Viola

Overview

The viola is the alto member of the bowed string family known as the violin family. It is somewhat larger than the violin, has a deeper and warmer tone, and is tuned in perfect fifths a fifth lower: C3, G3, D4, A4 from low to high. The instrument is held under the left jaw exactly like a violin and bowed in the same way; the changes from violin to viola are size, weight, string tension, and the use of the alto clef rather than the treble.

Wikidata classifies the viola under Hornbostel-Sachs 321.322-71 — the same code as the violin and cello, since the family is acoustically a single design scaled to three different ranges. What separates the viola in practice is the historical fact that its body was never grown to its acoustically ideal size; the instrument has always been a compromise between portability and acoustic optimum.

Origin & History

The viola appeared in northern Italy around the same time as the violin, in the first half of the 16th century. The earliest documented makers — Andrea Amati in Cremona, Gasparo da Salò in Brescia — built a range of instruments collectively called viole da braccio (“arm viols”), distinguished from the older viole da gamba (“leg viols”) by being held against the shoulder. Within this family the modern violin, viola, and cello slowly emerged as the dominant three sizes.

For the first two centuries of its life the viola was an inner voice. Composers from Monteverdi to Mozart wrote it as the harmonic filler of the string section rather than as a soloist. The instrument’s solo emergence dates from the late 18th century: Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante K. 364 (1779) is the first canonical solo work, and Berlioz’s Harold in Italy (1834), commissioned by Paganini, is the first major Romantic display piece. The full solo repertoire — Bartók and Walton concertos, the Hindemith sonatas, Britten’s Lachrymae — is almost entirely a 20th-century creation.

Construction & Materials

A viola is built from the same materials as a violin: a carved spruce top, maple back and ribs, ebony fingerboard, fittings, and a separate movable maple bridge. The internal sound post and bass bar are arranged identically. Strings, traditionally gut, today are usually wound steel or synthetic core; the heaviest C string requires a thick winding that strongly affects the instrument’s response.

Body length varies from approximately 38 to 46 cm (15 to 18 inches). A 38 cm viola is acoustically too small for the alto register and tends to sound nasal in the lower strings; a 46 cm viola is closer to acoustically optimal but physically demanding to play. Most professionals settle in the 40 to 42 cm range as the playable compromise. This range of acceptable sizes is itself unique among standard orchestral instruments.

How It’s Played

Players hold the viola between the left jaw and shoulder exactly as a violin, supporting it with a chinrest and shoulder rest. The right hand draws the bow across one or two strings; the bow is heavier than a violin bow (typically 70 grams versus 60 grams) to produce the lower strings’ deeper tone. The left hand stops strings against an unfretted fingerboard.

Standard technique covers the same seven positions as the violin but transposed for the larger physical scale. Double stops, harmonics, vibrato, and the full bowing palette (spiccato, sautillé, col legno, sul ponticello, sul tasto) are all part of the standard repertoire. The reading clef — alto clef on the staff, with treble clef in the upper register — is the most visible difference for the player coming from violin.

Cultural Significance

The viola is the second member of the standard string quartet (typically two violins, one viola, one cello) and a section instrument in every symphony orchestra (typically eight to twelve players). The chamber-music repertoire is extensive: every Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Dvořák, Debussy, Ravel, Bartók, Shostakovich, and contemporary string quartet places the viola at the inner-voice centre.

Solo repertoire is concentrated in the 20th and 21st centuries: Bartók (1945, completed by Tibor Serly), Walton (1929), Hindemith (multiple sonatas and the Schwanendreher, 1935), Britten’s Lachrymae (1950), Schnittke’s Concerto (1985), and a growing body of contemporary work. Folk and popular use is rarer than for the violin but not absent: the Hungarian brácsa in Romani string ensembles, occasional fiddle-style use in American old-time, and electric viola work by John Cale (Velvet Underground) and others.

Notable Examples & Recordings

• The “MacDonald” Stradivari (1719), among the most valuable musical instruments in the world.
• The “Medici” tenor viola (Stradivari, 1690, Florence), preserved at the Galleria dell’Accademia (treated separately at Medici tenor viola).
• Recording landmarks: Lionel Tertis (early 20th-century pioneer), William Primrose (Bartók premiere), Yuri Bashmet, Kim Kashkashian, Tabea Zimmermann, Antoine Tamestit, Lawrence Power. Pinchas Zukerman regularly records and performs on both violin and viola.

Related Instruments

• Violin — the soprano member of the same family.
• Cello — the tenor-bass member, tuned an octave below the viola.
• Tenor violin — a historical mid-size voice between viola and cello, no longer in regular use.
• Medici tenor viola — the famous Stradivari tenor viola at Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia.
• Viola d’amore — the related Baroque instrument with sympathetic strings.
• Viola da gamba — the older fretted bass viol from a separate family.
• Hardanger fiddle — a Norwegian violin-family relative with sympathetic strings.

Where to Hear It

Live: every full-time orchestra and string quartet. Specialist showcases include the Tertis International Viola Competition itself (Isle of Man) and the Primrose International Viola Competition (United States). Major festivals where viola repertoire is regularly programmed include Salzburg, Lucerne, Tanglewood, Verbier, and Aldeburgh.

• Wikipedia: Viola
• Wikidata: Viola (Q80284)
• DBpedia: Viola
• Wikimedia Commons: Violas

Learning Resources

A student viola costs around 400 to 1,200 USD; an intermediate workshop instrument 2,500 to 8,000 USD; professional contemporary instruments 15,000 USD upward. Standard methods include Suzuki Viola School for early study, Wohlfahrt and Kayser études adapted for viola, Sevcik for technical drill, and Bruno Giuranna’s masterclass recordings for advanced work. The Lionel Tertis tradition (UK), the Primrose tradition (US), and the Karen Tuttle approach to relaxation and bow weight are the three most documented modern teaching lineages.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the viola different from the violin?
The viola is larger, tuned a perfect fifth lower, reads music in the alto clef, and uses a heavier bow. The lowest string (C3) gives it access to a register the violin cannot reach. Body size has never been standardised, unlike the violin.

Why does the viola use the alto clef?
The alto clef centres the staff on middle C, putting most of the viola’s working register on the staff without ledger lines. The violin’s treble clef would push much viola music far below the staff; the bass clef would push it far above. The alto clef is the historical compromise.

Is viola easier to learn than violin?
Marginally, in some ways: ensemble parts are usually easier early on, and the slower bow demands a more patient technique that some students find more natural. Solo intonation is harder because the larger spacing magnifies small finger placement errors.

Who are the great viola composers?
Mozart, Berlioz, Brahms, Bartók, Hindemith, Walton, Britten, Shostakovich, and Schnittke contributed the central solo and chamber works. The viola also features prominently in the inner voices of every important string quartet from Haydn onward.

What is the world’s most expensive viola?
The “MacDonald” Stradivari of 1719 was offered at private sale in 2014 for a reported asking price of 45 million USD; it did not change hands at that figure.