Leonardo da Vinci’s viola organista combined a keyboard with strings rubbed by a rotating wheel.
Leonardo developed designs for the viola organista in the late fifteenth century. The instrument used a keyboard mechanism to bring strings into contact with a rotating wheel, producing sound through friction. In concept, it combined features associated with bowed string instruments and keyboard instruments.
Unlike a normal violin or viola, the performer would not move a bow by hand. Pressing keys controlled which strings contacted the wheel, while continuous rotation could sustain the sound. Leonardo produced several drawings and variations, but there is no evidence that he completed a functioning instrument during his lifetime.
The viola organista should not be confused with a conventional pipe organ or harpsichord. Modern makers have constructed playable versions from Leonardo’s sketches, including an instrument built by Polish musician Sławomir Zubrzycki and presented publicly in 2013. The invention shows Leonardo applying mechanical systems to musical expression as well as to warfare and engineering.