Image: Wikimedia Commons

viola

Bowed string instrument

Also known as violas

Instance of: type of musical instrument
Subclass of: necked box lute played with a bow
Part of: violin family
1
Sources
1.Stated in Encyclopædia Britannica
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Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

The viola ( vee-OH-lə, Italian: [ˈvjɔːla, viˈɔːla]) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. The viola is slightly larger than the violin and has a lower sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the violin family, between the violin (which is tuned a perfect fifth higher) and the cello (which is tuned an octave lower). The strings from low to high are typically tuned to C3, G3, D4, and A4.

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All data

75 statements · 16% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Hornbostel-Sachs classification: 321.322-71
Different from: viol family
viola caipira
violin
Biola
Used by: violist
Practiced by: violist
Awards: Instrument of the Year(2014)
1
Sources
1.2014.instrument-des-jahres.de/Retrieved 2019-04-08
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Has list: list of compositions for viola

On other databases

57 identifiers linking viola across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

16%

externally sourced

Source last edited October 4, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). viola (Q80284). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/viola-Q80284