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Viola d'amore
Viola d'amore
Classification
Playing range

Related instruments

The viola d'amore (Italian: love viol) is a 7- or 6-stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a Musical instrument that produces Sound by means of Vibrating strings In the Hornbostel-Sachs In Music, the range of a Musical instrument is the distance from the lowest to the highest pitch it can play A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The violoncello (abbreviated to cello, or 'cello, plural cellos or celli —the c is tʃ The viol (also called viola da gamba) is any one of a family of bowed, Fretted stringed Musical instruments developed in the 1400s 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 The violin octet is a family of stringed instruments developed in the 20th century primarily under the direction of the American Luthier Carleen Hutchins. The vertical viola, or alto violin, is a stringed instrument with the range of a Viola that is played vertically in the manner of a Cello. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. The viol (also called viola da gamba) is any one of a family of bowed, Fretted stringed Musical instruments developed in the 1400s 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. Sympathetic strings or resonance strings are auxiliary strings found on many Indian musical instruments as well as some Western Baroque instruments and a variety Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin. The violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member

Contents

Structure and sound

The viola d'amore shares many features of the viol family. The viol (also called viola da gamba) is any one of a family of bowed, Fretted stringed Musical instruments developed in the 1400s Like viols, it has a flat back and intricately carved head at the top of the peg box, but unlike viols, the head occurs often with blindfolded eyes to represent love , and its sound-holes are commonly in the shape of a flaming sword (suggesting a Middle Eastern influence in its development). It is unfretted, and played much like a violin, being held horizontally under the chin. The violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member It is about the same size as the modern viola. The viola is a bowed String instrument. It is the middle voice of the Violin family,

The viola d'amore usually has six or seven playing strings, which are sounded by drawing a bow across them, just as with a violin. In addition, it has an equal number sympathetic strings located below the main strings and the fingerboard which are not played directly but vibrate in sympathy with the notes played. Sympathetic strings or resonance strings are auxiliary strings found on many Indian musical instruments as well as some Western Baroque instruments and a variety 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 A common variation is six playing strings, and instruments exist with as many as fourteen sympathetic strings alone. Despite the fact that the sympathetic strings are now thought of as the most characteristic element of the instrument, it is thought that some early examples may have lacked them.

Largely thanks to the sympathetic strings, the viola d'amore has a particularly sweet and warm sound. Leopold Mozart, writing in his Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule, said that the instrument sounded "especially charming in the stillness of the evening. Johann Georg Leopold Mozart ( November 14, 1719 &ndash May 28, 1787) was a composer conductor teacher and violinist Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule (English A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing) is a textbook for instruction in the Violin "

The first known mention of the name 'viol d'amore' appeared in John Evelyn's diary (20th November, 1679): "for its swetenesse & novelty the Viol d'Amore of 5 wyre-strings, plaid on with a bow, being but an ordinary violin, play'd on Lyra way by a German, than which I never heard a sweeter Instrument or more surprizing. John Evelyn ( 31 October 1620 – 27 February 1706) was an English writer gardener and diarist . . "

Range

The viola d'amore was normally tuned specifically for the piece it was to play - cf. scordatura. A scordatura (literally Italian for "mistuning" also called cross-tuning, is an alternative Tuning used for the open strings of a String Towards the end of the 18th century the standard tuning became: A, d, a, d', f#', a', d''

Use

The instrument was especially popular in the late 17th century, although a specialised viola d'amore player would have been highly unusual, since it was customary for professional musicians to play a number of instruments, especially within the family of the musician's main instrument. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar Later, the instrument fell from use, as the volume and power of the violin family became preferred over the delicacy and sweetness of the viol family. The Violin family of Musical instruments was developed in Italy in the Sixteenth century. The viol (also called viola da gamba) is any one of a family of bowed, Fretted stringed Musical instruments developed in the 1400s However, there has been renewed interest in the viola d'amore in the last century. The viola players Henri Casadesus and Paul Hindemith both played the viola d'amore in the early 20th century, and the film composer Bernard Herrmann made use of it in several scores. Henri Casadesus ( September 30, 1879 &ndash May 31, 1947) was a Violist and music publisher Paul Hindemith (16 November 1895 &ndash 28 December 1963 was a German Composer, Violist, violinist teacher music theorist and conductor. Bernard Herrmann ( June 29, 1911 &ndash December 24, 1975) was an American composer noted for his work in Motion pictures. It may be noted that, like instruments of the violin family, the modern viola d'amore was altered slightly in structure from the baroque version, mainly to support the extra tension of steel wound strings.

Leoš Janáček originally planned to use the viola d'amore in his second string quartet, "Intimate Letters". Leoš Janáček ( (July 3 1854 &ndash August 12 1928 was a Czech Composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher The use of the instrument was symbolic of the nature of his relationship with Kamila Stösslová, a relationship that inspired the work. Kamila Stösslová ( Née Neumannová (1891-1935 holds an unusual place in music history However, the version with viola d'amore was found in rehearsal to be impracticable, and Janáček re-cast the part for a conventional viola. [1]

The viola d'amore can regularly be heard today in musical ensembles that specialise in historically accurate performances of Baroque music on authentic instruments. A musical ensemble is a group of two or more Musicians who perform instrumental or vocal Music. The historically informed performance, period performance, or authentic performance movement is an approach by musicians and scholars to research and perform works Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750.

Some works from the baroque period

Some modern works

The viola d'amore is also used in:

External links


References

  1. ^ Tyrrell, John (2006/7). 'Janáček: Years of a Life', Faber & Faber, London, Volume II at pages 264, 832, 881
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