Sheet Music Reviews

by Mary Nemet

STRINGTASTIC: Beginners

Mark Wilson & Paul Wood

FABER MUSIC

This series features separate books each for violin, viola, cello and double bass and includes 43 small pieces designed to take the player from open strings to all fingers, mostly in the keys of C, D and G major and mostly on the middle two strings.

The books can be used individually and also together for any combination of strings including a string orchestra.

There are A and B parts for the first twenty songs, allowing the teacher or another pupil to play and harmonise alongside. Additionally, a teacher’s piano accompaniment book that includes treble string parts A and B together with lower string parts lends extra flexibility, purpose and enjoyment to early music-making.

Most of the tunes include joyful lyrics and children can make up their own words to sing along. Two endearing cartoon characters, Spot the Cat and Dotty Dog are pictured playing the relevant instruments with word bubbles containing handy tips, adding even more fun to the learning process.

MUSICAL JOURNEYS for violin & piano,

Book 2

Ewa Iwan (b. 1957)

PWM 12 643 www.pwm.com.pl

This delightful book for children, published in Krakow in 2022, contains five pieces titled:

Tarantella, Wistful Waltz, Czárdás, Ragtime, Highland Dance and Spanish Dance.

Written for her granddaughter Amelia and all young performers of her Musical Journeys, celebrated Polish teacher Ewa Ewan writes, “Notes are just black and white balls arranged on staves.

All you have to do is to create a world of colourful sounds from them and to paint them with your imagination, rich soul and sensitive heart”.

Her second book of tunes is meant for intermediate to advanced players who can manage fifth position and at times higher, double stops, fast semiquaver passages and varied bowings.

Her suggested fingerings and metronome markings are sensible and useful, and pages are clearly set out.

Ewan’s Let’s Play with Scales (PWM 12 900) for violin grades 1-3 is equally imaginative and innovative, with firstly, major and minor scales followed by short pieces in that key, together with enchanting colour pictures illustrating the mood of the piece.

What an innovative way of introducing this least popular of tasks: scales! Tunes such as Ballerina, Polka, Skipping, Little Beetle, Grasshopper and Crazy Dance to name only a few. Ewa hopes that “this path will take you to the places you dream of.”

I Play Violin Nicely (PWM 10399) for violin classes 1-3 has a long introduction followed by detailed instructions and titles of pieces, all in Polish only. One can only guess at meanings of titles such as Jaskolka, Glodny mis, Letnia opowiesc and Wieworka, although a few small illustrations here and there give a clue.

Small piano symbols next to some of the titles in the violin score indicate that accompaniments can be found in a separate book, PWM 10400.

These three books by Ewa Iwan are a wonderful educational and enjoyable addition to young students’ repertoire. Some are also available for cello and there are performances of several tunes in this series on YouTube.

Mary Nemet

by Andrew Lorenz

SIX MORCEAUX for Violin & Piano, Op.85 Joachim Raff (1822-1882)

Edition Breitkopf, Urtext, EB 9407

I well remember as a youngster learning Raff’s Cavatina. I didn’t know at the time that this lovely piece was the third of his Six Morceaux for Violin and Piano, Op.85. I simply enjoyed the dramatic double stop section marked grandioso. In any case, August Wilhelmj introduced it to England with great success. Fifty different editions were published. Rolls for automated player-piano accompaniments came on the market and the work was also orchestrated. Illustrious performers such as Marteau, Szigeti, Kreisler, Perlman and Menuhin played it in concert. It was heard on the Titanic and even James Last arranged it for his orchestra.

Well, more treasures await the young student including a Marcia, Pastorale, Scherzino, Canzona and Tarantella, all about 7th grade AMEB standard. Joachim Raff was Liszt’s assistant in Weimar and composed these salon style romantic pieces circa 1858. This Breitkopf and Härtel urtext edition is very fine.

The Preface by Severin Kolb and Stefan Kägi discussing the background to the works is very informative and the fold out pages eliminate awkward page turns. The pieces would be excellent material for recitals and/or eisteddfods.

STRING QUARTET No.1 in D minor, Op.77

Joachim Raff (1822-1882)

Parts EB 8939, Score PB 5622

Breitkopf & Härtel/Urtext

The world premiere of Joachim Raff’s first string quartet was given by the Hellmesberger Quartet on 28 November, 1858 in Vienna. Josef Hellmesberger had mentioned that he was “quite thrilled” with the work. Eduard Hanslick, Vienna’s most noted music critic, wrote that the piece “was more coolly received than it deserves. It is a very interesting, witty work, of a truly brilliant use of the quartet setting, full of surprising modulations and pretty effects.”

