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 mu- sic 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.

The arrangements were published in November 2017 by Da Vinci Publishing, and can be purchased through https://davinci-edition.com/2017/11/10/carl-friedrich-abel/

Literature

Abel, K.F. (2014). Zweite Pembroke-Sammlung: Vier Duette: Ausgabe für zwei Violoncelli (Second Pem- broke collection: four duets: edition for two violoncellos), A3:1-4. Heidelberg: Güntersberg.

Abel, K.F., O’Loghlin, M., Zadow, G., Zadow, L., & Abel, K.F. (2006). Zwei Berliner Sonaten für Viola da Gamba und Bass: (Two Berlin sonatas for viola da gamba and bass). Heidelberg: Güntersberg.

Holman, P. (2010). Life after death: The viola da gamba in Britain from Purcell to Dolmetsch, Boydell Press: Woodbridge.

Luca Altdorfer, “Composed to the Soul” Luca Altdorfer, “Composed to the Soul” 4 Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018

The Contribution of British Composers in Raising the Profile of the Viola as a Solo Instrument, 1885-1960 Valerie Dart

As long ago as 1770, composer William Flackton was describing the viola as an “excellent, tho’ too much neglected instrument.”

It was not until the 20th century that we see the viola taking its long-awaited role as a solo instrument. There were many factors involved in bringing this about, from improvements in the training of viola players and improvements to the viola as an instrument involving new designs and refining the set-up, to the efforts of various personalities involved in proclaiming the merits of the viola. But as I see it, one of the most important factors driving this change is the repertoire, and therefore performers inspiring composers to write for the viola in its solo capacity and to believe that this was worthwhile. This paper discusses the role of these composers in raising the viola to a more prominent position as a solo instrument as seen through the development of repertoire for viola and piano or one other instrument.

To provide some background: in Britain through the 19th century there were several viola soloists who were notable in their own right. Among them were František Koczwara, Benjamin Blake, Charles Baetens, Simon Speelman, T.M. Abbott, Alfred Hobday and Emil Kreuz. However, they did not inspire composers to write for them. In Europe, there were a few composers whose writing demanded a high degree of technical skill of the violist, for example: Alessandro Rolla, Blumenthal and Vieuxtemps. Specialist viola classes were introduced at the Royal Conservatoire in Brussels in 1877 and at the Paris Conservatoire in 1894 and several technically demanding Pièces de Concours were commissioned for the final graduation examination.

Whilst the musical public in England was introduced to the viola soloist in the 19th century by visiting soloists, including the famous violinist Paganini who performed on viola in London in 1834, it was not until the end of the 19th century that serious attempts were made to develop viola playing in England.

5 Valerie Dart, The Contribution of British Composers Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018

Late 19th Century

It was a young German violinist Emil Kreuz (1867–1932) who came to London on a scholarship to the Royal College of Music and started to change the fortunes of the viola in Britain. He remained in England and became a significant figure in the musical life there. He was highly regarded as a violist and as an editor of viola music. He went on to become assistant conductor at Covent Garden.

In late 19th-century Britain there were very few works written for viola and piano – Kreuz wrote his Liebesbilder, Op. 5 in 1885, the same year as he wrote his concerto, and his Suite de pièces for viola and piano, Op. 45 in 1897. His Sonata is part of his Op. 13 – a work designed for teaching purposes with studies and well-graded pieces. His chamber repertoire is nowhere near as demanding as his viola concerto, which was the only British nineteenth-century viola concerto, and these works are all valuable for developing students as well as for concert repertoire.

He performed Berlioz’s Harold in Italy in 1888 and 1890 and was well respected as a viola player. A review of one of his performances stated that “The rendering of a solo for the viola by Mr. Emil Kreuz may be set down as one of the most artistic items of the evening.... Mr. Kreuz promises to be one of our finest players on the viola.”1

“(An) excellent, tho’ too much neglected instrument” William Flackton, 1770

Later in 1890, Algernon Ashton (1859–1937), a professor at the Royal College of Music, wrote a viola sonata for Emil Kreuz. As David Bynog observes: “Ashton’s sonata is grand in scope and a valuable, though overlooked, contribution to the British sonata repertoire.” A review of the concert, however, characterizes the works shortcomings:

Ashton’s treatment of his instruments seems to lack experience; he is, as it were, always at high pressure; and the viola is seldom allowed to display itself without being quickly overpowered by the piano. But the writing is sound, and indeed even tending to over-elaboration; and interesting passages every now and then make one wish that they had been left to exhibit their attractiveness in more simple fashion. Mr. Emil Kreuz did his best (which is saying much) for the viola part.2

Ashton’s sonata is indeed somewhat complex and it is difficult to spot the melodic content. As with many of the lesser-known British viola works it would take careful study and thoughtful shaping and balance between the parts. It could be well worth the effort, at least from an historical perspective.

1. David Bynog, “Emil Kreuz and the Advancement of the Viola in Nineteenth-Century Britain.” British Viola Society (September 2013). 2. Ibid.

Valerie Dart, The Contribution of British Composers 6 Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018

Illus. 1. Algernon Ashton’s Sonata in A minor for viola and piano, opus 44

Ernest Walker (1870–1949), known for his scholarly publications including A History of Music in England, studied classics at Oxford and joined the staff of Balliol College at the age of twenty, where he eventually became Director of Music. He composed orchestral and chamber music. Walker wrote his viola sonata for violist Alfred Hobday in the 1890s and in 1912 Lionel Tertis edited it for publication. There is a recording of this work and it is quite charming.

These works by Kreuz, Ashton and Walker and a Romance and a viola sonata by Ebenezer Prout are probably the only remaining viola repertoire written by 19th-century British composers.

Turn of the Century

The first decade of the 20th century was a real turning point. By the turn of the century Lionel Tertis (1876–1975), had entered the scene. He was probably the first person to attempt to persuade the public at large to listen to the viola as a solo instrument and was extremely persuasive in encouraging composers to write for the viola. It was not long before the first viola concerto of the 20th century was written by John Blackwood McEwen (1868–1948) in 1901, apparently at the request from Tertis for a viola concerto.3 Later, in 1941, McEwen also wrote a viola sonata. This sonata is still in manuscript form and has not yet been recorded; however, his violin sonata in F minor, which Tertis performed on the viola on several occasions has been recorded by Olivier Charlier on the Chandos label and is an indication of what we have to look forward to in the viola sonata.

Arnold Bax, York Bowen and Benjamin Dale

The first decade of the century was quite significant for the viola. There were a group of young composers at the Royal Academy of Music in London, who were inspired and cajoled into writing for the viola by Tertis, who was gaining a reputation as a virtuoso viola player. These young composers were York Bowen, Arnold Bax and Benjamin Dale.

