Viola

As Printed on a Score

Viola (plural Viole) labels the viola staff, shortened to Vla., Va. or Vle. on later systems. The part is written mainly in alto clef, moving to treble clef for high passages. The same instrument is Alto in French scores and Bratsche or Violen in German ones, so a staff marked Alto in a French score is the violas, not a voice.

Abbreviations: Vla., Vla, Va., Vle.

Also spelled: Viole

How Composers Use It

Its range starts on the C an octave below middle C, a fifth below the violin, and the C string gives the darkest, most veiled colour in the string section. Classical scores often keep the violas filling the harmony or doubling the bass; later composers increasingly gave them melodies of their own. The viola is quieter than its neighbours, so give an exposed viola line light accompaniment, or double it with cellos, clarinet or horn when it must cut through.

Example

Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”), second movement (Largo), viola part, m. 101: “4 Viole” at pp, then “2 Viole con sordini” at m. 105 — the section reduced first to a few desks, then to two muted players.

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