![]() ![]() In 16th and 17th century France five-part string ensembles were the norm. Tenor violas in the “alto tuning” remained in use, however. Because the alto and tenor tunings were so far apart from the bass tuning, larger instruments in the true tenor tuning (F2, C3, G3, D4) began to be made. This tuning was a fifth lower than the soprano tuning (G3, D4, A4, E5) and two fifths higher than the bass tuning (Bb1, F2, C3, G3). The alto and tenor versions of the viola were generally tuned as follows: C3, G3, D4, A4, in other words, the same tuning as the modern viola. In the 16th century it was customary for alto and tenor instruments to be made in different sizes but with exactly the same tuning. In terms of construction and sound the violoncello also belongs to the violin family but is played da gamba. The body extended upwards toward the neck, the fingerboard had seven frets and the five to seven strings lay across a rather flat bridge which meant that the bow could play more than two adjacent strings at once. The viola da gamba had high ribs, a vaulted belly, a flat back and C or F-shaped sound holes. On the other hand they also describe the two instruments' characteristic construction: The viola da braccio, the forerunner of the instruments of the violin family, had low ribs, a rounded back, F-shaped sound holes, a fretless fingerboard, a neck raised from the body with a scroll and four strings across a curved bridge, which meant that they could be bowed individually. Da gamba means “played at the leg” and refers to the vertical playing position. Da braccio is Italian for “played on the arm” and refers to the horizontal playing position. The appellations da braccio and da gamba have two meanings on the one hand they describe the playing position. The names of all stringed instruments are derived from the term “viola” in the 16th and 17th centuries it described two families of stringed instruments, the viola da braccio and the viola da gamba. Illustrious names such as Andrea and Nicola Amati, Gasparo da Salò, Andrea Guarnieri and Antonio Stradivari were already associated with cities such as Milan, Brescia, Cremona and Venice at this time. It may be assumed that the alto, tenor and bass versions emerged soon after the soprano instrument. ![]() The history of the viola is closely linked to the development of the other instruments in the violin family, which were first made in northern Italy between 15. ![]() The ratio of the natural resonance of the body to the tuning is different on the two instruments: on the violin the natural resonance is about six half notes above the lowest note, on the viola eleven half notes.Ģ0th century composers helped the viola to escape from the shadow of the brighter-sounding violin by writing solo works for it. In other words, the viola is too small in proportion to its tuning and this is the reason for its distinctive timbre. around 54 cm) than it actually is (around 42 cm). If this ratio were applied to the actual size of the instruments the viola's body would have to be 12 cm longer (i.e. This means that the frequencies of the two instruments are in a ratio of 2:3. The viola is tuned to a fifth lower than the violin (C3 = 4th string, G3 = 3rd string, D4 = 2nd string, A4 = 1st string). The characteristic sound of the viola is a result of the following factors: Its bow is a little heavier than the violin bow and the horsehair a little broader. Its stately and dark timbre contrasts sharply with that of the violin and makes the viola perfectly suited as the violin family's middle voice. It is constructed using the same components as the violin, the only difference being the larger size. Mute: Comb-shaped device made of metal or maple which damps the vibration of the bridge.Bow: Length: 74 cm rod, point, adjustable frog.Material: gut, silver or aluminum-wound, often steel. 37-38.9 cm, 4 strings, tuned to intervals of a fifth: C3, G3, D4, A4. Strings: Length of the vibrating strings: approx.Belly with F-shaped sound holes, back, ribs. Head: Scroll, pegbox, 4 side-mounted pegs.Classification: Chordophone, necked lute, stringed instrument. ![]() La conférence from VIIIe Concert (excerpt) by le Sieur de Sainte Colombe, performed by Jordi Savall and Wieland Kuijken. Colombe is credited with adding a 7th string to the bass end of the viol, taking it down below the cello to A, and expanding its range to an astonishing compass of well over three octaves. Colombe, Forqueray, and Marais, and German works by Buxtehude, Telemann, Bach, Schenk, and Abel. The solo music for the viol includes division and lyra-style (chordal) works from England, dance suites by French composers like St. 2 Vivace (excerpt), performed by Mary Springfels. Sonata for solo gamba by George Philipp Telemann, mvt. Portrait of (?) the last viol virtuoso, Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-87). ![]()
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