Instrument
Viola sheet music
5,242 titles in the index · page 1 of 110
The viola reads in alto clef, which almost no other instrument uses, and that single fact shapes the whole catalogue: a great deal of what violists play is transcribed, and a transcription that has not been properly re-clefed is useless.
The listing below covers solo viola, viola with piano, chamber parts and studies.
Arranged by Don Miller - As Lately We Watched
- Piano
- Cello
- violin
Puis Qu'Aultrement Ne Me Peut / Marchez, Ladureau
- Cello
- violin
- Voice
Sans Jamais De Riens / Allez a La Fougere
- Cello
- violin
- Voice
Quant Je Suis Seulette / Quant Je Suis Seulette
- Cello
- violin
- Voice
Puisqu'a Chascun Ris / Pardonnez Moy / L'Autrier M'Aloie
- Cello
- violin
- Voice
D'Une Belle Josne Fille / Coquille, Bobille
- Cello
- violin
- Voice
Introduction (Welcome To The World Of Fiddling Fingers)
- Cello
- Viola
Lesson No. 1 (Boil Them Cabbage Down - Lead Sheet)
- Cello
- Viola
Lesson No. 2
- Cello
- Viola
Lesson No. 3
- Cello
- Viola
Lesson No. 4 (Old Joe Clark - Lead Sheet)
- Cello
- Viola
Lesson No. 5 (Dry And Dusty - Lead Sheet)
- Cello
- Viola
Lesson No. 6
- Viola
Glossary of Fiddling Terms
- Viola
Chop Sticks
- Viola
Pezzo tedesco
- Cello
- violin
- Viola
Polonica
- Cello
- violin
- Viola
Apor Istuan tancza
- Cello
- violin
- Viola
Chorea tancz
- Cello
- violin
- Viola
Chorea
- Cello
- violin
- Viola
Chorea ex C
- Cello
- violin
- Viola
Chorea ex F
- Cello
- violin
- Viola
Ha Que Ville et Abhominable
- Cello
- violin
- Viola
Melodie Antique Francaise
- Piano
- violin
- Viola
Caribbean Dance
- Cello
- violin
- Viola
Nice 'N' Easy
- Cello
- violin
- Viola
October Rain
- Cello
- violin
- Viola
Waltz In Jazz-min Time
- Cello
- violin
- Viola
Winterfold
- Guitar
- percussion
- Viola
Birthday Music For John [Davies, Peter Maxwell]
- Flute
- Viola
Ikon Of Light [Tavener, John]
- violin
- Viola
A Country Walk
- Viola
Cradle Song
- Viola
Fives
- Viola
Romance
- Viola
Windmills
- Viola
Work Song
- Viola
Scherzo [Goldschmidt, Berthold]
- Cello
- Viola
For Miles
- Cello
- Oboe
- violin
The Bridegroom
- Viola
25 February 1944
- Clarinet
- Viola
After R.M.Rilke
- Clarinet
- Viola
The Witch
- Clarinet
- Viola
Waiting
- Clarinet
- Viola
Piano Quartet
- violin
- Viola
Suite Op.2
- Viola
Elegy [Jacob, Gordon]
- Viola
- Cello
Elegy [Jacob, Gordon]
- Viola
Buying guide
What to know before you buy
Alto clef, and when treble appears
Viola music is written in alto clef, where middle C sits on the centre line. High passages switch to treble clef to avoid ledger lines, usually without warning. Editions that stay in alto clef throughout are harder to read at the top of the range and are generally older.
Parts labelled for viola but printed in treble clef throughout are almost always violin parts sold under a hopeful heading. Check the clef in the preview.
Transcriptions are the norm, not a compromise
The original viola literature is real but small, so the repertoire leans on transcription — the Bach cello suites, violin sonatas, and a large body of song arrangements. A good transcription adjusts octaves and string crossings for an instrument tuned a fifth below the violin; a poor one simply re-clefs the violin part and leaves passages that do not lie under the hand.
Common questions
- What clef does viola music use?
- Alto clef, with middle C on the centre line. High passages switch to treble clef. Anything printed entirely in treble is likely a violin part.
- Can I play violin music on the viola?
- Not directly — the viola is tuned a fifth lower and reads a different clef, so a violin part would need transposing and re-clefing. Published viola transcriptions do that work and adjust the passagework to suit.
- Are the Bach cello suites available for viola?
- Yes, in many transcriptions. They differ substantially in how they handle octave displacement and chords, so it is worth comparing before buying.