JAVS Fall 2023

“I remember when Dr. Dalton built his teaching studio and we all signed the wall before they put the final sheetrock up. I suppose it is still there today. My mother tells me that when she met with Dr. Dalton to ask if he would teach me, she said, ‘But don’t make her play any of that weird 20th-century music.’ He replied, ‘Denise, the viola is a 20th-century instrument!’ My family couldn’t afford my lessons with Dr. Dalton, and my mother set up an agreement where I would arrive an hour before my lesson and clean, under Donna’s supervision. I dusted pictures, vacuumed, scrubbed bathrooms, etc. Then, once a month, on Saturdays, I would clean for four hours. What a wonderful couple, to allow me that opportunity.” -Kristina Horrocks, DMA, student 1988-2003 “Before I began my formal studies on viola with Dr. Dalton, he invited me to attend a Viola Congress. At the time, he was serving as President of the American Viola Society. At the closing banquet, the President of the International Viola Gesellschaft (later known as the International Viola Society), Günter Ojsteršek, was greeting us in German with David at his side as translator. I remember that Günter’s opening remarks were going on for some time before he gave David a chance to speak. When there was finally a moment, David leaned into the microphone and deadpanned, ‘Günter says ‘hi.’’ Another fond memory I have was in February of 1994, my junior year at BYU. Dr. Dalton presented a lecture demonstration, titled “The Seven Deadly Sins of the Stage” and I got to assist him. Essentially, he went through all the do’s and don’ts of stage decorum and took no prisoners doing so! One of my specific assignments was to commit the heinous crime of tuning my open strings loudly at the end of the third movement of the Debussy string quartet —breaking the spell of the otherworldly D flat major chord with my ill-timed intonational maintenance. I relished the task, but have since reflected on that lecture and all the lessons I’ve had with Herr Professor David Dalton. He certainly demonstrated the formality and decorum he expected from his students, but he also showed us how to let our hair down (pun intended).” -Emily Barrett Brown, student 1989-1996; 1999

“David Dalton has indeed been one of the brightest luminaries of the viola world for the past half-century. Without his influence and contributions, we certainly would not be where we are today. He will be greatly missed, not only by his family and close friends but by the worldwide family of violists as well and will live on in our collective memory.” -Michael Kimber “It is difficult to truly measure the impact of one person. Plato is attributed saying, ‘The measure of a man is what he does with power.’ And J.K. Rowling: ‘If you want to see the true measure of a man, watch how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.’ Dr. David Dalton petrified me with his stern look as I walked the halls of Brigham Young University as a freshman, but over the years, that fear turned to admiration and an understanding that his devotion to this beautiful alto instrument was only equal to his devotion to his students. He is the most influential mentor in my life, having been his student from 1986 to 1992 and Teaching Assistant from 1990 to 1996. He showed by doing, and he was at every International Viola Congress that I attended. It was just expected that you would attend (sometimes at a sacrifice, as I would scrape together what money I could and fly across the country—or to another country). But there was always a Brigham Young University contingency at the congresses, thanks to Dr. Dalton. This exposure to the greater viola community and high-level viola performances was important. He left an indelible mark of excellence on all of us. Dr. Dalton consulted on my dissertation on the Primrose transcriptions. I opened that epistle with, ‘At various times throughout history, there are those individuals who make a significant impact in their field. They are visionaries who, driven by passion, set new standards. William Primrose (1904-1982) was one such man.’ The same quote is not untrue of Dr. David Dalton; he was a passionate visionary. I recall the last visit that I had with Dr. Dalton in his home, as he was ailing. That same weekend, I was playing Puccini’s “La Boheme” at the Noorda. Later that evening as I looked around the viola section at the opera, I realized that each violist had been influenced by

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 39, No. 2, Fall 2023