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89-434: The baryton can be viewed as a sort of augmented bass viol . It is similar in size to the latter instrument and likewise has six or seven strings of gut (typically D G C E A D, although scordatura was used), arranged over a fretted fingerboard and played with a bow . The instrument is held vertically and is supported by the player's legs (rather than with an end-pin as in the modern cello ). The baryton differs from

178-481: A "slide" (often made of mother of pearl ), which pinches the hair and holds it flat and stationary across the frog, viol bows have an open frog that allows more movement of the hair. This facilitates a traditional playing technique where the performer uses one or two fingers of the bow hand to press the hair away from the bow stick. This dynamically increases bow hair tension to control articulation and inflection. Viols come in seven sizes: " pardessus de viole " (which

267-428: A bow in the second half of the 15th century. Within two or three decades, this led to the evolution of an entirely new and dedicated bowed string instrument that retained many of the features of the vihuela: e.g., a flat back, sharp waist-cuts, frets, thin ribs initially, and identical tuning—hence its original name, vihuela de arco ; arco is Spanish for "bow". An influence on the playing posture has been credited to

356-456: A fairly generic way, having included even early violins ( viola da braccio ) under their umbrella. It is common enough (and justifiable) today for modern players of the viola da gamba to call their instruments violas and likewise to call themselves violists . That the "alto violin" eventually became known simply as the "viola" is not without historical context, yet the ambiguity of the name tends to cause some confusion. The violin, or violino ,

445-583: A guitar—allow fine-tuning to improve tuning. Frets enable the performer to stop the strings more cleanly, improve consistency of intonation and lend the stopped notes a tone that better matches the open strings. Viols first appeared in Spain and Italy in the mid-to-late 15th century, and were most popular in the Renaissance and Baroque (1600–1750) periods. Early ancestors include the Arabic rebab and

534-549: A limited number of " keys ". In some of these schemes, the two strands of the gut that form the fret are separated so that the player can finger a slightly sharper or flatter version of a note (for example G ♯ versus A ♭ ) to suit different circumstances. Descriptions and illustrations of viols are found in numerous early 16th-century musical treatises, including those authored by: Both Agricola's and Gerle's works were published in various editions. There were then several important treatises concerning or devoted to

623-694: A number of soloists and ensembles have commissioned new music for viol. Fretwork has been most active in this regard, commissioning George Benjamin , Michael Nyman , Elvis Costello , Sir John Tavener , Orlando Gough , John Woolrich , Tan Dun , Alexander Goehr , Fabrice Fitch , Andrew Keeling, Thea Musgrave , Sally Beamish , Peter Sculthorpe , Gavin Bryars , Barrington Pheloung , Simon Bainbridge , Duncan Druce , Poul Ruders , Ivan Moody , and Barry Guy ; many of these compositions may be heard on their 1997 CD Sit Fast . The Yukimi Kambe Viol Consort has commissioned and recorded many works by David Loeb , and

712-659: A period instrument orchestra that he founded in 1991, one of which was nominated for the 1996 International Cannes Classical Music Award. He made three CD's of Haydn's baryton trios, one of which was chosen Winner in the Early Instrumental category of the Music Retailers Association Annual Award of Excellence in London, 1989. His Handbook of French Baroque Viol Technique was published by Broude Brothers Limited in 1981. He received

801-439: A seventh lower string. Viols were (and are) strung with gut strings of lower tension than on the members of the violin family. Gut strings produce a sonority far different from steel, generally described as softer and sweeter. Around 1660, gut or silk core strings overspun with copper wire first became available; these were then used for the lowest-pitched bass strings on viols, and many other string instruments as well. In 1664,

890-467: A size similar to a viola but with a deeper body; the typical bass is about the size of a cello . The pardessus and the treble were held vertically in the lap. The English made smaller basses known as division viols , and the still-smaller Lyra viol . The viola bastarda was a similar type of viol used in Italy for a virtuosic style of viol repertoire and performance. German consort basses were larger than

979-451: A standard feature of German and Austrian viols and were retained to the very end. That feature was unique to viols and reminded one always of the viol's more ancient plucked vihuela roots, the "cuteness" of viols. Historians, makers, and players generally distinguish between renaissance and baroque viols. The latter are more heavily constructed and are fitted with a bass bar and sound post, like modern stringed instruments. The bow

