William Primrose: What Is A Viola Like A Lawsuit?

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Recommended: Violissage of violin vs viola

How is a viola like a lawsuit? Everyone is happy when the case is closed.
Often the butt of many jokes, the viola has never been the most recognized instrument. It seems as though it has always been overshadowed by its younger brother, the violin. This association has probably stemmed from the fact that violas are difficult to discern in an orchestra, and rarely get the melody in most pieces, as they are tuned a perfect fifth below the violins. Nowadays, the viola is recognized as an instrument with a warm, rich, 'chocolatey' sound, whereas in the 1900's, a violist was seen as a shameful career. As one of the music world's most noted violists, William Primrose left a legacy worth preserving. He did so by exploring various areas of music, overcoming a variety of obstacles he encountered, and exchanging beautiful music for the recognition of the viola, and a legacy that would last for generations. …show more content…

He was born into a musical family on August 23, 1904, in Glasgow, Scotland. Even before his official studies began, Primrose learned much from the music exposure his father provided. He later described his father, John Primrose as "entranced . . . with all that appertained to string playing and pedagogy." John Primrose played with the Scottish Orchestra and taught violin in the family's small apartment in Glasgow, Scotland. Despite this, William Primrose later confessed in his memoirs, that he "resented the differences imposed on [him] by musical chores." "Some years later," he said, "I became aware that I did not know as much about my musical trade as puerile conceit had led me to suppose. My dedication to practice did not burgeon fully until I came under the ponderous, yet benign, influence of my great master, Eugene Ysaÿe." Eugene Ysaÿe would change the young violinist's career and life

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