18 year old Primrose plays Bach Violin Sonata in A

• Report rights infringement
• published: 26 Aug 2013
• views: 1173

J. S. Bach - Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord in A Major BWV 1015 1. Andante 3:23 II. Allegro assai 7:21 III. Andante un poco 10:47 IV. Presto Recorded in 1923. H.G. Templeman, piano Thanks to Rolf for allowing me to use his excellent transfers. You can find this and many other wonderful selections and information at his website: http://satyr78lp.blogspot.com/ William Primrose CBE (23 August 1904 -- 1 May 1982) was a Scottish violist and teacher. Primrose was born in Glasgow and studied violin initially. In 1919 he moved to study at the then Guildhall School of Music in London.[1] On the urging of the accompanist Ivor Newton,[2] Primrose moved to Belgium to study under Eugène Ysaÿe, who encouraged him to take up the viola instead. In 1930, he joined Warwick Evans, John Pennington, and Thomas Petre as the violist in the London String Quartet. The group dissolved in 1935. In 1937, he began playing in the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini. When it was rumored that Toscanini would leave the Symphony in 1941, Primrose resigned. His career as a soloist took off when he started touring with Richard Crooks. He later signed with Arthur Judson, an influential concert manager. In 1946, he was the soloist in the first recording of Berlioz's Harold in Italy. In 1944 he had commissioned a viola concerto from Béla Bartók. This was left incomplete at Bartók's death in 1945, and had to wait four years for its completion by Tibor Serly. Primrose was the soloist in the world premiere performance of the concerto, on 2 December 1949. In 1950 Benjamin Britten wrote for him Lachrymae based on the song by Dowland.[3] In 1953 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. Primrose was known for his tremendous technique. When he performed Paganini's violin caprices on viola, Mischa Elman is said to have exclaimed, "It must be easier on viola!" Primrose wrote many transcriptions and arrangements for viola, often technically dazzling, including "La Campanella" (from Paganini's second violin concerto) and the famous Nocturne from Borodin's second string quartet, the latter "out of jealousy" for the cello's long melodic lines. William Primrose died from cancer in Provo, Utah on 1 May 1982. His large collection of annotated viola scores became the nucleus for the William Primrose International Viola Archive at the Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. For his contribution to the recording industry, Primrose has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Later in his life, Primrose became a noted teacher, writing several books on viola playing and teaching widely in Japan, Australia and the USA, occasionally at the University of Southern California, the Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Brigham Young University, and the Curtis Institute of Music.