3. A. J. P. Mitchell. A critical edition of selected orchestral works of Sir John Blackwood McEwen (1868–1948). Doctoral thesis, Faculty of Music, The University of Edinburgh, (2002): 107.

7 Valerie Dart, The Contribution of British Composers Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018

Illus. 2-4. Arnold Bax (1884–1961), York Bowen (1883-1953) and Benjamin Dale (1885–1943)

York Bowen (1884–1961) was a versatile young musician, a scholarship holder at the RAM at the age of 14, a pianist and a composition student of Frederick Corder. He also became an accomplished organist, violist and horn player. Bowen worked with Tertis as his accompanist and, having a good understanding of the viola, he was one of the first of Tertis’s peers to be inspired to write for the viola. The result was 15 works including a concerto in 1906, two sonatas in 1905 and 1906, a ‘Fantasie Quartet’ for four violas in 1907 and his earliest work for viola: the Fantasia for viola and organ written in 1903. He also wrote a Poem for Solo Viola, Harp and Organ. (Originally titled Romantic Poem and receiving its premiere with Tertis and Bowen in 1911.) There does not seem to be a recording of this work. British conductor Henry Wood, instigator of the British Promenade Concerts, complained that “Bowen never took the position that he deserved” in musical history.

Bowen worked with Tertis on many occasions and these were productive years for both of them. From 1905 to 1907 they gave performances of his Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 18 and his Sonata No. 2 in F, Op. 22 both in London and at the Mozart-Saal in Berlin, where they received excellent reviews. In 1906 Bowen and Tertis gave first performances of the second sonata and a duet for viola and organ, which was later renamed as Fantasia for viola and organ.

In 1907 he completed his Viola Concerto in C minor, Op. 25 and the Fantasie for Four Violas written for Tertis to play with his advanced students. This work received its first performance in 1908 for the Society of British Composers played by Tertis, Eric Coates, James Lockyer and Phyllis Mitchell.

Bowen’s viola sonatas are described by the great promoter of chamber music Walter Willson Cobbett in his Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music 1929, as being “amongst the most striking works ever composed for the instrument.” His music is very well-written for viola and uses the warm tones of the instrument to create an intense sound at times, demonstrating his depth of knowledge of both instruments. These sonatas also give us a reflection of Tertis’s style as they were written for him to perform with the composer.

Valerie Dart, The Contribution of British Composers 8 Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018

The characteristically melancholy tone that the viola is capable of producing has captured many composers’ imaginations and resulted in many elegies for viola! British composers have tapped in to this quality without wallowing in it – I hope!

This is demonstrated in the slow movement of Bowen’s first sonata, which has a wonderful melancholic simplicity. Bowen often uses subtle variation in a theme’s return, adjusting harmonies or accompanying figures as in the recapitulation of the opening theme. Bowen was encouraged by Tertis to write in more virtuosic style than was then usual for the viola – extended passages of double stops, fast passages and using the extreme upper range of the viola. Bowen’s sonatas exhibit technically difficult writing for both viola and piano.

Creating a balance with the piano accompaniment is especially important in writing for the viola. The accompaniment must also be used to provide the tonal and dynamic contrast, which is not easy for the viola to achieve due to the more limited dynamic range.

British composers were quite adventurous in the way they wrote for the viola. They set things up so that the viola would sound well, designing the structure of the music to both support the viola and to give it space to be heard.

Arnold Bax (1883–1953) and Benjamin Dale enrolled at the Academy as students on the same day in 1899. In 1904, while still a student, Bax had written a Concert Piece for his friendTertis, and sixteen years later came his three-movement Phantasy, which originally premiered on 17 November 1921 as ‘Concerto in D minor’ at a Royal Philharmonic Society Concert in the Queen’s Hall.

Bax was a prolific composer. His works include seven symphonies, a violin concerto and Tone Poems. In 1897 Arnold Bax had been profoundly influenced by hearing Oskar Nedbal, the Bohemian violist, and his friendship with Tertis lead to many works for viola, including a Fantasy Sonata for viola and harp. He wrote of the Concert Piece: “It will be observed that a Celtic element predominates, free use being made of the flattened seventh, the falling intervals of the pentatonic scale and the features peculiar to Irish music.” It was not published until 1999 and is available from Corda Music. It is a substantial piece lasting 12 and a half minutes. It has been recorded by Martin Outram. The Sonata for Viola and Harp was composed in 1927 in four linked movements. From a compositional point of view, it is an interesting to see how the two instruments blend. Bax was a confident and often daring composer. The first movement demonstrates Bax’s use of contrast and colour. In this sonata, the structure is based on recurring thematic material, the rising fifth being a prominent feature.

His viola sonata is quite different in character – more dramatic, stronger and less beautiful, energetic! A review of Tertis performance described it as “successful in a different way; it is music that seems to have grown to a definite shape and quality out of the viola’s very peculiarities.”

Benjamin Dale (1885–1943) was a composition student of Frederic Corder, studying alongside Bax, Bowen, Eric Coates and Rebecca Clarke. Dale’s music is beautifully crafted and romantic. His Suite (1906) and his Phantasy (1909) are substantial works.

9 Valerie Dart, The Contribution of British Composers Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018

Dale’s Suite was originally for viola and piano although the composer orchestrated it. I think the version with piano may well be the safest option. Tertis recollects:

I remember in my early days playing the Benjamin Dale Suite for viola and full orchestra, the scoring of which is as follows: in addition to some sixty string players, there are two flutes, two oboes, cor anglais, three clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, every known species of percussion, celesta, and two harps – that’s all! Hans Richter was conducting it and I recall that he complained to me, after the rehearsal, of the huge orchestra employed, saying: ‘I suppose the next addition they will find necessary for accompanying the poor dear viola will be a battery of exploding air balloons!” Tertis commissioned a work from Dale for his students at the Academy to play. The result was his Introduction and Andante, Op. 5, for six violas. It was first performed in 1911 by Tertis, Coates, Ray- mond Jeremy, Dorothy Jones, James Lockyer and Phyllis Mitchell. Frederic Corder thought highly of his student’s work and described it as “a work of remarkable beauty, power and originality. In its grandeur and its melodic sweep, none other of the present generation of string writers seems likely to approach that standard of writing.”

The idea of writing six distinct parts for violas is a challenge in itself. Dale demonstrates great skill and thoughtfulness in managing this, alternately giving the different parts prominence in the upper regions of the treble clef. All the parts are interesting and he pairs the different parts rhythmically in varied groupings: sometimes violas 1 and 2, sometimes 4 and 5 or 2 and 3. He also creates a slightly wider pitch range to work within by using the technique of scordatura. He asks the 6th viola to tune the C string down to a B flat.

