JOURNALof the

AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETYChapter of

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

Vol. 4 No.2 Summer 1988

Features

3 The Acoustics of the ViolaCarleen M. Hutchins

19 Bach's Cello Suite No.5:A New Approach

Richard R. Efrati

23 The Kassel Congress-­A 20-Year Jubilee

Dwight R. Pounds

27 Departments

The Journal of the American Viola Society is a publication of that organization, and isproduced at Brigham Young University,~ 1985, ISSN 0898-5987. The Journal welcomesletters and articles from its readers.

Editorial office: BYU Music, Harris Fine Arts Center, Provo, UT 84602, (801) 378-3083Editor: David DaltonAssistant Editor: David Day

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OFFICERS

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Maurice W RileyPast President512 Roosevelt Blvd.Ypsilanti, MI 48197

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Paul DoktorMilto" KatimsDonald MclnnesRobert OppeltJoseph de PasqualeDwight PoundsThomas Tatto"Marcus Thompso"Francis TursiKaren Ii,ttleA"n Woodward

COORDINATOR WITHCANADIAN VIOLA SOCIETY

A. Baird Knechtel

FOUNDER

Myron Rose"blum

HONORARY PRESIDENT

William Primrose (deceased)

cJl"WChapter of the Internationale Viola-Gesellschaft

I II

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THE ACOUSTICSOF THE VIOLA

by

CARLEEN M. HlJTCHINS

The viola has been characterized as"the ailing member of the violin family-­too small for its tone range--to large toplay comfortably under the chin."(Bessaraboff, 1964). Yet it is the violawhich holds the string quartet together.It was the viola which Mozart preferredto play. It was the viola for whichBrahms and Hindemith wrote so beauti­fully, exploring the rich low blendingsounds and highlighting the characteris­tic upper tone-range.

In his book, The History of the Viola(1980), Maurice Riley has documentedmost effectively the early beginnings ofthe viola and its place in the musicalliterature of our culture.

My concern for many years has beento try to document and understand theunderlying mechanisms which make forthe differences in tonal qualitiesbetween the viola and the violin, and todiscover the acoustical characteristics ofthe best violins and violas. Afterconstructing and testing, both electroni­cally and musically, over 150 violas ofall sizes from 12 to 20 inches in bodylength as well as testing many famousviolins and violas, I believe I have a fewof the answers.

Taste In Viola ToneToo often there seems to be a trade­

off between the full rich wonderfullymellow low sounds of the viola andfacility in playing in the higher posi­tions. Since it is seldom possible toachieve the rich low tones of the big16t to 17t inch violas in those around16 inches or less in body length, eachviolist is confronted with a similarproblem. The player has to work out atrade-off to suit his or her own physical

characteristics and tonal concepts inrelation to playing demands.

During the three years in the early1960s that I worked on constructingviolas under Simone Sacconi's directionwith the encouragement of RembertWurlitzer, I was privileged to followSacconi's drawings of the MacDonaldStradivarius viola, with comparisons tothe patterns and tests I had alreadymade of the Casavetti Strad viola inthe Whitall Collection at the Library ofCongress with the help of Boris Kroyt.Violas which I have made on thispattern have turned out to have goodtone and playing qualities with especia­lly fine sound in the higher register,but I have never been able to attainthe full range of rich low tones thatcan be produced in the somewhat largerviolas patterned after the work ofGasparo da Salo. The very beautiful,sophisticated C-bout curves and thenarrow upper bouts of the Stradpattern viola make it very difficult toachieve the wide flat arches of theGasparo pattern, which seem to causethe differences in tone qualities.

Early in my viola-making I wasprivileged to talk to Jay C. Freemanwho had built up the WurlitzerCollection during the first part of thiscentury. He indicated that if I wantedto make violas with "real" viola tone, Ishould work from the Gasparo model(Hutchins, 1976). Fortunately, throughmy connections with F. A. Saunders,(then retired as head of the HarvardPhysics Department where he hadpioneered violin research in the USA)and Helen Rice, (founder of theAmateur Chamber Music Players), I hadaccess to the beautiful Gasparo violaowned by Eunice Wheeler of Worcester,Massachusetts, which Saunders hadtested many times in the HarvardLaboratories. Eunice was very generousin letting me make patterns from thisinstrument, as well as in comparing itstonal qualities to my own productions

3

III

Vibrational patterns ofa pair of unattachedtop and back plates.(Courtesy Carleen M.Hutchins and ScientificAmerican)

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over a period of thirty years. Eventuallyshe purchased a 16t" viola of mine,patterned after the big 17t" Gasparowhen she could no longer handle the bigone with ease.

Coupling of "AIR" and"WOOD" Vibrations

in Violin Family InstrumentsAs in every type of stringed instru­

ment, especially those of the violinfamily, there are a multitude of interre­lated factors to be considered. Almostany generalization about how a violin orviola works is apt to be wrong in somerespect. There is one generalization,however, that has emerged in my workthat so far holds good for any sizedviolin family instrument, namely: Themore evidence there is of coupling, orclose cooperation between the vibrationmodes of the wood of the box and thoseof the air modes inside the cavity thebetter the tone and playing qualities.This statement is based on electronictests of a wide variety of instruments ofthe violin family as compared with thejudgments of fine musicians, bothplayers and listeners over the last 30years.

Air Cavity VibrationsFor a long time it was thought that

Figure 1

there is only one effective "air" modein instruments of the violin family,namely, the so-called Helmholtz mode(here often referred to as the AO mode)which radiates strongly through thelow-string-side f -hole and reinforcesthe tones in the violin around C-C#near the open D string and those inthe viola around B-Bb-A on the low Gstring depending on size. We now know,however, from some very ingeniousexperiments done by Eric Jansson inStockholm (Jansson, 1973), that there isnot only the Helmholtz mode, but alsoair modes at higher frequencies insidethe cavity which do not radiatestrongly through the f - holes.

Jansson showed that the next highercavity mode-referred to as the Almode-is caused by air vibrations movingfrom one end of the box to the othersomewhat like the air in a closed tubewith a pressure maximum first at oneend and then the other with a node inthe middle. The frequency of this modeis controlled primarily by the length ofthe box--a very important factor in theacoustics of the viola. Jansson alsoworked out the geometry and ap­proximate frequencies of still highercavity modes of the violin as shown inFigure 1.

5

Violin "air" or cavity modes. The AD or "Helmholtz" mode at the left is a breathing modeof the whole corpus with the top and back acting like a bellows, particularly on thebassbar side, with the soundpost acting as the fulcrum of a rocking lever. It has beenestimated that the air moves in and out of the f-hole on the low string side at about 10miles per hour. The higher cavity modes, A I, A2, etc. are similar to closed tube modes andradiate out of the f -holes depending somewhat on their geometry.

VIOLIN "AIR" OR CAVITY MODES

AO Al A2 A3 A4 AS

"HELMHOLTZ MODE" _ maxir.lum sound pressure - - - minimUr.l sound pressure

after E.V. Jansson

6 Viola cavity modes are similar to thoseof the violin, but have lower frequenciesbecause the cavity is larger.

Since the length of an air column isone factor in controlling frequency, itcan be seen that the dimensions of thebox--the overall length--as well as thedimensions of the upper and lower bouts,are important in the frequency place­ment of these higher cavity modes. Incontrast, the AO, mode frequency islargely dependent on the volume of airinside the box and the size and charac­teristics of the f -holes. All of these"air" modes, however, are also affectedby the flexibility of the walls of thecavity, the top, back and sides of (ribs)of the instrument. The more flexible thewalls, the lower the frequency of thevibrations. Thus a viola with relativelythick stiff wood will have cavity modesthat are higher in frequency than aviola of the same pattern and size, butwith somewhat thinner more flexiblewood, other elements being equal.

The Two Lower CavityModes Compared in

Violin and ViolaIn the violin, the two lower cavity

modes, the AO mode and the next higherin frequency, the Al mode, lie within asemitone of the two open middle strings,the D and A. In the viola, they arehigher in relation to string tuning,namely, up around B-Bb_A on the Gstring and F-F# on the D string. Thisplacement of these cavity modes inrelation to string tUlling has been foundto be the most critical factor in tonequality between the violin and othermembers of the violin family (Figure 2).

Evidence for this statement has comefrom work on many sizes of violins andviolas as well as from the developmentof the eight "new" instruments of theVIOLIN OCTET (Hutchins, 1962, 1967,1984).

Figure 2

This shows the approximate placement onthe fingerboards of the violin and violaof the AO and Al cavity modes, and theBO and BI body modes. The downwardshift of these modes to the two openmiddle strings of the 20 inch viola is alsoshown. This shift is the result of thelonger body and increased cavity volume.

AO-BO"< ~

,"AO-BOt ' 'Al-Bl

/~

20"VIOLA 16"VIOLA VIOLIN

It has also been found desirable forevenness of tone to keep these twocavity modes, the AO and A I, ap­proximately a musical fifth apart. Justhow the early violin makers worked outthis relationship (among others) isnothing short of a miracle!

