Vertical Viola

Louis Condax was a research chemist who worked for the Eastman Kodak company. He was also a skilled violin maker and applied his background in chemistry to conduct scientific research about violin varnishes. He was teh recipient of a Mellon Foundation grant to visit Europe and study the varnish on seventeenth and eighteenth century violin varnish. His scientific approach to the study of violins attracted him to Carleen Maley Hutchins who applied acoustical research techniques to the construction of violins.

Hutchins in turn had been inspired by the experimental studies of Fred Dautrich, who developed a vertical viola model that was larger than the typical instrument and played vertically like a cellow. Hutchins developed the idea of a vertical viola and introduced her own model of the instrument. This instrument by Condax is built according to the proportions of Hutchins' vertical violas.


Description: Tenor viola: even-grained spruce top with circular patch 3.1 cm diameter under tailpiece; highly flamed curly maple ribs neck and two-piece quarter-sawn back; orange varnish awkwardly applied; inlaid purfling on top and back; rosewood pegs and tailpiece with three fine tuners; ebony nut, saddle and fingerboard, adjustable rosewood and metal cello-like endpin; played in cello position.