viola pomposa
The viola pomposa (also known as the violino pomposo) is a five-stringed Viola developed around 1725. It uses five strings, the bottom four tuned conventionally of a standard viola (C3-G3-D4-A4), with the addition of a high violin E string (E5), giving it a greater range than the orchestral viola; the trade-off comes in a sound which is less resonant than a viola, though still slightly more resonant than a violin. The viola pomposa is played on the arm and has a range from C3 to A6 (or even higher) with fingered notes.
viola pomposa
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The viola pomposa (also known as the violino pomposo) is a five-stringed Viola developed around 1725. It uses five strings, the bottom four tuned conventionally of a standard viola (C3-G3-D4-A4), with the addition of a high violin E string (E5), giving it a greater range than the orchestral viola; the trade-off comes in a sound which is less resonant than a viola, though still slightly more resonant than a violin. The viola pomposa is played on the arm and has a range from C3 to A6 (or even higher) with fingered notes.
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Using harmonics, the range can be extended to C8 depending on the quality of the strings. The viola pomposa should not be confused with the viola da spalla, viola d'amore, the violoncello, or the violoncello piccolo (read Paulinyi, 2012. Paulinyi, 2010), although they did fulfill similar roles in Baroque ensembles. There is extensive debate about the origins of this instrument. Its invention is often attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach, as written about by several musicologists, such as Philipp Spitta (read Spitta, 1951). However, others such as Charles Sanford Terry and Dmitry Badiarov have argued that there is insufficient evidence to make that claim (read Terry, 1932), with Badiarov referring to Bach's invention of the viola pomposa as a myth. Among the late Baroque and early Classical composers who used the instrument are Georg Philipp 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). Late in the twentieth century, several contemporary composers independently rediscovered its potential because of the development of the new synthetic & steel 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.
Crowl, Harry. 2008. "Antíteses, Concert for viola pomposa and full orchestra". Recorded in 2010.
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CD Images with Brazilian pieces for viola pomposa. Viola pomposa MP3s
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Paulinyi's works for viola pomposa edited by MusicaNeo.
early baroque violin and Violoncello da spalla
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Bohemian; Viola Pomposa; Chordophone-Bowed
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- “Viola pomposa”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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- Wikidata, structured authority record Q595730: viola pomposa
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These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Sachs, Curt. The History of Musical Instruments. Dover Publications. 368. 2006. 978-0486452654.
- 2.Zoltan Paulinyi, Sobre o desuso e ressurgimento da viola pomposa. Belo Horizonte: Per Musi, UFMG, v.25, 2012.
- 3.Paulinyi, Zoltan. The first appearance of sotto le corde instruction at Flausino Vale's Variations upon Franz Lehár's song 'Paganini' for violin alone. No. 14 Plus Minus. 6. 10 June 2010. 2067-6972.
- 4.Spitta, Phillip. Johann Sebastian Bach, Vol II, Book IV. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 68-69. 1992. 9780486274133.
- 5.Terry, Charles Sanford. Bach's Orchestra. Oxford University Press. 124. 1972. 9780403017003.
- 6.Badiarov, Dmitry. The Violoncello, Viola da Spalla and Viola Pomposa in Theory and Practice. The Galpin Society Journal. 60. 121–145. 2007. 0072-0127.
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