An Eclectic Collection of Jewish-Inspired Viola Music: An Informed Performance

Abstract

Music performance in a recital setting involves the integration of numerous elements and tools rigorously studied and refined over a substantial number of years. These components include: the physical playing of the instrument, rhythm, melodies, harmonies, dynamics, musical characters, composers, music history, styles of music, and a variety of others. A musician must assimilate musical components learned from dedicated teachers into a cohesive, performable entity, especially when preparing for a recital. For this research project and subsequent performance, I combined all the various elements learned in my years of studying music (that include the above listed elements), selected the theme of Jewish-inspired viola music for my recital program, learned the actual notes of the pieces, studied Jewish music in general, and researched the specific composers’ various backgrounds and how their own experiences affected and shaped their music. I then put my part playing the viola together with the pianist’s part through the collaborative effort of playing chamber music, in order to produce a unified, performable program. The various aspects of this program’s music and the process of synchronizing the parts culminated in the performance of the music in the form of a lecture recital that provided the audience with details about the specific pieces and their composers in order to give them a context in which to better understand the music.