AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETY(formerly Viola Research Society)

American Chapter

of the

INTERNATIONALE VIOLA FORSCliUNGSG'ESELLSClIAFT

--,-----------------------_._--------------April NEWSLETTER 18

THE-- EIGHTH DlTERNATIONAL VIOLA CONGRESS

19~O

JULY 3 - 8, 1980, GRAZ, AUSTRIA

The International Viola Reaearch Society will host the Eighth Inter­national Viola Congress lnGraz, Austria on July 3, 4, 5, and 6. Becauaeof loglatlcal proble.a, the or1g1l18.1 81te of sal zburg became unavailableand the congress was moved to Graz. Graz 1s tOne second largest city inAustria with a population of 250,000. An imperial city, Graz baa almost1,000 historically preaerved medieval homes and 40 arcaded eourtyarda.It 18 about 130 miles trom Vienna and about two and a he.If houra bytrain. AlthouEh BalzbUr! would have afforded a magnificent location forthe congres8, Graz will undoubtedly afford an equally lovely site in muchless crowded surroundings. For thef1rst time, tb.e congreas will be spreadover four daya, allow1!1@' a bl t more brea.th1ng apace and the chance for allpart1cipants to take in some of the exceptionally beautiful countryside orstyrla.

This oongre.1 will have a nice balance of viola recitals, chamber musicconcerts that feature tb.e viola, lecture., lecture-reeltals, panel dis­cussions, and orcheatral concerts--one by the Kammerorchester of theAcademy of Music in Graz, and tvoby the United states Air Force Orchestra.Performers and speakers w111 be troll Au.tria t Germany'; Hungary, Italy,Sw1tzerland, and the United states. Some of the more unusual concert. willbe by The Hungarian Harp Trio (music for harp, Violin, viola, and violad'amore), The Leasing Trio (music for viola da gamba, baryton, arpeggione,viola, viola d'amore, and cello), and a lecture-recital dealing with "TheMusic for Viola d'amore and Viola."

By now, all members of the American Viola Society Ihould have rece1vedthe brochure announe1~ the congreaa,and two cards: one for registrationand the otner for hotel reservation. The prices for hotels in Graz areglven in Austrian Schillings. As of early April, the rs.te of exchange was

AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETY, INC.: Dr. Myron Rosenb lum, Pre sident, 39-23 47th st.,Sunnyside, N.Y. 11104; Dr. Maurice Riley, Vice-President. 512 Roosevelt Blvd.,ypsilanti, MI. 481~7; Marna street, Secreta~, 3 Allegheny Center, Pittsburgh,FA. 15212; Dr. Ann Woodward, Treasurer, PO Box 1134, Chapel Hill, NO, 27514.Ed! tor of the American Chapter Newsletter: Myron Rosenblum. InternationaleViola Forachungagesellschaft (IVFG): A-5020 Salzburg, c/o HochsehulettMozarteum,11 Au.tria.

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approximately 1 AuatriaD achilling to U3 .07¢, or about 14 Austrian8cllill1nga to ODe American d.ol1ar. Registration by mall sh.ould be doneby June 5th at the latest, or you can appear to register in person inGraz on JUly 2nd. Payment ca.nbe in dollars or schillings and should. besent to the Ste1ermlrklsche sparkasse Graz J Konto No. 0000-904250

If you did not re ce 1vethe brochure and would like one, write 1romed 1..ately to American Viola Society, 39-23 47th st., sunnyside, NY 11104, andone will be sent to you. We look forward to aeeing you in Graz.

1981 INTERNATIONAL VIOLA OONGRESS: lXhe IX. International Viola Congresswrn take pla·ce In-¥ORONTO-;-CANADA, June 11 - 14, 1~81. A. Baird Knechtel,head of the Canadian Chapter and host of the oongress, 18 working out afine program with emphasla on Canadian artists, teachers, lecturers, andperforming groups. We will keep you informed or ita developments aatbe congress time approaches.

AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETY BY-LAWS: You Ihould have race!ved the proposedBy-Laws in the mail wlt6the Graz congress brochure. We urge you to readit through carefully. When you have done so, please return the form en~

closed with your vote for or against the By-Lawa.Tl1e Board of Dlrectoraof the AVS endorses these By-Laws and urges you to approve it.

CHAPTERS: According to the proposed By-Lawa, local or regional chaptersmay-biCreated by ten or more members of the society in accordance withthe stlpulatlons.la1d down in it. Prof. Virgin1a Schne-lder or the Unlv.or Louisville and principal viola of the Louisville Orchestra hal more thanten members of the soc1ety in her area interested in forming a chapter. Welook forward to nearing of its activities. It any member of the societythinks he orane can form a chapter and would like to do &0, please writeto Marna street (addresl on first page) with all detaila.

THE BRITISH VIOLA RESEARCH SOCIETY gave a concert on March 13. 19~O ofiiUilc by Kenneth -HaMing: This concert, directe·d by Ha.rry Danks ,containedmusic tor viola ensemble. The works performed were Sonatina for Two Violaa,D1 vert1mento for Four Violas, CODcertante for F1 va Vlo1aa, and Idyll forTwelve Viola•• The concert wa.g a suece.8 and the Idyll for twelve violaa wallespecially well liked.

RECORDINGS: Barrl Danks informs us that plans are underway in England tolssue-iNcording of Arnold Bax' 8 sonata for Viola and Paino recorded byLionel Tert1a in 1929. This was never issued unfortuna.tely. Should- theaeplans be realized, we will let you know and try to ,m·ake some arrangementto b.ave this disc ava11a.ble to our membera.ABILITY DEVELOPMENT Associates, Inc., Box ~81, Athens, Ohio 45701 1.

relealing a fascinating colleotion of recordings of great string players.The Malter. of the Bow series contains a few disos "in preparation. It Amongthem Ia-i·dIsc~iILLIA.M PRIMROSE (as violin1st) performing music by Bach,Purcell, Sa1nt-~aenl, Mendelssohn, Cnopln, Arenaky, Kreisler, and Boccher1n1.Write to Ability for more information on this recording and for theircatalogues.

THE NEW YORK fINESt SUNDAY EDITION NOVEMBER 18, 1979 had, a very movingtrloute to wlt11am PrImrose on t~DratIon of hI. 75th birthday. Writingof Mr. Primrose'. recent and current aotivities, Raymond Ericson pra.laedPrimrose aa "the man who probably more than any other turned the viola intoa concert instrument. If or Primrose t a interest in contemporary· music,Ericaon wrote, "Mr. Primrose was re 8ponslble for greatly enlarging the

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viola ooncerto repertory. He oomllls81oDed worka from, amo~ others, DarluaM11haud, Peter Racine Fricker, Quincy Porter, Karl Amadeu8 Hartmann,Edmund Rubbra and Bela Bartok. 'I tried to get concerto. out of Prokofiev,S1bel1u8 and Vaughan Wl111a•• ~' he aaid, 'but never succeeded. I hav~n'tlost interest in new music. I don't ahut my ears to it, even when I don'tunderstand 1t. After all, when I first pl:a:Ted Bartok, you oould be run outof town for doing 80.'"

FRANZ ZEYRINGER'S LITERATUR FB-R VIOLA: The Amer1can Viola Society has a1IiDIted -numDer or copies or-tfils ImpOrtant aource" book. We don' t know theexact coat, but it ahould be less than priced at retai'l music snopa. Ityou donlt own thla and would like to have a copy, please write to us at39-23 47th st., Sunnyside, NY 11104. We hope to get a definite pricevery ioon.

VIOLA WORLD PUBLICPTIONS continue. to release arrangements of music forvIo1a. Recent-releasee lnclude:Gluck l

• Melody from "0rfeo," Jop11n'.Solace, Ibert'l The Little White Monkel, Chop1n's Nocturne, Mozart'.Menue'tto Dive rt1iiento, WlenawailIi -Le,ende, and Dvorak t s Romance, OPe 11.~r1te to Viola World PUblication., 14 4 enwood Road, Huntington station,New York 11746 for the1r broc"hure and prices.

