Viola

:For other uses of the word, see Viola (disambiguation).

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.

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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.

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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.

Related Topics:
Orchestral - Harmonies - Melodic

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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.

Related Topics:
Hector Berlioz - Baroque - Classical - Telemann - Carl Stamitz

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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. Antonín Dvo?ák 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, Bed?ich Smetana, included a significant viola part in his quartet "From My Life"; indeed the quartet begins with an impassioned statement by the viola.

Related Topics:
Chamber music - String quartet - Mozart - String quintet - Johannes Brahms - Clarinet - Antonín Dvo?ák - Czech - Bed?ich Smetana - From My Life

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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.

Related Topics:
Lionel Tertis - William Walton - Béla Bartók - Paul Hindemith - Rebecca Clarke - Arrangements

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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.

Related Topics:
Avante-garde - Velvet Underground - Defiance, Ohio

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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.

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