Did the viola evolve from a different instrument?

Answer 1

Invented was it since changed it has and like look viola the did what.The Viola's ancestry can be traced back to the Viola D'Amore of the Baroque period, (the mid range instrument of the Viol family) which was bigger and more lute-like with a deeper base and 6 to 7 played strings each with a sympathetic string. The modern viola has not changed much since it's invention, but some variations of the basic size and shape do exist, with makers attempting to balance the instruments compact size with it's low strings by increasing the depth and the width of the base. (Accoustically, because the viola is one octave higher in tuning pitch than a Cello, it should be one half the size of a cello, but is typically not much larger than a third of the cello's size.) Today the modern viola looks and is played much like the violin, but tends to be slightly bigger in size and one perfect fifth lower in tuning pitch, giving the Viola a deeper, richer and more mellow sound.

Answer 2

Yes it did, from a violin. They were both made in Italy at nearly the same year.