Karen Tuttle (March 28, 1920 – December 16, 2010) was an American viola teacher, famous for her "coordination" technique, which emphasizes being comfortable while playing the instrument. She was originally a violinist who chose to become a violist when she wanted to study with William Primrose, whose technique and ease in playing the viola she greatly admired. Her coordination technique is often considered to be an analysis of Primrose's technique. She was a frequent participant at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. In 1955, she was invited by Pablo Casals to perform chamber music with him at the Casals Festival in Prades, where she returned for at least seven subsequent festivals. She made her Carnegie Hall recital debut in February 1960. Her recital was reviewed by Harold Schonberg, a leading reviewer for the New York Times. He wrote, "About as large an audience as Carnegie Recital Hall has ever held jammed it yesterday evening at 5:30 to hear Karen Tuttle's recital. The violist, with Artur Balsam at the piano, gave a concert that seemed to be attended by every string player in town." She was a member of the Galimir, Gotham, and Schneider Quartets, as well as the American String Trio. In 1994 she was recognized by ASTA with the Artist Teacher Award. Curtis Institute of Music awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2005.
She taught at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, Mannes College and at Juilliard, and several of her students now teach at prominent universities and music conservatories: Christine Rutledge, Sheila Browne, Caroline Coade, Susan Dubois, Edward Gazouleas, Jeffrey Irvine, Kim Kashkashian, Michelle LaCourse, Katherine Murdock, Ashan Pillai, Lawrence Power, Lynne Ramsey, André Roy, Karen Ritscher, Carol Rodland, Kate Hamilton, Masumi Per Rostad, Jennifer Stumm, and Stephen Wyrczynski. There is a "Karen Tuttle Coordination Workshop" held each summer in the USA.
Ms. Tuttle died on December 16, 2010 after a long illness.
Karen Tuttle made many recordings throughout her career, both private and commercially released. Her discography includes:
Johann Sebastian Bach. Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079, No. 8, Ricercar a 6. Orrea Pernel, Alexander Schneider, violin, Karen Tuttle, Milton Thomas, viola, Daniel Seidenberg, Leopold Teraspulsky, cello, June Rotenberg, Double Bass, Pablo Casals, conductor. (Cascavelle CD 3061)Ludwig van Beethoven. Serenade in D, Op. 8. American String Trio: Marvin Morgenstern, violin, Karen Tuttle, viola, John Goberman, cello. (SUNY Albany Music Department LP MG-7-201,818-9)Ernest Bloch. Suite for Viola and Piano (1919). Karen Tuttle, viola, Jacob Lateiner, piano. (Privately released)Alexander Borodin. Quartet No. 2 in D Major. Galimir Quartet: Felix Galimir, Henry Siegl, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Seymour Barab, cello. (Period Records LP SPLP 505)Johannes Brahms. Songs for Alto, Viola, and Piano, Op. 91. Elaine Bonazzi, mezzo-soprano, Karen Tuttle, viola, Ellen Mack, piano. (Bridge CD 9176)Benjamin Britten. Fantasy Quartet for Oboe and Strings, Op. 2. Harold Gomberg, oboe, Felix Galimir, violin, Karen Tuttle, viola, Seymour Barab, cello. (Esoteric Records LP ES-504)___. String Quartet No. 1 in D, Op. 25. Galimir String Quartet: Felix Galimir, Leon Zawisza, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Seymour Barab, cello. (Esoteric Records LP ES-504)Jean Françaix. String Trio (1933). American String Trio: Marvin Morgenstern, violin, Karen Tuttle, viola, John Goberman, cello. (SUNY Albany Music Department LP MG-7-201,818-9)Alexander Glazunov, Anatoly Lyadov and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Jour de Fete. Galimir Quartet: Felix Galimir, Henry Siegl, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Seymour Barab, cello. (Period Records LP SPLP 505)Joseph Haydn. Quartet in C Major, Op. 76, No. 3, "Emperor" and Quartet in d minor, Op. 76, No. 2. Galimir Quartet: Felix Galimir, Henry Siegl, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Seymour Barab, cello. (Period Records SPLP 504)___. Quartet in Eb, Op. 1, No. "0" and Quartet in Bb, Op. 1, No. 1. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Madeline Foley, cello. (Haydn Society LP HS-9075)___. Quartet in Eb, Op. 1, No. 2 and Quartet in D, Op. 1, No. 3. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Madeline Foley, cello. (Haydn Society LP HS-9076)___. Quartet in G, Op. 1, No. 4 and Quartet in C, Op. 1, No. 6. