The viol (also called viola da gamba) is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, stringed musical instruments developed in the 1400s and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. In Music, a bow is moved across some part of a Musical instrument, causing Vibration which the instrument emits as Sound. A fret is a raised portion on the neck of a Stringed instrument, that extends generally across the full width of the neck A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a Musical instrument that produces Sound by means of Vibrating strings In the Hornbostel-Sachs A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance, approximately 1400 - 1600 Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750. The family is related to and descends primarily from the Spanish vihuela (a guitarlike plucked string instrument). Vihuela is a name given to two different Guitar -like String instruments one from 15th and 16th century Spain, usually with 12 paired strings and the The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Some degree of developmental influence, if only in playing posture, is credited to the Moorish rebab as well. The rebab ( Arabic الرباب or رباب; also rebap, rabab, rebeb, [1]
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History
Vihuelists began playing their flat-bridged instruments with a bow in the second half of the 15th century. Vihuela is a name given to two different Guitar -like String instruments one from 15th and 16th century Spain, usually with 12 paired strings and the 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 original plucked vihuela: a flat back, sharp waist-cuts, frets, thin ribs (initially), and an identical tuning—hence its Spanish name vihuela de arco (arco, meaning "bow"). Inspired by another local instrument, the Moorish rebab, this new vihuela was usually held upright, either resting on the lap or held between the legs, similar to the playing posture of a cello. The violoncello (abbreviated to cello, or 'cello, plural cellos or celli —the c is tʃ This a gamba playing position was more suited to larger instruments than was the a braccio position of the modern violin. The instrument was imported to Italy from Spain by the Borgia family. This gave rise to its Italian name viola da gamba, meaning "viol for the leg," which also helped differentiate it from the early violin family, which the Italians called viola da braccio (lit. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. The Violin family of Musical instruments was developed in Italy in the Sixteenth century. The Violin family of Musical instruments was developed in Italy in the Sixteenth century. "viol for the arm"). and was played along with the crumhorn by henry VIII
Construction
Viols most commonly had six strings, although many 16th-century instruments had five or even four strings. Viols were (and are) strung with (low-tension) gut strings, unlike the steel strings used by members of the modern violin family. Catgut is the name applied to cord of great toughness and tenacity prepared from the Intestines of the Sheep or Goat, or occasionally from those of the Gut strings produce a sonority far different from steel, the former 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 on many other string instruments as well. Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 Viols are fretted in a manner similar to early guitars or lutes, by means of movable wrapped-around and tied-on gut frets. Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck (either Fretted or unfretted and a deep round back or more specifically to an instrument from A low seventh string was supposedly added in France to the bass viol by Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe (c. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe (c 1640 - 1700 was a French Composer and violist. 1640–1690), whose students included the French gamba virtuoso and composer Marin Marais. A virtuoso (from Italian virtuoso, late Latin virtuosus, Latin virtus meaning skill manliness excellence is an individual Marin Marais ( 31 May 1656, Paris &ndash 15 August 1728, Paris was a French Composer and Viol player Also, the painting Saint Cecilia with an Angel (1618) by Domenichino (1581–1641) shows what may be a seven-string viol. Domenico Zampieri (or Domenichino) ( October 21, 1581 &ndash April 15, 1641) was a prominent Italian Baroque
Unlike members of the violin family, 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 the 16th century and similar to that of the modern six-string guitar. The Violin family of Musical instruments was developed in Italy in the Sixteenth century. The perfect fifth ( is the Musical interval between a note and the note seven Semitones above it on the musical scale Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck (either Fretted or unfretted and a deep round back or more specifically to an instrument from The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles
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 the construction of their plucked vihuela counterparts. Rib depth increased during the course of 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 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. Linen is a Textile made from the Fibers of the Flax plant Linum usitatissimum. Vellum (from the Old French Vélin for "calfskin" is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on single pages scrolls codices or books The peg boxes of viols (which hold the tuning pegs) were typically decorated either with elaborate carved heads of animals or people or with the now familiar spiral scroll finial.
