THE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETYChapter of

INTERNATIONALE VIOLA-FORSCHUNGSGESELLSCHAFTOFFICERS

MAURICE W. RILEY, PRESIDENT512 Roosevelt Blvd.Ypsilanti, MI 48197313 - 482·6286Emeritus Professor of Violin-ViolaEastern Michigan University

MYRON ROSENBLUM, PAST PRESIDENT39-23 47th StreetSunnyside. NY 11104Queensborough Community College

DWIGHT POUNDS. VICE PRESIDENT1713 Daren CourtBowling Green, Ky 4210'Western Kenlucky University

ANN WOODWARD, TREASURER209 W. University DriveChapel Hill, NC 27514University of North Carolina

HAROLD KUTZ, SECRETARY1024 Maple AvenueEvanston, tL 60202Violisl in Chicago Symphony.Advertismg for AVS Newsletter

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS

DAVID DAlTONArchivist. InternationalPrimrose Viola Archives,EOditor, A.V,S. NewsletterBrigham Young UniversityProvo. Utah 84602

PAUL DOKTOR215 West 88th StreetNew York, NY 10024Juilliard SchoolMannes College of Music

MILTON KATIMS8001 Sand Point Way NE

'C-44Seattle, WA98115

LOUIS KIEVMAN1343 Arnall!! DrivePacific Palisades, CA 90272Private Teacher in thelos Angeles Area

DONALD MciNNESProfessor of ViolaSchool of MusicUniversity of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI48109

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

JOSEPH DE PASQUALE532 Lafayette RoadMerion Statton. PA 19068Principal Viola, Philadelphia OrchestraProf. of Viola, Curtis Institute

ROBERT SLAUGHTER1705 North Riley RoadMuncie, IN 47304Ball State University

THOMAS TATTON2705 Rutledqe WayStockton, CA 95207University of the Pacific

MARCUS n40MPSON19 Florence StreetCambridge, MA 02139Mass. Insl. of Tech.,New England Conservatory

FRANCIS TURSI16 Coniston DrivePochestar NY 14610Eastman School of Music

COORDINATOR WITH THECANADIAN VIOLA SOCIETY

A. BAIRD KNECHTEL103 North DriveIslington,ONT M9A 4R5CanadaPres-cent. Canadian Viola Society HONORARY PRESIDENT

DR. WILLIAM PRIMROSEdeceased

Rare instruments and bowsExpert appraisals

Hours 10-5:30 Tuesday-Saturday410 South Michigan Avenue

Chicago, Illinois 60605

Telephone (312) 663-0150

The 1985 Viola Congressby

Maurice Riley

The XIII International ViolaCongress will be held in Boston on thecampus of the New Engl and Conservatoryof Music. June 12-16. 1985. Threemembers of the Conservatory facul ty ,violists Burton Fine. Marcus Thompson.and Walter Trampler will perform.Marcus Thompson is the host chairman incharge of programming.

Other artists who will perform andconduct master cl asses are Atar Arad.Paul Doktor. Rosemary G'l y de , Joseph DePasqual e. Mi 1 ton Thomas. AbrahamSkernick. Ann Woodward. Kim Kashkasian.and Cynthia Phelps.

The United States Air Force Orches­tra. conducted by Lt. Dennis M.Layendecker will present two even i ngconcerts featuring viola soloists whowill perform works by Simon Bainbridge.J.N. Hummel. Henri Laz a r of . AnthonyNewman. Niccolo Paqan l n i , Hans s t t.t .and Ralph Vaughan-Williams.

The John Oliver Choral with JohnOliver. music director. will presentchoral works featuring the viola byKlaus G. Roy. and Ralph Vaughan-Will iams.

One evening concert is to be devotedto chamber music which containsprominent parts for the viola.Lectures and panel discussions oftopics pertinent to viola performanceand viola pedagogy are also planned.

In addition to exhibits of music.recordings. and books related to theviola. there will be an exhibit ofviolas and bows made by contemporaryluthiers. This exhibit will besponsored by a member of the Vi 01 inSociety of America.

For further information regardingregistration fees and housing reserva­tions write to: Gail Eaton. Directorof Publ i c Mfa irs. New Engl and Conser­vatory. 290 Hunti ngton Avenue. Boston.

MA 02115; or telephone (617) 262-1120.

Editor's Note: Some teachers may havehad a similar experience with theeffect of a viola congress on stu­dents. Namely. this ambience can bethe catalyst which changes an inter­ested viol a student into one who isenthused and resolved.

The XII InternationalViola Congress

byLouis Kievman

The XII International ViolaCongress was convened at the Isl e ofMan. British Isles. August 22-30.Though sepa rate events. the Congressand the Lionel Tertis InternationalViola Competition ran at the same timeand local e.

