JAVS Spring 2007

THIRD INTERNATIONAL VIOLA €:ONGRESS, THE fiRST IN AMERICA -jUNE, I 975

by Myron Rosenblum Photographs by Richard Schwarze

nor present at either or both. Here is some background to the very first International Viola Congress on American soil: During my year on a Fulbright Grant in Vienna in 1964-65, I had the opportunity to pay a visit to the Austrian violist and reacher, Franz Zeyringer in his charming town of Pollau, Austria. Franz had compiled an extraordinary cata logue of moscly original viola works, old and new and his mam moth research resulted in the Lit~ratur fiir Viola, published in 1963 - a milestone of catalogued viola music in all settings. Zeyringer spoke of his wish to form an international viola society, tried before by Paul Hindemith and Vadim Borissovsky in 1927 but which failed for a number of

reasons. Franz asked if I would be interested in creating an American chapter of such an international society, something which interested me greatly and which 1 immediate ly agreed to. Both societies soon came ro fruition, with other chap ters coming later, such as those formed in Canada, England, Australia initially and then in other parts of the world. The international society, then called Viola ForschungsgeseUschafr (VFG) , or Viola Research Society (VRS), held two International Viola Congresses in Europe, small ish bur enthusiastic affairs. After the American chapter was realized in the early 1970s, I was approached by Dr. Maurice Riley, one of the first to join the new American chapter and a professor of viola and violin

Recencly, while doing some major house cleaning, I came upon an envelope with an astounding pack et of photographs, photos that I knew I had bur had filed away nicely a while back and over the years lost track of The photo graphs were taken by professional photographers at the 3rd and 5th International Viola Congresses, held in 1975 and 1977 at Ypsilanti, Michigan and Rochester, New York respectively. Looking at these marvelous photos, I was drawn back to these two extraordi nary viola events and thought how valuable it would be to step back in time a bit and share these viola congress experiences with other violists, especially those who were

at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He was eager to host the 3rd International Viola Congress at his uni versity which would be the first such viola congress on American soil. Maurice promised good facilities, fine assiscing musicians and also the use of the United States

Th~ ojficm of th~ VFG (Viola Forsclmng.sgmllschafi) and tJu Amtrican Chapttr, VRS (Viola Rmarch Soci~ty) with William Primrou. (I tor) Di~trich Bau~r, Myron Rosmblum, William Primros~. Mauriu Rilry. Franz Zryring~r, and Wolfgang Sawodny.

YOLUME 2.?

NUMBER I

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