Facts About the Instrument Viola
The viola is an orchestral instrument, a member of the violin family, which also contains the violin, the cello and the bass. The viola has four strings of varying thickness that produce sound when a bow is drawn across them.
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History
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The viola developed in Italy around the 15th century, along with other members of the violin family. Viola makers built upon the structure of earlier bowed instruments.
Name Origin
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The term viola was originally used for many types of bowed string instruments in Italy. Later, the terms violino ("small viola," the modern violin) and violoncello ("small bass viola," the modern cello) came into use.
String Pitches
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Viola Neck and Pegs, Lemonedo/Wikimedia Commons
The four strings of the viola are tuned a fifth apart, sounding the notes C, G, D and A. Other pitches are produced when the violist shortens the strings by stopping them against the viola's neck.
Size
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Violas have no standard size. Full-size violas can be anywhere from 15 to 17 inches long, and smaller violas come as short as 11 inches.
Viola Music
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Medieval and Renaissance composers often didn't assign parts in their music. The first piece of music with an assigned viola part is Giovanni Gabrieli's Sonata pian'e forte, dated 1597.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Woman with Viola da Gamba by Michiel van Musscher (d.1705, image public domain)
