Bach Country Fiddles: Viola
[Johann Sebastian Bach] / arr. Richard Meyer
Grade: 1
Item: 00-PC-0000410_VA1
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Description
Your first-year string students will shine as Baroque meets country in this fun, Grade 1 selection. Based on quotes from Bach's famous Menuet in G and his Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, this is the perfect piece to highlight every section of the string orchestra. Students will love practicing fiddle licks that will help strengthen their left hand technique. Carefully written with the young performer in mind, this delightfully simple piece has a difficult virtuoso sound but is playable by even the most inexperienced groups. Correlated with String Explorer, Book 1, Unit 10. This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Bach Country Fiddles: Viola comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Additional Details
Series:
Highland/Etling String Explorer
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
72
SKU:
00-PC-0000410_VA1
More about this title
About the Composer: Richard Meyer
Richard Meyer spent 35 years teaching strings across elementary, middle, and high school levels before becoming one of the most prolific composers in string education today. He built the orchestra program at Oak Avenue Intermediate School from 29 students to 200, directed the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra for 16 years on four continents, and served as string editor for Alfred Publishing Company. His 190+ published compositions and arrangements have made him a familiar name in string programs nationwide.
Beyond composing, Meyer has shaped how string music reaches underserved students. In 2009, he launched the "Giving Bach" program, which uses interactive concerts to bring live orchestral music to special needs and inner-city students throughout Southern California. He regularly clinics at major conferences including the A.S.T.A. National Conference and has guest-conducted All-State orchestras across multiple states. Meyer co-authored the String Explorer method series and continues to split his time between conducting, teaching, and composing from his home in Sierra Madre, California.
Why we love this
Meyer understands exactly what first-year students need: a piece that sounds impressive without demanding impossible technique. He uses two of Bach's most recognizable themes as the scaffolding, so your students get the satisfaction of playing "real" Baroque music while the country fiddle styling keeps them engaged. The left-hand work builds genuine strength without feeling like an exercise.
What to expect
A fiddle tune with courtly roots, Bach's precision meeting bluegrass swagger. The writing is transparent and lyrical, letting each section shine without clutter. There's real joy in the way Meyer fuses two worlds that shouldn't work together but absolutely do.
Who it's for
Beginning string orchestras with mixed readiness levels will thrive here. The piece respects Grade 1 ability while offering enough musical substance to satisfy students who've been playing for a full year. It works beautifully as a festival or contest selection that doesn't rely on extreme technical demands.
How to get the most out of it
- Isolate the fiddle licks in rehearsal as short technical drills before playing them in context. Two minutes of focused work on those passages each rehearsal pays dividends.
- Balance the melody across your first violins; Meyer wrote these lines with clarity in mind, so resist the urge to push the volume. Let the notes speak.
- Record a take early in your preparation cycle and listen for rhythmic places where the sections slip out of sync. Country style demands tighter ensemble precision than students might expect from a Baroque arrangement.
- Lean into the character shifts between the Bach quotes and the country sections. The contrast makes both more effective.
How to use it
Program this mid-year once your students have solidified their fundamentals; it rewards consistent practice and musicality without requiring months of preparation. It pairs naturally with a Baroque concert concept or works as a standalone fun selection on a mixed repertoire festival. If you're using String Explorer Book 1, Unit 10 is the perfect curricular moment to introduce it.
Skills your students will build
- Double-stop intonation in fiddle context
- Left-hand dexterity and finger independence through stylized licks
- Baroque articulation and phrasing applied to contemporary idiom
- Ensemble balance and rhythmic precision in mixed meter
- Cross-string bow control with country-style inflection