The Penn State Viola Ensemble was formed in 1999 and has since appeared regularly on campus in studio recitals, the Bach’s Lunch concert series, and Musica Nova concerts. It has also been featured at the Penn State ViolaFest and on a New York Viola Society Collegial Concert. The ensemble plays a wide range of repertoire including original works and transcriptions for viola ensemble. It has performed numerous new compositions including the world premieres of several works commissioned specifically for the ensemble. Repertoire ranges from small chamber works, for two or three violists, to large conducted works for a dozen or more players. The Penn State Viola Ensemble is directed by Tim Deighton.

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View from the Rear Window (2006) for nine-part viola ensemble

The thematic material and structure of this piece was inspired by a vision of a person traveling in the back seat of a car on a long trip. It is not a programmatic portrayal of any particular journey, but rather it is only meant to convey an impression of the feelings one experiences during such an excursion. It is an incidence most of us in the modern age can recall because of the fact that we tend to travel long distances in a car for events of special significance, such as weddings, sporting events, funerals, or vacations.

The outer sections of the piece portray the unique experience of being a passenger in a car driving on the highway. One experiences a journey very differently when driving because of the need to concentrate on the tasks at hand and the route to be traveled. When you are a passenger, however, you are confined to a relatively small space and your mind is free to think about what it wishes.

The constant sonic hum of the engine and the road permeate a relatively still environment inside the car, which is juxtaposed with the visual realization that you are moving down the highway very quickly. You look down to watch the edge of the road rush by, and then you focus outward to observe the distant scenery. The accented rhythmic motive, which is constant throughout the outer sections of the piece, symbolizes the steady mechanical motion and sound. The primary melodic theme, as well as the accented leaps that emanate from different parts of the ensemble, represents those interesting aspects of your surroundings that catch your eye and inspire your thoughts.

In the middle of the first section, for a few moments everything goes dim as you travel under the hillside through a tunnel. The dynamics drop, and the accompanying instrumentalists play close to the bridge to create a thin, steely timbre. Then suddenly all themes are presented in full tone and dynamics, representing when the bright sunlight floods your eyes as you leave the tunnel and again see the sprawling landscape.

As you stare out the window, you see something in particular that triggers a significant memory, such as a farm, a building, or a valley. Your awareness of the surroundings slowly fades away in the middle section of the piece, and you are now totally inside our own thoughts. The driving rhythm is now absent, and is replaced by rubato melodic themes and complex chordal harmonies, flowing through unpredictable time signatures. Again, the music is not meant to reveal a specific memory, but just to convey the sensation of what it is like when you are lost in your own thoughts and daydreaming about a meaningful scene from your life.

Finally, the sounds of the car slowly return, and you are once again aware of your surroundings. The final section of the piece is a return to the melodic and rhythmic motives from the first section, although in the opposite order. The piece reaches a dynamic climax as the tonality shifts for the last time, and then the car travels slowly away, fading smoothly into the sunset towards its destination.