The Primrose International Viola Competition

Relegated to the alto voice in most compositions, the viola has risen to greater prominence thanks to William Primrose and those who aspire to his virtuosity.

Pity the viola? Not quite a violin, not quite a cello, and a far cry from the double bass. With its lower and deeper sound vis a vis the violin it has largely played the alto voice in most compositions. Audiences rarely attended concerts to hear the viola. At best it was the inner voice in string quartets, an accompaniment (second fiddle?) to the star instrument, the violin.

But violists such as William Primrose (1904-1982) saw things differently. A talented but surprisingly disinterested violin player from the age of 4 – his father taught violin and was a member of the Scottish Orchestra from their home in Glasgow – he was encouraged by a teacher in Belgium to pursue the viola, which he did to join the London String Quartet at the age of 26. Some years later he was able to commission a viola concerto from Bela Bartok, who died before it was completed (Tibor Serly managed to complete it by 1949). He of course soloed in the premier of the piece.

It was in honor of Primrose’s raising to prominence the viola that the Primrose International Viola Competition was officially instituted in 1986 (a predecessor event in 1979 was adjudicated by Primrose himself). The semi-annual event, often held in conjunction with the North American Viola Congress, is a rigorous competition for violists ages 29 or under.

The 16^th Primrose competition semi-final and final rounds will be held at the Colburn School in Los Angeles December 13-18, 2021. But that is the culmination of qualifying stages leading up to that: prescreen videos from competitors (due June 11); live round competitors who make the first cut must submit their repertoire (mid-August); quarter-final rounds (December 13-14); and the semi-final round (December 16).

Prizes for winners of the competition are $15,000 for first place, $10,000 for second place, and $5,000 for third place.

In 2021, a BIPOC (Black and Indigenous People of Color) prize will be awarded by the American Viola Society to the competitor at the Primrose competition who best performs a work by a BIPOC composer. This is in addition to the “Transcriptions Prize;” both of these are worth $1000.

During the competition, it isn’t uncommon for a local Los Angeles violin shop or two to host exhibitions that feature fine violas for sale to those who are attending and competing in the festival. Rarely do so many viola enthusiasts converge on any city as they do the City of Angels.

Everything about the viola is bigger than the violin, which means players have to account for the instruments’ longer body and neck, thicker gauge strings, a bow with a wider band of horsehair. While this challenges the players to engage more physically with the instrument, which includes applying more weight to the bow and strings to achieve the appropriate degree of vibration. That is what creates a deeper and, arguably, a mellower tone.

Winners of the competition are largely regarded as emerging talent on a global scale, most of whom go on to populate the orchestras, ensembles, and academic institutions of music the world over.

Pity the viola? Hardly. It’s a star instrument when in the hands of star players.

The Beginnings of the Cello Endpin

The parts of the cello start at the floor. But the endpin wasn’t always part of the instrument, and the physicality of that changed music itself.

Aspects of the cello that most matter when considering cello accessories and parts: The scroll, pegs, pegbox, neck, fingerboard, strings, upper bout, bridge, F-holes, C-bout, fine tuners, tailpiece (aka the tailgut), and lower bout. Right?

Don’t forget the endpin. Even though historically this little peg leg appendage didn’t exist, the addition of the endpin – thought to have been sometime around the early 18^th century, when the Stradivarius version of the cello standardized the modern cello – proved to be more important than its lowly position might suggest. Prior to that, the cello itself was slightly smaller and held horizontally, akin to the violin, or held up from the floor through an artful and asymmetrical (if not awkward) use of the player’s calf, or with a neck strap. It is often referred to as da gamba (between the legs) style.

This latter method, propped against the legs, affected the sound, dampening the resonance of the instrument. Luthiers of the latter 17^th century had begun building bigger instruments, largely to transform it by angling the back of the cello to increase string tension. This had the effect of producing more volume. Also, the range of the instrument was further extended by lengthening the fingerboard. This larger instrument became unwieldy to hold by existing methods.

So as cellos basically got bigger, players needed some manner of lifting device. They tried resting the instrument on the floor, a short stool, a wooden barrel, or the player’s foot, each of which is depicted in art from the 15^th – 17^th century era. The first endpin has no credited single inventor, but they first appear in the literature and art of the mid-18^th century.

The first endpins were likely made of wood, as the oldest surviving versions are just that. Over time they added a rubber tip to increase friction (prevent sliding) and to protect the floor. They’ve subsequently been made of metal and carbon fiber. Added to that are endpin anchors or holders, to further prevent sliding. Other mechanisms to prevent sliding include T-shaped wooden stoppers that are tethered to the player’s chair. Any violin shop that specializes in fine cellos for sale will offer many solutions to stabilize them while performing.

Double basses have endpins as well. Due to the weight and playing position of the bass – more perpendicular to the floor than cellos, which meet the floor at an angle – they do not need anchoring devices.

Lest anyone consider an endpin a minor component of great music, an academic paper begs to differ. Doctoral candidate William E. Braun wrote his thesis, “The Evolution of the Cello Endpin and its Effect on Technique and Repertoire” (2015, The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska) to discuss how it expanded the range of cellists and compositions alike.

Braun’s extensive research and report (132 pages) includes how the endpin has evolved over time, particularly in the types of materials used. It looks at the alternative means of supporting the instrument, and how the endpin became the preferred method because it enhanced the sound. Also, the positioning enabled an evolution of playing techniques. From there, Braun posits the compositions for the instrument advanced as well.

To this last point, he cites Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805), perhaps a lesser-known composer but one who himself played the cello and therefore was inclined to compose for the instrument. His eleven cello concertos have technical challenges for the player, described in the paper as “florid passages and virtuosic lines in the high registers of the fingerboard… Boccherini’s virtuosic compositions would not be possible to play well with early cello postures, such as with the instrument held on the floor.”

So while it is called an “endpin,” its development and use really was just a beginning for cello lovers everywhere.