Six Sonatas for Viola solo, Op. 27: Version adapted and transcribed for Viola

Version adapted and transcribed for Viola Originally written for Violin solo op.27, the Sonatas by the Belgian composer Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) were adapted in this version for Viola and we have included in our volume corrections and additions of fingering and bowings by the composer's hand that were taken from his copy of the First Edition of 1924, and we have preserved the purity of the composer's intentions by consulting the preserved manuscripts of several of the sonatas.The Sonatas are one of the central works of the Violin, however, with this adaptation for the Viola, the musical literature is enriched due to their demanding and extraordinary technical difficulty, offering challenges for professional violists entering the world of soloist and conservatory and university study.It is possible that the Six Sonatas are a reminder or a modern thought of what Bach's Sonatas and Partitas were.Our edition is based entirely on Ysaÿe's handwritten copies: No. 2, 3 and 6:New York City, The Juilliard School, Lila Acheson Wallace Library. Gift from Louis Persinger.No. 4 and 5: Liège, Library of the Conservatoire Royal de Musique, Ysaÿe. First edition as collected volume (Brussels: Editions Ysaÿe [Antoine Ysaÿe], 1924); plate numbers A.Y.3219 (No. 1), A.Y. 3339 (No.2), A.Y.3332 (No. 3), A.Y. 3338 (No.4), A.Y.3340 (No. 5) and A.Y. 3355 (No. 6).Eugène Ysaÿe's personal copy withnumerous handwritten additions andcorrections: Liège, Library of the Conservatoire Royal de Musique, Ysaÿe Collection, Box 12.We have also used as a reference source The Lavergne manuscript containing Ysaÿe's sketches of compositions from the period 1923-1925. On 11 May 1931, a few hours before Ysaÿe's death, the doorbell rang at the famous virtuoso's house.Violinist Philip Newman was waiting at the door and was subsequently let in by Antoine. Behind Ysaÿe's bedroom door, Newman unpacked his violin and played the fourth sonata for solo violin, bringing some relief in the composer's final hours of agony. After Ysaÿe's death, his family offered Newman a notebook containing the first sketches, among others, of the Six Sonatas for solo violin.After Newman's death in 1966, his music library was inherited by the Belgian violinist Josette Lavergne de Ostend. When she died in 2015, her heirs contacted the library of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Their intention was that her collection of violin music and documentation should be properly preserved and made accessible to musicians and researchers. The notebook was given the name 'Lavergne Manuscript'.First of all, Lavergne's manuscript contains the first sketches of the 6 solo sonatas opus 27 and a page with Ysaÿe's corrections to the proof print of sonatas 1, 2, 3 and 5. It also contains the first sketch of the solo cello sonata opus 28, which shows relatively few differences with the final version. The numerous sketches in the C clef, for viola, as the manuscript indicates that Ysaÿe intended to write a work for viola as well.A fragment for Viola solo from the manuscript on page 66 entitled Allegro con brio (tempo giusto) is unknown until now and makes the manuscript invaluable.The editor would like to thank all the named institutions for making their material available for this research, suggestions and possible solutions have been added in grey directly in the musical text. Read more