Next I will talk about a group of composers – Richard Walthew, Harry Waldo Warner, William Alwyn and Edgar Bainton – who did not have that same immediate connection with Tertis but had other reasons for their inspiration; including the Cobbett chamber music competitions and other viola players.

Illus. 5-7. Richard H. Walthew (1872–1951), Harry Waldo Warner with his wife in 1900, William Alwyn (1905–1985)

Valerie Dart, The Contribution of British Composers 10 Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018

Richard H. Walthew (1872–1951) was an accomplished composer and an excellent pianist. In 1907 he became professor of music at the Queen’s College, London and later became the conductor at the Guildhall and of the South Place Orchestra. His most successful chamber work was the Phantasy- Quintet for piano and strings (1912), which was commissioned by Cobbett for the 1000th South Place Concert. Walthew worked tirelessly to promote chamber music through the South Place free Sunday concerts, performing frequently and giving lectures on chamber music. These concerts were very effective in popularising classical music.

He wrote two sonatas for viola – the Sonata in D (1938) and the Serenade Sonata in F minor for viola and piano 1925. Neither of these works are currently published or recorded but rare copies can be found in libraries. His Sonata in D is a delightful work: it is both lyrical and elegant. The harmony is rich and interesting containing hints of the influence Debussy and Richard Strauss. It is well written for both instruments and is not particularly difficult for the violist, while being satisfying to play. The Serenade Sonata is slightly more technically demanding, with interesting interactions between the viola and piano.

Illus. 8. Richard H. Walthew’s Serenade Sonata in F minor for viola and piano, 1925

There are no recordings of the sonatas; however, there is a recording of Walthew’s Mosaic in Ten Pieces, originally for clarinet and piano, written in 1900 but published for viola in 1908. When Tertis performed these in 1915 the reviewer in Musical Opinion (June 1915) described them as “delicious little pieces are deservedly beloved of all who know and appreciate the value of spontaneous melodic writing.”

Tertis was not the only significant viola player to be celebrated in his day. Harry Waldo Warner (1874–1945) was a prominent viola player who became a professor at the Guildhall and a founding member of the London String Quartet in 1907 as well as the lead viola player in the New Symphony Orchestra. He won several Cobbett prizes and his Piano Trio won the 1921 Coolidge Chamber Music Competition and was played throughout the USA. He also composed light music. Despite his prominence at the time, he has been largely forgotten and his music neglected. Regardless, viola players have a real treasure in his Suite in D minor for viola and piano, which unfortunately is yet to be published. It does not have a date but was probably written during the Second World War.

11 Valerie Dart, The Contribution of British Composers Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018

The manuscript survived in the collection of Lionel Tertis, and after him in the collection of his pupil, Harry Danks, which is now kept at the Trinity College Laban library. The late John White had hoped to publish this. Sarah-Jane Bradley recorded this work last year in its orchestrated form with the Hallé orchestra on the Dutton Epoch label (2016), and has dedicated it to him as her former teacher.

Waldo Warner’s works that include the viola are:

Suite in D, for Viola and String Orchestra, Op. 58 Valse Caprice for Violin (or viola) and Piano, Op. 20, No. 6 Sonata for Viola and Piano Rhapsody for Viola and String Quartet Trio for Violin, Viola and Piano

William Alwyn (1905–1985) was a flautist who had several viola connections. He was studying composition at the Royal Academy of Music with John Blackwood McEwen. When he met violist Watson Forbes at the RAM’s New Music Society, Alwyn was inspired to write a number of works for viola. Forbes teamed up with fellow student Myers Foggin who studied piano with Bowen and composition with Dale.

Alwyn became professor of composition at the RAM at the age of 21 and was a prolific composer with five symphonies, almost two hundred film scores and a wealth of chamber music to his name. His works for viola are:

Ballade for viola and piano, 1939 Two Folk Tunes cello/viola and piano/harp, 1936 Three Negro Spirituals for viola and piano, date not known Pastoral Fantasia for viola and string orchestra, 1939 Sonata Impromptu for violin and viola, 1939 Sonatina No. 1 for viola and piano, 1941 Sonatina No. 2 for viola and piano, 1944

Edgar Leslie Bainton (1880–1956) was Principal of the Newcastle Conservatoire in the UK and in 1933 became the director of the NSW Conservatorium of Music in Sydney, Australia. His viola sonata was tried out by Tertis but never performed until Bainton’s daughter Helen, a violist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, played it with her father for a radio broadcast in 1922.

Bainton was not known for using folksongs in his other works, and yet the unaccompanied viola melody is in the style of a folk tune. In the final movement, this folk theme becomes the march of a First World War soldier. Bainton had experienced the First World War and had been interned at Ruhleben.

Valerie Dart, The Contribution of British Composers 12 Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018

Two composers with a connection to Edward Elgar: Granville Bantock, and W.H. Reed.

Edward Elgar wrote well for the orchestral viola, providing us with an occasional great viola solo. In 1904 he arranged the viola solo from his overture In the South (Alassio) for viola and piano as Canto Popolare, with the viola part edited by violist Alfred Hobday. It makes a beautiful concert piece.

Granville Bantock (1868–1946) was a flamboyant character. Although a well-respected musical figure, his friend Elgar, whom he succeeded as Peyton Professor at the Birmingham University, once called him an ‘arch heretic’.

Bantock had a fascination with the Orient and spoke several languages including Persian and Arabic. On one occasion returned from his overseas travels with a monkey, which he kept as a pet, although he soon found it necessary to give it to the zoo! (Incidentally, Tertis also had a pet monkey!) Bantock’s music has recently had a revival. In 2013, four of Bantock’s works were played for the first time at the BBC Proms, including the Illus. 9 Granville Bantock (1868–1946) Celtic Symphony (which requires six harps).

Bantock’s rhapsodic and deeply romantic Sonata, entitled Colleen was written in 1918 and is apparently Bantock’s only work for viola. The convergence of European, Oriental and Celtic styles in British music of this era are demonstrated in this sonata – a direct quote from Strauss, an oriental influence, Scriabinesque chromaticism and the use of Celtic themes.

The first movement of this Sonata begins with an expressive four-note theme with a falling sixth, which is a direct quote of the Marschallin’s theme ‘La Bichette’ from Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss.

