How does the viola sound? Viola (string instrument)

Alto- a musical instrument belonging to the string-bowed family. Outwardly, they are extremely similar to violins, but differ in size. Violas are much larger than violins, longer and wider.

The next difference is connected with the size: sound. The alto system is lower than the violin one by a fifth. If we compare the sound of instruments with human voices, then the violin is the soprano, the highest female voice, and the viola is the contralto, the lowest female voice, languid, chesty and expressive.

How alt works

The viola itself is made of wood of different species.

• The front surface of the product (top deck), on which holes are cut in the form of the Latin letter “f”, is made of spruce.
• The back, back, sides and sides are made from maple. The coasters are also made of maple rock - a special part on which the strings lie. Decks and shells are covered with a special oily varnish that protects the wood from corrosion.
• From a durable black, ebony wood, a fingerboard is cut out - an oblong board, to which the musicians press the strings with their fingers. The same tree is used to make pegs - peg, which are responsible for the tension of the strings.

The principle of operation of the viola is similar to the related violin, cello and double bass.

The bow is responsible for extracting the sound - a cane with white horsehair stretched over it.

During the game, the performing musician moves the bow along the strings, holding the bow in his right hand, and the body on his left shoulder. At the moment of friction of the bow, sound is born.

Each hair used to make bows has scales. They cause the string to vibrate when in contact with the string. The vibration is transmitted to the body of the instrument, the "sound box", which acts as a bell. The sound comes out of those carved holes on the top deck.

The alto sound is not as powerful as, for example, the violin, and therefore is rarely used for solo performance. However, without it, classical musical groups are unthinkable, such as:

• quartet, which includes two violins, viola and cello,
• an orchestra, which, along with violins, includes a group of viola players, from four to six people,
• symphony orchestra, where the viola group includes from twelve to fourteen people.

Types of violas

The main criterion for distinguishing any string-bow is age. Traditionally, they are divided into ancient and modern.

Antiques made over fifty years ago are prized for their sound acquired over years of use. An old sample, the case of which is in good condition, is expensive and the price increases every year.

Modern products are valued for durability and reliability. In both cases, it is impossible to predict how the tool will "behave" over time.

Violas have different sizes and are selected according to the length of the musician's arms.

Size is in inches, the alto size range starts at 11 and ends at 17.5 inches.

In addition to physical comfort, the leading role is played by the sound that the sample is able to reproduce.

The size of the body, its "resonator box", does not correspond to the system, which is lower than the violin by a fifth. As a result, there are specimens with a "nasal" timbre. Fortunately, the percentage of such instruments is small, and it is possible to upgrade the sound with the help of accessories.

How to choose a viola

When choosing a viola, you should pay attention to the following points:

• appearance. The case must be free of cracks and patches, slight abrasions are acceptable and do not affect the sound,
• size and comfort of the game. Hands should not get tired during contact with it, the sound should be uniform on all strings, the sound transition from the lowest to the highest string should be smooth, imperceptible.

Having opted for a copy made today, you need to consider that its sound may change. More often it becomes brighter, richer - for this, the instrument should be “played out”, regularly exercising at a high sound volume.

When choosing an old copy made several tens or hundreds of years ago, the wear of wood should be taken into account.

An old viola should be operated with care, monitoring the level of humidity and avoiding the slightest mechanical damage.

The answer to the question "which viola is better?" does not exist. The instrument in the hands of a musician is his second voice. The voice can be different - bright or languid, lyrical or invocative. When choosing your second voice, it's worth spending a lot of time with it, exploring it, talking through it.

The same viola in the hands of two different musicians sounds different in timbres and colors. You need to choose the copy that is easy and pleasant to play both physically and mentally.

Accessories

Alto accessories include:

• bow,
• rosin,
• strings,
• string holder,
• pegs,
• stand,
• chin rest
• shoulder Bridge,
• case.

Bow- this is a component without which a special alto sound is impossible. In no case should you play the instrument with a violin bow - the viola bow is longer, heavier and stronger, and thanks to these properties, the sound becomes more expressive and deeper.

Traditionally, bows are made of fernambuco, mahogany, as this type of wood has sufficient elasticity and strength, which guarantees resistance to deformation.

Nowadays, bows made of Kevlar fabric, a modern substance with high strength, are gaining popularity.

The advantage of Kevlar lies in its resistance to changes in temperature and humidity, which a wooden bow cannot boast of. The bow is completed with white horsehair.

When choosing a bow, it is better to pay attention to the evenness of the reed, it should not have strong deflections, and to elasticity - the reed should “spring” when in contact with the strings.

Rosin- This is a piece of resin made using a special technology to adhere the bow to the string. Without rosin, the instrument will not sound, and the resulting sound depends on the degree of density of the substance. The denser the texture of the rosin, the harder it is - the harder and brighter the sound.

To play the viola, medium-density rosin is used. An important factor in choosing rosin is its freshness.

Fresh, freshly made rosin will ensure tight bow contact.

Old, dried rosin gives a low degree of adhesion and affects the sound, adding unpleasant hissing overtones to it.

strings are responsible for coloring the sound of the instrument.

Distinguish:

• metal,
• synthetic,
• vein.

Metal have a bright, sonorous sound and have increased wear resistance. The advantage of metal strings is their low price, and the disadvantage is the sound, devoid of volume and depth.

Synthetic ones are made either from nylon or perlon, less often from Kevlar. Synthetic strings are popular with musicians all over the world.