RARITIES FOR STRINGS PUBLICATIONS nas Just sent us their 1980-1981 cata­1ogue. TheIr editIons of vIola music continue to grow, w1th emphasis onquality music by Ieaear-known composera. New additions to their cataloguewill be of interest to viola playera: A. Rolla·; Duet tor TwO Violas,Jean Fel1~ Prot'. 6 Duos tor TwO Violas, C. Graupner'a Slntonla for Violad'amore (or V1ola), 3 Violaa, Basloon, Cello, and Continuo! G. Zuccbl'aTema con Varlaz10nl for Two Violas and Cello, M. Locke'a "The Flat Conaortfor my Coua1n Kemble tt tor Three V101aa J A. Rolla'il Serenata, OPe 8 forViolin and Viola, K. stamltz'. Duo tor Viola and Cello, A. Rolla',. TwoTrios for V'lo11n, Viola, and Oe1'lo, A. Rolla I s Trio for Two Clar1nets andViola, O. GibboDS'S Two Fantasias for Vio11n, Viola, and Cello, J. Pezel 1 •

suite in D for Violin, Viola, and Cello, and G. Donlzettl'. Romanza torVoice, Viola, and Piano. Many of these editions are still 1n preparation.Rolla' a Serenata, OPe 8 tor Vio11n and Viola (tuned a third below) 1.currently available at a cost or $5.00. .Add 5% to cover mai11ng andhandling. Texas residents must add an additional 5% sale. tax. Rarltleacan also supply a recently-released recording ot Max Reger'; Three-surte.for Viola solo, performed by Lu1gi Alberto Bianchi. This disc sells tor110.00. plus 5% handling and shipping (Texas resid.ants must add 5% salestax). For brochure and information, write to Rarities for string. Publi­cation_, 7321 Brentf1eld Drive, Dallas, TX.75248.

VIOLIN AND VIOLA CLINIC directed by Lilo Kantorowlcz-G11ck will take placeat BennIngton CoIiege;-vermont June 29th to July 20th, 1980. For more in­formation, wr1te to Christine Graham, Director, Bennington Workshops,Bennington College, Bennington, VT 05201.

FRIENDS OF PRIMROSE INTERNATIONAL: Ron strauss, member of the AVS, Violist,and a PrImrose pupIl, has founded ItFrlends or Primrose International." Thl.organization 1s dedicated to aponsorlng ~ .ultlt~d.,ot event. featuringMr. Primrose. Mr. strauss 18 also negotiating the reissuing of all Pr1m­roae'a reoording. made on 18 RPMI. The following 1s a short piece byRon straus. on these two 1mportant projecta:

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~ PRIMROSE PATH

It 11 my pleaaure and privilege to inaugurate a new addition to theAmerican Viola Society New.letter--- aeries or articles 1ntend.ed to keepyou apprised of the progress ot var10ua plana, projects, and activities,the primary purpose ot which 1s to bring before the musical world or the198011,& tlmele88, priceless legacy--the legendary art1atry of WILLIAMPRIMROSE.

The in1tial !iood news ls:t·hat· negotiations are current.ly underway toreissue each and everyone of some 75 d1fferent worka recorded by Primroseor the Primrose Quartet on 78 RPM d1aca. This project is definitely mater­ializing and there will probably be two or three box 8eta of vintagePrimrose released and distributed internat1onally.

Next: a non-profit organization called "Frienda of Primrose Inter­nat1onal" haa been created to organ1ze a series of public appearance.for Mr. Primroae end thus meet the continual :flow ·of requeata receivedover the year•• Mr. Primrose has agreed to undertake sucb a series orpublic appearancea. These eventa w1l1 encompasl a rather unique lectureentitled, tiThe Instrument With No Trad1tion," one or more Master Clas.ea,and, bopetu:lly, a presentation or filils ot Primrose perform1ngand/orsome of the vintage recordings of the 19408. It may be possible that aspecial d1aplay of early photol and rev1ewl will also be provided.

The f1rat of such event. w1ll take place in Loa Angelea sometime inMarch or April. It 1; all very exciting and 80 far haa been met with atremendoua relpODse.