The earliest vihuelas and violas, both plucked and bowed, all had sharp cuts to their waists, similar to the profile of a modern violin. This is a key and new feature—first appearing in the mid-1400s—and from then on, it was employed on many different types of string instruments. This feature is 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 the only slightly later plucked vihuelas and the modern guitar, they would be out of luck. By the mid-1500s, 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 the ends of their fretboards flat on the deck, level with or resting upon the top or sound board. The fingerboard (also known as a fretboard on fretted instruments is a part of most Stringed instruments It is a thin long strip of Wood that is Once the end of their fretboards were 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 dampening again meant that their tops could vibrate more freely, contributing to 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 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-1500s, S-holes morphed into 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 was 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 vihuelalike round or oval ports or rosettes became a standard feature of German and Austrian viols and was retained to the very end. That feature or “genetic marker” was exclusively unique to viols and reminded one always of the viol's more ancient plucked vihuela roots, the "luteness" of viols.
Historians, makers, and players generally distinguish between Renaissance and Baroque viols. Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance, approximately 1400 - 1600 Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750. The latter are more heavily constructed and are fitted with a bass bar and sound post, like modern stringed instruments. In a String instrument, the bass bar is a brace running from the foot of the neck to a position under the bridge, which bears much of the tension of the In a String instrument, the sound post is a small Dowel inside the instrument under the treble end of the bridge spanning the space between the top and back plates
Viol bows
The bow is held underhand (palm up), similar to a German double bass bow grip, but away from the frog towards the balance point. In Music, a bow is moved across some part of a Musical instrument, causing Vibration which the instrument emits as Sound. The double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed String instrument used in the modern symphony orchestra. 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 bowhair and adjusts its tension) is also different from that of modern bows: whereas a violin bow frog has a "slide" (often made of mother of pearl) to hold the hair flat across the frog, viol bows have an open frog that allows more movement of the hair. Nacre, also known as mother of pearl, is an organic-inorganic Composite material produced by some Mollusks as an inner shell layer This is essential to allow the traditional playing technique in which the player tensions the bow hair with one or two fingers of the right hand between the hair and the bow stick in order to control articulation and inflection while playing. In Music, articulation refers to the direction or performance technique which affects the transition or continuity on single note or between multiple notes or
Versions
The gamba (as the name is often abbreviated for convenience) comes in six sizes: "pardessus de viole" (which is relatively rare), treble, alto, tenor, bass, and contrabass (also known as a violone). The violone (literally "large viol" in Italian "-one" being the Augmentative suffix is a Musical instrument of the Viol family The treble is about the size of a violin, but with a deeper body; the standard bass is a bit smaller than a cello. The violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member The violoncello (abbreviated to cello, or 'cello, plural cellos or celli —the c is tʃ The English made smaller basses known as division viols, and the still-smaller Lyra viol. The division viol is an English type of bass Viol, which was originally popular in the mid-17th century but is currently experiencing a renaissance of its own due The lyra viol is a small bass Viol, used primarily in England in the Seventeenth century. German consort basses were larger than the French instruments designed for continuo. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Two closely related instruments include the baryton and the viola d'amore, although the latter is played under the chin, viola-fashion. baryton is a bowed String instrument in the Viol family in regular use in Europe up until the end of the 18th century The viola d'amore ( Italian: love Viol) is a 7- or 6- stringed Musical instrument with Sympathetic strings used chiefly in the
Tuning
The standard tuning of the viol is in fourths, with a major third in the middle (like the standard Renaissance lute tuning). The perfect fourth () is a Musical interval which spans four scale degrees A major third ( is one of two commonly occurring Musical intervals that span three Diatonic scale degrees the other being the Minor third. Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck (either Fretted or unfretted and a deep round back or more specifically to an instrument from For bass viols, the notes would be (from the lowest) D-G-c-e-a-d', with an additional low A for seven-string bass viols. For the tenor viol, the tuning is G-c-f-a-d'-g'. The treble viol is one octave higher than the bass. In Music, an octave ( is the the use of which is "common in most musical systems
Alternate 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. The lyra viol is a small bass Viol, used primarily in England in the Seventeenth century. This article describes musical chords in traditional Western styles Pizzicato (ˌpɪtsɪˈkɑːtoʊ is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a String instrument. An unusual style of pizzicato was known as a thump. Lyra viol music was also commonly written in tablature. Tablature (or Tabulature) is a form of Musical notation, which tells players where to place their fingers on a particular instrument 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. Equal temperament is a Musical temperament, or a system of tuning in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical Frequency ratio. The moveable 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 arguably more suited to Renaissance music. Meantone temperament is a Musical temperament, which is a system of Musical tuning. There are several recognised fretting schemes in which the frets are spaced unevenly in order to give "better-sounding" chords in a limited number of keys. In Music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways In some of these schemes, the two strands of gut that comprise the fret are separated so that the player can finger a slightly sharper or flatter version of a note to suit different circumstances.
