Applying the Ševčík Approach to Selected Excerpts from the First Movement of the Brahms Viola Sonata in F Minor

Originally for clarinet, the Brahms Viola Sonata in F Minor Op. 120 no. 1 is famous amongst violists for its technical challenges. This doctoral lecture recital essay is an archival version of a live lecture recital given in April 2012 about how one can apply renowned violin pedagogue Otakar Ševčík’s method of creating original exercises designed to conquer the technical and musical challenges of this Brahms sonata. This document includes the lecture recital script, DeBardelaben’s original exercises, which serve as a catalyst for learning correlating passages of the Brahms, and DeBardelaben’s edited viola part with his bowings and fingerings for the first movement of the sonata