JAVS Summer 2021

Dwight Pounds has been an AVS member for forty-six years now, and has held a number of official positions in both the American and International Viola Societies: Vice President, Executive Board member for over thirty years, PIVC juror, and IVS Executive Secretary. He is author of “The American Viola Society: A History and Reference,” covering the first eleven North American congresses and a pedagogical work, “Viola for Violinists.” He has photographed some thirty three congresses with over thirty images representing the viola community on permanent exhibit in the PIVA Gallery. 1 The earliest attempt at viola organization was Die Bratschistenbund (1929–1939?), organized by Wilhelm Altmann in Leipzig and supported by Vadim Borisovsky and Paul Hindemith. Although relatively short lived and ultimately doomed because of lack of communication and transportation and by war, the Bund membership produced five newsletters through 1935 and Literatur für Viola und Viola d’amore in 1937. 2 This 1972 VRS membership list was extracted from newsletters and should be considered as partial at best. The membership list most likely was larger. 3 Dwight Pounds: The American Viola Society: A History and Reference , see pp. 322–323 for an English translation. 4 See JAVS Vol. 19, No. 1, 43–46 for a more in-depth discussion of the Pöllauer Protokoll and founding of the PIVA. 5 Myron Rosenblum was also co-founder and co director of the Viola d’amore Society of America. His professional career involved teaching at CUNY and freelancing on viola and viola d’amore in orchestras and chamber groups. 6 Maurice Riley, Professor of Music at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI, second VRS/AVS President and second Newsletter editor, was host of IVC III in 1975. Myron Rosenblum handled programming. 7 Dwight Pounds: AVS/HR , p. 28 8 Maurice W. Riley: The History of the Viola, Vol. 1 , Maurice W. Riley, publisher, Ypsilanti, Michigan, 1980, p. 113 9 Franz Zeyringer: Die Viola da braccio , Verlag Heller, Munich, 1988, p. 165 (Fragment translated by Dwight Pounds) Notes

10 The US Air Force musical organization that appeared at the early congresses apparently had official changes in their title. In the programs they were listed as the US Air Force String Orchestra, US Air Force Chamber Orchestra, and US Air Force Symphony Orchestra. 11 Extrapolated from Dwight Pounds: AVS/HR , p. 98. 12 David Dalton, Professor of Viola at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, third AVS President and third Newsletter/first JAVS editor, was host of IVC VII in 1979. An authority on the life and career of William Primrose, he was instrumental as a co-writer on Walk on the North Side: Memoirs of a Violist and author of Playing the Viola: Conversations with William Primrose ; he also compiled a video on Primrose life and career. He performed in addition to hosting IVC VII, and supplemented his congress with such interesting features as the first Primrose International Viola Competition (which he organized and raised funding), a celebration of the Ernest Bloch Centennial, and William Primrose’s 75th Birthday Celebration and Concert. 13 See David Dalton’s recent article sharing the story of this commission: David Dalton, “Pursuing a Commission,” Journal of the American Viola Society 35, no. 1 (Spring 2019), 20–23. 14 Extrapolated from Dwight Pounds: AVS/HR , pp. 98–99.

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

45

Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter creator