Violas

The viola is often that voice of moderation that complements or counteracts the brilliant sound of the violin and the dark resonance of the cello. Traditionally, its place between these two instruments has been to sound the “inner voices” in string quartets and symphonic works, often playing the accompanist role to the dominating works written for violin and cello. Recently, the viola has emerged to take on a more soloistic position. With an increasing number of specialized soloists, composers in the early 20th century began to write more works for the viola. Today, the trend continues, and violists are finding a growing demand and acceptance among audiences for solo viola works, as well as transcriptions of the virtuosic works of the violin and cello.

Thus, the viola has truly become a crossover instrument. In its lightest and darkest moments, it can speak in either voice of the violin or cello, while maintaining its vocal identity. In solo or in concert, it performs with a full blossoming tone and with a clarity and richness that sets it apart from the other instruments. This means that much is demanded from the player and from the instrument itself. In an array of lengths and body shapes, makers have engineered a wide variety of acoustic designs to fit the differing needs and desires of players. With this understanding, we carefully select instruments to give our customers a truly comprehensive selection. All aspects of sound quality, size, condition and pedrigree are taken into account. Our collection includes violas from the 17th to the 21st centuries from fine makers and workshops throughout the countries of Europe, the U.K., North and South America, and the Far East. We welcome your inquiries and invite you to enjoy our collection.