JAVS Fall 2022

Figure 2: Piano and Viola Transcription Score Escerpt from Puccini’s Tosca.

is con pedale throughout and the pizz utilize as many open strings as possible to maximize resonance in both instruments. The result is what I believe to be the most affecting section of the transcription, an enchanting reflection of the preceding aria.

Figure 4: Puccini’s Tosca, Transcription Excerpt from Trio.

Another element I aspired to manifest was Puccini’s dexterous textural explorations. It is little known that the first ever instance of the flute, viola, and harp trio (a staple of our chamber repertoire as violists) can be found in the second act of Tosca. Legend has it that Debussy heard a performance of Tosca and was inspired to compose his Sonata L.137 for flute, viola, and harp in 1915.

The second act closes with a foreboding snare roll colored by woodwinds and low strings. I knew I wanted the transcription’s conclusion to be both as aching and as mysterious as possible, just like Act 2. So, in the spirit of Puccini’s textural innovation, I tried to reimagine these affects for viola and piano. The ending in my own arrangement features left hand pizzicato on open lower strings at the same time as a sustained C7 way up in the stratosphere. The left hand pizzicato are part of a hocket arpeggio with piano, and I think both these elements invoke the emotional sensation of Act 2’s conclusion without the use of the full orchestra.

Figure 3: Flute, Viola, and Harp Trio from Puccini’s Tosca, Score.

Figure 5: Puccini’s Tosca Transcription Excerpt, Ending.

I wanted to bring Puccini’s commitment to expressive texture into my own arrangement as best I could. The most prime example is in a passage that seems to be a favorite among people who have heard the Paraphrase. I cast the piano deep in the low register and high in the top register with the viola part arpeggiating the harmony in the middle register through pizzicato. The piano part

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 38, No. 2, Fall 2022

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