Ten humorous etudes for viola premiered by Ralph Farris and performed by many other violists.
ten humorous etudes for viola / 18 min.
in five pairs
Surfer – Sun Worshiper / Life of the Party – Grande Dame / Tenderfoot – Veteran / Old Folks – Telephone Sales / City Cyclist – Street Performer
Performance Note
The etudes in Caricatures are played in five pairs, as follows:
- Surfer (double stops): the surf movie hero, cool in his poses and wild on the waves.
Without pause into: - Sun Worshiper (natural harmonics): the opposite kind of beach cool, withdrawn into revery behind reflector shades.
- Life of the Party (glissando): the guy who laughs at his own stupid jokes, including lampshade on head; the police may have to intervene.
Without pause into: - Grande Dame (double stops with tremolo): the hefty, haughty figure whose imposing figure dissolves into giggling gossip after a drink or two.
- Tenderfoot (pizzicato glissando): the would-be cowpuncher as yet without boots, stepping gingerly over cactus spines while waxing sentimental about a home on the range.
Without pause into: - Veteran (left hand pizzicato): the flinty old hero who knows war is hell and tells a story to prove it.
- Old Folks (col legno tratto e battuto): the group chatting on the porch, hoarse but full of mischief and laughs.
Without pause into: - Telephone Sales (sul ponticello): the fast-talking caller whose spiel admits no interruption—except an abrupt cut-off.
- City Cyclist (bariolage): the intrepid bicyclist who speeds through weather and traffic impervious to cars’ horns.
Without pause into: - Street Performer (percussive techniques): the tireless extrovert demanding attention and contributions, now with wild gesture, now with gentle pantomime, finally with bitter frustration.
The ten pieces can also be played individually as stand-alone pieces.
Program Note
I admit it: I first composed Caricatures for a competition I did not win. That was many years ago, but even then I was taken with the idea of a piece for solo string instrument to accompany choreography, the stipulation of the competition. Years later, a former student of mine, Ralph Farris, wanted to play something of mine on his master’s recital at Juilliard. So I pulled Caricatures out, almost completely recomposed them, and was rewarded in 1992 with a wonderful premiere of a reborn piece.
And a very difficult piece, too. On one level, these Caricatures are ten very tough etudes on a variety of string techniques. But for the audience, they represent humorous sketches of ten character types.
—Theodore Wiprud
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