The American Viola Society

1 The American Viola Society SonatA (movement). for Viola and piano Henry Holden Huss (1862-1953). AVS Publications 034. Preface The manuscript score for Henry Holden Huss's Sonata for Viola and Piano bears the date June 1919 a date that raises the question as to whether the work was written for and entered into the 1919 Berkshire Festival competition (which was won by Ernest Bloch's Suite for Viola and Piano). While no definitive proof has yet come to light, circumstances surrounding the composer at the time and further evidence from the sources suggest that the sonata was, indeed, written for the competition: Huss had a personal relationship with the festival's organizer, Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, whom he also considered a patron,1 and he appeared at the first Berkshire Festival in September 1918. His third string quartet, written in 1918 and dedicated to Mrs.

2 Coolidge, won the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) competition in 1919 and was performed at the NFMC. convention on July 2, 1919, by the Berkshire Quartet. The manuscript Viola part of the sonata does not bear the name of the composer in ink, and the penciled name of Henry Holden Huss conceals a previously erased name that looks suspiciously like a nom de There are no known works prominently featuring the Viola prior to this sonata in Huss's catalogue, and while there were Viola soloists who may have inspired the composition of this sonata, the appearance of a major work for Viola by an American composer (bearing no dedication to a violist) at the same time as the Berkshire Festival competition hardly seems coincidental. Regardless of Huss's impetus for composing the sonata, the work did go on to receive respectable attention from violists.

3 Edward Kreiner performed the work with the composer at the piano at a March 1, 1920, reception to Benno Moiseiwitsch under the auspices of The Bohemians (New York Musicians' Club). Marcel Dick performed the work on November 22, 1938, in Carnegie Hall, and Samuel Lifschey performed the work on multiple occasions. The sonata was never published and survives in an incomplete state; this AVS edition contains the only complete movement, the first, from the original three-movement work. Publication has been made possible by kind permission of the estate of Henry Holden Huss. A Note on the Sources This edition is based on the only traced sources of the sonata: a complete autograph Viola part in ink and an incomplete holograph piano score in ink, both in the Huss Manuscript Collection in the Music Division, the New York Public Library. The piano score contains fifteen pages of music, comprising the complete first movement (pages 1 13) and two pages of the second movement (page 14 15).

4 The piano score, however, contains additional numbered pages (16 40). that are blank, suggesting that this score is an unfinished copy that Huss made at some point rather than a once-complete version that is now missing pages. The complete Viola part written in Huss's hand varies in many instances from the incomplete piano score, including different tempo markings, dynamics, articulations, bowings, and fingerings as well as a few note changes. Furthermore, the part also shows signs of performance with additional markings and changes in pencil in an unknown hand including two instances of pizzicato marked out and changed to arco (mm. 41 42 and 104 7). Attempting to reconcile the differences between these two sources has been problematic, particularly as their exact relationship is unknown. Given the incomplete status of the piano score, the known performances of the work with Huss at the piano, and the fact that these sources came from Huss's estate, the editor has incorporated many of the penciled annotations from the Viola part into this edition.

5 All editorial changes have been made without comment. David M. Bynog, editor Notes 1. Gary Allen Greene, The Life and Music of Henry Holden Huss (PhD diss., University of Maryland, 1987), 1:242. 2. The erased name appears to be Alto Clef. While the condition of the Berkshire Festival competition required that entries be submitted under a false name, Huss was fond of using pseudonyms in general. Other musically associated pseudonyms that Huss used include Tempo Rubato, Diminished Seventh, and Covered Fifth. See Gary A. Greene, Henry Holden Huss: An American Composer's Life (Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1995), 234, 237, and 255. Sonata for Viola and Piano Henry Holden Huss Viola I June 1919. Edited by David M. Bynog 1 > .> 2 3 . J .. R .. n - Allegro ma non troppo ed agitato Bb c . n .. 3. R J. f p f ^.. 3 # b . B b .. b R b .. b n . n.

6 B b 6 #w A. n c cresc. R 4. 2. R p 3 f # . poco allarg. - - - n .. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3. B. Bb c b n . # . f n n b r . B b .. 14. # J. p f 3 2 b b w> # ~~.. b . B b .. b R b .. b b . n b . n 43. 16. 2. R # . 3. o 4. poco rit. - - - ~~~~ .~~~~ - - # - # . 2.. 2. 3 & 42 b 43. C. B4 b B. 1.. F p f f 3 3. U# # n # n # . D Poco meno mosso 3 3. 3 . poco rit. B 4 b b # . 28 poch. rit. J J J. f p dolce cedez un peu cedez un peu # . n . b b n . b n . b n . 3.. Poco pi mosso # # n n # n # . Con sord. B # . 33. 3. American Viola Society 2014, AVS 034. 2 Huss - Sonata for Viola and Piano - Viola n n n n n # . n n # . Con sord. #. 3 3. #. B # n . 41. # J J. f 3 3 poch. rit. p cedez un peu # poco rit. a tempo 4. B # # # n b . Sul D. n J . # . # J . n # . n . 46 1 2 1. 2. &. a tempo 6 f p # # # # 4 . n .. b b . b n . n # n n n . 52. &. p . ### n # 2 # n #.