Participants came from severalcountries and programs were by est­ablished violists of various nation­al ities. There were one or moremaster classes. lectures and seminarsdaily. with solo recitals everyevening.

It was obvious from the questionand answer periods which often 1astedwell beyond the schedul ed ti me. thatall programs were of great interestand filled a need. The recitals werebrilliantly performed and particularlygratifying because of the individualstyle of pl aying displayed by eachperformer. The recitals varied informat. Some devoted to modern music.others to classical. one to Englishmusic for the viola. while others wereof an eclectic nature. The result wasmusically satisfying for the listen­er. and the performances outstanding.

Every afternoon at 5:30 there was apre-dinner drink (wine) with horsd'oeuvres sponsored by a differentcivic organization. Following

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Solo Recital &

HI-e XII In t ern at ion a 1 Vi 01 aCongress proved the worth of theeffort that made it possible. Thenext congress in Boston, 1985,undoubtedly will do the same.

&Solo Recital

Solo RecitalLecture Recital:

Master ClassRivka Golani CANADA Solo RecitalLynn Hasti ngs & George Rubino US.8

Lecture: "Bowm a k t nq . Care andMaintenance"

Louis Kievman US.8 Master Class &Lecture: "Practicing the Viola"

Alfred Likpis DDR Solo Recital &Master Class

Donal d McInnesMaster Class

Paul Neubauer USbMichael Ponder UK

"Rebecca Clarke"Tully Potter UK Lectures: "Si r

Arnol d Bax" & "The Engl ish Viol ist"Maurice Riley USb Lecture: "Contri­

butions of the IVS"Lillian Tertis UK Seminar: "Lionel

Terti s "Emanuel Vardi

Master ClassJohn White UK Seminar and multiple

viola group (Mr. White is presidentof the British Viola SOCiety andwas the moving force and organizerof the Congress.)

John Chambers UK Recital with voiceand piano

Bochmann Quartet UK RecitalMan-Seng Chan SinQapore Lecture:

"The Demand for The Small erViola"

David Dalton USA Lecture: "ThePrimrose Legacy"

Harry Danks UlS Viola Ensemble &Seminar: "Lionel Tertis"

Hirofumi Fukai JAPAN Solo Recital &

recital s, there was a late night"Bratsche Bar," and on one afternoon,the community prepared what was calleda "Manx Tay". Social and musical needswere. well sat i sf i ed.

The solo recital s brought home tome the vast difference between theviola world today and that of mystudent days in New York. During thefive years of my conservatory periodthere was only one viola recital inNew York City, given by Louis Bailley.At my first chamber music class therewere violinists and cellists, but novi 01a pl ayer. Sascha Jacobsen orderedus violinists to borrow a viola and to1earn the c l ef. After two weeks, wecommenced taking turns at the viol adesk. So much for viola instructionin those days <1929-19311! Today, ofcourse, the Juilliard School, allconservatories, and most schools ofmusic have not one, but several violainstructors on thei r respect i vefaculties.

There are a number of th i ngs wh i chhave contributed to the continuinggrowth in the stature of the viola.There is a growing and improvedrepertoire; new teaching materials,fine instructors, new instrumentsbeing supplied by modern Iuth ter-s , andnot the least, the importance andeffectiveness of the work of theInternational Viola Society. Inanother generation or two at the most,one may expect to see the viola regainits long lost place of equality in theworld of string performance.

Listed are those who participatedin the congress and their presenta­tions:

4

Competitions. and theLionel Tertis, 1984

byDavid Dalton

"Competitions are for horses, notfor musi ci ans s " Ba rt6k is reputed tohave said. If so, why has there beena remarkable increase in the concoursd'archet and other musical contests inthe last few decades? Can they bejustified as a legitimate artisticendeavor? During the events on theIsle of Man, I wondered if theserivalries carry even subliminally thespirit of manly conflict such as theancient Vikings against the Manx onthe plains of Sky Hill, or the spiritin our modern day of competition moreclosely identified with contests onthe playing field or in the ring wherethere is a declared winner and aloser?

If in art, and among arti s t s •greatness lies more in the individual­ity of expression--more in its differ­ence than in its sameness--can in di­viduality be compared or calculated ona score card? Whether or not this canbe done is a question made moot in thecontemporary worl d of musical arts bythe sheer number of competitions thatare staged over the world. Competi­tions for young aspirants today are afact of musical life.

For the Americans, Van Cl iburn mayhave started it all. Not that he wasthe fi rst American to have won aninternational competition, but in thepol it i ca 11 y col d cl i mate of theKhrushchev era, it was the Sovietpremier himself whose personal accoladeaided the tall Texan's metoric rise topromi nence. An impasse--real orimagined--in the minds of the jury inthe arena of a socialist state had beenshattered, and a precedent esta­bl i shed. Can we then assume that theway was made easier in Moscow forAmerican string players who came1ater: Eugene Fodor, Nathaniel Rosen,and Elmar 01 iviera? It now appearsthat this trio of gifted instrument-

al ists is firmly establ ished on theconcert ci rcu it and enj oys record­i ng contracts as well. In 01 iviera,who gave a guest performance atBrigham Young University about a yearbefore his Moscow success, onerecognized a highly gifted violinistin command of his art. But thequestion lingers if Oliviera or any ofthe three mentioned would have secureda place on the solo stage in t oday t scompetitively-minded world if they hadsimply struck out on their own inpursuit of management, fame andfortune?

