 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2012) |
 | |
| String instrument | |
|---|---|
| Other names | gamba (informal) |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 321.322-71 (Composite chordophone sounded by a bow) |
| Developed | Late 15th century from the vihuela |
| Related instruments | |
| Sound sample | |
The viola da gamba, or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played da gamba (on the leg). [a] (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 the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitch of each of the strings.[1] 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).[1]
These members of the viol family are distinguished from later bowed string instruments, such as 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.[1]
The viola da gamba uses the alto clef.[citation needed] Seven and occasionally eight frets made of "stretched gut", tied on the fingerboard around the instrument's neck.[1] Frets tied in this manner—instead of permanently fixed as on a guitar—allow fine-tuning to improve tuning.[1] 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.[citation needed]
Viols first appeared in Spain and Italy in the mid-to-late 15th century, and were most popular in the Renaissance[2] and Baroque (1600–1750) periods.[3] Early ancestors include the Arabic rebab and the medieval European vielle,[4][5] but later, more directly possible ancestors include the Venetian viole[6] and the 15th- and 16th-century Spanish vihuela, a six-course plucked instrument tuned like a lute (and also like a present-day viol)[4][5] that (at the time) looked like, but was quite distinct from, the four-course guitar[7] (an earlier chordophone).[8]
Although bass viols superficially resemble cellos, viols are different in several respects from instruments of 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.[9]
A modern player of the viol is commonly known as a gambist, violist /ˈvaɪəlɪst/, 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.
- ^ a b c d e f Ian Woodfield; Lucy Robinson (1984). "Viol". In Sadie, Stanley (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Vol. 3. pp. 736–753.
- ^ "Putto holding a "viole de gambe" in the Musiconis database". Musiconis.huma-num.fr. Retrieved 18 April 2021.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Woodfield, Ian; Robinson, Lucy. Viol [viola da gamba, gamba]. In: Sadie, Stanley, ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. 19. London, UK: Macmillan Publishers Ltd; 1980;791–808.
- ^ a b Otterstedt, Annette. The Viol: History of an Instrument. Kassel: Barenreiter;-Verlag Karl Votterle GmbH & Co; 2002.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Woodfield 1984was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Rodriguez Alvira, José. "La vihuela y la guitarra en el siglo XVI". Aulaactual.com. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
- ^ Rault, Christian. "The emergence of new approaches to plucked instruments, 13th – 15th centuries. Michalestein, 2001". Prolyra.free.fr. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
Rault notes that the first mention of the guitarra was in the late-13th- or early-14th-century Latin manuscript Ars Musica by the Spaniard Juan Gil de Zamora
- ^ Vasquez, Jose. "The violin (or viola da braccio) and the viola da gamba families: differences and similarities". Orpheon.org. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
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