The reviewer of the Neue Zeitschrift fűr Musik also saw “a masterly command of form, quite noble harmonization, and lively, striking rhythms.” In fact the last movement often exhibits the rhythmic figure which is featured in Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue. The second movement shows the influence of a Mendelssohnian Scherzo while the opening movement is quite chromatic. Perhaps the finest example of Romanticism can be heard in the plaintive quality of the slow movement. Breitkopf & Härtel’s 200th anniversary, Urtext publication edited by Stefan Kӧnig and Sverin Kolb is first class and the parts are spacious and easy to read. The score is included with Raff’s second string quartet parts.

STRING QUARTET No.2 in A major, Op.90

Joachim Raff

Parts EB 8940, Score PB 5622

Breitkopf & Härtel Urtext

The first movement of Raff’s 2nd String Quartet (1857) is very attractive. Musically, it is very sunny in nature within its contrapuntal lines. The joyous music continues in the second movement with a nod to Schumann. As in the first String Quartet, the slow movement shines with lyrical motifs. A flowing continuous dotted rhythm of a military nature features in the Finale. Marked Rasch (in a spirited, swift style) it drives the music forward.

Raff handles the material very confidently and the quartet seems more concise than his first quartet, yet they are both about 38 minutes in length.

In 1858, the world premiere in Wiesbaden was led by Aloys Baldenecker, concertmaster of the Wiesbaden Theatre Orchestra. However, the Hellmesberger Quartet gave the Viennese premiere of the 2nd String Quartet in 1863. Writing to his wife Doris Genast, Raff mentioned that he could “get a tremendous respect for Hellmesberger’s competence already in the rehearsal. He’s one hell of a fellow. Such an enormously fine musician and a colossal violinist.”

Stefan Kӧnig and Severin Kolb have edited this fine urtext publication in collaboration with the Joachim Raff Archiv, Lachan. It marks the 200th anniversary of Joachim Raff’s birth.

INTRODUCTION ET TARENTELLE Op.43 for Violin & Piano

Sarasate (1844-1907)

G. Henle Verlag Urtext HN 1496

The latter years of Pablo Sarasate’s life were wonderfully creative and fruitful. In the one year of 1899 he completed not only Introduction et Tarentelle, Op.43 (perhaps his most famous late work) but the Introduction et Caprice-Jota, Op.41 and Miramar, Op.42, both composed in Biarritz. There are three autographs of the Introduction et Tarentelle, Op.43 in the Pamplona Municipal Archives. They include two violin and piano versions dated and signed in San Sebastian and a full score for violin and orchestra dated and signed in London. The work is dedicated to Sarasate’s good friend, the Spanish pianist and entrepreneur Fermin Toledo (1850-1905).

The piece is very virtuosic. As the theme develops in the Tarantella, Sarasate introduces passages of increasing technical difficulty in the melody – fast repeated notes, left and right hand pizzicati, harmonics, double and triple stops, brilliant spiccato and ricochet bowings. No wonder it is listed in the Licentiate Diploma for the AMEB.

Again, G. Henle‘s edition is outstanding, with an urtext violin part in addition to a very helpful violin part fingered and bowed by Augustin Hadelich. The overall editor is Peter Jost, with an excellent Preface written by María Nagore Ferre.

PIANO QUARTET in C minor, Op.13

Richard Strauss

G. HENLE HN 1495

Could this be Brahms’ Piano Quartet No.4? Well we know for a fact that it is not. The work was composed in 1884/85 and published in 1886. Richard Strauss (1864-1949) spoke in retrospect about his infatuation at the time with Brahms. In any case, the twentyyear-old composer entered the piece in a competition initiated by the Berlin Tonkűnstlerverein where 24 piano quartets were assessed. Although it won the first prize of 300 Marks it was not that well received by certain critics who were followers of the New German School influenced by Liszt. Strauss had even admitted to his friend Hans von Bűlow that: “it is definitely not an obliging or ingratiating piece”. However, one of the reviewers, Pohl, wrote: “The Quartet . . . kept us captivated to the very end”. As an early chamber music work of the composer it is definitely very attractive.

The publication edited by Peter Jost is first class and the piano part is fingered by Jacob Leuschner.

The string parts have no fingerings and I presume the bowings are by Strauss. The parts are pleasant on the eye and up to the usual high standard of Henle’s publications.