Treatises
Descriptions and illustrations of viols are found in numerous early 16th-century musical treatises, including those authored by:
- Sebastian Virdung: Musica getutsch, 1511
- Hans Judenkunig: Ain schone kunstliche Vunderwaisung, 1523
- Martin Agricola: Musica instrumentalis deutsch, 1528
- Hans Gerle: Musica Teusch (or Teutsch), 1532
Both Agricola's and Gerle's works were published in various editions. Sebastian Virdung (born c 1465 was a German composer and theorist on Musical instruments He studied in Heidelberg as a scholar of Johannes von Soest Hans Judenkönig (also Judenkunig or Judenkünig) (b c 1450 Schwäbisch Gmünd - d See Agricola for several other people of the same name Martin Agricola ( January 6, 1486 &ndash June 10, Hans Gerle (ca 1500 Nuremberg - 1570 Nuremberg was a German Lutenist and arranger of the Renaissance.
There were then several important treatises concerning or devoted to the viol. A treatise is a formal lengthy systematic Discourse on some subject 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. Diego Ortiz (ca 1510 &ndash 1570) was a Spanish Composer and Musicologist, in service to the Spanish Viceroy in Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 In England, Christopher Simpson wrote the most important treatise, with the second edition being published in 1667 in parallel text (English and Latin). Christopher Simpson (c1605&ndash1669 was an English musician and composer particularly associated with music for the viola da gamba. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. This has divisions at the back that are very worthwhile repertoire. Variation form Variation form include Ground bass, Passacaglia, Chaconne, and theme and variations 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 Loulie (1700) show further developments in playing technique. Machy, Le Sieur de ( fl second half the 17th century was a French Viol player Composer, and teacher remembered principally for his "Pièces de Violle Jean Rousseau (1644 &ndash 1699 was a French Viol player composer and author remembered principally for his Traité de la viole (1687 a valuable source of information
Popularity
Viols were second in popularity only to the lute (although this 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. Chest of viols is a term which was used primarily in the 16th and 17th centuries in England for either a consort of Viols or the specialized cabinet made 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. A consort of instruments was a phrase used in England during the 16th and 17th centuries to indicate an Instrumental ensemble. The verse anthem is a species of religious Choral music distinct from the Motet or 'full' anthem (i Only the treble, tenor, and bass sizes were regular members of 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 and William Lawes. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland William Byrd (c 1540 &ndash 4 July 1623 was an English Composer of the Renaissance. John Dowland (1563 &ndash buried February 20, 1626) was an English Composer, singer and Lutenist He is best known today for his John Jenkins (1592 &ndash 1678 English composer was born in Maidstone, Kent, and died at Kimberley, Norfolk. William Lawes (April 1602 &ndash 24 September 1645) was an English Composer and Musician. The last music for viol consorts before their modern revival was probably written in the early 1680s by Henry Purcell. Henry Purcell (ˈpɜrsəl 10 September 1659 (? – 21 November 1695 was an English Baroque Composer.
c. 1635. Subject matter depicts amateur social music making, featuring lute, bass viol, and singers, with part books spread around the table. This is also representative of one kind of broken consort, albeit with minimal instrumentation.
