The Cipher for Viola da Gamba and Lute   Page 1   Page 2   Page 3   Page 4  Page 5   Page 6       A few highlights from the previous page, viols (bowed guitars) played on the arm (or da braccio).                         . . . resume collecting arm viol iconography,  small viols in general (no matter how they were held), and more . . .       small viola with frets, viola da braccio; Abey Nicolo Dell, Italy, 1524-1571       detail of the above       below; viola da barccio, early mid 1500s etching, with visable frets on the back of the neck, lots of pegs too.       below; another viola da braccio from Nicolo Dell'Abate (see his small short necked fretted viola two pictures above). I believe this picture is from his 1540-45 period featuring the same cast of characters and costuming. I’m going out on a limb here, but I don’t think this is a violin at this date, even a three stringer. That’s a very wide chunky neck, and a very large instrument too, much of it hanging behind his shoulder while his arm is almost completely out-stretched. Even his bass viol of the same period has a short chunky neck (next picture after this).             below; viols and lutes, Abate Nicolo Dell, Italian painter working mostly in France, mid 1500s       The above was probably a sketch for the fresco below (detail of), also by Abate Nicolo Dell. Everything about the bass player and his instrument is unmistakable. A fuller string count is visable on the guitar-held tenor viol in this more finished work. The later now apears to have a round sound hole or rosette as well (unless that’s simply damage to the fresco at just the right spot). Also compare the tenor in this picture to the tenor and alto da braccio viols by Ludger Tom Ring shown a little later.       below is (no doubt) the exact same bass as Abate Nicolo Dell pianted it in 1540-46 (this one has an exact date range) in another fresco on a domed ceiling (I believe, the full image being hexagonal in shape). A few things to note: again, the short stocky neck, he manages to get 6 pegs into that seemingly too small peg-box with it’s overbearingly large scroll, he paints his frets as heavy and fat as he draws them, big fat ropes (see his small viola with frets a few pictures up. )       maybe not so far out on a limb as we thought after all, this whole da baraccio thing  ;’)             Below; another viol, a tenor,  by Nicolo Dell Abate, Concerto, mural fresco at Palazzo (Giovanni) Poggi, 1550-1552. Note the way he renders his peg-box.       below is yet another Nicolo Dell Abate drawing, a detail from Apollo and the Muses at Parnasus. Pay special attention to how shallow the body and ribs of this instrument are, and the minimalist way he renders his peg-box and scroll. It wouldn’t be surprised if this is for real, and essentially of-a-set or of a kind with the shallow ribbed arm viol in the previous drawing. Perhaps this is a basso viola da braccio, i.e. take your  narrow ribbed small viola and scale it up from there, sort of designing in reverse of comming from it from both ends. I’m seeing enough of these very narrow ribbed viols, and narrow ribbed waist-cut guitars for that matter, that I’m starting to believe them in any event. Actually, if you look at everything in this section, many if not most viols are narrow ribbed, anything large than bass sized and even then the basses are also often narrower than we might expect. We’re all so used to seeing deep ribbed 17th century bass viols that  that’s what we expect to see, or think we’re seeing, in 16th century instruments.       below; narrow ribbed guitar, from Apollo and the Muses, Gaspar ab Avibus (Osella) or Giorgio Ghisi, 1557       Below; again, that German thin ribbed waist-cut viola-vihuela de penola, 1567.       Here’s an example of what I mean -- about narrow ridded waist-cut viols and guitars. This is a detail from Lorenzo Lotto’s Sleeping Apollo and the Muses. This is either a viol or a guitar. If it’s a guitar, then it’s a comparitively rare event, i.e. seeing Apollo or Orpheus playing a plucked guitar or lute in early iconography. (But we opened this section with just that, now that I recall, the 1496 Practica Musicae front piece, and I’ll insert another famous one below in a minute). The neck on this instrument is too long to be a lira da braccio, and even mentiioning violins here would be plain rediculous. I don’t have a date for this picture but Lorenzo lived from 1480 to 1556, so he’s contemporary with Nicolo Dell’s 1545 period.     Below; Lorenzo Lotto’s Sleeping Apollo and the Muses       below, again, Apollo and the Muses at Parnassus play the same shallow ribbed guitars or viols. Which is it?  