Violin vs Viola: Psychology behind the choice

 Violin vs Viola: The psychology behind the choice.

It is widely acknowledged amongst upper string players that there are certain character stereotypes, which whilst they are by no means a rule appear again and again. Broadly speaking there are three character stereotypes:

First violins: the soloists, who play and speak over everyone else and hate the idea of playing the inner parts.

Second violins: who are quite happy shadowing the first.

Viola players: quite a nervous character and who are quite relieved that their part isn’t too hard, and hoping that no one is really listening to them.

These stereotypes are of course far too general but this dissertation will question the psychologies of the upper strings and why people end up playing the first or second violin, or viola.

The theory is:

Most people start off on the violin. At some point there will always be a severe shortage of violas and many violinists are begged to play it. Many refuse. Of those that accept, the hypothosis is that one of four things happens: 

1. They think: “No one can hear me so low in the texture, this is awful, I must get back to playing the melody immediately.” These are first violins, those that refuse to touch it ever again.
2. The second violins quite like the viola, but somehow still prefer the violin and so return to it. This area is quite vague.
3. They think: “Wow this is easy”. These become the bad viola players that give the rest a bad name.
4. They think: “This is a wonderful low sound in the middle of the orchestra, I’m going to stay here forever.”

The research methods will primarily involve interviewing a number of violinists and violists, asking questions about their instrument and attitudes towards the other. It is very useful that the RNCM has started the new programme that gives violinists the chance to learn the viola. It is mostly not as simple as picking one or the other one day in school, there are prejudices each way between violin and viola players – the number of viola jokes is enough to show this.

Finally, you very rarely get a “prima donna” viola player. But this is probably too difficult to research accurately.

There is a small amount of literature by violin/violists on the subject of playing both instruments by performers such as William Primrose and Lionel Tertis.