JAVS Spring 2010

F ROM THE E DITOR

and then perform his Elegy-Caprice , a recent composition for solo viola.

department. David Wallace introduces us to the American fiddle waltz, a genre that he thinks violists will embrace. Fiddle music has been expe riencing a resurgence in popularity, and it’s not just for violinists anymore! Wallace offers sound advice and useful resources for exploring this style. As added inspiration for violists to com pose their own waltz, or just to learn the genre, we are fortunate to publish Wallace’s fiddle (alto-fiddle, that is) waltz, Tannehill . This issue also surveys viola events on the international scene. IVS President Michael Vidulich reports from the 2009 Viola Festival held in Shanghai. String playing has been thriving in China, and this festival honored Professor Xi-Di Shen for her excep tional contributions as a viola teacher. Vidulich also details more interna tional news as part of his IVS President’s message. We are also sad to report the passing of two violists in December. Rob Bridges, the founder of RBP Music Publishers passed away after a long battle with cancer, and Franz Zeyringer, whose name is synony mous with viola research, passed away after a lengthy illness. Our In Memoriam section offers personal tributes to both men.

An even more recent work is the Viola Concerto by Margaret Brouwer. Commissioned by Ellen Rose, long time principal of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and former AVS board member, Brouwer’s concerto was premiered to great acclaim earlier this year. In her article, Laurie Shulman examines the associations between soloist, composer, conductor, and orchestra in bringing this new composition to life. While violists have been strong propo nents of contemporary works, some wonderful compositions languish after their premieres. Such is the case with Ernst Krenek, whose viola works— long out of print—will soon become available from Universal Edition. Composer and violist Brett Banducci is championing the cause to revive these works; his article provides a thoughtful introduction to Krenek’s compositional styles and places these viola composi tions in a historical perspective. Our Student Life department examines the situation where every violist should know how to compose: writing your own cadenza. Annette Isserlis provides practical advice—specifically aimed at violists—on how to approach writing a cadenza. Using the Telemann and Stamitz concertos as starting points, she illustrates the article with her own examples of cadenzas for both works.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, instrumental soloists were expected to write and perform their own compositions. The viola reper toire is filled with music by these com poser-performers, from Stamitz and Rolla to Vieuxtemps and Hindemith. Changing musical tastes have led to a sharp decrease in this trend, and the composer-performer is now a rarity. Instead of composing, most violists in the twentieth and twenty-first cen turies have increased the repertoire by actively commissioning and champi oning music of contemporary com posers. This issue of the JAVS cele brates the diverse relationships between composers and violists in cre ating music and gives readers a chance to try their own hand at composing. If any contemporary violist continues to carry the torch of the composer-per former, it is Scott Slapin. A rapidly rising musician, Slapin has come to promi nence through a series of recordings, often featuring his own works. In our Fresh Faces column, readers can learn more about the multi-talented violist

Cordially,

David M. Bynog JAVS Editor

Readers have another opportunity to compose in our Alternative Styles

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