ROD straussFounder, Friends ot Primrose IntI.1~11 N. TamarindHollywood, CA 90028

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THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF WALTER LEBERMANN TO

VIOLA ~ITERATU~*

by Maurice W. R1ley

Lebermann'. chief concern is to make the music he prepares ready forperformance without altering any of the compolsr's original intent. He makeait clear that his editions are not to be confused with the all-too-commonarra,ement publications in which edi tori or arrangerl take undue libertieswith he original score. Music written or printed in the eighteenth centurywould be difficult, it not impossible, for twentieth century musician; toread. This music requ1res considerable editing before it 1s su1table torpresent-day publication. MUB1c of the Baroque requires realization of akeyboard part trom the original figured bass. It 18 a1ao partiCUlarly im­portant to write out the ornamenta which conatltute such an integral partof that musical style. Such ornamentation was frequently omitted in theoriginal notation. When Lebermann work. on a concerto of the Classio period,

* Reprinted from American S,ring Teacher, Spring, 1977, 19, with permissionof the American string Teac·ers Aasoclatlon.

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he wri tea out cadenzaa In the appropriate atyle and place for eachcompoalt1on.

Walter Lebermann's work cons1ata largely of copying muslcfrom micro­film and photographic copies. He baa edited over 80 PUblication. of work.for wind, keyboard, and stringed Inatrumenta. In considering his total­output, the number of work. he M,S edited for viola 18 impressive. Leber­mann, himself a vlo11at, bas been aware of the sparsity of available .eighteenth-century viola music and bas given special emphasis to preparingworks for his chosen instrument. Among the compositions, he has added sig­nificant edltlona to the vio11st'. repertoire. The following chronologicallist represents some of IJebermann' 8 output.

Walter Lebermann Edition.

Carl stamltz, Six Duet. for 2 Viola•• Malnz: B. Scnott~ 1955.K.D. vo~Dltter8aOrrt Doncerto in F Major for Viola and P1ano,

Krebs T.V. 168. Kainz: B. Schott, 1959.Georg Benda. Concerto in F Major for Viola and Piano. Ma1nz: B.

Schott, 1968. ----K.D. von D1ttersdorf, Duo in Eb tor Viola and Cello, Kreba T.V. 218.Kainz: B. Schott. ---

K.D. von Dltteradorf, Divertimento in D for Violin, Viola, and Cello,Krebl T.V. 131. Ma1nz, 196§.

P. Nardini, Six Duets for 2 Violas. Malnz, B. Schott, 1969.Carl stamltz, Duo in C Major tor Violin a.nd Viola. Ma.1nz, B. Schott,

1969.J.F.K. Sterkel, S1x Duets for Violin and Viola, OPe 8. Kainz;

B. Schott, 1969.J.N. Hummel, sonata in Eb Major for Viola and Piano, OPe 5, No.3.

Malnz: B. Schott, 1~69.Anton stamltz, Concerto No. 2 in F~r for Viola and Piano. Kainz:

B. Schott, 1~9.

Carl stam1tz, Sonata in Bb Major for Viola and Piano. Kainz: B. schott,1969.

Joseph Haydn, Six Sonata. tor Violin and Viola. Malnz: B. Schott, 1~70.F.X. Br1xl, Concerto In C Major for vio!a and:P1ano. Ma1nz: B. Schott,1970. ---------

Georg Ph. Telemann, Concerto in G Major for 2 V!Elas and Plano. Malnz:B. Schott, 1970.

Jean-Marle lsclalr, Six sonatas tor 2 Vl01a8. Ma1nz: B. Schott, 1971R. Hofstetter, Concerto In C Major tor v!oia and Piano. Malnz: B.schott, 1971.

Anton 5taml tz, Concerto No.3 in G MaJor tor Viola B.nd Piano. Wlssbaden:Bre1tkopt & Hirte1, !971. ------ T

Anton stamltz, Concerto in Bb Ma~tor_Vlo1a and Piano. Ma1nz: B.schott, 19'72.

