Information on available strings for Viola d'Amore is scant. I provide below a table of the available strings I have found thus far. Please let me know of any additions and corrections.
I considered gut strings a treacherous affair, with even less information available. The following sites have some data:
Dimitry Badiarov's site
Damian Dlugolecki's site
Aquilacorde
Playing Strings |
Price US$ | |
| Thomastik-Infeld Dominant | These are fairly widely used strings. They are with a synthetic perlon core and wound with silver. These strings can be obtained from major vendors such as www.juststrings.com. I have had some issues with a' and f# ripping out at the ball almost immediately after I put them on. Additionally the A string disentangled near the peg a couple of times. Thomastik generously replaced those strings. The sound is quite viola like, a bit piercing-sharp patricularly on the upper three stings. | Set 80 |
| Thomastik-Infeld Superflexible | Also fairly widely available strings with a rope core. They are supposed to be a bit more durable, but also have a higher tension at the same pitch, hence will produce more strain on the instrument. I tried those as an alternative to the Dominant a' and f'# that ripped at the ball. The problem is, that the strings of the same pitch are of very different thickness, hence, can not be mixed and matched, because clearance for the bow is reduced to zero. The sound is also more piercing. | Set 67 |
| Pirastro Gut Strings | A through a silver wound with loop, f# through d" unvarnished gut without knot. Only sold as sets not individuals strings. Available at southweststrings. com and 123music.com. |
Set 77 |
| Damian Dlugolecki Gut Strings Oregon, USA |
Available directly from Damian Dlugolecki. Viola d'Amore strings are available, though not (yet) listed on the web-site. Various constructions and gauges are available: (un)varnished gut, roped gut, demi filee, silver wound gut, copper core silver plated gut. He has excellent information on gut strings on his web-site, responds quickly to e-mail, and is most helpful on the phone. |
Set ~ 200 |
| Northern Renaissance Instruments (NRI) gut strings UK. |
Directly available from NRI as gut, roped gut, open wound and close-wound with silver-plated copper. Two qualities. | Set 180-240 |
| Aquila Corde, Italy, gut strings | Directly available from http://aquilacorde.com/catalogo14.htm. Gut, gut wound with silver-plated copper or silver. Has good background information in string making, history, use of gut strings. |
13-43 each |
| Aquila USA, Oregon | Directly available from http://www.aquilausa.com. Various (un)varnished gut strings, silver wound gut strings, to be ordered by gauge. Check Aquila Corde Italy site for appropriate gauges. | 13-43 each |
| La Bella, New York | Directly available at http://www.labella.com. Stings available as gut, varnished gut, silver-plated copper wound gut, and various wound meta strings. You will need to know what gauge you need for each application. | variable. |
Sympathetic strings |
||
| Thomastik-Infeld Superflexible | These are fairly widely used strings and can be obtained from major vendors such as www.juststrings.com. Lower strings are copper wound, upper strings are steel. | Set 21 2-4 each |
| Damian Dlugolecki Oregon, USA |
Available directly from Damian Dlugolecki. | |
| Northern Renaissance Instruments (NRI), UK. | Directly available from NRI as iron, brass or steel strings. Either individually or as 5 m coils. | Sets 24-40 |
| Store | Composers represented |
| Dante Publications: Editions by Dan Thomason, Co-President of the Viola d'Amore Society of America. Early, classical and modern pieces available. USA. | Milandre, Teleman, Albrechtsberger, Arcidiacono, Stamitz, Krumloffski, Neruda, Biber, Martinides, Rust, Haydn, Anonymous, Lane, Schuchbauer Borghi, Wolf-Ferrari, Graupner, Voigtlander, Owens, Tonson, Mauri |
| Saul B. Groen. Specialized in early music with special section on Viola d'amore! The Netherlands. | Albrechtsberger, Ariosti, Benda, Biber, Böhm, Gassmann, Graupner, Heinichen, Hoffmeister, Locatelli, Milandre, Quanz, Teleman Toëschi, Vivaldi |
| Johan Tufvessons: Free sheet music available on the web, including some Viola d'amore pieces | Ariosti, Grobe, Pezel |
| Editio Alto: with section for Viola d'amore. Note that the company does not accept orders from individuals, and only seems to distribute in Europe. Germany. | Ariosti, anonymous, Eybler, Gassmann, Graupner, Hoffmann, Hofmeister, Martinides, Milandre, Neruda, Vanhal, Wiszniewski. |
| Universal Editions. | Martin |
| Sheet Music Plus. | Vivaldi, Teleman, Bach, Shirley Paul, Benda, Paul Xaver, Hindemith, Graupner, Boisdeffre, Ariosti, Rameau, Loeffler, Boehmer, Hornbach, Wolf-Ferrari, Kirchner, Locatelli |
| Nicholas Neale: e-mail nicholas@neale1165.freeserve.co.uk | Voigtlander Collection, Velisek, various duets, Huberti Collection. |
| Sheet Music Service | Vivladi, Telemann, Hindemith, Kirchner, Bach, Benda, Toeschi, Martin, Schenck, Schubert, Marais, |
| Musigramma (Italy) | Ariosti, Borris, Ferrari, Hindemith, Hofmann, Maderna, Michelazzi, Seiber, Shirley, Solbiati, Toma, Vivaldi, |