First page of the viola solo part, in the manuscript parts set ofHoffmeister 's viola concerto in D Aviola concerto is a concerto contrasting a viola with another body of musical instruments such as an orchestra orchamber music ensemble. Throughout music history, especially during theBaroque ,Classical , andRomantic eras, viola was viewed mostly as an ensemble instrument. Though there were a few notable concertos written for the instrument in this time period, these instances were quite rare and the instrument continued to be ignored. However, during the 20th century, the instrument was revitalized thanks to the work of a number of violists and composers, which led to the commission and composition of many more viola concertos, expanding the repertoire significantly.
Early history of the viola concerto [ edit ] Early examples of violas taking solo roles in orchestral settings includeJohann Sebastian Bach 'sBrandenburg Concerto No. 6 , scored for two solo violas,Georg Philipp Telemann 'sConcerto in G major , andCarl Stamitz 's Viola Concerto in D major. Arguably, one of the firstconcertante works to use the viola without caution wasWolfgang Amadeus Mozart 'sSinfonia Concertante , scored for solo violin and viola. Although not much work was written for the viola alone in the Classical or Romantic periods, with only a few example concerto-like pieces emerging such asMax Bruch 's Romanze,Hector Berlioz 'sHarold en Italie , orJohann Nepomuk Hummel 's Potpourri, the viola concerto would see significant growth from the late 1800s.
Revitalization of the viola concerto [ edit ] A number of violists and composers are credited with revitalizing the viola concerto and expanding its repertoire, with much of it centralized in Britain in the early 1900s.
British violistLionel Tertis is often credited with popularizing the viola as a solo instrument in the early 20th century through advocating for the composition of new pieces, as well as arranging works for the viola. A number of works were dedicated to Tertis including concertos byWilliam Walton andEdwin York Bowen , and other concertante works such asArnold Bax 's Phantasy for Viola and Orchestra. Tertis also commissioned pieces such asRalph Vaughan Williams 'Flos Campi Gustav Holst 'sLyric Movement Edward Elgar 'sCello Concerto andFrederick Delius 'sCaprice and Elegy for Cello and Orchestra.[ 1]
William Primrose was also an important figure in establishing the role of the viola as a soloist, having a number of concertos dedicated to him by composers likeQuincy Porter andDarius Milhaud . He also commissioned works as well, with the most famous beingBéla Bartók 's posthumously completedViola Concerto .[ 2]
Other contemporary composers, such asAlfred Schnittke andKrzysztof Penderecki , have also composed pieces for Viola and Orchestra. Orchestrations of accompaniments from chamber works into concertante works have also become more popular, with more well known transcriptions being those of Shostakovich'sViola Sonata or Rebecca Clarke'sViola Sonata .
List of viola concertos [ edit ] Samuel Adler Julia Adolphe Airat Ichmouratov Miguel del Aguila Concierto en Tango (2014) Kalevi Aho Necil Kazım Akses Malcolm Arnold Viola Concerto with Small Orchestra, Op. 108 (1971) Henk Badings Johann Sebastian Bach Simon Bainbridge Lubor Bárta Béla Bartók Stanley Bate Viola Concerto, Op.46 (1944–6) Sadao Bekku William Henry Bell Viola Concerto"Rosa Mystica" (1916) Jiří Antonín Benda Viola Concerto in F major (about 1775) Valentin Bibik Viola Concerto No. 1, Op. 53 (1984) Viola Concerto No. 2, Op. 104 (1994) Boris Blacher Herbert Blendinger (b.1936)Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 38 (1982) Concerto