POÈME ÉLÉGIAQUE, OP.12 and other Works for Violin & Piano

Eugene Ysaÿe

G. Henle Urtext HN 1201

Congratulations to G. Henle Verlag for this very fine and substantial volume of eight violin and piano works by the Belgian master violinist and composer Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931). The complete violin parts alone number 36 pages (with index) and they include a fabulous wealth of material which covers the gamut of the composer’s stylistic and virtuosic approach, from salon pieces to far more esoteric works. We have the Grande Valse de concert, Op.3 and Légende norvégienne, (no opus number), both from 1882. The former is rather classical in style and could have been composed by any number of virtuosi of the period. The latter is perhaps a development from Lalo’s Fantasie Norvégienne of 1878. Then in 1884 the Deux Mazurkas de salon, Op.10 were published.

Again, works of great charm but Ysaÿe was yet to find his unique and individual voice. Lontaine Passé (Distant Past, Mazurka No.3), Op.11 composed in 1889 is a little more chromatic than the earlier two Mazurkas. The longest work in the volume is the beautiful Poème élégiaque, Op.12, (circa 14’) dedicated to (and influenced by) Fauré (1845-1924). Even more reminiscent of Fauré is Rêve d’enfant (Child’s Dream) of 1900, a charming lullaby. The other major work of circa 10’ is Extase (4th Poème for Violin and Orchestra), dedicated to Mischa Elman (1891-1967), and composed and revised from 1905 to 1921. Here, we note the influence of Chausson’s (1855-1899) Poème, Op.25 (1896) which was written for, and dedicated to Ysaÿe. Extase is a very fine work.

The excellent Preface is written by Marie Cornaz and the fingerings and bowings are by Ysaÿe, supplemented by Ray Iwazumi. The fold out pages are most useful and enhance this magnificent urtext volume of Ysaÿe’s violin and piano music.

STRING QUARTET IN A MINOR Op.132, parts & study score

Beethoven

BÄRENREITER URTEXT BA 9032 & TP 932

Congratulations to Bärenreiter for this very fine urtext edition of Beethoven’s String Quartet in A minor, Op.132. The bar numbered parts are clear and spacious with very workable page turns. However, the most significant aspect is the study score. It is presented with an excellent Introduction by Misha Donat and a Foreword by Jonathan Del Mar who explains his fine editorial work with the parts. Just one example is his explanation of Beethoven’s notation when using different clefs for the cello. The composer often used the treble clef sounding an octave lower than written. In this edition the notes in the treble clef are printed at the actual sounding pitch. This is just one of the many specific editorial problems Del Mar discusses.

Donat’s discussion of the historical background and nature of the various movements is superb and brings the research of the work totally up to date. Of course, the most famous movement is the third, which Beethoven begins with a chorale labelled “Holy Song of Thanksgiving from a Convalescent to the Deity, in the Lydian Mode”. A livelier variation theme follows, headed “Feeling new strength”. It is one of the few examples of the composer’s use of double variation form. This publication is first class.

CACCINI and MOZART

Ave Maria and Ave Verum Corpus arr. for string quartet by Lucian Moraru

Sets of Parts & Scores

SonArt Edition

Two very moving vocal works are beautifully arranged for string quartet by Lucian Moraru, a Rumanian violinist/violist and arranger. The first is Ave Maria (Hail Mary) by the Florentine composer Giulio Caccini (c.15451618) and the second is the Ave Verum Corpus (Hail, true body) by Mozart (1756-1791). The latter, written as a motet, is catalogued as K.618 and was composed six months before the composer’s death foreshadowing the style to be heard in the Requiem, K.626. Both are marked Moderato assai and would be very suitable for inexperienced string quartets. Perhaps a metronome marking would be helpful as would a short paragraph of background information.

The score and parts are clearly printed and bar numbered. Bowings and articulations are also printed but there are no dynamic markings in either work. The Caccini is very imaginatively arranged with interesting parts for all the players. There is a solo violin introduction of five bars and then a chordal section with the melodic and rhythmic interest in the cello which continues in varied form throughout. The main theme is then heard in the first violin. Imitative moments are given to the viola which ventures into the treble clef. In a later section the second violin imitates the first. The final section has the viola leading in the tune embellished by the first violin in semi-quavers. The Mozart is far more straight forward, written in a simple chorale like style.

