JAVS Fall 2000

22

VoL. 16 No.3

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETY

Given the city's predilection for opera and church music, it is no surprise that, as recently as 1956, there was "no real concert hall for symphony concerts in Dresden, and that the idea of regular symphony concert performances is not very firmly planted in the musical consciousness of the city." 19 HISTORY OF VERSIONS AND REVISIONS It is not known whether Schubert composed his Viola Concerto in E-flat Major for performance by the court orchestra or an amateur group. Perhaps both participated, since the work was later revised and performed a second time. The instrumental parts reveal a work that underwent sig nificant changes after it was first composed. It was originally written for a small orchestra, then later revised to include seven additional instruments and new passages of music. 2 ° Finally, the solo viola part was supplemented with performance indications, changes in articulation, and short cadenzas. Unfortunately, no complete set of parts remains from the original version of the Concerto. The string parts, including those from the original version, exist in four hands and reveal the progress of the work. The wind parts were completely rewritten to accommodate the new instru ments, but only these new parts survive. Therefore, this edition is, by necessity, based on the most recent version of the Concerto. Close investigation of the parts reveals the order in which the changes and additions were made. From this the various versions can be determined with some accuracy. History ofthe Versions The instrumental parts for Schubert's Concerto were prepared by four different copyists (identi fied as A, B, C, and D). Internal evidence suggests the order in which these parts were prepared and the chronological sequence of the changes that were made to the music. Following is a his

tory of the versions of this Concerto as suggested by the instrumental parts. (1) The composer produced a sketched score, perhaps in reduced format.

(2) The A parts were copied from the score, presumably by Schubert himsel£ These include the extant string and viola solo parts in addition to parts for winds that are now lost. (3) Major changes were made in the first and third movements. The original passages in A were crossed out and replaced with the revised music.

l

/1_

Ob.

I!)

i

~

"

Cl.in B.

p

I!)

l

1 ob:j

!

,..

) : 1 oboe . 1

Vln.l(A)

Vln.II(A)

I!)

Example 1. Schubert, Viola Concerto in E-jlat Major, II, mm. 81, original version. Note how the parts attributed to the oboes are, in the revised version, given to the clarinets.