Evolution of the Viola Intro
From large symphony orchestras to small chamber music ensembles, there is no setting in which the viola is safe from the open ridicule of other musicians. This phenomenon and the many grimaces and jokes I have encountered as a violist really contributed to my interest and exploration of the evolution of the viola. The research I conducted personally through a wide range of sources has shown that the viola has been regarded as “lesser” version of the violin for centuries and throughout the various stages of its evolution. In fact, many of these stereotypes are based on the properties of the early viola. Since then, the viola has changed significantly in structure, efficiency, and repertoire but the reputation of violists and the instrument itself have not changed along with it. Now they are able to produce a better sound without working as hard and the range of music available showcases the talent of the musicians and distinct characteristics of the viola.
"How is lightning like a violist's fingers? Neither one strikes in the same place twice." "How do you get a violin to sound like a viola? 1.) Sit in the back and don't play. 2.) Play in the low register with a lot of wrong notes.""How do you get a violist to play a passage pianissimo tremolando? Mark it 'solo'." These are only a few of the many jokes and stereotypes collected by an MIT researcher and there are hundreds more widely spread around the world. The bottom line is that the viola is viewed as inferior to the violin and the two instruments must always clash in opposition, the question is why? This is the question my research attempts to answer. The quality of the early viola does, in fact, deserve this criticism. The viola de gamba and the bauscher viola are the two ancestors of the modern viola, but the viola de gamba was much more wide spread. The first viola d' gamba on record originated in Valencia, Spain between 1475-85 and was characterized by it's diverse spread in ensembles and it's distinctive body. It had sloping shoulders, deep ribs, C shaped holes, 5 strings, frets, and was played between the legs. However, the awkward large shape of the viola made it difficult to produce a good sound and viola makers began to make adjustments. In order to keep the rich, deep quality of the viola's sound, the body had to be bigger and was therefore not easily manuvered. Many of the technical skills of the violin could not be executed on the viola because of this and consequently, the viola did not progress in the same way violins did. People were less inclined to chose the viola because it was more difficult to play and less efficient in sound, so easier parts and minimal solo repertoire was written for violists. Also, many viola players were the failed violin students and even those deemed as less intelligent (supposedly disabled people) and therefore were labeled as lazy. As innovators stepped up, the viola became for comfortable, sound-efficient, advanced, and education was more desired and available yet the negative stereotypes formed from the early viola standards stick to this day.
While visiting New York City, I had the opportunity to see the musical instruments exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This collection houses various models over time of every instrument well-know to the western world, and even some beyond. The range of violas on display fit my topic and allowed me to conduct personal, up-close research on the evolution of the viola. The oldest ancestor of the viola in the museum is a viola de gamba dating back to 1680. The viol first appeared in Europe in the late 15th century and was used in Renaissance and Baroque music. However, it is a member of the viol family while the modern viola is a member of the violin family. The only popular instrument today in the viol family is the double bass, as the violin family evolved from the viol family. The differences in structures are clearly visible. The viola de gamba has a broad structure, flat neck, sloping top, occasionally frets, and is played between the legs like a modern cello. These differences produce a weaker and quieter sound and instrument makers experimented with other models in an attempt to remedy the sound. The viola d'amore was the next model that evolved from the viola de gamba. Popularized in the 18th century, the viola d'amore shares structural similarities to the viola de gamba and the viol family yet relates to the violin family in the fact that it is played under the chin and has no frets. There is no standardized tuning or set number of strings on the instrument, allowing for a wide range of models of the instrument to be made and room for experimentation among viola-makers. Another key aspect of the instrument is the introduction of metal strings, instead of gut strings. Other strings that cound be found of the viola d'amore are sympathetic strings, a set of strings under the played strings that vibrate "sin sympathy" to give a sweeter, silvery, more resonant sound to the instrument. Three different violas d'amore from different regions of Western Europe were on display, each with different intricately-shaped sloping shoulders, conveying experimentation in aesthetics and sound efficiency. Coming out of 17th century, the modern day viola began to appear as a member of the violin family, characterized by round shoulders, f-holes, and deep body. Over time, the viola began to differentiate itself from the violin yet become more managable in size.
Itzack Perlman. Joshua Bell, and Niccolò Paganini are only a few of the examples that come to mind when considering great violinists. However, when asked who the great violists are, there are little to no names that have been popularized. Many of the famous classical and baroque composers, such as Bach and Mozart, did play the viola themselves, but their viola works collectively did nothing to change the viola culture as a whole. The sparsely popularized repertoire created by these composers along with viola technique, models, and education have expanded the most in the last century. This is largely a result of violists taking a stand and creating innovations. Born in 1876, Lionel Tertis was the first viola to begin this movement with the mission"to expand the limited viola repertoire". He arranged and transcribed many of the famous pieces for viola. After witnessing Tertis perform, William Primrose, born 1904, switched from violin to viola and carried his technical skills with him. This proved that the viola is able to be technically advanced like the violin while also producing a deeper, richer sound. His fame gained the viola much respect.
Outline:
1.) Intro/purpose
2.)Background and History
-characteristics of the early viola
-place in ensembles
-demographic of players
3.) Trip to the Met.
-visible changes in structure of the viola
-families, materials, acoustics
4.) Noteworthy repertoire
-works written specifically to highlight the viola
-emphasize time period (baroque vs classical vs romantic vs contemporary)
5.) Noteworthy violists
-Natalie Bauer-Lechner
-Lionel Tertis
-Helen Callus
-Ursula Plaichinger
6.) Conclusion:
-Deconstructed stereotypes.