There is also a strong woodresonance, or body mode, here calledthe B1 mode, which lies fairly close to

the A 1 cavity mode. In the violin, thecombined sound from these two strongresonances is found near the open Astring, while in small violas it is foundon the low D string around F-F# and inlarge violas somewhat lower around E-Fon the D string. In over 100 tests ofviolins and violas, I have found that thebetter the tone and playing qualities arerated by owner-players, the closer infrequency are the two strong resonances,the Al cavity resonance and the strongbody resonance, the BI mode (Figure 2,see box # 1 for how these tests aremade).

The "Wolf-Note"Some violas are plagued with a wolf­

note in this E-F# range, particularlywhen these notes are fingered on themid-G string or upper C string wherethe A I and BI strong resonances lie.The reason for this is usually that undercertain conditions the combination ofthe two big resonance modes, A I andBI, creates more energy than the bowcan handle, causing an unsteady, warb-

Figure 3

ling tone. The more successful "wolfeliminators" function to absorb some ofthis energy at the frequency of thestrong AI-BI resonance combination,thereby making it possible for the bowto better control the tone. Players whocope with a wolf-tone are well awarethat the wolf-note changes in bothfrequency and character with tempera­ture and humidity. Such changes occurbecause the Al air mode and the BIbody mode are affected differentially bychanges in temperature and relativehumidity.

Effects of Humidity on WoodIt is helpful for string players to

realize that wood absorbs moistureslowly over a period of months, butwill dry out in one or two days (Figure3, Fryxell, 1965). This means thatinstruments going from a dry to amoistambient will change slowly, but whengoing from a moist to a dry one willchange rapidly. Experiments show thatthe modes of the wood are distortedduring the drying process when just the

7

Moisture pickup in an atmosphere of 100% relative humidity referred to dry indoor heat.Notice that the moisture pickup is gradual over a long period, but drops suddenly when thewood is exposed to dry indoor heat. (Courtesy of R. E. Fryxell).

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surface is dry and the inner portion ofthe wood still moist. This is why it iswell to let an instrument be in theplaying environment for at least an houror so before a performance.

Effects of Changes inViola Dimensions

Since the AO mode frequencyplacement depends largely on the volumeof enclosed air (other factors beingequal), while the Al mode placement iscontrolled largely by the length of thebox, changes in either rib height or boylength of an instrument will alter theirfrequency placements. Thus a shorterviola will have a higher A 1 mode, whileone with deeper ribs will have a lowerAO mode. If both these changes aremade in constructing an instrument,instead of these two modes being amusical fifth apart (as in the violin andnormal violas), they will lie nearly anoctave apart. In such a viola, the AOmode moves down to A-G# or even G onthe C string and the A 1 mode moves upfrom its usual placement around F-F# onthe D string to G-G#. This arrangementproduces two very strong tone rangesabout an octave apart with a relativelyweak area in between (Figure 4).

Figure 4

I got into great trouble with LionelTertis years ago when he asked mewhat I thought of his violas with theshortened body length and deeper ribs.When I tried to explain the relation­ships of these two big resonances andthe effects of moving them, he said:"Young lady, I don't care what youthink of my physics, I know what Iwant in a viola!"

In working with F. A. Saundersduring the 1950s and early 1960s, Imade various experimental violas tocheck the musical effectiveness ofchanging the frequency placement ofsome of these resonances. We triedplaying Mozart two viola quintets onviolas with shallow ribs (t" high)(higher "AIR" frequency) and with extradeep ribs (2t") (lower "AIR" frequency).Also short violas and extra long onesto raise and lower the frequency of theAl (body-length controlled) air mode.

We found that Mozart had writtenso well for the strong tones in theviola as he knew it, that when thesetwo big resonances were moved awayfrom their conventional placements, thequintets did not sound well! Mozart had

9

In this hand bowing test of a Tertis Model viola, made by Arthur Richardson in 1957, notethat the two strong areas of resonance are about an octave apart, leaving a relativelyweak area between.

Bl' BI-Al

90-~~I-~4--l~r-------;I.oL---~H----lH-~rf\--+-~.-t----

decibel

Richardson-Tertis viola

tested by F.A. Saunders1960

c G D

open strings440Hz

10 intuitively written the solo parts for thefirst viola around the strong tones ofthe A 1 air mode and the solo parts forthe second viola around the strong tonesof the AO mode!

Matching the AO and the BO ModesOne of the lowest strong body modes

in both violins and violas usually liesfairly close in frequency to the AOcavity mode that reinforces the B-Bb

range on the G string of the viola. Thisbody mode, now called the BO mode,consists of a bending of the corpus andthe neck with a scissors-like motionbetween the end of the fingerboard andthe top. Figure 5 shows the geometryof this mode which has three nodes

Figure 5

This first bending mode of the violinneck and body is visualized in acomputer-created diagram based on ameasurement technique known as ModalAnalysis, which is being widely used toanalyze the modes of vibrating structuresfrom the Golden Gate Bridge to airplanes,truck bodies, tires and now violins.

VIOLIN II 295

"B-O" MODE

NODE

FIRST BENDING OF NECK AND BODY

Courtesy of Kenneth Marshall

(points of no motion): at the nut, nearthe heel of the neck, and across thewidest part of the lower bout (Mar­shall, 1985). It has been found thatwhen the AO and the BO modes can beadjusted to come at approximately thesame frequency, there is increasedclarity and enhancement of the tone ofthe whole instrument.

The pitch match or mismatch ofthese two modes can be heard if oneholds the instrument in thumb andforefinger at the node across thewidest part of the lower bout and thentaps lightly on the scroll alternatingwith a quick air blow into one f -hole.Both these sounds are very complex,but with practice their pitches can beidentified. Sometimes they are as muchas a third apart, or a tone or asemitone apart, or very close together.I tried this on a number of violas atthe XIII International Viola Congressheld in Boston in 1985. The only two ofthese in which the AO and BO modepitches matched were the violas ofBurton Fine and Walter Trampler(Figure 6 and Box 1).

Several violin makers who haveworked with me have become expert atadjusting the dynamics (the mass andstiffness of the fingerboard as well asthe mass of the pegs and the chinrest),which can alter the frequency of theBO mode. Early writings on the violinindicate that violin makers over theyears have found it desirable to havethe "wood and the air" at the sametone. Now that we know the mechan­isms which affect this mode matching,adjustments can be made withoutopening the instrument to alter woodthicknesses or rib height to achievethis mode matching in almost anyviolin, viola or cello. Details of thisprocess can be found in Catgut Acoust.Soc. J. (Hutchins, 1985; Spear, 1987).

Figure 6 11

16 3/4" Viola SUS 1252

BOX #1

520!lz

Figure 7 shows the resonanceplacements for the child size 12 inchviola. This small viola was constructedwith ribs shallow enough to create asmall enough air volume to bring theAD frequency well above the open Dstring. Also, the body needed to be

Tests for the wood-body modes (BO and BI) are made with a tinyaccelerometer (0.68 gram) which is extremely sensitive to vibration, waxedto the surface of the top over the bassbar near the foot of the bridge.A small (0.7 gram) high-strength magnet is waxed to the top of theaccelerometer and a coil placed over, but not touching, the magnet.Vibration from the coil-magnet transducer and pick-up-display from theaccelerometer are similar to the above tests. These so-called "transfer­function" or "response" curves for a 16 3/4 inch viola are shown inFigure 6.

Tests for both the cavity modes inside the violin or viola as well astests for the wood-body modes are made with the instrument hungvertically on five rubber bands--one around the scroll and one at each ofthe four corners.

For the cavity modes (AO and A I) a tiny loudspeaker is suspendedinside the box through one f -hole and a tiny microphone through theother in such a way that neither touches the wood. A single frequency(sine wave) signal is fed through the speaker, sweeping from 20Hz to20,000Hz, from an audiogenerator. The response inside the box is pickedup by the microphone and displayed on an oscilliscope and a chartrecorder.

GOA196Hz 293Hz 440Hz

open 9trlnS8

10

20

30

So-called "transfer function" or "response" curves of a 16 3/4 inch viola, that has finesound and playing qualities, show the frequencies and placement relative to the openstrings of the AO, A I cavity modes and the BO, BI body modes. A detailed description ofthese tests is in Box # I.

Child-Size 12 Inch ViolaIn developing a child-size viola we

were able to get strong tones on thelow C strong by having the AD mode uparound the open D string where it wouldreinforce the D range on the low Cstring an octave below (See box #2).

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Figure 7

Placement of the body and cavityresonances of a 12 inch viola relative tothe open strings. Note that the uppercurve made by hand bowing shows thepeaks made by "second harmonicreinforcement" which are not present inlower test made with a single frequencysine-wave input, since there are nofundamental tones below the AO mode.The AO l and the All-Bll peaks arecaused by the strong resonances anoctave higher. See Box #2.

