Viol

Viol, family of bowed stringed instruments popular from about 1500 to about 1750 and revived in the 20th century for early music. The viol rests vertically on the player's knees. The bow is held palm outward and is slightly convex (in contrast to the concave violin bow). Made in three principal sizes (treble, tenor, and bass), the viol has a deep body and sloping shoulders; a back that angles back sharply near the neck; a violin-like bridge; C-shaped sound-holes; and tied gut frets that contribute to its clear, penetrating sound. The six gut strings are tuned (in the tenor) G c f a d¹ g¹ (c = C below middle C; d¹ = D above middle C). The treble tuning has the same pattern starting on d; the bass, starting on D. Less common was the double-bass viol, tuned an octave lower; it was one ancestor of the modern double bass. In the 1500s and 1600s a consort, or ensemble, of viols was a favourite medium for chamber music by such composers as Henry Purcell, whose fantasias for viols are among the greatest music he wrote. In England the lyra viol—a small bass used for complex solo music—also became popular. With the rise of the orchestra in the 1700s the violin drove the treble and tenor viols from prominence. The bass viol persisted, its most famous virtuoso being the French player Marin Marais. Carl Friedrich Abel was a relatively late composer for the viola da gamba. At his death, in London, he was buried with his instrument. The viola da gamba also features in J. S. Bach's sixth Brandenburg Concerto.