Tenor violin

[citation needed] As a formal development, the 17th-century tenor violin existed as an instrument with a body larger than a viola but with a short neck.The smaller 14-inch (36 cm) tenor violins were of an unusual wide bodied shape and fitted with a very short tail piece to increase the string length sufficiently, thereby dropping the pitch down by an octave.[citation needed] Improvements in string technology in the 18th century led to greater focus of sound coming from the viola and cello ranges leading to a diminished role for tenor violins and violin makers constructed fewer of these instruments.[citation needed] By analogy with the vocal quartet of soprano-alto-tenor-bass, a few composers have featured the tenor violin as the voice between the alto of the viola and bass of the cello (e.g., Felix Draeseke or Sergei Taneyev).[citation needed] Modern incarnations of the tenor violin include the violotta and viola profonda (both held at the shoulder).