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Valiha A kind of Zither*, made from bamboo, found on the Island of Madagascar off the east coast
of Africa, in the Indian Ocean. It arrived there from Indonesia in the 9th century. A length of bamboo
up to 3 feet long is first cut. Then strings are cut out of the bamboo, leaving the ends attached. Wedges
are inserted to raise the strings away from the body so that they can be tuned and plucked by the
fingers, while it is held upright or under the arm. In Madagascar, the Valiha was once believed to have
the power to invoke the spirits of ancient ancestors.
Valve Trombone A Brass wind instrument. A trombone without a slide, having instead a set of
valves, like a trumpet. This means it can not slide between notes like a conventional trombone, but it
has the same range, and more agility. Introduced to cavalry bands because slide trombones were
difficult to play on horseback. Common in bands and theatre orchestras until the mid 20thcentury, now
most frequently found in jazz bands.
Variation Form From about the 16th century, Variation form has been popular with composers. A
simple theme or subject is usually stated first, and is then followed by a series of free variations,
sometimes changing the tune beyond all recognition. One of the most famous examples is Elgar’s
‘Enigma Variations’(1899)
Veracruz Harp A Latin American instrument popular since the 1500’s, when it arrived there with the
conquistadors from Spain. Shaped like a conventional orchestral Harp*, but smaller, and without pedals,
the pillar is a hollow sound box which acts as to amplify the sound. Often used as a melody instrument,
accompanied by guitars, or, in Mexico, with violins or accordions, the strings are plucked with the
finger-nails.
Vespers The seventh out of the eight services of the day in the Roman Catholic Church, usually taking
place at sunset. Known as ‘Evensong’ in the Anglican Church. Monteverdi (1610) and Mozart (1779)
both wrote settings of ‘Vespers’.
Vibraphone A percussion instrument developed in the US in the 1920’s, similar to a xylophone but
with bars of metal, instead of wood. Under each bar there are resonator tubes, with clockwork-, and
later, electrically-driven spinning discs inside the neck of each tube. The spinning discs constantly open
and close the tubes, giving the instrument the characteristic pulsating sound or ‘vibrato’, which gives the
instrument its name, when the bars are struck.
Vibrato (Italian = ‘shaking’, ‘trembling’) A word used to describe tiny, rapid fluctuations in pitch, made
mainly by string players and singers, to bring expression to their tone. Brass and woodwind players can
also use vibrato.
Viennese School
Vina A Southern Indian plucked stringed instrument developed from the Hindu ‘stick-zither’ of the
6th century. It has a long neck with a deep bowl-shaped wooden body, and a gourd resonator attached
to the neck. It has twenty four frets, and seven strings plucked by the first two fingers of the right hand,
or by a wire plectrum. Four of the strings are the melody strings, and the other three, at the side, are
used as drone or rhythm strings. The Vina is associated with Saraswati, goddess of music and wisdom,
and is one of the most important instruments in Indian classical music. The word ‘Vina’ means ‘bin’.
Viol A bowed stringed instrument, originating from the late 15th Century, when someone had the
idea of using the bow of the Rebab Andaluz* on a type of guitar called a Vihuela*. It became one of
the most popular instruments of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Although similar in appearance
to the violin family, there were several differences. The viol family had more sloping shoulders, deeper
sides, and flatter backs; the strings were not as tightly strung, and there were six instead of four; the
bridge was not as rounded; it had ‘C’ shaped sound holes instead of ‘f’’ shaped; it had frets, more like a
guitar; it was played upright in front of the player, rather than held under the chin; the bow was
curved; and the tone was softer, and less brilliant than the violin. There were some
similarities, most notably that they were made in various sizes, and played in family groups, called a
‘Consort’, or ‘Chest of Viols’. The viol family was less commonly used than the violin family, after the
Baroque period, and gradually became extinct.
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Viola A bowed stringed instrument. A little larger than the violin, and tuned differently, to C,G,D,A. It
is used as a solo instrument alongside the violin and ‘cello in chamber ensembles such as the String
Quartet, and with sections of violins, ‘cellos, and double basses to form the complete strings family in
the modern orchestra. It has a warm mellow tone. Mozart and J. S. Bach were both accomplished
viola players.
Violin A bowed stringed instrument. One of the most important instruments of the modern
orchestra. It evolved from the Rebec, and the Lira da Braccio, and was in use by the early part of the
16th century. It is equally suited to slow, expressive melodies, as it is to dazzlingly quick passages.
Famous violinists include Anne-Sophie Mutter, Joshua Bell, Nigel Kennedy, Kyung Wha Chung,
and Sir Yehudi Menuhin, who died in 1999, and who founded the Menuhin School for young violinists.
Violoncello The full name of the instrument more familiarly known as rhe ‘cello. The second biggest
member of the violin family, about twice the length of a violin and deeper from front to back. The ‘cello in
played upright, resting on a metal spike, and held between the knees of the player. The bow is shorter
than that for the violin. The cello has a rich, mellow tone. The four strings are tuned in fifths: C,G,D,A.
Cellists read the bass clef mostly, but for some higher passages, the tenor clef, and the treble clef are
used to avoid writing too many leger lines. Famous cellists include Jacqueline du Pre, who died aged
only 42 in 1987, and Julian Lloyd Webber, brother of composer Andrew.
Virginals Keyboard instrument of the 16th and 17th centuries. Small harpsichord, with the strings at
right angles to the keys. The strings are plucked by little rods called ‘virgulas’ when a key is struck.
There is one string for each note, and the virginals have a delicate tone, like the clavichord. Early
versions could be played held on the lap. Then legs were added. The range was about four octaves. See
Harpsichord.
Virtuoso A word used to describe any performer who shows great technical brilliance. The first great
virtuosi became stars during the Romantic period. Liszt* was a very famous, and very brilliant virtuoso
pianist, and Paganini* was the first great virtuoso violinist, performing amazing feats of showmanship
and technical mastery. Both performers would draw huge and enthusiastic audiences to their concerts.
They were among the first ‘pop stars’ of the 19th century.
Vocal To do with the voice. ‘Vocal music’ is music meant to be sung.
Vocal cords The folds of tissue in a mammal’s larynx, or a bird’s syrinx. Air forced between the folds
makes them vibrate, producing sounds. Muscles in the larynx change the pitch of the sounds, by
adjusting the tension of the vocal cords. When the vocal chords are relaxed to allow us to breath they
form a ‘V’ shape which allows air through. The pitch of a voice depends on the size of the vocal cords.
Women’s voices are usually pitched higher than men’s because their vocal cords are shorter. Boys and
girls have vocal cords about the same size, until boys reach puberty. At puberty, the voice boxes of the
boys grow larger, and as a result, the boy’s voices become lower.
Vocalise A concert work where a voice is used like an instrument. The singer usually sings to melody
to ‘ah’ throughout. There are famous examples by Rachmaninov and Villa-Lobos.
Voice 1. Sound produced through the mouth by the passage of air over the vocal cords. In humans,
the sound is amplified by the hollow sinuses in the face, and modified by the movements of
the lips, tongue and cheeks.
2. One of several parts in a piece of contrapuntal writing. Each line is called a voice, even if it is
for an instrument.
Voice classification There are six general pitch categories of the human voice: high, middle, and low.
In women, they are called Soprano (the highest), Mezzo Soprano (in the middle), and Contralto, or
Alto (the lowest). In men they are called Tenor (the highest), Baritone (in the middle), and Bass
(the lowest). Unbroken boys’ voices are called treble, and a man singing falsetto is called a countertenor.
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