SONATA NO.2 in A major, Op.23 Eduard Franck (1817-1893)

Breitkopf & Härtel Urtext EB 32058

Breitkopf & Härtel is publishing an anthology edition of Eduard Franck’s works which includes this very attractive Second Sonata for Violin and Piano. It was composed in 1859, six years after the first. Over years of work Dr. Paul Feuchte and Andreas Feuchte, the composer’s great grandson and great-great grandson have been able to assign an authoritative source to nearly every work whose autograph is not located in the composer’s estate. The present critical edition is based on the first edition published by M. Schloss in Cologne in 1859 and is edited by Nick Pfefferkorn. The Sonata is in four movements and unlike the first violin sonata, a very effective Scherzo is included. Indeed the Trio section reminds one of Brahms. Franck studied and became a friend of Mendelssohn, Schumann and William Sterndale Bennett, thus he evokes the Romantic Era. The slow movement is based on a lilting folk melody and both the outer movements contrast lyrical and dramatic themes. This edition is very clear and spacious. The Preface includes a fine biography of the composer by Dr. Paul Feuchte and the work itself would make a very worthwhile and interesting inclusion in any violin recital.

Chanson de Nuit & Chanson de Matin, Op.15

Edward Elgar (1857-1934)

G. Henle Urtext HN 1477

These two gems composed originally for violin and piano by Sir Edward Elgar are now published in one volume by G. Henle in an Urtext edition. Two violin parts are printed with one edited by Rupert Marshall-Luck. The piano part fingered by Jacob Leuschner also has Elgar’s fingerings and bowings from the violin part as published in the first edition. Chanson de Nuit (1897) was dedicated to Frank Ehrke, a doctor of medicine who played in the first-violin section of The Worcestershire Philharmonic Society. Elgar referred to the piece as Evensong but Novello suggested he translate the title into French, hence the second piece was immediately titled Chanson de matin (1899) by the composer but without dedication. Both pieces were very popular and were played (presumably in orchestral versions) at Windsor Castle at a concert marking Queen Victoria’s 80th birthday in 1899. The latter was written at the same time as Elgar’s Enigma Variations which brought the composer national and international fame.

This edition is beautifully presented and well researched. The very high standard of publication is as we would expect from G. Henle Verlag.

Sonata for Piano & Violin in F major, Op.8 Grieg (1843-1907)

G. HENLE Urtext 1104

In a letter dated January 1900 to the Norwegian poet Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsen, Grieg writes, “. . . . these three works are among my very best and represent different stages in my development: the first naïve and rich in ideals; the second, nationalistic and the third with a wider outlook.” The public must have agreed with the composer because by October, 1906 annual sales of the first violin sonata reached an astonishing 5,000 copies. Grieg and the Swedish violinist Anders Pettersson premiered the work on 17 November, 1865 at the Leipzig Conservatoire where Grieg had been a student. As a violinist/composer his friend Ole Bull influenced the composer a great deal. Bull championed Norwegian folk music and Grieg took up the cause, drawing (in the 2nd movement) on a skipping dance that in Norwegian folk music is played on the Hardanger fiddle.

This Urtext edition includes a supplementary violin part marked with excellent fingerings and bowings by Henning Kraggerud. Fingerings in the piano part are by Einar SteenNokleberg who also joins with Ernst-Gűnter Heinemann in writing the very fine Preface and Comments. The work is included in the A Mus A. AMEB violin syllabus. However, exams aside, all the Grieg violin sonatas are a joy to play in any situation and this edition is a ‘must- have’.

PIANO TRIO IN A MINOR, Op. Posth. Leokadiya Kashperova (1872-1940) BOOSEY & HAWKES

2022 is the 150th anniversary of Leokadiya Kashperova‘s birth. Thank heavens that the pencilled manuscript of her Piano Trio in A minor was discovered in the Russian National Museum of Music in Moscow in 2019. She was a very gifted pianist and composer who taught Igor Stravinsky for two years. The London Sunday Times wrote of her in 1907 that: “Mlle. Kashperova’s music shows a decided talent, very attractive in its tunefulness, grace and Russian fitfulness of mood.” She married a Bolshevik revolutionary and fled to the Caucasus; the Russian revolution dashed her career.

Boosey & Hawkes in consultation with Dr. Graham Griffiths, Music Research Fellow at City, London University and a member of the board of the St Petersburg Conservatoire is creating new Kashperova editions. The Piano Trio in A minor, written in the 1930s, is a fascinating four- movement work. Whilst not particularly forward looking, it exhibits the composer’s unique musical voice. Broad sweeping romantic melodies abound yet are often presented in a light texture. Some melodies are presented in a very classical way as in the first movement where canonic entries and contrapuntal lines are featured. Indeed the Scherzo is composed in a rather delightful, Haydnesque manner clothed in 20th century garb. This is a very worthwhile addition to the repertoire and we await in great anticipation the next publications of the Kashperova Edition.

