Viola da gamba

“ The favorite is No. 2, the Bass Viol, or Gamba. That is viola da gamba (leg-viol) . The Italians also used the names da spalla (the shoulder) and da braccio (arm) for the next two smaller viols. It is doubtless a choice specimen of this instrument which was under lock and key in the other room. It may have been made by Gasparo di Salò. [32] For the Italians are rapidly coming to the fore as viol-makers; and a new man, Andreas Amati, [33] is manufacturing a very small instrument, which he calls a violino, or violin. ”

“ It is often supposed that early violinists were not sufficiently masters of their instrument to command the higher positions. Nothing can be more absurd. In addition to what has been stated under the head Shift, it may be observed that many existing compositions for the Viola da Gamba prove that very complicated music was played on that instrument across the strings in the higher positions, and the transfer of this method of execution to the violin obviously rested with individual players and composers. Bach's Violin Solos represent it in the hands of one of transcendant genius ”

“ Fortunately we have preserved in the Della Valle collection (no. 25) , in the great maker's own autograph, his rule for placing the soundholes. It is inscribed 'Regola per collocare le ff delli Violini, Viole, Violoncelli.' The explanation of this is, that it was one of the fixed principles of Stradivari, in which he differed from his predecessors, that the same laws governed the proportions of all members of the violin family, as distinguished from the viol family, which includes the viola da gamba and double-bass, and is governed by other proportions. ”

“ The earlier Violoncellos in England therefore date not long after those of Italy; the French and German ones somewhat later. The Violoncello must have been kept out of general use by its irrational fingering; for being tuned by fifths, and the fingers of the performer being only able to stretch a major third, the hand has great difficulty in commanding the scales: and it was not until the middle of the last century that its difficulties were sufficiently overcome to enable it to practically supplant the Viola da Gamba in the orchestra. ”

“ Transcription of image page 326 VIOLA DA GAMBA
“For important regale of the Company the concerts were usually all viols to the organ or harpsichord. The violin came in late and imperfectly. When the hands were well supplied the whole chest went to work, that is, six viols, music being formed for it which would seem a strange sort of music now, being an interwoven hum-drum.”—From Autobiography of Roger North, born 1653. ”

“ Anto. Stradivari. Modelli della Viola da Gamba alla gobba fatta p. la Sra Conta Cristina Visconti col ricchio e li occhietti da Violoncello.' ↑ The supposed autograph letter of Stradivari, a facsimile of which forms the frontispiece to the work of M. Fétis. is apparently a forgery. ↑ This is apparently the result of their being made in the same mould. ↑ The Museum of the Paris Conservatoire contains a beautiful fragment of the head of a viola da gamba of Stradivari (No. 111) . ”

“ The first scene is in Orsino's court (as in Shakespeare) , and gives the whole romantic atmosphere of the rest of the play. Most producers begin with the short scene of Viola's shipwreck, thus cunningly avoiding the whole idea of the plot. Two violins, viola, and viol-da-gamba are discovered playing the music of "O mistress mine" on the stage; and if it is impossible to obtain a viol-da-gamba, the composer allows one to use a violoncello. Also there is a guitar off the stage. The text is closely followed. The setting ('cello solo) for the words "If music be the food of love" is very beautiful ”

“ One of the largest private collections of this kind, more recently formed by an English musical amateur, was sold in London by auction in the year 1872, after the death of its owner, Mr. Joseph Gillott of Birmingham. It contained above 150 instruments played with a bow. Among them were two viola da gambas, by Gaspar di Salo and Barak Norman; a viola d'amore, by Bertrand, Paris, 1614; violins, violas, and violoncellos assigned to Gaspar di Salo, Stradiuarius, Amati, Guarnerius, Testore, Guadagnini, Bergonzi, and other famous makers. ”

