Some instruments keep recurring in Violins and Violinists and my favourite small viola is one of them. Helen Michetschlager is renowned for making small violas that work fabulously, so I wanted to show her the extraordinary Matthew Hardie viola made from recycled parts of an old bass viol by Richard Meares of about 1670. At 15 1/4 inches its far too small for most musicians to take seriously, but the sound is transcendent and the bottom strings make a fabulous tone (no – it’s not for sale, I love it too much). Helen joins the ranks of those who have become enchanted by it, and she has risen to the challenge of how to transform the concept into a modern-made instrument without cannibalising a seventeenth century viol to achieve it.

Helen’s blog is here: www.helenviolinmaker.com

The viola is constantly on loan, and at length I’ll get it back and properly write about it myself. In the meantime a couple of images that say a thousand words…