They are subject to wear compared to metal, but in turn produce a colorful and rich sound.

Among the shortcomings - a rather high price and a short period of operation.

The veins are of organic origin and are made from animal veins. They are suitable exclusively for antique instruments and are extremely picky about changes in temperature and humidity. Guinted strings wear out faster than all possible types, and because of this they are not popular, but they have the highest cost.

Tailpieces its name describes its function - fixing the strings.

There are two types:

1. carbon fiber,
2. Ebony, made from black wood.

They are equipped with special machines for fine tuning, which allow you to adjust the system without additional effort. For the viola, this is an important point - in the absence of typewriters, the musician has to adjust the tuning with the help of tuning pegs, and given the size of the instrument, this is both uncomfortable and problematic.

The material from which the tailpiece is made has practically no effect on the sound of the product, and when choosing it, you should focus on the convenience of machines and the price that suits a potential buyer.

kolki fix the strings at the other end of the instrument, opposite the string holder and are responsible for their tension. The tuning pegs are made of ebony, and the main thing they do is hold the tension.

Over time, the holes into which the pegs are inserted become wider. If the pegs in the purchased product are “drowned” deep into the body, then they should be replaced in order to avoid weakening the string tension at the wrong moment. Ready-made pegs are “customized” to the instrument by a violin maker.

Stand- a special part on which the strings lie. The distance between the fingerboard and the string depends on the stand, and, consequently, the convenience of playing.

With a high lift, the musician needs more physical effort in order to press the string against the fretboard. A low position leads to overtones when playing, as the string will touch the fretboard. The height of the stand is correctable by a violin maker.

It is worth noting that the stand is in contact with the resonating deck, and affects the sound.

If the soundboard is thin (in the case of vintage products), then it is better to choose a thin stand to reduce the load on the soundboard. Modern samples are equipped with a wide stand - this helps the instrument "play out".

Chinrest needed for a comfortable game on your copy. This accessory is a chin rest, the function of the chin rest is to relieve the pressure of the head on the instrument and reduce muscle tension in the neck.

A properly fitted chin rest will help to avoid the callus on the neck, which is typical for violinists and violists. Chinrests are made of ebony and carbon fiber. They have different shapes - round and oval, different sizes for different body types.

You should choose a chinrest “with fitting”, focusing on comfort in contact with the skin.

Modern carbon fiber chin rests are equipped with a hypoallergenic coating, this is a good solution for sensitive skin.

shoulder bridge or a bridge helps keep the instrument at eye level and keep the shoulder relaxed. The surface of the bridge in contact with the body, as a rule, repeats the shape of the shoulder and is completed with a foam insert. The bridge is attached to the surface of the viola with the help of special rubberized paws.

The shoulder bridge is selected based on the length of the neck - the longer it is, the more height adjustment the bridge should have. An incorrectly selected bridge leads to pain in the shoulder, so this accessory is very important for the performer.

It is better to try all possible options and stop at the one with which holding the instrument becomes comfortable and free.

Case or case is a means to carry your viola and protect it from the environment. Cases are made from plywood upholstered with foam, plastic, carbon fiber and Kevlar.

A durable case made of durable material helps protect the instrument from extreme weather and prevents damage in the event of a fall.

It is better to choose a case taking into account the climate and the range of transfers.

For home storage, an inexpensive plywood case is suitable. For travel, it is better to choose a durable carbon case that is resistant to damage.

Pros and Cons of Alts

The viola specialty is not the class of a music school in which they study from early childhood. Musicians who master the art of playing the viola begin their journey by learning the violin, and only after mastering it does the transition to the viola take place.

Most suitable for playing the viola are young musicians who have:

• tall and long arms,
• large palms and long, strong fingers.

Among viola players, men dominate quantitatively, but women are also often found in musical groups.

The popularity of the instrument among performers of both sexes is associated with a large selection of sizes - they are small, "female" and larger, "male".

The technique of playing the viola, techniques and strokes are the same as on the violin. But due to the fact that the performer has to hold the instrument with the thumb of the left hand (for violinists, this finger does not perform such a function), the virtuosity of the violist is inferior to the virtuosity of the violinist.

The culture of sound and its philosophical beginning come to the fore, which requires the performer in the process of mastering the repertoire of thoughtful work, devoid of mechanical repetitions, such as when playing the .

Based on these features, the following advantages can be distinguished:

• a large selection of sizes for both women and men;
• viola is the specialty that you can choose at a later age and achieve success, since the playing technique is not distinguished by a high degree of virtuosity;
• viola is not a very common specialty, so it is in demand in most musical groups.

Do not neglect some unpleasant features of the tool, including:

• heavy weight - daily exercises in the skill of the game lead to discomfort in the left shoulder;
• having decided to learn how to play, one should first of all master the violin, without this it is impossible to become a violist.

Exploitation

Wood is a fragile material that reacts to falls with chips and cracks, so the tool should be protected from falls and damage. Case damage affects the sound and requires costly repairs.

Pay attention to paintwork. The instrument should be wiped down every time after playing, as rosin dust remains on it, which can damage the varnish.

The surface should be protected from exposure to alcohol-based products - the varnish that is used in the manufacture will dissolve with alcohol. Decks should be cleaned with specially designed products, they are easy to find in music stores.

Over time, traces of operation remain on the lacquer coating, and the lacquer is wiped off at the points of contact between the tool and hands. Do not leave the tree unprotected - it can be deformed.

