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Viola concerto

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Colour photograph
First page of the viola solo part, in the manuscript parts set ofHoffmeister's viola concerto in D

Aviola concertois a concerto contrasting a viola with another body of musical instruments such as an orchestra orchamber musicensemble. Throughout music history, especially during theBaroque,Classical,Romantic eras, viola was viewed mostly as an ensemble instrument. Though there were a few notable concertos written for the instrument in this time period, these instances were quite rare and the instrument continued to be ignored. However, during the 20th century, the instrument was revitalized thanks to the work of a number of violists and composers, which led to the commission and composition of many more viola concertos, expanding the repertoire significantly.

Early history of the viola concerto

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Early examples of violas taking solo roles in orchestral settings includeJohann Sebastian Bach'sBrandenburg Concerto No. 6,scored for two solo violas,Georg Philipp Telemann'sConcerto in G major,andCarl Stamitz's Viola Concerto in D major. Arguably, one of the firstconcertanteworks to use the viola without caution wasWolfgang Amadeus Mozart'sSinfonia Concertante,scored for solo violin and viola. Although not much work was written for the viola alone in the Classical or Romantic periods, with only a few example concerto-like pieces emerging such asMax Bruch's Romanze,Hector Berlioz'sHarold en Italie,orJohann Nepomuk Hummel's Potpourri, the viola concerto would see significant growth from the late 1800s.

Revitalization of the viola concerto

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A number of violists and composers are credited with revitalizing the viola concerto and expanding its repertoire, with much of it centralized in Britain in the early 1900s.

Lionel Tertis
Lionel Tertis
William Primrose
William Primrose

British violistLionel Tertisis often credited with popularizing the viola as a solo instrument in the early 20th century through advocating for the composition of new pieces, as well as arranging works for the viola. A number of works were dedicated to Tertis including concertos byWilliam WaltonandEdwin York Bowen,and other concertante works such asArnold Bax's Phantasy for Viola and Orchestra. Tertis also commissioned pieces such asRalph Vaughan Williams'Flos CampiandGustav Holst'sLyric Movementfor Viola and Small Orchestra, in addition to gaining permission to transpose works for the viola, such asEdward Elgar'sCello ConcertoandFrederick Delius'sCaprice and Elegyfor Cello and Orchestra.[1]

William Primrosewas also an important figure in establishing the role of the viola as a soloist, having a number of concertos dedicated to him by composers likeQuincy PorterandDarius Milhaud.He also commissioned works as well, with the most famous beingBéla Bartók's posthumously completedViola Concerto.[2]

Other contemporary composers, such asAlfred SchnittkeandKrzysztof Penderecki,have also composed pieces for Viola and Orchestra. Orchestrations of accompaniments from chamber works into concertante works have also become more popular, with more well known transcriptions being those of Shostakovich'sViola Sonataor Rebecca Clarke'sViola Sonata.

List of viola concertos

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List of other works for viola and orchestra

