Viola

A viola is a string instrument held between the shoulder and the chin and played with a bow. Violas are bigger than violins but smaller than cellos. The instrument produces an alto sound, and the strings are often tuned to C, G, D, and A. The viola was developed during the sixteenth century alongside many other stringed instruments. Although it was less popular than the violin and the cello, its contribution to the depth of sound in string ensembles and quartets made it an indispensable member of the string family. Over the centuries, the viola has been featured in the works of many famous composers and musicians, and it has appeared in a range of musical genres. Modern musicians continue to utilize the viola for its unique sound.

Background

The viola was developed in conjunction with several other string instruments in the violin family throughout the mid-sixteenth century. The viola and its relatives descended from the viol, a string instrument from the Renaissance that was originally played vertically. The viola originated in northern Italy between 1530 and 1550, first as a soprano instrument with alto, tenor, and bass versions developed later in the century. By the sixteenth century, the term viola referred to one of two instruments: the viola da braccio and the viola da gamba. The viola da braccio was played on the musician's arm while the viola da gamba was played on the musician's leg.

Each instrument had a distinct design. The viola da braccio had a rounded back and low ribs, or sides. It also featured f-shaped sound holes and a curved bridge over which four strings were suspended, allowing a musician to play each string individually. The viola da braccio did not include frets to mark finger position on the fingerboard. Alternately, the viola da gamba had a flat back, high ribs, and featured c or f-shaped sound holes. The fingerboard included seven frets, and its flat bridge featured five to seven strings, allowing a player to bow two or more adjacent strings at once.

The leg viola was very popular during the Renaissance, but the arm viola later came to dominate the string instrument scene due to the skilled artistry of instrument makers such as Andrea and Nicolò Amati, Andrea Guarneri, and Antonio Stradivari. Early violas were square before luthiers (makers of string instruments) began to apply a curvier shape to the instrument. Violas were also much bigger than their modern successors. Violas de braccio were popular inclusions in French string ensembles of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These ensembles featured three separate violas of varying sizes and tunings. The alto viola and tenor violas had similar tunings, while the third viola—referred to as the "general" tenor viola—was tuned to F.

As baroque operas gained in popularity, the viola de braccio cemented itself as the viola of choice due to its ability to produce louder and more powerful sounds. By this time, string ensembles had been pared down to four players consisting of two violins, one alto viola, and a violoncello in place of the tenor viola.

Although it had not yet achieved the same status as the violin, instructional works specifically for viola began to circulate in the late 1700s. The turn of the century saw several structural improvements made to the violin family, including the viola. To accommodate the growing trend in concert hall performances, string instrument makers began installing heavier strings to improve sound projection. The neck of the instruments were elongated and angled back farther, making finger positioning easier. Luthiers also reinforced the body, bridge, and bass bar of the instruments. Size was an issue for viola players for many years. The viola's larger size made it harder to play than the smaller violin. Improvements made by English instrument maker Lionel Tertis in the 1930s solved this problem by decreasing the length of the viola's body while maintaining its full, deep sound. With this innovation, the viola successfully combined dynamic tone quality with ease of play.

Overview

The viola sits between the violin and the cello in terms of musical tone, producing lower sounds than the violin but higher sounds than the cello. The sound of the viola is often compared to an alto voice, and the viola uses a special clef—musical symbols used to indicate the pitch of notes—called the alto clef. Violas are tuned to C, G, D, and A—the same string tuning as a cello. Violas produce sound one octave higher than cellos, however.

The viola's body is very similar to a violin's hourglass shape. Its long figure features a waist, or cinched-in middle, and wider areas called bouts above and below the waist. The front and back of the instrument is surrounded by the ribs, or sides, which run around the outer edge of the body to join the front and back of the instrument. The ribs make space for sound to resonate throughout the instrument. Violas feature two sound holes, traditionally f-holes, along either side of the bridge—a piece of wood that raises the strings above the viola's body and fingerboard. Beneath the bridge lays the tailpiece, which is situated near the bottom of the instrument. The viola's strings attach from the tailpiece upward over the neck to the pegbox, where they are wrapped around pegs and tightened individually to achieve different sounds. The very top of the viola is called the scroll, a decorative piece that spirals in like a scroll.

The viola's deeper sound results from its bass bar, a thin strip of wood fixed in an upright position at the top left of the instrument. Framed along the same line as the strings, the bass bar stretches across most of the length of the viola. Like violins, violas also have chinrests for players to place their chin on while playing. This reduces any neck or shoulder tension the player might experience during performances.

Violas are usually about 30 percent bigger than violins and require a little more hand strength to play. To play a viola, musicians hold the instrument up to their shoulder with their hand and grip the instrument between their chin and shoulder. Players hold a bow with the opposite hand, which moves across the strings to produce sounds. Young viola players are often taught to play the instrument by learning on a violin strung with viola strings first. Players eventually begin practicing on full-size violas when they are older. Famous viola players include Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Although violas are most popular among classical musicians, the instrument has also been used in popular music by bands such as the Velvet Underground, which utilized an electric viola on several songs. Other modern artists such as Van Morrison, the Goo Goo Dolls, and Vampire Weekend have also made use of the viola.

Bibliography

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"A Brief History of the Viola." Connolly Music Company, 16 June 2016, www.connollymusic.com/stringovation/a-brief-history-of-the-viola. Accessed 10 Apr. 2017.

The Cambridge Companion to the String Quartet. Edited by Robin Stowell, Cambridge UP, 2003.

Nelson, Sheila M. The Violin and Viola: History, Structure, Techniques. Dover Publications Inc., 2003.

Sasaki, Kerrick. "The Viola." Bloomingdale School of Music, www.bsmny.org/exploring-music/features/iid/viola/. Accessed 10 Apr. 2017.

"Violin & Viola." Oakville Suzuki Association. oakvillesuzuki.org/osa/content/violin-viola. Accessed 10 Apr. 2017.

"Viola: History." Vienna Symphonic Library, www.vsl.co.at/en/Viola/History. Accessed 10 Apr. 2017.

Weinfield, Elizabeth. "The Viol." Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/viol/hd‗viol.htm. Accessed 10 Apr. 2017.