Places in which the protective coating has been rubbed should be re-varnished by a violin maker.

Humidity has a strong effect on any wooden product. At home, you can not store a bowed string instrument near heating devices and in rooms with high humidity.

Direct sunlight is contraindicated. Professional musicians use a hygrometer - a device for measuring humidity. The norm is 40-60%.

In low humidity, the decks can dry out, causing cracks. At high humidity, there is a problem with the shells - they peel off.

Possible malfunctions

A common problem encountered by professional musicians is a malfunction of the upper strings, A and D. They are made of a thinner fiber, and are quickly frayed in places of frequent interaction with the fingers. Luckily, they are easy to replace on their own.

When replacing, you should not remove the old strings at the same time - this manipulation will drop the darling, the partition that keeps the decks in the right tension. They should be removed one by one, replacing the removed one with a new one immediately.

Before installing synthetic strings, lubricate the grooves in which they lie in the bridge and fingerboard with a soft pencil. This will help avoid creases on the synthetic fiber and extend the life of the product.

Replacing strings is the only operation that musicians perform on their own without harm to the instrument.

The next problem encountered by musicians is the occurrence of cracks. Even careful operation does not guarantee the integrity of the wooden canvas. If a crack occurs, you should not take independent actions - cracks in the instruments are “healed” by the violin maker with the help of special glue.

The bow also needs maintenance. The scales covering the hair wear off over time, and the bow ceases to reliably contact the string, despite the rosin. This is eliminated by replacing the hair in the bow at the master.

It is impossible to change hair on your own - working with the material requires experience and skills. The hair is stretched using a special technology, subjecting it to heat treatment.

Inept actions can ruin the cane, and it is the most important part of the bow.

It happens that the loop holding the string holder breaks. With the anguish of the loop and a sharp weakening of the tension of the strings, and the load on the body along with it, the darling falls. You can buy a loop, like any other alto accessory, on your own. And only the master can correctly install the faulty part.

There can be many malfunctions encountered during the operation of such a complex device as a viola. In order not to harm it and extend its service life, you should not trust the repair to unqualified persons, or troubleshoot it yourself.

Viola Producers

There are a large number of workshops and ateliers specializing in the manufacture and sale of violas and other examples of their family of bowed stringed instruments. There are also independent craftsmen who make tools to order.

In addition to modern ones, ancient samples of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries are widely used in the music world.

The following are the most popular modern ateliers involved in the manufacture of violas:

• Italian atelier Scrollavezza&Zanre Master,
• French atelier Aubert Lutherie. There is no official site, but information about the manufacturer can be obtained at the link Codamusic.ru

  Buying a product "from hand" or in a private workshop, you do not receive a guarantee. It is issued for a particular product purchased in a specialized store or official workshop. It is usually five years.

  The warranty covers defects in manufacturing, and given that the tools are almost entirely handmade, this percentage is extremely small.

  Mechanical damage due to improper operation and sound properties of the product are not included in the warranty service.

  Possible malfunctions, which are various kinds of delaminations and cracks, occur no earlier than 7-10 years after manufacture. Thus, when buying a tool, you take full responsibility for what happens to it next in your own hands.

  Therefore, the choice of the product you are interested in and its sound must be approached with particular care, since the country and the manufacturer are of secondary importance.

  
  

The piano is an instrument with keys and hammer action, the design of which allows you to extract sounds from the strings stretched vertically.

Occasionally there is such an opinion - "A piano cannot be higher than 140 centimeters, and a piano, as a rule, can reach a height of 180 centimeters." Regardless of the size of the piano, there is still a piano.

The piano is more often used for chamber performance of piano music, teaching and amateur music-making. Due to its relative compactness, it can be installed in most apartments.

The piano has a wing-shaped body, is mounted on three legs and is located horizontally.

The larger soundboard of the piano produces a louder sound, which makes it indispensable at concerts and in music school classrooms.

Violin, viola, cello and double bass

The violin is a classical musical instrument, I think almost everyone knows how it (she) looks. Therefore, we will dance from it.

Although the size of the violins was a discovery for me.
Main size: 4/4 (355-360mm, body size, without neck - a whole violin for the average adult). the smallest 1/16 (230-240mm - from 3 to 5 years). At 3 years old on the violin?!

The viola differs from the violin only in size, design and shape one to one. The modern viola has a length of 38 to 43 centimeters.
Violin on the left, viola on the right.

Larger violas, 46–47 centimeters (such violas were made by the old masters of the Italian schools), are played mainly by solo performers with stronger hands and developed technique.

From jokers from music forums:
What is the difference between violin and viola?
Alt burns longer.
The viola holds more beer."

The cello is the same structure as the violin or viola, but much larger. When playing, the performer rests the cello on the floor with a spire.
M. Rastropovich.

The principles of playing are the same as on the violin, however, due to the larger size of the instrument and the different position of the player, the technique of playing the cello is complicated.
Apocalyptica Quartet (Finland).

In the orchestral score, the cello part is written between the parts of violas and double basses. The cello is an obligatory member of the string quartet.

The double bass (Italian contrabbasso) is the largest in size (about two meters in height) and the lowest in sound of the widely used bowed stringed musical instruments.

Modern double basses may have either a fifth string tuned to a counter-octave, or a special mechanism that "lengthens" the lowest string and allows you to get additional lower sounds.