'N!Ln IllCH VIOLA

90

decibel.

440Hzopen atr1n".

BOX #2

It is well known in acoustics thatwhen there is a strong sound orresonance, the ear will create theimpression of a strong tone an octavebelow using the strong resonance as itssecond partial when there is no strongfundamental present at that frequency.See "Sine wave input" curve of Figure 7.Also, in the bowed string tone, whichcontains all the harmonics of thefundamental, the strong resonance anoctave higher acts as the secondharmonic actually adding measurableresonance to the octave below. This isknow as "second harmonicreinforcement." See "loudness curve" ofFigure 7.

In normal violas, the strong AO(Helmholtz) mode around B-Bb on the Gstring acts as the second harmonic ofthe B-Bb an octave below which fallsbelow the open C string frequency.Violists can tune the C string down tothis range and hear the effect of secondharmonic reinforcement, but it is notmuch help with the viola tuned normally.

short enough and the wood thickenough to raise the Al (body lengthmode) high enough to maintain thedesirable fifth-apart relationship ofthese two modes. I have made severalsmall violas based on these principleswith good results. But, alas, economicfactors hamper their general production!

The 20 Inch ViolaIn 1956, Henry Brant, then composer

in residence at Bennington College,asked me for instruments that wouldcarry the sound of the violin intoseven other tone ranges coveringapproximately the range of the pianokeyboard. A search through severalhundred tests of violins, violas, cellosand basses showed one outstandingcharacteristic of the violin as differentfrom the other instruments. This wasthat the two biggest resonances, AIRand WOOD, as we then called them, inthe violins were approximately on thetwo unstopped middle strings, D and A.In contrast, all the other instrumentshad these two resonances higher infrequency as related t.o their tunings.Luck was with us, for this characteris­tic proved to be the clue to violinquality tone, giving the clarity andpower of the violin tone on all fourstrings (Figure 2).

The 20 inch viola was the first ofthe new instruments to be developed onthis principle, which took several yearsof cut and try with comparisons tocalculations and to available instru­ments. A small child's cello was foundto have the Al resonance at D# justabove the open viola D string, but theAO mode was much too low with thedeep cello-like ribs. Since calculationsof rib height as related to the resultingfrequency of the AO mode are veryunreliable, we decided to take progres­sive slices off the height of the ribsuntil the desired higher frequency wasattained. Each time a slice was sawnoff, the instrument was assembled andtested. Finally we got the AO mode

13

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"Loudness curves" made by hand bowing compare the placement of strong body and cavityresonances relative to the open strings of a 16 3/4 inch viola and a 20 inch viola. As inFigure 6, the All and Bl 1 peaks are caused by the strong resonances an octave higher.

frequency up near the open viola Gstring. The instrument with the two bigresonances close to its two open middlestrings proved most satisfactory with thefull rich sound and the clarity of theviolin in the viola range that we wereafter. The only problem was that theA I-Bl mode was still a bit too low. Sowe decided to make an instrumentslightly shorter than the 22 inch body ofthe l1ttle cello-turned-viola, thus gettingthe AO mode on the open G string andthe A 1-B1 mode combination on the openD string (Figure 8).

Figure 8

it is called, in concert in 1965, he said"That is the sound I have alwayswanted from the violas in my or­chestra." Lillian Fuchs commented that"it is exciting, but somewhat frighten­ing since it takes the viola out fromunder the chin." William Berman,violist of the New York Philharmonicand then Oberlin Conservatory, was sodelighted with the tone and playingqualities that he did learn to play thebig viola under his chin, and has usedit exclusively in orchestras and chambermusic groups all over the world for

15

9o---+--I--+---w~----t-J-+~""'-+---I----t--ft.----

decibels

90,--+--+--+++-_f--+--+_-+-__--f-lv-t _

44 Hzopen strings

A body length of 20 inches and a ribheight of 4.5cm has proved mostsatisfactory for the instrument wewanted, giving a full powerful clearviolin-type tone on all four strings withease of playing and a wide dynamicrange from ppp to fff. When LeopoldStokowski heard the first alto violin, as

over 20 years. The Catgut AcousticalSociety has produced nearly two dozenof these 20 inch violas, many of whichare in the hands of cellists who wantto play viola in chamber groups andorchestras. Randall Verner, a young manwith extra long arms, who studied withWilliam Berman, got his first job as

16 principal violist in the Portland OregonSymphony playing the "big one" underhis chin. -Walter Trampler has used oneof them with five strings, including theviolin E, to record the Bach ViolaPomposa Sonatas.

Electronic Tuning ofFree Top and Back Plates

for AssemblyWithout the method of electronic

free-plate tuning of the top and back ofeach instrument before assembly, wewould not have the good results we havetoday. This free plate tuning methodmakes possible the construction of anysize violin family instrument (from theseven foot contrabass to a 1/16 sizeviolin) with good tone and playingqualities which can then be the basis forfinal adjustments to bridge, fingerboard,soundpost, strings and tailpiece by anexpert violin maker to suit the tastes ofa particular player. The method has beendescribed progressively in the CatgutAcoustical Society Journal over the 20years of its development, with a fullreport in Scientific American (Hutchins,1981). "Plate Tuning for the ViolinMaker" was published in the Journal ofthe CAS and reprinted in the Journal ofthe Violin Society of America (Hutchins,1983 a,b). These published articles aremaking it possible for trained violinmakers to develop this method inrelation to their own practice of makingviolin family instruments. Many makersall over the world are reporting goodresults.

It is considerably easier to tie downthe range of desirable frequencies forviolin plate modes then those for violasdue to the variations in viola size.Although fine sounding violas in all sizeranges have been made, we are stillexperimenting to document this informa­tion more completely. Since the vibrationmodes of the free plates are largely anindication of plate stiffness and do notappear as such in the assembledinstrument, much further research is

needed to understand WHY the freeplate mode frequencies and theiramplitudes are such controlling factorsin the tone and playing qualities of thefinal instrument. WHAT happens isfairly well know, but the search goeson for WHY free plate modal charac­teristics are such controlling factors inthe tone and playing qualities of thefinished instrument, especially of violas.

Carleen Maley Hutchins has beenmaking and testing violins, violas andother violin family instruments since1950. She worked with ProfessorFrederick A. Saunders (1875-1963), whopioneered violin research in the USA,and has spent many years researchingthe acoustics of the viola. She hasgiven over 200 lectures, publishednearly 100 papers, many of them in theNewsletters/Journals of the CatgutAcoustical Society, an organizationfounded in 1963 with 20 members,which has grown to over 800 in 29Countries. She has edited 2 Benchmarkvolumes of collected papers in violinacoustics as well as the "Physics ofMusic" for Scientific American.

To date, Hutchins has made over 150conventional violas, 50 violins, 10 cellosand with the help of her associates inviolin making, over 100 instruments ofthe Violin Octet.

She has received many awardsincluding 2 Guggenheim Fellowships, 4grants from the Martha Baird Rocke­feller Fund for Music, and HonoraryDoctorate of Engineering from StevensInstitute of Technology, HonoraryDoctorate of Fine Arts from HamiltonCollege and the Silver Medal Award inMusical Acoustics from the AcousticalSociety of America.

She says, "1 still enjoy playing theviola for my own amusement. If I hadbeen a better musician, I might nothave gotten into all this!"

REFERENCES TO HUTCHINS ARTICLE 17

Bessaraboff, N. (1964). Ancient European Musical Instruments (October House,NY for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 503p).

Fryxell, R.E.

Hutchins, C.M.

Jansson, E.V.

(1965).

(1962).(1967).(1976).(1981).(l983a).

(l983b).

(1984).(1985).

(1973).

"The hazards of weather on the violin," Am. StringTeacher, Fall, 26-27.

"The Physics of violins," Sci. Am. 78-92 (Nov.)"Founding a family of fiddles," Phy. Today 20, 23-27."Brescian viola tone quality," Catgut Acoust. Soc. NL."The acoustics of violin plates," Sci. Am., 170-186 (Oct.)."Plate tuning for the violin maker," Catgut Acoust. Soc.

NL 39, 25-32."Plate tuning for the violin maker," Violin Soc. Am.

Vol. VII, No. I, 16- 35."Violin octet brochure""Effects of an air- body coupling on the tone and playing

qualities of violins," Catgut Acoust. Soc. J. 44, 12-15.

"On higher air modes in the violin," Catgut Acoust. Soc.NL 19, 13-16 (May).

Marshall, K.D. (1985). "Modal analysis of a violin," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 77(2),695- 709 (Feb.).

Riley, Maurice W. (1980). The History of the Viola, (Broun-Brumfield, Ann Arbor,Mich., 396p).

