Viola Tertis 41

This is a personal interpretation of the “Tertis” model , which carries the name of one of the greatest violists ever: Lionel Tertis. He, inspired by the "curvy" shapes of his viola Montagnana, after a deep and passionate research fulfilled through years observing, playing and comparing the best instruments around,  decided to design his personal model of  viola.

This instrument aimed to become a synthesis of all the qualities of the most important antique instruments. Tertis' main purpose was to find a way to increase the power and the quality of the sound, especially in smaller instruments (which had always been violas’ weakness. As a matter of facts, for achieving the best acoustic properties, a viola  would need a size hard to handle by the musician: let's think about tenor violas)

Tertis’ model, produced originally by the violinmaker Arthur Richardson, was 42,5 cm long, so we are talking about a quite common size, easy to handle. A distinctive feature of this instrument is the generous width of the center bout and, (even more evident) of the lower bout. Thanks to this enlargement these instruments could “contain” a greater amount of air, being able to generate an impressive  sound power. This model was so successful that many violinmakers, (like Marino Capicchioni) decided to “translate” that design to smaller instruments as well, even violins.

The model I propose has a body length of 41 cm. It has a smoother and slimmer silhouette, which ends up into an elegant design, yet still maintaining a considerable width, especially in the lower bout. The result is a clear and powerful sound, without sacrifice of the comfort. The wood I use (Val di Fiemme’s red spruce for the top and Balkan’s curly maple for the back, ribs and neck) are top quality choices and strictly naturally seasoned for at least 7 to 10 years .

This instrument is oil varnished using only natural dyes and rosins.