Discussion in this document is divided into three main areas. Chapter One is an introduction, describing the scope, purpose, and procedures of the document. Chapter Two discusses the evolution of the viola and violin to 1800, emphasizing viola design, luthiers, theoretical writings, and literature for the viola. Further discussion of writing for the viola during the first half of the nineteenth century is provided in Chapter Five.Chapter Four provides a brief analysis of the famous violin etudes of this period, placing emphasis on their tranferability to the viola. The analysis is prefaced by a discussion of the value of etudes and the technical differences between violin and viola. The writer concludes that, although the violin etudes do not speak directly to all the peculiar technical problems of the viola, their thoroughness and progressiveness make them useful study material for violists.The main emphasis of this document is on Chapters Three and Five. Chapter Three discusses the early viola methods written between 1780 and 1800. Included are methods by Corrette, Cupis, Woldemar, Gebauer, and an anonymous English tutor. As the modern application of these methods to technical study was found to be impractical, emphasis was placed more on their historical importance.Chapter Five provides an analysis of the viola etudes and methods written during the first half of the nineteenth century. Included are works by Martinn, Kayser, Praeger, Bruni, Hoffmeister, Cavalini, Rolla, Blumenthal, Campagnoli, Casimir-Ney, Garaude, and Giorgetti. Each of these works was compared to the violin etudes on the same technical level.The writer did not find the same technical progression and thoroughness in the viola etudes that was found in the violin studies. However, several of the etudes were deemed useful technical studies for the violist. These viola etudes often placed more emphasis on tone development and unusual fingerings and positions. Of particular note were the etudes of Cavalini, Rolla, Blumenthal, Giorgetti, Campagnoli, and Casimir-Ney. The writer has included an appendix of selected viola etudes, chosen for their usefulness and variety.

Material relating to the viola, its history, technique, use as a solo and orchestral instrument, and its use in chamber music, is practically non-existent. For this reason, this document is being written in an attempt first, to collect and discuss, for the benefit of the author as well as for any who might have some interest in the viola, facts which might eliminate some of the common misunderstandings about the instrument, and second, to show, through examination of viola music, the use to which the viola has been put in solo, orchestral, and chamber music from the Baroque period to the present.

Viola pedagogy has historically been closely intertwined with and highly dependent upon violin repertoire. As the viola emerged as an instrument worthy of independent study, many still rely on transcriptions of violin etudes. Fortunately, the efforts of performers, teachers, and scholars have brought forth discoveries of original viola literature and thus shifted toward the perception that viola should begin to embrace its individual pedagogy. Viennese composer and violist Marco Frank contributed three volumes of Viola-Etuden and a method book, Praktische Viola-Schule, which are suitable for the intermediate violist. This document explores and analyzes the usefulness of an original viola series in comparison to the ‘tried and true' violin transcriptions.

The purpose of the study was to compare two instructional methodologies designed to improve the intonation accuracy of seventh grade violin and viola instrumentalists. The collection of data was in regard to (1) instructional methodology: aural and aural/visual, (2) performance tasks: A, B, and C; (3) individual pitches (seven from each of the music tasks), and (4) differences between instrument groups: violin and viola. Sixty-eight seventh grade string students from three string classes of two middle schools were randomly assigned to two experimental groups: (a) aural and (b) aural/visual. The instructional period was implemented daily in ten-minute sessions during twenty days by the orchestra instructors of each school. A pretest-posttest format was used to determine if there were any changes in the subjects' intonation accuracy from prior to after the instructional phase was implemented, and if these changes could be attributed to any of the methodologies. The testing material used on both testing sessions included three performance tasks composed of seven notes each. Subjects were recorded on both testing occasions. The data were the scores of absolute pitch deviation, measured in cents from equal temperament, from the pre- and postest; these were treated with analysis of variance. The ANOVA on the posttest scores indicated a non-significant difference between the instructional methodologies in their effectiveness to improve the subjects' ability to play in tune.