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Madeline Foley, cello. (Haydn Society LP HS-9077)___. Quartet in A, Op. 2, No. 1 and Quartet in D, Op. 2, No. 2. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Herman Busch, cello. (Haydn Society LP HS-9078)___. Quartet in Bb, Op. 2, No. 3 and Quartet in F, Op. 2, No. 4. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Herman Busch, cello. (Haydn Society LP HS-9079)___. Quartet in D, Op. 2, No. 5 and Quartet in Bb, Op. 2, No. 6. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Herman Busch, cello. (Haydn Society LP HS-9080)___. Quartet in E, Op. 17, No. 1 and Quartet in F, Op. 17, No. 2. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Madeline Foley, cello. (Haydn Society LP HS-9083)___. Quartet in E, Op. 17, No. 1 and Quartet in c, Op. 17, No. 4. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Madeline Foley, cello. (Haydn Society LP HSQ-13)___. Quartet in F, Op. 17, No. 2 and Quartet in Eb, Op. 17, No. 3. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Madeline Foley, cello. (Haydn Society LP HSQ-14)___. Quartet in Eb, Op. 17, No. 3 and Quartet in c, Op. 17, No. 4. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Madeline Foley, cello. (Haydn Society LP HS-9084)___. Quartet in G, Op. 17, No. 5 and Quartet in D, Op. 17, No. 6. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Madeline Foley, cello. (Haydn Society LP HSQ-15, HS-9085)___. Quartet in Eb, Op. 20, No. 1 and Quartet in C, Op. 20, No. 2. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Herman Busch, cello. (Haydn Society LP HS-16, HS-9086)___. Quartet in g, Op. 20, No. 3 and Quartet in D, Op. 20, No. 4. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Herman Busch, cello. (Haydn Society LP HSQ-17, HS-9087)___. Quartet in f, Op. 20, No. 5 and Quartet in A, Op. 20, No. 6. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Herman Busch, cello. (Haydn Society LP HS-9088)___. Quartet in b, Op. 33, No. 1 and Quartet in Eb, Op. 33, No. 2, "The Joke". Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Herman Busch, cello. (Haydn Society LP HSQ-19)___. Quartet in Eb, Op. 50, No. 3 and Quartet in f#, Op. 50, No. 4. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Madeline Foley, cello. (Haydn Society LP HS-9090)___. Quartet in F, Op. 50, No. 5, "The Dream" and Quartet in D, Op. 50, No. 6, "The Frog". Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Madeline Foley, cello. (Haydn Society LP HSQ-24, HS-9091)___. Quartet, Op. 51 "The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross". Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Madeline Foley, cello. (Haydn Society LP HSQ-39, HS-9041)___. Quartet in C, Op. 76, No. 3, "Emperor" and Quartet in Bb, Op. 76, No. 4, "Sunrise". Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Herman Busch, cello. (Haydn Society LP HS-9053)___. Quartet in D, Op. 76, No. 5 and Quartet in Eb, Op. 76, No. 6. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Herman Busch, cello. (Haydn Society LP HS-9065)___. Quartet in d, Op. 42 and Quartet in G, Op. 77, No. 1. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Madeline Foley, cello. (Haydn Society LP HSQ-37)___. Quartet in F, Op. 77, No. 2 and Quartet in Bb, Op. 103. Schneider Quartet: Alexander Schneider, Isidore Cohen, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Madeline Foley, cello. (Haydn Society LP HSQ-38)Hindemith, Paul. Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 11, No. 4. Karen Tuttle, viola, Pianist, unknown. (Privately released)___. Die Serenaden, Op. 35, for Soprano, Oboe, Viola, and Cello. Lois Winter, soprano, Ronald Roseman, oboe, Karen Tuttle, viola, and John Goberman, cello. (Desto LP DC 6484)Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581. Sidney Forrest, Clarinet, Galimir Quartet: Felix Galimir, Stuart Canin, violins, Karen Tuttle, viola, Seymour Barab, cello. (Lyrichord LP LL67)___. Oboe Quartet in F major, K. 370. Orrea Pernel, violin, Karen Tuttle, viola, Marcel Tabuteau, oboe, Paul Tortelier, cello. (Music and Arts CD 1113)Franz Schubert. Quintet in A major, "Trout". Istvan Nadas, piano, Felix Galimir, violin, Karen Tuttle, viola, Laszlo Varga, cello, Julius Levine, bass. (Period Records LP SPL 730)___. Quintet in C major, Op. 163, D. 956. Orrea Pernel, Jacob Krachmalnick, violin, Karen Tuttle, viola, Pablo Casals, Madeline Foley, cello. (Music and Arts CD 1113)Alan Shulman. Homage to Erik Satie. Karen Tuttle, viola, Orchestra, unknown, Conductor, unknown. (Privately released)
