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Finally found a decent viola music collection

I have been searching for a viola music collection within my playing range, but it is hard to find a good one. My personal complaints are as follows.

Simply rehashed arrangements of violin music
If you take violin music and turn it into viola music as-is, the range becomes too high for the viola, and the C-string range, which is the viola's selling point, is not utilized. In the worst cases, there are arrangements that do not even use the C-string. Well, such arrangements can be useful sometimes; they might be good for identifying a viola that has a poor A-string resonance.

Many collections lack fingerings
String instruments have a wealth of alternative fingerings, and the same melody can be played on different strings. For example, a melody on the A-string can be played on the G-string. That significantly enhances the expressive power of the music. In classical music, there are traditional fingerings that have been accumulated over time, and I wonder about those that do not use such fingerings, or collections that tell you to figure it out yourself Learning traditional fingering methods is important in classical music. While it is certainly important to think for yourself as a next step to enhance expression or make things easier to play once you have that foundation, I question the alternative.

Unison arrangements
This often happens when piano music is arranged for a string duo, where the part is almost in unison with the piano melody. This is very annoying for string players. The selling point of string instruments is the freedom of pitch, but when in unison, you have to match the piano's pitch, which kills that advantage. I want to avoid unison collections. In the case of the viola, it is also excellent as an accompaniment instrument, so it would be effective to include arpeggios or rhythmic patterns, but such arrangements are rare. Also, there are many arrangements that are just the melody, but I wish they would use double stops like sixths, octaves, or even thirds—which are a bit more difficult—to a degree that doesn't make it too hard. I think expressive power would increase significantly if they could use intervals like seconds or sevenths. If you think about double stops in combination with open strings, it should be easy to conceive even for those who don't play string instruments.

Different key from the original
While this is sometimes unavoidable to bring out the potential of the original piece, there are arrangements that go out of their way to change the key from the original A-flat major to G major. Doing this makes the sound too bright and loses the quality of the original. Classical composers write with a strong awareness of tonality, and I wonder about arrangements that do not grasp the characteristics of string instrument tonality. Also, the viola resonates quite nicely in flat keys that violins struggle with, such as E-flat major. I recommend using flat keys for the viola as it brings out a unique, profound feeling.

No need to pander to other genres
I don't dislike film music, popular songs, folk songs, anime music, jazz, or tango, but from a learning perspective, it doesn't help unless the selection is from pieces that have been historically performed as classical music. I would like a full-scale viola collection strictly focused on classical music.

I was feeling dissatisfied, but I finally got my hands on a decent viola music collection. I suppose you really have to get these things from overseas. It is worthy of the Bärenreiter name. Overwhelming quality and high educational consideration that is different from the rest. The fingerings, in particular, are wonderful. It is amazing what a high-level collection can be produced when edited by an excellent teacher. Although it was expensive, I regret a little that I didn't just buy this from the start. The pieces also show a deep understanding of the viola's characteristics, and the piano accompaniment's harmony is complex and wonderful. The Grieg piece has complex harmonies that somehow foreshadow Rachmaninoff. Did Rachmaninoff study Grieg?

Bärenreiter Viola Collection
I wouldn't have thought of this fingering (The score is in E-flat major, not in treble clef but in alto clef)
A fingering not often seen in violin music. I see 3-3 fingerings quite often. In violin, it is often 4-3-2-1 or 4-4-3-2 rather than 4-3-3-2 (The score is in E-flat major, not in treble clef but in alto clef)
This is what traditional fingering is like. It connects the notes smoothly without using the open D string. Changing the fingering for the same melody is one of the common expressions in string instruments.

I think this piece is the highlight of this collection. It is perfected as a viola piece. I will do my best with this as my goal.


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