In a national periodical, thepianist, Ruth Laredo, who has asolo career and has recorded somehighly regarded discs, was featured asan exception to other artists of herstature precisely because she had !J.Qj;arrived via the competition route.Then there are the renowned arti stsof an earlier generation who actuallywere losers. For instance, Oistrakhat Warsaw and Starker at Geneva.Primrose tol d me that he was notpsychologically built for this age."I coul d never have won a competi­tion. To compete against fellowmusicians in front of a jury wasanathema to my make-up."

The recent Indianapolis Interna­tional Violin Competition and the GinaBachauer Internati ona1 Pi ano Competi­tion in Salt Lake City, 1984, for two,appear to be a kind of non plus ultraamong competitions. A strikingcommonality among the credentials ofthe competitors listed was the refer­ence to competitions previously won.Will it come to this that in order tobe el igible to compete to win acompetition, one must already havewon a major competition? (Hence, theremark by one impresario that "What isneeded now is a competition among allthe first prize winners of recentyears.") If so, it would argue thatwe will witness an even greaterproliferation of competitions which inturn will give rise to an increasednumber of young aspirants jetting fromone competiti on to another in search

5

of the e1 usive crown and an assuredniche among touring musicians.

I imagine that managers can behappy in this. Much of the work ofthei r counterparts of yesteryear--go­ing to recital after recital andhoping for a "discovery"--is takencare of by the juries at competi­tions. They are they in whom power isvested to determine who has the degreeof artistry, nerves, and performanceflair to be "saleable" to the concert­going pub1 ic. Perhaps it is just aswell. Musicians generally might bemore inc1 ined to leave this responsi­bility to a group of discriminatingjurors than to the taste and judgementof a manager. If it hasn't already,it may become mandatory that foranyone to be engaged by management, heor she will have had to take thelaurel wreath at a prestigous competi­tion. Indeed the young quartets undermanagement in this country all seem toboast of a competition prize. Managersmust be in a more enviable positionthan former1 yin that they can perusethe field of competition winners andmake their offer.

Primrose in his memoirs Walk on theNorth Side (Brigham Young UniversityPress, 1978, p • 104) indicates hismisgivings concerning competitions buta1so admits to the advantages for theaspiring artist in contrast to themore painstaking ascent of a genera­tion or so back. When Primrose gavehis consent to me to direct a competi­tion in 1979 in Utah under his name, hedid so with a degree of hesitancy.Neverthe1 ess, he fe1 t that youngvio1ists--besides violinists andpianists--deserved this kind ofexposure. But he hoped to "humanize"the Primrose International Competition.

SZigeti in his book Szigeti on theViol in (Dover, 1979, p, 14ff) statesthat "i tis ha rd1 y necessa ry to poi ntout that (the) gamb1 e on the unfore­seeable chances at competitions isincompatible with the slow maturingeither of the performing personal ityor of the repertoi re." DespiteSZigeti's demurrer regarding competi-

6

tions, he was a familiar figure in hislate life on the juries of interna­tional competitions and seems to me inhis writings even with a final shrugof his shoul ders to recogni ze thei rinevitability in our present-day.

Primrose and Szigeti are now voicesfrom the past who worked in competi­tion juries and who witnessed thetransition into what might be perceiv­ed as a "competition age." In thatcompetitions are here to stay forawh 11e, let us look at them in thebest 1i ght. Characteristic of suchcontests where winners are named,there will also be the losers. Therewill be contestants whose tears willflow aplenty when their names are notread along with those in the exclusivecircle. Some will be less thangracious in their "defeat." Therewill also be those onlookers whoheartily and sometim.es vocallydisagree with the jury's decision(much to the consternation of thewinner, I imagine.) These reac­tions unfortunately seem to beinherent in a competition and theytend to sully the bloom of achieve­ment. On the other hand, there arethose who recognize the considerableadvantages of competitions outside ofwinning and are less inclined to viewthem as 1 i fe and death strugg1 es.There is the enormous satisfaction inthe event itself, of sometimes hearingnew repertoi re , or of heari ng di ffer­ent interpretations of familiar reper­toire. There is the chance to witnessfresh and vibrant playing by youthwhose performance is honed to a fineedge, and of partaking of the spi ritand conviviality which usuallycharacterize these assemblages and anysuch gatherings of vio1i sts especi al­ly.

