JAVS Spring 2019

Figure 2. The first page of the autograph manuscript of George Rochberg’s Sonata for viola and piano. Graciously provided by David Day, curator of the Primrose International Viola Archive.

Then almost suddenly, as I remember, Peggy asked, “What about George Rochberg?” I admitted that I knew little of his work but admired his Third String Quartet. She explained that he had left his serial period, and was now writing in a postmodern romantic style. She thought he had completed a project and might be free to entertain a commission. I wrote him and he was very interested in writing a sonata for viola. Further, I told him of Mr. Primrose’s desire to have Joseph de Pasquale, whom Rochberg knew, premier the work. Conveniently, both lived in the Philadelphia area where working together on the new sonata would be eased. Efforts were made to secure funding, and contributors were recognized on the opposite page of the Theodore Presser score: Commissioned by Friends of William Primrose, The American Viola Society and Brigham Young University In honor of William Primrose on his 75th Birthday

De Pasquale sent me a rough draft of the new work simply to gain my reaction. I was immediately impressed and thought this viola sonata might enjoy some longevity. I was moved by the expressive slow movement, and liked the drama of the first. 1 My anticipation was greatly heightened as the date of the premier approached, July 14, 1979 at the Seventh International Viola Congress, BYU, Provo, Utah. That afternoon the atmosphere in the hall was electric. Two superb musicians, de Pasquale and Vladimir Sokoloff, were poised to play with Primrose “presiding” front and center from his seat in the audience. With the sweep of the beginning measures, I was swept away, thinking that finally, it had all come together. It was one of those rare musical moments one experiences and which remains indelible.

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 35, No. 1, Spring 2019