JAVS Fall 1998

William Primrose and the Viola

"If Lionel Tertis was the first protagonist, Bill Primrose was certainly the first star of the viola. ,

Heifetz-Primrose-Piatigorsky Trio. After four sea on with the NBC Symphony, Primro e embarked on a olo career that brought him international acclaim. He performed as s6loist under such conductors as Sir Thoma Beecham, Serge Kou sevit ky (who called Primrose the world's greatest violist), and Arturo Toscanini. Primrose al o recorded extensively. A noted pedagogue, Primro e served on the fac ulties of the Curtis Institute of Music, University of Southern California, Indiana Univer ity, Tokyo University, and, for hi last three year , Brigham Young University. He passed away in 1982. In collaboration with BYU faculty violist Dr. David Dalton, Primrose produced a memoir, Walk o1z the North Side, and the book Playing the Viola: Conversations with William Primrose, pub lished by Oxford University Press. His artistry inspired many composers to write for him, the mo t notable work being, perhaps, the Bart6k Viola Concerto, the composer's final opu . Primro e set a remarkable and elusive technical and artistic stan dard for all violists to emulate.

-Yehudi Menuhin Celebrated violinist

Renowned Belgian violinist Eugene Ysaye wa among the first to recognize the viola as a concer tizing instrument. "We must not overlook the viola either ... ," he cautioned. "My friend Terris is doing much mi sionary work for the viola, and I have had a young man from Scotland who will blaze new path in the year to come." William Primrose, the legendary virtuoso violist, was Ysaye's "young man from Scotland." Primro e' career panned virtually the entire genre of mu ical profe sionali m. He wa affiliated with the London String Quartet, the Primrose Quartet, the Festival Piano Quartet, and the

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