Viola
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Wikipedia-Article "Viola"
- For other uses of the word, see Viola (disambiguation).
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 lighter violin (soprano register) and the lower lines played by the heavier cello (bass) and double bass.
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The form of the viola
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 and one octave above the cello.
Playing the viola
While it may appear to be similiar to the violin's, the technique required for playing viola has subtle but important differences. The most notable of these spring from the size of the viola:
- Unlike the violin, there is no standard "full size" viola. The reason for this is that the ideal viola size for the "best" tone quality (disregarding the craftsmanship of the instrument) would not fit on the player's shoulder. Therefore, violists compensate by playing the largest instrument possible for the musician. When a player switches from violin to viola (or vice versa), the viola will generally have a larger body as well as a longer string length. The most immediately noticeable accommodations a player must make are to use wider spaced fingerings as well as a wider and more "violent" vibrato in the left hand, and to place the bow farther away from the player's body (right arm). Though the same techniques still apply, the different placement of the left hand fingers and right arm can take some getting used to. The player must also bring their left elbow farther forward so as to reach the lowest strings. This allows the fingers to be firm and creates a better tone.
- In addition, the viola bow is slightly longer than that of the violin, with a wider band of horse-hair, particularly near the frog (or 'heel' in the UK). Viola bows are often heavier than violin bows. Bowing technique differs from violin bowing in that more weight must be applied to pull sound from the strings. One reason for the extra weight requirement is that the viola's heavier strings and larger construction in general necessitates more energy to create the vibrations, which make the sound.
- The viola is usually strung with thicker strings. This, combined with its larger size and lower pitch range, results in tones which are much more mellow and deep. However, a thicker string gauge means that the viola "speaks" slower than its soprano cousin. Practically speaking, if a violist and violinist are playing together, the violist has to begin moving their bow a fraction of a second sooner than the violinist does to produce a sound that starts at the same moment as the violinist's sound.
See also: Playing the violin. With the exception of specific string tunings, all the techniques outlined in that section apply equally to the viola.
Tuning
Violas are tuned by twisting the pegs in the scroll, around which the strings are wrapped. Tightening the string will raise the note (make it sharper) while loosening the string will lower the note (making it flatter). The A string is tuned first, typically to 440 Hz (see Pitch (music)). The other strings (D,G,C) are then tuned to it in intervals of perfect fifths using double-stopping. Some violas also have adjustors (also called fine tuners) that are used to make finer changes. These permit the tension of the string to be adjusted by rotating a small knob. Such tuning is generally easier than using the pegs, and adjustors are usually recommended for younger players. Adjustors work best, and are most useful, with higher tension metal strings. It is most common to use one on the A-string even if the others are not equipped with them.
Small tuning adjustments can also be made by stretching a string with the hand.
The tuning C-G-D-A is used for the great majority of all viola music. However, other tunings are occasionally employed (for example, tuning the C string up to D), both in classical music (where the technique is known as scordatura) and in some folk styles.
Viola music
Historically, the viola was used less often used for solo concerti and sonatas than the violin and the cello. This was often attributed to its sound, which, being mellower and less brilliant than that of the violin, is less suited to virtuoso display.
Music for the viola differs from that for the violin and cello in its use of the alto clef, otherwise little used in the orchestra. Viola music also employs the treble and, very rarely, bass clefs.
In orchestral music prior to the middle of the 19th century, the viola part is frequently limited to the filling in of harmonies with little melodic material assigned to it. When the viola gets melodic parts in music of that era, it is often duplication in unison or octaves of whatever the violins are playing.
A rare example of a piece written before the 20th century which features a solo viola part is Hector Berlioz's Harold In Italy, though there are also a few Baroque and Classical concerti, for example those by Telemann (the earliest known viola concerto) and Carl Stamitz.