Perhaps even more common than the pure consort of viols was the mixed or broken consort (also called Morley consort). A broken consort (also called Morley consort or English consort) is an instrumental ensemble that developed in Europe during the Renaissance. 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 the moment. Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck (either Fretted or unfretted and a deep round back or more specifically to an instrument from The orpharion is a plucked instrument from the Renaissance. It is part of the Cittern family The cittern (occasionally spelled " cithern " is a stringed instrument of the Lute / Guitar family dating from the Renaissance. The violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member The virginals (the plural form does not necessarily denote more than one instrument or virginal is a Keyboard instrument of the Harpsichord family A spinet is a smaller type of Harpsichord or other keyboard instrument such as a Piano or organ. A harpsichord is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. 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 continued to be used into the 18th century as a solo instrument (and to complement the harpsichord in basso continuo). In Music, a solo (from the Italian solo, meaning alone) is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer A harpsichord is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer Musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords and Nonchord tones in relation It was a favorite instrument of Louis XIV and acquired associations of both courtliness and "Frenchness" (in contrast to the Italianate violin). Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent Composers such as Marin Marais, Johann Sebastian Bach, Antoine Forqueray, and Karl Friedrich Abel wrote virtuoso music for it. Marin Marais ( 31 May 1656, Paris &ndash 15 August 1728, Paris was a French Composer and Viol player WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise" Antoine Forqueray (c 1671&ndash1745 was a French Composer and virtuoso of the Viola da gamba. Carl Friedrich Abel ( December 22, 1723 &ndash June 20 1787) was a German composer of the Classical era. However, viols fell out of use as concert halls grew larger and the louder and more penetrating tone of the violin family became more popular. In the last one hundred years or so, the viola da gamba and its repertoire were revived by early music enthusiasts, an early proponent being Arnold Dolmetsch. Early music is commonly defined as European classical music from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque. (Eugène Arnold Dolmetsch ( 24 February 1858 - 28 February 1940) was a French -born Musician and instrument maker who spent
The viol today
Today, the viol is attracting ever more interest, particularly among amateur players. 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 music editions. The viol is also regarded as a suitable instrument for adult learners; Percy Scholes wrote that the viol repertoire ". Percy Alfred Scholes (1877&ndash1958 was an English musician journalist and prolific writer whose best-known achievement was his compilation of the first edition of . . 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 and has a worldwide membership. Since then, similar societies have been organized in several other nations.
A living museum of historical musical instruments was created by Prof José Vázquez of the University of Vienna as a center for the revival of the instrument. More than 100 instruments, including approximately 50 historical viola da gambas in playable condition, are the property of this new concept of 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[1]. They are studied and copied by violin makers, contributing to the extension of 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. In the Film industry, a feature film is a Film made for initial distribution in theaters and being the "main attraction" of the screening All the World's Mornings (Tous les matins du monde is a 1991 Novel by Pascal Quignard. Alain Corneau (born August 7, 1943) is a French movie director and writer Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe (c 1640 - 1700 was a French Composer and violist. Marin Marais ( 31 May 1656, Paris &ndash 15 August 1728, Paris was a French Composer and Viol player The film's bestselling soundtrack features performances by Jordi Savall, one of the best-known modern viola da gamba players. Jordi Savall i Bernadet (born 1941 in Igualada, Catalonia, Spain) is a Viol player conductor, and Composer.