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1068-478: A style of string incorporating a copper wire spun within the gut fibers, called a 'gimped' string, was introduced, mimicking the style of embroidery of the same name. Viols are fretted like early guitars or lutes , using movable wrapped-around and tied-on gut frets. A low seventh string was supposedly added in France to the bass viol by Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe ( c.  1640 –1690), whose students included

1157-657: A suitable instrument for adult learners; Percy Scholes wrote that the viol repertoire "belongs to an age that demanded musicianship more often than virtuosity." There are now many societies for people with an interest in the viol. The first was the Viola da Gamba Society, which was established in the United Kingdom in 1948 (by Nathalie and Cecile Dolmetsch ). The Viola da Gamba Society of America followed in 1962, and with over 1000 members in North America and around

1246-452: A ten-year span brought the birth and diffusion in Italy of a new family of instruments (viola da gamba, or viols). These comprised instruments of different sizes, some as large as the famous violoni —as 'big as a man'—mentioned by Prospero Bernardino in 1493. Pio also notes that the fifth string of the viola da gamba is uniquely called a bordone (drone) —both in the manuscript of the early 15th-century music theorist Antonius de Leno, and in

1335-503: Is also sometimes used, though technically speaking it is incorrect. Viol The viola da gamba , or viol , or informally gamba , is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played da gamba (on the leg; Italian: [ˈvjɔːla da (ɡ)ˈɡamba] ). It is distinct from the later violin , or viola da braccio (viol for the arm); and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bowed , fretted , and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where

1424-447: Is disputed), and like lutes, were very often played by amateurs. Affluent homes might have a so-called chest of viols , which would contain one or more instruments of each size. Gamba ensembles, called consorts , were common in the 16th and 17th centuries, when they performed vocal music (consort songs or verse anthems ) as well as that written specifically for instruments. Only the treble, tenor, and bass sizes were regular members of

1513-399: Is held underhand with the palm facing upward, similar to a German double bass bow grip, but away from the frog towards the balance point. The stick's curvature is generally convex as were violin bows of the period, rather than concave like a modern violin bow. The "frog" (which holds the bow hair and adjusts its tension) is also different from that of modern bows: whereas a violin bow frog has

1602-618: Is its New Music for Viols (NMV) a series devoted to newly written pieces. The Society sponsors the International Leo M. Traynor Composition Competition for new music for viols. The competition was first held in 1989 and has taken place every four to five years since. The competition is specifically for consort music for three to six viol that, like the repertoire of the Renaissance, is accessible to accomplished amateurs. The winning pieces are played in concert and also published by

1691-459: Is occasionally confused with the viola , the alto member of the modern violin family and a standard member of both the symphony orchestra and string quartet. In the 15th century, the Italian word " viola " was a generic term used to refer to any bowed instrument, or fiddle . The word " viola " existed in Italy before the vihuela, or first viol, was brought from Spain. In Italy, " viola "

1780-513: Is relatively rare, exclusively French and did not exist before the 18th century), treble ( dessus in French), alto, tenor (in French taille ), bass, great bass, and contrabass (the final two are often called violone , meaning large viol ), the smaller one tuned an octave below the tenor (violone in G, sometimes called great bass or in French grande basse ) and the larger one tuned an octave below

1869-526: The New York Consort of Viols has commissioned Bülent Arel , David Loeb, Daniel Pinkham , Tison Street , Frank Russo , Seymour Barab , William Presser , and Will Ayton , many of these compositions appearing on their 1993 CD Illicita Cosa . The Viola da Gamba Society of America has also been a potent force fostering new compositions for the viol. Among the music publications of the Society

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1958-640: The pipe organ . These stops are sounds created by organ pipes made to imitate the sound of the viol da gamba. John Hsu (musician) John Tseng-Hsin Hsu (April 21, 1931 in Shantou – March 24, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina ) was a viol player, barytonist, cellist, and conductor. He was a leading specialist in French baroque viol music and a professor of music at Cornell University . John Hsu

2047-409: The violin family : the viol family has flat rather than curved backs, sloped rather than rounded shoulders, c holes rather than f holes , and five to seven rather than four strings. Additional differences include tuning strategy —in fourths, with a third in the middle, rather than in fifths (similar to a lute)—the presence of frets , and underhand rather than overhand bow grip. A modern player of

