University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

THE MULTI-FACETED ARTISTRY OF VIOLIST EMANUEL VARDI

Tang, Lydia

Content Files
Lydia Tang_Thesis.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/90993

Description

Title
THE MULTI-FACETED ARTISTRY OF VIOLIST EMANUEL VARDI
Author(s)
Tang, Lydia
Issue Date
2016
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Associate Professor Katherine Syer
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Associate Professor Rudolf Haken
Committee Member(s)
  • Associate Professor Scott Schwartz
  • Professor Stephen Taylor
  • Clinical Assistant Professor Elizabeth Freivogel
Department of Study
School of Music
Discipline
Music
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
A.Mus.D. (doctoral)
Date of Ingest
2016-07-25T15:37:03Z
Keyword(s)
  • music
  • viola
  • emanuel
  • vardi
Language
en
Abstract
As a pioneer viola virtuoso of the 20th century, Emanuel “Manny” Vardi (c. 1915-2011) is most widely recognized as the first violist to record all of Paganini’s Caprices. As a passionate advocate for the viola as a solo instrument, Vardi premiered and championed now-standard repertoire, elevated the technique of violists by his virtuosic example, and inspired composers to write more demanding new repertoire for the instrument. However, the details of his long and diverse career have never to date been explored in depth or in a comprehensive manner. This thesis presents the first full biographical narrative of Vardi’s life: highlighting his work with the NBC Symphony under Arturo Toscanini, his activities as a soloist for the United States Navy Band during World War II, his compositional output, visual artwork, an analysis of his playing and teaching techniques, as well as his performing and recording legacies in classical, jazz, and popular music. Appendices include a chronology of his life, discography, lists of compositions written by and for Vardi, registered copyrights, and a list of interviews conducted by the author with family members, former students, and colleagues. This project fills in many gaps in existing documentation of Vardi’s life and work, and brings for the first time this multi-faceted artist into full view.
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/90993

Owning Collections

Doctoral Project Theses [Option 2] - Music PRIMARY