JAVS Fall 2016

students looking to study and understand various options using the six primary sources that are known, as Bach’s autograph is lost. It can also be fun for younger students to look at and understand where the music they are learning comes from and why they might hear different bowings, tempi, ornaments, and notes on the various recordings they listen to. Students who are having a hard time with analysis may find Allen Winold’s two volume set, Bach’s Cello Suites: Analyses and Explorations , to be informative and helpful in making phrasing decisions based on harmony. Also, cellist Anthony Arnone has published a duet companion to the suites for cello, and he has transcribed these for viola for Suites 1–3. Duets can be great for lessons to help a student hear bass lines and harmonic changes. Of course, many teachers are able to create bass lines on the fly, but if you have trouble with this, Arnone’s volume can be quite helpful. Many students struggle with the swing or flow of the various dance movements and have little or no idea of what Baroque dance looked like. Baroque dancer Paige Whitley-Bauguess has a two-volume DVD called Introduction to Baroque Dance that takes viewers through the basic steps of the Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Menuet, Bourrée, Gavotte, and Gigue. This, along with a collection of small percussion instruments, can help students feel the dance rhythms and develop a greater understanding of phrasing and timing in Bach’s stylized Baroque dance movements. 7. Special Scores Teachers who are helping students prepare for college and/or grad school auditions should make sure that they have a number of scores available in the studio or in the nearest library for their students to study. For example, students working on Walton’s Viola Concerto benefit greatly from examining the differences in orchestration between the 1929 and 1962 versions found in Volume 12 of Oxford University Press’s WilliamWalton Edition . This source, edited by Christopher Wellington, includes a thorough background of the piece, textual notes, and full orchestral scores of both versions with the two versions of the solo part included in each score. Other facsimiles that are of special interest include Bartók’s Concerto and Schubert’s “Arpeggione” Sonata (both are available on IMSLP). The facsimile edition of Shostakovich’s Viola Sonata, published by Sikorski, is also an excellent resource.

8. Duos/Trios/etc. Many teaching situations do not include easy and affordable access to strong accompanists. Violist Molly Sharp has addressed this problem with her recently published viola accompaniments to viola concertos by Stamitz, Hoffmeister, and Telemann. These duets can be used for performance but also are a wonderful tool for the early stages of learning to help students address common intonation, rhythm, and style problems during lessons. As many teachers and students are aware, the American Viola Society is constantly adding scores to the resources section of the AVS website. Included are many wonderful duos, trios, quartets, and ensemble pieces. Additionally, there is now a searchable database of music for three or more violas on the AVS website, which allows teachers to select difficulty level and includes notes on the length of the piece and publisher. For teachers looking to build studio unity (see no. 10), creating a viola ensemble within the studio is a great motivator for strong and weak players alike! For those looking to build their own library, there are dozens of composers who have written original works for viola ensemble, including Michael Kimber, who has composed well over a dozen fun and accessible pieces for groups of two to five violas. There are several notable arrangers of viola music, including the Absolute Zero Viola Quartet, Julian Milone, Thomas Tatton, and Simon Rowland-Jones. Additionally, teachers should be aware of the major publishers of viola music: Corda, Viola World, Rarities for Strings, Medici, and Gems, in addition to the AVS. Finally, there are several collections of viola ensemble-music, such as the four Quatrebratche volumes and excellent pedagogical collections written by Elizabeth Stuen-Walker and Joanne Martin. 9. Teaching Musicality Some teachers find that teaching musicality, phrasing, and gesture can be particularly challenging for certain students. Having a supply of teaching aids, such as nature photos, famous artwork reproductions, markers, highlighters, and crayons can be useful for helping students make an emotional connection with their repertoire. Parts can be copied and color coded for different sections for students with synesthesia or an ability to think in colors, and pictures or photographs can help visual thinkers find ideas for setting and context in their interpretations. Additionally, the ASTA publication Playing and Teaching the Viola: A Comprehensive Guide

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 32, No. 2, Fall 2016

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