the competitors. Thusfar, I have found no conclusiveevidence about other entries. Did thecompetition i nspi re Arthur Foote torevise his cello sonata into a violasonata <l919}? Is there any possibil­ity that Hindemith' s Sonata, opus 11,No. 4--written and fi rst performed in1919--found its way across the At­lantic? Political circumstances of thetime make it seem improbable despiteindications that the contest wasinternational in scope. Did LouisBailly (as he mentioned he might in aletter to Mrs. Coolidge) bring composi­tions from France to be entered in thecompetition? Perhaps these specul at­ions will eventually bring someanswers. If not, the search itsel fwill have been intrigUing enough.

Ann Woodward is Professor of Music(Viola) and Chairman of String Instruc­tion at the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill. Her recordingof Phill i P Rhodes Partita for Solo~ has recently been released by TheMi nnesota Composers Forum. She isco-author with David Boyden of thearticle "Viola" in The New Groveo i cti ona ry of Musi cal Intryments andauthor of the chapters on viola in Ih&

16

BaroQye Viol in for the Early MusicHandbook Series to be pub l ished byFaber. She was the first recipient ofthe D.M.A. from. Yale University anddid her undergraduate work at Ober1 inCollege and Curtis Institute of Music.

A Musician's Diaryby

Maurice Gardner

There are some instrumentalists who,on switching from viol in to viola,think of themselves as disappointedviol inists. I however, have alwaysthought of myse1 f as a disappointedviolistl

Oddly enough, it was through myviol in studies that I became a compos­er. I managed to keep my teacher busyby writing difficult second viol inpa rts for him to accompany me as Ip1 ayed my unprepared Kreutzer exer­cises. I soon discovered that it waseasier to write unp1ayab1e music thanto write music that was practical andthat lay well under the fingers.

My i ntroducti on to stri ng quartetsat an early age was the beginning of alove affair with the viola. It was theresonance, the timbre and parti cul ar1 ythe pivotal position in the quartet(acoustically and harmonically) thatwas so attract i ve , Then I composedseveral quartets of my own--withimportant viola parts, of course--thusincreasing my understanding of theinstrument.

My experiences as a compositionstudent at the Juilliard School weremost fortunate. I had several wonder­ful teachers: Howard Murphy andLeopold Mannes, who not only encouragedme, but gave continually of their timeafter hours. I studied secondarypiano, played viola in the orchestra,

,

•

•

attended wind and brass sectionrehearsal s and haunted the organpractice rooms in order to explore thekeyboard.

All this was abruptly changed when Igot my first job at the ParamountTheatre in New York as a sort of juniorcomposer in residence. One of my manychores was to compose a short but loud"overture" each week. The stage 1evelin full view of the audience. At theconcl usion of the show, the orchestradescended out of view. Later, Idiscovered that the reason for thefortissimo performance was to cover upthe noi sy and squeaky el evator mechan­ism! Aside from "elevator" music, thiswas a dynamic laboratory for learninghow to orchestrate effectively.

I had begun to do some free-l ancewriting and before I realized it, I wasswallowed up in the world of motionpi ctures, radio, recordi ngs, and 1ateron, television. Things were neverstatic. One week I might be called onto write background music for a murdermystery drama and the next week tocompose a music score for a motionpicture or to help "doctor" an ailingbroadway musical.

It was an exciting and stimulatingexistence, one filled with musicaltreasure--an extraordinary way to learnone's craft. True, it involved hardwork and at times .long hours, butdespite this, I continued to pl aystring quartets weekly. I started theGreat Neck, N.Y. Symphony, conductedfor 10 years, became partly involved ina music publishing venture and develop­ed two hobbies: photography andsailing.

As for composing music seriously,there simply was no time. I di dcompose a work for stri ng orchestrawhich was performed several times inNew York and I did have some ideas fora viola sonata which I finally got tomany years 1ater. In an effort toreduce some of the pressures, I gave up

my post as conductor of the Great NeckSymphony and was made Honorary MusicDirector.

Interest Reawakened

In 1970, I moved to Flori da where Iwas able to gradually set aside some ofthe demands of the commercial worl d.This new envi ronment was qut te condu­cive to explore, sketch and developsome more serious musical ideas. Itwas not surprising that the very firstproject would be the viol a sonata thathad been fl oati ng a round in the backof my head for so long.

