JAVS Fall 1996

12

(Vienna), as well as with the native Viennese Paul Doktor and his father Karl, are fully justified. Borissovsky's death (2 July 1972) was noted in a Russian musical journal with these words of eulogy: "As long as music lives and the viola resounds, the memory of V. Borrissovsky will not be forgotten in the hearts of musicians. The future successes of the Russian viola school will be the most fitting monument to its founder." For me, meeting this great man and musician was an unforgettable experience.

evening Borissovsky picked me up from the hotel, drove me to his apartment, and introduced me to his best pupils, among them Yuri Bashmet, who today has world renown. It was a great experience then to hear parts of Hindemith's Der Schwanen dreher and the concerto of Bela Bart6k. Of Borissovsky's significant pupils I might mention: Shebalin (Borodin Quartet), Tolpygo (first-prize winner in Munich, 1968), Barshai, and the aforementioned Drushinin and Yuri Bashment (the latter a first-prize winner at the Munich competition). Characteristic of all the Russian violists is their playing on particularly large violas. When I showed Borissovsky our Philharmonic violas, he said, "My, those are large violins you play!" I was intrigued to hear Borissovsky relate how he had studied during the First World War with a Viennese violin soloist by the name of Robert Pollak (born in 1880). Pollak, who had been a pupil of Henri Marteau, Hans Sitt, and Carl Flesch, was already well known at that time. During a 1914 concert tour of Russia, he had been surprised by the outbreak of the war, pre vented from returning to Vienna, arrested, but then finally allowed to teach at the Moscow Conservatory. Pollak didn't return to Vienna until July 1919. In the meantime, he concentrated his efforts on developing his style. Critics particularly praised his musical gracefulness, his beauty of tone, and his French-school delicacy. In 1924 he took over the guidance of the Buxbaum Quartet, to which his beloved teacher, Ernst Morawec, also belonged. In the fall of 1926, Pollak left Vienna for America, where he took over a master class in San Francisco and founded a string quartet. A pioneer on the viola, Borissovsky contributed much to the significance this instrument has achieved. He also had a great influence on con temporary composers and instrument makers. In the West, he became known for his editing of the Sonata of Michael Glinka (1804-1857), whose unfinished second movement he completed. Comparisons with Lionel Tertis, William Primrose, and my beloved teacher, Ernst Morawec

-Karl Stierhof, a native of Vienna, received his early training in violin and viola in that city. His studies were interrupted by World Wilr II, after which he enrolled at the Akademie for Musik und Darstellende Kunst, renewing his violin study with Professor Gottfiied Feist (a former student and assistant to Ottokar SevCik). He later studied viola with Ernst Morawec, principal violist of the Vienna Philharmonic. The next two decades saw Stierhof offering numerous premieres and recording works, particularly by native Austrian composers such as Egon Wellesz andAlfred Uhl He became a member ofthe Vienna Philhar monic viola section and in 1964 was appointed head ofviola studies at the Akademie for Musik. This was unprecedented in Austrian conservato ries, where violin professors had always given viola instruction. Professor Stierhof also studied the viola d'amore with Karl Stumpfand later offered instruction on this instrument at the Akademie, reaching emeritus status in 1988. He recently contributed his private viola library to the Primrose International Viola Archive.