Graduation Year
2022
Graduation Month
May
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
School or Department
Physics and Astronomy
Major
Physics – Astronomy
Faculty Mentor Department
Physics and Astronomy
Faculty Mentor
David Macaluso & Paul Janzen & Margaret Baldridge
Keywords
classical music, viola, violin, physics, harmonics, acoustic analysis
Subject Categories
Music Performance | Other Physics | Physics
Abstract
In the classical music world, the viola is often overshadowed by its other string colleagues, with
many preferring the pure, lively sound of the violin to that of the subdued, but richer timbre of
the viola. Apart from the viola’s larger size and lower tuning, there are a few other explanations
for this discrepancy in sound production. In a study titled ‘Acoustic Analysis of the Viola’, student
Meredith Powell recorded the viola’s open strings and compared their harmonic content to that of the
violin’s. This revealed that the viola’s mid-harmonic frequencies- in comparison to the fundamental
frequency, were relatively stronger than the violin’s. I chose to recreate this part of the project with
five violas of differing sizes for harmonic comparison. The bowed notes of the open strings of each
viola were recorded. The first eight harmonic frequencies of the notes were then plotted to reveal
each instrument’s unique harmonic signature. I found that the larger-bodied violas with warmer tones
tended to have relatively stronger low harmonics on their lowest strings. In comparison, the smaller
bodied violas with a brighter sound tended to have stronger high harmonics on their highest strings.
Honors College Research Project
1
GLI Capstone Project
no
Recommended Citation
Tonnerre, Lea V., "The Sound of the Viola: A Harmonic Analysis of the Classical Music World's Most Underrated Instrument" (2022). Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts. 377.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/utpp/377
© Copyright 2022 Lea V. Tonnerre