JAVS Spring 2014

Monteux grew interested in conducting, and in 1911 he became friends with Sergei Diaghilev. He rose to prominence as a conductor after leading the first per formances of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Petrushka , Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé , and Debussy’s Jeux . Monteux became one of the most prominent conductors of the twentieth century, conducting the Metropolitan Opera, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, San Francisco Symphony, and the London Symphony Orchestra. Later in his career, Monteux became known as a conducting teacher, founding The Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and Orchestra Musicians in Maine. As a teacher, Monteux would help shape such distinguished conductors as André Previn, Lorin Maazel, and Seiji Ozawa. Henri Casadesus began his musical studies with Albert Lavignac and later studied viola with Laforge. He took the premiere prix in viola in 1899, and in 1901 he founded La Société des instruments anciens with Camille Saint-Saëns. He was also one of the first members of the Quatuor Capet. Also a compos er, Casadesus is most famous for the viola concerti he composed under the guise of other composers. The Concerto in D Major for Viola by C. P. E. Bach, the Viola Concerto in C Minor by J. C. Bach,

and the Viola Concerto in B Minor by George Frideric Handel were actually written by Casadesus in the style of the purported composers.

Maurice Vieux studied viola with Laforge at the conservatory and received the premiere prix medal in 1902. He later became the principal violist of the Opéra national de Paris and the Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire. Vieux was also a member of the Quatuor Parent and Quatuor Touche. In 1918 Vieux replaced Laforge as Professor Maurice Vieux, year unknown (image courtesy of David M. Bynog)

of Viola at the conservatory. He was also a composer and wrote many pieces for the viola, including several étude books and a Scherzo . Vieux’s influence was as prominent as that of Laforge; several pieces were dedicated to Vieux, includ ing Max Bruch’s Romanze für Bratsche und Orchester and Paul Rougnon’s Fantaisie-Caprice en sol majeur pour Alto et Piano . In 1983 the French viola socie ty Les amis de l’alto estab lished the Le Concours international d’alto Maurice Vieux, an international competition for viola play ers, in honor of Vieux.

The Quatuor Capet: Lucien Capet, Violin I; André Touret, Violin II; Louis Hasselmans, Violoncello; Henri Casadesus, Viola; year unknown

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