JAVS Spring 2023

There are also pieces such as Ostrich and Emu that are inspired by birds that have scales on their feet. The notes in mm.17 and 18 of this piece form the image of a pair of ostriches with their heads up, and the notes in mm.21 and 22 suggest a pair of ostriches with their heads in the sand. Emu is an E-major waltz similar to Ostrich (those large running birds are somewhat similar). The end of the book has a Waltz of the Emus that runs through all the major keys. The second volume, Advanced Violin Scale Studies , uses the whole range of the instrument, and incorporates all 24 keys. It has 29 more musical portraits of animals with scales. The animals in this book include snakes, lizards, birds, butterflies, crocodiles, fish, a few species of flying squirrels with scales on their tails, and two pangolins, the only known mammals whose bodies are entirely covered with scales. Advanced Viola Scale Studies , which Mel Bay will be releasing in 2023, uses the whole range of the viola. These pieces are particularly useful in their viola version for working on intonation, bow control, and work very nicely as solo viola pieces for performance.

These pieces are dusted with musical jokes and puns. Since pangolins bark and roll, I set the two pangolin pieces in six-eight time and gave them the tempo indication Barcarolle . The four snakes have passages that are palindromes, which bring to mind the image of an ouroboros (a snake forming a circle by eating its tail). The Neon Damselfish dances a Sarabande, the squirrels fly, the sardines flicker, and the eagles soar high up into sixth position. I enjoyed writing these pieces, and I love working on them with students. I particularly enjoy practicing Advanced Viola Scale Studies and am happy that Mel Bay is making it possible for other violists to enjoy it as well. Elaine Fine has received several awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Jefferson Award for her service to the community. She has written over 70 pieces for chamber music, arranged music for the International Music Company in New York, and is a member of Downstate Strings.

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 39, No. 1, Spring 2023

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