First Repertoire for Viola, Book Two: Viola & Piano Book

This collection resists the trap of introducing viola through only classical miniatures. Spanning Haydn to Humperdinck, show tunes to spirituals, it models what serious repertoire study looks like: encountering different compositional voices and historical periods while staying within the late elementary grasp. Students finish Book Two having played real music, not exercises dressed up as pieces.

Opening this book feels like discovering an unexpected playlist: a hymn sits beside a show tune, a folk melody rubs shoulders with a dance. There's energy in the variety, and genuine warmth in how each piece is written for the viola's voice. The music breathes naturally, never overcomplicated, never dumbed down.

Viola students who have completed their first year and are ready to encounter repertoire with real musical personality. Teachers looking for a graded anthology that builds literature knowledge alongside technical growth, without sacrificing either one.

• Shape the phrasing in each piece according to its genre. A spiritual sits differently rhythmically and expressively than a Haydn excerpt; let the style guide your articulation choices.
• Balance the viola part against the piano accompaniment carefully. In these early arrangements, the piano often does considerable lifting; learn your material well enough that you can breathe with the accompanist rather than mechanically following.
• Experiment with vibrato placement across the collection. Some pieces benefit from a warmer, sustained vibrato; others shine with cleaner tone. Variety in approach mirrors the stylistic range you're exploring.

Use these pieces throughout the year as performance material for student recitals and studio classes. A single Book Two arrangement fits naturally into a mixed-strings concert, and the stylistic diversity means you can program adjacent pieces by contrasting character rather than by composer. These also serve beautifully as sight-reading material for ensemble rehearsals or as repertoire for audition prep.

• Reading across multiple musical styles and genres in a single volume
• Shaping long phrases at the elementary level
• Accompanying and balancing with piano
• Vibrato control and tone variation
• Understanding the viola's range and unique sonorities