Primaticcio Francesco 1504-1570, Italian. There are three guitar/viols in this detail. The one in the lower right, back to us, seems more likely to be the rest or playing posture of a bower rather than a plucker. The two other players, both with extended index fingers, are probably bowing (bows simply omitted from the sketch). If Apollo is at top left, he’s either restringing his instrument or bowing -- and the former would seem odd, i.e. Apollo and the Muses back-stage tuning up or something ;’). Seeing the back of this instrument, compare it again to the one-size-smaller fretted arm viola of Nicolo Dell.       So you know what, I think it’s time we looked at Martin Agricola’s 1529 plates again, soley as graphic representations of reality. Are they accurate or not. I’ve always though these look primative and weird largely because of the way the waist-cuts looked. Now I see he really DID mean bowed guitars, not simply bowed lutes in the generic, and the illustrator drew the instruments exactly as they truly did look! We moderns haven’t seen enough of the waiste-cut line of 16th century guitars in our lives, nor isolated from the iconography, to even recognize a guitar when we see one. Those waist-cuts really are key. But more, what I’m going to call the angel-wing waist-cuts, are even more specific and revealing. Those deeply inturned shoulders (of the upper bouts, where they join the neck), and the flared then deep-undercut waist-cuts, and the shallow ribs as shown (not as we might project our modern notion of deep ribs, and think the artist just did a bad rendering), not to mention sound-hole and rosette and the definate guitar/lute bridge, all of those features exactly describe at least one style of early guitar, and nothing else. There is no mistaking it. He illustrated a bowed guitar, period. Look at the Ghisi guitar again. That’s for real, those angel-wing waist-cuts, not some artist’s flight of fancy (although they’re certainly not above such things).       Sebastian Virdung’s illustrations in his 1511 treatice, Musica Getutscht, were the same.       Below; unidentified (by me) early 16th century vihuela-viola with shallow ribs and very interesting shape overall.       Below plucked vihuela-viola, c.1520, Girolamo Libri, Madonna enthrowned with Angels and Saints, Altarpiece, detail.       below; another waist-cut Viola/Vihuela/Guitar, very shallow ribbed, Nicolo Pisano, 1525, Italy.       below; another Apollo with a similar shallow ribbed viol, Orazio Sammacchini, 1532-1577       Below; a plate from Hans Gerle’s 1532 treatice, Musica Teutsch, illustrating five and six string viols. Once again, there’s very little rib-depth indicated -- and this may well be intentional.       and  below, another very narrow ribbed viol, and very early as well. Drawing by Francesco Mazzuola, born 1503, died 1540.       I think we can safely say we’ve established a pattern here regarding narrow ribbed viols in general, and then how that helps us identify, trust, and believe, narrow ribbed small arm viols when we see them. Speaking of Apollo and Orpeus playing guitars, here’s two more such 16th century pictures. first, Orpheus playing a vihuela on the front peice of Luis Milan’s 1536 publication of works for vihuela, El Maestro. Also note this truly is a narrow ribbed instrument, not just poor perspective drawing.       speaking of narrow ribs being the fact and the norm on 16th century guitars and small viols, see this surviving 16th century vihuela, from monastery Guadalupe. When I first saw the picture of this instrument, years ago, it looked very odd to me, being so thin bodied. Now I believe it, i.e. that it’s not a fluke, it was standard.       Below, new addition as of 9-2006, and extremely thin ribbed plucked viola from an Italian Book of Hours dated 1483. I’d call this case made! ;-).       below; Italian Etching detail: circa 1510, by Marcantonio Raimondi, vihuela de mana (appears to be 5 course). Thin ribs.       Below (again); vihuela, Luca Signorelli, 1499-1502, Paradise, San Brizio, Italy       Below; very large vihuela guitar, Juan de Juanes, 1523-79. Convento de Santa Clara, Gandia Valencia, Spain. Note the neck-up playing posture. Peg box is difficult to see but it’s actually sickle shaped.       Below; vihuela or guitar, no ID       Below; vihuela or guitar, no ID       Below; viola da mano, detail from Italian fresco, c.1510-15, Ferarra       Below; six course vihuela, stone carved facade, detail, 16th century, Spain.       Below; anon mid 16th century vihuela angel (as long as we’ve got a string of vihuela going)       Here’s the other of Apollo playing a guitar, waist-cut model as well. Contest between Apollo and Pan, where Midas’s gets the ears of an ass. Wood-cut emblom by Geffrey Whitney for the English translation of the Ovid, I believe, 1586.       may as well stick this here. Lute player as Orpheus, stone, 15th-16th century (I presume.       