Various Viola da gamba

The viol or viola da gamba family of musical instruments is related to the vihuela, rebec, etc. Download high resolution version (1066x802, 172 KB)Various Viole da gamba Source: german Wikipedia de:Bild:Viola da gamba. ... Download high resolution version (1066x802, 172 KB)Various Viole da gamba Source: german Wikipedia de:Bild:Viola da gamba. ... A musical instrument is a device that has been constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... A minstrel playing a vihuela. ... The rebec (sometimes rebeck, and originally various other spellings) is a bowed string musical instrument. ...

The instrument has its roots in the guitar and the rebec; it is thought that guitarists began playing their instruments with a bow in the 15th century. This eventually led to the evolution of an entirely new instrument, which had many of the features of the guitar (flat back, frets), but was bowed rather than plucked. This new instrument was at first held in the same way as a guitar, but later began to be held upright, either resting on the lap or held between the legs like a cello, giving it the name viola da gamba, Italian for "viol of the leg." The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ... The rebec (sometimes rebeck, and originally various other spellings) is a bowed string musical instrument. ... A cropped image to show the relative size of a cello to a human (Uncropped Version) The cello (also violoncello or cello) is a stringed instrument and a member of the violin family. ...

Some texts have stated that the gamba was a forerunner to the violin family, but there is no historical evidence for this at all. The violin had entirely different origins, and during the Renaissance it was thought to be a very inferior instrument to the viol.

The viol is fretted, like a guitar (although with moveable, tied-on frets made of gut), and usually has six strings, though examples with only five strings do exist. A low seventh string (A'') was added in France by Sainte Colombe, who taught many of the French gamba virtuosi of the 18th century. Unlike members of the violin family, which are tuned in fifths, the gamba is tuned in fourths and one third in the middle, mirroring the tuning employed on the lute during the sixteenth century and similar to that of the modern guitar. The bow is held underhand and is generally convex rather than concave like a modern violin bow. Sainte-Colombe is the name or part of the name of several communes in France: Sainte-Colombe, in the Hautes-Alpes d partement Sainte-Colombe, in the Charente d partement Sainte-Colombe, in the Charente-Maritime d partement Sainte-Colombe, in the C te-dOr d partement Sainte-Colombe... The violin is a stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart. ... The lute is a plucked string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep round back. ... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ...

The gamba (as the name is often abbreviated for convenience) comes in 6 sizes: "pardessus de viole" (which is relatively rare), treble, alto, tenor, bass, and double bass (also known as a violone). The treble is about the size of a violin (but with a deeper body); the bass is a bit smaller than a cello. A closely related instrument is the viola d'amore, although the viola d'amore is played under the chin, viola-fashion. The violin is a stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart. ... A cropped image to show the relative size of a cello to a human (Uncropped Version) The cello (also violoncello or cello) is a stringed instrument and a member of the violin family. ... Viola dAmore from the mid eighteenth century (Library of Congress collection) The viola damore is a stringed musical instrument sharing some characteristics with the viol family. ...

The standard tuning of the viol is in 4ths, with a 3rd in the middle (like the standard Renaissance lute tuning). For treble and bass viols the notes would be (from the highest) d',a,e,c,G,D and for the tenor g,d,A,F,C,G'. The treble is one octave higher than the bass. Other tunings were employed, particularly in the solo lyra viol style of playing, which also made use of many techniques such as chords and pizzicato (i.e. plucking rather than bowing the strings), which were not generally used in consort playing. An unusual style of pizzicato was known as a thump. Lyra viol music was also commonly written in tablature, and there is a vast repertoire of this music, some by well-known composers, but a lot of it anonymous. The lute is a plucked string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep round back. ... Tablature is a form of musical notation designed for musical instruments which gives the player instructions on where to put their fingers rather than which notes to play. ...