- Summarize current role of the viola
-Growing popularity and individual training (not treated as lesser violin)
From large symphony orchestras to small chamber music ensembles, there is no setting in which the viola is safe from the open ridicule of other musicians. This phenomenon and the many grimaces and jokes I have encountered as a violist really contributed to my interest and exploration of the evolution of the viola. The research I conducted personally through a wide range of sources has shown that the viola has been regarded as “lesser” version of the violin for centuries and throughout the various stages of its evolution. In fact, many of these stereotypes are based on the properties of the early viola. Since then, the viola has changed significantly in structure, efficiency, and repertoire but the reputation of violists and the instrument itself have not changed along with it. Now they are able to produce a better sound without working as hard and the range of music available showcases the talent of the musicians and distinct characteristics of the viola.
"How is lightning like a violist's fingers? Neither one strikes in the same place twice." "How do you get a violin to sound like a viola? 1.) Sit in the back and don't play. 2.) Play in the low register with a lot of wrong notes.""How do you get a violist to play a passage pianissimo tremolando? Mark it 'solo'." These are only a few of the many jokes and stereotypes collected by an MIT researcher and there are hundreds more widely spread around the world. The bottom line is that the viola is viewed as inferior to the violin and the two instruments must always clash in opposition, the question is why? This is the question my research attempts to answer. The quality of the early viola does, in fact, deserve this criticism. The viola de gamba and the bauscher viola are the two ancestors of the modern viola, but the viola de gamba was much more wide spread. The first viola d' gamba on record originated in Valencia, Spain between 1475-85 and was characterized by it's diverse spread in ensembles and it's distinctive body. It had sloping shoulders, deep ribs, C shaped holes, 5 strings, frets, and was played between the legs. However, the awkward large shape of the viola made it difficult to produce a good sound and viola makers began to make adjustments. In order to keep the rich, deep quality of the viola's sound, the body had to be bigger and was therefore not easily manuvered. Many of the technical skills of the violin could not be executed on the viola because of this and consequently, the viola did not progress in the same way violins did. People were less inclined to chose the viola because it was more difficult to play and less efficient in sound, so easier parts and minimal solo repertoire was written for violists. Also, many viola players were the failed violin students and even those deemed as less intelligent (supposedly disabled people) and therefore were labeled as lazy. As innovators stepped up, the viola became for comfortable, sound-efficient, advanced, and education was more desired and available yet the negative stereotypes formed from the early viola standards stick to this day.
While visiting New York City, I had the opportunity to see the musical instruments exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This collection houses various models over time of every instrument well-know to the western world, and even some beyond. The range of violas on display fit my topic and allowed me to conduct personal, up-close research on the evolution of the viola. The oldest ancestor of the viola in the museum is a viola de gamba dating back to 1680. The viol first appeared in Europe in the late 15th century and was used in Renaissance and Baroque music. However, it is a member of the viol family while the modern viola is a member of the violin family. The only popular instrument today in the viol family is the double bass, as the violin family evolved from the viol family. The differences in structures are clearly visible. The viola de gamba has a broad structure, flat neck, sloping top, occasionally frets, and is played between the legs like a modern cello. These differences produce a weaker and quieter sound and instrument makers experimented with other models in an attempt to remedy the sound. The viola d'amore was the next model that evolved from the viola de gamba. Popularized in the 18th century, the viola d'amore shares structural similarities to the viola de gamba and the viol family yet relates to the violin family in the fact that it is played under the chin and has no frets. There is no standardized tuning or set number of strings on the instrument, allowing for a wide range of models of the instrument to be made and room for experimentation among viola-makers. Another key aspect of the instrument is the introduction of metal strings, instead of gut strings. Other strings that cound be found of the viola d'amore are sympathetic strings, a set of strings under the played strings that vibrate "sin sympathy" to give a sweeter, silvery, more resonant sound to the instrument. Three different violas d'amore from different regions of Western Europe were on display, each with different intricately-shaped sloping shoulders, conveying experimentation in aesthetics and sound efficiency. Coming out of 17th century, the modern day viola began to appear as a member of the violin family, characterized by round shoulders, f-holes, and deep body. Over time, the viola began to differentiate itself from the violin yet become more managable in size.
Itzack Perlman. Joshua Bell, and Niccolò Paganini are only a few of the examples that come to mind when considering great violinists. However, when asked who the great violists are, there are little to no names that have been popularized. Many of the famous classical and baroque composers, such as Bach and Mozart, did play the viola themselves, but their viola works collectively did nothing to change the viola culture as a whole. The sparsely popularized repertoire created by these composers along with viola technique, models, and education have expanded the most in the last century. This is largely a result of violists taking a stand and creating innovations. Born in 1876, Lionel Tertis was the first viola to begin this movement with the mission"to expand the limited viola repertoire". He arranged and transcribed many of the famous pieces for viola. After witnessing Tertis perform, William Primrose, born 1904, switched from violin to viola and carried his technical skills with him. This proved that the viola is able to be technically advanced like the violin while also producing a deeper, richer sound. His fame gained the viola much respect.
Outline:
1.) Intro/purpose
2.)Background and History
-characteristics of the early viola
-place in ensembles
-demographic of players
3.) Trip to the Met.
-visible changes in structure of the viola
-families, materials, acoustics
4.) Noteworthy repertoire
-works written specifically to highlight the viola
-emphasize time period (baroque vs classical vs romantic vs contemporary)
5.) Noteworthy violists
-Natalie Bauer-Lechner
-Lionel Tertis
-Helen Callus
-Ursula Plaichinger
6.) Conclusion:
-Deconstructed stereotypes.
- Summarize current role of the viola
-Growing popularity and individual training (not treated as lesser violin)