Leonardo da Vinci’s proposed keyboard instrument combining bowed strings was the viola organista. He sketched versions of the concept in notebooks during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.
The instrument used a keyboard to control strings, while rotating wheels or a continuous bowing mechanism rubbed against them. This arrangement aimed to give a keyboard player the sustained sound and expressive quality associated with bowed string instruments.
Leonardo never produced a fully documented surviving original instrument. Modern makers have built reconstructions based on his drawings, although the sketches leave some construction details open to interpretation.
The viola organista should not be confused with an ordinary viola or a standard organ. Its name reflects its intended combination of bowed-string sound and keyboard control, making it an unusual example of Leonardo’s interest in music technology.