Anton stamltz, Concerto No.4 in D Ma12r for Viola and Piano. Vlesbaden:Bre1tkopf & Hlrtel, 1973. -------

Francesco Gemln1anl, Adagio and Fugue in Eb Major for Solo Viola. NewYork: C.F. Peters, 1974.

Heinrioh Biber, Paasacag11a in C Kinor for solo Viola (transcriptionof the violin veralon). New York: C.F. PeteraJ~9767

Johann G. Graun, Concerto in Eb Major for Viola and Piano. Hambur!:Slmrock, 1976.

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Walter Lebermann was Vice ~realdent of the International Viola C0¥treaa [sic]untIl this paat .ummer~97~ when he reslgnea-Decaul8 or poor hea h. Sorn,February 23, l~lO in K8r18r~he, Germany, he haa lived in Frankturt-am-Malnsince 1929. Hi. principal violin teacher was Adouph Rebner. At an early ageLebermann developed a preference tor the viola, an instrument which hemastered by himeelf. Atter World War II, he joined the Radio symphony otFrankfurt. a posl tlon he he Id unt1,1 1904. Since then he has utilized hi.talent, experience, and knowledge in editing music for West German pub­lisher••

(Ed1 tor' 8 Note: Since the appears,nee or th18 art 1018 in 1977 , Prot.Lebermann bas wr1tten us to tell of a subsequent edition of his. It 1s:

Andrea- Gabrie11, R1cercar1 Nos. II, III and V for :3 Viola. andVioloncello (acore-ina-pirtIY. Malnz:-B. schott, 1977.J----

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by Myron Rosenblum

The Breitkopt Thematic catalOjUel . ottera &_ tascinating view ot the1natrLtJD8.n"£ilmuslc iriown-ind a-Va- Iibie' in ce rta in guropean music circlesat the end of the 18th century. Although. the bulk of th.e work. favored arethe more popularmedla of the day (violIn, symphony orchestra, etc.), thelnclua10n of more than just a handful ot viola 8010 and chamber worka maygive a little tood for thought to those musicologista and cr1t1ca who ottenderide the viola as an instrument with no music of its own.

The work. I1.ted in the catalogue have 1nc1plta and appeared inBre 1tkopr t 8 listings between the yeara 1762 and 1787• Although many otthese. compositions seem to have become lost in the passage of time, itmay be an intriguing thought to violists to think about them and whatbas been loat to our repertory. Aa l1sted in the catalogue, the works are:

Trio - del Sgr. FERRANDINI a Viola obbl1!., V!o11no, BassoConcert! dl LEOP. HOFFMANN

I & II: a 2 Viol. conc., 1 V10la cone., Violonc. cone., 2 V1ol.2 Obol, 2 Corn1, B.

III: a 1 Viol. cono., Viola cone., Violono. cone., 2 Viol.2 Obol, 2 Corni, B.

IV: a 1 Viol. cone., Viola cone., V1olonc. conc., 2 Viol. V. S.VI: a 1 Viol. oone., Viola cone., V101onc. conc., 2 Vlo11, B.

solo dl HERTEL 8 V10la con Bassosolo dl GRAVEL a Viola con BassoDivertimento d1 KOHAUT a Viola, Lluto oblige e Violoncello

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1 The Brei tkopf Thematic cataloeue I The Six Parts and S.!!teen Supplements17b2=!187, ed. B8.rry Brook, New York, :r~

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Partlta dl SIMONETTI a Cemb. oblige V10la oblige Violonc.oblig., 2 Flautl e Violonc.

Trio dl GIUS. HAYDN a Flauto, Viola. BassoConcertino d1 LEOP. HOFFMANN a Viola primo cone., Viola sec. conc.,Violonc. cone. 2 Viol., 2 Corn1, 2 Obol, e B.

