Melodie was originally written for Violin and Piano in 1878 as the third of the three Memories that made up the composer’s opus 47. It was dedicated to Brailovo the Ukrainian Country estate where it was finished. Since then it has been re-arranged many times most famously for Violin with Orchestra. This arrangement for Viola and Piano by Alan Arnold is part of the popular Viola World series. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893) is one of the best-known Russian composers in the west. He was the first Russian composer to write in the European style generating criticism from his peers for abandoning the Russian culturalheritage but enjoying acclaim across both Europe and America.

Instrumental Solos-Since its opening in 1957 the musical West Side Story has been a hit on Broadway. Made into a successful film starring Rita Moreno Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer in 1961 this tale of star-crossed lovers caught between feuding New York gangs has been gripping audiences for decades. The arrangements in the West Side Story: Instrumental Solos series remain faithful to Bernstein's original score. In this edition the pieces have been idiomatically adapted for the solo Viola. This book features 10 of the best-known songs from the musical including Maria Tonight America I Feel Pretty and more. West Side Story:Instrumental Solos - Viola comes with an enhanced CD featuring Piano accompaniments for all tracks. Playable on both CD player and computer tempo adjustment software is also included for CD-Rom computer use only.