JAVS Spring 2010

few more viola-enthusiasts, many of whom pursued non-musical careers. It was this rather unusual combination of professionals and “ Liebhaber ” (amateurs) who helped Franz to found the Viola-Forschungsgesellschaft in Kassel in 1968, the organizational cornerstone of the International Viola Society of today and its many national members. Again quoting Maurice Riley (vol. 2, p.316): “Franz Zeyringer, who had been the guiding figure of the IVG [ Internationale Viola Gesellschaft , the official name of the society from 1976 until 1999] throughout the first 20 years, resigned as president (in 1988). For 20 years he has unselfishly given his time and skill to help promote the goals of the IVG. His leadership, dedication, and devo tion is a major factor in the many successful achievements of the organization.” –Uta Lenkewitz-v. Zahn 2nd Vorsitzende (Chairperson), long time General Secretary, German Viola Society In the early 1960s, I was browsing through music books at Patelson’s Music House, in back of Carnegie Hall in New York City, and came upon a book titled Literatur für Viola by an Austrian, Franz Zeyringer. It was an amazing book as it documented and listed hun dreds of works for viola in differ ent settings, a large number of them original pieces. Inside the book was a form, inviting all read ers to submit to the author any information on viola works not

From left to right: Paul Doktor and Franz Zeyringer at the 1977 International Viola Congress. (From the Louis Ouzer Photographic Archive. Courtesy of the Sibley Music Library, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester.)

and arrangements were also includ ed, but were documented as such.

value for it? That seems hardly possible!”

The idea to found a society to fur ther these researches had been put into reality for a first time by the German Wilhelm Altmann around 1930. He had founded a Bratschisten Bund (a society of violists), had writ ten the early issues of a small journal for violists, and had begun to collect literature—but the bad political and financial situation in Germany dur ing the following years brought his activities soon to an end. Franz Zeyringer found better polit ical conditions when he began, but people understanding his goal were as rare as in Altmann’s time. Luckily he found Dietrich Bauer in Kassel, who had a similar idea, Wolfgang Sawodny in Ulm, and a

This was the genesis of his idea to collect original viola music from wherever he could find it. He began a correspondence with uni versities, libraries, big music shops, composers, collectors, and artists around the world. Franz confided to me that these endeavors cost him out of his own pocket thou sands and thousands of shillings (none of which were ever reim bursed), but which resulted at last in a “definitive catalogue of com positions for the viola” (Maurice Riley, The History of the Viola , vol. 2, 1991, p.116) of over fourteen thousand titles of viola literature. By far the greater half of this collec tion consisted of original works for the viola; important transcriptions

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