JAVS Spring 2014

writing the music for a miniseries is like writing The Ring .” 2 Cobert was selected to compose the music for the twenty-hour sequel, War and Remembrance , for which he received an Emmy Award nomination. Combined, the music for the two miniseries is considered the longest score ever written for a movie. While Cobert has com posed in various genres, his many television credits remain his most well-known works. My dream of meeting Robert Cobert came true twenty four years after I bought my Dark Shadows soundtrack LP. In May of 1993 Cobert and his wife were driving back to California from New york and stopped in South Dakota for a visit. Knowing that the cellist of the Dakota String Quartet and I were married, Cobert sug gested writing a piece for us, but he soon informed me that he had lost the “muse” for this composition. I sub sequently relocated to Boston to pursue my Master of Music degree in viola performance at the New England Conservatory of Music, where I performed his Concert Piece for Viola on my Master’s recital. After graduating and doing some freelancing in New york, my wife and I divorced and I moved back to South Dakota. In January of 2001 the manuscript for Contrasts , for viola and cello, appeared at my doorstep. Unfortunately I was now without a cellist, and the piece was shelved. During this time I discussed with Cobert that I was forming a viola duo, and on April 2, 2001, I received his Three Moods for Two Violas . Again, because of a job relocation to Atlanta, Georgia, this piece remained unperformed. Both Cobert and I were extremely frustrated by these events! Then, in late 2003, I received a big sheet of manuscript paper with a composition written on it called Music for Only One Lonely Viola , bearing the inscription: “Merry Christmas, John!” I gave the pre miere of this a few months later in Atlanta. Having greatly enjoyed Cobert’s works for viola, I hoped to bring his music to a wider audience through recordings and publication of the music. My first thought on having these works recorded was to find the very best viola duo possible. I found that and more in the capable hands of the Slapin-Solomon Duo. Scott Slapin and Tanya Solomon (with David Rosen in Contrasts ) have done a fantastic job musical ly and technically in recording these works; they are without question very challenging. During the record ing process a few changes needed to be made, which

were sanctioned by the composer. And the AVS has also released the sheet music for two of the composi tions, Music for Only One Lonely Viola and Three Moods for Two Violas , which can be found on their website as part of the American Viola Project. At the age of seven, because of one soundtrack, my remarkable fortune was set in motion to the discov ery and learnings of the violin and, later, viola. The composer of that soundtrack—“Uncle Bob,” as he would have me call him—and I have become great friends since that initial LP purchase. I’ve visited and stayed at his home while enjoying many wonderful stories of his music, and I am extremely humbled that I could be a part of bringing these wonderful and fantastic pieces into the world. (And, yes, I still have my original Dark Shadows LP—some forty-five years later, but now personally signed by Bob.) I share this experience to encourage violists to approach composers to write for our instrument, not only solo works but chamber works prominently fea turing the viola. Then, share your story! Recordings of Music for Only One Lonely Viola , Three Moods for Two Violas , and Contrasts featur ing Scott Slapin and Tanya Solomon (violas) and David Rosen (cello) can be found at http://americanvi olasociety.org/resources/recordings/. Sheet music for Music for Only One Lonely Viola and Three Moods for Two Violas can be found at http://americanviolaso ciety.org/resources/scores/american-viola-project/. John Peskey studied with Emanuel Vardi and James Dunham and graduated with a Master of Music degree in viola performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1997 with honors. He con tinues his successful career of freelance performing and teaching in Helena, Montana.

Notes

1 Jeffrey Dillard Thompson, “Dark Dreamer: Dan Curtis and Television Horror, 1966–2006” (PhD diss., Middle Tennessee State University, 2007), 20.

2 Stephen Farber, “Special Challenges for TV Composers,” New York Times , June 4, 1984.

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