The vertical viola, or alto violin, is a stringed instrument with the range of a

viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

that is played vertically in the manner of a

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

. It is the fourth-highest member of the

violin octet The violin octet is a family of stringed instruments developed in the 20th century primarily under the direction of the American luthier Carleen Hutchins. Each instrument is based directly on the traditional violin and shares its acoustical prop ...

(after the treble, soprano, and mezzo violins). The standard viola is about as big as can conveniently be played under the chin. The physicist/instrument maker

Carleen Hutchins Carleen Maley Hutchins (May 24, 1911 – August 7, 2009) was an American high school science teacher, violinmaker and researcher, best known for her creation, in the 1950s/60s, of a family of eight proportionally-sized violins now known as th ...

, working during the 1960s, reasoned that a viola played vertically could be made larger, and that a larger viola might produce a better sound. Based on principles of instrument design she had observed in top-quality existing instruments, Hutchins designed a viola about longer than the regular viola, intended to be played vertically like a cello. (Despite Hutchins's original intention, a few violists have played her viola horizontally.) The fundamental acoustic principle underlying the vertical viola is that the main body

resonance Resonance describes the phenomenon of increased amplitude that occurs when the frequency of an applied Periodic function, periodic force (or a Fourier analysis, Fourier component of it) is equal or close to a natural frequency of the system ...

(resonance of the wood of the instrument) should match the second-highest string, and the main cavity resonance (resonance of the air the instrument contains) should match the third-highest string. On a viola these strings are D and G, respectively. The standard viola is too small to achieve this matchup of string frequency to resonance frequency. The same design principle was used by Hutchins to design a complete family of eight stringed instruments, commonly called the

, of which the vertical viola has been the most successful. Since all of the instruments are designed based on the violin, Hutchins gave the name ''alto violin'' to her vertical viola design. Hutchins's instrument has attracted admiration for its power and beauty of tone. The cellist

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma ('' Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...

has employed a Hutchins vertical viola to perform and record Béla Bartók's

Viola Concerto A viola concerto is a concerto contrasting a viola with another body of musical instruments such as an orchestra or chamber music ensemble. Early examples of viola concertos include Telemann's concerto in G major and several concertos by Carl St ...

External links

Web site of the New Violin Family AssociationYo-Yo Ma's recording of the Bartók Viola Concerto (record company's site)

Yo-Yo Ma playing the Bartók Viola Concerto on the vertical violaYo-Yo Ma's recording of Bartók Viola Concerto on the vertical viola, the ''New York Album'', tracks 5-6-7
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