Gyula David Viola Concerto Imslp
Gyula Dávid’s Viola Concerto is a major work by a minor master. It is a piece that deserves to be rescued from the footnotes of music history. Thanks to the democratizing power of IMSLP, the barrier to entry has been removed.
Under European and international law, works remain under copyright for 70 years after the composer’s death. Since Dávid passed away in 1977, his works are generally expected to enter the public domain around Key Details & Where to Find the Score
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It remains a standard competition and audition piece for advanced violists, prized for its ability to show off both technical bravura and emotional depth.
Dávid was a student of and was a professional violist himself, which contributes to the work's idiomatic writing for the instrument. Gyula Dávid’s Viola Concerto is a major work
Into this context steps Gyula Dávid (1913–1977). A member of the "middle generation" of Hungarian composers—alongside contemporaries like Ferenc Szabó and Endre Szervánszky—Dávid sought to synthesize the rigorous training received at the Budapest Academy of Music with the veritable explosion of Hungarian folk music research. His Viola Concerto is a work of profound craftsmanship, yet for decades it remained a footnote. Today, however, a search for "Gyula David Viola Concerto IMSLP" yields immediate results, offering free access to the full score and parts. This digital availability has transformed the work from an obscure library entry into a living, breathing part of the modern violist's lexicon.
: The concerto belongs to Dávid’s "first period," which was heavily influenced by Hungarian folk music, Gregorian chant, and Renaissance polyphony. Unlike his later atonal and twelve-tone serial works, this concerto is known for its lyricism and traditional Hungarian spirit. Composition : Completed in , the work was published in 1952 by Editio Musica Budapest cafeinsainto.fr Work Structure and Instrumentation The concerto is originally scored for solo viola and orchestra . Most modern editions are available as a solo part with a piano reduction Ficks Music Under European and international law, works remain under
Written for Solo Viola and Orchestra (typically strings, woodwinds, and brass). Duration: Approximately 23–25 minutes.
Dávid’s concerto is often compared to the Bartók Viola Concerto (which was left unfinished and completed by Tibor Serly). While Bartók’s work is more internationally famous, Dávid’s concerto is frequently praised by violists for being "more idiomatic"—likely because Dávid was a violist himself and wrote it while the instrument's solo capabilities were still being fully explored in the 20th century.
Gyula Dávid (6 May 1913 – 14 March 1977) was a significant Hungarian violist and composer. Born into an affluent family in Kecskemét or Budapest, he was the third child of senior construction entrepreneur Károly Dávid and Anna Mária Mészáros. He came from a musical family; his brother, Károly Dávid Jr., was a noted architect.
While tonal, the work uses modality and rhythmic driving forces similar to Bartók’s mid-period works, making it accessible yet sophisticated. Movement Breakdown