Trli dl LEOP. HOFFMANN (3) a Viola, Flauto trav., e B.Trio di SIMON a Viola, Vlo11no e BassoDuett1 dl PANCRAZIO HUBER a Vlo11no e Viola, OPe 1 Amst.serenata da Carlo D1ttera. a 2 Cor, Viol, 2 V10le e B.Conoerto da Pesch a Viola cone. 2 Viol., V. e B.III Qulntettl da Carlo Stamltz a Corno, Viol. 2 Viole e B.III Concerti da Carlo Dl tters:

I & II: a Viola princ. 2 Cor. 2 Viol. V e B (G a1\4 "J' Ma,or)III: a Viola princ. 2 V101. V e B (E flat Major)

S1nfonla Concertante da Jos. Demachl a 2 Cor. 2 Ob. 2 Viol. e Violacone. 2 Viol. V. e B. Op. XI, Lyon.

II Concerti da G. Benda:I a Viola cone. 2 e., 2 Viol. V e B.

II a Viola Cone. 2 e., 2 Viol. V e B.Concerto da C.E. Grat a Viola cone., 2 V·lol. e B.Concerto da Giov. Fed. Kranz a Viola cone. 2 C., 2 Clar., 2 Viol.,

V e B. OPe I, Weimar.S1nt. da Carlo Stamltz a Fl. pr., Viola pr., Viole! pr., 2 e.,

2 Clar1nettl, 2 Viol., V. e B.Sinf. cone. da DAVAL~: No. IV: with Viola obligeII Slnf. cono. da st. George, OPe X, Parlg1

I: a 2 Viol. pr., Viola pr., 2 Viol. e B.II: a 2 V1ol. pr., Viola pr., 2 0 •• 2 Ob., 2 Viol, V e B.

VI Duett1 da Christ. stumpff a 2 Viole, OPe XV, Franct. sur Ie Mein.CODc.erto da Grenzer a Viola princ. 2 C•• 2 Viol. V 8 B.Concerto da Guia. Michl a Viola princ., 2 e., 2 Viol. V e B.Divertimento da Ant. Zimmerman a Cemb., Viol. e Viola.Slnfonla da Kaffka: No. IV -- a 2 e., 2 Ob., 2 Fag., 2 Viol. V eB. (Vlo11no e -Viola obI. in Adagio).

2 Concerti da Preus a Viola pr., 2 C., 2 Obo., 2 Viol.,V e B.

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TH~ STlm![§, ETUDE~ AND CAPRICES OF LILLIAN FUCHS

by David L. 5111a

A striking fact impresses anyone examining the literature of technicalmaterial for viola: many viola students work their way through book. ofviolin etudes (Kreutzer, Rode, perhaps Paganln1). The value of this materi­al Is-unquestioned, but too often the well-meant viola transcription. followmore or 1es8 verbatim the editions of famed nineteenth-century vlo1inlata,and thus fail to answer the needa of those who would understand the uniquetechnical possibilities of the viola. Even the older viola etude. (Hoff­meister, Campagnol!, etc.) fa11 to satisfy these needs,. since much of thefoundation tor this understanding has been laid since the beginn1ng ofthis century.

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We have learned, moreover, that techn1cal materials need not be devoidof artistic mer1 t, sacrificing musics.! interest in fa.vor of Ob·s8s81ve repe­ti t1on. Such repet1 t10n 1s often merely ted.lou8; 1 t does not in any cagereflect the practice of composers, who simply do not write like that. Wemay conclude that study material, to be relevant today, ahould treatvlo11atlc problems and solutions 1u.& musically satisfying setting, allow­ing varied technical aspects to appear in close conjunction.

These requirements serve as an admirable description of the three book.of study material wr1tten by Lillian Fuchs: the 15 Characteristic studies,16 Fantasy Etude., and 12 Caprices. In these thr;e books, a range oftechnIque rougfiIj equivalent to tnat from the Kreutzer Etudes to the­Pagan1n1 Caprlc8a is covered. with emphasis on vlo11stlc proDlema, es­pecially ~uar-ng awkward string-ero.sings, overstretching out of position(orten in both d1rectlons), and the use of nigher pos~tlon8 on the lowerstrings. Flexibil1ty and independence of the fingers are also .tressed.as is absolute control of the le!ato bow, a point too often ls.eking in thetraditional curriculum.