2136-612: The 1490s. The term "viola" was never used exclusively for viols in the 15th or 16th centuries. In 16th century Italy, both "violas", —the early viols and violins—developed somewhat simultaneously. While violins, such as those of Amati, achieved their classic form before the first half of the century, the viol's form standardized later in the century at the hands of instrument makers in England. Viola da gamba, viola cum arculo , and vihuela de arco are some (true) alternative names for viols. Both "vihuela" and "viola" were originally used in

2225-468: The 16th century and similar to that of the modern six-string guitar . Viols were first constructed much like the vihuela de mano , with all surfaces, top, back, and sides made from flat slabs or pieces of joined wood, bent or curved as required. However, some viols, both early and later, had carved tops, similar to those more commonly associated with instruments of the violin family. The ribs or sides of early viols were usually quite shallow, reflecting more

2314-666: The Cornell Summer Viol Program in 1970 which from 1972 to 1996 was the longest continuing summer music program devoted to the study of the French solo viola da gamba performing tradition. Hsu was Artistic Director and Conductor of the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra from 2006 to 2009, and guest conducted The Vivaldi Project in 2009, 2010, and 2014. His publications include recordings of the works of Charles Dollé, Jacques Morel , and Marin Marais ;

2403-485: The English constructed a viol or lyre much admired by King James . The instrument had six bowed strings as well as metal strings behind the neck. The thumb of the left hand plucked the metal strings, which were made to sound with the bowed notes. If this information is accurate, the baryton must have been known in England before 1625, the end of King James' reign." The earliest baryton that survives today dates from 1647; it

2492-628: The Esterházy Ensemble (Michael Brüssing, baryton) has issued a set of recordings that cover the entire Haydn oeuvre. The Swiss composer Klaus Huber has written an important solo part for the instrument in his work ... à l'âme de marcher sur ses pieds de soie ... (2004). Of the repertoire for this instrument, the best known works are the 175 compositions written by Joseph Haydn for his patron, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy , who enjoyed playing this instrument. Of these, 126 are trios for viola, cello and baryton . They were written in

2581-400: The French gamba virtuoso and composer Marin Marais . Also, the painting Saint Cecilia with an Angel (1618) by Domenichino (1581–1641) shows what may be a seven-string viol. Unlike members of the violin family , most of which are tuned in fifths , viols are usually tuned in fourths with a major third in the middle, mirroring the tuning employed on the vihuela de mano and lute during

2670-430: The French instruments designed for continuo. Those instruments were not all equally common. The typical Elizabethan consort of viols was composed of six instruments: two basses, two tenors and two trebles, or one bass, three tenors and two trebles (see Chest of viols ). Thus the bass, tenor and treble were the central members of the family as far as music written specifically for viols is concerned. Besides consort playing

2759-412: The Italian " braccio "). Some other instruments have viola in their name, but are not a member of the viola da gamba family. These include the viola d'amore and the viola pomposa . Though the baryton does not have viola in its name, it is sometimes included in the viol family. Whether it is considered a member of this family is a matter of semantics. It is organologically closely related to

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2848-547: The Italianate violin). Composers such as Marc-Antoine Charpentier , François Couperin , Marin Marais , Sainte Colombe , Johann Sebastian Bach , Johannes Schenck , DuBuisson , Antoine Forqueray , Charles Dollé and Carl Friedrich Abel wrote virtuoso music for it. Georg Philipp Telemann published his Twelve Fantasias for Viola da Gamba solo in 1735, when the instrument was already becoming out of fashion. However, viols fell out of use as concert halls grew larger and

2937-488: The Society. The Society's goal is to stimulate development of a contemporary literature for this remarkable early instrument and thus continue its tradition in modern society. The Palazzo Strozzi in Florence commissioned composer Bruce Adolphe to create a work based on Bronzino poems, and the piece, "Of Art and Onions: Homage to Bronzino", features a prominent viola da gamba part. Jay Elfenbein has also written works for

3026-482: The Viol , points to evidence that the viol does start with the vihuela, but that Italian luthiers immediately began to apply their own highly developed instrument-making traditions to the early version of the instrument after it was introduced into Italy. Viols most commonly have six strings, although many 16th-century instruments had only four or five strings, and during the 17th century in France, some bass viols featured

