Hello, my name's Nick Bootiman and I'm a viola player
in the Philharmonia Orchestra.
This is my viola, and as you can see it looks very much
like a violin, and in many respects it is identical
in its mechanics.
It's just perhaps one inch, one and a half inches longer,
which creates a lower sound, as the string length,
generally is longer.
We share three strings with the violin.
The violin has a top E string, which we don't have.
We have the A (viola strings plucking)
and the D and the G.
And the bottom string that we have that violins don't
is the C, which is one octave below middle C.
The viola sits in the middle of the orchestra
in terms of range between the violins, which are the high,
and the cellos and the basses, which are the low.
Normally we play with a bow.
And when we play legato,
(viola playing legato)
it sounds like this.
If we play detaché, which is separate bows...
(viola playing detaché)
We can play off the string.
(viola playing staccato)
We can play fast off the string.
(viola playing fast staccato)
We can play ricochet, where the bow bounces
but in one motion.
(viola playing ricochet)
Like this.
We can use the wood of the bow
to create a percussive effect.
(viola playing Holst's Mars)
We can play close to the bridge.
This is the bridge here, this is called ponticello.
This creates a very icy, cold sound.
(viola playing near the bridge)
Or we can do the opposite of that,
play over here, which is called sul tasto,
over the fingerboard.
(viola playing sul tasto)
Which is a much softer sound.
The usual sound would be in the middle.
(viola playing)
Like this.
We can also use our fingers to pluck the strings.
This we call pizzicato.
(viola playing pizzicato)
Another variant of pizzicato would be the Bartok pizz,
or the snap pizzicato.
(viola playing snap pizzicato)
And often by contemporary composers,
we're asked to play slightly stranger things.
For example, knocking the wood of the instrument,
(sharp knocking)
or playing behind the bridge.
(high pitched screech)
So, in the Haydn, if we were to play it on the string
it would sound like this.
(viola playing Haydn detaché)
But we play it off the string, which is much nicer.
(viola playing Haydn staccato)
Wind players have their breath to naturally phrase
and put direction to their music.
String players of course breathe when they play but
it doesn't have the same natural effect as the wind players.
What we do have, however, is down bows
and up bows.
The bow is weighted much heavier at the frog,
which is this end here,
than at the tip up here.
And because of that, naturally, if we're playing
a heavy note, a louder heavy note, we'll use a down bow.
And then the result is a lighter up bow.
Sometimes we will want to use several down bows in a row
because every note is a heavy note.
For example, at the beginning of the Sixth Symphony
by Mahler.
(viola playing Mahler's Sixth Symphony)
(orchestra playing Salonen's Violin Concerto)
The viola's had a somewhat chequered history
in terms of symphonic repertoire.
The early symphonies use the viola often to double
the bass line or to fill in the harmony in the centre
of the chords, often coupling second violins
with complemental figures.
In other words, we rarely ever get the tune.
So, a viola part will often sound like this.
(viola playing Haydn)
As orchestral writing developed,
composers were a little more daring with what they were
willing to try with the viola section.
For example, in the Symphonie Fantastique,
in the slow movements, the violas are given a tune.
(viola playing solo from Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique)
In addition to more interesting parts for the viola section
composers started to write far more solos
for one viola player.
(viola playing solo)
As we head into more contemporary orchestral music,
you will see that composers place no restriction
on the viola at all and do not typecast the viola.
So for example, in Salonen's Violin Concerto there's
a solo for viola and cello.
(viola playing solo from Salonen's Violin Concerto)
So as you can see the viola, like all string instruments
is very versatile, but we sit right in the middle of the
orchestra, we're the heart of the strings section.
[Narrator] If you've enjoyed learning about the instruments
in the orchestra, why not try our iPad app,
The Orchestra, featuring Esa Pekka Salonen
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hear the inside scoop in audio commentaries
and get a 360 degree view of all the instruments.
Available for download in the App Store on iTunes.