From manuscript to publication : aspects of Lionel Tertis' style of viola playing as reflected in his 1936 edition of Ralph Vaughan Williams' suite for viola and orchestra

 

The Suite for Viola and Small Orchestra (or Piano) by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was commissioned by and dedicated to the British violist Lionel Tertis (1876-1975). The premier occurred on 12 November 1934; Lionel Tertis was the soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Sir Malcolm Sargent. The work was first published by Oxford University Press in 1936 in an edition for viola and piano. In this edition, the viola part contains many inconsistencies with the manuscript, which is held at the British Library (Add. MS 50386).

 

Between the first performance in 1934 and the publication of the Suite in 1936, Tertis made considerable editorial changes to the viola part. These changes involve fingerings, bowings, phrasing, articulation, and dynamics; at times the notational substance is altered as well. It is the aim of this thesis to demonstrate why Lionel Tertis' 1936 version differs from the manuscript. 

 

A link to the thesis is here: https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/31359