Spear, D. Zalkind (1987) "Achieving an air/body coupling in violins, violas andcellos: A practical guide for the violin maker," CatgutAcoust. Soc. J. 47, 4-7 (May).

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BACH'S CELLO SUITE NO.5:A NEW APPROACH

by

RICHARD R. EFRATI

The original manuscript of the Bach cello suites is lost. Most modern editionsof the suites are based on a copy by Anna Magdalena, Bach's second wife. Thismanuscript contains, however, a number of inconsistencies and notational errors.Fortunately, Bach transcribed the Fifth Suite for the Lute (Suite No. III pour faluth). This manuscript is still in existence, and is considered to be a more accuraterendition.

I started to play the viola relatively late in life. It was only natural that Ibecame interested in the Suites for Solo Cello as soon as I felt myself proficientenough to play them. At first glance, this music seemed to me Quite simple,especially when compared with the sonatas and partitas for solo violin. Hardly did Iknow what was in store for me!

The suite that fascinated me most was Suite No.5. Still, after having played itfor some time, a few places sounded Quite unsatisfactory to me. This all startedwith one note:

Allemande

For me it was obvious that the lower voice constitutes an imitation of theinitial theme, and I could not help playing the low D which is not in Anna Mag­dalena's copy. How happy I was when I got hold of Bach's version for the lute, andfound that the note was included! Soon other variations became apparent.

A nice story is told about Beethoven (it might also be true of some othercomposer). Beethoven gave a lesson while lying in bed. His pupil, wanting to annoyhim, struck a dominant seventh chord on the piano before leaving. After awhile, thecomposer could not restrain himself, got up, and played the final tonic chord. Inthe following examples, the final chord is missing, but strangely enough, nobody hasever taken notice of it.

Prelude, bars 40-43:

19

20 Bars 55-56: Compare bars 62-63:

IK~'~~~These errors of omission make one suspect that Anna Magdalena's copy is in fact atranscription, and that Bach conceived the Suite for a smaller instrument than thecello on which the execution of polyphonic passages and chords would be mucheasier. Maybe it was the violoncello piccolo which, like the viola, was held on thearm.

In the critical commentary in Barenreiter's edition of the cello suites, mistakesin Anna Magdalena's copy are pointed out, but no mention is made of missing notes.Using Bach's version for the lute, I completed the voice-leading wherever I deemedit to be essential. I feel this is a more accurate rendition of the composer's originalintentions.

222

~I- ~~ ... _"" e--

I I I I I 1 TTT ,

Here are still other passages to consider.

Bars 183-189:

The chord in bar 219 is notated in Anna Magdalena's copy as follows:

There appears to be a missing link in the voice leading, and the chord could becompleted as written in Bach's version for the lute.

Allemande.Bars 4-5. The notes added are written with dotted stems.

~~I • •I

21

2.

~• : I :

1\3o

~!

Gavotte IBars 1-4:

Bars 18-19:M

~

Courante.Bars 7-11: V 2 V

~.!)~•. ~j~~

3 2

~W'i'~"~

Gigue.Although many editors have not accepted the possibility of the D-flat in bar 16, itcan easily be justified by comparing Bach's lute harmonization.

...•

Bars 15-17: 2 3

eJ;~fm~~IfiR ~.~By comparing the holograph of the lute version of the Fifth Suite with AnnaMagdalena's manuscript, we can arrive at a more satisfactory interpretation ofBach's original masterpiece.

Richard R. Efrati lives in Switzerland and is a regular visitor to the IVSsponsored International Viola Congresses. He has devoted many years to the carefulstudy of the unaccompanied works for violin and cello by l.S. Bach. His book TheInterpretation of the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin and the Suites for SoloCello (Atlantis Musikbuch- Verlag, Zurich, 1979) is a penetrating and absorbing studyof the subject.

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Playing the ViolaConversations with William PrimroseDAVID DALrON, Brig/Will Yi111lig UllruL'rsityForpword by JANOS STARKERBefore the death, in 1982, of the renownedviolbt WilJiam Primrose, David Daltonengaged the musician in a lively series ofconversations that touched on almost alldspects of viola technique, performance,repertoire, recording, and history. This bookis a transcription of that dialogue, containingilluminating advice on holding the viola,bowing, tone, fingering, and practicing, allsupported by COpIOUS illustrations dndmusical examples, as well as insights onrepertoire for the viola-"an instrumentwithout tradition"-and on performances ofthe great concertos by Bartok and Walton.Punctuated with frankness and humor, thisbook is a tribute to one of the great artists ofthis century.

Contents:To th(' Reader 0 Viola via Violin? 0 Teacher dndStudent· The Lesson' On Practising'Holding the Viola' Thl' Art of Bowing' Moreon Bowing and Tone' The Matter ofFingering' Left-hand Techniques' OtherLeft-hand Considerations' AboutPerforming' On Stage' The Repertoire'Performance Practice and Interpretation'Programming' Recordings: How, and Whatto Make ofThem o Competitions' Toward aCareer' Eulogy 'Index

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THE KASSEL CONGRESS-­A 20-YEAR JUBILEE

by

DWIGHT R. POUNDS

Violists from Europe and the UnitedStates returned to the site of thefounding of the International ViolaSociety, Kassel, Federal Republic ofGermany, for its Jubilee Celebration,International Viola Congress XVI, onJune 16-19, 1988. It was in this city in1968 that Franz Zeyringer, with DietrichBauer, Dr. Francois de Beaumont,Wolfgang Sawodny, Berta Vulda andothers, formed the original "ViolaResearch Society," with no thought inmind that in a relatively short time theorganization would have internationalbranches in 10 member sections aroundthe world.

The organizer for this congress, Mrs.Uta Lenkewitz-von Zahn, had foreseenthat the celebration would be somewhatrestricted and wrote, "The congress inGermany will not be the great meetingcentre of all violists, as should beexpected. There are too many festivals,courses, congresses, 'days of...' duringthe summer, where many good musicianshave to attend to earn their money."Still, the congress featured someoutstanding recitals, lectures anddemonstrations.

In his welcome address of theopening ceremonies before a gathering of300 congress delegates and local citizens,Mr. Hans Eichel, Mayor of Kassel,briefly reviewed the city's long and richmusical history. It was specifically notedthat the Barenreiter Music Company,responsible for several IVS publications,was a local organization, and thatHeinrich SchUtz, Louis Spohr, andGustav Mahler each had connections tothe city.

Mr. Eichel's remarks were followed

by a recital played by Hadolf Schlich­tig, viola, and Georg Friedrich Schenk,piano. Featured selections included bothBrahms sonatas, Penderecki's "Cadenzaper viola solo," Britten's "Lachrymae,"and Milhaud's "4 Visages."

Chamber music was very much inevidence during this congress with bothstring and viola quartets, quintets andduos programmed in addition to thesolo recitals. Some of the youngestperformers, college students who formedthe Dusseldorf Viola Quartet, paradoxi­cally played the oldest music performedat the congress, with two sonatas forfour violas and cello by ClemensThieme (1631-1668) and two trios byFlorian Leopold Gassmann (1729-1774).Illustrating that their repertoire wasnot limited to pre-18th century music,the Dusseldorf Quartet later played aprogram featuring selections byTelemann, Xaver Thoma, VioletaDinescu, Max von Weinzierl, EduardPutz, and York Bowen.

Professional chamber groupsappearing at the congress included theSchonberg Quartet from the Hague,Netherlands, the Pfeifer and VerdiQuartets from Germany, and theConcilium Musicum from Vienna. TheSchonberg Quartet displayed stunningvirtuosity and amazing precision intheir performances of Berg's StringQuartet, op. 3, Webern's String Quartet,op. 5, and Schonberg's Second StringQuartet, op. 10. The Pfeifer Quartetplayed a moving rendition of Schubert'sQuartet in G Major, Op. 161, and theVerdi Quartet performed the Mozart"String Quintet, KV 516," the Shos­takovich Quartet No.3, Op. 73, and theBrahms "String Quintet, op. 88" in thefinal concert of the congress.

The Concilium Musicum, under thedirection of Paul Angerer, presented aprogram with works by Carl Stamitz,Johann Hummel, Mozart, Franz Krom­mer, Holzbauer, Destouches, and Adolph

23

24 Jensen for various combinations ofviolin, viola, viola d'amore, cello andtwo types of bassoon--all on originalinstruments and each selection beauti­fully played. Two lovely sisters, SusanneMarguerre and Anette Marguerre, playedviolin-viola duos by Wolfgang GUnther,J.S. Bach, Mozart, and Martinu.

