Proceedings of the 44Th International Viola Congress

Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress Editorial Panel Andrew Filmer, Editor-in-Chief Donald Maurice Gillian Ansell Carlos María Solare Contents Luca Altdorfer, “‘Composed to the Soul’: Viola da Gamba Music of Carl Friedrich Abel on the Viola and Violone” 1 Valerie Dart, “The Contribution of British Composers in Raising the Profile of the Viola as a Solo Instrument, 1885-1960” 5 Marcin Murawski, “Passacaglias in Viola Literature” 19 Andrew Filmer, “No Museum Pieces: A Practical Take to the Grande Sestetto Concertante” 23 A publication of the International Viola Society, all rights reserved, 2018 Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018 “Composed to the Soul”: Viola da Gamba Music of Carl Friedrich Abel on the Viola and Violone Luca Altdorfer “There was a time, and it is not very long past, in which Abel set the tone for the musical world; – in which everything was Abelish.”1 Since the viola became a solo instrument in the early to mid-20th century, much of the solo repertoire was written at this time. Transcriptions, arrangements were made to fill in the literature of the Baroque, Classical and Romantic styles, but the bridge to the Classical era – the late Baroque pre-Classical style – is lacking. A viola player also has to face the fact that most of the arranged music is from violin or cello. This makes us face great difficulties: We have to “compete” with the virtu- osity of the violin, and the sonority of the cello. What if we turn to an instrument and a composer that are not as famous in the modern concert halls? The viola da gamba, being the favorite string instrument of the baroque period, offers a possibility to broaden the viola music with late baroque, pre-classical repertoire. The fact that C.F. Abel was one of the last big virtuosos and composers of his instrument makes him an eloquent candidate as a composer to transcribe for viola. His connections to the Bach family bring a direct connection to the existing repertoire, providing a bridge from late baroque pre- classical period to the Classical period. That is why I based my research on creating new sources for the viola repertoire through his compositions. Abel’s simplicity in melody, yet with complexity of harmony, can carry out a beautiful soundscape for the viola to shine, and show its beauty. The title of this article is borrowed from the book: Life after death: The Viola da Gamba in Britain from Purcell to Dolmetsch by Peter Holman. Here one finds how an obituary described the composer: “The death of Abel occasions a great loss to the musical world. Sensibility is the prevailing and beautiful characteristic of his composition. – He was the Sterne of Music. – The one wrote, and the other composed to the soul. “ This article aims to show the process of arranging from viola da gamba to viola through two sonatas and three duets by this great yet forgotten 18th century German composer C.F. Abel and to introduce new pieces for viola and violone, expanding the chamber music repertoire. 1. Abel, K. F. (2014). Zweite Pembroke-Sammlung: Vier Duette: Ausgabe für zwei Violoncelli 1 Luca Altdorfer, “Composed to the Soul” Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018 Carl Friedrich Abel (1723–1787) was born in Köthen, Germany into a dynasty of gamba players. His father, Christian Ferdinand, was a colleague of J.S. Bach, played both the viola da gamba and cello, and taught him the artistry of the gamba. Later he studied with J.S. Bach in Leipzig, and worked at the court orchestra in Dresden. While on his way moving to London (1758 or ’59) he visited the Goethe family. The poet remembered him as “the last musician who handled the viola de gamba with success and applause.”2 In London, he became a business partner with J.C. Bach to create the Bach-Abel concert series. During these events (1765–1781) they featured many composers from the continent, such as Haydn, and they themselves were playing at as well as composing for the concerts. Abel’s Symphony No. 6, Op. 7 was for a long time attributed to W.A. Mozart (as No.3 in E flat). The young Mozart copied it for study purposes during his visit to London in 1764. “The death of Abel occasions a great loss to the musical world.... He was the Sterne of Music – the one wrote, and the other composed to the soul.” From anecdotes we know that Abel often played the viola part on his gamba for small chamber music concerts. After discussing Abel’s quartets, Holman (2010) concludes: “It serves mainly to show that the viola parts of conventional chamber music by Abel, J.C. Bach and their circle can legitimately serve as repertory for gamba players of today.” Conversely, the