Besides the obvious rewards tothe contestants, such an experiencecan win for them friends for life. Byhearing the performances of outstand­ing talent from various countries,they win an understanding and often anappreciation of what is being done inthe name of their instrument in other

parts of the world. (An interestingfootnote to this was the comment of aBritish bass player who had partici­pated in the 1979 International BassCompetition on the Isl e of Man. Heexpressed himself that after havingbeen awed by the standard of playingexhibited by other nationals, hethought bass playing generally inthe United Kingdom was of a lowerstandard, and that his eyes and earswere now opened to what c o u l d bedone. Four years later at the secondsame competition, he had preparedhimself and had become the winner!)It is typical of competitors to saythat they had never worked in such aconcentrated and prolonged manner asthey had for a competition. There hasto be some benefit felt in the generallevel of proficiency on the instrumentwhen enough viol t s t s , for instance,collectively stretch themselves totheir individual ultimate.

The jury at the Tertis Competitionwas chaired by Lady Evelyn Barbirolli,hersel f a respected performi ng arti st(oboist), who went about her duties inthe manner of a seasoned and person­able professional. Members of thejury were Paul Cropper, UK; Hi rofumiFuk a i , Japan; Alfred Lipka, GermanDemocratic Republ ic; Donal d McInnes,USA; and Simon Streatfiel d, Canada.Students of some judges were enteredin the competition, and at least onemember of the jury offered to disqual­ify himself during the performance ofhis student. The jury overruled thiswith the rationale that, using a pointsystem, one member's vote woul d notoverbalance the final outcome. Fromthe first-round's two-dozen partici­pants, ei ght were sel ected for thesemi-finals. They were MatthiasBuchhol z , German, and former studentat the Curtis Institute; Paul Coletti,British, currently at the JuilliardSchool; Yuko Inoue, Japanese, residentof Amsterdam; Cynthia Phelps, Americanfrom California; Patricia Pollett,Dutch, resident of Wales; LynneRichburg, American from Michigan;Carla-Maria Rodrigues, British,

res ide nt 0 f Mi chi g an; and Na om iSeiler, Austrian.

There was a high degree of artistryand technical proficiency demonstratedparticularly by the three finalists:Paul Col e t t i , Cynth i a Ph e l ps , andCa r l a-e Na r t e Rodrigues. Two arecurrently and one formerly from thestudio of Donal d McInnes, who dis­qual ified himself from the finaljudging leaving the choices to hisfellow jurors. (III know the strengthsof these three all too well. It wouldbe difficult to be objective.")Rodrigues spun a sweet tone. Colettiseemed to me to be the poet among thecontestants, and Phel ps di spl ayed areal performance panache. In the caseof the 1atter two, the jury appearedhard put (this judging from the lengthof their deliberations) to declare awin ne r , and rig ht 1 Y so. I n myopinion, Coletti's and Phelps'sperformances epitomized the dilemmathat many juries would face in havingto declare one artful performance a"wi nner" over an other. How do youjudge the fine detail, balance, andnuance of a Vermeer (Coletti) to thevirtuosity and flamboyance of a Rubens(Phel ps ) (and I hope that th i sanalogydoes not sound forced), one beingsuperior to the other? Indeed, it ismost difficult to compare performanc­es, which in their individual convic­tion and cogency complement each otherand state compellingly that there areat least two equally valid ways ofpresenti ng one's art and even i nter­preting a single passage of music.

This gives rise in my own mind of aquest i on about current competi ti ons ,Without diminishing in the sl ightestthe impressive attainments of those inthe winners' circle at the Tertisevent, must there be a single winner?Could there not be an option of namingand promoting strongly a smallheirarchy of winners instead, if thiswas deserved?

Through the generosity of patrons,sixteen of the contestants were aidedin their musical pursuits to a greateror lesser degree. Cynthia Phelps

7

received a first prize award of $2000.an engagement for a recital at WigmoreHall. London. and the possibil ity ofother appearances in the UK. PaulColl etti was the reci pient of thesecond "Artur Rubenstein MemorialPrize" of $1500. and Carla-MariaRodrigues. received the third prize of$1000. Speci al awards were presentedin the form of a Hannings and Rubinobow by the makers; the Ernst WallfischMemorial Prize by the late viol ist' swidow. Lory; cash prizes and publ ica­tions by music publ ishers and corpora­tions to the other five semi-finalistsas well as to Benson Headley. EdwardVanderspar. Joy Watson. David Harding.Roger Hall. and Jesus Alfonzo.

Much appreciation is due JohnBethell. who administered events withaplomb. and to hi s courteous staff oflovely ladies at the Erin Arts Center.Mention must also be made of theevident work of John White. presidentof the British Viola Society. and thesupport that chapter brought to theprocedings which enriched all who werethere and furthered the cause of violaperformance and scholarship.