Illus. 10. Bantock Viola Sonata, opening

Rosenkavalier was heard in England in 1913. This theme in different guises runs through the whole work. Bantock provides in his scoring sufficient rhythmic and harmonic contrast for this repetition to work. His creativity is evident in the melodic extensions of this theme.

13 Valerie Dart, The Contribution of British Composers Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018

In the Vivo con amore he uses the motive with a falling seventh and in the Cantabile affettuoso, he extends the theme and later he extends the theme with a wonderful cascading arpeggio figure.

Illus. 11. Bantock Viola Sonata, first movement excerpts

The second movement, Maestoso sostenuto, rubato, is in the unusual time signature of 5/4 conveying an intense sense of longing, with an occasional distracted rhapsodic meander. The contour of the ‘Bichette’ theme is presented with quite a different character. It is presented three times before resolving to the falling sixth in bar 5, via a turn and a descending chromatic scale.

Illus. 12. Bantock Viola Sonata, second movement opening

In the last movement of his viola sonata in F major, Scottish dance sections alternate with beautiful soulful Celtic melodies.

Valerie Dart, The Contribution of British Composers 14 Proceedings of the 44th International Viola Congress, Wellington 2018

The third movement, Vivace, is based on a lively Irish jig known as ‘Helvic Head’ or ‘Walk Out of It Hogan’.

Illus. 13. ‘Helvic Head’/’Walk Out of It Hogan’

The mystery title “Colleen” can be explained when it is realised that the lovely lilting second theme of this movement bears a striking resemblance to an Irish folksong with the name Colleen Dhas Croothe Na Mó which translates as ‘The Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow.’

Illus. 14. Second theme, ‘Colleen’

The jig is then combined with the Colleen Dhas theme and they are cleverly woven together.

Illus. 15. ‘Helvic Head’ and ‘Colleen’ themes combined

This sonata, which is amongst the longest sonatas in the repertoire is well worth learning as it is challenging and satisfying to play and is a significant part of the viola repertoire.

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W.H. Reed (1876–1942) is remembered today for his book Elgar as I Knew Him. He was a close friend of Elgar, was a founding member of the London Symphony Orchestra in 1904 and its leader for a long period. Reed was a professor of viola at the Royal College of Music from 1921 to 1943. There is a delightful CD of Reed’s violin pieces, made by Robert Gibbs who owns the violin that belonged to Reed. On this recording, he also recorded Reed’s Rhapsody for viola and piano written in 1927 and dedicated to Tertis. It is now published as an archive copy by Stainer and Bell. Tertis performed it in April 1927 with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Queen’s Hall. The work was originally for viola and piano and the orchestral version does not seem to be available, although there is an incomplete manuscript score.

Some other works worthy of mention are John Wray’s Capriccioso for viola and piano (1947). He was Principal at the Royal Manchester College of Music during my years there and wrote a few works for viola. It is dedicated to violist Bernard Shore (1896–1984).

Percy Grainger’s (1882–1961) Arrival Platform Humlet (1912) for middle fiddle based on a tune that came to him while walking up and down the railway platform. Unfortunately, Tertis thought it devastatingly ugly and never performed it either in private or in public! Nonetheless, he edited the work for publication.

Illus. 16. Percy Grainger’s Arrival Platform Humlet (1912) for middle fiddle or massed middle fiddles (violas)

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Edmund Rubbra (1901–1986) composed Meditation on a Byzantine Hymn for solo viola, which he also arranged for two violas. It is a beautiful calm meditative piece.

Other small gems are Eric Coates’s First Meeting and Rebecca Clarke’s many short pieces including I’ll bid my heart be still.

Rebecca Clarke (1886–1979) was one of England’s leading viola players who became a great ambassador for the viola. She had a worldwide career as a viola soloist and partnered great artists of the early twentieth century, including Schnabel, Casals, Thibaud and Rubinstein. She performed in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante at the Proms in 1927 and in 1912 she was among the first six women that Henry Wood employed in his Queen’s Hall Orchestra. She wrote a most beautiful and romantic Sonata for Viola (1919), which is generally regarded as a masterpiece. Another significant work by Clarke is Morpheus for viola and piano (1917/18). In Roman Mythology Morpheus is the God of Dreams. This piece has a dream-like wandering theme. It uses more modern harmonies and whole-tone scale passages.

Frank Bridge and Benjamin Britten

Frank Bridge (1879–1941) who was Britten’s early mentor and Illus. 17. Rebecca Clarke (1886–1979) a friend, gave him a copy of his work There is a Willow Grows Aslant a Brook, written for a ballet and staged in 1932. Benjamin Britten, who had attended the performance, transcribed it for viola and piano, both composers being violists!

Bridge wrote Allegro Appassionato and Pensiero for viola and many small pieces for violin, which have been transcribed for viola, one of my favourites being Gondoliera. In 1906/7, Bridge also wrote Three Songs for Medium Voice, Viola and Piano, that is comprised of Far, Far from Each Other, Where Is It That Our Soul Doth Go? and Music When Soft Voices Die.

Bridge’s Lament for two violas is a unique work, composed for Tertis and himself to play at a Wigmore Hall concert in 1912. The original has been lost but the current published version is taken from a draft copy and some sketches.

Benjamin Britten (1913–1976) is known amongst viola players for his Lachrymae, composed in 1930, which has many luminous moments. It contains the very essence of his style. He also wrote Reflection for Viola and Piano and his early work Elegy for Unaccompanied Viola written at the age of 16, immediately after leaving Gresham’s school.

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A talk on British viola repertoire would not be complete without mentioning Ralph Vaughan Williams, seen here discussing a forthcoming performance of Flos Campi with Tertis in 1958, as his style influenced so many British composers. He wrote skilfully for the viola in his orchestral works. It has been said that Vaughan Williams caught the viola’s soul and gave it life. His works for viola are Romance for Viola and Piano, Six Studies in English Folksong and Four Hymns for Tenor, Viola and Piano. He also made a skilful arrangement for viola and piano of his wonderful Suite for Viola and Orchestra.

Illus. 18. Ralph Vaughan Williams with Tertis in 1958

Conclusion

There are many reasons why so much of this music was forgotten. In part it was because it was not considered to be modern enough. There were also publishing restrictions due to war-time finances and paper shortages. As a result, publishers refrained from publishing anything that might not bring them revenue.

The English composers for viola had a profound impact on the emerging solo viola. This as I have shown was in part because these composers knew how to use the viola’s sonority as a romantic timbre. They appreciated the viola’s voice-like qualities, using folk song and Celtic melodies – not in a repetitive way but as part of the fabric of the work. They also had a very good sense of what would work in both orchestral and piano accompaniment.