for Viola and String Orchestra, Op. 16 (1962) Tim Brady Joly Braga Santos Viola Concerto Op. 34 (1960) Max Bruch Revol Bunin Viola Concerto, Op. 22 (1953) Willy Burkhard Viola Concerto, Op. 93 (1953/54) Diana Burrell Viola Concerto"...calling, leaping, crying, dancing..." (1994) Britta Byström Viola Concerto "A walk after dark" (2013) Cristian Carrara Viola Concerto "The Waste Land" (2016) Henri Casadesus Gyula Dávid Brett Dean Edison Denisov Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf Viola Concerto in F major Iván Erőd Viola Concerto, Op. 30 (1979–1980) Cecil Forsyth Viola Concerto in G minor (1903) Benjamin Frankel Viola Concerto, Op. 45 (1967) Kenneth Fuchs Viola Concerto "Divinum Mysterium" (2010) Srul Irving Glick Concerto for Viola and Strings Steven Gellman Mikhail Goldstein Viola Concerto in C Major[ b] Evgeny Golubev Viola Concerto, Op. 57 (1962) Morton Gould Ignatz Gspan Concerto in C major for Viola and String Orchestra (18th century) Sofia Gubaidulina John Harbison Hans Henkemans Viola Concerto (1954, premiered 1956)[ 7] Jacques Hétu Jennifer Higdon Franz Anton Hoffmeister Viola Concerto in B flat major Viola Concerto in D major Robin Holloway Gordon Jacob Viola Concerto No. 1 (1925) Viola Concerto No. 2 (1979)[ 9] Michael Jarrell Viola Concerto "Emergences-Résurgences" (2016)[ 10] Giya Kancheli Viola ConcertoMourned by the Wind (1986) Nigel Keay Viola Concerto (2000)[ 11] Aaron Jay Kernis Erland von Koch Viola Concerto, Op. 33 (1946 rev. 1966) Peter Paul Koprowski Joseph Martin Kraus [ 12] Viola Concerto in C Major[ c] Viola Concerto in E-flat Major Samuel de Lange Victor Legley Viola Concerto, Op. 78 (1971)[ 13] Ulrich Leyendecker Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (2008) Peter Lieberson Magnus Lindberg Viola Concerto (2023-2024) Zdeněk Lukáš (born 1928) (Kabeláč student)Viola Concerto (1983)[ 14] Peter Machajdík Concerto for Viola and String Orchestra "Behind the Waves" (2016)[ 15] Concerto for Viola and String Orchestra "Between the Waves" (2021)[ 16] James MacMillan Jef Maes Bohuslav Martinů Rhapsody-Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1952) Darius Milhaud Viola Concerto No. 1, Op. 108 (1929) Viola Concerto No. 2, Op. 340 (1955)[ 17] Paul Müller-Zürich Viola Concerto in F minor, Op. 24 (1934) Nico Muhly Gösta Nystroem Viola Concerto"Hommage à la France" (1940) Krzysztof Penderecki Allan Pettersson Walter Piston Mikhail Pletnev Quincy Porter Viola Concerto (1948) ([1] ) Behzad Ranjbaran Alessandro Rolla Concertino in E-flat major for Viola and Orchestra (or String Quartet), BI. 328/546 Viola Concerto in C major, BI. 541 Viola Concerto in D major, BI. 542 Viola Concerto in D major, BI. 543 Viola Concerto in E-flat major, BI. 544 Viola Concerto in E-flat major, BI. 545 Viola Concerto in E-flat major, BI. 547 Viola Concerto in E major, BI. 548 Viola Concerto in F major, BI. 549 Viola Concerto in F major, BI. 550 Viola Concerto in F major, BI. 551 Viola Concerto in F major, BI. 552 Viola Concerto in F major, BI. 553 Viola Concerto in F major, BI. 554 Viola Concerto in B-flat major, BI. 555 Julius Röntgen Triple Concerto for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Strings in B-flat major (1922) Triple Concerto for Violin, Viola, and Cello (1930) Hilding Rosenberg Viola Concerto (1942, 1964, 1945)[ d] Miklós Rózsa Viola Concerto, Op. 37 (1979)[ 19] Edmund Rubbra Viola Concerto in A minor, Op. 75 Ahmet Adnan Saygun Alfred Schnittke Joseph Schubert Viola Concerto in C major Viola Concerto in E-flat major Peter Seabourne Tibor Serly Ragnar Soderlind Viola Concerto "Nostalgia delle radici" (2003) Anton Stamitz Concerto in B-flat major Concerto in F major (1779) Concerto