Viola repertoire explained

This article lists notable compositions within the viola repertoire. The list includes works in which the viola is a featured instrument (i.e., viola solos, concertos, viola and piano duos, etc.). The list is ordered by composer surname.

A

• Julia Adolphe (born 1988)

Unearth, Release (2016)

• Kurt Atterberg (1887–1974)

Sonata in B minor for cello (or violin, or viola, or horn) and piano, Op. 27 (1925)

B

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major, BWV 1051 (1721)

• Béla Bartók (1881–1945)

Concerto for viola and orchestra in A minor, Sz. 120, BB 128 (1945)

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

Serenade in D major for flute, violin and viola, Op. 25 (1795)

• Luciano Berio (1925–2003)

Sequenza VI for solo viola (1967)

• Hector Berlioz (1803–1869)

Harold en Italie, symphony for orchestra with viola obbligato, Op. 16, H. 68 (1834)

• Ernest Bloch (1880–1959)

Suite Hébraïque for viola and piano or orchestra (1951)

• Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)

Sonata No. 1 in F minor for viola and piano, Op. 120 No. 1 (1894)

Sonata No. 2 in E-flat major for viola and piano, Op. 120 No. 2 (1894)

Two Songs for voice, viola and piano, Op. 91 (1884)

• Max Bruch (1838–1920)

Concerto for Clarinet, Viola, and Orchestra, Op. 88 (1911)

Romanze for Viola, and Orchestra, Op. 84

C

• Bartolomeo Campagnoli (1751-1827)

41 Caprices for solo viola

• Henri Casadesus (1879–1947)

Concerto in B minor (1924) (attributed to George Frideric Handel)

Concerto in D major (1931) (attributed to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach)

Concerto in C minor (1947) (attributed to Johann Christian Bach)

• Rebecca Clarke (1886–1979)

Morpheus for viola and piano (1917)

Sonata for viola and piano (1919)

D

• Claude Debussy (1862–1918)

Sonata for flute, viola and harp, L. 137 (1915)

E

• Edward Elgar (1857–1934)

Canto Popolare for viola and piano (1904)

G

• Morton Gould (1913–1996)

Concerto for viola and orchestra (1943)

H

• Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962)

Concerto for viola and orchestra (2015)

• Paul Hindemith (1895–1963)

Sonata in F for viola and piano, Op. 11 No. 4 (1919)

Kammermusik No. 5 for viola and chamber orchestra, Op. 36 No. 4 (1927)

Der Schwanendreher for viola and small orchestra (1935)

Trauermusik for viola and orchestra (1936)

I

• Airat Ichmouratov (b.1973)

Concerto N1 for viola and orchestra, Op.7 (2004)

Three Romances for Viola, Strings and Harp Op.22 (2009)

L

• Peter Lieberson (1946–2011)

Concerto for viola and orchestra (1992)

• György Ligeti (1923–2006)

Viola sonata for solo viola (1994)

M

• James MacMillan (b. 1959)

Concerto for viola and orchestra (2013)

• Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)

Viola sonata in C minor, MWV Q 14 (1824)

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)

Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major for violin, viola and orchestra, K. 364 (K. 320d) (1779)

Duo No. 1 in G major for violin and viola, K. 423 (1783)

Duo No. 2 in B-flat major for violin and viola, K. 424 (1783)

Kegelstatt Trio in E-flat major for clarinet, viola and piano, K. 498 (1786)

• Nico Muhly (b. 1981)

Concerto for viola and orchestra (2014)

P

• Walter Piston (1894–1976)

Concerto for viola and orchestra (1957)

S

• Alfred Schnittke (1934–1998)

Concerto for viola and orchestra (1985)

• Robert Schumann (1810–1856)

Märchenbilder for viola and piano, Op. 113 (1851)

Märchenerzählungen for clarinet, viola and piano, Op. 132 (1853)

• Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)

Sonata for viola and piano, Op. 147 (1975)

• Carl Stamitz (1745–1801)

Concerto for viola in D major, Op. 1 (c. 1774)^[1]

T

• Tōru Takemitsu (1930–1996)

A String around Autumn for viola and orchestra (1989)

• Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767)

Concerto in G Major for viola and orchestra, TWV 51:G9

Concerto in G major for 2 violas and string orchestra, TWV 52:G3

V

• Henri Vieuxtemps (1820–1881)

Sonata in B-flat major for viola and piano, Op. 36 (1862)

W

• Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958)

Flos Campi for viola, wordless chorus, and small orchestra (1925)

Four Hymns for tenor, viola, and string orchestra (1914)

Romance for viola and piano (c. 1914)

Six Studies in English Folk Song for cello or viola and piano (1926)

Suite for viola and small orchestra (1933–1934)

• William Walton (1902–1983)

Viola Concerto in A minor (1928–1929)

• Graham Waterhouse (b. 1962)

Four Epigraphs after Escher, Op. 35, for viola, heckelphone and piano (1993)

Sonata ebraica for viola and piano (2013)

• John Woolrich (b. 1954)

Ulysses Awakes for viola and ten strings (1989)

References

Books

• Book: Bynog, David . Notes for Violists: A Guide to the Repertoire . . 2020 . 978-0-1909-1610-7 . 1162385874.

Further reading

• Barrett, B. M., Barrett H. (1996). The Viola: Complete Guide for Teachers and Students. University of Alabama Press. . .
• White, Katie (2014). A Pedagogical Introduction: Viola Repertoire from 1986-2013. (DMA dissertation). University of Oregon.
• Warmath, Jordan (2016). The Contemporary Revolution—Evolution of Viola Repertoire. (DMA dissertation). University of California. .

External links

• List of Compositions Featuring the Viola at the International Music Score Library Project
• Directory of Works compiled by Music4Viola

Notes and References

1. Gee . Constance Whitman . 2001 . The Viola Concerti Of The Stamitz Family: A Performance Project Including Concerto In G Major By Johann Stamitz (1717–1757), Concerto Number One In B -flat Major, Concerto Number Three In G Major And Concerto Number Four In D Major By Anton Stamitz (1750–after 1796), Concerto Number One In D Major And Concerto Number Two In A Major By Carl Stamitz (1745–1801) . DMA dissertation . . 43 . 49933521.