Kreuz, Select Studies for Viola Bk 2 (Stainer & Bell) First Position

Kreuz was a prominent violist who significantly contributed to the viola community through his compositions and arrangements. Over ten years, he created a vast repertoire of music suitable for violists of any level. His pedagogical works were quickly adopted by prestigious music institutions such as the RCM and Royal Academy of Music, and his music continued to be suggested to violists for decades. Kreuz advised his students to explore various study books for fresh material, and among the books, he recommended Emil Kreuz’s “Select Studies” in five volumes.

Emil Kreuz was a multi-talented German musician born in Elberfeld on May 25, 1867. He was skilled in playing both the violin and viola and was also a teacher, conductor, and composer. Emil started playing the violin at ten and received his training under Georg Joseph Japha in Cologne. When he was 16, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music in London, where he learned to play violin from Henry Holmes and studied composition under Charles Villiers Stanford until 1888.

He began his music career as a violin soloist but later switched to playing the viola and joined the Gompertz Quartet. He gained popularity in England and performed at the Leeds Festival in 1889. From 1900 to 1903, he worked in the Covent Garden Opera Orchestra. In 1903, he became the assistant musical director of the Covent Garden Opera and joined The Hallé to study conducting. After that, he focused mainly on operatic work, particularly training singers and conducting.

Emil Kreuz composed violin and viola pieces, a viola concerto, songs, and chamber music. One of his works is the ‘Prize Quintet’ for horn or viola and string quartet, Op. 49.