same approach can be applied for the viola da gamba repertoire: I claim that it can be successfully transcribed for viola. Viola and Violone from a historic perspective The Viennese violone is an instrument that saw its moment of glory together with the rise of classicism. This instrument had a peculiar tuning, from low to high (D)f-A-D-F#-A; such a stringing (together with a fretted fingerboard) gives it large chordal potential, together with resonance and a singing and ringing high end. Major composers from the time exploited its tonal possibilities, writing plenty of both solo and chamber repertoire; among them we find Sperger, Hoffmeister, Dittersdorf, Vanhal and even W.A. Mozart. The two main composers for the chamber settings for viola and violone are Dittersdorf and Sperger. As contemporaries of Abel, they can place the new arrangements in a historical perspective. The Process of Arrangement As the source for the arrangements, I used the Güntersberg Edition’s scores. Güntersberg have published many compositions by Abel in the recent years, and provided great information on the genesis of the pieces, as well as on performing techniques. In the process of arranging Abel’s music, I was aiming to select material that highlights his diverse style, and that is musically rewarding for the players. Nevertheless, I had to make sure that the pieces are feasible for the modern viola, with minor changes to stay true to the original ideas. The different range of the viola and double bass played a crucial part in the selection procedure. 2. Abel, K. F., O’Loghlin, M., Zadow, G. ., Zadow, L. ., & Abel, K. F. (2006). Zwei Berliner Sonaten für Viola da Gamba und Bass Luca Altdorfer, “Composed to the Soul” Luca Altdorfer, “Composed to the Soul” 2 Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018 With this in consideration, the following list was selected: Zwei Berliner Sonaten für Viola da Gamba und Bass and three movements from the Zweite Pembroke-Sammlung-Vier Duette für Viola da Gamba und Violoncello. For the two Sonatas, there were no changes or only minor changes needed for the Violone part. Arranging Due to the difference in tuning of the viola da gamba (bass viol) and viola additional changes needed to be made. Here is a little overview on the different tuning of the two instruments. Illus. 1: Viola da gamba (bass viol) tunings and tuning adjustments for the viola As seen, the tuning and the nature of the bass viol (it is a fretted instrument) is simulated to have an open strings quality, which directly influences the chord playing. Therefore, I was looking for a solution to stimulate the same quality on the viola. In the original example below, a full E minor chord is played, which is not possible on the viola as a chord, due to the tuning of the instrument. I needed to use three notes instead of four, either e-b-e or e-g-e. The choice became the second option, using an open string in the middle of the chord, to help to resonate the fingered notes, and so to adopt the open string quality that the gamba naturally offers. Illus. 2(a): Viola da gamba version Illus. 2(b): Viola version There are other times when a more significant change helps to create the effect of a viola da gamba part. The original version was not possible to be played, because of the range of the viola. That is why I placed the section an octave higher, except for the D#-F# chord. If that chord is placed an octave higher as well, the player encounters an unnecessary jumping onto high position on the D and A strings. This would not reflect the average difficulty of the piece, and the third would ‘jump out’ of the overall register. Illus. 2(a): Viola da gamba version 3 Luca Altdorfer, “Composed to the Soul” Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018 Illus. 2(b): Viola version In the next example, a more creative approach is exhibited. To be able to keep all the present notes of the chordal playing of the gamba, another rhythmic pattern is created in the viola part. This more drastic change seemed logical, and reasonable to keep all the notes. Illus. 3(a): Viola da gamba version Illus. 3(b): Viola version Conclusions Throughout the arranging and playing I tried to elaborate on the sonic quality of the gamba, as the same time ‘creating’ something that is genuinely viola music, using the range, and sound quality that our instrument naturally offers. While working on the arrangements, the educational possibilities of the pieces became evident: as great ‘style studies’ they can help to fill a bit the lacking repertoire of pre-classical music, an important musical transformation from baroque to the classical era.

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