Among the foremost modern players of the viols are Jonathan Dunford, José Vàzquez, Paolo Pandolfo, Jordi Savall, Wieland Kuijken, Vittorio Ghielmi, Hille Perl, and Guido Balestracci. Paolo Pandolfo is an Italian virtuoso player composer and teacher of music for the Viola da gamba. Jordi Savall i Bernadet (born 1941 in Igualada, Catalonia, Spain) is a Viol player conductor, and Composer. Vittorio Ghielmi is a Viola da gamba player born in 1968 in Milano, Italy. Hille Perl (born in Bremen in 1965 is a German virtuoso performer of the Viola da gamba and Lirone. Many fine modern viol consorts (ensembles) are also recording and performing, among them the groups Fretwork and Phantasm. Fretwork is a consort of Viols based in England, United Kingdom. Phantasm is a four member Viol consort based in England founded in 1994 by Laurence Dreyfus. The Baltimore Consort specializes in Renaissance song (mostly English) with broken consort (including viols). The Baltimore Consort is a musical ensemble that performs a wide variety of Early music, Renaissance music and music from later periods
New compositions for viol
A number of contemporary composers have written for viol, and 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. Fretwork is a consort of Viols based in England, United Kingdom. George Benjamin may refer to George Benjamin (Orangeman (1799-1864 Canadian political figure George Benjamin (composer (b WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus 25 August 1954 is an English Musician and Singer-songwriter, with Irish ancestry WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Not to be confused with John Taverner John Woolrich (born Cirencester, UK, 1954 is a British composer WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Tan Dun (pinyin Tán Dùn 譚盾 谭盾 born August 18 in Changsha Alexander Goehr (born 10 August 1932 in Berlin) is an English Composer and academic Andrew Keeling is a classical composer Since the late 1980s he has written music for the likes of Opus 20 (Meditatio 1989 Het Trio (Distant Skies Mountains and Shadows 1992 The Thea Musgrave (b 27 May 1928, Barnton Edinburgh) is a Scottish -born American -based Composer of Opera and Sally Beamish (born 26 August 1956, London) is a British Composer of chamber vocal choral and orchestral music Peter Joshua Sculthorpe AO OBE (born 29 April 1929 is a noted Australian Composer. Richard Gavin Bryars (born 16 January 1943) is an English Composer and Double bassist He has been active in or has produced works in a variety Barrington Pheloung (born 14 December 1954) is an Australian composer now living in England. Professor Simon Bainbridge (born 30 August, 1952 in London) is a British Composer and Professor of composition Poul Ruders (born March 27, 1949 in Ringsted) is a Danish composer Ivan Moody, British Composer, was born in London in 1964 and studied composition with Brian Dennis at London University William Brooks at York University Barry John Guy (born 22 April 1947, in London) is a British Composer and Double bass player The Yukimi Kambe Viol Consort has commissioned and recorded many works by David Loeb, and 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. David Loeb may refer to David Loeb (composer, American composer David S Bülent Arel (b Istanbul, April 23, 1919; d Stony Brook, New York, November 24, 1990) was a Turkish-born Daniel Rogers Pinkham Jr (June 5 1923 - December 18 2006 was an American composer Organist, and Harpsichordist Pinkham was one of America's most active composers Tison C Street (b Boston, Massachusetts, May 20, 1943) is an American composer of Contemporary classical music and violinist Other composers for viols include Moondog, Kevin Volans, Roy Whelden, Toyohiko Satoh, Roman Turovsky, Giorgio Pacchioni, Michael Starke, and Jan Goorissen. Moondog was the Pseudonym of Louis Thomas Hardin ( May 26, 1916 &ndash September 8, 1999) a blind American composer musician Kevin Volans is a Composer associated with the post-minimalist movement in contemporary composition Roman Turovsky-Savchuk is a painter and Lutenist - Composer. He was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1961 and emigrated to New York City in 1979 Giorgio Pacchioni (born July 16, 1947) is an Italian performer professor and composer Michael Starke (1955- is an American Neo-baroque Composer who has gained a following worldwide for his chamber works that showcase the Recorder.
