The viola was an instrument that went through many changes and modifications through the Renaissance era, all the way to the Romantic period of music. It was not recognized as much as the other instruments in the strings orchestra, but its melodious tone had gradually brought an uprising fame to society. Today, the viola is most recognized and is known as the violin's sister, differing from centuries ago. Citizens back in the 16th century would not believe that it was very closely related to the violin, as it was once played like a cello!
The viola originated in northern Italy, specifically in the city of Brescia. Researchers debate about when the viola was adopted as an instrument, but many say that it was invented during 1530-1550 A.D. It is also unknown as of who developed the viola, …show more content…
Violas were categorized into 2 groups, due to their size: Alto violas and tenor violas. The results were differences in pitch, tone, and quality/volume. The alto viola was smaller and created a higher sound. However, the tenor viola was much larger and produced a lower pitch. In addition, violas used to come in a children's size, which was a more compact size of the viola. They were known as “fractional violas” because they were a fraction, or a smaller size. They could come to as small as 1/64 viola size! There was also another viola before the classical viola (the modern viola), called the Baroque viola. It consisted of the Baroque bow instead of the modern Tourte bow, as was played without a chin rest as well as a shoulder rest. In the 1930’s the electric viola and the semi-electric viola was created, with a different shape and a different way of playing. In the beginning, some also say that the instrument was actually played like the cello and the bow was curved like the modern day cello bow. The width of the instrument increased, as well as the base of the instrument to balance the strings (increasing the