From the Inside Out
The first time I ever played the Walton Viola Concerto with orchestra, the conductor, William Smith, introduced me to the audience by saying: “The Violas are the Philosophers of the Orchestra”. I was seventeen at the time and too focused on the matter at hand to be able to contemplate fully what he was saying. I never forgot what he said, however, and as time passed, I grew to realize how spot-on his assessment was of our role in musical society!
As violists, we are thrust immediately into the role of the inner voice for much of the orchestral and chamber music repertoire that many of us first encounter in our musical lives. We thus experience ensemble playing from a vastly different perspective than our string family siblings, the violin, cello, and bass, and we are inspired to become observers and thinkers from the very beginning. Early on, we learn to hear and understand things from the inside out, a very valuable skill indeed! We also learn how to negotiate, balance, respect, and anticipate the needs of others, as we navigate our responsibilities in any given musical context. By not always having the luxury of a juicy melody or bassline to play (although of course sometimes we get to do both of those things!), we become both creative colorists and constant questioners, pondering how what we do from behind (within?!) the scenes can dramatically affect the whole.
Perhaps our tendency towards philosophizing is also partially forced upon us by our instrument’s fundamental acoustical “wrongness”. Unlike the more standard measurements of the violin and cello, violas come in all different sizes, all of which are “wrong”! If violas were to have a string length to body size ratio that was actually “correct” from an acoustician’s or physicist’s standpoint, only giants would be able to play them! As a result, violas have no cookie cutter patterns or measurements. To quote Cole Porter, “Anything Goes”. This basic “wrongness” has unleashed a torrent of creativity amongst luthiers. Modern viola making has become its own art form!
For performers, or at least for this performer, the reality of the viola’s inherent acoustical imperfection and general unwieldiness has led to a fascinating exploration of resonance on myriad simultaneous levels. Creating a compelling, expressive, and beautifully resonant sound that can communicate musical content without any sort of “interference” (or, to quote one of my beloved teachers, Kim Kashkashian, “garbage”!) is a constant negotiation and a full-body and soul endeavor. Violas can be positively cantankerous if not handled expertly and lovingly. Working with the elements of sound body mechanics and the mind-body connection is essential to beautifully resonant and joyful viola playing and performing. You really need to explore who you are and how you move to play your best and have your viola respond accordingly. The art and in-depth study of playing any instrument well of course goes far beyond the realms of the aural and intellectual, but with the viola it is a matter of sonic life and death!
On a practical level, violas, like people, respond best when we work with them, rather than super-imposing our wills upon them. Violas really hate to be forced and they squawk in vociferous objection when we forget that basic truth. We have a more aesthetically beautiful and musically expressive result when we learn to treasure, embrace, maximize, and celebrate each viola’s individual quirks and unique voice and when we balance optimally our own individual physicality with our particular instrument’s individual physicality. If we are moving in an ergonomically healthy way and if we are creating sound in an emotionally and physically open way, the viola becomes part of us and the music and the sound flow directly from the depth of our beings through our bodies, through the viola’s body (contact point!), and out to our listeners. Our violas sing for joy when we learn to listen, intuit, create, and channel music and sound in this way. Technique becomes a full-body athletic endeavor, a delicate, sophisticated, but ultimately fully creative dance of balance, power, flow, and imagination. The concept of listening deeply becomes much more all-encompassing; in a sense our bodies become one large ear! Even intonation itself can be experienced deeply in our stomachs and feet! (and if it is out of tune, wow do we feel it everywhere…!)
If we can learn how to get out of our own way by examining and healing physical and psychological blockages as we work, our lives as musicians and of course then as human beings become so much more rewarding. As Martha Graham famously said: “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost.” Learning to work this way with our violas helps us to avert this tragedy.
The viola’s idiosyncrasies have inspired composers to philosophize as well. Especially during the 20th and 21st centuries, as the viola has entered its Golden Age, its chameleon-like qualities have led composers to explore and create a vast body of phenomenally diverse repertoire. The viola’s refusal to be pigeon-holed and its ability to be everything and anything offers composers enormous creative freedom, and they love it!
As Socrates famously said: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” The viola, with its undefinable voice, glorious imperfections, and unique challenges, offers all who enter its orbit the opportunity to engage with essential life lessons and to develop as human beings in courageous and transformative ways. Technique itself can become an allegory for living life well; we need to be informed by the past, live fully in the present, and plan wisely for the future. Living by these maxims works well for bow distribution, pacing of phrases, and healthy left-hand balance, and of course also for living a rewarding life in general! Supporting the little guy (your pinky on a viola!), listening carefully, anticipating the needs of others, submerging your own ego to help someone else thrive, opening your heart, letting energy flow, channeling energy for the greater good, and striving to develop fully your own voice---all of this makes society better and life richer!