Bridging the sound gap between the violin and the cello, the viola is the "middle voice" of the violin family. In this family, it also takes on the role of the middle sibling, often overlooked and easily ridiculed. In an orchestra, no member is subjected to as much teasing and mocking as the violist:How do you keep your violin from getting stolen?
- Put it in a viola case.
Why do violists stand for long periods outside people's houses?
- They can't find the key and they don't know when to come in.
What's the difference between a viola and an onion?
- No one cries when you cut up a viola.
There are dozens of these jokes--but why? Certainly, the viola serves a specific (and valid) purpose. And in fact, many of the great composers (including Beethoven, Bach and Mozart) preferred the viola to the violin when playing in ensembles. Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn and others chose to play the viola throughout history. However, it is true that very little virtuoso viola music was written before the twentieth century. This lack has obviously resulted in a lack of well-known viola virtuosi--and perhaps this explains the quickness with which the instrument is teased. The underdog of the instrumental world, the viola is more a team player than a leader. And while it may be too modest to show off on stage, we'd like to give the viola its moment in the spotlight.
In early orchestral music, the viola was most frequently used for filling in harmonies. It was rarely assigned any melodic material and when it was, the part was often in unison with the melody played by other strings. One famous exception to this is the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 by J. S. Bach. The piece was scored for 2 violas, a cello, 2 violas da gamba, and continuo (in which the two violas were placed in the primary melodic role.) A few Baroque and Classical concerti were also written for the solo viola. Examples of major viola roles in orchestral music include the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar and Richard Strauss' "Don Quixote" for solo cello and viola and orchestra.
Historically, the instrument has played a major role in chamber music. Mozart successfully liberated the viola from its traditional confines when he wrote his six string quintets (some of which are still considered to be his greatest works) for two violas. He also wrote for the viola in his Sinfonia Concertante, in which the solo viola and violin are equally important. A set of two duets for violin and viola and the Kegelstatt Trio (for viola, clarinet and piano) are other examples of Mozart's love for the viola. Another pioneer was the young Felix Mendelssohn, who wrote a little-known viola sonata in C minor in 1824. Brahms featured the viola prominently in his earliest works; in fact, his sextets for strings Op. 18 and Op. 36 contain what amounts to solo parts for both violas. Antonín Dvořák played the viola, and even reportedly called it his favorite instrument. Bedřich Smetana, another advocate, included a significant part for the instrument in his quartet "From My Life."
After Dvořák and others paved the way, more 20th-century composers began to write for the viola. Many were inspired by specialized soloists like Lionel Tertis, whose skills on the viola prompted Arthur Bliss, Benjamin Dale and others to compose specially for him. Popular viola concertos were written by William Walton, Bohuslav Martinů and Béla Bartók. Paul Hindemith typically performed the premieres of his own viola works. Rebecca Clarke, Ernest Bloch and Revol Bunin were other great composers who were inspired by the viola. Much more recently, the viola has appeared in contemporary popular music (check out 10,000 Maniacs or John Cale of The Velvet Underground, who plays the electric viola) as well as jazz and folk. Notable folk violists include Eliza Carthy, Mary Ramsey, Helen Bell, and Nancy Kerr. Great spectral composers have also loved the instrument for its lower overtone partials.
While the viola is similar in material and construction to the violin, it is easily distinguished for its larger size. A full-size viola's body is usually between 1 and 4 inches longer than the body of a full-size violin, with an average length of 16 inches. Hermann Ritter's version, the 'viola alta,' was created for use in Wagner's operas; it measured about 18.9 inches long. Meanwhile, the Tertis model was built with wider bouts and deeper ribs to promote a better tone. More recent additions to the mix include the Otto Erdesz 'cutaway' viola, the 'Oak Leaf' viola, five-stringed violas, viol-shaped violas like Joseph Curtin's 'Evia' model, vertical violas that are played like cellos, and the beautiful Dalí-esque models by Bernard Sabatier. These 'non-standard' violas are still used today. However, most composers write for a traditional-sized viola--and changes in size or shape result in changes in tone, which can have unintended consequences upon the balance in an ensemble. Thus, ergonomics vs. sound is a topic of constant discussion within the viola-making community. For centuries, viola makers have experimented with the size and shape to make a lighter and less cumbersome version while also keeping the sound box large enough to create an unmistakable 'viola sound.' This period of trial and error still continues--and so unlike the violin, the viola does not have a standard full size.
Other key features that serve to differentiate the viola from the violin: The viola tends to have heavier strings, and its bow has a wider band of horsehair. The four strings of the viola are normally tuned in fifths, exactly one fifth below the violin and an octave above the cello. Music written for the viola differs from that of other instruments because the viola primarily uses alto clef, which is otherwise rarely used. When substantial sections of a composition are written in a higher register, the viola employs the treble clef.
In 2006, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music launched The Viola Project. Led by Professor of Viola Jodi Levitz, the program was designed to sing the praises of the violin family's unsung hero. There have been other recent attempts at re-introducing (or introducing for the first time) the viola to the public eye. To learn more about the viola and the musicians and composers who have loved it, check out www.viola-in-music.com. And be sure to keep checking back with us at HillTop Records, as we continue to profile instruments of interest!