By 1ate 1976 I had comp l eted mySonata for Solo Viola Triciniymfollowed by Variations on the King'sHynting Jigg based on a theme by JohnBull (under the pseudonym of AlessandroGa r da no ) , These two works werewell-received and letters of encourage­ment and performances began to comein. Th i sled to a commi ss i on thefollowing year from the WilliamPrimrose Library at Brigham YoungUniversity to compose a larger work forviola in honor of Primrose's 75thbi rthday. Th i s work, Rhapsody forViol a and Orchestra, was premiered atViola Congress VII at Brigham YoungUniversity in Provo, Utah.

I came away from this performancefilled with renewed energy and ambi­tion. By the time my plane landedin Miami, my ears were ringing with newideas for a concerto for violin, violaand orchestra. The following year, achance meeting with Paul Doktor, whosepl aying I had always greatly admired,led to a series of sight-readingsessions of all my latest viola works.This gave me the unusual opportunity toshake down these compositions beforethey were publ ished. It was a wonder­ful learning experience to discussfingerings, tempi, form and even suchproblems as page turns with this superbperformer and teacher who is on thefaculty of the Juilliard School.

17

Another fri end who proved to be amost inval uable asset was MargaretPardee who is also 'on the Juilliardfaculty. Miss Pardee. who is a finepedagogue and teacher of vi 01 in andviola. supplied me with numerous tapesof performances of my vi 01a works bymany of her students. This gave mekeen insi ght as to how the pri ntednotes were interpreted in actualconcert performance. The tapes alsohelped me to judge whether my technicalapproach to the viola was practical andclear and whether my musical ideas cameacross to others as I had intended.

I must also mention the brilliantyoung violist Paul Neubauer for whom Iwrote my Fourth Sonata for Viola aridPiano. Paul. who was recently appoint­ed principal violist of the New YorkPhilharmonic, gave this work a doublepremiere. First on radio station WNCNin New York and then on the Isl e ofMan at Viola Congress XII in August.1984.

Writing for Viola

I have been asked how I approachwriting for the viola. My firstreacti on would be to say the same asany other solo instrument. But oncloser examination. I must confess thatI do know and understand the viola bestof all.

Here are some of the approaches thatI find effective in my writing forvi 01 a:

1> Use of open stri ngs duri ng fastpassages. This gives the left handthat extra split second in which tochange strings or position. Thus.diffi cult passages become eas i er toexecute and sound more brilliant:

,,-- r o--,.~:;;I1.....'~ 0---"""II It- I' -- -- I,~19 &OJ $-" e"W":: Ar ~!. j

~at~;:tQSJ~~ -

Concerto for Violin. Viola & Orch.*

18

2) Use of those notes that lie in theharmonic series of each string--thosenotes are bri ghter. speak faster andhave more resonance:

Brilliante h

11""4 Imp,w~~ .

I

~Variations On The King's Hunting Jigg*

Suite for Violin &Viola*

4) Insistence on lots of "white space"between staves in the engraved music sothat the pri nted page doesn't have thelook of a "road map."

5) Omission of time and key signatureswherever possible to reduce clutter onthe printed page:

mp-==Tricinium Sonata*

6) Use of resonant doubl e-stops andchords desi gned to show off thecoloring and power of the viola:

". >

~~5~'"~"- ! 'F 61::::=:3 b19= ~ I 'E E ~=:=Ji~ 'Iy.- ~ -.V~

If r p~.--:.....J .

Phantasmagoria Sonata*

CODA: I trust that the reader willforgive my introducing autobiographicalmaterial into this ~~icle. It was the

only way possible to present the storyof how and why I came to write so manyworks for the viol a. I am a "bornagain" composer, so to speak, who 1 ikeRip Van Winkle took almost fifty yearsto awaken and pick up where he had leftoff as a young man!

*By permi sst on of Staff Music Publ i sh­ing Co, , Inc , • Fort Lauderda1 e, FL33334.

Maurice Gardner. who has enri ched therepertoire for viola in recent yearsthrough numerous compositions, is acomposer living in Florida. His workshave been heard at past viola congress­es.