3115-1202: The Yukimi Kambe Viol Consort, Les Voix Humaines, and Elliot Z. Levine, among others. Other composers for viols include Moondog , Kevin Volans , Roy Whelden , Toyohiko Satoh , Roman Turovsky , Giorgio Pacchioni , Michael Starke , Emily Doolittle , and Jan Goorissen. Composer Henry Vega has written pieces for the Viol: "Ssolo," developed at the Institute for Sonology and performed by Karin Preslmayr, as well as for Netherlands-based ensemble The Roentgen Connection in 2011 with "Slow slower" for recorder, viola da gamba, harpsichord and computer. The Aston Magna Music Festival has recently commissioned works including viol from composers Nico Muhly and Alex Burtzos . The Italian contemporary composer Carlotta Ferrari has written two pieces for viol: "Le ombre segrete" in 2015, and "Profondissimi affetti" in 2016, this latter being based on RPS modal harmony system. Since

3204-420: The back that are very worthwhile repertoire. A little later, in England, Thomas Mace wrote Musick's Monument , which deals more with the lute but has an important section on the viol. After this, the French treatises by Machy (1685), Rousseau (1687), Danoville (1687), and Etienne Loulie (1700) show further developments in playing technique. Viols were second in popularity only to the lute (although this

3293-600: The baryton trio, the primary form in which Haydn wrote. Since the Haydn oeuvre tends to dominate the field today, the Haydn-type tuning has become the standard. Czech composer Vaclav Pichl also wrote for the baryton. The baryton was "completely neglected" (Hsu) in the nineteenth century, but in the twentieth, with the rise of the authentic performance movement in classical music, new barytons were built and played. Initially, these instruments were heavily constructed, more in

3382-468: The baryton, Pamplin suggests that "the instrument probably originated in England in the early 17th century when the characteristics of two instruments, the viola da gamba and the bandora , were combined into one hybrid instrument". Early evidence for the existence of the baryton is found in Marin Mersenne 's work Cogitata Physico-Mathematica (1644). According for Fruchtman, "Mersenne stated that

3471-408: The bass (violone in D, or the contrabass viol). This latter instrument is not to be confused with the double bass . Their tuning (see next section) alternates G and D instruments: pardessus in G, treble in D, tenor in G, bass in D (the seven-string bass was a French invention, with an added low A), small violone in G, large violone in D and the alto (between the treble and the tenor. The treble has

3560-415: The bass could also be used as a solo instrument (there were also smaller basses designed especially for a virtuosic solo role, see above division viol , lyra viol , viola bastarda ). And the bass viol could also serve as a continuo bass. The pardessus was a French 18th-century instrument that was introduced to allow ladies to play mostly violin or flute music but eventually acquired its repertoire. The alto

3649-434: The bass viol in having an additional set of wire strings. These perform two functions: they vibrate sympathetically with the bowed strings, enriching the tone, and they can also be plucked by the left thumb of the performer, creating a contrasting tonal quality. As can be seen in the illustration, the bowed strings are placed on the left, where they can be easily fingered by the player's left hand. The plucked strings are on

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3738-658: The best-known modern viola da gamba players. Among the foremost modern players of the viol are Alison Crum , Vittorio Ghielmi , Susanne Heinrich , Wieland Kuijken , Paolo Pandolfo , Andrea de Carlo , Hille Perl and Jonathan Dunford . Many fine modern viol consorts (ensembles) are also recording and performing, among them the groups Fretwork , the Rose Consort of Viols , Les Voix Humaines , and Phantasm . The Baltimore Consort specializes in Renaissance song (mostly English) with broken consort (including viols). A number of contemporary composers have written for viol, and

3827-421: The bouts—but more commonly, they had two. The two C-holes might be placed in the upper bouts, centrally, or in the lower bouts. In the formative years, C-holes were most often placed facing each other or turned inwards. In addition to round or C-holes, however, and as early as the first quarter of the 16th century, some viols adopted S-shaped holes, again facing inward. By the mid-16th century, S-holes morphed into

3916-720: The characteristic "humming" sound of viols; yet the absence of a sound post also resulted in a quieter and softer voice overall. It is commonly believed that C-holes (a type and shape of pierced sound port visible on the top face or belly of string instruments) are a definitive feature of viols, a feature used to distinguish viols from instruments in the violin family, which typically had F-shaped holes. This generality, however, renders an incomplete picture. The earliest viols had either large, open, round, sound holes (or even round pierced rosettes like those found on lutes and vihuelas), or they had some kind of C-holes. Viols sometimes had as many as four small C-holes—one placed in each corner of

