Viola pomposa
| Classification | |
|---|---|
| Related instruments | |
The Viola pomposa (rarely referred as the Violino pomposo) is a five stringed instrument developed around 1725. There are no exact dimensions applicable to all instruments used under this name, although in general the pomposa is slightly thicker than a standard viola. It uses four viola strings, tuned conventionally (C-G-D-A), with the addition of a violin E string, giving it a greater range than either the traditional viola or violin; the trade-off comes in a sound which is slightly more resonant than a viola and slightly darker than a violin. The viola pomposa is played on the arm and has a range from C'3 to G'6 with fingered notes. Using harmonics, the range can be extended to C'8. It should not be confused with the violoncello piccolo, tuned an octave lower. Bach probably never saw, and certainly never wrote for, the viola pomposa, although Telemann did; the claim that Bach invented it is false, and is based on a posthumous misunderstanding.
Among the late Baroque and early Classical composers who used the instrument are Georg Phillip Telemann (1681-1767; two sections of Der Getreue Musikmeister), Johann Gottlieb Graun (c. 1703-1771; a double concerto with flute), and Christian Joseph Lidarti (1730-1795; at least two sonatas).
By 1800, the instrument was used by principals of major orchestras, although no written scores were published in that century, apart from antiquarian or modernized editions (one of the Lidarti sonatas, heavily edited and with an added cadenza, was republished around 1904).
Late in the twenty-first century, several contemporary composers independently rediscovered its potential because of the development of the new synthetic strings, more stable and cheaper than the gut ones. Recent music for the instrument includes works by Justin E.A. Busch, Harry Crowl, Rudolf Haken, and Zoltan Paulinyi. Paulinyi, a composer and researcher of the viola pomposa, collects information about the instrument, its repertoire, performers and luthiers. Paulinyi's compositions for viola pomposa are edited by MusicaNeo[1].
Contents |
[edit] References
- Galpin, F. W. (1931). "Viola Pomposa and Violoncello Piccolo." Music & Letters, v. 12, no. 4 (October 1931), pp. 354-364.
- Paulinyi, Zoltan. (2010). "The viola pomposa growing usage." Romania: "No 14 Plus Minus Contemporary Music Journal", n. 16 (October 10, 2010).
- Paulinyi, Zoltan. (2010). "Comments on previous article about the viola pomposa and its related instruments". Romania: No. 14 Plus Minus Contemporary Music Journal, n. 16 (Nov 25, 2010).
- Sibyl Marcuse, A Survey of Musical Instruments. NYC, Harper & Row, 1975, p. 530.
[edit] External links
- Report about viola pomposa (French)
[edit] Video
Crowl, Harry. 2008. "Antíteses, Concert for viola pomposa and full orchestra". Recorded in 2010.
[edit] Listening
- CD Images with Brazilian pieces for viola pomposa.
- Viola pomposa MP3s
[edit] Compositions
Paulinyi's works for viola pomposa edited by MusicaNeo.
[edit] Luthiers
Brazilian luthier and archetier Carlos Martins del Picchia makes viola pomposa after Guadagnini's "La Parmigiana 1765"[2]. Although the Guadagnini's one was modified to a 4-stringed setup, Del Picchia's reconstruction has authority because he handles other Guadagnini's instruments, including viola.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Zoltan Paulinyi, Catalogue, http://paulinyi.com/obras_ingles.html.
- ^ Zoltan Paulinyi, Sobre o desuso e ressurgimento da viola pomposa." Belo Horizonte: Per Musi, UFMG, v.25, 2012 [no prelo].
 |
This article relating to string instruments is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
