"An Introduction to the Viola." Sound Junction. Ed. Brett Lampitt, Chrissie Murray, and Claire Rogers. UK Government, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://www.soundjunction.org/anintroductiontotheviola.aspa?NodeID=2>.
The source was found on a website sponsored by the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport for the UK Government to encourage musical development and exploration. It has won many awards and is staffed by a large number of authors, musicians, editors, and other workers that keep the information up-to-date, credible, and relevant. There is no bias in the article because it is not clear how many authors were involved in writing it and it is meant to be a factual introduction to the viola’s history. The article is a factual statement of a brief history of the viola that describes historical treatment and opinions of musicians about viola and how it rose and changed roles in ensembles and for soloists. It also features video and audio clips of notable viola works and makes direct references to composers such as Mozart and Telemann. This is relevant to my research because is gives context as to why the viola is low in the string hierarchy and transitions into it’s rise in history in the 18th and then 20th centuries. The specific examples in each period given in the article will help me conduct more research, especially with composers and scores.
Rahkonen, Carl. "No Laughing Matter: The Viola Joke as Musician's Folklore." MIT, 21 Oct. 1994. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/jokes/viola-presentation.html>.
Ethnomusicologist Carl Rahkonen presented research of his own in 1994 about the origin and purpose of popular viola jokes in an orchestra. He traces the cause of these jokes to the fact that the viola is looked down upon as inferior because of it’s harmonies, so called lack of solo works, supposedly easier parts, and lack of training. It is lowest on social hierarchy and a fallback to violin players who couldn’t cut it.
Ethnomusicologist Carl Rahkonen presented research of his own in 1994 about the origin and purpose of popular viola jokes in an orchestra. He traces the cause of these jokes to the fact that the viola is looked down upon as inferior because of it’s harmonies, so called lack of solo works, supposedly easier parts, and lack of training. It is lowest on social hierarchy and a fallback to violin players who couldn’t cut it.
Ruttenberg, Stan. "Gustav Mahler In the period of his Fifth and Kindertotenlieder." N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://www.mahlerfest.org/mfXV/essay.htm>.
While famous male violists can be traced back centuries, the earliest famous female violist is Natalie Bauer-Lechner of Vienna, born in the late 19th century. Her skill was recognized by the composer Gustav Mahler and their companionship is what aided a rise in her musical career. This late rise of female fame compared to males conveys the gender barriers in place and that women did not have a large role in early viola ensembles.
Sasasi, Kerrick. "The Viola." Bloomingdale School of Music. Bloomingdale School of Music, n.d. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://www.bsmny.org/exploring-music/features/iid/viola/viola4.php>.
Famous Composers who Played Viola:- J.S. Bach
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Benjamin Britten
- Antonin Dvorak
- Joseph Haydn
- Paul Hindemith
- Wolgang Amadeus Mozart
- Franz Schubert
Bigler, Jeff. "Viola Jokes." Viola Jokes. Ed. Jeff Bigler. MIT, 5 July 2002. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.
<http://web.mit.edu/jcb/www/viola-jokes.html>.
Viola Jokes:
How is lightning like a violist's fingers? Neither one strikes in the same place twice.
How do you keep your violin from getting stolen?Put it in a viola case.
What's the difference between a violin and a viola?
How do you get a viola section to play spiccato?Write a whole note with "solo" above it.
How do you get a violist to play a passage pianissimo tremolando?Mark it "solo.
What do you do with a dead violist? Move him back a desk.
What's the difference between a viola and a trampoline?You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.
These jokes perpetuate the stereotypes of violists being lazy, not practicing, and technically inefficient while the instrument is less valuable and inferior. Though these may have been true at an early point compared to what resources were available to violinists, the viola has changed but these sterotypes persist.
Sasasi, Kerrick. "The Viola." Bloomingdale School of Music. Bloomingdale School of Music, n.d. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://www.bsmny.org/exploring-music/features/iid/viola/viola4.php>.
These three modern composers played the largest role in increasing the quality and raising the standard of viola players, repotoire, and opportunities:
Lionel Tertis (1876-1975)"To expand the limited viola repertoire, Tertis made several arrangements and transcriptions of music for the viola, including a famous transcription of the Elgar Cello Concerto for viola. With Kreisler, he performed Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante on numerous occasions. It was one of these performances of the Sinfonia Concertante that inspired the legendary William Primrose to switch from the violin to viola."
