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Violissage of violin vs viola
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How is a viola like a lawsuit? Everyone is happy when the case is closed.
Often the butt of many jokes, the viola has never been the most recognized instrument. It seems as though it has always been overshadowed by its younger brother, the violin. This association has probably stemmed from the fact that violas are difficult to discern in an orchestra, and rarely get the melody in most pieces, as they are tuned a perfect fifth below the violins. Nowadays, the viola is recognized as an instrument with a warm, rich, 'chocolatey' sound, whereas in the 1900's, a violist was seen as a shameful career. As one of the music world's most noted violists, William Primrose left a legacy worth preserving. He did so by exploring various areas of music, overcoming a variety of obstacles he encountered, and exchanging beautiful music for the recognition of the viola, and a legacy that would last for generations.
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He was born into a musical family on August 23, 1904, in Glasgow, Scotland. Even before his official studies began, Primrose learned much from the music exposure his father provided. He later described his father, John Primrose as "entranced . . . with all that appertained to string playing and pedagogy." John Primrose played with the Scottish Orchestra and taught violin in the family's small apartment in Glasgow, Scotland. Despite this, William Primrose later confessed in his memoirs, that he "resented the differences imposed on [him] by musical chores." "Some years later," he said, "I became aware that I did not know as much about my musical trade as puerile conceit had led me to suppose. My dedication to practice did not burgeon fully until I came under the ponderous, yet benign, influence of my great master, Eugene Ysaÿe." Eugene Ysaÿe would change the young violinist's career and life
On November 6th, 1854, John Philip Sousa was born in Washington D.C. His Father, John Antonio Sousa was Portuguese, while His Mother Maria Elisabeth Trinkhaus Was Bavarian. The first instrument John ever played was the violin. He also sang, and played instruments such as the piano, flute, trombone, and baritone. When John was 13, his father enlisted him in the Marine Corps Band so he wouldn’t join the circus, however he did play drums for Pt Barnum, the Circus King. John remained with the Marines until he was twenty years old.
	John Paul was born in the small fishing village of Arbigland, Scotland on July 6, 1747. To his parents John Paul and Jean MacDuff he was the fourth child. They had seven children but unfortunately all but two died in infancy. The family was originally from Fife but John Paul's father had taken the family and moved to Arbigland where William Craik, the owner of a large estate their had met him and hired him to be his gardener.
John Philip Sousa was born in 1854, the third child of ten. He was born in Washington, D.C. His parents were immigrants. John
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, more commonly known as Jelly Roll Morton, was born to a creole family in a poor neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. Morton lived with several family members in different areas of New Orleans, exposing him to different musical worlds including European and classical music, dance music, and the blues (Gushee, 394). Morton tried to play several different instruments including the guitar; however, unsatisfied with the teachers’ lack of training, he decided to teach himself how to play instruments without formal training (Lomax, 8). ...
Music was very important to the family and his early music lessons were given by his aunt Sophy, who was his mothers sister. He wrote his first piano piece when he was six, called The Robin’s Nest . Ralph and his siblings would play duets together and all were good students. It soon came time for Ralph to go to school so he followed his brother Hervey to preparatory school at Rottingdean near Brighton in 1883. He liked the music teachers there very much and was introduced to J.S. Bach. He learned the violin and soon became good enough to know Raff's Cavatina by heart. In 1887 Ralph became a student at Charterhouse school near Godalming in Surrey where he remained until 1890, he was fourteen at the time. Here he organized concerts and wanted to pursue Viola but his family disagreed and chose the organ for him instead.
Antonio Stradivari, a man known by many as on of the greatest luthiers of all time. The question at hand is why? From as early as the early 1700’s Stradivari was well known in the music world and still is. His instruments are reproduced in order to fool consumers into buying an instrument that has the same design as a Strad. There are also luthiers that try to replicate Stradivari’s beautiful design for their own satisfaction. Antonio Stradivari’s instruments have become socially and technically popular over time due to his superior craftsmanship, and for others, its large price tag. Stradivari’s life, affecting how his instruments were made, changed the perception of his instruments technically and socially.
For any young female, this would be a devastating situation to be thrown into, and viola was no exception. Apart from having to deal with the loss of her brother, she also had to find a way to survive in illyria. Perhaps this is where the resilience in viola's nature is first shown instead of breaking down and mourning bitterly the death of her loved one, she immediately devises a plan to disguise herself as a male and serve duke orsino.
Conducting, as we know it today is less than two centuries old.1 On the other hand time beating; a way of holding players and/or singers together, has been around for several centuries. 1 In the absence of written notation, the leader’s hands indicated the direction of the group. As polyphony entered the musical picture, it became essential that the beats be on target. Interpretation at the time was of no importance. It has been indicated through engravings that in addition to hands, leaders of instrumental and vocal forces utilized a foot, a stick, a pendulum, a handkerchief, or maybe even a piece of paper. 1 In the seventeenth century the element of interpretation entered the music scene, enhancing the role of the leader greatly. This freedom of interpretation increased the conductors responsibility, although no universal practices existed. Gradually the method of time beating approached uniformity; as meters became established, so did the conductors movements.1
He received a thorough basic education; his father being a good teacher, and son being a bright student. From his father Franz also learned to play the violin, and from his brother he learned the piano. The family, indeed, was a very musical one; the "String Quartet Parties" family were well known in the part of Vienna in which they lived. But soon, young Franz learned all that his family had to teach him. Later, any neighbors who could play any instruments were drawn in and the quartet became a little orchestra.
When approaching a performance, accomplished musicians often consider the historical context from which a piece originates. They most often think of such considerations in the application of that context as it pertains to early music that is, the Baroque era or earlier. For any era, such historical considerations are called performance practice, and may include the use of vibrato, ornamentation, dynamic levels, tempi, instrumental timbres, performance setting, and balance. Vibrato and ornamentation are two important areas of consideration that vocalists must explore when aiming to give an authentically Baroque performance.
...ntury, mainly because this combination creates a perfect balance between high and low sounds. The main melody, played by the violins, is supported by the harmony, which is created by the viola and the richness of the bass line provided by the cello.
Being the son of a professional violinist enabled Vivaldi to meet and learn from outstanding musicians and composers. As a result, alo...
Giuseppe Torelli, was an Italian violinist, teacher and composer, is considered one of the early developers of the Baroque concerto and concerto grosso. Torelli also composed a significant number of works for the trumpet during the Baroque period (1600-1750). Around 1690, one can begin to see the first works for the trumpet. He was familiar with the virtuoso trumpeter, Giovanni Pellegrino Brandi. Brandi would sometimes play with the San Petronio orchestra, of which Torelli was violin player. This acquaintance could explain Torelli’s awareness of the trumpet’s timbre, dynamic range, and expressive capabilities.
Antonio Vivaldi was born on March 4th, 1678, in Venice, Italy, and died on July 28, 1741, in Vienna, Austria. His father, a barber and a talented violinist at Saint Mark's Cathedral himself, had helped him in trying a career in music and made him enter the Cappella di San Marco orchestra, where he was an appreciated violinist.
I feel proud to have grown up in a musical environment, as my grandfather was a professional musician who played in several professional symphony orchestras, my mother learned violin from my grandfather, then my older brother from her and then I did. On the other hand, my father is a former Fulbright Scholar with a DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) degree from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. Although they have all have been a tremendous inspiration, it was my own will, passion and love for music that led me to pursue such career.