History of the Violin & Viola

On page 18 of Celebrate Theory / History 9 (the unit on Vivaldi and The Four Seasons), there is a paragraph about luthiers, the makers of fine string instruments, and a suggestion to read The Violin and Viola: History, Structure, Techniques by Sheila M. Nelson (Dover, 2003) for more information. I borrowed this book from the library and enjoyed it very much.

My mother’s violin, along with the three books I used in the violin & viola classes I took at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music. (Photograph by Janice Kerkkamp)

The Violin and Viola contains a wealth of information not only about the history of the violin family and music written for strings but also about performance practice in general.

Here are a few of the things I learned from reading this book:

The earliest evidence of bowed string instruments is in Islamic and Byzantine writings and paintings from the 10th and 11th centuries. The use of bowed instruments spread to Europe from the East, primarily through Spain.

The ancestors of the violin appear to be the vielle, the Renaissance fiddle, and the lira da braccio. The violin combined the best characteristics of these instruments. The earliest references to violins are in France in 1523. By 1550 the four-stringed violin family was established.

In the Renaissance, viols were the preferred instruments for accompanying voices because they blended well. The loud, expressive violins had more carrying power and were used for entertainments and dancing. Unlike the viol bow, a violin bow was held palm downward; the resulting articulation and accentuation on the down-bow was ideal for dance music.

With the birth of opera and ballet at the beginning of the 17th century, the violin family emerged as the basis of Western instrumental composition and the violin was accepted as a 'respectable' instrument. Violinists were important as accompanists and gained a new virtuosity in imitation of solo singers. Claudio Monteverdi is credited as being the composer who laid the foundation of the traditional Baroque orchestra; his violin parts included tremolo and pizzicato effects. Later Italian composers such as Carissimi, Cavalli, and Scarlatti developed the violin family's importance in the orchestra and as obbligato instruments; Vivaldi played the greatest part in establishing strings as the nucleus of the orchestra.

The Italians made the finest instruments in the Renaissance and Baroque eras. I think most of us have heard of the Amati and Guarneri families, as well as Antonio Stradivari. Apparently it takes time (anywhere from 10 to 80 years) for a violin to reach full, mature sonority; the sound of an unplayed violin does not mature at all. As Stradivari violins matured, they became prized above all others due to their quality and strength of tone. I learned that the preferred wood for violins is maple (it's resistant to deformation), preferably from trees grown on mountain-slopes exposed to the sun, cut in December or January from the south side of the tree, neither too hard nor too soft! English violin-makers have been at a disadvantage because the wood needs to be fully exposed to sun and air but not rain for 5 to 6 years before it is dry enough to use.

Bows have varied in length and shape over the centuries. Unlike the instruments, early bows were discarded as they went out of fashion, so almost no specimens exist today; we must rely on descriptions and pictures to find out what they were like.

Vibrato was originally considered to be an ornament reserved for long notes. Since 1750, vibrato has become an integral part of the sound, though this was somewhat controversial until the 20th century. With the advent of recording techniques, a faster, slightly narrower vibrato became more fashionable.

Poor violas! It seems that they (and those who play them) have been the butt of jokes almost since the beginning. Part of the problem was the emergence of the trio sonata in the Baroque era, which made use of two violins and continuo (cello and keyboard), no viola. In the 17th century, the violin became a popular instrument for amateur music making – simple music and treatises for amateur violinists became available (I think my favourite title of a violin “teach yourself” book has to be Nolens Volens or You Shall Learn to Play on the Violin whether you will or no, an English tutor from 1695!) – and the viola fell into disrepute. Not until the trio sonata was replaced by the string quartet in the 18th century was the viola considered worthy of attention by the better performers. Antonio Vivaldi wrote 454 concertos – none for the viola!

In the Baroque era the viola might have been given an independent line in strictly contrapuntal music, but with the advent of the style galant all parts became subservient to the upper melody (played on the violin), and often there was no viola part written at all. In the earliest symphonies the viola mostly doubled the bass line an octave above, occasionally played a third below the melody, and sometimes supplied a missing harmony note.

According to J.J. Quantz (in his treatise On Playing the Flute, chapter XVII, section III, 'Of the Violist in Particular'): “The viola is commonly regarded as of little importance in the musical establishment. The reason may well be that it is often played by persons who are either still beginners in the ensemble or have no particular gifts with which to distinguish themselves on the violin, or that the instrument yields all too few advantages to its players, so that able people are not easily persuaded to take it up...He has the easiest time in arias, since in them he usually only has to play a plain middle part, or perhaps double the bass...If [violists] employed the necessary industry, they could easily improve their lot in a large establishment, and gradually advance their position, instead of remaining chained to the viola to the end of their lives.”

The lack of interesting repertoire for violas discouraged musicians from playing the viola. Because there were no reputable performers, composers had no reason to produce works for them. This became a vicious circle which lasted until the Classical period, when composers such as Carl Stamitz, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven played the viola. By the end of the 18th century, things had changed for the modest viola: in symphonic and chamber music from that period, the viola has equal status with other string instruments.

Something I didn't know was that the string quartet developed from the 18th-century fashion for serenading one's friends by engaging a band of musicians to play beneath their windows. Obviously, it was not practical to include a continuo (keyboard) instrument, so these divertimenti were usually written for two violins, viola, and bass. Haydn's earliest string quartets were probably conceived as divertimenti. Both Haydn and Mozart allowed the lower parts (viola and cello) to take an increased share in the texture of their string quartets and other works for strings.

It was Berlioz who wrote the first big Romantic solo for viola and orchestra, Harold in Italy (written for, but never performed by, Paganini, who also played the viola occasionally). Berlioz considered the viola to be a “noble instrument.” Wagner, however, complained about the weakness of the viola section of the orchestra: “The viola is commonly (with rare exceptions indeed) played by infirm violinists, or by decrepit players of wind instruments who happen to have been acquainted with a stringed instrument once upon a time.” Ouch!

In the 19th century, structural alterations to the violin gave it more power. Programme music called for new effects from the orchestra, and greater technique was required of orchestral string players. And, of course, there were virtuoso soloists, the most famous being Niccolò Paganini. Paganini explored fully the technical possibilities of the violin; his playing (and showmanship) was unlike anything heard (or seen) before.

For 25 years I had the honour and pleasure of singing in a professional choir for the High Holy Days at Holy Blossom Temple. One of my favourite moments in these services was hearing the violinist Moshe Hammer playing Kol Nidrei by Max Bruch. I couldn't find a Youtube recording of Mr. Hammer playing this piece, but here's a recording by a violist: Max Bruch: Kol Nidrei, op. 47 (Rivka Golani, viola; Michele Levin, piano)

Here is a recording of Moshe Hammer playing Saint-Saëns: Camille Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, op. 28 (Moshe Hammer, violin; Winnipeg Symphony)

Here’s a piece by Niccolò Paganini: Caprice for Solo Violin, op. 1, no. 1 (Salvatore Accardo, violin)

And, finally, here's a recording of Berlioz's symphony in four movements with viola solo: Hector Berlioz: Harold in Italy, op. 16 (Nobuko Imai, viola; Gunma Symphony Orchestra)