Books › Musical instruments, 1925 › scan 164
Scan 164
Musical instruments, 1925
8 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 150. See the scan on archive.org.
1other is very trying to the performer, so the alto clef, with middle C on the middle (3rd) line is employed when writing for the Viola, except in the very highest register when the composer resorts to the treble clef.
3From this it is evident that the C clef is not used to make things more difficult. On the contrary, it is a kindly aid. One clef is as easy to read as another, and if the student will but bear in mind that the sign on the C clef always indicates middle C, and not the C of the treble or bass clef, the matter will soon become clear. The alto clef must be thought of as middle C, with the two lower lines of the G or treble clef, combined with the two upper lines of the F or bass clef.
5One of the chief functions of the Viola is providing a rich filling in of the middle parts. Between the upper and lower registers of the orchestra when the Viola moved in octaves with the 'Cello, there was often, in former times an unpleasant gap, but thanks to the efforts of Beethoven and Wagner, more attention has been paid to this valuable orchestral factor.
7Although the tones of its upper strings are often lost among those of the Violins, the C string has such a penetrating quality that it is occasionally employed in passages where the melody is played upon the
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