Inside the Tertis Competitionby .

Cynth i a Phel ps

Arrivi ng at the Dougl as Ai rport ofthe Isle of Man. I felt two veryconfl i ct i ng emot ions: I was ext reme1ythrilled and excited to be there. butat the same time. I was absol utelyterrified! After months of isolation.hard work and weekly lessons. I wasabout to enter my fi rst internationalcompetition. When my teacher. Donal dMcInnes. fi rst tal ked to me aboutentering I thought. "No way. Everyviolist in the world is going to bethere!" Indeed. playing for a juryand an audience that was filled withall kinds of violist--teachers.students and professionals--wasscary. The key to keeping calm. Idiscovered. was realizing that everyone

8

had a different 0plnlon. and I wasn'tgoi ng to be able to pl ease them all.I could only convey what I had to sayand hope that the jury was receptiveand the audience sati sfied that I atleast coul d communicate through mymusic. whether they agreed with what Ihad to say or not! After all. acompetition usually boils downto an individual player's personal­ity. Besides judging such things astechnique. intonation and sound. thejury also has to agree on the mosteffective performer. To me. thismeans one who is so convinced of hisown musical instincts that he convinc­es others. too.

After deciding to enter the TertisCompetition some time ago. I set somebasic goal s to help in my prepara­tion. In the early part of thesummer. I went to Round Top. Texas towork with a different viola teacherfor a few weeks. Heiichero Ohy ama,whom I had al ways admi red. wasextremely hel p f uI in giving me newideas and di fferent approaches to myrepertoire. Then I came back to SantaBarbara to practice and resume lessonswith Mr. McInnes. I also planned twohouse recital s , --three weeks apa rt-­each with a different program. Theclincher came when Mr. McInnes held an"i n-cl ass" competiti on. with mysel fand three of my colleagues who werealso entering the competition. It wasin a recital hall at the Music Academyof the West. compl ete with an au­dience. a timer. and Mr. McInnesacting the part of an extremely sternjudge! (In the actual competition.Lady Barbi roll i --who was the head ofthe jury--was extremely warm andfriendly. but it was good to have beenprepared for the worst!)

Preparatjon. That was really theanswer to all those butterflies andinsecure feelings. Preparation. andthe assurance that I really couldcommunicate through my music. Ireally did love the viola. and I hopedthat what I had to say was goi ng tostand out. Nevertheless. it wasextremely disconcerting to arrive at

my hotel and discover dozens ofviolists, all furiously practicing theBartok concerto, the Brahms sonatas,the Hindemith, opus 11, no. 4--all of"my" pieces! I really had to rely onmy musical instincts, and of course,all the work I had done.

One of my <jeep regrets about thecongress as a whole was having to missso much of what was goi ng on all thetime. Although I di d go to everyrecital (which were top-notch andextremely inspiring), I had to missmany of the 1ectures and mastercl asses in order to practi ce andrehearse with my accompanist. I alsowanted to make sure that I had enoughtime to myself, so I didn't minglewith many of the viol ists there,either. I was very happy that two ofmy colleagues from the University ofMichigan came over to enjoy thecongress. Together with my threefriends who were in the competi­tion, I felt support and warmth frompeople I knew loved and believed inme.

The Isl e of Man was the perfectsetting for the congress and competi­tion. It was peaceful and quaint, notto mention absolutely beautiful.There were four days in between thesemi-final and final rounds, and afterreach i ng the poi nt of not bei ng abl eto practice one more note, I took a

day to explore the i s l and. I sawrolling hills full of heather andsheep, two ancient castles dating backto the Viking explorers, woolen millsand fairy-like bridges, motorcycleraceways and old steam engine trains.It really put things in perspectivefor me to get out and enj oy bei ng inanother country, breathing in thesi ghts and smell sand forgetti ng thecompetition for a while.

When I returned to Port Erin, Ifelt refreshed and ready to give thelast round my best effort--a feeling Ihad tried to maintain throughout theentire competition. It was an unfor­gettable experience, and has inspiredme not only to attend future violacongresses (so I can really enjoyt h em l ) , but also to enter otherinternational competitions.

Cynthia Phel ps is a native of LosAngel es where she recei ved her earl ytraining. She comes from a musicalfamily which includes six professionalmusicians and is currently enrolled inthe graduate program at the Universityof Michigan.

Editor's Note: Miss Phelps agreed towrite her impressions for the AVSNewsletter before she entered thefi nal round.