Lira da braccio

VIOLA WORLD PROUDLY PRESENTS THREE NEW PUBLICATIONS

FANTASY by Holon Matthews

CHACCONE by Vitale

SONATA #12

FOLLlA CON VARIAZIONIby Carelli

" . . . is a very interesting and well writtencomposition, idiomatically conceived for theinstrument It well deserves a place in theviola repertoire I"

- Robert Glazer, Internationallyacclaimed recitalist and recording virtuoso.

" ... everyone wants to play it I"- Kate Harlow, Sales representative,

Printed music division. Robertson & Sons, Inc.Albuquerque, New Mexico .

" ... perfect for teaching I"- Elizabeth Birnbaum, Director of Strings

The Dalton School, New York City

AvailableatSS.SOeachfrom VIOLA WORLD14 FENWOOD ROADHPNTINGTON STATIONNEW YORK 11746

II,

! :

F r

About Violists • • • •

Loufs Kfevman Honored by ASTA

Louis Kievman. a member of the Executive Board of AVS and former edftor ofthe Vi01 a Forum in the Ameri can Stri ng Teacher. was awarded a "Citati on forExceptfonal Leadership and Merit" by the American String Teachers Associationat their recent convention in Spokane. Washington. Professor Kievman. formerlya viol ist in the NBC Orchestra under Toscan trrt , has long been a leadingperformer and teacher in the Los Angeles area. He was on the faculty of theLionel Tertis International Vfola Competition and Workshop last summer at theIsle of Man. He is presently teaching and conducting master classes in China.Ki evman has made many contri buti ons to the growth and development of theAmerican Viola Society. We congratulate him for this well deserved ASTArecognition.

Samuel Rhodes Features Hfndemfth

Samuel Rhodes. violist fn the famed Juilliard Quartet since 1968. present­ed three recitals featuring works for the vfola by Paul Hindemith during thelast three months at Carnegie Recital Hall. Mr. Rhodes fs to be congratulatedfor presenting three recitals of such magnitude. recitals which demonstrate therich legacy of musfc Hindemith left for the viola. The programs and assistingartists are listed:

20

January 12Samuel Rhodes withRobert McDonal d.pianoDonal d MacCourt.heckelphone

Sonata with Piano.Op. 11 tl4

Unaccompanied Sonata.Op, 25 til

UnpublishedunaccompaniedSonata. Op, 31 tl4(American Premfer)

Trio for viola. piano&heckelphone

March Z3Samuel Rhodes withJan DeGaetanf. mezzo­sopranoCynthfa Rafmo pi anoSteven Tenenbom.viol aJoel Krosnfck &Bonnfe Hampton.cellos

Sonata with piano.Op. 25 tl4

Unaccompanied Sonata.Op. 11 tiS

Des Todes Tod(contralto. & 2violas &2 cellos)

Sonata with piano.1939

Aprfl 27Samuel Rhodes withLucy Shelton. sopranoHfroko Yajfma. violinJoel Krosnfck. celloHenry Schuman. oboe

String Trfo tl2Unpublished Unaccomp.

SonataDuo for viola and

celloDje Serenaden

(soprano. oboe,vfola & cello)String Trio, Op. 34

"QUARTET"by

Homer Clark

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New Works • • • •

PNJl DOCTOR TO PERFORM NEW WORK

Paul Doktor. accompanied by the Plymouth Symphony Orchestra. will performa new Concerto for Viola and Orchestra. April 14 in Plymouth. Michigan. Thework was composed for Doktor by Robert W. Jones. The composition was commis­sioned by the Plymouth Symphony especi ally for Doktor. who has long beenassociated with the development of interest in the viola in Michigan. Doktorwill also be one of the performers at the XIII Viola Congress in Boston thissummer.

Franz Zeyri nger writes that the Internati onal Vi01a Soci ety recentl y madePaul Doktor an "Honorary Member." This citation has been accorded to only oneother viol i st. the 1ate Will i am Primrose.

A list of compositions for viola by Robert W. Jones is appended. They areavailable from the composer at: 11179 Terry St •• Plymouth. MI 48170.

