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Welcome to our Viola blog |
Phillip Schmidt
Schmidt originally wanted to become a singer or chemist, however he decided to pursue a career in music science. His scientific focus lies in the 18th century, with particular attention on the viola, his favorite instrument, which he plays himself too.
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April 2018 | ComposerRoger Faedi
Konrad Ewald writes about Roger Faedi: «The teacher, songwriter, photographer, violist, crossbow archer and publisher, located in Basel, Switzerland, is one of the most creative individuals I know.»
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March 2018 | The InterviewHélène Clément
Music4viola starts with a new viola blog. It begins with a portrait of the young viola player Hélène Clément, who has an international career as a chamber musician. Niklaus Rüegg met her at her concert with the Doric String Quartet at the Mizmorim Festival in Basel.
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January 2018 | Tips and tricksHow to avoid damage
Isn’t it wonderful to take an excellently preserved and well-kept viola into your hand, to look at it from all sides and to admire the beauty of this instrument? You haven’t got to be a trained violin-maker to handle a viola carefully.
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December 2017 | ComposerMarkus Heinrich Grauel
Little is known about Markus Heinrich Grauel. He was known as a cellist at the Prussian Hofkapelle of Friedrich II, and as a composer as well.
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November 2017 | Viola composer rediscoveredAlexander Presuhn
Not only did he arrange and compose approximately 50 music pieces for the stage, he also composed numerous pieces for and with “his” instrument, the viola.
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November 2017 | Friedrich Wilhelm BendaViola concerto in F major
Under the name Benda, manuscripts of three concerts for viola and orchestra have been preserved, which are kept by the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Prussian Cultural Heritage.
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July 2017 | Carl SmithHermann Ritter and his viola alta
Hermann Ritter, not much of a talk today, was one of the most renowned and influential personas in the history of viola. The viola alta used to be much better known than today. Ritter had many students, who again trained other violists.
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June 2017 | Famous composersGeorg Philipp Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann was one of the most prominent composers of the Baroque era. He introduced innovative thinking into the world of music and changed the music of the early 18th century significantly. He left an impressive opus of 3600 works, including his world famous "Viola Concerto" in g major. How did he manage to become such an important historical person?
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May 2017 | Hector BerliozHarold en Italie
This work by Berlioz is of outstanding significance for the viola. Above all, prior to the time of writing, noteworthy literature for the viola was unavailable. In 1843, Berlioz wrote in Treatise on Instrumentation about the viola, noting that the deep strings have a “peculiarly strong sound”, while the high strings present a “sad, passionate expression”.
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April 2017 | Famous viola soloistsYuri Abramovich Bashmet (Part 2)
"Even now, I feel this: one does not just have to perform well, the cultural program must sound alone for itself, the whole world will see and hear! We all have to do our best: here is my fatherland and not just my profession."
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March, 2017 | Famous viola soloistsYuri Abramovich Bashmet (Part 1)
On the relationship between violin and viola, Bashmet said the violin was more dramatic, but the viola more philosophical. He described the peculiarly sound of the viola as the "sound of the cosmos". The viola is not male and not feminine, it is simply beauty.
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February, 2017 | Stephanie Gurtner10 years of Partitura Verlag
Throughout my life as a musician, I have often returned to the question: why do pianists and singers have the full score in front of them, whilst I, as a viola player, must be content with a single stave?
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February, 2017 | Viola palyPosture caused problems in the viola play
» four tips to prevent
January, 2017 | Cornelia Brányik und Carlos María SolareImpressions from the Bratschistentag at
Trossingen 2016When I tell my non-musical friends that I have just come back from a viola congress, they usually look at me questioningly. What can that be?
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December, 2016 | Paul HindemithAbout Life and Work and Effect (Part 2)
Konrad Ewald wrote about Hindemith: «He knows the instruments, so to speak, and he also knows the older music, which could not be asserted by every new composer.» Hindemith began to play the viola d'amore in the 1920s. From 1927 he gave concerts with the viola d'amore, accompanied by harpsichord and violin.
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December, 2016 | Paul HindemithAbout Life and Work and Effect (Part 1)
«When one goes to a tailor, one doesn't want a picture or photograph of him, but a well-made suit. If someone wants to occupy himself with me, he should look at my works.»
(Paul Hindemith)
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November, 2016 | Motivation10 tips how to motivate yourself for the daily practice
Practice and motivation make the difference, when it comes to the success of a musician. We already published one article about talent HERE. But the meaning of motivation can hardly be emphasized enough.
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October, 2016 | New by Music4ViolaViolist days 2016 in Trossingen
Well-known soloists, interesting lectures, masterclasses with renowned teachers and, of course, a lot of music, this is the tried and tested mix of the violist days performed by the German Viola Society since the 1960s at different locations in Germany.
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October, 2016 | New by Music4ViolaNew inputs from our readers
We made a new list with an overview of all the excited inputs form our readers. We aim to offer our visitors a broad knowledge and much information on composers, works and products. Most of the inputs so fare are in German. That's why we rely on your input.
» to the input overview
September, 2016 | One day of an almost ordinary life of Airat Ichmouratov
Airat Rafailovich Ichmouratov, born June 28, 1973, is a Volga Tatar born Russian / Canadian composer, conductor and clarinetist. He is also an invited prof. at Laval University in Quebec, Canada. Ichmouratov is maried to the violist Elvira Misbakhova.
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September, 2016 | Famous viola soloistsTabea Zimmermann
Ganz großes Kino. Tabea Zimmermann ist die wohl
renommierteste aktive Bratschistin im deutschsprachigen Raum (und wohl auch darüber hinaus), als Solistin und Mitglied des
Arcanto-Quartetts.
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August, 2016 | What makes for a great musicianPractice or Talent?
This age-old question is the subject of heated discussions, especially among musicians. What makes for a master, practice or talent? And how important are these two respectively for the success of the musician? An input by Mascha Seitz.
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July, 2016 | Famous viola soloistsAntoine Tamestit
There have been many well-known and virtuoso Viola players in the past. Today we will concentrate on an active musician who, in his younger years, became one of the greatest Viola players of his time. Let yourself be inspired by this young master...
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June, 2016 | Stories about the ViolaInterview with Natalia Wächter
About her musical development in Moscow and her studies of the viola with Yuri Bashmet. From 1990 to 1991 she was a solo viola player at the philharmonic orchestra in the city of Heidelberg. Since 1991 she is part of the Stuttgarter Philharmonics.
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