1876-1975. Born in West Hartlepool, England and initially studied the violin in Leipzig and at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Here he was encouraged by Alexander Mackenzie, the Principal, to take up the viola instead. Under the additional influence of Oskar Nedbal, he did so and rapidly became one of the best known violists of his time, touring Europe and the USA as a soloist. Tertis preferred a large viola in order to get an especially rich tone from his instrument. Knowing that some would find a 17-1/8 inch instrument too large he created his own Tertis model, which provides many of the tonal advantages of the larger instrument in a manageable 16-3/4 inch size. Lionel Tertis is acknowledged the world over as the father of modern viola playing. He also acted as an invaluable stimulus to modern luthiers, in their search for a viola that looks good, sounds good and is playable.