The main field of application of the double bass is a symphony orchestra, in which the double bass group plays the most important role of the bass foundation. The double bass is also occasionally used in chamber ensembles and in jazz and related genres.

In rockabilly, the double bass is used instead of the bass guitar, and they almost always play with a slap (blow of the thumb on the strings) - due to the “clicks”, the double bass complements the rhythm section, and in groups without a drummer, it successfully replaces it.
"Mr. Twister"

If you just want to distinguish them, then remember the main thing: the violin is large and stands on the floor - if it is taller than a person of average height, it is a double bass, if it is lower, call it a cello.
Quintet "Serenade" (Belarus)
From left to right: violin, violin, double bass, viola and cello.

Accordions, button accordions, accordion.

Let's take a look at the accordion. “In Stirlitz, nothing betrayed a Russian intelligence officer, except for an earflap with a star and a parachute dragging behind him.”
In Russia, it is customary to call accordion only instruments with a right-handed piano-type keyboard.

In the USA, Europe and other countries, it is customary to call accordions all varieties of hand harmonicas, which in turn can have their own names.
For example, they consider the button accordion to be a kind of push-button accordion. God is their judge.

The number of keys on the right (piano) keyboard is from 41 for a full accordion to 24 for a small one, which are mainly used as student instruments. The left keyboard consists of 120 buttons for a full accordion, 6 rows of 20 keys. In small ones, from 72 to 24.
The numbers in the name 34x80 indicate the number of buttons (keys) on the right and left keyboards, respectively. I almost forgot - the sides on the harmonicas are determined by the performer, so the number of buttons on the left keyboard can be counted on the right half of the photo :)
Full accordion 41x120

Small accordion 26x48

The line between accordion and button accordion for me, let's say, is somewhat blurred.
But there are several signs that allow us to say - this is definitely an accordion, and this is an iron button accordion.

The most common harmonium in our time is the two-row "khromka", but there are also three-row instruments and instruments with one row of buttons.
Khromka 25x25

In addition to the standard number of keys 25 on the right and left (25x25), harmonicas are produced both in the factory and in custom versions, both with a reduced and with an extended range. On the left keyboard, a harmonica can have a maximum of 31 buttons.

Bayans have a 3 or 5 row right keyboard. In the 5-row keyboard, the first two rows (from fur) are auxiliary, they duplicate the notes located in the other three rows

The right keyboard of the concert button accordion of the Moscow layout with 3 rows contains 67 buttons, with 5 rows 112 buttons.
5 row button accordion

3-row button accordion

The left keyboard, just like the full accordion, the full button accordion consists of 120 buttons. The 6th row (with reduced seventh chords) is missing for some button accordions. Minimum 60 keys.
Semi-bayans are smaller in size and more portable and light compared to full accordions. were suitable for teaching children.
Bayan for students for children 30x30 nevertheless it is a button accordion!

Bayan is an extensible concept (c)

The concertina is more commonly known as the couplet accordion.

Attaches to the musician's thumbs or wrists. It has a hexagonal shape and buttons on the ends.
N. Bandurin.

Where without the "canary".

The bandoneon is similar to the concertina, with the same arrangement of keys, from the ends, but larger and always quadrangular in shape.

It is thanks to the bandoneon that the music of Argentine tango received that piercing and poignant sound that attracts so many fans to it.

"Organ of the Middle Ages"

Viola is an ancient stringed bowed musical instrument that appeared a little earlier than the medieval Baroque era - at the turn of the 15th - early 15th century. XVI centuries. This instrument was the progenitor of all stringed bowed musical instruments, this can be easily traced in the foreign names of stringed bowed instruments, especially in Italian, since the instrument itself comes from sunny Italy.

The development of the Spanish Vihuela was Alto (in Italian "Viola"), which received its Russian name due to the French language (French "Alto"), which for a long time was widely known in Russia. The closest relative of the viola is Viol d'amour (it. "Viola d" amore "- viola of love). Then, on the basis of the viola, new instruments appeared - a small viola - violin (it. "Violino"), a large viola - cello (it. "violoncello"), double bass (it. "cello"), viola da gamba (it. "viola da gamba" - foot viola), viola da braccio (it. "viola da braccio" - hand viola).

The viola itself has three close relatives - the violin, which borrowed its playing position from it (i.e., the "hand" instrument) and the cello, which borrowed the tuning from it (the only difference is that the cello has an octave lower tuning, whereas in the violin it differs by a fifth).

The structure of the viola, like the violins and cellos, is built in fifths. The viola strings are tuned a fifth below the violin and an octave above the cello - c, g, d 1, a 1. notes are written in alto and treble clefs.

Contrary to public opinion, the technique of playing the viola differs significantly from the violin. For example, the viola is characterized by playing the pizzicato harmonic (the sound of a harp harmonic), playing pizzicato with pressing the string with the fingernail of the second finger (the sound of a snare drum), a chord with a rich bass, and much more. However, the large size of the viola makes difficult passages difficult to play quickly. But this small flaw pales in front of the sea of ​​​​opportunities that open up before the performer.

“The timbre of the viola is less bright than the violin,” we read in a well-known encyclopedia, but it is easy to argue with this, since a good violist plays much brighter than even five violinists. The timbre of the viola is bright, rich, colorful, velvety (especially in the lower registers) and slightly nasal, born from the depths of wood, glue joints, lacquer ... a tree that has stood under heavy rains for many centuries, experienced drought, winter, spring, summer, autumn ...