Solo RedtalsSolo viola recitals were performed at

Kassel by Ulrich von Wrochem, GUntherOjstersek, Jerzy Kosmala, BarbaraWestphal, Bernd Rinne, and MartinStraakholder. Von Wrochem performedthe Hummel Viola Sonata, op. 5/3,Stravinsky's "Elegy" for solo viola, andFelix Draesecke's Sonata No. I for Viola,Op. 56/1. GUnther Ojstersek selectedworks by Herbert Blendinger, MiroslavMiletic, Xaver Thoma, and MauriceGardner. Jerzy Kosmala's programfeatured George Rochberg's Sonata, PaulBen Hain's "Three Songs Without Words,"Bloch's "Suite Hebraique," and his ownarrangement for viola and piano ofSzymanowski's "Dance for Harnasie."Barbara Westphal presented an all­Hindemith program with very strongperformances of the Op. 11/4, Op. 25/1,and Op. 25/4. Bernd Rinne, after anearlier lecture-demonstration on contem­porary Czech composers, presentedselections by Miroslav Istvan, OtmarMacha, Richard Klein, and JarmilBurghauser. Martin Staakholder playedCharles Koechlin's Sonata pour Piano etAlto, Op. 53.

Americans were well represented atCongress XVI. In addition to JerzyKosmala's recital, AVS President DavidDalton, Dwight Pounds, Franco Scian­nemeo, and Anne Woodward gaveprepared lectures. Dalton showed twodocumentaries on William Primrose anddiscussed his own newly released book,Playing the Viola: Conversations withWilliam Primrose; Pounds lectured on"The Development of the Viola Con­gresses" and showed slides of theAmerican and Canadian Congresses.

Sciannameo, editor of The Violex­change, addressed "Unprinted ItalianViola Music." And, Dr. Woodwarddiscussed "Violists of the ClassicalPeriod." Other lecturers included Mr.Martin Smith, who reviewed "SouthAfrican Viola Music," and FranzZeyringer, who discussed some majorpoints from his most recent publication,Die Viola da braccio. Prof. Zeyringeralso announced the formation ofEDITION PAX, a series of publicationswhich will be dedicated to originalviola music in a lighter vein, much likehis popular "Viola Fox."

Zeyringer ResignsIn the General Assembly meeting

which preceded the closing concert, IVSPresident Franz Zeyringer submitted hisresignation, citing his age, desire forfamily time, and his other researchprojects as reasons. Since its inception,the International Viola Society hasbestowed upon some of its members aSilver Alto Clef as its highest award.Perhaps beginning a new IVS tradition,outgoing President Zeyringer waspresented with the first Gold Viola Clefby his successor and incoming IVSPresident, GUnther Ojstersek.

Uta Lenkewitz is to be commendedfor putting together a congress richboth in content and variety, despite thefact that she was obliged to rearrangeher program when illness forced thecancellation of one scheduled soloistand a guest string quartet. There was agreat deal of activity during the twoand one-half days of recitals andlectures. Some participants occasionallymissed programs, most likely becausetheir threshold of absorbtion had beenexceeded.

It was disappointing that moreviolists from the international sectionscould not or chose not to attendCongress XVI. Visitors from SouthAfrica, Yugoslavia, Poland came underconsiderable financial sacrifice. But

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France, England, and Italy had norepresentatives despite their geographicproximity. The English were host toexcellent Viola Congresses in Londonand Isle of Man, but in recent years,their IVS participation has beencompromised by their own TertisInternational Viola Competition andapparently other concerns. One mustunfortunately conclude that, despiteprofoundly important English IVScontributions in the past, and because ofrelative apathy in many of the interna­tional sections regarding the parentorganization, the International ViolaSociety in 1988 appears to be primarily aWest GermaniAustrian--American/Cana­dian affair.

Dwight Pounds is a professor of musicat Western Kentucky University and amember of the AVS Executive Board. Hehas done extensive research on thedevelopment of the International ViolaSociety and its international congresses.Dr. Pounds took his degree in MusicEducation at Indiana University wherehe also studied with William Primrose.

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From the Presidency

.....c00.~

o;:.,'"~....'"ouoa..cI:l..

David Dalton, president AVS, presents a plaque of recognition to Franz Zeyringer,president IYS, on his retirement. Gunter Ojstersek, Zeyringer's successor, is inbackground.

27

In 1968, the aspirations of the IVS,as put forth in the Pol/auer Protokoll,might have appeared to an outsider asvisionary--in a negative sense: tooinflated, too lofty. With the advantageof twenty years' hindsight, one canview the successes or shortcomings ofthe society with greater passivity.While there may have been some dis­appointments, accomplishments duringthe intervening twenty years must haveexceeded even the expectations ofZeyringer and the small group of ideal­istic founders. Notable is the fact thatthe IVS has existed far beyond the fewyears of Altmann's Bratschistenbund,and has twelve chapters in variousparts of the world with a membershipof about 1500.

Danke, Franz!

The idea of a fraternity of violists isnot a recent one. Wilhelm Altmann(1862-1951) attempted in 1929 in Leipzigto bring together such an organizationof like-minded musicians under the nameof Bratschistenbund. His first newslettersstood bore the title Die Bratsche, ofwhich only five were produced beforethe organization, hardly surviving itsinfancy, died out. In 1965, Prof. FranzZeyringer and Herr Dietrich Bauer metin Zeyringer's hometown of Pollau inAustria to formulate plans and ideals fora viola society. These were laid down inan agenda called the Pol/auer Protokol/.Three years later at Kassel, the timewas ripe to attempt the formation ofanother society of violists, calledtogether by Zeyringer with the name,International Viola Research Society,consisting of a modest number ofinterested violists from German-speaking

countries. The Americanbecame a chapter oforganization, which latersearch" from its title.

Viola Societythis parent

dropped Re-

28 Most of these successes--it is safe tosay--are attributable in large measure tothe iron will of Franz Zeyringer, whostepped down as president of the IVS atthe Kassel Jubilee Congress in June.

"Iron will?" Well, if that is a littlestrong, how else does one describe thealmost superhuman effort that hascharacterized Zeyringer's pursuit of theobjectives in his original Pollaueragenda? "Indefatigable," "self-sacrific­ing," "uncompromising," are all apt whendescribing his single-mindedness. Somewho have been associated with Zeyringerin influential positions in the societymay, from time to time, have felt hisimpatience if matters did not movealong, or were not resolved, accordingto the timetable that had been es­tablished. Nevertheless, he has sur­rounded himself with a loyal coterie ofassociates who have given much to theideals of the IVS over these twodecades. One of those associates isGunter Ojstersek who will succeedZeyringer. We wish him well.

Important to the American chapter ofthe IVS, was the early friendship withZeyringer of a fellow violist, MyronRosenblum. Thereafter, followed closeassociation with other American col­leagues, such as Marna Street, LouiseGoldberg, and Maurice Riley. Zeyringerand a few members of the original groupof founders visited the first AmericanViola Congress in 1975 under Riley'sdirection at Ypsilanti. The impressiongained by the European guests wasstaggering, and endures to this day.Namely, the numbers of participants(over 400), the setting on an Americanuniversity campus (Eastern MichiganUniversity), the strong representation ofprofessionals, and the high standard ofperformance. It can probably be saidthat the North American congresses haveoffered biannually a transfusion ofvitality into the society at large.

Franz Zeyringer was born and raised in

the village of Pollau, population 2500,in the province of Styria in north­eastern Austria. Except for the waryears and brief periods during hiseducation, he has elected to spend hislife in Pollau, where he founded amusic school and became its firstdirector. For those of us who havedrunk in the hospitality of this village,and the beauty and restfulness of thesurrounding countryside, it is under­standable why one who loves theoutdoors equally as much as he doesthe viola would choose to spend hisyears outside a cultural center.

But if my observations are correct,Zeyringer's image in some professionalcircles is strictly that of a small townprofessor. "Viola Research Society?What is there to be researched!?" Cananything good come out Pollau?"Pollau? Wof?" Zeyringer has had toreach out beyond his won nationalborders in order to find those suppor­tive spirits who shared his passion forthe instrument along the lines which hehad envisioned and idealized. He foundmany of them among the Germans andAmericans.

It would seem that most of us inthe profession could be satisfied withhaving founded and directed a profes­sional fraternity from infancy toadolescence, or having accumulated anarchive of some 2500 examples (which,later joined with the Primrose Interna­tional Viola Archive, holds in Zeyrin­ger's words "the promise of a violacenter unique in the world," or havingproduced the definitive lexicon for violamusic (and without the aid of acomputer!), or, most recently, publisheda book (Die Viola da braccio) whichspans many of the questions regardingthe history and production of theinstrument. But Zeyringer has done allthese things. And he probably won'trest until he sees the accomplishmentof a final goal: the publication of a"viola encyclopedia."

But he will rest--at least a littlemore from his administrative andpromotional efforts in behalf of theviola. After thirty-five years of preoc­cupation and devotion to the viola,Zeyringer, in common parlance, is burnedout. Besides, the region around Pollauabounds with good hunting and fishingsites, and Franz, nearing his 70th year,wants to pursue two of his favoritepastimes with more regularity.

