JAVS Summer 2026

Armenian Philharmonic. Although born in Moscow, Terian remained comparatively less visible, perhaps due to his Armenian origins. 4 Composed in 1936 and designated as op. 1, the six etudes address issues specific to viola playing, including the instrument’s different fingerboard proportions ( mensura ), the wider spacing between strings resulting from the broader bridge, and aspects of intonation and chromaticism associated with viola repertoire. Etude no. 4 from op. 1, for instance, is described by Terian as beneficial for “the development of left-hand flexibility and for strengthening the intonation” (see

Figure 1). 5 Written in E-flat minor and in triple meter, the etude, with its post-/neo-Romantic musical language, may also serve as methodological preparation for the canonical second movement ( Allegro appassionato ) of Brahms’s Sonata op. 120, no. 2 for viola and piano. It explores fingering combinations common in flat heavy tonalities, often involving shifts to half-position and requiring frequent changes in hand frame. Figure 1 presents the opening of the etude, illustrating these principles as well as the notable use of the fourth finger in passages where many Western violists would likely avoid it.

Figure 1. M. Terian, Etude op.1, no.4 (1936), opening. Preparation for E-flat minor Brahms.

The method book was published in Baku in 1940 and received endorsements from Borisovsky as well as from two of the most prominent Moscow violin professors of the period: Boris Sibor (1880–1961) and Yulius (Jules) Eduardovich Konyus (1869–1942). 7 Sibor also served as editor of the volume and contributed a short preface recommending it to all beginning and intermediate viola students, whether they study viola as a primary or a secondary instrument. 8 The book bears some resemblance to early nineteenth-century French viola methods, beginning with elementary explanations of the instrument and the alto clef, and concluding with etudes and short works with piano accompaniment (see Figure 2).

The next milestone in Soviet viola pedagogy emerged from the comparatively more peripheral Republic of Azerbaijan, in the form of a complete viola method written by M. Reitikh (1909–1984). Little biographical information about Reitikh is available beyond his dates of birth and death, although his non-Azeri surname may suggest either relocation to Azerbaijan from another region or descent from German families (sometimes Jewish) who were resettled through industrial migration during the Imperial period. Stanislav Poniatovsky notes that Reitikh graduated from the Odessa Conservatory, was a member of the Azerbaijan Philharmonic, and served as principal violist of the USSR Cinematographic Orchestra. 6

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 42, Summer 2026 Online Issue