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Notes

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  1. ^Unfinished, completed initially byTibor Serly,though other completions have also been done.
  2. ^Attributed toIvan Khandoshkin.
  3. ^Attributed toRoman Hoffstetter.
  4. ^Three versions – 1942, 1964, both for viola and strings, 1945 for larger orchestra.
  5. ^Score published by Schött in 1970. Referred to as concerto No. 2.
  6. ^Published byBreitkopf & Härtelin 1971. Referred to as concerto No. 3.
  7. ^At least one, in G major, published by Litolff in 1962. May have been meant for viola d'amore.
  8. ^Composed for and dedicated toWinifred Copperwheat.
  9. ^Often played by students and young violists as a part of theSuzuki method.
  10. ^According toDuke University,both were originally for violoncello or bassoon.
  11. ^Premiered byPaul Hindemith.
  12. ^Transcription of the composer'sClarinet (or Viola) Sonata, Op. 120 No. 1by Luciano Berio.
  13. ^TheSonata for Viola and Pianoorchestrated in 2004-5 byRuth Lomon.
  14. ^From the composer's Suite in D major for Viola and Piano (1906), Op. 2, arranged for Viola and Orchestra (1909).
  15. ^Transcription of Paganini's Guitar Quartet No. 15.
  16. ^Arranged byMax Erdmannsdörferfrom the composer'sMärchenbilderfor piano and viola, Op. 113.
  17. ^Transcription of Shostakovich'sString Quartet No. 13by composer and pianist Alexander Tchaikovsky.
  18. ^Transcription of Shostakovich'sSonata for Violaand Piano by violist and composer Vladimir Mendelssohn.
  19. ^Version of the Ballad for Clarinet and Orchestra Op. 28. May also be found as part of the Clarinet-Piano version numbered Op. 8. Premiered by Ilari Angervo & Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, cond. by Ernest Martinez-Izquierdo.
  20. ^Technically not a concerto.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Blue Plaques – TERTIS, LIONEL (1876–1975)".English Heritage.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
  2. ^Potter, Tully."About this Recording – PRIMROSE, William: Recital, Vol. 2 (1939–1952)".Naxos.RetrievedJanuary 2,2022.
  3. ^"Records International February 2003 Catalogue".www.recordsinternational.com.Retrieved2023-07-22.
  4. ^"UMP Composers – Simon Bainbridge".2006-10-03. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-10-03.Retrieved2023-07-22.
  5. ^Potter, Tully (2010)."Real or Fake? Famous Musical Hoaxes: The Great Baroque Swindle"(PDF).The Strad. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on February 6, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 15,2016.
  6. ^"Wise Music Classical – Home".www.wisemusicclassical.com.Retrieved2023-07-22.
  7. ^"Hans Henkemans (1913-1995) - klassiekemuziekgids.net".2005-04-24. Archived fromthe originalon 2005-04-24.Retrieved2023-07-22.
  8. ^Fleshler, David (March 11, 2015)."Diaz and Spano bring Higdon's new Viola Concerto to Miami".The Classical Review.RetrievedNovember 9,2015.
  9. ^"JACOB, Gordon:Gilder-MusicWeb Dictionary of composers".www.musicweb-international.com.Retrieved2023-07-22.
  10. ^"Michael Jarrell – Emergences-Résurgences".www.michaeljarrell.com.Retrieved2023-07-22.
  11. ^"Nigel Keay – Viola Concerto (Concerto pour alto)".www.nigelkeay.com.Retrieved2023-07-22.
  12. ^Group, Ondine Oy, A. member of The Naxos Music."Ondine Release".www.ondine.net.Retrieved2023-07-22.{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^"LEGLEY, Vic".2006-07-08. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-07-08.Retrieved2023-07-22.
  14. ^"Lukas Zdenek".zdenek-lukas.cz(in Czech).Retrieved11 February2024.
  15. ^"BEHIND THE WAVES for viola and string orchestra ( contemporary viola concerto ) ( modern viola concerto ) ( new music viola concerto )".PETER MACHAJDÍK.Retrieved2023-07-22.
  16. ^"IN FRONT OF THE WAVES for viola and string orchestra (contemporary viola concerto) (modern viola concerto) (new music viola concerto)".PETER MACHAJDÍK.Retrieved2023-07-22.
  17. ^"Milhaud.htm".2004-08-29. Archived fromthe originalon 2004-08-29.Retrieved2023-07-22.
  18. ^Muhly, Nico."Viola Concerto (2015)".Music Sales Group.RetrievedNovember 9,2015.
  19. ^"The Concert Music of Miklos Rozsa by Rob Barnett".www.musicweb-international.com.Retrieved2023-07-22.
  20. ^"June 8: Premiere of Sonata for Viola and Orchestra".2007-06-16. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-06-16.Retrieved2023-07-22.
  21. ^"Theodore Front Musical Literature – Meditation and Allegro: For Viola and Ensemble (2010)".www.tfront.com.Retrieved2023-07-22.
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