The viola really benefitted from the early 20th-century British composers inclination towards the warmth of expression of the late romantic style and also from the influence of the sentimentality of the ballads of the Victorian era.

While composers like Walton, Clarke and Bax are well-known and have carried the viola into the public eye, it is important to remember that they worked in a compositional culture that was contributed to and supported by a significant number of the lesser-known composers.

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Passacaglias in Viola Literature Marcin Murawski

The compositional use of variations as a form is fascinating, and in the view of this author the most attractive field of music-making, leaving considerable freedom for the performers to explore more the possibilities of articulations, tone, bowings, fingerings and tempi of selected fragments. Even if sometimes it is not possible to obtain urtext editions, and even if sometimes one particular edition could be problematic – or is sometimes completely not bound with proper style and epoch like it happens in case of Borisovski’s “free transcriptions” – I always liked the “artistic license” from the composer that allows performers to explore their own musical horizons. The form of theme and variations developed in the Baroque period, from two main roots: passacaglias and chaconnes, and from the Vienesse classics up to nowadays it was and it still is one of the most popular music forms.

One interesting aspect deals with asking if indeed there is a difference between a passacaglia and chaconne. For sure it is a set of variations: if you put them on a harmonic progression some would call it a “chaconne”, while putting the same variations on a set of melodic bass patterns would make them “passacaglia”.... but it could be quite opposite. To have us more confused, we have Girolamo Frescobaldi, who was probably the first composer to treat the chaconne and passacaglia as two distinct forms, side-by-side for the sake of comparison. He usually (but not always) set the former in major key, with two compound triple-beat groups per variation, giving his chaconne a more propulsive forward motion than his passacaglia, which usually has four simple triple-beat groups per variation, according to Alexander Silbiger.1 Let us settle the argument with viola in hand, while playing those works – as for me, there’s no important difference in performing them. One notes that the differences of one composer (e.g. Frescobaldi) do not provide rules that all composers of the time followed, and for practical purposes a performer is not affected by the differing nomenclature.

So, whatever it is or was called – a passacaglia or chaconne, a theme with variations – it is the most imaginative, demanding and free music form to perform. It has both freedom and challenges, with various examples of the form in viola literature: from Bartolomeo Campagnoli’s Caprices (numbers 17, 25 and 35, for example) to J.S. Bach’s unaccompanied works, from La Folia arrangements, to the last movement of Beethoven’s Notturno for viola and piano, from Ivan Khandoshkin’s Variations on a Russian Song of Love in transcription to viola and piano to Michael Kimber’s opus magnus: Variations on a Polish Folk song “Ty pójdziesz górą” for viola and orchestra.

But referring strictly to the passacaglia: the name “passacaglia” (from the Spanish: passacalle, comes to us from the French: passacaille, from the Italian: passacaglia, passagallo or passacaglie) and from the Spanish words pasar (to move) and calle (street). Initially it was a short interlude between dances and songs, and the first score examples come from the beginning of the 17th century from Italy, when the composer Girolamo Frescobaldi stabilized the passacaglia’s form into a series of variations based on a figured bass. This form was adopted up until the 19th century, and the word itself became

1. “Chaconne”, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, London, 2001.

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synonymous of a theme with variations, usually with a serious character. Amongst the many composers creating this type of piece were J.S. Bach, L. Couperin, J. Pachelbel, F. Mendelssohn, J. Brahms, M. Reger and R. Vaughan Williams. Examples can be found in chamber, solo, symphonic and opera music, and its second bloom comes in the 20th century.

Then one day in 2016 my doctoral student, violist Kamil Babka came to me with an idea: to make a short viola recital with few pieces for violin and viola, or viola alone, that would consist a form of passacaglia, since he was especially interested in Paul Hindemith works for viola. Babka suggested few names, adding two works for viola solo that I have been recently performed. I found this idea interesting enough to explore it into a bigger project... and I explored online sources to find undiscovered or forgotten passacaglias, that could fill up the entire recital, or a potential recording.

The end result of this is some fascinating examples of its occurrence in the viola literature from its creation through to modern times; it is in a way a cross-section through the ages and, a first of its kind, as a compilation. These pieces were selected and recorded in 2016 and released on Acte Prealable CD entitled “Passacaglias”.

Beyond the selections in this recording, other examples of passacaglias in viola literature were discovered in the research process. The selected examples were seen as the most representative pieces of the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries:

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber: Passacaglia for viola solo (from 1674) – adapted from the original for violin solo by the present author Johan Halvorsen: Passacaglia (from 1893) – original score for viola and viola Paul Hindemith: In Form und Zeitmas einer Passacaglia (from 1919) – original score for viola solo Rebecca Clarke: Passacaglia on an old English tune (from 1941) – original score for viola and piano Alftred Pochon: Passacaglia pour alto seul (from 1942) – original score for viola solo Gordon Jacob: Prelude, Passacaglia and Fugue for violin and viola (from 1948) – original score for violin and viola, world premiere recording Paweł Michałowski: Passacaglia kołysankowa (from 2016) – original score for viola solo, world premiere recording Samuel Bisson: Passacaglia for viola and loop (from 2007) – adapted from the original for violoncello solo by in 2015, world premiere recording

Some of these works are more known to us than others. An expressive musical performance of the duo of violinist Jakub Gutowski and Kamil Babka, led me to ask them to record for the first time the Prelude, Passacaglia and Fugue for violin and alto by the English composer Gordon Jacob. This work, from 1948, is completely unknown to the wider public; the piece captivates with its colours, nuances, articulations and tempo fireworks, with the thematic material being interwoven between all three movements.

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Illus. 1: Gordon Jacob’s Prelude, Passacaglia and Fugue for violin and viola

The passacaglias’ charming beauty, their mechanism of rhythmical and melodic sentences within the composition and their timeless quality make them not only important pieces in every violist’s repertoire, but also lovely and sought after for the audience. It impacts the viola significantly, allowing every violist to find out his/her own language, including breaking new ground with regard to stylistic approaches – for example, I have used a riccochet bowing technique in the last few lines of Biber’s Passacaglia for viola solo, which is no doubt not a historical way of playing at all.

Passacaglia audio excerpt available here: http://www.internationalviolasociety.org/wellington- proceedingspassacaglias/

In my pedagogical work, for more than 20 years at the I.J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, Poland (but also for many years at the Academy of Art in Szczecin, Poland), I always was surprised how fast and quickly one can inspire students with vast imagination and bold enough to experiment on selected variations, or fragments for those who are not yet bold enough to take up the challenge. In both cases passacaglias serve well as the vehicle for devel- oping a mature music approach towards other viola works, creating a good field of imagina- tions but also allowing young violists to work on selected articulations and bowings, allowing them – or forcing them – to seek for a differ meaning of expressions to prevent selected work from being simply boring.