This is as good a place as any to insert this. This is the frontpiece from Diego Ortiz’s important 1553 publication of part music and general treatice for viols -- which it should be noted he calls Violones. The title of the work was Tratado de glosas sobre cláusulas y otros géneros de puntos en la música de violones.       Below; guitar and lute duet, Annibale Carracci, 1560-1609.       Below is another small thin-line viol (as we guitarists might call them ;’), the woman with her back to us, detail from a painting by Jan Brueghel, 1606-09, Apollo and Muses. Both the date and the thin ribs of this small instrument are important here -- for where we’re about to go.       At some point or another, everyone finds themselves citing Michael Praetorius’s 1619 treatice on music and musical instruments, Theatrum Instrumentorum, the plates therein in particular. I’ve already included two plates from that work, those showing the viol and violin families. Twelve years prior to Theatrum Instrumentorum, in 1607, Praetorius, one of the best known German composers of the day, presented as a gift to King Christian IV a large bound collection of sacred hymns, psalms, and motets, two collections, titled Musarum Sioniarum and Musae Sioniae. Lets take a look at the  front-peice plates from those two earlier publications.  We’ll start with the Musae Sioniae frontpeice. See the blowup detail and ask yourself what instrument is the kneeling figure playing, viol or violin? There are three instruments in a grouping shown, one of which he’s playing, the other two are at his feet on the ground. The two instruments on the ground are viols. See the medium sized instrument on the ground who’s tin-ribbed body is visable between the figure’s legs. Count the pegs. Thin ribbed and all, those are viols, all three of them. The alto or treble viol is held essentially horizontally, but on the arm nevertheless, and pressed into the right shoulder. The smallest instrument also has an unmustakeable small round sound hole. That is not a violin feature, but it is a very common viol feature, and particularly common in Germany and throughout the north lands. The works of music in these collection are sacred muisic, Church music, part music, the kind of music and application where a consot of viols might be used in 1607 to play (or double) parts. This is no place for violins in 1607, I believe.        Musae Sioniae, 1607, Michael Praetorius             Update; two days later -- are we getting good at this? ;’) Below, surviving 16th century five string treble viol with super thin ribs. This instrument is at the Orpheon, in Austria. Instrument has been restored, renecked. BINGO       While we’re there, at Orpheon, here’s a montage of other surviving thin-ribbed viols in their possession -- most being 17th century I imagine. There are 9 or 10 unique instruments in this picture Sometimes, I confess, the thought, “vintage guitars held captive”, comes to mind when I see these ;’). Sorry, but I can’t help myself. I know what they are -- and they’re not violins. ;’)       Next, we’ll take the Musae Sioniae frontpeice, a detail from it. In the left choir loft (means in Church) is a group of three musicians playing bowed string instruments. Needless to say, I think you know where I come down on this. I have every reason to believe, now, that those are viols, not violins. Notice even the two C holes in the lower bouts of the smaller instrument, a definate viol feature, not violin. Holding, playing, and underhanded bowing posture is also very viol-esque. The instrument in the front is actually quite large and long necked in fact. If you grew up being taught that viols always have deep ribs, and are always played da gamba, never da braccio, you might conclude that all these small instruments in both plates must be violins. I think we’re begining to know better now. Mind you, I’m quite aware that there were violins in 1607, but I don’t think these are them. This is as much a shock to me as it probably is for you, the very idea of thin-ribbed viols, and then how pervaisive they seem to have been, but look again at the last dozen or so pictures on this page. They existed, I’m not making it up.     Musarum Sioniarum, 1607, Michael Praetorius       detail of Musarum Sioniarum       another detail of Musarum Sioniarum, waist-cut, tapperd shouldered, thin-ribbed, double-course strung, guitar.       Below; da braccio viola, treble viol, Crathes Castle, Scotland, 1599.       Below; arm-viol, Wilgefortis (musician kneeling in front of statue of), Netherlands mid-late 16th       Here we go. Below, Vasco Pereira Lusitano, Coronation of the Virgin,1604, Portugal.       a little more detail of Vasco Pereira Lusitano’s arm viola       Below; Wow! This is a late-comer to my collection (8-5-2006), but what a stunner! Scene is depicting Italian popular comedy, pre-opera, mid-late 16th century. Very unusual and guitar-held shield-shape body, alto sized I believe.       