THE HISTORY OF THE VIOLABy

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

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

512 Roosevelt Blvd.. Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Add postage: in U.S., $1.25; Foreign, $1.75.

9

NEW EDITOR FOR AVS NEWSLETTER

This AVS Newsletter. No. 27. was produced and edited by Dr. David Dalton.of Brigham Young University. Dr. Myron Rosenblum. the founder and firstpresident of the AVS. was also the editor of the AVS Newsletter throughout histerm of office (1970-811. In 1982 Maurice W. Riley was elected president ofthe AVS. and automatically became the second editor of the Newsletter. Between1970 and 1981 the membership of the AVS had grown to over 300 members. and thescope of the Newsletter expanded to over 20 pages. It became apparent that theresponsibilities of the president and the editor should be assigned to twopeople. Dr. David Dalton was elected to be the new editor at the AVS Boardmeeting held during the Houston International Viola Congress in 1983. Due toprevious commitments. Dr. Dalton was unable to assume this new role until thefall of 1984 with this present Newsletter. We know that David will bring manynew ideas and improvements to our Newsletter and we offer him best wishes.

--Maurice W. Riley

Editor's Note: The new editor wishes to recognize the selfless efforts andcontributions to the AVS Newsletter of his two predecessors. Members of AVShave been kept informed of recent happenings concerni ng viol i s t s . the new1iterature and recordings for the instrument. and other matters of note. Wemight all recognize as well the dedicated service to the viola community of theeditor. writers and translators--mostly European colleagues--who are respons­ible for the Viola Yearbook. All who work or have worked on these productionsdo so as a gift of service.

Forum • • • •

In this new department. the editor would like to invite dialogue betweenthe contributors to these pages and the readers. Do you have a viewpoint thatmight be heard to advantage? Do you have a journalistic report on an event ofcommon interest? Perhaps there is a scholarly writing on the subject of theviola. its technique or its music. or on viol ists themselves that should besha red.

You also may be aware of new releases in recordings and publ teat tons,concerts of note. and other newsworthy items that caul d be brought to theattention of the viola community. Please submit these items to the editor.

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About Violists • • • •WAlTER lEBERMANN

(1910-1984)

Walter lebermann, one of the great viola research scholars of our time.passed away July 3. 1984. at the age of 74. in Bad Homburg. West Germany.

Lebermann typifies the many German scholars who have found and edited forpublication previously unavailable Baroque and Classical compositions. Heproduced over eighty such works. of which more than twenty are for his choseninstrument. the viola. Lebermann's editions have greatly enriched the viol­ist's repertoire.

Lebermann took an active part in the early development of the IVFG.He will be missed by many musicians and his passing is a particular loss

to all violists world-wide.

PAUL NELEAUER

The New York Philharmonic has announced the appointment of Paul Neubauer.who will be joining the Orchestra as Principal Viol ist commencing with the1984-85 Season.

Mr. Neubauer. at the age of 2l. is one of the youngest musici ans in thehistory of the Orchestra to hold the position of principal player. He has wontop awards at major competitions within the last few years. including a specialprize at the 1982 Naumburg International Viola Competition and first prize atthe 1983 Mae M. Whitaker International Competition for Strings. At the age of17. he was the youngest competitor and first prize winner of the 1980 LionelTertis International Viola Competition held on the Isle of Man. Great Britain.

A native of California. Mr. Neubauer started playing the piano at the ageof five and the viola at seven. He took master classes from the late WilliamPrimrose. and has studied with Alan de Veritch and Paul Doktor. Mr. Neubauerholds a master's of music degree from the Juilliard School.

Paul Neubauer will present a concert on January 24. 1985 in the AliceTully Hall at Lincoln Center. The program will consist of works for viola andorchestra .tn which he will be assisted by the Sol isti New York conducted byRansom Wilson: J.C. Bach-Casadesus Concerto in C Minor; Elegy by Glazunov; theViola Concerto No.2 (New York premiere) by Gordon Jacob; Bloch: SuiteHebraique; and Divertimento by Haydn.

11

New Works • • • •CONCERTO BY MIKLOS ROZSA

From the review of the premiere by Carl Apone in the Pittsburgh Press, 5May 1984: "The 1,932 persons who attended the Pittsburgh Symphony concert (inHeinz Hall) ••• applauded and cheered (Pinchas) Zukerman's mesmerizing perform­ance in the world premiere of Miklos Rozsa's marvelous Concerto for Viola andOrchestra. Thanks to Rozsa's superbly crafed concerto and Zukerman's patricianperformance, the work was indeed a great success. When is the last time youheard an audience cheer a new work? Rozsa, the grand old man who has writtenmusic for 90 films and won three Oscars, stood up in his box seat and acceptedthe warm reception for his music.

"Zukerman was the kind of virtuoso performer audiences idolize. This wasplaying where technique and musicianship were completely integrated andennobl i ng." (Readers may recall that Mr. Rozsa has written two other concertosfor stringed instruments, the first for Jascha Heifetz, and the second forJanos Starker.)