SIX DUETS for Two Violins, “Op.23” Urtext Ignaz Pleyel

G. HENLE HN 1517

This is a very fine edition of Pleyel‘s (17571831) violin duets, with a full score, Preface and Comments written and edited by Norbert Gertsch. The individual bar numbered parts have excellent fold out pages for the uninterrupted playing of each movement. These parts are fingered and bowed by Evelyne Grűb-Trauer. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with some of the fingerings which sometimes are simply not practical. For example, in the very first movement at bar 16, a quickly played ornament or turn is suggested to be performed in the fifth position across two strings when it fits perfectly well in the third position. A shift to the second position in bar 78 seems unnecessary as again, the whole phrase can be played in the third position.

These are small quibbles because the parts are spacious and well presented with clear articulations for the various bowings. Interestingly, the pieces are described as Six Concertante Duos. The “Op. 23” in inverted commas simply refers to the fact that it is unclear whether the opus numbering is accurate. In fact it is also unclear whether Ignaz Pleyel actually composed these pieces. Nevertheless, they are excellent and delightful two -movement works for intermediate players.

Andrew Lorenz

by Susan Pierotti

DIVERTIMENTO in B flat, K287 for 2 horns, 2 violins, viola & bass

Score

Mozart BÄRENREITER

8809

One of two divertimenti composed for Countess Lodron in 1777, Mozart’s Divertimento K287 is distinguished from all others by the virtuosic first violin part which Mozart played at its premiere. ‘They all opened their eyes! I played as though I were the finest fiddler in all Europe.’ The movements are relatively short and musically straightforward. There is a sense of humour evident in the mock heroics of an operatic recitative preceding a set of variations on a folk tune, interrupted by yet another recitative towards the end. Mozart wrote the divertimento in probably just three days. It was described by a listener at the premiere as ‘quite beautiful’, with the Countess demanding numerous encores of the slow movement and with repeat performances over the next few years. Congratulations to Bärenreiter for producing such a beautiful, legible score of this masterpiece.

BORȘA: Romanian Folk Suite from the Maramures Region - Transylvania violin

& piano

Lucien Moraru

SON ART www.sonartedition.com

One play through this piece and you will probably want to visit the Maramures region to enjoy their festivities! (Parts of the Maramures region now lie within Ukraine where things are not so festive.) Moraru’s Borsa is an energetic, joyous five-minute piece with easy piano accompaniment. It begins with a simple, slow four-bar phrase ornamented with trills and mordents. A rollicking 6/8 section leads into a syncopated driving rhythm in the piano with rapid left-hand activity requiring dextrous fingers to articulate the numerous mordents, with chords and glissandi. It would be suitable for Grade 7 or above – great to end a concert with or as an encore. Here is a beautifully produced score, from the front cover with its images of traditional Romanian embroidery to clearly legible parts on quality thick paper within.

BALADA for string quartet Score & parts

Ciprian Porumbescu/arr. Lucian Moraru

Porumbescu lived for only 29 years yet his Balada, written in 1880, is a Romanian favourite, evident from the numerous arrangements found on YouTube. Originally scored for violin and orchestra, Moraru’s clear and beautifully printed arrangement for string quartet delivers almost equally balanced parts between the two violins, the second violin part dominating in the beginning for some time. The cello solo and first violin share the melody in the final iteration of the tune. Oddly, as the arranger is a violist, the viola merely accompanies throughout. The heartfelt melody is interrupted by some semiquaver passage work that hints at happier times but deep tragedy returns, to fade out wistfully at the end. Porumbescu was born in the Ukraine and died as a result of standing up for Romania’s independence, which makes this piece all the more topically poignant.

Susan Pierotti

by Ros Hurst

LYRICAL VIOLIN LEGENDS

Karen North info@theyoungfluteplayer.com

Karen North has released another album following her very popular Festive Violin Fun. As the name suggests, the 20 lyrical miniatures for violin and piano in this collection all have a story to tell, some poetic, some implied, descriptions of nature, a mischievous cat or a secretive swallow’s mission.

Contemporary composers from around the world, including Australians such as Elena Kats-Chenin, Heather Percy and Sally Greenaway, to name a few, were commissioned to write lyrical, appealing pieces while arrangements of some lovely music from the 19th and 20th century composers including Brahms, Mendelssohn and Dvořák are featured. The pieces are approximately intermediate standard and a good knowledge of keys, positions and bowings is required.