“A feature of the timbre of the viola is a greater variety of sounding of individual strings than on other stringed instruments, for example, on the violin,” writes E. Yu. Stoklitskaya. Regarding the brightness, saturation, and even the grandeur of the timbre of the viola, the famous teacher I. D. Labinskaya likes to repeat: “This is not some kind of “violin”, this is viola.” Not without reason in many viola works they write: "risoluto" (it. - resolutely). It is impossible not to note the performance of the piano on the viola. V. V. Borisovsky emphasized that “piano is not a colorless, faceless nuance. The quietest piano should be crisp and clear, like a staged voice of a singer…” (E. Stoklitskaya “Viola Pedagogy of V. V. Borisovsky”, 2007).

The timbre of the viola can only be compared with the timbre of the organ - both of these instruments can accurately reproduce other instruments. Only the timbre of the organ is limited by the number of registers, and the timbre of the alto has no restrictions.

Such a timbre is a consequence of the inconsistency of the instrument's tuning. With an optimal length of 48o - 490 mm (decks only), the dimensions of modern instruments range from 350 to 420 (very rarely, 430).

The viola is not taught from childhood, but violinists with a developed physique and large vibration pass at a more mature age. Many outstanding performers, such as Niccolo Paganini and David Oistrakh, perfectly combined playing the viola with playing the violin.

Having “reigned in the palaces” for a long time, the viola, like the viola art (viola performance is a true art), fell into decay, dirty rumors spread that “violists are failed violinists”, which later became the basis for many, often offensive, jokes. For example: “What is the same between a grenade and the fingers of a violist? They don’t fall in the same place twice”, “The violist and the priest died on the same day and at the same time ended up at the gates of paradise. The Holy Apostle Peter gladly lets the violist into Heaven, but asks the priest to wait. The priest is outraged

I've been praying all my life, and this guy has been playing his viola all his life! Why are you skipping ahead?!

When you prayed, - Peter answers, - everyone fell asleep. And when he started to play, everyone started to pray…”, “The program of the international viola competition: 1st round – tuning the instrument, 2nd round – driving the bow along the open (original: empty) strings. The program of the 3rd round is not announced - anyway, no one reaches it”, “There were three sons in the family: two are smart, and the third is a violist…” and many others. As you can see, these jokes not only do not correspond to reality, but are offensive (not only for violists), humiliating and contain a large number of gross errors.

Alto gave way. The ancient instrument was silent. The great viola works of Bach, Mozart, Paganini, Berlioz and others have been forgotten. Of course, during the period of oblivion, some composers continued to compose music for viola - B. Bartok, W. Walson, M. I. Glinka, I. Brahms, R. Schumann, N. Roslavets, A. Adam, L. Delibes, R. Strauss , L. Janachek, I. F. Stravinsky, M. Reger - the famous organist, etc. There were also performers of these works, but, alas, they were few.

The revival of viola art occurred only at the end of the 19th century and continued throughout the 20th century. V. V. Borisovsky became the father of the Russian viola school. Although his teacher V. R. Bakaleinikov was a violist, in 1927 he emigrated to the United States, where, at the invitation of the conductor Fritz Reiner, he took the post of his assistant and first viola in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Borisovsky himself "carried away" the viola, one might say purely by accident. Once, he heard the performance of the orchestra, where he was the soloist. Closing his eyes and not listening to low notes, the viola sounded like a violin.

V. V. Borisovsky - in the past a famous violinist, concertmaster of the first violins of the Moscow Conservatory. P.I. Tchaikovsky, but having felt the fullness of the sound of the viola, he became a violist.

Vadim Vasilievich literally “propaganda” the viola everywhere, infecting everyone with its magical sound. “The idea of ​​equalizing the viola as a solo instrument with violin and cello, proclaimed by Borisovsky at the beginning of his creative activity, in those years seemed ... not only bold, but even bold. The level of viola performance was extremely low, and the creation of the school had to be started almost from scratch ”(Yuzefovich V.“ V.V. Borisovsky - the founder of the Soviet viola school, 1977 ”).

When founding the viola school, Vadim Vasilyevich studied the technique of playing the Viol d'amore, which is closest to the viola technique.

“Before my eyes and ears, a special viola class was born. For a long time already, but especially today, I am convinced that historically, practically and in every possible way the creation and subsequent non-stop very successful development of it was justified. Much, much has been done by you for the prosperity of your offspring,” Professor K. G. Mostras wrote to Borisovsky in 1956. Many well-known composers, such as D. D. Shostakovich, B. Astafiev, E. Denisov, often friends of the great violist, wrote for the viola, and Vadim Vasilievich was the first performer of these works.

A huge part of the works for viola are arranged and arranged by Borisovsky. Among them are "Unfinished Sonata" by M. I. Glinka, "Pavane on the Death of the Infanta" by M. Ravel.

The number of viola fans increased. Professional violists were F. S. Druzhinin, Yu. A. Bashmet, E. Yu. Stoklitskaya, I. I. Boguslavsky, A. Koval, A. V. Bagrintsev, I. D. Labinskaya, L. N. Gushchina, E. Strakhov, R. Seid-Zade and others.

In our time, this phenomenon has acquired a global character and has received the name - world altism. Sites dedicated to the viola have become increasingly popular. For example, the site of violists "Violamusic", the main users of which are already more than 1800 people, not to mention those who just drop by.

