Viola d’amore

As Printed on a Score

Appears as a staff label, Viola d’amore (plural Viole d’amore), in Baroque and occasional later scores, written in alto or treble clef. Some older parts use scordatura notation, in which the written notes show fingering on a special tuning rather than sounding pitch, so check the tuning given at the head of the part or in the edition’s notes.

Also spelled: Viola d'amore, Viole d’amore

How Composers Use It

A viola-sized instrument with six or seven bowed strings and a second set of sympathetic strings that ring in resonance, giving the tone a silvery halo; it is usually tuned to a D-major chord, which favours chords and arpeggios in sharp keys. Bach used a pair in the St John Passion (“Betrachte, meine Seel’” and “Erwäge”), and Meyerbeer and Janáček later revived it for a veiled, archaic colour. Treat it as a soloist with light accompaniment; it cannot project against an orchestral tutti.

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