Objects of Substance- Edmee Gainsford Viola Prize

So why a viola? Given that there is a comedic genre dedicated to “viola jokes”, it is safe to say that being a violist has not always been easy. The history of inter-instrumental “ribbing” targeting violists is a long one. Eighteenth Century composer, Johann Joachim Quantz, wrote that the viola was for people with “...no particular gifts with which to distinguish themselves on the violin”, and that “...the instrument yields all too few advantages to its players”. (Boyd 2015) In part, Quantz was referring to the inherent acoustic challenges of projecting and making a good tone on the viola, especially during a time where the strings were of low tension and fashioned from animal gut. This has certainly been a contributing factor to the relative paucity of solo repertoire for the instrument.

Then, of course there are the physical dimensions of the instrument - simply to hold the left arm extended so far for the duration of a concerto or symphony takes some serious stamina! The strings