The Viola pomposa (also known as the Violino pomposo) is a five stringed instrument developed around 1725. There are no exact dimensions applicable to all instruments used under this name, although in general the pomposa is slightly smaller than a standard viola. It uses four viola strings, tuned conventionally (C-G-D-A), with the addition of a violin E string, giving it a greater range than either the traditional viola or violin; the trade-off comes in a sound which is slightly less resonant than a viola and slightly less sweet than a violin.