"The Monster" Vertical Viola

The vertical viola developed by Dautrich and Hutchins was an acoustical success, however the large body length prevented it from being held under the chin like a conventional viola, and the greater string length also proved a challenge. The conductor Leopold Stokowski was enthusiastic about the instrument, but he wrote to Hutchins in 1967 that: "As the resistance to the vertical viola is stronger than my enthusiasm for it, which is very great, it might be a good idea to return to the horizontal viola with short thick strings to enable the player to finger the same as for the violin . . ." Hutchins cleverly designed a viola with a body size that was effectively the same as those of the vertical viola, but by altering the shape and mounting the strings on an angle she was able to produce an instrument that could be held under the chin. The string length was reduced to 15 inches (38 cm), somewhat greater than proposed by Stokowski. Elements of this design are seen in 19th-century viola bassa designs by Lorenzo Arcangioli (active c. 1874). Contemporary makers such as David Lloyd Rivinus, maker of the "Pellegrina" ergonomic viola, also employ a similar asymmetric design.