The viola plays an important role in chamber music, though seldom a soloistic one. In the string quartet, the function of the viola is comparable to its function in the orchestra, usually filling in the inner harmonies. Mozart succeeded in liberating the viola somewhat when he wrote his six string quintets, which are widely considered to include some of his greatest works. The quintets use two violas, which frees the instrument (especially the first viola) for solo passages and increases the variety and richness of the ensemble. Johannes Brahms wrote two greatly admired sonatas for viola and piano, his Opus 120 (1894); these were, however, originally written for the clarinet. Brahms also wrote Two Songs for Alto with Viola and Piano (Zwei Gesänge für eine Altstimme mit Bratsche und Pianoforte), Op. 91, "Gestillte Sehnsucht" or "Satisfied Longing" and "Geistliches Wiegenlied" or "Spiritual Lullaby," which was a present for the famous violinist Joseph Joachim and his wife, Amalie. Antonín Dvořák played the viola, and was alleged to have said it was his favorite instrument; his chamber music is rich with important parts for the viola. Another Czech composer, Bedřich Smetana, included a significant viola part in his quartet "From My Life"; indeed the quartet begins with an impassioned statement by the viola.
In the 20th century, more composers began to write for the viola, encouraged by the emergence of specialised solo violists such as Lionel Tertis. William Walton and Béla Bartók both wrote well-known viola concertos. One of the few composers to write a substantial amount of music for the viola was Paul Hindemith, who was a violist himself. Rebecca Clarke was a 20th century composer who also wrote extensively for the viola. However, while the amount of music in the viola repertoire is quite large, the amount written by well-known composers is relatively small, and violists often resort to arrangements of works originally written for violin or other instruments. Many solo viola pieces are transcribed from violin or cello.
Although rare, the viola is sometimes used in contemporary popular music, mostly in the avante-garde. The influential group Velvet Underground famously used a viola, as do some modern groups such as Defiance, Ohio and others.
The viola ("Bratsche" in German) is also an important accompaniment instrument in Hungarian and Romanian folk string band music, especially in Transylvania. Here the instrument usually has only three strings, tuned g - d' - a (note that the a is an octave lower than found on the classical instrument), the bridge is flattened and the instrument usually only plays triads in a strongly rhythmic manner.
Violists
Violas and violists are often the target of the musical equivalent of the blonde joke. This is probably the result of the mostly obsolete practice in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century orchestras of demoting to the viola section violinists who lose their playing ability as a result of age or lack of practice.
Among the great composers, several preferred the viola to the violin when playing in ensembles, notably J. S. Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Numerous other composers also played the viola in ensembles including Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn, and Antonin Dvorak.
There are only a few really well known viola virtuosi, likely owing to the shortage of music featuring the instrument. Among the better known violists from earlier in the twentieth century are Lionel Tertis, Paul Hindemith, William Primrose, Joseph de Pasquale and Walter Trampler. More recently, well known violists include Yuri Bashmet, Kim Kashkashian, Garth Knox, Roberto Diaz, Tabea Zimmermann, Nobuko Imai, Rivka Golani, Paul Neubauer, Karen Dreyfus and, from the younger generation, Antoine Tamestit.
The term violist is not universally used in English; some players, generally British, prefer viola player.
The viola in popular music
The viola also sees little use in popular music. It was sometimes part of popular dance orchestras in the period from about 1890 to 1930, and orchestrations of pop tunes from that era often had viola parts available. The viola largely disappeared from pop music at the start of the big band era. John Cale, a classically trained violist, played the instrument to great effect (amplified and often distorted) on two Velvet Underground albums, The Velvet Underground and Nico and White Light/White Heat.
The viola has made a slight comeback in modern pop music; aided and abetted by string groups, Bond and Wild.
Audio examples
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Improv for four violas (file info) |
| A short four-part improvisation demonstrating the range and tone quality of the viola. | |
| Problems listening to the file? See media help. |
See also
External links
- Rivinus- Luthier's site with pictures of his oddly shaped violas
- Viola web site, with links to viola societies
- Viola jokes
Listening
- Bowed Radio (podcast focusing on new music for bowed string instruments)