The violin is a cornerstone of Western classical music: a soulful, bittersweet instrument whose sound conjures feelings of both love and loss, grandeur and simplicity. It is easily one of the world's most recognizable instruments, and certainly one of the most recognizable stringed instruments. (Perhaps only outdone by, if not tied with, the guitar in this regard.)
Yet something lives in the shadow of the beloved violin: Its cousin, the humble viola, which, while just as deserving of praise by music-lovers the world over, seems to lack appreciation.
The viola is slightly larger than its cousin, with a deeper sound—in its modern iteration placed between the violin and cello, as far as pitch goes.
"The viola has a darker and richer timbre than the violin," says Quinn Trickey, a violinist, occasional violist (that is, a player of the viola), and student enrolled in Western Connecticut State University's Department of Music in Danbury, Connecticut. "Classical composers usually place the viola in the alto section of an orchestra, a section which is used for "filler" or accompaniment parts, hence the viola not having a chance to really "shine" in the way a violin might..."
Trickey, a musician whose academic focuses are the violin and audio engineering and production, has a deep understanding of various instruments' places in both contemporary and older forms of music. He concurs, as do a growing number of musicians and composers, that the viola is an underdog:
"In a lot of classical pieces its instruments like the viola and cello that are treated as "fluff" voices, never getting melodies or base lines, which are the portions of a classical piece that people most readily recognize."
Trickey goes on to offer some hope for the ostracized viola, mentioning that it has seen an uptick in popularity in recent years, with more contemporary composers utilizing it in their compositions.
A new idolization of the viola, however, may not be an entirely good thing, at least as far as violists' wallets are concerned:
"The violin," says Trickey, "being a "showy" instrument, is one everyone wants to play, and therefore there are not a lot of instrumentalists taking up the viola by comparison, and hence there ends up being a huge, and profitable, demand for violists."
The lack of supply in decent violists ends up lining the pockets of multi-instrumentalists, as well: Trickey mentions that violinists who also excel at viola are paid better, as they have access to multiple positions in a professional orchestra.
However, Trickey warns any violinists looking to take up the viola that it's no easy matter: "Playing the viola is not that simple for trained violinists, as, even though the viola is slightly larger, any change in size makes a huge difference in technique."
Re-learning one's firmly established instrumental techniques may be difficult, but for a growing number of violinists, as well as newcomers to classical instruments, studying the viola is becoming a tantalizing and rewarding way to enter the world of music: It seems as if, albeit gradually, more and more of the musically-minded are flocking to the dark, rich sounds of the violin's humble cousin.