In Defense of the Viola
Rediscovering the Richness of the Viola's Unique Sound
The poor viola….singing its alto voice in a world dominated by its smaller brethren, the violin. The butt of jokes, denigrated to lesser parts and generally disrespected! It’s a sad state of affairs…
…and so inappropriate! The soaring highs and haunting lows offered by the viola captures a unique voice for which there is no substitute in the world of strings. If you are drawn to this voice, and who isn’t?, then you can’t find joy anywhere else.
Unlike the violin and cello, which have standardized over the year into a more-or-less fixed size, the viola still harbors that experimental spirit that was part of the inception of the violin family centuries ago. A viola can range over 2 full inches in size: 15-17” backplates compose the standard range, although some are larger…and some smaller.
The small violas, usually for children, are particularly maligned instruments. In fact, very few places even make what we consider to be a true small, child sized, viola. Instead, they are derivatives of small violins: they have a violin corpus with viola-sized ribs. The ribs do add extra size to the resonating chamber, but the shape and outline are really violin-based. A good viola is not shaped the same as a violin: it’s contoured differently to accentuate the lower tones and create a full and rich C string. The finger stops on the fingerboard are also different so if a child’s instrument doesn’t have a viola outline, s/he will be learning violin fingering which makes the transition to a full sized viola more difficult.
Vermont Violins celebrates the viola. Our founder, Kathy, studied Viola performance in Conservatory so when we engage our viola clients, we speak from the heart. Go listen to viola music and you’ll see exactly why! Check out recordings of Rebecca Clarke, Paul Hindemith, Alexander Glazunov, and Ralph Vaughan Williams (you have GOT to hear his Flos Campi composition…really incredible orchestral piece featuring the viola in large).
Building a viola, as we do as part of our V. Richelieu instrument line requires some different thinking – it’s a departure from violin making. Beginning with the design, creating a pattern that maximizes the tone and volume, works in a range of sizes, and is not so overwhelming for the player can be challenging! We have worked hard to find that perfect balance that allows ease of play and maximum voice…even as it provides a balanced voice through out the fingerboard and strings!
So many inexpensive violas are compromised by the maker’s desire to stay within the violin making traditions. There is no reason to compromise! The viola is a crazy-pretty instrument that is uniquely different from any other instrument you can play. It is not a violin, it is not a cello….nor is it a compromise or even easier than the others. It is simply alto-y perfect!