in G major[ e] Concerto in D major[ f] Carl Stamitz Concerto No. 1 in D major (1774) Concerto No. 2 in B-flat/A major Concerto No. 3 in A major Johann Stamitz Multiple viola concertos[ g] Frank Stiles Toru Takemitsu Cengiz Tanç Josef Tal Georg Philipp Telemann Haukur Tomasson Viola Concerto, "Echo Chamber " (2015) Joan Tower Johann Baptist Wanhal Viola Concerto in C major Viola Concerto in F major[ j] William Walton Christian Wilhelm Westerhoff [de ] Viola Concerto No. 1 in G major Viola Concerto No. 2 in C major Viola Concerto No. 3 in C major Jörg Widmann John Williams John Woolrich Edwin York Bowen Carl Friedrich Zelter Viola Concerto E-flat major Joseph Schmitt Viola Concerto in C major Paul Hindemith List of other works for viola and orchestra [ edit ] Benjamin Dale Gyula Dávid Music for Viola and Orchestra (2011) Cornelis Dopper Nocturne for Viola and Orchestra (1937) Iván Erőd Koncertant Fantasy for Viola and String Orchestra, Op. 35 (1980–1981) Morton Feldman The Viola in My Life IV (1971)Geoffrey Gordon Meditation and Allegro for Viola and Ensemble (2010)[ 21] Sofia Gubaidulina Two Paths: A Dedication to Mary and Martha for Two Viola Soloists and Orchestra (1998) Paul Hindemith Kammermusik Konzertmusik for Viola with Chamber Orchestra Trauermusik Gustav Holst Lyric Movement for Viola and Small Orchestra (1933) Alan Hovhaness Talin for Viola and Strings, Op. 93, No. 1 (1951–52) Herbert Howells Elegy for Viola, String Quartet and String Orchestra, Op. 15 (1917) Johann Nepomuk Hummel Potpourri for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 94 Joseph Jongen Darius Milhaud Concertino d'été , Op. 311 (1951)Air (from Sonata No. 1), Op. 242 (1944) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Thea Musgrave Lamenting with Ariadne for Viola and Chamber OrchestraNiccolò Paganini Quartet 15 for Viola and Orchestra (1820)[ o] Sonata per la Grand Viola (1834) Joseph de Pasquale Theme and Variations for Viola, String Orchestra, and Harp (1954) Variations for Viola, String Orchestra, and Harp (1984) Alessandro Rolla (1757–1841)Introduction and Divertimento in F major for Viola and Large Orchestra (incomplete), BI. 329 Divertimento in F major for Viola and Orchestra d'Archi, BI. 330 Rondo in G major for Viola and String Orchestra, 2 Oboes, and 2 Horns, BI.331 Divertimento in G major for Viola and Orchestra, BI. 332 Adagio and Thema with Variations in G major for Viola and Orchestra, BI. 333 Antonio Rolla (1798–1837)Variazioni Brillanti in F major for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 13 (1822) Julius Röntgen Introduction, Fugue, Intermezzo and Finale for Violin, Viola, Cello Robert Schumann Peter Sculthorpe Elegy for Viola and Strings (2006)Tibor Serly Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1929) Rhapsody for Viola and Orchestra (1948) Dmitri Shostakovich String Quartet No. 13 for Viola and Orchestra (1970)[ q] Sonata for Viola, Percussion, and Orchestra (1975)[ r] Leó Weiner Ballad for Viola and Orchestra[ s] John Woolrich Ralph Vaughan Williams Bernd Alois Zimmermann Antiphonen für Viola und 25 Instrumentalisten ^ Unfinished, completed initially byTibor Serly , though other completions have also been done. ^ Attributed toIvan Khandoshkin . ^ Attributed toRoman Hoffstetter . ^ Three versions – 1942, 1964, both for viola and strings, 1945 for larger orchestra. ^ Score published by Schött in 1970. Referred to as concerto No. 2. ^ Published byBreitkopf & Härtel in 1971. Referred to as concerto No. 3. ^ At least one, in G major, published by Litolff in 1962. May have been meant for viola d'amore. ^ Composed for and dedicated toWinifred Copperwheat . ^ Often played by students and young violists