SONATA DA CHIESA (Words of Praise)solo viola and unaccompaniedmixed chorus

SONATA FOR WORSHIP #8viola and organ

SONATINAviola and piano

TOWER SONATINAviola and piano

SONGS AND DANCESviola 'end cello

A J OVFUl NOISEhigh voice and violatext from Psalm 98

CONCERTOviola and orchestra

WORKS BY SPANISH COMPOSERS

Guillermo Perich of the University of Illinois recommends a number ofcompositions for the viola which he has premiered:

Concerto for Viola and Orchestra by Josep SolerVariations and Fugue on a Theme by Alban Berg for Viola and Piano by

Joseph SolerTwo Pieces for Viola and Five Instruments by Maria Teresa Pelegri

Those interested in these works should write Mr. Perich at the School ofMusic. University of Illinois. Urbana. Il 61801.

22

NEW MUSIC FROM MINNESOTA

INNOVA: New Music from MinnesQta is a rscordtnq that includes PhillipRhQdes Partita fQr SQ1Q ViQla perfQrmed by Ann WQQdward, viQla; Richard GriffinStri ng Oua rtet NQ. 1 performed by a quartet frQm the St. Paul Chamber Orches­tra; and Homer Lambrecht DiamQnd Light performed by Les Thimmig, bass clari­net. It is avail abl e from Minneso'ta Composer-s Forum, MarketHQuse, 289 EastFi fth St., St. Paul, MN 55101. The cost is seven dol l ars ($7) pl us a do'l l arand fifty cents ($1.50) for pcstaqe,

FOR VIOlA. CELLO. ANO PIANO

Compcser Dorothea Austin has just completed her ANALOGY fQr ViQla, Cel Io,and PianQ. This piece is a valuable additiQn tQ the sparse repertQire fQr thisunusual combtnat.f on and will have its wQrld premiere in New York City in thefall of 1985.

AlthQugh the compcsf t ton is written in a 20th-century idiom, it draws onresour-ces of the Roma·ntic century, especi ally lyricism and senSUQUS beauty Qft.one.

Dcrotnea Austin lives in New York and is on the music faculty of Queens­bQrQugh Community CQllege in the City University Qf New YQrk.

Of Interest • • • •

PRIMROSE MEMORIAL. SCHOLARSHIP FUND

The William Prtmrose MemQrial scnot ar-shtp Fund recently received $400.00from the Canadian ViQla SQciety. We wish tQ thank Baird Knechtel, president Qfthe CVS and the members Qf the CVS fQr this generQUS gift. It had been plannedat the Houston Conqr-ass that the base sum of the WPMSF WQul d have reached at1east $10,000 by the time the Bost.on Conqress was hel d, and that the fi rstschol arshi p award coul d be made at that time. unrortunatety thi s has nethappened. The present base fund tQtals $6,494 and by June 85 the interest willaccrue tQ $6,770. Friends and fQrmer students Qf William PrimrQse whQ have nQtyet corrtr-tbutsd t o the Fund are invited t.o send a corrtr tbut ton t.c Dr. AnnWQQdward, Treasurer Qf the WPMSF. Members Qf the committee presently adminis­tering the WPMSF are Baird Knechtel, DQnald McInnes, Ann WQQdward, and MauriceRiley, chairman.

23

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Philadelphia, PA 19104(215) 386·7247

THE HISTORY OF THE VIOLABy

Maurice W. RileyThe first book to deal with all aspects of the viola from ca. 1500 to the pres­ent. The instrument, its music, and outstanding violists are discussed andevaluated. The Foreword is by William Primrose. An appendix contains over300 short biographies of outstanding violists. Over 400 pages of photo­graphs, music, and text.

NEW LOW PRICES: Paper $15.50 Cloth $20.50Maurice W. Riley

512 Roosevelt Blvd., YpsilantI, MI 48197

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CAROLYN BROE'S RESEARCH ON J.S. BAOi'S USE OF THE VIOLA -

\Carolyn W. Broe, a grftduate student at the California State University,

Long Beach, has written a thesis, "An Investigation of J.S. Bach's Treatment ofthe Viola: The Cantatas and the Brandenburg Concertos." Ms. Broe discussesBach's use of the viola in-his vocal works, and in particular the Cantatas, inwhich Bach frequently wrote for two violas. The author traces the style ofwriting for viola in three separate historical periods: ll) The Pre-WeimarCantatas; (2) The Weimar Cantatas; and (3) The Coethen and Leipzig Cantatas.