The instrument was common among amateurs, and many homes would 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. Music for consorts was very popular in England in Elizabethan times, with composers such as William Byrd, John Dowland and during the reign of King Charles I by composers such as John Jenkins and William Lawes. The last music for viol consorts before their modern revival was probably that written in the early 1680s by Henry Purcell. Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... Disambiguation: The William Byrd in this article was a composer who died in 1623. ... John Dowland (pronounced to rhyme with Roland) (1563 – February 20, 1626) was an English, possibly Irish-born composer and lutenist. ... John Jenkins (1592-1678) was an English composer. ... William Lawes (1602–1645) was an English composer and musician. ... Centuries: 16th century - 17th century - 18th century Decades: 1630s 1640s 1650s 1660s 1670s - 1680s - 1690s 1700s 1710s 1720s 1730s Years: 1680 1681 1682 1683 1684 1685 1686 1687 1688 1689 Events and Trends The Treaty of Ratisbon between France and England in 1684 ended the Age of Buccaneers. ... Henry Purcell (September 10 (?), 1659 (?)–November 21, 1695), a Baroque composer, is generally considered to be one of Englands greatest composers — indeed, he has often been called Englands finest native composer. ...

Viol on the Isenheimer Altar (1506-1515)

There are several important treatises concerning the viol. The first was by Silvestro Ganassi: 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 the back which are very worthwhile repertoire. A little later in England, Thomas Mace wrote Musick's Monument, which deals more with the lute, but also has an important section on the viol. After this the French treatises by Rousseau, Danoville (1685) and Loulie (1700) show further developments in playing technique. Download high resolution version (520x731, 308 KB)Image from the Isenheimer Altar, showing two angels playing a Viola da Gamba and a Viola da Braccio. ... Download high resolution version (520x731, 308 KB)Image from the Isenheimer Altar, showing two angels playing a Viola da Gamba and a Viola da Braccio. ... Rousseau is a French surname. ...

The bass viola da gamba continued to be used (as a solo instrument and also to accompany the harpsichord in basso continuo) into the 18th century, by which time it had acquired associations of courtliness and antiquity; composers such as Marin Marais, Johann Sebastian Bach and Karl Friedrich Abel wrote music for it. However, the instrument fell out of use as concert halls grew larger, and the louder and somewhat more strident tone of the violin family became more popular. In the last one hundred years or so, the viola da gamba has been revived by early music enthusiasts, an early proponent being Arnold Dolmetsch. A harpsichord is the general term for a family of European keyboard instruments, including the large instrument nowadays called a harpsichord, but also the smaller virginals, the muselar virginals and the spinet. ... Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervallic content (the intervals which make up a sonority), later chords, in relation to a bass note. ... Marin Marais (Born: 31 May 1656, Paris, France, Died: 15 August 1728, Paris, France) was a pupil of Lully and of the viol player Sainte-Colombe. ... Johann Sebastian Bach, 1748 portrait by Elias Gottlob Haussmann Johann Sebastian Bach (March 21, 1685[1] (O.S.) – July 28, 1750[2] (N.S.)) was a German composer and organist of the Baroque period, and is universally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. ... Karl Friedrich Abel (December 22, 1723 – June 20, 1787) was a German composer of the Classical era. ... Early music is a term used to describe pre-Classical Western music, from the earliest written music to 1500 at the earliest (Judd, 1998, p. ... Arnold Dolmetsch (February 24, 1858 - February 28, 1940), was a French-born musician and instrument maker who spent most of his working life in London His main interest was in the field of early music, and he built viols, lutes and a range of keyboards, including harpsichords and clavichords. ...

The film Tous les Matins du Monde by Alain Corneau is based on the life of Sainte Colombe and Marin Marais, prominently featuring their music for the viol da gamba. The film soundtrack features performances by Jordi Savall, perhaps the best modern viola da gamba player. Sainte-Colombe is the name or part of the name of several communes in France: Sainte-Colombe, in the Hautes-Alpes d partement Sainte-Colombe, in the Charente d partement Sainte-Colombe, in the Charente-Maritime d partement Sainte-Colombe, in the C te-dOr d partement Sainte-Colombe... Marin Marais (Born: 31 May 1656, Paris, France, Died: 15 August 1728, Paris, France) was a pupil of Lully and of the viol player Sainte-Colombe. ... Jordi Savall (born 1941, Igualada) is a famous Catalan viol player and is responsible for bringing the viola da gamba back from obscurity. ...