In 2010, the entire world viola community celebrated a remarkable event: it was 110 years since the birth of V. V. Borisovsky. Also, in 2010, the violin and viola teacher I. D. Labinskaya celebrated her 80th birthday. Inessa Dzhamilievna devoted most of her life to the training and education of future musicians. She still works at the Children's Music School named after M. M. Ipollitov - Ivanov. I am happy that I had the opportunity to learn from her. And now I can just talk to her. The love and professionalism with which she teaches young children to extract sound from small violins is like a miracle (future violists, in the elementary grades, study the violin class, and only at an older age they switch to the viola). She, that kind teacher who lives by students: their successes and failures, teaching them to love music and understand. Although she did not want to be mentioned in this article - this is just a small thanks for her great work. I would like to wish Inessa Dzhamilievna good health, strength and many years of life.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the viola is no longer entering the musical "arena", but is rapidly bypassing other instruments, becoming more and more established as the king of musical instruments, which has a rich history full of ups and downs.

The viola is a philosopher's instrument, a little sad and quiet. Alt is always ready to help other instruments, but never tries to draw attention to himself. Albert Lavignac (1846-1916)

We can say that for a long time the most unlucky instrument of the modern orchestra was undoubtedly the viola. The viola is a stringed bowed instrument of the violin family, it is somewhat larger than the violin in size. The earliest examples of this instrument date back to the 16th century. The outstanding Italian master A. Stradivari played a huge role in developing the best design for the viola. This instrument has 4 strings tuned in fifths, just a fifth lower than the violin: C-sol-re-la. In the beginning, all viola strings were made of strands, but nowadays their core is made of both strands and steel, which is covered with a metal braid on top. In comparison with the violin, the viola is a less mobile instrument, it has a muffled, dull, but soft and expressive timbre. Since ancient times, the viola has been used in the string quartet and symphony orchestra to fill medium, melodically "neutral" voices in overall sound harmony and therefore was usually kept at the level of the least developed instrument. The reason for such a strange phenomenon was the fact that, on the one hand, the composers themselves did not strive to develop middle voices, and on the other hand, they did not want to notice those natural qualities of the viola that he possessed.

Even Beethoven, who did a lot to reveal the orchestral possibilities of individual instruments and well developed the means of their artistic expression, in his quartets, kept the viola at the level of a subordinate voice. Naturally, such an attitude by the composer towards the viola, as an equal member of the symphony orchestra, gave rise to an equally indifferent attitude towards it on the part of the musicians themselves. Nobody wanted to learn to play the viola, considering this instrument destitute, and in the orchestra those unfortunate and rather mediocre violinists who could not even overcome the part of the second violins became violists. In a word, violists were looked upon as violinists-losers, resolutely unable to overcome their already simple parts, and the instrument itself in the eyes of enlightened musicians did not enjoy any respect. There is such an anecdote: a conductor is walking through the desert and suddenly he sees: a violist is standing in the sands and playing divinely. The conductor was scared. And then he thinks: “Well, no, this cannot be. Thank God it's just a mirage."

Let's ask ourselves, was such a dismissive attitude towards the viola deserved by him? Of course not. This tool has such rich possibilities that it contains, that only one bold and decisive step was needed, the tool came out of the artificial stupor that had seized it. And the very first such unusual step in this direction was the daring experience of Etienne Mayul (1763-1817), who wrote the whole opera "Uthal" without the first and second violins and instructed the violas to perform the main and highest part of the strings. And twenty-eight years later, in 1834, Hector Barlioz, who was a passionate admirer of the viola and his great connoisseur, wrote a large symphony "Harold in Italy", where he entrusted the viola with the main part. According to legend: Barlioz, delighted with Paganini's playing, intended this outstanding solo just for him, but Paganini himself never managed to play it in concert. It was first played in the "Padel Concerts" by Ernesto-Camillo Sivori (1815-1894), and in the "Conservatory Concerts" by Joseph-Lambert Massart (1811-1892).

The viola occupies an intermediate position between the violin and the cello, but it is closer to the violin than to the cello. Therefore, those who think that the viola, by the nature of its sound, is more like the cello, are mistaken because it is built an octave higher than the cello. Viola, in its structure, string tuning and playing techniques, of course, belongs more to the violin than to any other bowed instrument. The viola is a little larger than the violin, it holds exactly the same during the game, and its four strings, located a perfect fifth below the violin ones, have three common strings with them, sounding completely identical with them. For some reason, in everyday life, the opinion has been established that the viola sounds a little nasal and a little dull. If the viola really is like a violin, then where did it acquire those “qualities” that the violin did not have at all?

The fact is that a real viola, created in the correct and corresponding to exact calculations, was not used in the orchestra in those days only because it would have turned out to be a completely inaccessible instrument for those “failed” violinists who, due to necessity, had to play in the recent past. change your violin to viola. Therefore, it is quite natural that all these “violinists”, being expelled from the second violins, were not going to waste their time and effort on a deep mastery of a new and rather complex instrument, but generally preferred to “somehow” fulfill their duties, so as not to go into case details. Thanks to the circumstances that had arisen, the violin makers very quickly adapted to the “new circumstances” and decided of their own free will to reduce the size of the viola as much as the “failed violinist’s” hand, which was of little use for the viola, demanded. Hence, there was a discrepancy in the size of the instrument, of which, until very recently, there were almost seven varieties. And so it happened that the violin makers quite simply solved the problem, but also simply “spoiled” the instrument, depriving it of those inherent qualities that no viola-undersized could have at its disposal.