Simplest of the three is the 15 Chars.cter1stic Studies, written 1n 1965as an introduction to the 16 Fantasy Etudes and published by Oxford Uni­versity Prese. Many important technlca~ed8 are taken up: fluency andindependence of finger technique in all pcsl tiona, dOUble-stop and. chordplaying, the trill and double-trill, difficult string-crossing, and thelegato and staccato bowlngs. In add1 tlon, the music is charming and lmagln·8­tlve, an lmports.nt factor for the student.

More difficult are the 16 FantaSt Etudes, written in 1959 as an intro­duction to the 12 Caprices and pub! shed by Internat10nal Mus1c Company.Here the format Is 1es8 varied, but still rewarding oW'lng to the -imagina­tive tonal sense, which stretches the ear without offending it and. pre­pares the fingers tor the unusual combinations found in our modern reper­toire. More complicated mixed bowlngs appear as well as d-lfflcult double­~top passages. or particular interest are the Marzlale, No. 15, and thePreclpitoao, No. 16, a perpetuum mobile. Each book, in fact, ends with aperpetuum mobile.

The most difficult of the books, the 12 Caprices, was written for Mis.Fucha'a own practice and- 1s published by BOOa8Y & Hawkea. Here, intricatebowlngs and complex psasages in double stops abound; complete control ofthe bow and lett hand are required to master them. Yet, a deft touch, withgrace and hUllor , prevails throughout. Like each of the other books, thl1one contains a fugue (in a single line, challenging the student to clearlydifferentiate the voices), a march, and, of course, a final gerpetuummobile.

All of these works are 1ntend.ed for didactic purposes to be sure, butthe student who has mastered them and performa a group of studlea in con­cert can get double mileage from them. They add. a. welcome variety to aprogram a.nd are unfai11ngly successful with aUdiences. Th1a versatilityalone speaks volumes for these remarkable oontributions to our technioal11 te ra ture.

ERRATA

Kiss Fucha has indicated to this writer that the following printing error.appear in her books, wh1ch have not been mentioned in print until now:

15 CHARACTERISTIC STUDIES

VI. measure 54, second beat should have a trill algn, 8S inmeasure 17.

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IX. meaaurea 4 and 21: the second beat Ihould have E-aharpa andnot F-snarp8 as printed.

XI. measures 25 and 60: the aecond beat ahould have double Ds inplace of the D-F double stoP.

16 FANTASY ETUDES

3. meaaure 42: 11th note should be A, not B as printed.13. measure 13: first beat ahould have an alto clef after the

first note, returning to treble clef after the first noteof the second beat (a glance at the next measure will makethis clear).

12 CAPRICES

IV. measure 14: the last printed slur should have dots beneathit, as in the first half of the measure. AIIO, in measure30, all unslurred notes should have dots, 8S 1n the follow­ing measure.

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FIDDLING VIOLA PLAYERS

by watson Forbes*

There was a t1me when, if you "were not even good enough to play 2nd vio11n,you could always take to the viola. Buried deep in the harmonic texture,the v10la player could get away with. murder. These ds.ys are gone. The viola-­and sometimes the viola player too--has become respectable and respected. Ithas .taked out 1 t fa ground and become recognized as a real solo 1natrumentin ita own rlght--but there 1s a snag.

I think the idea was originally imported from the Continent and it hasspread to America; the idea of playing the violin and viola. We in thlacountry h.ad established the viola as 8. instrument ae8erv1ng special study.Viola tone and. viola techn1que were someth.ing quite apart from f1ddling.And indeed, until recent times we had kept our establishment. Now, however,the rot has set in, and one 1s expected. to be amb1d.extrous. Composers likeStraVinsky J and others in increasing numbers, are wr1 tlng violin and violaparts~-for one player changing about from violin to viola and back again.It 1s a custom which looks as though it has'come to atay. Those players whohad started on the violin and only later changed to the viola were at anundoubted advantage. At one time some teachers recommended a term or twoon the viola because they felt this added d.epth to their violin tone. Al­together, it 1s seemingly easier for violinists to take to the viola thantor viola .players to cross over to the violin. I have known few successfultransfers.