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)" A viola soloist in his time, he is most remembered now for his viola compositions. Hindemith was a music theorist who wrote many textbooks on theory and composition. He was highly respected as a teacher and composer because he had intimate knowledge of almost all of the orchestral instruments."
William Primrose (1904-1982) was destined to become one of the greatest violinists of all time but, upon hearing Tertis play the Sinfonia Concertante, he switched to the viola. He is widely regarded as the best violist in the history of the instrument. Primrose's fame is based on his amazing technical skills on the viola.
*More details on specific works in the document.
"The Oldest Viola da gamba in History." THE ORPHEON FOUNDATION. ORPHEON FOUNDATION, 21 June 2011. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://www.orpheon.org/OldSite/Seiten/education/OldestVioladagamba.htm>.
The earliest viola de gamba recorded is from a painting from around 1475-85. It acturately depicts the shape as having:
"Sloping shoulders, pronounced middle bouts and deep ribs, sound holes in the shape of the letter C with three ornamental rosettes, five strings, several (four?) frets, a very rounded bridge which permits playing the strings separately, an intricately ornamented tailpiece attached with - most likely - a gut string to the base of the instrument. Only the head of this viol is actually different from those of later instruments. Instead of a carved head or a scroll on a long pegbox with the pegs coming from the sides, this instrument has a leaf-shaped pegbox, with the pegs standing vertically. The playing position and the bow hold are very much in line with the norms of later times."
It originated in Valencia, Spain and therefore has been inspired by Arab, Jewish, and Christian cultures.
<http://web.mit.edu/jcb/www/viola-jokes.html>.
Viola Jokes:
How is lightning like a violist's fingers? Neither one strikes in the same place twice.
How do you keep your violin from getting stolen?Put it in a viola case.
What's the difference between a violin and a viola?
- The viola burns longer.
- The viola holds more beer.
- You can tune the violin.
How do you get a viola section to play spiccato?Write a whole note with "solo" above it.
How do you get a violist to play a passage pianissimo tremolando?Mark it "solo.
What do you do with a dead violist? Move him back a desk.
What's the difference between a viola and a trampoline?You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.
These jokes perpetuate the stereotypes of violists being lazy, not practicing, and technically inefficient while the instrument is less valuable and inferior. Though these may have been true at an early point compared to what resources were available to violinists, the viola has changed but these sterotypes persist.
Sasasi, Kerrick. "The Viola." Bloomingdale School of Music. Bloomingdale School of Music, n.d. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://www.bsmny.org/exploring-music/features/iid/viola/viola4.php>.
These three modern composers played the largest role in increasing the quality and raising the standard of viola players, repotoire, and opportunities:
Lionel Tertis (1876-1975)"To expand the limited viola repertoire, Tertis made several arrangements and transcriptions of music for the viola, including a famous transcription of the Elgar Cello Concerto for viola. With Kreisler, he performed Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante on numerous occasions. It was one of these performances of the Sinfonia Concertante that inspired the legendary William Primrose to switch from the violin to viola."
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)" A viola soloist in his time, he is most remembered now for his viola compositions. Hindemith was a music theorist who wrote many textbooks on theory and composition. He was highly respected as a teacher and composer because he had intimate knowledge of almost all of the orchestral instruments."
William Primrose (1904-1982) was destined to become one of the greatest violinists of all time but, upon hearing Tertis play the Sinfonia Concertante, he switched to the viola. He is widely regarded as the best violist in the history of the instrument. Primrose's fame is based on his amazing technical skills on the viola.
*More details on specific works in the document.
"The Oldest Viola da gamba in History." THE ORPHEON FOUNDATION. ORPHEON FOUNDATION, 21 June 2011. Web. 17 May 2015. <http://www.orpheon.org/OldSite/Seiten/education/OldestVioladagamba.htm>.
The earliest viola de gamba recorded is from a painting from around 1475-85. It acturately depicts the shape as having:
"Sloping shoulders, pronounced middle bouts and deep ribs, sound holes in the shape of the letter C with three ornamental rosettes, five strings, several (four?) frets, a very rounded bridge which permits playing the strings separately, an intricately ornamented tailpiece attached with - most likely - a gut string to the base of the instrument. Only the head of this viol is actually different from those of later instruments. Instead of a carved head or a scroll on a long pegbox with the pegs coming from the sides, this instrument has a leaf-shaped pegbox, with the pegs standing vertically. The playing position and the bow hold are very much in line with the norms of later times."
It originated in Valencia, Spain and therefore has been inspired by Arab, Jewish, and Christian cultures.