At the same time, the instrument remade in this way acquired new qualities that the original viola did not have. These newfound qualities appealed greatly to musicians who did not want to hear about persistent attempts to revive the true size of the viola. This disagreement arose only because the undersized viola made it possible for all violinists to use it, whom the vicissitudes of fate turned into violists and the change of the instrument did not entail any consequences for the performer, and even more so because the sonority of the undersized viola acquired such a characteristic “nasal” , muffledness and severity, that neither the composers nor the musicians themselves wanted to part with it. How strong these sentiments turned out to be can be judged by at least one fact that the Paris Conservatoire not only accepted the viola undersized in their classes, but even recognized that the middle of the seven varieties that have already been mentioned is generally the best instrument. Justice demands to admit that the alto undersized invariably continues to act as an "obligatory viola" in the hands of violinists who study it in order to expand their musical and performing horizons. As for the “genuine viola”, it is used only by those violists who devote themselves completely to this instrument, as their direct and only “profession”. It is in this sense that the “viola class”, as an independent instrument, has existed in Russian conservatories since 1920, thus contributing to the great commitment of young musicians to this amazing voice of the modern orchestra.

But this did not satisfy true connoisseurs of the art of playing the viola. And already in the first half of the 19th century, the French violin maker Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (1798-1875) created a new type of viola, which had an unusually strong and full tone. He gave it the name contralto, but without meeting due recognition, he transferred his instrument to the museum. Such a failure did not greatly upset the zealous defenders of the genuine viola. More fortunate was the German Harman Ritter (1849-1926), who restored the correct dimensions of the viola and named it viola alta - "alto viola". This instrument, like the contralto created by William, sounds full, juicy and without any overtones. It was this kind of viola that came into general use, and the peculiarity of this modification is that the student to play this instrument must have a sufficiently large and strong hand and devoting himself to the viola, he should not regret the violin, which turned out to be for him for some reason out of reach.

It is known for certain that such great violinists as Paganini, Sivori, Vieuxtan (1820-1881) and Alar (1815-1888) were very fond of playing the viola part in quartets and were not at all ashamed of it. Moreover, Vieuxtan was the owner of a wonderful viola by Paolo Magini (1581-1628) and quite often performed on it in his concerts. One of the chronicles tells that the old teacher of Paganini, the violinist Alesandro Rolla (1757-1841), owned the viola with great skill, and this invariably delighted his listeners. In the orchestra, the viola has long since taken its well-deserved place, although it continued to be subjected to infringement more than once. If at the time of the "birth of the orchestra" the viola performed very modest duties and was rather invisible, then in the polyphonic music of Bach and Handel the viola was equal in rights with the second violin, performing duties quite equivalent to it. By the middle of the 18th century, under the influence of the composers of the "Neapolitan school", the importance of the viola in the orchestra gradually falls and it switches to the support of middle voices, mainly performed by second violins. Under such circumstances, the viola often finds itself out of work, and composers more and more often entrust it with amplifying the bass voice. At one time, the authors took the trouble to indicate the actual duties of the viola with the words viola col basso, and at other times they relied on "custom", believing that the actions of the viola are already implied by themselves. In this last case, the viola always doubled the cello, and the lower voice turned out to sound in three octaves at once. Such cases in the presentation of violas can be found not only in Gluck, but also in Haydn and even in Mozart. In some Russian composers, such as Glinka and Tchaikovsky, one can find examples of leading violas together with double basses as the lowest voice of harmony, set out in an octave. But this use of violas was caused by the desire to separate the cellos for some responsible solo, and not at all by the desire to “stick” the violas, which for some moment could be unoccupied. In this case, the altos honorably fulfilled the duties of the lower voice, but due to the great difference in sound with the double bass, they were most often content with only a few bars.

One of the first works in which we meet the viola solo part was Mozart's Symphonic Concerto written in 1779, in which the composer considered the viola and violin as equal partners. Beginning with Beethoven, the viola acquired in the orchestra the importance that it, in fact, should have occupied by right. Since then, the alto part was often divided into two voices, which made it possible to use genuine polyphony. The first case of this interpretation of the violas is easy to meet at the very beginning of Mozart's Sol-minor symphony, and the second - in the "Adagio ma non troppo" of the finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. If you want to entrust the most responsible voice to the viola-solo, a natural need arose to attach all other violas as accompaniment to the violins. Just such a case occurs in "The Song of Ankhen" in the third act of Weber's Magic Shooter. However, in the modern orchestra, and with the exception of the one already mentioned, the viola before Richard Wagner was still at a rather low stage of development. For the first time, it was he who assigned the viola to a party of great complexity, and one of such cases occurs in his "Overture" to the opera Tannhäuser, in the place where the author plays the music accompanying the scene known as the "Grotto of Venus".

Since that time, the complexity and fullness of the viola parts in the orchestra has been continuously increasing, and now the “technique” of the viola is on the same level with all other instruments of the orchestra. Alts often began to entrust quite responsible solo parts, which they perform with amazing penetration. Sometimes, the viola part is performed by one instrument - then the rest of the violas accompany it. Sometimes, the whole community of violas performs the melodic pattern entrusted to them, and then they sound amazingly beautiful. Sometimes, finally, the altos are entrusted with the conduct of the "middle voices", set out in many voices. The softness and sincerity of the viola is often enhanced by the use of a mute, which, by muffling the sonority of the instrument a little, gives it a lot of charm and genuine charm.