“ The violins of Gaspar da Salo and Joseph Guarnerius have the sound of a trumpet, horn, or flute; those of Stradivarius have the sound of the oboe and clarinet; and those of the Amati family, of the English horn and the human voice. The Steiner violins have the greatest diversity of color between the upper and lower strings, and resemble a sharp oboe. The violins of Maggini are grand but somewhat hollow in tone, inclining to the viola ”

“ The favourite viol da gamba, or division viol, frequently had a man or a woman's head instead of the scroll finish to the peg-box, and sometimes a few fine wire sympathetic strings tuned an octave higher than the strings in the bridge. ”

“ Some weeks after this vindicatory concert of which I have spoken, Paganini came to see me. 'I have a marvellous viola,' he said, 'an admirable Stradivarius, and I wish to play it in public. But I have no music ad hoc. Will you write a solo piece for the viola? You are the only one I can trust for such a work.' 'Yes, indeed,' I answered, 'your proposition flatters me more than I can tell, but, to make such a virtuoso as you shine in a piece of this nature, it is necessary to play the viola, and I do not play it. You are the only one, it seems to me, who can solve the problem.' 'No, no ”

“ The viola has four strings, also tuned in fifths, thus . The viola looks exactly like the violin at a little distance, and is really only a larger sized violin, having a range a fifth lower. Its tone is not so incisive as that of the violin, being [Pg 118] rather heavier—"more gloomy," as it is often described. The viola is not so useful as the violin as a solo instrument because it is not capable of producing so many varieties of color, nevertheless it is invaluable for certain effects. In orchestral music it is of course one of the most valuable instruments for filling in the harmony. ”

“ The viola has been made in many sizes, from the huge instruments by Gasparo di Salò to instruments not much larger than the modern violin. The standard size is now about one-seventh larger than the ordinary violin.
Fine violas are rare. Those by Maggini, of which not a dozen exist, are especially valued. They are of a very high model: the corners short; the purfling double; the sound-holes short, wide, upright, under-cut on the inner edge and placed higher than on his violins; the wood is fine; and the varnish is golden brown. ”

“ Several Viols of Gasparo's workmanship, of different sizes, are still extant. The Violins are very rare. A few large Violas exist, the tone of which is magnificent. His genuine labels bear no date. Gio Paolo Maggini was apprenticed to him, and is believed to have purchased the business, after Gasparo's death, from his son Francesco.
To Gasparo da Salò belongs the credit of having laid the foundation of the Italian style of Violin-making. ”

“ To-day the viola’s beautiful tone is perfectly understood. “Every skilful violinist can in a few weeks acquire the ability to play the viola fairly well; but the true virtuoso of the viola must study his instrument long and carefully. In like degree as the violin is biting, incisive and masterful, the viola is humble, wan, sad and morose. Besides using it to fill in the harmony composers take advantage of those qualities to obtain expressions of melancholy and resignation for which the instrument is incomparable ”

“ The viola speaks often enough, but no one recognizes her voice. She is unknown to the average concert-goer. Kept in the background by the position of the players, who sit behind the violins, and by the unskilful employment of the earlier composers, this beautiful and expressive member of the viol family is almost a stranger to lovers of music. The viola is nothing more or less than a larger violin with a deeper compass. ”

“ Nevertheless, it blends well with other stringed instruments. If a composer desires to write a long scale, exceeding the downward range of violins, he can pass from violins to violas, and so to ’cellos, without any abrupt change of tonal quality. Again, violas can be used to reinforce other stringed instruments, as in the beginning of the [Pg 15] andante con moto of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, where they play the melody in unison with the ’cellos. Meyerbeer, Berlioz, and Wagner have made excellent use of the characteristic qualities of the viola. ”

“ The viola is commonly (with rare exceptions indeed) played by infirm violinists, or by decrepit players of wind instruments who happen to have been acquainted with a stringed instrument once upon a time: at best a competent viola player occupies the first desk, so that he may play the occasional soli for that instrument; but, I have even seen this function performed by the leader of the first violins. It was pointed out to me that in a large orchestra, which contained eight violas, there was only one player who could deal with the rather difficult passages in one of my later scores! ”

