The term "viola bastarda" refers to both an instrument and a style of playing that is one of the crowning achievements of musical mannerism. The Italian repertory for the solo viola da gamba in the 16th and early 17th centuries was largely music played "alla bastarda," an art of performance in which a polyphonic composition is transformed into a single melodic line derived from the original parts and spanning their ranges. Jason Paras has traced the development of the "viola bastarda" and has assembled and transcribed 46 peices in this genre. The music in his collection is a rich and fascinating repertory that is rarely heard today. This anthology is an invitation to present-day players to recreate the improvisation practice of the 16th and 17th centuries in ways not fully disclosed by ornamentation manuals of that time.

When Bela Bartók died in September of 1945, he left a partially completed viola concerto commissioned by the virtuoso violist William Primrose. Yet, while no definitive version of the work exists, this concerto has become arguably the most-performed viola concerto in the world. The story of how the concerto came to be, from its commissioning by Primrose to its first performance to the several completions that are performed today is told here in Bartók's Viola Concerto:The Remarkable Story of His Swansong. After Bartók's death, his family asked the composer's friend Tibor Serly to look over the sketches of the concerto and to prepare it for publication. While a draft was ready, it took Serly years to assemble the sketches into a complete piece. In 1949, Primrose finally unveiled it, at a premiere performance with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. For almost half a century, the Serly version enjoyed great popularity among the viola community, even while it faced charges of inauthenticity. In the 1990s, several revisions appeared and, in 1995, the composer's son, Peter Bartók, released a revision, opening the way or an intensified debate on the authenticity of the multiple versions. This debate continues as violists and Bartók scholars seek the definitive version of this final work of Hungary's greatest composer. Bartók's Viola Concerto tells the story of the genesis and completion of Bartók's viola concerto, its reception over the second half of the twentieth century, its revisions, and future possibilities.

An invaluable guide to the available historical source material on playing the violin and viola.

This book presents the most widely played fiddle tunes in easy-to-read arrangements for viola. The viola edition features the same tunes in the same keys as the author’s original The Fiddlin’ Workshop and The Fiddlin' Workshop for Cello, so all three instruments could conceivably jam together. Designed for beginning through intermediate players, the arrangements progress in difficulty with each tune. A few tunes are presented in both easier and more challenging versions. In addition to helpful hints on fingerings and bowing, this collection contains suggested guitar accompaniment chords and a bit of fiddlin’ history and related folklore. Includes access to an excellent online audio recording of the book’s tunes and variations.

Quite possibly the largest collection of fiddle music for viola ever published! Contains a wealth of material for fiddlers seeking a transition to the viola and/or violists in search of a collection of traditional fiddle music. Designed to meet the rising popularity of the viola's role in folk music, the tunes in this book are grouped into C, G, D, F, B-flat, and E-flat major fingering. the music in this book is printed on parallel staffs. the top is traditional viola notation in the alto clef while the bottom is the same music in transposing violin notation, allowing fiddlers who read the G or treble clef to play the viola by fingering it as if it were a fiddle.

Solos for Young Violists is a five-volume series of music books featuring 34 works for viola and piano. Many of the pieces in this collection have long been recognized as stepping stones to the major viola repertoire, while others are newly discovered, arranged, and published for this series. Compiled, edited and recorded by violist Barbara Barber, Solos for Young Violists is a graded series of works ranging from elementary to advanced levels and represents an exciting variety of styles and techniques for violists. The collection has become a valuable resource for teachers and students of all ages.