He also feels a debt owed to his wifeLinde, his three children and hisgrandchildren. He needs to devote moretime to their interests having given somuch of his time and means to profes­sional demands which have exactedfamilial understanding, tolerance, andindulgence.

Those of us who are aware, andthose not yet aware, of the resolve,energy, and ardor with which FranzZeyringer has pursued and accomplishedhis professional objectives, stand inadmiration of those accomplishments, andwill remain in his debt.

David DaltonPresident, American Viola Society

To the Chapters of the InternationalViola Society

My dear Friends!

In the general meeting in Kassel onJune 19, 1988, I stepped down from theoffice of President of the IVS--of myown free choice and after considerableplanning and reflection. The previousVice President, University Lecturer(German: "Dozent") GUnter Ojstersek,solo violist of the DUsseldorf Philhar­monic, became my successor. His address:

Doz. GUnter OjstersekFritz von Willestrasse 170-400 DUsseldorf 30West Germany

The reasons for my stepping downas president were mainly of a privatenature. I am now in my 69th year oflife and have to guarantee a morepeaceful and healthy old age formyself--to the benefit of my familymembers, who have all too often had togo without my company on account ofmy thirty-two years of viola work. Afurther reason for my stepping down isthat my nerves were no longer able toput up with the continually recurringproblems in the IVS (some of thechapters, the yearbook, membershipfees, among other things), that led todepression. Unfortunately, there is alsoa financial reason for why I gave upthe office of president: with my smallretirement I was no longer able toafford the many trips and related cashoutlays.

My term as president is thus endedand I now turn a last time to thechapters and to my fellow workers toexpress my gratitude. Sincere thanksfor the good cooperation, for thefriendship shown to me, and for themany honors which I received in thecourse of my twenty-year-Iong activityas president.

I will remain in the presidency as acounselor in order to continue to watchover PIVA and our colleagues in theEast-Bloc countries. Likewise mymusicological labors are continuing untilthe day they will be taken over byPIVA to carry them on.

I wish much success and a long lifeto the International Viola Society andits chapters. To its leaders I wishhealth and satisfaction. With repeatedgratitude and heartfelt greetings Iremain,

Yours

Franz ZeyringerPast PresidentInternational Viola Society

29

30 Treasurer's RElPortAmerican Viola Society

January 1 - December 31, 1987

Balances 4/30/88$6575.09

929.17

$2033.32277.06221.94

DepositsDuesAdsInterest

*Other

$5494.50523.00320.67800.00

$7138.17*from Primrose Account

800.001000.001305.20277.75

$6844.44**Zeyringer, ASTA ad, etc.

WithdrawalsAVS JournalOffice SupplySolicitation

LabelsComputer

ConsultingAwardsCongress

**OtherCPA

Money Market AccountYear-end Balance:

$5466.06

I.

II. AVS Endowment $334.00Year-End Balance:

$307.00($2 taken from each $15 membership,$1 taken from each $7.50 membership,also including special-order labelsat $50 an order)

$1245.0 I(1988--$3 takenfrom each $20,$2 from each $10and label orders)

III. William Primrose Scholarship FundCertificate of DepositYear-end Balance $5197.751987 interest 153.84

IV., William Primrose Scholarship FundCertificate of DepositYear-end Balance $5144.991987 interest $144.99

Combined CDNat'l Bank ofNorth Carolina:$614.94Interest

$5477.48

$5233.55

V. William Primrose Scholarship FundSavings AccountYear-end Balance $552.44

$590.08

R~(J-k2-~oset'r~Gr?de. Treasurer

ForumFrom the Newsletter of the CanadianViola Society

The following excerpt from JacobSiskind's review of a recital by Ottawaviolist Neal Gripp was published by theOttawa Citizen on January II, 1988.

"The viola is something of a stepchildin the string family. It fits in size andtone quality somewhere between theflighty acrobatics of the violin and thesolid respectability of the cello, withfew of the agreeable qualities of eitherof those instruments.

With several notable exceptions, fewserious composers have ever taken thetrouble to write music for the instru­ment, partly because in most hands it isindeed ungainly, if not surly, and partlybecause most people who play it wouldreally much rather be playing the violinand treat the instrument as thoughhaving to play it is a penance forhaving wasted that youth in which theycould have developed as virtuosi of itssmaller sibling.

Neal Gripp is one of those rareviolists who actually seem to enjoyplaying the instrument."

The following letter from Ann Freder­king was published January 28.

Voila the Viola

"Why can't Jacob Siskind review aperformance without presenting hisunfounded biases about the instrumentand/or music being performed?

Neal Gripp presented an interestingevening of contemporary music for theviola. Mr. Gripp appears quite comfort­able as a recitalist--certainly he is one

of the most able in Ottawa, and theevening was most enjoyable.

I must take issue, however, with Mr.Siskind's statement that 'most peoplewho play it (the viola) would reallymuch rather be playing the violin...(seequote above).

Following is a portion of a poemwritten by Ralph Aldrich, professor ofthe viola at the University of WesternOntario:

Eat out thy heart, 0 cello proud,And violin go don thy shroud.Pray Saint Cecilia's mercy mildForgive thy up and down-bows wild,For she in sacred restitutionBless'd VIOLA'S contributionPaying IT the complimentOf genius's favored instrument.Mozart, Schubert, Dvorak, Britten,All for orchestras have written.Hear, 0 Man, and earth rejoice..VIOLA played they all--by choice.

As secretary of the Canadian ViolaSociety, affiliated with the Internation­al Viola Society, I know many violistswho are so by choice. We prefer therich mellow sound of the viola to thethinner sound of the violin. We alsoprefer the pivotal, supporting role weplay in the orchestra. As a teacher ofviola and the violin, I have found thatif given a chance to listen to bothinstruments, a large number of youngpeople will choose the viola over theviolin.

Mr. Siskind's views of the violareflect the thinking of the 19thcentury. Surely it is time for him tojoin the 20th century."

Jacob Siskind replies:

"The mere fact that these un­fortunate people have felt the need toband together and form a society* oftheir own proves my point."

31

32 *Editor's note: Does the same apply forthe unfortunates who band together inthe horn, clarinet, cello, violin, tuba,etc. societies?

Recently, I traveled to Utah and hadthe pleasure of conversing with DavidDalton. Although I am a violinist, Iremember with fondness my associationwith Professor Dalton as he coached theBYU Honors Quartet, of which I was amember. I also studied viola with himfor a short time.

Our conversation first centered onmy schooling on the East Coast, butsoon turned to Prof. Dalton's publicationby Oxford University Press of Playingthe Viola, a series of interviews withWilliam Primrose. The importance of thistype of work is evident in that themaster himself is quoted in his ownwords, without an imposed editorial biasby the editor. This book is an enor­mously important document for probingand discovering Primrose's techniques,experiences, and attitude towards allfacets of the instrument. The one lamentthat Dalton expressed was that the bookis being currently marketed for morethan $45. To be sure, the book is ofexcellent quality, but the great disad­vantage, paradoxically, is that the bookwas meant mainly for those people whonow can least afford the price: students.We hope that OUP will bring out apaperback version fairly soon.

James Waite, a student, doctoral programfor musicology at New York University

Of Interest1989 Congress

The XVII International Viola Con­gress, to be held 21-25 June 1989 at theUniversity of Redlands, California, is

taking shape at this early date. This isdue to the efforts of Lucille Taylor,artistic director, and a planning com­mittee of the AVS, Louis Kievman,chairman. Some of the performers andlecturers who are scheduled to appearare Karen Tuttle, Csaba Erdelyi, NanieJamieson, Roland Kato, Roberto Diaz,Paul Siefried, Lyndon Taylor, JohnWalz, Clyn Barrus, Hans Weisshaar,David Schwartz, Pamela Goldsmith, Alande Veritch, and the Redlands SymphonyOrchestra, Jon Robertson, conductor.

Selected presentation topics are "TheTransition to the Tourte Bow," "Whatto Look for When Choosing a Bow,""Preparing Students for Competitions,""Viola making Today," and "Preparingfor Orchestral Auditions."

Events to look forward to are asymposium on the recording industry inHollywood, a mock orchestra audition,an exhibition of violas sponsored by theAmerican Violin Society, master classes,concerts, and music and recordingexhibitions. Once again, as at the AnnArbor congress, a Primrose ScholarshipCompetition for young violists will beheld in conjunction with the congress.Teachers and students should take noteof this. Further details regarding thisevent will be given in the fall editionof JAVS.

For further information and housingreservations, contact:

Leah DavisDirector of ConferencesUniversity of RedlandsP.O. Box 3080Redlands, CA 92373-0999Tel. 714-793-2121

JAVS

Some past copies of the Journal ofthe American Viola Society areavailable on request by members of theAVS at $3.00 each. These back issues

can be ordered from the editorial office:Newsletter No. 28, April, 1985; JAVSeditions: Vol. 3 No.1, April 1987; Vol. 3No.2, August, 1987; and Vol. 3 No.3,November, 1987.

