We're normally more 'captured' by physical extremities, as they are the easiest way to recognize something. A fast driver usually gets more attention than a cautious driver, no matter which one is 'best'. It's more or less the same thing as ' fast is more than slow'. High pitch 'voices' (or, better, voices with higher harmonics that are more predominant) are normally more 'interesting' to the average listener. In some styles of early baroque music, it was in fact more common to have several viola parts and one violin part.) (Many longstanding trends in the arts and elsewhere are due at least party to self-stabilizing fashions like this, rather than to rational reasons only. The lack of viola solo literature is partly a consequence of the lack of capable violists.Īlso, the typical orchestra has many more violin than viola seats, further contributing to a dearth of violists.Ĭontrariwise, the absolute deluge of violin works contributed to a deluge of aspiring violinists and vice versa, in a self-reinforcing cycle. They were, in fact, often rejects from violin classes. The viola was harder to play in a dexterous way, and viola players were generally less capable than violinists. A viola solo would have been considered uncouth, much like we still consider a bass tuba solo as somewhat humorous.

These adjustments lead to a different, less brilliant sound, and through much of the classical and romantic eras, composers hadn't learnt to appreciate this sound. It sounds a fifth below the violin and has the same proportions, so it would have to be 50% larger but because you couldn't easily handle such an instrument on your shoulder, it is in fact only 15-20% larger, and the rest of the difference must be made up by heavier strings, lower tension etc. The viola is acoustically less well-designed than the violin.

Walton violin concerto pdf reader