The fidola was the culmination of a research effort aimed at producing an instrument that is equally resonant over all five strings, in contrast to earlier five-string violins and violas, which tended to sound dull at either the low (C) or high (E) end.
The fidola was the result of research into creating an instrument with consistent tone quality throughout all five strings, contrasting with earlier models that often suffered from poor resonance at specific ends of the range.