Ms. Broe shows with numerous examples that Bach lent to the viola partsmore melodic and contrapuntal interest than had earlier composers. Based onher research, Ms. Broe proposes that a new dating for the Six _BrandenburgConcertos be considered: "backdating Nos. 1, 3, and 6 to Weimar ll708-1'717)before Bach's influence by Vivaldi in 1713. Concertos one and three wereoriginally cantata sinfonias which Bach later converted to concertos. Thesixth concerto was derived from an earl ier Weimar trio sonata, which wasexpanded to a concerto for the Dedication Copy."

THE INTERNATIONAL VIOlA SOCIETY

Professor Alfred Uh1, advisor to the IVS, has been made an honorary memberof the Singyerein of the Gesellschaft del' Mllsikfreunde in Vienna. (Two of hispredecessors were Franz Schmidt and Johannes Brahms.)

Note is taken of the election of Guenter Ojstersek, violist in theDuesseldorf Symphony, as vice-president in the IVS presidency.

The proposed European congress in Paris during 1985 has been postponed. AJubilee Congress of the IVS is announced for 1988 at Kassel, West Germany.

From the Presidency • • • •

COMPOSITION COMPETITION

Weber State College is sol iciting original unpub1 ished manuscripts forsolo viola with or without percussion, of approximately 20 minutes in lengthwith three or more contrasting movements, which are suitable for an originalchoreographic work. Winner will receive a stipend of $1000. plus round tripexpenses to the work's premiere on January 31, 1986. Manuscripts (includingparts) must be received no later than September 1, 1985. Mail to: Dr. MichaelA. Pa1umbo, Director of Orchestral Studi es, Weber State Coll ege, Ogden, UT84408 - 1905.

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ASPEN NEEDS VIOlISTS

The Aspen Music School currently has positions open for viola students inthe 1985 School Session, June 24 to August 25. These openings will be filledon a competitive basis (a taped or personal audition is required) and scholar­ship assistance is available. Faculty will include Atar Arad, Robert Becker,Lawrence Dutton, Lill ian Fuchs, Jeffrey Irvine, Lynn Ramsey Irvine, MasaoKawasaki and Karen Tuttle. Interested students should write for a catalog andapplication to:

The Aspen Music School1860 Broadway, Suite 401New York, NY 10023(212) 581-2196

--Dwight Pounds, Vice-President, AVS

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

SCHOOl. OF MUSiC

ANN ARBOR. MICHIGAN 481011

ANNOUNCEMENT OF poSITION AS VIOLIST, FALL 1985

POSITION: Violist. Teach unrlergraduate and graduate students. Continueprofessional performance activities.

QUALIFICATIONS: Successful experience as an outstanding teacher of viol a;ability to sustain a distinguished viola class of under­graduate and graduate students; experience and nationalrecognition as a viola soloist, chamber musician or orches­tral pl ayer.

RANK: Open to negotiation.

APPLICATION: Letter with vitae.

DEADLINE: April 19, 1985

CONTACT: Professor Lawrence Hurst, ChairmanViola Search CommitteeThe University of Michigan School of MusicAnn Arbor, MI 48109

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VIDEO TAPES

Internationally famous as a soloist and masterteacher, Donald Mcinnes is now presented infour exciting volumes of Video Master Classes.

Students and teachers can now watch Mr.Mcinnes work with eight professional levelstudents between the ages of 18 and 30 in aunique learning situation. Unlike attending alive master class where you have only a singleopportunity to absorb everything, these videotapes offer review and re-play as often asdesired.

Each video tape is in full color, nearly onehour in length, and features two major worksas listed.

ORDERS ARE SHIPPED IN 24 HOURSlIII'Shar Products~'W.l.I° P.O. Box1411 • Ann Arbor MI 481061-800-521-0791 In Michigan: 1-800-482-1086

DM·1 Volume 1Master Class: Bartok Concerto 1st mvt. Terti.Competition winner Cynthia Phelps; Bach 0 Majorunaccomp. (I).

DM·2Volume 2Master Class: Brehm. Sonata in Eb Major; Bach Dminor unaccomp. (I).

DM-3 Volume 3Master Class: Walton Concerto tst mvt.; VitaliChaccone.

DM·4Volume 4MasterClass: Brahms Sonata in F Minor;Wolf"Verbmgenheit"; Debussy "Beau Soir"

VHS or BETA II (specifyI 5100.00Four Volume Set $385.00

%• format also available SI.3O.ooFour Volume Set 1500.00