Is the viola really useless?
"How do you stop a violin from being stolen? You put it in a viola case." "How can you tell if a violist is playing out of tune? You can see the bow moving." These are just some of countless viola jokes out there. In fact, there is a whole encyclopedia of them compiled by composer and cellist David Johnstone, and even a Wikipedia page solely devoted to viola jokes.
Clearly, the viola is a laughingstock for musicians all around the world, and has been for centuries. But while these jokes are harmless, they still belie the true purpose and place of the viola in classical music, especially for non-musicians who are unfamiliar with the viola. Then what is a viola, and what role does it play?
Simply put, the viola is a large violin with cello strings. This makes the viola
Five notes lower than the violin and
one octave higher than the cello. This puts the viola's range in between the cello and violin, fulfilling the tenor and alto range of an ensemble piece. Its range is similar to a human voice. This often makes the viola difficult to distinguish in ensemble pieces, as the audience listens for the violins' high melody and the cellos' resonating basslines.
This may seem to suggest that the viola is a dispensable part in an orchestra or an ensemble, as no one can hear them anyways. And in some pieces, this is true. Viola parts in orchestras can be very repetitive and very similar to other instruments' parts. One of viola's main roles in an orchestral piece is to support another instrument's melody by, for example, mirroring them in a different octave, playing tremolos (rapidly repeating a single note), or playing syncopated chords (notes emphasized on off-beats).
In measure 16 of the second movement of Dvorak's Symphony No.9 in E minor, Op.95; B 178, you can see the viola section (Vle) following the rhythm of the English Horn.
However, playing background music is not what violas always do. Not only do violas get to play the melody in orchestral pieces, they play the counterpoint of the melody. This is when two musical lines with different rhythm and pitches come together as a harmony. In many orchestral pieces, the viola's counterpoint can be heard along the melody, enhancing the harmony and setting a steady beat. In Schubert's Rosamunde Overture, we see this happening in the major section after the minor opening:
The highlighted section is the first violins with the melody, and Vla. is the viola. Even without listening too carefully, the countermelody is clear to the ear.
Violas also play fragments of the melody. Below, after the woodwinds play the melody, the viola and cello copy a fragment of it, like a question and answer.
Violas also exist beyond the orchestral setting. The string quartet includes a viola, along with two violins and a cello. There are also many viola concertos, which is where a solo violist plays with an entire orchestra. Below are the three movements (sections) of J.C. Bach, Casadesus' Viola Concerto in C Minor.
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVPSJthHV7Q
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvltniM0AMw
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEkFpned3tQ
The viola can be many things. It can be the joke in rehearsal, the glue of the string section, a big violin, or even the spotlight of the show. One thing we know for sure, however, is that violas have a clear use in many different kinds of ensembles, which by definition, makes them useful.