Viola Concerto by Carl Philipp Stamitz (Karel Stamitz)

Karel Stamic (1745-1801) is better known as Carl Philipp Stamitz, which is the German form of his name. His father was Johann Stamitz (Jan Vaclav Stamic, 1717-1757), one of the founders of the Mannheim School, which established the Classical era. Carl came from a highly musical family; not only his father, Johann, but also his grandfather, his brother, and several others were successful professional musicians. They were Czech musicians transplanted to Germany, and as such there are always typical Czech folk elements in their music.

Viola soloists and viola concertos are rare even in our time, but were much more so during the lifetime of Carl Stamitz. Yet, he was known as a phenomenal viola soloist unlike any other in his time, and he wrote his viola concerto in all likelihood with his own playing in mind. He also played the violin and the viola d’amore, but seems to have been most recognized for his spectacular viola playing. His Viola Concerto in D Major, which was published in the mid-1770’s, certainly makes uncommon technical demands especially by the standards of his day. This is a reason it is often used as test or audition material for violists.

The viola is a larger sibling of the violin—one joke has it that the difference between a viola and a violin is that a viola burns longer. However, there is more than that: the viola has, at its best, a broader, warmer sound than the violin, and on the other hand is inherently less brilliant in tone. Each of these two “sister” instruments is indispensable to the orchestra and to string quartets, but the violin has always been more popular as a solo instrument, perhaps because of its higher register, greater agility, and the fact that it is more easily heard above the orchestra than the viola. Thus, the Stamitz concerto is one of only a handful for the viola, a musical treasure.

Viola Concerto (with Cadenzas) By Carl Stamitz. Edited by Meyer. For viola, piano. Published by Edition Peters. (P03816a) See more info…

Viola Concerto No. 1 in D Major By Carl Stamitz (1745-1801), edited by A. Weibezahn, N. Gertsch. Single piece and set of performance parts for Viola and piano. Urtext edition (Paper-bound). 48 pages. Published by G. Henle. (HL.51480758) See more info…