“ At one time few noblemen's or gentlemen's houses were without a 'chest,' containing a set of four or more gambas of different size, often expensively got up, carved and inlaid with ivory or tortoise-shell. This popularity of the gamba lasted up to the middle of the 18th century, when the violoncello began gradually to supersede it. ”

“ Every man can control his fiddle when it is his own work with which its vagaries would play the devil.
And Viola is the idol, the theme of Naples. She is the spoiled sultana of the boards. To spoil her acting may be easy enough,—shall they spoil her nature? No, I think not. There, at home, she is still good and simple; and there, under the awning by the doorway,—there she still sits, divinely musing. How often, crook-trunked tree, she looks to thy green boughs; how often, like thee, in her dreams, and fancies, does she struggle for the light,—not the light of the stage-lamps. ”

“ From the penetrating character of the tone, new violas are invariably harsher than new violins or violoncellos, but fortunately several good makers of the last century have left a number of instruments which have now become matured, and the demand being so much less than for violins, a good medium sized viola may often be obtained at about half the cost of a violin of the same quality. ”

“ The viola has, nevertheless been long neglected or put to an unimportant and ineffectual use,—that of merely doubling in octave the upper part of the bass. Its quality of tone so strongly attracts and captivates [54] the attention that it is not necessary to have in the Orchestra quite so many violas, as second violins; and the expressive powers of its quality of tone are so marked that in the rare occasions when the old masters afforded its display it never failed to fulfil their intentions. ”

“ His knowledge of the construction of stringed instruments was sufficient for him to invent a new one while he was at Cöthen, in order to meet the demands made on the performer by his own music. This instrument, which he called the viola pomposa, was something between the viola and violoncello. It was played like a violin, and had five strings tuned to the four strings of the violoncello, with the addition of E above the first string. This additional [158] string makes the performance of his sonatas for violoncello comparatively easy. ”

“ Elgar also gives the viola much to do in his works; and Richard Strauss, carrying Wagner’s fantastic ideas still farther, made the viola impersonate Sancho Panza in the Don Quixote Variations, where he treats it elaborately, whimsically and delightfully.
But very likely none of these composers would have thought about this instrument had it not been for Berlioz, who said: “Of all instruments in the Orchestra the one whose excellent qualities have been longest misappreciated is the viola. It is no less agile than the violin. The sound of its strings is peculiarly telling. ”

“ The viola, whether accompanying or leading the melody, is treated throughout with special partiality, and has even a certain amount of bravura. Mozart was fond of taking the viola himself in his later years, and Franziska von Jacquin was an excellent pianiste, so that we can understand his providing himself with a good part to perform with his friends. The deeper tones of the clarinet are not used, out of consideration to the viola; its full liquid tones are particularly well adapted for the delivery of the melody. The plan of the movements deviates from the ordinary course. ”

“ The other instruments have a rather elaborate accompaniment. The slow movement immediately ensues, Adagio Cantabile, D major, two-four rhythm. The viola has the melody, in the form of the Italian aria, embellished with prima donna fioriture. The movement is short, only running to forty-six bars. Rondo, Allegretto, A minor, two-four. The leading [187] theme, marked by syncopations, is given to the viola, the violin joining in the repetition. The tonality is constantly changing from the minor to the major and back again. ”

“ Much less high-strung, so to speak, than violinists. Not quite as passionate as cellists. But I would hardly have considered the viola to be a prestigious solo instrument. How many famous violists can you name? How many great viola concertos? "The repertoire is too limited," I said, speaking what was on my mind. This fact did not deter her determination.
"Mr. Rossi thinks I'd make a great violist," she replied. There was that look again, right in her light brown eyes. Just like her mother.
I had a sudden insight: my teenage daughter had a crush on the conductor. ”