4005-494: The classic F-shaped holes, which were then used by viols and members of the violin family alike. By the mid-to late 16th century, the viol's C-holes facing direction were reversed, becoming outward-facing. That configuration then became a standard feature of what we today call the “classic” 17th-century pattern. Yet another style of sound holes found on some viols was a pair of flame-shaped Arabesques placed left and right. The lute- and vihuela-like round or oval ports or rosettes became

4094-479: The composer was requesting violas as well as treble and bass instruments. The full name of the viola, namely "alto de viola da braccio" , was finally shortened to "viola" in some languages (e.g. English, Italian, Spanish) once viols became less common, while other languages picked some other part of the phrase to designate the instrument, e.g. " alto " in French and " Bratsche " in German (the latter derived from

4183-407: The construction of their plucked vihuela counterparts. Rib depth increased during the 16th century, finally coming to resemble the greater depth of the classic 17th-century pattern. The flat backs of most viols have a sharply angled break or canted bend in their surface close to where the neck meets the body. This serves to taper the back (and overall body depth) at its upper end to meet the back of

4272-870: The department and was appointed the Old Dominion Foundation Professor in 1976. Through the years he taught lessons in cello and viola da gamba, and courses in music theory, music history and performance practice; conducted the Cornell Collegium Musicum, the Sage Chapel Choir, the Cornell Chamber Orchestra, the Cornell Symphony Orchestra; and was cellist of the Amadé Trio, Cornell's resident ensemble. He founded

4361-617: The earlier part of Haydn's career, from 1762 to 1775. Andreas Lidel was also notable for his compositions that included baryton. According to the Oxford English Dictionary , the name of the instrument is a loan word from French baryton or Italian baritono , and ultimately derives from Greek bary- + tonos 'deep-pitched'. Alternate spellings include: bariton , barydon , paradon , paridon , pariton , viola paradon , viola di bordoni , [Italian] viola di bardone , [German] viola di bordone . The name lyra bastard

4450-466: The early 1980s, numerous instrument makers, including Eric Jensen, Francois Danger, Jan Goorissen, and Jonathan Wilson, have experimented with the design and construction of electric viols. Like other acoustic instruments to which pickups or microphones have been added, electric viols are plugged into an instrument amplifier or a PA system , which makes them sound louder. As well, given that amplifiers and PA systems are electronic components, this gives

4539-578: The early 21st century, the Ruby Gamba, a seven-string electric viola da gamba, was developed by Ruby Instruments of Arnhem , the Netherlands. It has 21 tied nylon (adjustable) frets in keeping with the adjustable (tied gut) frets on traditional viols and has an effective playing range of more than six octaves. Electric viols have been adopted by such contemporary gambists as Paolo Pandolfo , Tina Chancey , and Tony Overwater . The viola da gamba

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4628-413: The ends of their fretboards flat on the deck, level with or resting upon the top or soundboard. Once the end of their fretboards was elevated above the top of the instrument's face, the entire top could vibrate freely. Early viols did not have sound posts , either (again reflecting their plucked vihuela siblings). This reduced damping again meant that their tops could vibrate more freely, contributing to

4717-499: The example of Moorish rabab players. However, Stefano Pio (2012) argues that a re-examination of documents in light of new data indicates an origin different than the vihuela de arco from Aragon. According to Pio, the viol had its origins in Venice , and evolved independently there. He asserts it was implausible that the vihuela de arco underwent such a rapid evolution by Italian rather than Venetian instrument makers. Nonetheless,

4806-474: The first complete recording of the five suites for viola da gamba by Antoine Forqueray, made in 1972; and the six sinfonias for string orchestra (W. 182) by C.P.E. Bach, made with The Vivaldi Project in 2010. His 7-volume edition of Marais' complete instrumental works, published by Broude Brothers Limited, was completed in 2002. He recorded three disks of Haydn's early symphonies with the Apollo Ensemble,

4895-651: The general knowledge we have on the viola da gamba, its forms, and the different techniques used for its manufacture. The 1991 feature film Tous les matins du monde (All the Mornings of the World) by Alain Corneau , based on the lives of Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe and Marin Marais , prominently featured these composers' music for the viola da gamba and brought viol music to new audiences. The film's bestselling soundtrack features performances by Jordi Savall , one of

