THE VIOLIN'S BIG COUSIN       

The viola, the violin's 'big cousin' is played using the same technique as the violin, although it is tuned a perfect fifth lower and uses the alto clef mainly instead of the treble clef as happens with the violin.

The full size viola is approximately a third larger than the full size violin, but, as with violins, violas come in many different sizes, although obviously larger sizes produce greater sonority. This means that it is not necessary to have large hands in order to be able to play it competently, and in fact a violin can be easily adapted to play as a viola.

The Treble Clef (violin)

The Alto Clef (viola)

THE MANY ROLES OF THE VIOLA       

In the past, the viola carried an un-deserved stigma of being the instrument suited to those players who were not particularly good violinists. Nowadays this stigma has disappeared, and music for viola can be just as demanding as that for violin, with many works having been written featuring solo viola (e.g. Telemann and Walton have written concertos for the instrument, and Berlioz's Harold in Italy is a viola concerto in everything but name).

As well as being a fascinating instrument in its own right (e.g. Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin have been transcribed for viola, giving these works a completely different favour), the viola also plays an indispensable part in string quartet, string ensemble and orchestral music. The instrument usually provides harmony lines which mostly lie between the range of the violins and the cellos, but it can also carry the main melody at times, most notably in a string quartet setting.

THE SOUND OF THE VIOLA     

The sound of the viola is distinctive for its nasal quality which derives from the fact that the instrument's soundbox is not sufficiently large to reproduce faithfully the deeper frequencies which are generated while it is being played. Far from being a negative aspect, this results in a sound which is dark, mysterious and full of character. Click below to hear a viola sound sample:

Franz Schubert - The Trout Quintet  (viola solo).

Many great violinists, such as for example Nigel Kennedy, are also excellent viola players; this violin-viola ambivalence is common amongst players.

Violin Sounds - on the Web since 19th July 2004