There is no shortage of violin and viola versions of this very Biber piece, and from these I decided to make my own, based on solid fundamentals but also on my own imaginations and experiments. Yes, experiments: in every piece, no matter if it is old or new, refreshed or

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restored, I do always add something special – just as would be an artist signature on a sculpture or painting. In this case, in case of Biber’s Passacaglia I have decided to combine two ideas in this very piece: my own trade mark with the riccochet bowing, and the idea of speeding the tempo towards the end. To play those rhythmical sequences towards the end of the work, I decided to put the upper sixteenth notes with ricochet – bringing the present day to a work of yesteryear – making them a clearly opposite to the eight notes played portato, with the bow lying on the strings. This experiment was successful: it gave me the speed and clarity needed and expect- ed for this part, and allowed me to create a powerful mood of music avalanching towards the very end. This proved effective for the structure of the work: with the final page providing a wave of fresh, stimulating passages, with a pervading feeling of coming to a conclusion. The use of ricochet bowing, while certainly from a modern performer’s palette, was found to fit in well stylistically with the rest of the work. This distinguished a trade mark innovation from what would might have been simply a gimmick if it were a change simply for the sake of change.

The biggest challenge is always the same: to play a music with an appropriate approach, attracting the audience with your own musical personality, showing them a variety of emotions, a panache of colors and moods, and use own experiences and knowledge to create a unique, individual version. A version true to oneself, not a silicone or plastic one. I strongly believe that all of those selected passacaglias, especially the oldest one in the form of the Biber, are the multilevel machinery that could be explored and performed in many dimensions for years as much as by the inexperienced ones as by those of us, who – as I was – are exploring and expanding this form from later in life.

Illus. 2: Cover, Passacaglias recording

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No Museum Pieces: A Practical Take to the Grande Sestetto Concertante Andrew Filmer, Sunway University

Abstract

Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, already an amalgamation of symphony and concerto, moved into the chamber music arena through an anonymous arrangement made in Vienna in 1808 for string sextet, named the Grande Sestetto Concertante. It has been recorded at least seven times since 1989 by a variety of ensembles, with the most known name amongst these players being cellist Anner Bylsma, and an urtext edition has been published by Bärenreiter, edited by Christopher Hogwood.

Despite it being anonymously penned, and an arrangement, there is certain sense of a philological bias in preserving the 1808 version, against which this paper recommends that it should be revised. The principal reason is one of practicality: some sections of the first cello part are less than idiomatic, particularly for a chamber music setting. The arrangement does distribute what were originally solo violin and viola parts throughout the sextet (excepting the second cello part), which adds significant colour. However, there are certain technical difficulties present that can be easily avoided, particularly with the first cello part, keeping in mind Karl Böhmer’s view that the work was influenced by the rise of the virtuoso cellist during that period. However, any approach to revise the first cello part must be done with some caution, considering Hogwood’s view that the use of the cello also serves to offset Mozart’s original use of scordatura for an adjustment of balance. This paper also briefly addresses the available editions; while Hogwood’s edition takes care to preserve the 19th century ‘period view’, there are nonetheless the opportunities for minor alterations with reference to Mozart’s orginal, taken in Orfeo Mandozzi’s edition.

The recommended alterations allow for increased options for a work that is not yet too anchored in the inertia of performance traditions, and retains the vitality of chamber music, as well as of Mozart’s original conceptualisation of the Sinfonia Concertante. This presentation offers these solutions in ossia parts in research that draws on both score analyses as well as practical experimentation i.e. feedback from performances and performers. On a practical level, this paper also addresses options in incorporating these alterations.

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The Philological Bias

This research builds on previous work published in Arco,1 which noted a few issues with Bach’s fifth cello suite – perhaps no more obvious than the missing soprano voice at the end of the Prelude, seen in the light of the later lute suite in G minor, where this omission is corrected:

Illus. 1. End of the Prelude (chords at mm. 217 and 219), Anna Magdelena Bach’s manuscript of the fifth suite and Johann Sebastian Bach’s manuscript of the lute suite.

In 2016, at the International Viola Conference in Thailand,2 I took this a step further and asked the question of why we have kept this omission in virtually every edition and performance, and applied the concept of a philological bias to this: it’s older, so it must be right.

Just as we use language from other senses to describe sound (Andrew Metaxas, who noted this in an interview on acoustical properties in instrument construction, humorously provided the example of a particular viola sounding like a “wet dog”), we often apply research methodologies from other disciplines to music as well. And in the application of approaches from language studies – where the original or ‘urtext’ version may well be authoritative – in the composition of music, it may well be that a later version may prove to be more reliable, due to publication-related issues, or simply because a composer revises ideas once the work is performed. Sion M. Honea delves into this in some detail:

The philological method was originally formulated for the purpose of establishing authoritative literary texts of works in the classical languages. The basic assumption of this method is that there once existed an original and authoritative text that represented the exact intentions of the author. The philological method provides the means for evaluating a given text or texts and deriving the authoritative original. One of the philology’s basic principles, though now somewhat modified, concerns historical priority and maintains that the earlier the date of the text, the more it may be presumed to be representative of the author’s intentions…

1. Andrew Filmer, “Bach’s Cello Suite No. 5: Sources, Theories, and Performance Pathways.” Arco, the UK branch of the European String Teachers’ Association (April 2012). 2. Andrew Filmer, “Filtering the Fifth: Philological bias, reception history, and revisions to Bach’s Fifth Cello Suite”, Thailand International Viola Conference (February 2016), Mahidol University, Thailand.

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Composers may change their minds, and the manuscript is not necessarily the composer’s last word. Until the early nineteenth century, and sometimes even later, the first edition was often not the best printed representation of the composer’s intentions, for it was often produced hurriedly and without the composer’s supervision. Thus, philology’s basic tenet of historical priority does not hold in regard to music. There are, therefore, problems inherent in placing unconditional trust in editions purporting to be “urtext”.3

Even the term ‘urtext’ is known by many as “true text”. This of course provides us an interesting experience when dealing with two urtext editions, where one is then forced to choose between two ‘truths’. (The ‘real’ truth, if there is such a thing, is that urtext actually means ‘first appearing text’, which underlines the inclination towards the earliest source.)