4984-424: The instrument by Haydn and his students and colleagues represented a last hurrah for the baryton; by the early 19th century it had gone out of style and ceased to attract new compositions. The Haydn-era baryton was different from earlier versions in a crucial respect: the sympathetic strings were tuned a full octave higher than previously. This helped the baryton to stand out from the other instruments (viola, cello) in

5073-543: The louder and more penetrating tone of the violin family became more popular. In the 20th century, the viola da gamba and its repertoire were revived by early music enthusiasts, an early proponent being Arnold Dolmetsch . The treble viol in d and the even smaller pardessus de viole in g (often with only five strings) were also popular instruments in the 18th century, especially in France. Composers like Jean-Baptiste Barrière , Georg Phillipp Telemann and Marin Marais wrote solo- and ensemble pieces for treble or pardessus. It

5162-454: The low register. The fifth string was incorporated into the neck. This was surpassed by a sixth string ( basso ) which fixed the lower sound produced by the instrument. Pio's view was: the origin of the viola da gamba is tied to the evolution of the smaller violetta, or vielle , which was originally fitted with a fifth-string "drone"; and the name 'stuck' even after it ceased to perform this function. Ian Woodfield, in his The Early History of

5251-490: The manner of a cello than a bass viol (they were thus sometimes called "cellitons"), but (much as with the parallel history of the harpsichord revival) eventually lighter instruments were constructed that more closely followed their historical antecedents. Probably the first person to initiate the revival of the baryton was Christian Döbereiner in Munich. In 1934 he ordered a copy of an instrument by Simon Schödler (1782) from

5340-539: The medieval European vielle , but later, more directly possible ancestors include the Venetian viole and the 15th- and 16th-century Spanish vihuela , a six-course plucked instrument tuned like a lute (and also like a present-day viol) that (at the time) looked like, but was quite distinct from, the four-course guitar (an earlier chordophone). Although bass viols superficially resemble cellos , viols are different in several respects from instruments of

5429-403: The modern active baryton players are Jeremy Brooker, Kazimierz Gruszczyński, Balázs Kakuk (Haydn Baryton Trio of Budapest), José Manuel Hernández, John Hsu , Roland Hutchinson, José Vázquez, Kenneth Slowik and Matthew Baker (Valencia Baryton Project). With the revival of the baryton, a body of recorded work has gradually emerged. Several ensembles have produced recordings of individual works, and

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5518-419: The moment. The single most common and ubiquitous pairing of all was always and everywhere the lute and bass viol: for centuries, the inseparable duo. The bass viola da gamba remained in use into the 18th century as a solo instrument (and to complement the harpsichord in basso continuo ). It was a favorite instrument of Louis XIV and acquired associations of both courtliness and "Frenchness" (in contrast to

5607-543: The neck joint flush with its heel. Traditional construction uses animal glue, and internal joints are often reinforced with strips of either linen or vellum soaked in hot animal glue—a practice also employed in early plucked vihuela construction. The peg boxes of viols (which hold the tuning pegs) were typically decorated either with elaborately carved heads of animals or people or with the now-familiar spiral scroll finial. The earliest vihuelas and viols, both plucked and bowed, all had sharp cuts to their waists, similar to

5696-556: The northeast of England. It gives young people the opportunity to learn the viol and gives concerts in the North East and abroad. Ensembles like these show that the viol is making a comeback. A living museum of historical musical instruments was created at the University of Vienna as a center for the revival of the instrument. More than 100 instruments, including approximately 50 historical violas da gamba in playable condition, are

5785-446: The only slightly later plucked vihuelas and the modern guitar, they would be out of luck. By the mid-16th century, however, "guitar-shaped" viols were fairly common, and a few of them survive. The earliest viols had flat, glued-down bridges just like their plucked counterpart vihuelas. Soon after, however, viols adopted the wider and high-arched bridge that facilitated the bowing of single strings. The earliest of viols would also have had

5874-500: The performer the ability to change the tone and sound of the instrument by adding effects units such as reverb or changing the tone with a graphic equalizer . An equalizer can be used to shape the sound of an electric viol to suit a performance space, or to create unusual new sounds. Electric viols range from Danger's minimally electrified acoustic/electric Altra line to Eric Jensen's solid-body brace-mounted design. They have met with varying degrees of ergonomic and musical success. In