* Reprinted from Newsletter No.9 of the British Branch of the Viola ResearchSociety

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But, what really bothers me as being tmralr', 1s for a violinist, es­pecially one who has graduated into the top rank, to pick out the tew un­doubted gems from the viola player's repertoire and to concentrate only onthese. God knows we ha.ve 11ttle enough first-rate repertoire pieces, andwe all blesa and welcome the occasions on which we have the pleasure ofplaying them.

Be1ng a viola player carries with it certain long-term rasponslbl11tles.tNe have to spend q,ulte a lot of time playing works of mediocre musicalvalue but often of special interest to the viola for particular reasons.We have in the course of this century rediscovered a great deal of realviola music originally written for the instrument, and we have had it editedand pUblished and have played 1t. It has often proved to be good propagandafor the viola as a 8010 instrument. Then we have encouraged composers towrite for our instrument, but it would be foolhardy to believe that everynew work was a masterpiece. However, great musio does sometimes emergethrough the devoted work of viola players--the Bartok Concerto, the WaltonConcerto, t,he viola works of H1ndemlth and 80 on, and 1t 1s not churlish tocomplain when violinists come along and reap the harvest in performancesbased on their reputations as viollnlata. Who d.oes the donkey work?

Of course, we viola players are not guiltless; we do invade the reper­toire ot other instruments. We do play Brahms C·larlnet sonatas, theSchubert Arpegg10ne Sonata, the Bach Gamba Sonatas, and so on--but we doplay them on our own instrument, B.nd it' 8 not just laziness that ma,kes UIdo this. We love and tree.sure the special qua11ties of the viola, and whilewe may have to do a little fiddling on occasion, we do it generally underduress. We don't SUddenly take up a violin and launch into the MendelssohnViolin Concerto or the Brahms or the Beethoven. And 80, I think we haveevery right to say to violinists, hands off our repertolre--unless theyare prepared to take the rough with tne smooth.

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1~80 DUES: If you haven't already paid your 1980 dues, we urge you to doso on-receipt of this Newsletter. By comparison to many other societies,our d.ues B.re modest. Unless tne society has a certain fund of money fromits members' dues, it will not be able to continue offering its Newsletters,spec1al music, books J and re cordill@.s t or maintain the minima! expense Bneeded for running the soc1ety~ Printing, mailing, and stationery costshave risen dramat1ca,11y in reoent years, so, we need your help ana. support.Please send in your dues--$10.00 for regular membership; #5.00 for studentmembership, checks payable to American Viola Soc1ety, to Dr. Ann Woodward,PO Box 1134, Chapel Hlll, NO 27514.

STATE ZIP---------- ---------- -------

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Marna street, our current secretary and currently violist in thePittsburgh Symphony,has just informed us that she will be assumingthe position of principal viola of the C1ncinattl symphony in a veryshort time. Owing to this new position, she will no longer be ableto continue her position B·s secreta.ry of the society. Congratulationsto l\11arna; we thank her for all she' 8 done during her tenure with us.

If anyone would like to be considered for secretary of the society,plea.se write so to Prof. Robert Slaughter, 1",05 l~. Riley Rd. J Muncie,Ind1ana 47304. Be sure to send a Curriculum Vitae along with yourletter. Your name will be added to the list of candidates when sub­mitted to the Board of Directors.

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FRANZ ZEYRINGER ' s tiThe P~oblem of Viola Size" 1s currently 8val1s.blefree to all members of the A,mer1can Viola Society.

If you would like to receive a copy of this, kindly fill out theform below and return it to:

AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETY39-23 47th st.Sunnyside, NY 11104

It you already received a copy of this at the Provo Viola Congresslast July, please do not request another copy. We have limited copiesfor the other membirs-01 the AVS who did not attend the congress andfor new me mbe rs.

Detach and mail to the above address

Please sa nd me a copy of F. Zey ringer's II The Problem of Viola Size. n

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CITY ,

Please indicate when you paid your 1980 dues----,-------------,If you have not paid your dues, plesse send along a check, payable toAM[RICAN VIOLA SOCIETY with this form. You will not receive this unlessyour 1980 dues are up to date. lJ ues are: #10.00 regula'r membership and #5. 00

for student membership.