In more recent urtext editions, editors have been cautious even the clearest of errors, with some editions choosing to print the errors, with an annotation of the area that is likely mistaken. A clear example of this is in the Bärenreiter edition of the sextet under study here.4 Eight bars are mistakenly added in some of the parts in the third movement, which constitute a clear error, but are included in the printed parts with a notation. Even in the recording of the editor’s ensemble (along with various other recordings) these are not performed, so on a practical level it requires instrumentalists to mark the area or otherwise remember not to play these bars.

Illus. 2. First violin part, third movement. Note that mm. 88-93 were duplicated in error from the previous eight measures, and preserved in the Bärenreiter edition.

While it can be viewed as a particularly meticulous approach of the editor, it has little practical purpose. Essentially, I suggest that this is symbolic of what I call a ‘preservationalist’ approach, where a faithful reproduction of the original, even in light of obvious errors, is the primary goal. All other publications are commonly viewed as having the dubious subjectivity of the subjective performer’s edition, or worse still, an arrangement.

I posit that much can be done with editing that both provides a sense of practicality to performers, but does not take away from the academic rigour of the editing process. Indeed, there are times when a sense of ‘interference’ is needed to update a work for modern times, when an unusual circumstance or context at the time of composition becomes less relevant. With these rather loaded terms, I need to clarify that this does not oppose the concepts of historically informed performance – some concepts remain useful today as they did three centuries ago, from theories on

3. Sion M. Honea, “How to Select a Performing Edition”, Music Educators Journal 88, no. 4 (January 2002), 25. 4. W.A. Mozart: Grande Sestetto Concertante for string sextet (1808) after the Sinfonia Concertante K. 364, ed. Christopher Hogwood, Praha: Bärenreiter BA 9504 (2006).

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ornamentation and extemporization to the use of period instruments and bows, and HIP serves the musical community quite well in keeping these alive. And yet other concepts find more of a place in a museum than in the concert hall, and here we will deal with one such instance with the anonymous arrangement of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, titled the Grande Sestetto Concertante.

In both the Bach suite mentioned earlier as well as this Mozart arrangement, we deal with the concept of a philological bias, and how it affects the way we edit, publish and perform music of earlier times. There is a larger issue of reception history: the Bach suite has been affected by decades of performances and recordings, and changes are hard to achieve when this occurs. For the sextet, we have less of an issue with this kind of inertia: while this work has much value to violists, it does not have the same extensive performance history, and as such not quite the weight of expectation or of established conventions. We also note that the sextet itself is an arrangement and arguably then more open to both modern practical considerations, which makes it an interesting experimental ground for challenging the philological bias.

Concertante to Concertantes

This brings to the crux of the issue: what is this aspect of compositional history that may no longer be relevant in current performances of this work? The answer to this is that the arrangement has a particular focus on the role of the cello, which resulted in unusually high technical demands for the Cello 1 part. In performance the demands on this one part are disproportionate to the other parts, as well as stylistic challenges, which sets limitations of who can perform this.

Programme notes by Karl Böhmer indicate this,5 noting that instead, the easier option would simply have been to sustain the violin and viola solo parts, and turn the remaining instruments into an orchestral reduction. Instead, as Böhmer observes, the arrangement distributes the solo parts across all the instruments,6 creating new colours and instrumental conversations, along with an unusually difficult Cello 1 part. Most importantly, the notes indicate that the arrangement was made in line with the rise of the virtuoso cellist, and certainly the first cello part is indicative of this.

Böhmer has produced two sets of programme notes, and in the updated version he notes:

Owing to the greater importance of the cello around 1800, there are many places where the first cello plays solo, which were entrusted to the solo viola in Mozart’s original, particularly in the slow movement. There was more confidence in the songlike playing ability of the cellists in the high register than with the violists, who gradually lost their great importance in chamber music in Austria, from that which they had had in the late eighteenth century.7

5. Karl Böhmer, “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Streichsextett Es-Dur nach KV 364” (programme notes), available from the German state foundation Villa Musica, http://www.kammermusikfuehrer.de/werke/2378 (accessed 17 January 2017). Original in German, translated via software and with consultation. 6. Arguably it is five out of the six, with the second cello part playing a more supporting role than its colleagues. A further indication of this is that the Cello 2 part can be played by double bass, as was recorded by the Mannheim String Quartet, with Sebastian Bürger, viola, and Mátyás Németh, double bass (released by Dabringhaus and Grimm/MDG in 2010). 7. Updated programme notes for a Villa Musica concert at the Landesmuseum Mainz, 29 October 2016. Sent by Karl Böhmer via email, 18 January 2017.

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Thus, when filtering out the philological bias, we have to consider not only the prominence of the solo cellist at the turn of the 19th century, but – ironically, considering that this paper is presented at a viola congress – also the possibility of a diminished role of violists at the time of conception. With the confidence that this second contextual element is no longer evident today, we can proceed to offer scholarly editorial suggestions accordingly.

I should additionally note that Böhmer notes the role of the violist, and not necessarily the ability – the viola parts in the sextet arrangement are by no means relegated to simpler sections. After all, the opening of the second movement and the end of the third movement indicate that skills equal to the usual soloist for Mozart’s original are required. Christopher Hogwood, who edited the Bärenreiter urtext edition, has the view that the violist was simply reduced in exposure. In contrast to the idea that the viola played a diminished role in chamber music, Hogwood notes: “By recompense, the viola is given the opening of the finale, which in the original was a violin solo.”8

Hogwood’s view is that the movement of some of the solo parts to the first cello part was to accommodate problems of projection that would occur when the viola part is written out in regular tuning, rather than with Mozart’s scordatura. The present author suggests that it may well have been that tastes in Austria around 1800 simply preferred having a prominent cello part, one not afforded by Mozart.9 In any case, it would be fair to say that there are multiple theories on how the arrangement came to be; as we do not even know the name of the arranger, it is unlikely that we will be able to know for certain which of these theories (if any at all) is correct.

The sextet is not the only alteration of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante – there is a transcription of the viola part for cello, with video recordings readily available online played by the likes of Misha Maisky and a young Yo-Yo Ma. These recordings are particularly useful when the transcriptions parallel the first cello part of the sextet, providing an insight as to the practical challenges of the work.

In doing so, we consider whether, when, and to what extent the first cello part of the sextet can be altered, possibly with ossia parts. The following considerations are taken into account:

1. Whether a part was meant to showcase a virtuosic cellist; 2. Whether the part as played on a cello creates challenges in tone production.

For the first on this list, the issue is making the work accessible for ensembles both professional and otherwise, without the additional technical bar for the cellist. The second deals with issues of practicality: those additional challenges may have been the very point of the 19th-century arrangement, but not an asset for the practicality of performances today (or in Mozart’s time).

