JAVS Summer 2025

Featured Article

Viola as Prima Donna by Fan Yang

Around the turn of the seventeenth century, the earliest operas were staged in Florence, Italy, quickly becoming a cultural sensation. The emergence of opera was the result of integrating various performance traditions from the Medieval and Renaissance periods. These spectacular productions, full of pageantry and often incorporating the latest technological innovations, were originally designed for aristocratic celebrations, bringing together nearly every imaginable art form. 1

As opera evolved, it underwent numerous stylistic and structural reforms. The rise of the European middle class in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries expanded access to public concerts and opera performances. Yet prior to the invention of the gramophone in 1877, opportunities to hear popular operatic melodies—especially from large scale productions—were limited. The distinction between “classical” and “popular” music, as we understand it today, only began to emerge in the late nineteenth century. Before that, a wide variety of musical styles enjoyed public attention. In this context, many instrumental arrangements of operatic material were created. Vocal and instrumental performers alike admired each other’s techniques and often strove to imitate one another. These arrangements typically served two purposes. First, were virtuosic works composed by instrumentalists for public concert performance—technically demanding pieces designed to captivate audiences with familiar melodies and dazzling execution. Second, were simpler arrangements intended for amateur musicians to enjoy at home. These works helped generate income for composers through publication royalties and allowed purchasers to experience operatic music in a domestic setting. Even the viola—historically less prominent as a solo instrument—benefited from this widespread enthusiasm for opera. A surprising number of works for viola, both directly and indirectly influenced by opera, emerged during this period. This article surveys a selection of such works, each exemplifying operatic style through form, expressive content, and melodic design reminiscent of early nineteenth-century opera. Together, they form a cohesive recital program lasting approximately 72 minutes, without intermission. When performed with attention to vocal phrasing and stylistic nuance, these pieces have the power to evoke the same dramatic intensity and lyrical beauty found on the operatic stage.

Figure 1. Historically Informed Reimagination of demolished Teatro di San Cassiano.

The opening of the Teatro di San Cassiano in Venice in 1637—the first public opera house—marked a turning point. Opera, once reserved for the elite, became accessible to the general public. Just two years later, Venice opened a second, larger venue: the Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Opera’s popularity soon spread across Europe, with France, Germany, and England developing national styles shaped by their unique linguistic and cultural traditions.

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 41, Summer 2025 Online Issue

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