Schlemuller Elégie Op.18 No. 1 for Viola and Piano

Schlemüller subtitled his Op. 18 set "1st to 4th position". Transferred to the viola, the same music lies between first and third position, which brings it comfortably within reach of a Grade 4 player. The Elégie opens the collection: a light-hearted G major melody with a warmer, more passionate middle section, arranged here for viola and piano.

At around three minutes it's short enough to sit anywhere in a programme and long enough to say something. Schlemüller wrote the set for cello and piano and it has been almost entirely forgotten: there are no commercial recordings, and only three of the six pieces have been scanned on IMSLP.

Check the score and parts preview images above, then watch the complete score video below. They'll give you a clear picture of the engraving quality and overall difficulty before you buy.

Key features

• Instrumentation: viola and piano
• Difficulty: approximately ABRSM Grade 4
• Duration: approximately 3 minutes
• Style focus: first and third position, planned shifting, bow retakes to the heel for new up bows, cantabile phrasing
• Format: PDF download, piano score and viola part

Useful for pupils working towards Grade 4 who need a lyrical piece with real shifting in it, and for festival and competition classes where an unfamiliar title is an advantage. It also works well as a short slow item in a school or youth ensemble concert. Teachers introducing third position for the first time will find the middle section does the job without the pupil noticing they're doing exercises.