JAVS Summer 2021

From the Editor

The past year of the pandemic has taught me about the value of connections. We all have an innate desire to connect with others, something that was interrupted by COVID. Hours of FaceTime or Zoom helped to recreate these connections, but, as the public sphere begins to reopen, I’m reminded of the elemental

Whereas Dr. Wimmer mined the past for new ideas, several other writers forge connections with current, contemporary music. Kimia Hesabi introduces us to viola works from the Iranian diaspora; Hannah Levinson shows the myriad ways the violin and viola can connect to create new music; and Kathryn Brown analyzes Adolphus Hailstork’s Sanctum from a viola-specific perspective. The past year has pushed the inequitable construction of the musical world into the forefront of our minds. George Taylor lays this out in brutal, heart-wrenching terms, while also showing the potential for a creative path forward. Kathryn Brown compels us to question why some composers are canonized and others not, and how we can take concrete steps for change. And along these same lines, Ashleigh Gordon has taken these steps, and is a model for empowering the creation of a new, more equitable repertoire. Our musical world and the music we embrace is vast, and including new repertoire from historically under-represented sources isn’t a zero-sum game—we all grow from it. Performing Hailstork or commissioning Tavakol doesn’t mean that we stop playing Brahms; there is room for multitudes in our viola world, and the authors here show us how to take the first steps in building a better musical society. This is my final issue as the editor of JAVS . It’s been an enlightening four years, and I’m grateful for the many connections I’ve built with authors, for the knowledge I’ve gained in research, and for the opportunity to be part of this journal’s remarkable history. I look forward to reading its next chapter in the future, and wish much success to the new editor, Christina Ebersohl.

importance of person-to-person connection. In this same vein, this issue of JAVS presents many different views on connections in our musical and personal worlds. One type of connection appears through many articles here: the bridge between the past and the present. In this fiftieth year of the AVS, reflecting on the beginnings of our society provides perspective and ideas for the future. Dwight Pounds, who is himself one of the most connected violists I know, writes compellingly about the early AVS years, and his voice is joined by other important violists, including Myron Rosenblum, Marna Street, and Thomas Tatton. We’re also lucky to present a brief article from one of my viola idols, John Graham. In announcing the availability of his live performance archive, he writes beautifully about the connection between the viola and new music. In her Honorable Mention article from the 2020 Dalton Research Competition, Chelsea Wimmer also makes a clear connection to the past (the year 1696 to be specific) by bringing Biber’s ancient work into a new, contemporary form. Her scholarship and historically couched creativity inspires me to investigate the past and make connections to today.

Sincerely,

Andrew Braddock Editor

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

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