Viola alta
Maker
Georg Winterling
Date1882
Place MadeHamburg, Germany, Europe
ModelHermann Ritter
Serial No.none
SignedPrinted on paper label with paisley border, the last two digits of year written in purple ink: Anno 1882 Georg Winterling / HamburgMarkingsBranded on bridge toward fingerboard: M. KOCH-LÖBNER
DescriptionThe viola alta was developed by Hermann Ritter around 1876, based on the geometric principles of Antonio Bagatella. The goal of the invention was to create an instrument that had the power of a violin in the range of a viola. Ritter was appointed principal violist of Wagner’s Bayreuth orchestra, and he and many players in the section used viola altas instead of conventional violas. The viola alta was treated as an instrument distinct from the viola, and Felix Draeske wrote two sonatas for the instrument. Draeske also composed music for Stelzner model instruments, also represented at the NMM. See Hermann Ritter’s treatise on the invention of the viola alta in the NMM library, Die Geschichte der viola Alta und die Grundsätze ihres Baues Mit 5 in den Text gedruckten und 2 Tafeln Abbildungen, 1877.
This viola alta, by Georg Winterling of Hamburg, is one of the earliest surviving, dated examples. It is of the earlier 4-string form, rather than the 5-string version developed in the 1890s. Note also the connection between the Winterling shop (under successors) and Kurt Oswald Meisel, who worked there after his escape from East Germany.
Martin Koch, whose brand appears on the bridge, currently has shops in Vienna/Klosterneuburg and Tübingen.
The instrument has a Hamma & Co., Stuttgart, certificate dated March 7, 1974, in file.
Top: two-piece, quarter-cut spruce: wide grain
Back: two-piece, quarter-cut maple: broad curl descending slightly from center joint
Ribs: quarter-cut maple: prominent, medium curl, angled to right on bass side, angled to left on treble side; rib corners chamfered
Head and neck: maple: medium curl; pegbox with shoulders; inside of pegbox stained black
Varnish: light golden-brown with artificial antiquing comprised of scratches, dents, and shading
Fingerboard: ebony; angled at C-string position
Nut: ebony
Tailpiece: ebony; tulip-shaped
Tailgut: black plastic
Pegs: three ebony with small mother-of-pearl eyes; one ebony
Saddle: ebony
Endpin: ebony
F-holes: inside edges stained black
Linings: spruce
Corner blocks: spruce
Top block: spruce
Bottom block: spruce
Other: inside of body stained dark brown
DimensionsBack length: 468 mm (18-7/16")
Total viola alta length: 774 mm
Upper bout width: 203 mm
Stop length: 263 mm
Center bout width: 134 mm
Vibrating string length: 436 mm
Lower bout width: 254 mm
Neck length (bottom of nut to ribs): 172 mm
Upper rib height: 37-40 mm
Center rib height: 39-41 mm
Lower rib height: 40-41 mm
ProvenanceBozhidar Shopov acquired the instrument in Europe, where he was told it was used by the principal of the Gewandhaus Orchestra at one point.
Credit LinePurchase funds gift of Kevin Schieffer, Sioux Falls, 2011, in recognition and honor of the tireless lifetime commitment of André P. Larson, Founding Director (1973-2011) of the National Music Museum, who transformed an important family collection into a pre-eminent international institution.
Object number14528
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