5963-419: The profile of a modern violin. This was a key and new feature—first appearing in the mid-15th century—and from then on, it was employed on many different types of string instruments. This feature was also key in seeing and understanding the connection between the plucked and bowed versions of early vihuelas. If one were to go searching for very early viols with smooth-curved figure-eight bodies, like those found on

6052-619: The property of this new concept of a museum: the Orpheon Foundation Museum of Historical Instruments . All the instruments of this museum are played by the Orpheon Baroque Orchestra, the Orpheon consort, or by musicians who receive an instrument for a permanent loan. The instruments can be seen during temporary exhibitions. They are studied and copied by violin makers, contributing to the extension of

6141-596: The pure consort of viols was the mixed or broken consort (also called Morley consort). Broken consorts combined a mixture of different instruments—a small band, essentially—usually comprising a gathering of social amateurs and typically including such instruments as a bass viol, a lute or orpharion (a wire-strung lute, metal-fretted, flat-backed, and festoon-shaped), a cittern , a treble viol (or violin , as time progressed), sometimes an early keyboard instrument ( virginal , spinet , or harpsichord ), and whatever other instruments or players (or singers) might be available at

6230-631: The renowned luthier, Ferdinand Wilhelm Jaura in Munich. The first performance in modern times on that baryton took place in Munich in 1936, which featured a trio by Haydn. This instrument forms part of the Vazquez Collection of Historical String Instruments and is frequently employed in performance by the Orpheon Foundation. A complete documentation of the Jaura Baryton is available at the Orpheon Foundation web site. Among

6319-407: The right; they are reachable by the player's thumb from the rear, where the back of the instrument's neck is left open. There are only about 50 historical barytons for which we have evidence, either in the form of documents or the instrument itself. Many of the latter have been modified from their original form. Thus, tracing the history of the baryton is a difficult task. Concerning the origin of

6408-435: The tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitch of each of the strings. Although treble, tenor and bass were most commonly used, viols came in different sizes, including pardessus (high treble, developed in 18th century), treble, alto, small tenor, tenor, bass and contrabass (called violone ). These members of the viol family are distinguished from later bowed string instruments, such as

6497-500: The treatises of the Venetian Silvestro Ganassi dal Fontego and Giovanni Maria Lanfranco  [ de ] . However, it is not a drone and is played the same as the other strings. This inconsistency is justified, Pio argues, only by assuming the invention (in the latter 15th century) of a larger instrument derived from the medieval violetta , which gradually added more strings to allow greater extension to

6586-418: The tunings that have been adopted at least somewhat widely during the 20th and 21st-century revival of the viols. (Lyra viol tunings are not included.) Alternative tunings (called scordatura ) were often employed, particularly in the solo lyra viol style of playing, which also made use of many techniques such as chords and pizzicato , not generally used in consort playing. An unusual style of pizzicato

6675-508: The viol consort, which consisted of three, four, five, or six instruments. Music for consorts was very popular in England in Elizabethan times, with composers such as William Byrd and John Dowland , and, during the reign of King Charles I, John Jenkins , William Lawes and Tobias Hume . The last music for viol consorts before their modern revival was probably written in the early 1680s by Henry Purcell . Perhaps even more common than

6764-417: The viol is attracting ever more interest, particularly among amateur players and early music enthusiasts and societies, and in conservatories and music schools. This may be due to the increased availability of reasonably priced instruments from companies using more automated production techniques, coupled with the greater accessibility of early music editions and historic treatises. The viol is also regarded as

6853-411: The viol is commonly known as a gambist , violist / ˈ v aɪ əl ɪ s t / , or violist da gamba . Notably, "violist" is a homograph of the word commonly used since the mid-20th century to refer to a player of the viola , which can cause confusion in written/printed texts when not clear from the context. Vihuelists began playing their flat-topped, originally plucked, instruments with

6942-461: The viol. The first was by Silvestro Ganassi dal Fontego : Regola Rubertina & Lettione Seconda (1542/3). Diego Ortiz published Trattado de Glosas ( Rome , 1553), an important book of music for the viol with both examples of ornamentation and pieces called Recercadas . In England, Christopher Simpson wrote the most important treatise, with the second edition being published in 1667 in parallel text (English and Latin ). This has divisions at