Violinist and teacher Ben Smith consulted on this album and played for the recordings of all the pieces. These are available on YouTube at The Young Instrumentalist and there are piano backing tracks for each piece.

Biographies of all the composers are listed at the end of the violin part with also some wonderful performance suggestions for each work.

This attractive album of pieces should appeal to students and teachers alike.

Ros Hurst

by Helen Tuckey

15 INVENTIONS

Johann Sebastian Bach arranged for 2 violas by Mihoko Kimura

Edition Offenburg BC 2125

Wouldn’t we all love to be able to watch Bach at work teaching, including his own children? The Inventions were written initially as keyboard studies for developing equal and independent cantabile voices in both hands, and with a broader goal, in Bach’s own words, to “acquire a strong foretaste of composition”. The violin and viola duo played in always opened our visits to kindergarten and primary school classes with a single Bach Invention. Whatever the demographic, we found a Bach invention immediately engaged everyone! With all great music come transpositions. There are many old and new transcriptions of the Inventions for various instrumental combinations, including two violas. In writing for strings, questions of bowing, ornamentation and voicing arise. There is quite a difference between various editions in these areas, but the aspect that intrigues me most is the decision to choose different keys from the original, which has happened in several (but not all) two viola editions, including this edition. This can often be for reasons of voicing or resonance. As with all Bach’s music, these decisions will fuel ongoing research and discussion.

In this edition, the whole score is beautifully typeset and playable on two pages, with enough editing to be helpful while allowing performers to add their own flourishes and inspirations. This is a deliberate intention of the editor, Mihoko Kimura, who founded edition offenburg as a private publisher and as a continuation of her activities as an experienced violinist in the field of Early Music. She writes: “It is typical for sheet music of the baroque period to leave plenty of freedom to the musician”. The Inventions of Bach are a worthy preparation for the contrapuntal demands of Brandenburg 6, as well as being wonderful music for all violists to study and perform.

Faculty Of Law

Lucian Moraru, string quartet & percussion

SonArt Edition 2019

Romanian violist and arranger Lucian Moraru studied in Bucharest, then the Netherlands and Great Britain. He has an extremely diverse musical skill set, working as a violist in orchestras, chamber groups and as a soloist and as a studio producer, as well as substantial experience as an arranger for a diversity of musical instruments and genres.

Faculty of Law is his own 7-minute single movement work for string quartet and percussion. It was composed in 2019 for the 160th anniversary of the founding of the law school in Bucharest.

The work opens with great urgency and energy, underpinned by appealing sophisticated jazzy rhythms. In true legalese manner, the instruments then become almost verbal and rhetorical at times, with menacing relentless percussion continuing the forward drive. The texture thins and the music gradually melts into harmonics with various pianissimo percussive ostinato patterns in the viola. A section in B minor marked Moderato amabile follows in completely contrasting style in a folky, renaissance 6/8 time, with tambourine and tom tom, after which a virtuosic Allegro section crashes in, with much tension and great use of a variety of string and percussion textures. This is interrupted by a brief excursion into the traditional student drinking song Gaudeamus Igitur, quoted more at length by Brahms in an eerily parallel work, the Academic Festival Overture. The final Coda mirrors the opening, ending with impressive wit and energy.

This is a truly wonderful virtuosic concert piece. Do watch the online performance, where the arranger is also the violist in the quartet.

Website: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzUtbh0T0OY

From Jewish Life Arr. for viola (cello) & organ:

Bella Kalinowska & Semjon Kalinowsky, publ. 2021

Bärenreiter BA 11252

Ukrainian artistic couple Bella Kalinowska and Semjon Kalinowsky have performed together in Europe and Israel since 1991. In addition to performing, they have enjoyed researching and discovering old music manuscripts by Jewish composers in European libraries originally for violin or cello and organ, then arranging them to enrich the viola repertoire. The organ began being used in European synagogues in the Romantic period. From Jewish Life is a merging of the spiritual and secular, in the wake of the Jewish Reform movement, with many rare and historic works inspired by the traditions of synagogue chant and folk music. Composers include Ravel and Bloch, as well as five other (mostly German) lesser-known composers from 1800 to the mid-20th century. The arrangers have also produced an earlier album for the same instrumentation, called Jewish Prayer. In recent years the couple have lived in Lübeck, Germany. Sadly, Bella Kalinowska passed away in her forties with cancer in 2020.

Set at a moderate level of difficulty, this album is user-friendly and well laid out, with an informative preface in German and English. With such colourful instrumentation and a wide range of musical expression, these works provide much scope for worship and recitals, and are a valuable addition to the viola repertoire.

