For the practical violist, an orchestral chair is a vital part of his or her working life. The twenty-first century orchestra, however, is fiercely competitive, and the undertaking of the audition process must be taken very seriously. The purpose of this document is to provide the aspiring orchestral violist with an alternative beyond the orchestral excerpt book. Specifically, it offers the chance to prepare for an audition with the aid of their peers who can accompany them through arrangements of selected excerpts for the viola ensemble setting. In fact, a library of arrangements for viola ensemble not only makes an important supplement to the audition experience, but proposes an intriguing curriculum for the viola studio in a preparatory academy or conservatory.
In 1995, Ellen Rose, the principal violist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, became the first pedagogue to arrange viola excerpts for the medium of viola ensemble. Although Rose has charted a new path for aspiring orchestral violists, the fitting of every important excerpt into a book is understandably difficult. To this end, this document will oversee the arrangement of four significant viola excerpts after the style set forth by Rose: the last movement of J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3; the eighth variation of Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn; Rossini’s overture to La Gazza Ladra; and the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6. These arrangements also open the opportunity to go beyond Rose’s original plan; while Rose provides passages from selected works, this project transforms them into real ensemble pieces through the appropriation of an entire movement, variation, or large self-sufficient section.