Our thanks to Cynthia Busch who witnessed this premiere from her seat inthe viola section of the Pittsburgh Symphony for this impression: "I personal­1y 1ike the work very much. It is very easy to 1i sten to and is fill ed withbeautiful folk melodies. We in the viola section smiled at each other when wefound certain moments reminiscent of Bart6k, Walton, and even Gershwin!Zukerman played on the Boris Kroyt viola (16 inches). What an amazingly largesound for what is considered to be a small viola! I spoke with Pinky after­wards and was delighted to hear that he may be recording the concerto at somefuture date."

NEW WORKS FOR SOPRANO. VIOLA. AND PIANO

Professor Alfred llhl , one of Austria's leading composers, longtimeprofessor of compositi on at the Vienna Academy, and composer of the Klei nesKonzert--the popular work for performers of the piano, clarinet, viola reper­toi re--has recentl y had publ i shed Vier Li eder for soprano, viol a, and pi ano.The texts are taken from Christian Morgenstern, Joachim Ringelnatz and WilhelmBusch. The set is publ i shed by Dob1 i nger Verl ag of Vienna and dedi cated toDonna and David Dalton who have provided an English translation and theediting. Professor Uhl has also written a second set of songs (publicationpending) for the same performers on rather whimsical texts called FuenfKinderl j eder.

The Daltons premiered last season a work by Brigham Young Universitycomposer Merrill Bradshaw, Songs of Loye and Death: Four Elizabethan Lyrics ontexts by Shakespeare, Nashe, Suckling, and Donne for solo soprano, solo viola,and string orchestra. The performance was given by the dedicatees and theU.S. Air Force Orchestra of Washington, D.C. This work is also available in asetting for soprano, viola, and piano from the composer. <Bradshaw will berecalled by those who attended the 1979 International Viola Congress in Provofor his viola concerto Homages, which was dedicated to Will iam Primrose andpremiered by Jun Takahira.)

The Uhl and Bradshaw sets were recently performed by the Daltons in Utahand at Colorado State University at Ft. Collins.

12

From Abil i Fort Manero in Barcelona concerni ng three premiers: Fantasi aConce~tan~e, op. 68 by F. Fleta Polo for viola and orchestra, and performed byAurello Vlla and the Banda Muncipal de Barcelona conducted by Alberto Arbudo,January, 1984.

Concerto for Viola and Orchestra by Josep Soler, performed by JuanjoPamies and the Orchestra Nacional conducted by Gerard Devos, March, 1984.

Concerto for Viola and Orchestra by Angel Oliver, with Emilio Mateuviolist and the Orchestra R.V. under Odon Alonso, May 1984. '

An announcement has been received of the pending premiere of a violaconcerto by Robert W. Jones, written for the Plymouth (Michigan) SymphonySociety.

Paul Neubauer gave the first performance in a concert at the InternationalViola Congress this past August on the Isle of Man of Maurice Gardner's SonataNo.4 (1984) for Viola and Piano. Mr. Gardner has written a number of strongworks for the viola in the past several years including Tr;cjnjum, Rhapsody forViola and Orchestra, which was premiered at the 1979 Provo Congress, and theDouble Concerto for Viol in and Viola. Gardner's works can be ordered throughthe Staff Music Publishing Co, NYC, or from the composer himself 5640 CollinsAve., Miami Beach, FL 33140.

Announced in the April, 1984 Newsletter was the premiere of Richard Lane'slatest work, "Five Duos for Flute and Viola." The artists were the flutist,George /~arge, and the viol t st , Lenore Weinstock. Two notices from New Yorkpapers regarding Miss Weinstock's earl ier performance of the ShostakovitchSonata show her to have "amazi ng el egance and musici ansh i p. " She is a memberof the Sutton Ensemble.

Edjtor's Note: For those who submit information about new works, it would beappreciated by the readers if the publisher, when available, is also given.

13

Of Interest • • • •

FROM THE VICE-PRESIDENT

In order to make the AVS vice president's office playa more importantrole in the AVS, I am recommending to the Executive Board and membership thatthis official assume the following duties: (1) serve as official coordinatorof AVS Student Chapters, and (2) gather, coordinate and publ ish dates andpertinent facts regarding local, regional, national or international competi­tions. Part of this latter duty would require maintaining a three- to four­year calendar of coming events. (3) Another duty for this office would be toact as a source for collection and distribution of information regardingcommissions for the viola. Therefore, if the membership has items of interestto the AVS at large with regards to student chapters, competitions, or commis­sions for new viola pieces, please forward them to me, Dwight Pounds.

PRIMROSE INTERNATIONAL VIOLA ARCHIVE

Reprinted in the AVS Newsletter, April, 1984, was a general letter ofsolicitation to music publishers. The letter was sent jointly by PIVA and theIVS to approximately 500 publ ishing houses in all parts of the world. Theletter stated in essence that PIVA and the IVS were working jointly to esta­bl ish a viola center for the advancement of the viola and viola research.Publ ishers and composers were invited to forward review copies of viola worksfor inclusion in PIVA and also in the 1985 edition of the Zeyringer lexiconLi teratu re for Yi 01 a.