HORA STACCATO

Grigoras Dinicu, arr. for string quartet by Lucian

Moraru

SonArt Edition 2019 www.sonartedition.com

Jascha Heifetz is rumoured to have said that Grigoras Dinicu (1889-1948) was the greatest violinist he had ever heard. A Roumanian violinist and composer of Roma ethnicity, Dinicu was banned from being accepted into the Vienna Conservatory where he had won a place. In the 1930s he was involved in a political movement seeking recognition for the Roumanian Roma. The Hora Staccato, based on a Roumanian dance, is one of his most famous works. The first and second violin parts are much more difficult than the lower parts, and the first violin is the star in this sparking arrangement, which can be viewed with the arranger’s quartet, “Traffic Strings”..

Website: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQXuiv0Fp30

TOSCA - E lucevan le stelle

Giacomo Puccini, arr. for string quartet by Lucian Moraru

SonArt Edition 2019

The famous aria “And the stars were shining” is sung in the opera by Mario Cavaradossi, a painter in love with the singer Tosca, as he awaits his tragic destiny. In this arrangement, which only lasts 36 bars, the first violin plays the role of the spinto tenor (‘con grande sentimento’). At the moments of highest drama, various other instruments join in octaves. Mostly the soaring melody is driven forward by syncopated rhythms in the viola and second violin. The original brooding key of B minor is retained. Wonderful to have this for string quartet!

STABAT MATER – Cujus Animam

Gioacchino Rossini, arr. for string quartet

by Lucian Moraru

SonArt Edition 2019

This great tune from a liturgical setting by Rossini traditionally challenges singers to their limits, and no wonder, as it describes the story of Mary with Jesus at the crucifixion. In this version for quartet, after a true Italian operatic style introduction, the spotlight falls on the viola with the big melody, which then ascends to the first violin line. The melody then battles with its dotted rhythms against a barrage of triplets, developing then into greater complexities of voicing. Following a brief violin cadenza, the music moves downwards to finish with resolution.

REQUIEM – Ingemisco

Giuseppe Verdi, arr. for string quartet

by Lucian Moraru

SonArt Edition 2019

The original Verdi Requiem is the antithesis of a chamber work. There is another earlier arrangement of the well-known Ingemisco (from the Dies Irae) for viola and piano, so this work has been of interest to Moraru for some time. He has written in a musically substantive way for every instrument, with soaring melodic lines, warm chordal passages, here and there a flourish of triplets bristling with accidentals. Orchestral techniques like tremolo work differently in a chamber setting. Choosing the right acoustic environment is essential, and there is an interesting YouTube performance of (almost) this arrangement in a boomy stone church, with pan pipes and a double bass added to the score. A challenging but playable score which will keep everyone on their toes!

Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa2qYgAeBgU

All of the works above could be played by professional or advanced student quartets, and would be possible in a number of community concert settings as well as interesting additions to the standard string quartet concert.

JOY OF MUSIC: Discoveries from the Schott Archives

Virtuoso and entertaining pieces for violin& piano, ed. Wolfgang Birtel SCHOTT ED 23308

Inspired by Beethoven’s famous setting of Schiller’s Ode to Joy in the Ninth Symphony, the historic German publishing house Schott has released a series of anthologies for violin, cello, piano, flute and clarinet to celebrate their publication of Beethoven’s epic work and the 250th anniversary of their business.

The violin anthology is a collection of eighteen various fascinating and long neglected works based on the first editions by Schott, held in their archives at the Bavarian State Library. Arranged in chronological order of composers’ dates of birth, the focus is mostly on the Romantic period. Original gems by Tchaikovsky, Wieniawski, Gounod and de Bériot are interspersed with transcriptions by leading violinists of the 19th century of popular tunes from operas such as Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and Bizet’s Carmen. Whatever the origin or inspiration, each piece is illuminated by the strong connection of the composer or arranger to the expressive qualities of the violin. Preface notes inform that “Original fingering and bowing indications have been adopted where given”, a wonderful insight into past performance practices! This intriguing and attractive collection of salon pieces is ideal for advanced students, their teachers and professional violinists looking for a range of engaging short recital or encore works beyond standard repertoire.

NEW KLEZMER TUNES – 16 Pieces for Violin & Piano (Guitar/Accordion), Bass ad lib.

