The
viola (in French, 'alto'; in German 'Bratsche') is a stringed musical
instrument which serves as the middle voice of the violin family,
between the upper lines played by the higher violin (soprano register)
and the lower lines played by the deeper cello (bass) and double
bass. The viola has an extremely rich sonority, much more full-bodied
than the violin, dark-toned and earthy. The viola is perhaps the most versatile - if not underrated - member of its family. Its lower strings exude a mellow, brooding timbre, much like the cello, while in its higher registers, the viola is both capable of expressing a mournful, penetrating melancholia and a dignified, joyous voice, unique and delightful in its restrained clarity. The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin but is larger in size and more variable in its proportions. It is increasingly common to see professional violists playing on instruments which, at first glance, bear little resemblance to the traditional shape of violins (see External Links). On average, the full size viola's body length is between one and four inches greater than the full size violin's. The viola's four strings are tuned in fifths: the C an octave below middle C is the lowest, with G, D and A above it. This tuning is exactly one fifth below the violin, so that they have three strings in common - G, D, and A - and is one octave above the cello. Both the violin and the viola evolved directly from the viola da braccio. Since the Italian word violino is a derivative of viola, historians and violists are led to believe that the viola may have actually appeared slightly before the violin. |
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