JAVS Summer 2011

As was discussed in interviews with gambist Robert Oliver, it is perhaps less a question of how far quantitatively the application of scordatura on a viola can approximate the sound of a viola da gamba. Rather, it is intended more so that the retuned instrument can better fulfill the role in the overall texture called for in Brandenburg Concerto No. 6. 50 Concluding Comments It is often said that the greatness of classical masterworks is that three centuries after their creation, they are still celebrated in our concert halls. While poignant, this is to some extent historically inaccurate since works like the Brandenburg Concertos were left dormant for over a century, with recording technology contributing much to their eventual popularity. 51 Perhaps what we can say is that the legacy of Bach, as a true master of the string family, is the vast number of aspects, angles, and layers of possibility available to the interpreter. Thus—from the rolling landscapes of New Zealand to the American Viola Society—we deal, once again, with the Lord of the Strings. To view a documentary featuring a performance with scordatura violas, please visit the AVS YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/americanviolasociety#p/u. Malaysian violist Andrew Filmer is a New Zealand International Doctoral Scholar under the supervision of Professor Donald Maurice. He holds a Master of Music degree from Indiana University, where he studied with Anthony Devroye of the Avalon Quartet. He is the 2008 winner of the David Dalton Viola Research Competition and will be presenting research at the XXXIX International Viola Congress in Würzburg, Germany. Notes 1 Robert Donington, “The Choice of Instruments in Baroque Music,” Early Music 1, no. 3 (July 1973): 131. 2 Malcolm Boyd, Bach (London: J. M. Dent and Sons, 1983), 87–88. See also Andrew Filmer, “Performers’ Editions and Additions: A Case Study in Decoding Intent in Early 18 th -Century Musical Handwriting” (lecture, New Historians Postgraduate Conference , Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, NZ, August 30–31, 2010). 3 Malcolm Boyd, Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993), 21. 4 Maurice Riley, The History of the Viola , 2 nd ed. (Ann Arbor, MI: Braun-Brumfield, 1993), 112. 5 Boyd, Brandenburg Concertos , 24–25 and 91–92. 6 Ibid., 25.

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