The viola is especially well combined with its closest neighbors in the string orchestra. Sometimes the violas join the cellos, and then the sonority of such a combination acquires extraordinary expressiveness. It was this technique that Tchaikovsky used twice when he ordered the combination of these instruments to perform a polyphonic church chant at the very beginning of the 1812 overture and, conversely, the funeral singing of nuns at the beginning of the fifth picture of the Queen of Spades, where Herman imagines a funeral procession through the sounds of winter weather. But this composer achieves an absolutely incredible, oppressive, boring and chilling sonority of the violas when he entrusts the violas with the monotonous pattern of the first pages of the fourth picture of the same opera, unbearable by its stubborn persistence. Mysterious horror is filled with the sonority of the separated strings with a mute, to which Tchaikovsky entrusts the music of The Countess's Room.

However, such "gloomy" tasks do not always fall to the share of the viola. On the contrary, violas sound very transparent when they are called upon to perform the duties of low voices of harmony, with silent cellos and double basses. What amazing freshness permeated the delightful "Introduction" to the ballet The Nutcracker, where the violas are entrusted with the entire main bass line.

In a modern orchestra, the duties of the viola are already inexhaustible. He sounds somewhat different in chamber music, where he is entrusted with much more complex tasks. As an instrument of the "chamber ensemble", with the exception of the string quartet and quintet, the viola was used quite little, but penetratingly. There is no great need to list all these works. Suffice it to recall that among the composers who paid special attention to the viola, there are such names as Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann. Of the later composers, it is fair to mention Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894), Claude Debussy (1862-1918) and A. K. Glazunov, and of the contemporary and still living composers, Sergei Vasilenko and Vladimir Kryukov (1902-), whose works for viola received great fame due to their frequent performance by Vadim Borisovsky (1900-).

So, the modern viola is a violin enlarged in size. In the past, as has already been said, these ratios were not as large as required by unconditional calculation. The old viola, thanks to the somewhat reduced bulge of the "resonance box" and this inaccuracy in size, was distinguished by its peculiar nasality and muffled sound, peculiar only to it. On the contrary, the modern viola, restored in its "voluminous rights", sounds full, majestic, juicy, bright and by no means "nasally". In this case, he not only lost all the features of his somewhat harsh, hazy sound, characteristic of the "undersized" viola, but no performer with a small hand would be able to use it. The old “reduced” viola is a thing of the past, and the restored “ordinary” viola is stubbornly striving to take a more solid place in the symphony orchestra of modern times. Justice, however, requires to say that this "reborn" viola also exists in several sizes. They differ quite a lot only in their extreme values, although they are very close to each other in terms of the sound quality characteristic of the “ideal” viola. It is this, more than successful, property of “size difference” that enables performers to use in the orchestra that variety of viola that best suits their data. So, like the violin, the viola has four strings tuned in fifths and sounding a fifth below the violin ones. The three high strings of the viola coincide exactly with the three low countries of the violin, and the names assigned to the extreme strings of the violin are exactly preserved on the viola. Notes for the viola are written in the alto or Do key on the third line, and in other cases, to avoid an excessive number of additional lines at the top, in the Sol key.

String tuning on the viola in the orchestra is used very rarely, and then only in relation to the “basque”, when the Do string is tuned to Si of a large octave.

The modern volume of the viola not so long ago was determined by three full octaves - from do small to do third. Now it has expanded somewhat and, with the exception of harmonics, it can be brought up to the third octave fa - a sound difficult to extract, but sounding quite satisfactory. In the orchestra, this step now appears more insistently and more often. In a symphony orchestra, these "extreme steps" of the viola volume are used very rarely. Their services are usually resorted to in cases where the author wants to keep the sonority of the viola at the very top, or when he is forced to resort to just such a measure.

Alto(English and Italian viola, French alto, German Bratsche) or violin viola - a string-bowed musical instrument of the same device as the violin, but somewhat larger, which makes it sound in a lower register. The viola strings are tuned a fifth below the violin and an octave above the cello - c, g, d1, a1 (to, salt of a small octave, re, la of the first octave). The most common range is from c (to a small octave) to e3 (mi of the third octave), in solo works it is possible to use higher sounds. Notes are written in alto and treble clefs.

Story

The viola is considered the earliest bowed instrument in existence today. The time of its appearance is attributed to the turn of the XV-XVI centuries. The viola was the first instrument that was exactly the shape that we are used to seeing. Designed by Antonio Stradivari.

Viola da braccio (Italian: viola da braccio), or viola for the hand, is considered the ancestor of the viola. This viola, like the current violins and violas, was held on the left shoulder, in contrast to the viola da gamba (Italian: viola da gamba), which were held on the knee or between the knees. Over time, the Italian name of the instrument was reduced to just viola, under which it entered, for example, English, or to Bratsche (distorted braccio), which was fixed in German and similar languages.

The design of the modern viola is almost the same as the violin, except for the size. The viola does not have a division in size, like the violin, the size of the viola is measured in millimeters. There are violas from 350 mm (which is smaller than a whole violin) to 425 mm. The choice of instrument size depends on the length of the performer's hands.

Of the entire violin family, the viola was the closest to the viola in terms of size and sound, so it quickly became part of the orchestra as a middle voice and harmoniously merged into it. Thus, the viola was a kind of bridge between the outgoing family of viols and the emerging violin instruments.