As a result of this sol icitation, over 600 pieces of music have beencontributed to PIVA in the past six months. These have come from all cornersof the world including viola works from little known publishing houses in theeastern European countries and Scandinavia, for instance.

PIVA is the official viola library of the AVS and should be utilizedfreely by the membership. Do you know of composers who wish to have a reposi­tory for thei r manuscri pts. or are you aware of publ i shers that may want tohave an example of their viola works on deposit in PIVA? Some encouragementmight help in this regard. Inquiries can be sent to:

David DaltonArchivist, PIVA

Brigham Young UniversityProvo, UT 84602

14

VSA BIANNUAl COMPETITION AT OTTAWA

The Violin Society of America held its annual convention and biannualcompetition for contemporary makers of viol ins, violas, cellos, and bows inOttawa, Ontario, November 5-8, 1984. Many fine violas and viola bows have beenentered in the VSA competitions. The VSA has encouraged many contemporarymakers to turn more and more to making fine instruments that are in the pricerange that present-day performers and teachers, and students can afford. TheAVS has sponsored exhibits of contemporary violas and viola bows at each of thepast Viola Congresses held in the United States and Canada, and will againsponsor an exhibit at the 1985 Congress in Boston.

WILLIAM PRIMROSE MEMORIAl SCHOLARSHIP FUND

The WPMSF continues to grow, but still has a long way to go to reach thebasic amount necessary to be used as a source for hel p to needy and talentedviola students. The ~IPMSF now totals over $5,000. Friends, former students,and admirers of William Primrose are urged to contribute to this Fund. Severalviolists have given benefit concerts in which part or all of the proceeds weredonated to the fund. It is to be hoped that others wi11 do th is. Thosewishing to make a first or second donation to the Fund should send the money toOr. Ann Woodward, Treasurer, American Viola Society, 209 W. University Drive,Chapel Hill, NC 27514.

AVS OOES FOR 1985

A separate sheet with the form for AVS membershi p dues for 1985 isenclosed with this Newsletter. We need your continued personal and financialsupport. Please return the form as soon as possible to our Treasurer. We haveno paid officers in AVS. It will make the Treasurer's job much easier if yourespond before January 1, 1985.

WENDELL IRISH VIOLA AWARD

The National Federation of Music Clubs offers a $700.00 Regional Award toa viola player between the ages of 12 through 18. Entrants must be prepared topl ay a program not to exceed twenty minutes. All numbers must be performedentirely from memory, and one American number is required. Contestants mustenter a state contest to become el i gi bl e for the regi ona1 event. Contact yourstate National Federation of Music Clubs officers for date and place of thestate contest. Deadline for entrance is February 1, 1985.

15

CORRECTIONS FOR NEWSLETTER NO. 26. APRIL. 1984

The article Paul Doktor in ~, p, 13, and"Scale and Chord Studies for Viola," by In-Sik Song,errors, which inexplicably appeared in the text.regrets that these mistakes were made:

the announcement of a newpp. 12 and 14 have severalThe editor (M.W. Riley)

1) It was not Mr. Song who invited Paul Doktor to Seoul.

2) The viol ist who Mr. Doktor met at the London Viola Congress wasProfessor Clara Shin-Wang.

3) Paul DOktor's trip to Korea was arranged long before he went to theLondon Viola Congress.

4) Paul Doktor did not visit Yongsei University, where Professor Songteaches, but he gave his classes, among other places, at the NationalUniversity, where Professor Wang taught; and it was Mrs. Wang, notMr. Song, who translated for Mr. Doktor in all of his classes andlessons in Seoul. All of Doktor's references in the article's fifthparagraph were to Mrs. Wang and her students. (It is with great sorrowthat we note Mrs. Wang's passing two years ago.)

The No. 26 AVS Newsletter announced a new Sonata for Viola and Piano, theCampuan, by Alan Hovhannes, commissioned and published by Daluk-Lim ChongKeat of Si ngapore. The opus number was erroneously given as no. 171; thecorrect identification is op , 371. This composition is available at theJuilliard School Music Shop for $18.00.

16

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THE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETYChapter of

INTERNATIONALE VIOLA·FORSCHUNGSGESELLSCHAFT

Dear Member:

This is a form to accompany your 1985 membership dues. We hope that youwill continue to give The American "'-iQil Society your personal and yourfinancial support.

Enclosed is my check or money order for 1985 membership in The AmericanViola Society for ( ) $15.00 regular membership or $7.50 student membership.*

NAME ,ADDRESS _

ClTY STATE ,ZIP _

*IF A STUDENT--In what school, university, college, or conservatory are youcurrently enrolled? Year ?

Please make check payable to THE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETY and mail to:Dr. Ann Woodward, 209 W. University Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27514.