JAVS Spring 2022

Figure 10: Campagnoli, 41 Caprices, no.16, mm.8-10, original.

Figure 11: Campagnoli, 41 Caprices, no.16, mm.8-10, Primrose edition.

And there is Caprice no. 25: the only caprice that I had to re-attempt in a second session. Its second variation is a beast for the left hand. Double stops alternate with open strings, challenging one’s levels of contortion and also making it difficult for notes to speak. Admittedly though, the effect is worth it. After I doubled down on my practicing and resolve, the second attempt was a success. The experience also taught me to be much more prepared for recording sessions than what I imagined was necessary. I started incorporating recording practice sessions into my practice, performing and recording them on video until I got a few clean takes, just like in a real session.

Some caprices are distinctly operatic. No. 10, marked adagio amoroso, incorporates harmonies and melismatic flourishes that mirror the style of a Verdi aria. The viola becomes both the singer and the orchestra, even doing a play-out on the second ending of the piece. In no. 14, a Preludium acts as an orchestral prelude, then the viola plays a duet aria in the Adagio that follows. Perhaps these operatic numbers pay homage to Campagnoli’s two singer daughters, as well as his country’s national pastime of attending and adoring the opera, which continues to this day.

Figure 12: Campagnoli, 41 Caprices, no. 25, Variation 2, mm. 1-5.

Figure 13: Campagnoli, 41 Caprices, no.10, mm.9-17.

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 38, No. 1, Spring 2022