7 Animato n .. b n .. allarg. # # c 57. & # . Senza sord. B. cresc. f > 3 . Tempo I. #. B # c .. r # nnb E.. # .. 3. J J R . > < < poco f p J. p >. 2 3.. B b .. r n . 43 .. b . F Pi animato # .. n b . 69 3. 3. R . > < . p R. poco f > f cresc.. 3. 1 .. # n . A tempo ma un . b . poco meno mosso Bb . # n . 75. # B. & . 3. cresc. 3. f poco rit. p .. # # n n .. U. B b # # .. c 82 poco a poco accel. ed cresc.. f poco rit. p Huss - Sonata for Viola and Piano - Viola 3. 1 .. > > 3.. n .. - G Tempo I. Bb c J n . 3 2. R R J. f f p f . b .. b > > 3 3.. b n .. b b w n # # 43. H. Bb n . 95. R R R. p 3 f cresc. 1 n # # n n n # # n n . B ## b n .. Poch. meno mosso . 103 a tempo agitato ed cresc. f .. 3 3. p b . n . b n .. U . Meno mosso n # . poco rit. B # # b n .. n # . 3 3 3.. 109. & . f p J cedez J. un peu ## # . n . b n . b . n b . # n cedez #un peu 2 nnb b.

8 A tempo . 115. & B. 3. b .. 1 b 3 -3 - - 31 4 3.. Poco animato 1. J. J. B b .. 1 2. & b . p 3 3 3 3 3 f p cresc.. - - - .. b b 1 .. & b b b . 127 1. 1 3 2 1 2 2.. 3 f 3. 3 3. p cresc.. Pi mosso ed agitato &b c j 131. B.. # J F. poco rit. 4 Huss - Sonata for Viola and Piano - Viola > n > . poco allarg. B b .. r . # . # . accel. ed cresc.. r # # . # . 135. 3.. > # . > . # .. a tempo K. Bb . # .. # . Bb .. 143.. # .. # # . misterioso Bb . 145.. p Bb # .. 147.. # . # . Bb . 149.. # . Sul Ponticello Bb b b . 151 2 2.. j b b .. pizz. Bb 153.. morendo poco rit.. Sonata for Viola and Piano Henry Holden Huss June 1919. I Edited by David M. Bynog . Allegro ma non troppo ed agitato B b c J. f Viola n . ? c n # n n . b p 3. f 3. p f ? c Piano b # # . 3.. 3. # # . > . > .. B b . > .. n . 3 2 3. R R.. ? n . b .. n n . 3. b 3 3. ?b . 5. # n . 5.. 3 3.

9 # .. B b . n .. - 5 3. J. p f .. ? n b n # b n n b . 5. b p 3 3 3 3 3. ?b # . 3 5 3 3 5 5 3.. 3. cresc.. A 3. B b .. b . b .. b . R. 2. R p b . b b b n b b . ? b b b b . 7. b f 3 3 3 3. ? b b b b n b . 5 5.. 3 5 5. b . 3 3 3. b b . p American Viola Society 2014, AVS 034. Huss - Sonata for Viola and Piano 2.. b b . B b n . 46. 9. R. f j b b n . # b . 3. ?b n n n . b b .. n # . 46. 9. 3. ?b . 46. 5. b . 5. n n n . 5 5 5 3. b . 5 5. b . b b . b ^. # . B b 46 # w .. poco allarg. c 11 cresc. n # . ? 6 . b # n . b n . # c 11. b 4 # n . 3. & n . 3 3. ? 6 # . 5. b 4 b b b n . 5. c 3 3. b . 3 poco allarg. 3. cresc. B. n .. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3. B b c b n . # . f .. r r 3 3.. 3 3.. & b c .. b n . 12 3. n . f ?b c .. n # .. 3.. # . n n b r B b . # . J. 14.. 3 3 3 3 3 3 p 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3. f . n n # . & b . n n n b . 3. ? . 14. n n . p ?b # .. #.

10 # . # n .. 3 3. # .. 3 3. n .. 3 3 3.. Huss - Sonata for Viola and Piano 3. 3. B b .. b . b .. b . 16. R. 2. R. b b b . b b b b n b b . ?b b b . 16. f 3 3 3 3. ?b b b b n b . 5 5.. 5 5.. 3. b . 3 3 3. b b .. b b . B b b . n 2 b . 18. j b . b n b . 3.. ? b b n . 18. b &. ? b . 5. b b . 5 5 5 6 6 6 6. b b b . p b . cresc. b . b w> # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. B b n 43. 20. # .. 3. poco rit. &b w b b b b b b n # n 4. 20 cresc. b . n n n n . ?b n . n b n b n b n n 43. 5 5 5. n . 5 5 5 5 5. poco rit. o- 4. - C. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - . # . 2.. a tempo 2. B 43 b B. 1. &.. F p f j . ? b n # n . n . 3. 3 j j . 22 a tempo & 4 # . n # . &.. # . b n .. # . # n . b n .. # n # n b n # # f f p ? 43 j j j . cresc.. # .. # .. Huss - Sonata for Viola and Piano 4. # U. ###. 42 b 43 b . b . poch. rit. poco rit. B . 26. J. f f.