Why the Viola Was Neglected in the 18th-Century Orchestra
Today the viola is admired for its warm, dark, singing tone. But in the mid-1700s, it was one of the least respected instruments in the orchestra. How did it fall so far, and why did it take so long to recover?
In This Article
Opera Changed the Orchestra
Around the middle of the 18th century, the viola's role in the orchestra shifted noticeably. Much of that change traces back to the composers of the Neapolitan opera school, including Leonardo Vinci, Francesco Durante, and Nicola Porpora.
Their operas put the spotlight on virtuoso singing, and the drama of the music itself sometimes took a back seat. The orchestra's job became simple: accompany the singers. In that setting, the viola was usually asked to do one of two things. It either supported the second violins in the inner voices or, most often, doubled the bass line, adding weight and range to the lower register. Some composers did not even write out a separate viola part. The players were simply expected to repeat the bass.
Composers' Neglect Became Players' Neglect
This low opinion soon spread from composers to performers. Few musicians wanted to learn or play the viola. Because it looks and feels so much like the violin, and because orchestral viola parts were no longer difficult, the job often went to weaker violinists.
To make the switch even easier, many players chose the smallest violas available, instruments barely larger than a violin and simply strung with viola strings. These became known as "undersized violas." Seeing the demand, makers began producing them in large numbers, and German makers in particular filled orchestras with them.
The result was not good. These compromise instruments lost the qualities that make a true viola special. Later writers described their sound as nasal, hollow, and dry, and most composers and players were happy to be rid of them.
Why size matters: A viola's deep, rich voice depends on its larger body. Shrinking the instrument to violin size does not make an easier viola. It makes a worse one.
The "Outcast" of the Orchestra
Unfortunately, this period did lasting damage. It held back the viola's development for a long time, especially as a solo instrument. Musicians began giving it unflattering nicknames, and in the orchestra it came to be seen as unnecessary.
Left out of the spotlight, and often out of the score.
Overshadowed by the violin it closely resembled.
Handed to whoever was left over in the second violins.
The Belgian musicologist François-Auguste Gevaert observed that if the viola part were removed from a string quartet, the remaining three voices would still provide enough harmony. In his view, the Neapolitan style of orchestration caught on because violas were scarce, players lacked experience, and the viola could only double the bass at the fifth. The part was usually given to the weakest player in the second violins.
A Voice of Reason: Johann Joachim Quantz
Not everyone shared this view. The flutist and composer Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773), in his well-known treatise on flute playing, wrote that violists were generally treated as minor figures in the orchestra. His explanation: the viola was usually played by beginners without the talent for violin, and people wrongly assumed the instrument had little to offer. As a result, gifted musicians avoided it.
But Quantz also offered a challenge to proud soloists. A skilled violinist, he argued, should never feel embarrassed to play second violin or even viola. Many works demand just as much skill from those parts as from the first violin.
In Quantz's view, a player's true standing comes from ability, and that ability should show in any role.
Why This History Still Matters
The viola's low reputation in the 1700s was never about the instrument itself. It was about how it was written for and who was assigned to play it. Fortunately, later composers and great violists changed that picture, and today the viola is recognized as one of the most expressive voices in the string family.
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