Joachim Johow SCHOTT 23372

www.schott-music.com

What a fine and colourful collection of tunes that celebrate everyday life along with the dances and songs from weddings and special events! This album comes with online audio material of a piano MP3 accompaniment file and audio tracks accessed through a code at the Schott website, along with a bass part. While most of the music is of intermediate level, some melodies could be played by relative beginners, but more advanced players could add greater levels of sophistication. The editing of the violin part is excellent, with clear suggestions for ornaments and effects. Many of these violin tunes also work well on the viola exactly as written. Perhaps there’s the possibility with this publication format, of adding versions for other instruments on the website in future? This is Eastern Jewish Klezmer music, and the editor writes: “Not merely a relic of the past, this music continues to develop”.

Scales – Arpeggios – Intonation

A Technical & Aural Based Approach to Learning the Fingerboard for Violinists of all Levels from Beginner to Advanced John Officer WOOLHOUSE PRESS

Available exclusively through Whitehorse Music, 689 Whitehorse Road, Mont Albert VIC 3127. Tel: (03) 9890 1049

Website: www.whitehorsemusic.com.au

John Officer studied at the Melbourne Conservatorium, worked professionally in the Australian Opera and Ballet orchestra, completed post graduate violin studies in Switzerland, taught extensively in several schools on return to Australia, completed Suzuki Teaching Accreditation and now is retired from school teaching and teaches from his home studio. The preface is written by Lois Shepheard, who played a significant role in his Suzuki accreditation

“Scales form the basis of Western music” asserts the author. This locally published book, developed over many years of revision, is much more than just another scale book, as it makes many comprehensive and excellent suggestions about developing skills sequentially to navigate the fingerboard. Sound, vision, perception of patterns and movement all form part of building the technique necessary to play an instrument and these are all illustrated well in the book. There are photos showing arm and hand positions, fingerboard diagrams, ear training suggestions, helpful tips on progressive fingering choices, inspiring examples from standard repertoire, reasons for choosing one fingering over another and suggestions for further study. The book falls into three parts, beginner, intermediate and advanced, and includes scales (major and two minor forms), arpeggios, dominant and diminished sevenths and chromatic scales. Resonance and intonation are highlighted right from the start, alongside the need for daily practice, hopefully developing musicianship alongside technique.

What a valuable resource for violin teachers and students!

POP FOR VIOLIN – Movie Special 10 pop hits arranged for two violins SCHOTT ED 23489

All the great movie tunes you know and love, both old and recent, this collection includes Skyfall, He’s a Pirate, Forrest Gump, Pink Panther, My Heart Will Go On and Circle of Life. Set at moderate level in both violin parts, this book could be useful in several ways – building rhythmic confidence (particularly syncopation and the use of ties), extending sight reading, providing teacher-student or two- student ensemble practice, and popular repertoire for encores and community concerts. I once taught a student with lots of academic pressures in final high school year, and her instrumental lessons were a form of entertainment and therapy. Following her interests entirely, we spent happy lessons exploring a solid yet varied diet of movie tunes. With online audio accompaniment, an album like this would be ideal for such a student. There is also an edition for two cellos. Still wondering? Listen to the arrangements on YouTube at www.schott-music.com/popforviolin-movie

Neopolis Concertino, for viola and piano

Paweł Łukaszewski (born 1968)

Composer website: lukaszewski.org. uk/#news

POLSKIE Wydawnicgso Muzyczne, Kraków 2021 www.pwm.com.pl

Written in 2017 for a commission by the Baltic Neopolois Orchestra, this work is a chamber version intended for violin, viola or cello solo, accompanied by a piano reduction of the orchestral score. Paweł Łukaszewski is a well-established Polish composer, university lecturer and plays a significant role in Polish cultural life. He has written many liturgical and choral works. Both his website and the back of the score contain extensive information about the composer and his compositions.

The concertino is three contrasting movements. The first movement explores a variety of textures, rhythmic ostinati featuring particularly octaves, fifths and fourths. The soloist and accompaniment have quite independent but interlocking rhythms. The second movement is slower, lyrical dialogue. It is harmonically basically tonal, with very widely opened dissonant chords, with the dark harmonic colours somewhat reminiscent Kilar or Górecki. The lively third movement begins with a romp in 5/8 time, followed by many great effects, the solo part leaping around and culminating in the solo cadenza, followed by a final coda which has a hint of the opening of the first movement. The music is clearly printed and even has a three-page section to avoid impossible page-turns.

The viola part remains entirely in the alto clef, as the range does not go past three octaves, however this work is not for intermediate players of either solo or piano part due to rhythmic ensemble challenges. Advanced players would bring greater expressive powers to the score, and would benefit by adding a contemporary sophisticated European work to their repertoire.

Helen Tuckey