as a part of theSuzuki method . ^ According toDuke University , both were originally for violoncello or bassoon. ^ Premiered byPaul Hindemith . ^ Transcription of the composer'sClarinet (or Viola) Sonata, Op. 120 No. 1 by Luciano Berio. ^ TheSonata for Viola and Piano orchestrated in 2004-5 byRuth Lomon . ^ From the composer's Suite in D major for Viola and Piano (1906), Op. 2, arranged for Viola and Orchestra (1909). ^ Transcription of Paganini's Guitar Quartet No. 15. ^ Arranged byMax Erdmannsdörfer from the composer'sMärchenbilder for piano and viola, Op. 113. ^ Transcription of Shostakovich'sString Quartet No. 13 by composer and pianist Alexander Tchaikovsky. ^ Transcription of Shostakovich'sSonata for Viola and Piano by violist and composer Vladimir Mendelssohn. ^ Version of the Ballad for Clarinet and Orchestra Op. 28. May also be found as part of the Clarinet-Piano version numbered Op. 8. Premiered by Ilari Angervo & Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, cond. by Ernest Martinez-Izquierdo. ^ Technically not a concerto. ^ "Blue Plaques – TERTIS, LIONEL (1876–1975)" .English Heritage . RetrievedJanuary 2, 2022 .^ Potter, Tully."About this Recording – PRIMROSE, William: Recital, Vol. 2 (1939–1952)" .Naxos . RetrievedJanuary 2, 2022 . ^ "Records International February 2003 Catalogue" .www.recordsinternational.com . Retrieved2023-07-22 .^ "UMP Composers – Simon Bainbridge" . 2006-10-03. Archived fromthe original on 2006-10-03. Retrieved2023-07-22 .^ Potter, Tully (2010)."Real or Fake? Famous Musical Hoaxes: The Great Baroque Swindle" (PDF) . The Strad. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on February 6, 2011. RetrievedFebruary 15, 2016 . ^ "Wise Music Classical – Home" .www.wisemusicclassical.com . Retrieved2023-07-22 .^ "Hans Henkemans (1913-1995) - klassiekemuziekgids.net" . 2005-04-24. Archived fromthe original on 2005-04-24. Retrieved2023-07-22 .^ Fleshler, David (March 11, 2015)."Diaz and Spano bring Higdon's new Viola Concerto to Miami" .The Classical Review . RetrievedNovember 9, 2015 . ^ "JACOB, Gordon :Gilder-MusicWeb Dictionary of composers" .www.musicweb-international.com . Retrieved2023-07-22 .^ "Michael Jarrell – Emergences-Résurgences" .www.michaeljarrell.com . Retrieved2023-07-22 .^ "Nigel Keay – Viola Concerto (Concerto pour alto)" .www.nigelkeay.com . Retrieved2023-07-22 .^ Group, Ondine Oy, A. member of The Naxos Music."Ondine Release" .www.ondine.net . Retrieved2023-07-22 . {{cite web }}:|last= has generic name (help )CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link ) ^ "LEGLEY, Vic" . 2006-07-08. Archived fromthe original on 2006-07-08. Retrieved2023-07-22 .^ "Lukas Zdenek" .zdenek-lukas.cz (in Czech). Retrieved11 February 2024 .^ "BEHIND THE WAVES for viola and string orchestra ( contemporary viola concerto ) ( modern viola concerto ) ( new music viola concerto )" .PETER MACHAJDÍK . Retrieved2023-07-22 .^ "IN FRONT OF THE WAVES for viola and string orchestra (contemporary viola concerto) (modern viola concerto) (new music viola concerto)" .PETER MACHAJDÍK . Retrieved2023-07-22 .^ "Milhaud.htm" . 2004-08-29. Archived fromthe original on 2004-08-29. Retrieved2023-07-22 .^ Muhly, Nico ."Viola Concerto (2015)" .Music Sales Group . RetrievedNovember 9, 2015 .^ "The Concert Music of Miklos Rozsa by Rob Barnett" .www.musicweb-international.com . Retrieved2023-07-22 .^ "June 8: Premiere of Sonata for Viola and Orchestra" . 2007-06-16. Archived fromthe original on 2007-06-16. Retrieved2023-07-22 .^ "Theodore Front Musical Literature – Meditation and Allegro : For Viola and Ensemble (2010)" .www.tfront.com . Retrieved2023-07-22 .
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