The viola was the instrument of choice for Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Dvorák and Beethoven; Jimi Hendrix and John Cale both played it; violinists turn to it to improve technique. So why is the viola the butt of jokes? Tabea Zimmermann defends her instrument

We viola players are somewhat of a musical minority – the unsung heroes, so often overlooked, the butt of every other musician’s jokes. Why is it necessary to defend the viola? It is the closest in register to that of the human voice, a wonderfully versatile instrument with the most beautiful range of colours. I can be the first voice in chamber music works, I can be the middle voice in string quartet repertoire, I can be an orchestral soloist, and I can even be the bass voice, as in Debussy’s Trio for flute, viola and harp.



But one of my favourite pieces of core repertoire for my instrument is Bartók’s Viola Concerto with its wonderful colour and ornamentation. The work was written for the great Scottish viola player William Primrose, who gave its world premiere performance on 2 December 1949. I had the amazing experience of playing it at the Berlin Philharmonie in 2010.

I think the viola came into its own after the 19th century, when people were tiring of Paganini’s faster-and-faster-and-higher-and-higher pyrotechnics, and we moved into an expressionist era, when colours and nuances became more important. And yet the instrument’s capacities are still being developed today. Many composers are writing for the viola, and we need to be open-minded in finding new repertoire.



Exploring music for the Wigmore Hall’s viola day we had to go off the beaten track to ensure that the viola repertoire is presented in all its glory, and we came across some fantastic works that are still relatively unknown. Rebecca Clarke’s 1919 Sonata for Viola and Piano, for example, one of the works that will feature in the evening’s concert, is a gorgeous piece that is barely known to your average concert-goer.

Come to the Wigmore Hall on 29 November and discover the richness and beauty of the viola. It’s no laughing matter, but, since the Guardian insisted, here are my three favourite viola jokes.

How do you keep your violin from getting stolen?

Put it in a viola case



Why is the harp the violists’ favourite instrument?

So many open strings and it’s pizzicato all the time!



A priest and a violist die. St Peter only has one more space in heaven for that particular day. He decides to go for the violist. The priest is outraged - after all he has dedicated his whole life to the church, and demands to know why St Peter chose the violist over him. St Peter says, “When you were preaching, everyone was asleep. But whenever the violist had to play a solo, everyone was praying!”



• Tabea Zimmermann joins Garth Knox, Adrien La Marca and Rosalie Ventris for Wigmore Hall’s Viola Celebration, 29 November, 11:30-10pm.