I detta arbete utforskas interpretation av västerländsk konstmusik, och olika utgångspunkter och tankesätt kring detta. I studien undersöks Johannes Brahms sonat i Ess dur för klarinett och piano (Op. 120, No. 2). Syftet var att ta upp och gräva djupare i aspekter såsom tidstroget framförande, kompositörens intentioner och eget uttryck för att kunna utveckla och förstå sin egen tolkning så mycket som möjligt. Sonaten har undersökts på två sätt. Dels presenteras en analys av första satsen, med fokus på motiv och teman och hur dessa förhåller sig till bl.a. harmoniken, samt en diskussion om huruvida musiken är i sen stil, alltså stildrag som brukar vara gemensamma för konstnärers sista verk. Det andra sättet sonaten har undersökts på är genom intervjuer med musiker om hur de tänker när de tolkar det här stycket. Studiens resultat påvisar att den djupare förståelse som en musikalisk analys medför innebär att jag som musiker kan fatta snabbare och mer motiverade beslut i min interpretation. Genom att sätta mig in i kompositörens liv och mående utvecklades en djupare känsla för stycket och en vilja att uttrycka något som känns rätt.

abstract: Ernest Bloch’s Suites for Solo Cello (B. 93, 94, 97) contain a melodic-harmonic language unlike any other twentieth-century unaccompanied work, and when transcribed for viola, become meaningful additions to the existing viola repertoire. Each movement within these three works has its own distinct dancelike character, much like J.S. Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello (BWV 1007-1012). The melodies contain a persistent lyrical quality, and the harmonies are modal and reminiscent of folk music. Rather than compose an appropriate ending to Bloch’s incomplete Suite for Solo Viola (B. 101), a transcription of Bloch’s Suites for Solo Cello provides violists with more variety and opportunity for musicianship. These works present technical challenges such as rapid string crossings, sudden and vast register changes, complex rhythms and meter, and offer interpretationally rich passages. The level of these difficulties can prepare violists for more challenging twentieth-century works; thus, transcribing the Bloch Suites provides an opportunity to bridge a pedagogical divide in solo viola repertoire. This project includes the transcriptions of Bloch’s Suites for Solo Cello, a performance edition, and a recording. Included is an overview of why these works are suitable for the viola, how these arrangements help fill a pedagogical gap in the unaccompanied viola repertoire, and insight into the transcription process. The performance recording captures the accessibility of these works for violists wishing to perform them and shows the integrity and variety of each piece by programming them all on a single recital. / Dissertation/Thesis / Suite No. 1, Prelude / Suite No. 1, Allegro / Suite No. 1, Canzona / Suite No. 2, Prelude / Suite No. 2, Allegro / Suite No. 2, Andante tranquillo, Allegro / Suite No. 3, Allegro deciso / Suite No. 3, Andante / Suite No. 3, Allegro, Andante, Allegro giocoso / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2020

Three areas of adaptation, namely physical, technical and cognitive, have to be considered if a successful transition from the violin to the viola is to be achieved. This qualitative study followed an interpretative phenomenological design. Data was collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with six participants from Pretoria, South Africa, all of whom had taken up the viola after becoming proficient in playing the violin. The aim of the study was to explore the physical, technical and cognitive adaptations made by violinists studying the viola as a second instrument. Findings derived from the analysed data were divided into five superordinate themes. The first superordinate theme, "Physical differences between the violin and the viola as instruments", revealed that, because the sizing of the viola is not standardised, the chosen size should be synchronised with the physique of the violist. The size and weight of the viola in the transition process were also regarded as representing a significant adaptation. The second superordinate theme pertains to left-hand technique as affected by the physical differences between the instruments. Although there is a similarity between violin and viola techniques, subtle technical differences distinguish them. Topics occurring in this section were elements of fingering, the longer viola fingerboard, shifting, and vibrato. The following superordinate theme, “Right-hand technique as affected by the physical differences between the instruments”, revealed the challenging adaptation involved in acquiring the correct bowing technique for the viola. This section further investigated issues relating to bow hold, the concept of transmitting natural weight rather than artificial pressure into the bow, and the resistance by the viola strings. It was suggested that, once a viola-specific bowing technique had been learned, violin bowing technique would be improved. Injuries and pain caused by the transition to the viola represented the fourth superordinate theme, particularly emphasising the issue of set-up, which, in the case of choosing an appropriate viola, should be customised according to the unique physique of the player. The fifth and final superordinate theme, "Methods for mastering the alto clef", showed that transitioning violists apply methods both requiring note-reading and not doing so. The findings indicated that methods which do not require the active reading of notes on the stave are not as effective as those in which the performer learns to identify note names and pitches. The study concluded that an understanding of the physical, technical and cognitive adaptations required for a successful transition process, should be cultivated by the transitioning violist. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Music / MMus / Unrestricted

abstract: Throughout centuries of great classical music, many clarinet compositions have been adapted from a wealth of literature for string instruments and instruments of similar ranges. Viola, violin, and cello literature can often be adapted into challenging literature for the clarinet. While the works of English composer and violist, Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979), have gained popularity in the early 2000s, many of her compositions have yet to be discovered by musicians performing on wind instruments of similar ranges. While legendary western composers such as Mozart, Weber, and Brahms, will continue to be enduring icons in classic clarinet literature, performers and educators alike should always consider the integration of transcribed works for the expansion and diversity of the repertoire. Although a sizeable amount of literature for clarinet is contained in orchestral and chamber works of the late-Romantic era, the availability of solo clarinet literature in this style is lacking. The purpose of the project is the addition of Rebecca Clarke’s 1919 Viola Sonata for B-flat soprano clarinet and piano to the solo clarinet repertoire. The transcription preserves the integrity of the original music while exploring the virtuosic nature of the clarinet and its interaction with the piano. Comments on the historical background of Clarke’s Viola Sonata and the transcription procedures are provided as well. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2019

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The importance that Franz Schuberts music has on any classical musician is almost indisputable. His output stretches over all the important genres of his time and while he never wrote solo pieces specifically for the viola, one work has gained an essential status in the viola repertoire. That work being the sonata for arpeggione and piano, D. 821. Volumes have been written on Schubert, his style, early 19th century Vienna, romanticism, classicism and the formal development of the sonata form as well as the rise of the bourgeoise music scene. Perhaps less is written on the viola and especially the arpeggione. My aim in this paper is to answer the question,” why arpeggione?”. Why does this work hold such a high status in our repertoire? I shall approach this question by both presenting the sonata in question by drawing its background and generally the style and background of Schubert and early romantic Vienna, and also by introducing two alternative early romantic sonatas, both by esteemed composers and written originally for viola. Lastly, I shall dissect the mostly arrangement-related challenges of the arpeggione sonata and discuss different reasons for it having attained such an important role in spite of its problematic suitability for the viola.

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