R. MONTRASI - M. IANNONE
Saint Saens The Carnival of the Animals
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The Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello. The casual observer may mistake the viola for the violin because of their similarity in size, closeness in pitch range (the viola is a perfect fifth below the violin), and nearly identical playing position.
However, the viola's timbre sets it apart: its rich, dark-toned sonority is more full-bodied than the violin's.
As its mellow voice is frequently used for playing inner harmonies, the viola does not enjoy the wide solo repertoire or fame of the violin.
The lowest string is C, the other strings are, in order ascending, D, G and A.
THE VIOLA
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