“It’s the great kind of chameleon of the string family,” he said, adding that it has helped shape his musical preferences. “I like my violins to sound dark and viola-like.” He also ...

The viola is often seen as the awkward child of the string family (and the butt of everyone’s jokes). But composers throughout the history of music have written some of their most beautiful work for ...

‘A viola. It’s the alto member of the string family. It’s larger than a violin. It has a much more beautiful, mellow tone,’ and I keep right on talking till the elevator doors open.

At the Library of Congress earlier this month, Roberto Díaz was playing on an exceedingly rare viola. What didn’t cross his ...

The string family includes the violin, viola, cello and double bass. These instruments are all played the same way, by bowing across the strings or plucking. The bigger ones create a lower sound.