Viola da gamba or viol

 

  • A bowed instruments with frets
  • Cousin of the violin, viola and cello
  • Usually played held downwards on the lap or between the legs  [viol means leg]
  • They developed in the last decades of the 15th century and coexisted until the 18th century
  • Is a very light instruments and with its body construction and the relatively low tension of its strings…it is extremely resonant. It readily responds to the lightest stroke of the bow. Tone is quiet, reedy, and rather nasal and makes if an ideal instrument for playing polyphony. Not easy to dance to because the sound is somewhat restrained.
  • The 17th century cultivated a rich solo repertoire – especially in England and France but some in Italy and Germany.
  • Was one of the most popular solo instruments of the Renaissance and Baroque (1685 to 1750) eras with the lute, harpsichord, violin and flute.
  • This was the time of Louis XIV – beginning of the Sun Kings.
  • Two famous French composers Lully and Rameau
  • Gainsborough “I’m sick of portraits and wish very much to take my Viol da Gamba and walk off to some sweet Village when I can paint land skips and enjoy the fag End of Life in quietness and ease.”
  • Little music written for the instrument

 

 

Titon du Tillet in 1730s wrote about Sainte-Colombe and Marais after they died. He said that Sainte-Colombe practiced in a garden cabin under which Marias, after discontinuing his lessons, would hide to listen to the older master’s playing. (He also said that Sainte-Colombe stopped Marais after 6 months because he realized his pupil had surpassed him. The same author provides the anecdote about Sainte-Colombe and his two daughter names Brigide and Francoise. A son who also played viol immigrated to England and gave lessons and concerts.

 

Sainte-Colombe He died between 1691 & 1701) - wrote 67 suites for 2 bass viols. He was the best known and most influential bass viol virtuosos and teacher of the last third of the 17th century. He taught Marais and Rousseau. Rousseau credits him for establishing the seven-string bass viol with over spun strings and with developing a fluent left-hand technique and a singing instrumental style.

 

Marin Marais was a protégé of both Sainte-Colombe and Lully. Marais began playing for Lully’s opera orchestra in 1676 and joined the king’s chamber music in 1679. He remained at court until 1725 and became the best known viol player in Europe. Marais wrote many pieces for viol and dedicated them to Lully. Marais and Rousseau (wrote a treatise on the viol) describe a form of 2-finger vibrato for the fretted viola da gamba in which a second finger makes a rapid shaking as close as possible to the stopped note—especially a form of microtonal trill. Marais studied composition with Lully.

 

Couperin – Clavichord player and composer.

 

Lully – Court composer for King Louie IX (the first of the ‘Sun Kings’). Had the 24 violins of the king orchestra and also wrote operas based on tragedy.

 

Rameau – A French composer, theorist and keyboard player during the late Baroque, pre-classic period. Wrote the first treatise on harmony (1725) that discusses the tonality of the common practice period. Also, wrote a treatise on the viola da gamba.