7031-402: The viola da gamba proper, but if we think of the family as the group of differently sized instruments that play together in consorts, the baryton would not be among this group. The names viola (Italy) and vihuela (Spain) were essentially synonymous and interchangeable. According to viol historian Ian Woodfield, there is little evidence that the vihuela de arco was introduced to Italy before

7120-402: The violin family, by both appearance and orientation when played—as typically the neck is oriented upwards and the rounded bottom downwards to settle on the lap or between the knees. The viola da gamba uses the alto clef. Seven and occasionally eight frets made of "stretched gut", tied on the fingerboard around the instrument's neck. Frets tied in this manner—instead of permanently fixed as on

7209-544: The world. Since then, similar societies have been organized in several other nations. In the 1970s, the now-defunct Guitar and Lute Workshop in Honolulu generated resurgent interest in the viol and traditional luthierie methods within the western United States. A notable youth viol group is the Gateshead Viol Ensemble. It consists of young players between the ages of 7 and 18 and is quite well known in

7298-794: Was a cellist in the Rhode Island Philharmonic and Springfield Symphony orchestras from 1950 to 1953. From 1953 to 1955, he was part of the Handel and Haydn Society and the New England Opera. At the New England Conservatory, he earned undergraduate and master's degrees in 1953 and 1955, respectively, and the Honorary Doctor of Music in 1971. During his 50-year tenure at Cornell University, Hsu served five years from 1966 to 1971 as chair of

7387-424: Was a relatively rare smaller version of the tenor. The violones were rarely part of the consort of viols but functioned as the bass or contrabass of all kinds of instrumental combinations. The standard tuning of most viols is in fourths , with a major third in the middle (like the standard Renaissance lute tuning), or in fourths , with a major third in between the 2nd and 3rd strings. The following table shows

7476-409: Was also common to play music for violins or flutes or unspecified top parts on small viols. Historic viols survive in relatively great number, though very few remain in original condition. They can often be found in collections of historic musical instruments at museums and universities. Here are some of the extant historic viols at The Metropolitan Museum of Art : In the 20th and early 21st century,

7565-730: Was born in Shantou, China. When he was young, he fled the Second Sino-Japanese War with his family, first to Hong Kong , then to Shanghai , where he began his cello studies, with Johann Kraus and Walter Joachim. In 1949, he moved to the United States to attend Carroll University , where he studied with Joseph Schroetter. The following year, he transferred to the New England Conservatory of Music , studying with Albert Zighera and Samuel Mayes. He

7654-494: Was first applied to a braccio precursor to the modern violin, as described by Tinctoris ( De inventione et usu musice , c.  1481 –3), and then was later used to describe the first Italian viols as well. Depending on the context, the unmodified viola da braccio most regularly denoted either an instrument from the violin family, or specifically the viola (whose specific name was "alto de viola da braccio" ). When Monteverdi called simply for "viole da braccio" in "Orfeo",

7743-588: Was known as a thump. Lyra viol music was also commonly written in tablature . There is a vast repertoire of this music, some by well-known composers and much by anonymous ones. Much viol music predates the adoption of equal temperament tuning by musicians. The movable nature of the tied-on frets permits the viol player to make adjustments to the tempering of the instrument, and some players and consorts adopt meantone temperaments , which are more suited to Renaissance music. Several fretting schemes involve frets that are spaced unevenly to produce better-sounding chords in

7832-646: Was made by Magnus Feldlen in Vienna and is currently in the musical instrument collection of the Royal College of Music in London. In London a performance at Marylebone Gardens was announced in 1744, Mr Ferrand was to perform on "the Pariton, an instrument never played on in public before". The instrument was never particularly popular, but "it acquired a certain cachet in courtly circles, particularly in south Germany and Austria" (Pamplin). The compositions for

7921-636: Was originally the soprano viola da braccio , or violino da braccio . Due to the popularity of the soprano violin, the entire consort eventually took on the name "violin family". Some other names for viols include viole or violle (French). In Elizabethan English , the word "gambo" (for gamba) appears in many permutations; e.g., "viola de gambo", "gambo violl", "viol de gambo", or "viole de gambo", used by such notables as Tobias Hume , John Dowland , and William Shakespeare in Twelfth Night . Viol da Gamba and Gamba also appear as string family stops on

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