Versatile viola website
The famous and comprehensive guide to viola literature has been transferred to a website. Everyone can contribute to make it even more comprehensive in this form.
In 1958 Konrad Ewald decided to create a guide to viola literature, in 1975 he self-published it, in 2013 it appeared in its fourth edition (see review by Walter Labhart: Nectar for a violist's heart, Swiss Music Newspaper 1/2014, p. 18), and recently it became www.music4viola.ch, an ingenious and forward-looking website!
Ewald, the well-traveled language teacher from Basel, plays most of the listed solo and chamber music works and concertos himself and comments on many of them in a sympathetic, personal and meaningful way, taking into account their musical value and playability. He modestly addresses amateurs, although this vademecum has long since become a tool for professionals too. He has spent decades rummaging through the remotest corners of the editions and has also taken manuscripts into account. In this way, he has discovered countless unknown works. In his short monographs of composers, in addition to the obvious viola works (solos, duets, tercets, concertos), he also refers to works for larger ensembles. He also performs viola arrangements of original works for cello, clarinet and other instruments.
Transferring the compendium to the website music4viola is a generous enhancement of this life's work. Browsing is a pleasure: Thanks to filters, the "Composers, Works, Online Shop" buttons quickly lead to specific periods, genres, easy or particularly recommendable pieces; and to publishers (so far mainly Amadeus-Verlag) to order online. You can even filter out exclusively female composers! Under "Media library" you can click on encyclopaedia, Wikipedia and YouTube articles, and under "Music search and input" you are invited to do further research and share the results or your own knowledge that is missing from the directory. A trustee ensures prompt feedback. The already thick guide in book form has become an open-ended tool that can be developed further!
