WORDS OF WISDOM

Oriental enlightened person

Indian musician playing a Mayuri veena or Taus

These pages will present information on a number of topics related to the instruments of the collection, their music, their relevance in history and their relevance in the concert hall, the conservatory and the music school today. Substantial information on the cultural developments during the Renaissance, the Baroque and the Classical Periods will help place these instruments and their heritage in proper perspective.


THE BOW: THE SOUL OF THE INSTRUMENT

When was the first bow invented?

To the best of our knowledge, the bow for string instruments was invented in the eigth century A.D. in the region known today as Turkestan. The first bows may very well have looked like the one held by our Indian musician above, playing a dilruba (Information: Robin Krishnan). Indeed, the grip and bowing technique shown do not differ from those in use today on the viola da gamba or on the Chinese violin (known as the Erhu), for that matter. With the violent and rapid expansion of Islamic hegemony all along the Mediterranean in the 8th Century, the use of the bow was brought to Spain by the Arabian conquerors, from whence it spread to the rest of Europe, becoming essentially ubiquitous in the Middle Ages.

Historical bows
What do historical bows look like, as compared to modern bows?

The Historical Bows of the Vazquez Collection

Modern copies by Scott Wallace?

Modern Historical Bows by Antonino Airenti

More about the bow?

Drawing your bow (Part I)
An iconographical survey of bows for the violin family

Drawing your bow (Part II)
An iconographical survey of bows for the viola da gamba family



ON THE VIOLA DA GAMBA

The Oldest Viola da gamba
Which is the oldest viola da gamba known to us? When and where was it invented?

Origin of the viola da gamba (English / viola da gamba (Deutsch)

What are the differences between the viol family and the violin family

Diversity in Form of the Viola da gamba!
A study on viola da gamba shapes and construction principles: iconography

Formen der Viola da gamba(Deutsch)
A study on viola da gamba shapes and construction principles: text

The Violetta
What exactly is a violetta?

The Violone
What exactly is a violone?

Sonatas for Viola da gamba and Harpsichord by Bach (Seminar)

Marin Marais and his Time (Seminar)

Concertos for Viola da gamba and orchestra: Telemann and Tartini

Concertos for Viola da gamba and orchestra: Johann Gottlieb Graun
and Ludwig Christian Hesse

Konzerte für Viola da gamba und Orchester: Graun und Hesse
(Deutsche Fassung)



ON THE VIOLIN FAMILY

The Oldest Violin
Which is the oldest violin known to us? When and where was it invented?

Origin of the violin (English) / Ursprung der Violine (Deutsch)

The Violone
What exactly is a violone?

What are the differences between the viol family and the violin family

A case in point...
Who made this violin? (a warning about attributions by experts!)



INSTRUMENTS THAT WILL MAKE YOU VIBRATE
(they have sympathetic strings)

The Viola d'amore
What exactly is a viola d'amore? (not yet available)

The Baryton: a magical instrument



GET THE DETAILS

Bridges to the Past:
a brief survey of historical and modern bridges for the
violin family
viola da gamba family

Bending over Frontwards:
The Austrian instrument maker, Simone Zopf, illustrates this ancient technique of constructing the fronts of the viola da gamba by bending several strips of wood (similar to the making of a lute)

What is dendrochronology? / Dendrochronology: the results!

With Strings Attached: on historical strings



Of Special Interest

Articles of special interest, which have already appeared in print:

1. The French Rondeau (English and German)

2. On Restauration of Historical Instruments (English and German)
(This article examines the highly controversial polemic about restoring instruments for practical use by musicians or conserving instruments, to be seen, but not played, in the museums)

3. Alte Musik auf der Universität (only in German)

4. Sonatas for Viola da gamba and Harpsichord by Bach (Seminar)

5. Marin Marais and his Time (Seminar)

6. Tomás Luís de Victoria: an essay by James Mitchner

More to come...
updated 29.11.2007