PIVA Duplicates

The Primrose International ViolaArchive has accumulated over 1000duplicates of published viola works.These titles are already in the collectionand so will be sold beginning September.Patrons who wish to examine this list ofpieces--mostly new, some antiquariat-­should request the list including pricesfrom:

David Day, Music LibrarianPIVA, Lee LibraryBrigham Young UniversityProvo, UT 84602

Editor's note: Readers are reminded thatany information pertaining to the violaor violists of general interest may besubmitted to the editor for inclusion inJAVS.

About ViolistsKatims Honored

Milton Katims, a board member ofthe AVS, has been named the winner ofthe 1988 distinguished service awardgiven by the American String TeachersAssociation. Katims is known interna­tionally for his accomplishments asMusic Director of the Seattle Symphonyfor twenty-two years, as a guestconductor of many of the world's greatorchestras, as a viola soloist on record­ings and in the concert hall, and as apublisher of numerous transcriptions andeditions for viola. In 1976, Katims wasappointed artistic director of the schoolof music at the University of Houston,and in 1983 hosted the XI International

Viola Congress. Katims has received anumber of awards, including theprestigious Arturo Toscanini ArtisticAchievement Award, given to him in1986.

New WorksReviews on Playing

Playing the Viola: Conversationswith William Primrose by David Dalton.Available to members of the AmericanViola Society at a discount from OxfordUniversity Press, 300 Madison Avenue,New York, NY 10016, (212.679.7300)

"It is important to state thatDalton's work is not a glorifiedPrimrose pupil's notebook. Over theyears, notes and commentaries recordedby devoted students of the great violisthave made their way into print.Dalton's book is a profound explorationof William Primrose the man, the artistand the violist. His narrative forms agalaxy of observations by a gentlemanwhose erudition is an enlightening,inspiring force for all string players."

--Franco Sciannameo,The Violexchange

"David Dalton's Conversations withWilliam Primrose is a loving andbrilliant composite of the man, his art,humanity, and a meticulously detailedanalysis of his technique. His natural,healthy concepts encompass all artforms--including sports. A tremendouscontribution and a much needed affir­mation of our own best instincts."

--Karen Tuttle,Curtis Institute andthe Juilliard School

Viola da braccio

Franz Zeyringer, past president ofthe International Viola Society, announ-

33

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ces the release of a new book (German text) entitled Die Viola da braccio, publish­ed by Heller Verlag, Munich. This volume has been five years in the writing inwhich the author addresses and finds solutions for important problems concerningthe viola. Such subjects of general interest as the development of the instrument,history of viola performance, the problem of size, a small lexicon of viola terms,judging an instrument and the bow, etc. are handled. The first edition, clothbound,contains 280 pages written in German. Order forms can be acquired from: RosemaryGlyde, P.O. Box 558, Rt. 2, Golden's Bridge, NY 10526.

Lesser-Known Worksfor Unaccompanied Viola:

An Annotated Reading

ANGERER, PAUL (1927- ). MUSIK (1948).Divided into three sections, Bewegt, Langsam, Thema mit Variazionen, Musik is apractical work, not difficult and well-written for the instrument. Paul Angerer is awell-known Austrian composer, conductor and violist. In his Musik, he re-emphasizesHindemith's lesson of writing functional music. The composition does not achievemuch in terms of inventiveness; however, the final variations are rather engaging.Publisher: Doblinger, Vienna (1960).

BERKELEY, MICHAEL (1948-). VARIATIONS ON GREEK FOLK SONGS (1976).Composed in Greece, Variations is a fluid work of medium difficulty. The settingprovides a wide range of dynamics, using a plain musical language throughout.Double stops are sparsely used and melodic flow seems the strongest asset of thiswork. Publisher: Oxford University Press (1982).

BIBER, HEINRICH VON. (1644-1704). PASSACAGLIA IN C MINOR.Passacaglia is a transcription made by Walter Lebermann, after the violin work byBiber. The original work, regarded by most violinists as a historical curiosity,assumes particular importance when played on the viola. Very effective and majes­tic, Passacaglia is perhaps the most justifiable transcription of a work from thebaroque period for viola. Walter Lebermann's idea, however, is not new. A previousviola adaptation of this piece was done by Max Rostal for Chester Music some yearsago. Publisher: Litolff- Petters (1975).

BLOCH, ERNEST (1880-1959). SUITE (1959).Bloch's contribution to viola literature is of great importance. Since 1919, with hisSuite for Viola and Orchestra, Bloch has championed the expressive possibilities ofthe instrument. Bloch wrote an immense amount of music for all instruments andconcluded his career by composing a Suite for Unaccompanied Viola, which he leftunfinished. Strangely neglected by violists, Bloch's Suite possesses great qualities,even if deprived of its logical conclusion. There are only 25 measures of what wouldprobably have been the last section. The player can end the piece with a C minorchord at the beginning of the unfinished section. (Raphael Hellyer has composed aneffective closing.) Duration: 9 minutes. Publisher: Broude Brothers (1962).

35

36 BLOCK, ROBERT PAUL (1942- ) FANTASY (1967, rev. 1973).Block, an American editor and educator, has composed a fairly engaging work forsolo viola. Although the writing itself is not innovative, it does present sometheatrical gestures. Moments of immobility are suddenly interrupted by violentoutbursts of sound, thus making this piece an interesting diversion for a playerwilling to be creative. Publisher: Musica Rara (1974).

BORISSOVSKY, VADIM (1900-1972). FOUR ARTISTIC STUDIESVadim Borissovsky is credited for founding the modern Soviet school of violaplaying. Among his many publications, particular attention should be paid to theFour Artistic Studies. They are transcriptions from works of J.S. Bach, R. Schumannand F. Chopin-all done with taste and practical purpose in mind. The Bach PedalStudy could be used as an excellent encore piece. Puhlisher: International MusicCompany (n.d.).

BRUN, HERBERT (1918- ). SONATINA.Brun belongs to a small circle of composers who gathered around Stefan Wolpe inJerusalem in the 1950's. His compositions employ serial technique mixed withoriental systems. The Son~tina, a remarkable piece of viola music, has been editedby Ron Golan, to whom the work is dedicated. Publisher: Israeli Music Publications(1954).

BRUNSWICK, MARK (1902-1955). FANTASIA (1932).Composed in Vienna, Fantasia is dedicated to Marcel Dick. The work is a suite infour movements: Prelude, Toccata, Air, Finale. Fantasia presents challenging neo­classic angularities a la Stravinsky of the 1930's. Great bow arm dexterity is neededin order to smooth its texture, which is full of rhythmic incisiveness. Publisher: TheValley Music Press (1959).

BURKHARD, WILLY (1900-1955). SONATA. OP. 59This sonata is a direct descendent of Max Reger's Suites, Op 13ld. Written mostlyin the middle register of the instrument, sonority does not seem to emerge easilyfrom the viola, except in the finale, which is written in a perpetual motion style.Publisher: Barenreiter (n.d.).

DONATONI, FRANCO (1927- ). SONATA.Franco Donatoni, is viewed today as a chief exponent of avant-garde music in Italy.At age 25, Donatoni gained attention by composing this Sonata for UnaccompaniedViola. He composed in a style which he later rejected. However, the Sonata hassurvived its author's axe. It is a composition of strong individuality, full of ideasand sonorities of a definite Bart6kian flavor. The Sonata is written in threemovements: Allegro molto moderato, Largamente, Allegro non troppo (Fuga).Duration: 13 minutes. Publisher: G. Zanibon (1977).

DREW JAMES (1929- ). SOLO SONATA.Since the 1970's, American composer James Drew has been widely acknowledged asone of the most original representatives of the modernist movement. This solosonata, 13 lines (no bars) in total, was completed in 1982. It is a free spirited piecewith some sentimental moments. The sonata is not difficult and, for the enterprisingviolist, would be a good introduction to a different kind of music writing, althoughtraditional notation is used. The work is dedicated to Walter Trampler. Publisher:Presser (1983).

DUKE, JOHN (1899-1985). SUITE.Composed in 1944, the Suite has four movements: Aria, Scherzo, Cadenza, Finale.This version has been carefully edited by the late Louise Rood. Suite is a goodexample of American music unjustly overlooked by violists. The work is not difficultand is well-written. Publisher: The Valley Music Press (1944).

FERRARI, GIORGIO (1922- ). IMPROVVISAZIONE (1979).The composition has many ideas developed in a virtuoso fashion. The last section,Mosso-Agitato, is a frenetic three-page tour de force of great interest and effect.Duration: 12 Minutes. Publisher: Boccaccini and Spada (1980).