8. Ibid., IV. 9. Though it is worth noting that Mozart was in the midst of writing a Sinfonia Concertante in A for violin, viola, cello, and orchestra, that has since been completed by Philip Wilby. 10. Without which one might be entirely biased against the first cello part, which would take away from part of the chamber music nature of this arrangement, and for simply allowing the cello to play more Mozart than the composer himself provided.

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Before we delve into areas where the work can be improved, it should be mentioned that the anonymous arranger of this work has provided the musical community quite a service. There are many areas where the work is ingenious in its instrumental decisions. Let us take a look at some areas where this occurs, with excerpts from the first movement. These excerpts are from the edition by Ordeo Mandozzi, and in the public domain.11

In the first movement, in mm. 138-9, the sequence is split between the two violas presumably to avoid the repetition or provide some automatic contrast in the viola line.

Illus. 3. First movement, mm. 137-141

At measures 143-7, we note a larger tonal palette, from viola and cello, and then to the original instrumentation:

Illus. 4. First movement, mm. 141-149

11. From the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), https://goo.gl/NB3eTq (accessed 19 January 2017).

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And at mm. 187-9, we see that the arrangement creates additional variation, instead of Mozart’s than replication of the violin part earlier.

Illus. 5. First movement, mm. 186-9

Finally, in the cadenza – apart from having more than two instruments in the interplay, note the ‘reply’ in mm. 340 and 342 created from Mozart’s existing material, as well as the harmonic interest in m. 364.

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Illus. 6. First movement cadenza, mm. 339-342 and 361-6.

Consider also these sections from the second movement:

• At measures 24-34, withthe interplay now with five instruments rather than two; and • The cadenza clearly indicates a compositional voice (rather than just that of a transcriber), with new voices rather than just a reduction of the score. See, in particular, measures 139-141.

While it is no longer a work with a solo viola per se, this arrangement has much to offer violists, as will be emphasized in the Closing Remarks.

Significance: the role of the edition, and the editor

On a larger scale, this paper aims at addressing the role of the editor, particularly with the presumption that the most scholarly editing work is limited and exclusive to a preservation of the original. We are all aware of the problematic (non-scholarly) editions that have likely led to this conclusion: ones where dynamics are liberally thrown on Bach, not to mention articulatory marks and slurs. We need not thread into this subjective circus, without losing the ability to have efforts in what we might call a scholarly performing edition. This middle ground, in allowing for careful yet deliberate edits, ensure that a masterpiece does not simply end up as a museum piece.

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Analysis and Findings

Illus. 7. Areas of potential adjustment

* These are based on the Bärenreiter urtext edition edited by Christopher Hogwood, the bar numbers take into account eight bars that are mistakenly repeated and are not used in performance. The bar numbers within parentheses are those in the Mandozzi edition.

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Application

As we can note from the analysis, there are four areas where alterations would be particular use: the final instance noted in the first movement, and all of those in the third movement. In all these sections, it is the Cello 1 part that is the focal point.

Rearranging these is not a particularly complex task, but it does require some consideration of options. For the purposes of this paper we will take one key example of this: mm. 104-118 (96-109) from the final movement, which has perhaps the most awkward demands of the first cello part.

It is notable that the choice of the 1808 arrangement at this section may have been to some extent out of convenience: after all, Mozart’s original had two viola sections, and here those orchestral parts are simply replicated, and the solo viola played by the (new) cello part.

In order to restore the solo part back to one of the violas, we would need to redistribute these parts, placing Mozart’s second viola part to the first cello, and likewise for the first viola to the second viola. (It should be noted that it would be possible for the Viola 2 part to have the solo instead.) Illustration 7 indicates this adjustment.

Illus. 7. Adjusted: third movement, mm. 104-118 (96-109)

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In practical terms, the question is how to incorporate these changes in practice, without having to publish a completely new edition. One answer to this is the use of ossia parts, which would preserve the original – for those cases where perhaps showcasing a virtuoso cellist might even be preferable – while allowing for a more practical and accessible option. Thankfully, the layout of the two editions currently available (edited by Hogwood and Mandozzi, respectively) do allow enough space for this to be added in.

This research first experimented with placing these new lines within Mandozzi’s edition, as shown in the photographs in Illustration 9:

Illus. 9. Ossia parts added via the use of transparency paper

As can be noted, the prepared ossia parts are constructed over a blank background, and measured to fit in with the available edition. This is particularly useful if one already has markings on one’s parts. Considering that this edition is in the public domain and available via IMSLP, one could simply print on the same sheet of paper, producing the following:

Illus. 9. Overlaid printing of the ossia parts on top of the Mandozzi edition

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As one can note, it is not a perfect solution – there are some minor clashes in the second system. While this worked well for the majority of the edited section, due to compiled rests and differing use of space in different parts, this was found to have certain limitations. Eventually it was determined that some minor adjustments to the original public domain parts would allow the new edits to be incorporated as separate files, and the output of this will be made available concurrently with the publication of this article.

Concluding remarks

Following on the idea of a new practical approach seen in the addition of ossia parts, it is the present author’s hope that this would allow for further efforts along these lines, without the necessity of publishing an entirely new edition. Both the Hogwood and Mandozzi editions have provided significant contributions, which need not be left aside in the efforts to adjust specifically targeted sections.

Mandozzi’s edition in particular seems to adopt what has been referred to here as the non- preservational approach. A notable example of this is in the final movement at mm. 32-9, where Mozart’s semiquavers – truncated to quavers in 1808 – have been restored.12 This paper simply moves it further along this path, retaining the many positive attributes the arrangement provides, while filtering out certain anomalies that may have been entirely relevant over two centuries ago, but may today become barriers to accessibility.

Regardless of the relatively smaller role of the solo viola within the arrangement as contrasted to Mozart’s original, the importance of the Grande Sestetto Concertante is that violinists in particular will be more familiar with playing the work. (It is worth highlighting that the role of the viola is augmented or restored to some extent with the adjustments recommended within this paper.) In doing so, this provides a greater pool of instrumentalists able and perhaps keen to also perform Mozart’s original, which is of course a keystone of viola repertoire, particularly considering the relative scarcity of compositions from this period, in contrast to the Romantic period that followed.

The author thanks Professors Karl Böhmer and Gisa Jähnichen, cellist Ivan Torres, violinist Angel Lee and the Arioso Ensemble for assistance in the production of this article.

12. A live recording that employs this was available online at and accessed 19 January 2017, but is no longer avail- able, performed by Moscow Chamber Music Academy. However, it is likely to be a parallel but independent decision, as the recording, uploaded on 14 June 2016, predates the publication of the Mandozzi edition.

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