Electric viols
Since the late 1980s, numerous instrument makers, including Eric Jensen, Francois Danger, Jan Goorissen, and Jonathan Wilson, have experimented with the design and construction of electric viols. Their range of approaches, from Danger's minimally electrified acoustic/electric Altra line to Eric Jensen's solid-body brace-mounted design, have met with varying degrees of ergonomic and musical success. A solid body electric instrument is a String instrument such as a guitar, bass or Violin built without its normal Sound box and relying
In the early 21st century, the Ruby Gamba, a solid-body seven-string electric viola da gamba, was developed by Ruby Instruments of Arnhem, the Netherlands. Arnhem ( ( South Guelderish: Èrnem) is a city and Municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands 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 Gilles Zimmermann, Loren Ludwig, Jay Elfenbein, Paolo Pandolfo, Tina Chancey, and Tony Overwater. Paolo Pandolfo is an Italian virtuoso player composer and teacher of music for the Viola da gamba. Tina Chancey is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in early bowed strings from the Rebec and Vielle to the Kamenj, Viol and Lyra viol
Another new version of the viol is the TogaMan GuitarViol, which is essentially a solid-body electric tenor viol. Its tuning is the same as a guitar, whereas the Ruby Gamba is tuned traditionally.
Similar names
The viola da gamba 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. The viola is a bowed String instrument. It is the middle voice of the Violin family, The violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member In the fifteenth century, the Italian word "viola" was a generic term used to refer to any bowed instrument, or fiddle. It is important to note that the word "viola" existed in Italy before the vihuela, or first viol, was brought from Spain. In Italy, "viola" 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. 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 the 1490s. The use of the term "viola" was never used exclusively for viols in the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries. In sixteenth century Italy, both "violas,"—the early viols and violins—developed somewhat simultaneously. While the violins such as those of Amati achieved their classic form before the first half of the century, the viol's form would be standardized later in the century by instrument makers in England.
Viola da gamba, viola cum arculo, and vihuela de arco are some (true) alternate names for viols. Both "vihuela" and "viola" were originally used in 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, 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. " Depending on the context, the unmodified "viola da braccio" most regularly denoted either an instrument from the violin family, or specifically the viola. When Monteverdi called simply for "viole da braccio" in "Orfeo," the composer was requesting violas. "Viola da braccio" was finally shortened to "viola" once viols became less common. Some other names for viols include viole or violle (French). In Elizabethan English, the word "gambo" (for gamba) appears in many permutations; e. Early Modern English is the stage of the English language used from about the end of the Middle English period (the latter half of the 15th century to 1650 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. Tobias Hume (possibly 1569 - 16 April 1645) was an English Composer, Viol player and Soldier. John Dowland (1563 &ndash buried February 20, 1626) was an English Composer, singer and Lutenist He is best known today for his William Shakespeare ( baptised Twelfth Night Or What You Will is a Comedy by William Shakespeare, based on the Short story "Of Apolonius and Silla" by
Notes
- ^ Marco Salerno: Rebecs, Woodfield 1984
References
- Bryan, John (2005). "In Search of the Earliest Viols: Interpreting the Evidence from a Painting by Lorenzo Costa. " The Viola da Gamba Society of Great Britain, Newsletter, no. 131.
- Crum, Alison, with Sonia Jackson (1992). Play the Viol: The Complete Guide to Playing the Treble, Tenor and Bass Viol. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-816311-8.
- Woodfield, Ian [1984]. in Howard Mayer Brown, Peter le Huray, John Stevens: The Early History of the Viol. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 521 24292 4. (Documents the connections between the vihuela and the viol. Vihuela is a name given to two different Guitar -like String instruments one from 15th and 16th century Spain, usually with 12 paired strings and the Documents the connections between the a gamba playing position and the Moorish rabab. )
External links
Dictionary
viol
-noun
- A viola da gamba, a family of musical instruments that preceded the violin and viola and similar string instruments
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