GENZMER, HARALD (1909- ). SONATA (1957).Genzmer's Sonata is divided into four movements: Moderato, Tranquillo, Burleske,Finale. The opening Moderato is an Intrada with a majestic marching feelingaccentuated by dotted rhythm. The second movement, Tranquillo, is a long soliloquyplayed con sordino; the third movement, Burleske-prestissimo, is a very attractiveperpetual motion. The finale is basically a summation of the previous movements,giving the piece a cyclical unity. Musically and instrumentally this work is deriva­tive of Max Reger. Duration: 12 Minutes. Publisher: Litolff-Peters (1958).

HARTZELL, EUGENE (1931- ). MONOLOGUE 7, EXCURSIONS FOR VIOLAComposed in 1969, Monologue 7 is an engaging piece. Written in a fairly modernstyle, this ten-minute work is actually a sequence of rapidly changing moods,providing good material for creative solo playing. Publisher: Doblinger (1972).

HOVHANNES, ALAN (1911- ). CHAHAGIR, OP. 56A."Chahagir, " meaning "torch bearer," is a 4:11 minute piece, subdued and mysteriousin character. A short, controlled work, it is a good example of Hovhannes's poeticeloquence. It provides the violist with a very expressive solo work. Publisher:Rongwen Music (1945).

JACOB, GORDON (1895-1984). VARIATIONS.Jacob's Variations are some of the most gratifying, though not difficult, pieces ofunaccompanied viola music by a contemporary composer. Regarding this composition,Mr. Jacob says, "During the last fifty years, I have, from time to time, writtenvarious works for viola. an instrument of which I have always been fond on accountof its highly individual and fascinating tone quality. These Variations were writtenin 1975 for John White to whom I am indebted for useful suggestions about thebowing of certain passages and other technical points." Publisher: Musica Rara(1977).

37

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KHACHATURIAN, ARAM (1903-1978). SONATA.The date of composition and other details about this sonata are unknown. Onewould have expected a warmer, more intense piece of music from Khachaturian.Here we have not much more than an etude on grand detache, musically rather lean.The sonata is in one movement. Publisher: Schirmer (1977).

MURGIER, JACQUES (1912- ). SONATA.The Sonata, published in 1983, is part of an ongoing collection of viola musicdirected by Serge Collot called "Musique pour rAlto." The work is in four move­ments: Praeludium, Lento, Intermezzo and Bourlesque, all rather difficult. Thecomposition's style reflects Bartok's influence in rhythmic articulation and sound.Duration: 13:30 Minutes. Publisher: Billaudot (1983).

PERSICHETTI, VINCENT (1915-1987). PARABLE XVI, OP. 130.Published in 1975, Parable XVI is a nine-minute improvisational type of workcontaining many lyrical and elegant moments. The writing for the instrument isclear and idiomatic, a quality common to all Perischetti's instrumental music.Publisher: Elkan-Vogel (1975).

POLO, ENRICO (1868-1953). STUDI-SONATE.Enrico Polo is known almost exclusively for his pedagogical works for both violinand viola. These Studi-Sonate present Polo as a composer. The volume contains twosonatas, both with a concluding fugue and one partita, all written in a neo-baroquestyle similar to Max Reger's. Unfortunately, they recall the German master tooclosely to be considered as original works. However, there is some merit in theserather academic pieces, especially regarding some interesting polyphonic situationson the middle strings. Publisher: Suvini-Zerboni (I950).

SAUTER, ERNEST (1928- ). SONATA.This work by German composer Ernest Sauter is graced by a conscientious writingfor the viola. Never extravagant, this four-page piece deserves a reading. Publisher:Verlag Walter Wollenweber. (1975).

SCHONTHAL, RUTH (1924- ). FOUR EPIPHANIES.Four Epiphanies are among the finest contemporary works for unaccompanied viola.There is fantasy and originality in these four short contrasting pieces which benefitimmensely from the editing and fingering of Paul Doktor. Duration: 10 Minutes.Publisher: Oxford University Press (I 977).

SHULMAN, ALAN (1915- ). SUITE.Alan Shulman, the well-known cellist and composer, writes music only when inspiredto do so. Regarding his Suite for solo viola, Mr. Shulman says, "The Suite for SoloViola was completed in 1953 and is dedicated to my good friend Milton Preves,principal violist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The four movement suite hasno program, but the second and third movements were influenced by sounds ofnature." The movements are Allegro con brio, Alla Siciliana, Vivo and Allegroenergico. Duration: 6 Minutes. Publisher: Templeton Publishing Company.

39

40 STADLMAIR, HANS (1929-). SONATA (1960).A very light work, Sonata is composed in the Hindemith tradition. Apart from fluentwriting, the last movement has an interesting syncopated rhythmical structure worthexploring. The Sonata is divided into four movements: Allegro con brio, Lentocantabile, Rubato, and Vivace energico. Publisher: Breitkopf und Hartel (1961).

VIEUXTEMPS, HENRI (1820-1881). CAPRICCIO.Vieuxtemps, like other prominent 19th Century violinists, loved to play viola inchamber music and occasionally wrote for this instrument. His contribution is ratherimportant in view of the scarcity of original viola music during the romantic era.The present Capriccio was found by German violist Ulrich Druner in a collection ofworks published posthumously in Paris: Six Morceaux pour violon seul, suivis d'unCapriccio pour Alto seul, Op. 55, No.9. This new publication has been edited byUlrich Druner. Publisher: Schott (1973).

VOSS, FRIEDRICH (1930- ). VARIATIONEN (1962-1963).Variationen is a viola work composed in a light mood. The alternation of arco andpizzicato (left and right hand) is cleverly distributed throughout the three-pagecomposition. Publisher: Breitkopf und Hartel (1964).

WILLIAMSON, MALCOM (1931- ). PARTITA ON THEMES OF WALTON.William Walton's Viola Concerto is one of the masterpieces of the viola repertoire.Here, its many themes are Quoted, transformed and paraphrased by Mr. Williamson.The result is a very attractive four-page solo work, not difficult and Quite pleasant.Part ita was commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation and first per­formed on BBC television March 29, 1972 by Yehudi Menuhin, to whom the work isdedicated. Mr. Menuhin has edited the piece for publication. Publisher: OxfordUniversity Press (1972).

These reviews courtesy of Franco Sciannameo and the Violexchange, Vol. 3, No.1,1988.

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Variazioni $4.15

DANCLACarnival of Venice $4.15

DEBUSSYGirl with the Raxen Hair $2.75La Plus Que Lenre $4.15

DVORAKRomance Op. 11 $4.15Sonatina Op. 100 $5.50

FAUREFantasy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $5.50

FIOCCOAllegro $2.75

FRANCOEURSonata in A Major. . . . . . . . . . . . .. $4. I5

GLUCKMelody from "Orfeo" $2.75

HANDELSonata in D $4.15

HUBAYHejre Kati $4.15

IBERTThe Little White Donkey $2.75

JOPLINPineapple Rag " $2.75Solace $2.75

KREISLERPraeludium and Allegro $4.15Sicilienne and Rigaudon $4.15Leibeslied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $4.15Recitativo and Scherzo Caprice

(Unaccompanied) $2.75

MASSENETMeditation from "Thais" $2.75

MATTHEWSFantasy $5.50

MENDELSSOHNSonata in E Flat $4.15

MOUSSORGSKYHopak $2.75

MOZARTAdagio K. 261 $2.75Menuetto Divertimento

K. 334 $2.75Rondo K. 250 $4.15

NOVACEKPerpetual Motion. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $4.15

PAGANINISix Sonatas Bk. I

Nos. 1,2, 3 $5.50Six Sonatas Bk. II

Nos. 4, 5, 6 $5.50Variations on the G String $4.15

PUGNANIGavotta Variata $4.15

RACHMANINOFFVocalise $2.75

RIESPerpetuum Mobile $4.15

RIMSKY - KORSAKOFFFlight of the Bumble Bee $2.75

SCHMIDTAlia Turka $2.75

SHUBERTThe Bee $2.75

TARTINIThe Devil's Trill $5.50Sonata Angelique $5.50

TCHAIKOWSKICanzonetta $2.75Melodie $2.75Serenade Melancholique . . . . . . . .. $4.15Valse Senrimenrale $2.75

VITALIChaconne $5.50

VON WEBERAndante and Hungarian

Rondo $4.15

WIENIAWSKILegende $2.75Scherzo - Tarantella $4.15

WOEHRBachiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $5.50

ENSEMBLES

BACHFifteen Two - Part

Inventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $5.50

MOZARTDuo Sonata in Bk. K. 292 $4.15Twelve Duets K. 487 $4.15

PACHELBELCanon for Three Violas and

Piano " $5.50

TELEMANNConcerto /I 1 in C for Four

Violas " $6.60Concerto 112 in G for Four

Violas $6.60Concerto 113 in F for Four

Violas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $6.60

VIVALDIConcerto for Four Violas and

Piano $8.25

Postage and Handling $.85

Available from:VIOLA WORLDPUBLICAnONS14 FENWOOD ROADHUNTINGTON STATIONNEW YORK 11746