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 embodied the culmination of a quest to develop an instrument with even distribution of sound across its entire range, as opposed to earlier five-string violins and violas which frequently exhibited dullness at either the lower (C) or higher (E) frequencies.