The viola is a smaller stringed instrument than the violin. The alto member of the violin family, situated between the cello and the violin and with a richer, darker tone than the violin, performs the role of the alto member of the violin family. The viola can be found in orchestras and string ensembles, and some music has been written specifically for it as a solo instrument, particularly since the twentieth century. The viola is also used in folk music, and is commonly found in Hungarian and Romanian folk bands. The viola has been used some jazz and blues musicians, and it is occasionally heard in contemporary pop music.
Georg Philipp Telemann composed viola music during the Baroque period, including some well-known viola concertos. Johann Sebastian Bach’s sixth Brandenburg Concerto features the viola prominently. Solo viola passages first appeared in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s string quartets during the Classical Period. Johannes Brahms later composed works that emphasized the viola’s role, as well as transcribed two clarinet sonatas for the viola.
In the twentieth century, there was a greater amount of viola music written. Viola concertos Bela Bartok and William Walton are among the works written for the viola as a solo instrument. With the viola, new instrument combinations emerged, such as Claude Debussy’s Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp. In purely orchestral works, such as Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations, the viola played a prominent role.
Paul Hindemith was a composer and violist whose works include sonatas for solo viola and works for viola and orchestra. Hindemith also composed a viola and cello scherzo. Rebecca Clarke was another viola player who also composed viola music, though her musical output was limited. Some pieces for viola and piano, Prelude, Allegro, and Pastorale for viola and clarinet, and Lullaand Grotesque for viola and cello are among her works.
The viola can also be found in traditional and contemporary folk music, though it is not as popular as the violin. In Hungary and Romania, the viola is frequently heard in traditional folk string bands. Helen Bell uses the viola as an instrument in her compositions and performances of modern folk music. Mary Ramsey, a viola player from the United States, most recently played for the alternative band 10,000 Maniacs in 2011. She has also performed as part of the pop duo John & Mary, a pop duo formed with John Lombardo, and in the group John & Mary and the Valkyries.