JAVS Summer 2021

the piano sustaining arpeggiated chords with the viola and left hand of the piano improvising. Though both instruments are moving freely, one can deduce that this is meant to be a seamless interaction. This is evidenced by the piano’s instruction to “blend tone with viola.” In m. 98, when the piano reintroduces the thirty-second note motif from the beginning of piece, the viola continues to improvise, stopping four measures before the end of the section. The invitation to improvise is evidence not only of Hailstork’s creativity, but also of his versatile demands of the performer, as violists are rarely asked to improvise (outside of concerto cadenzas). The fourth section, D, marked Sereno , plays directly into the idea of the sense of calm and peace one finds in a sanctuary. The piano is instructed to play pianississimo

serenity of the previous section. As previously stated, Hailstork presents this section as “A final agitated outburst. . . .” Here, one experiences a conglomeration of all the themes and ideas introduced since the beginning of the piece. This section highlights the virtuosity of the viola in many ways. This section’s rhythmic complexity is immediately evident. Hailstork writes sixteenth-note triplets in the viola line, often tying them to eighth and sixteenth notes. In addition, these sixteenth-note triplets are often juxtaposed against sixteenth notes and eighth note triplets in the piano. Non-idiomatic intervals further require virtuosity from the violist in this section (see ex. 6). While playing this section at a fairly brisk tempo, the violist must navigate tritones across strings and intervals of a step and a half.

Example 5. Adolphus Hailstork, Sanctum, mm. 93–97. Improvisatory indications in the viola and piano. © 2008, Theodore Presser Company. Used with permission.

sempre while the viola plays piano dolce . This section highlights the warmer tones the viola is capable of producing. Marked legatissimo , the viola toggles between soaring above the piano and playing softly in its lowest register. The true beauty of this section, after the forte sixteenth-note passage, is the Sereno . Hailstork describes this section as “a slow serene melody over quiet chords in the piano.” The stillness in the piano contrasted with the sweetly moving melody in the viola creates the serenity that is indicated. Further, placing this section in the key of G-flat and later D-flat adds richness and highlights the natural warmth of the viola. Section five, E, marked “Agitato” is perhaps the most difficult and exciting portion of this piece. It comes as a surprise to listeners who may have settled into the

Finally, Hailstork successfully incorporates the scope of the viola’s range and its versatility therein. Hailstork revisits the motif of the viola entering on the and of one in mm. 176–180, highlighting the power of the C string. Finally, this section climaxes on B5, the highest stopped note in this section and in the piece as a whole. The final section, F, provides the coda to this piece. Described as a “Tranquil coda,” Hailstork marks this section Pi lento e tranquillo. This section reintroduces the chant-like theme from the opening section underneath a harmonic A in the viola. There is a resurgence of the thirty-second note motif, written this time as sixteenth notes. This motive reappears throughout the coda. Hailstork indicates morendo in m. 201 (ex. 7), allowing the sound and overall mood to become

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 37, 2021 Online Issue

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