below; detail of shield-shape bowed guitar.       below; very similar to the above, alto viol played da braccio, Arnout Vinckenborg, 1617, Maria Door De Heilige, Drievuldigheid, Church of St. Paulus, Antwerp.       below; similar again, Antonio Tempesta, The Concert, Italian, Image is undated but Antonio lived from 1555 to 1630. The peg box looks early to me, and the harp is also getting a little dated, so I’d go as early as possiible within that date-range, say c.1580 (I’d go earlier if I could). We do seem to have a pattern going here of bass or tenor viol working in tandom with an alto viol (i.e. viola sized viol).       detail of Antonio Tempesta viola       Below; Apollo and the Muses, Hendrik Van Balen, Antwerp, 1575-1632 (born died)       detail of Hendrik Van Balen’s arm viola, treble viol -- bowed guitar       Below; viol-consort, 1614, Prague (Czech Republic), detail from a painted wooden ceilin in the former Pauline Monastery. The book I got this image from actually described this scene as a consort of viols -- not batting an eye that the treble viol is played on the arm!. The full image includes a lute player off to the right.Cute tenor there too.       Below; detail of Pauline Monastery arm viol. The comparitively long and wide neck of this instrument says descant (or treble/soprano) viol to me. A violin neck would be about half that long and half that wide.       Below; ok, here’s the lute too ;’)       below, arm viol, , Four Seasons, Spring, detail of, Pieter De JodeI, after, Maarten De Vos, c.1600       below, guitar-held tenor viol, early-mid 16th century, anon painting on the lid of a Harpsicord (Clavecin), Italian       Below; another guitar-held tenor viol on painted lid of an Italian Spinet,  c.1600, depicting Arion (close-up detail follows).       Below; close-up detail of guitar-held tenor viol on painted lid of an Italian Spinet,  c.1600, depicting Arion. There’s actually a second one of these instruments and players in the upper left of the larger scene, a separate second scene of dancers actually, see above.             Below; just to remind you that images and instruments like the above are not pure fantasy, here again is Marco Palmezzano’s da braccio viola, bowed guitar.       Below, small viol in a fresco unidentified (by me) -- looks to be c. 1560-80 by my reckoning. Nice curvatious guitar shape, no sharp waist-cuts. Update; painting is by Orazio Sammachini,  born/died 1532-1577, church of Saint Abbondio in Cremona, Italy. [Thanks to luthier Federico Lowenberger for the identification]       Below; guitar shaped viol with smooth-curved sides (no sharp waist-cuts). The peg box is interesting too -- a design we’ll see often in 16th century pictures, but going all the way back to the Cantigas de Santa Maria depictions (1260 Spain) as well. Lattanzio Gambara, Italy, c.1560-70.       Below; If you haven’t seen 16th century bell-shaped guitars yet,  you wiil. In the meantime, here’s it’s counterpart bowed guitar. Guitar shaped Viol with smooth curved sides. Painting by Camillo Boccaccino, The Prophet David, 1530, Italy.       Below; one example of 16th century bell shaped vihuela-guitar, plucked.       below; another smooth-curve guitar shaped viol. Composite of illustration details ranging from 1547-71 (or there abouts), from editions of publications by Pierre Phalese, France.       below, another mid century relatively short chunky neck Bonifacio Veronese (Paolo’s father?), 1540-50, Italy       another mid century short stubby neck, also has body type normally associated with lira da braccios, but it’s a mid-sized viol. Angelo Bronzino, 1502-1563, Italy         Below, another viola da braccio, not likely a violin, among a consort of viols plus lute in mid-late 16th cent Elizabethan England.       below; another probable viola da braccio viol, Stadtgeiger, Grazer Schutzenbuch, 1569, German. This instrument iis another short and subby necked and viola sized, it has 3 pegs visible on the viewers side, has 5 strings etched at the tail, has distinctive small sound holes in all four courners, which I’ve only ever seen in vihuela/viola family instruments, it’s also quite large. I’ll call it a small 5 string viol played da braccio.       Stadtgeiger, 1569, German     detail of Stadtgeiger. There even appears to be a couple of deliberate fret-lines scored across the upper part of the neck.       Below; “viola” sized viola da braccio, Jost Amman, German, 1586. Frets are visible, 5 or 6 string by the looks of it.       small narrow bodied viola, Hans Baldung Grien, Music, 1529       below, long neck alto viola da braccio and matching bass viol, Ludger Tom Ring (the elder), 1511-47             braccio viol, Hans Mielich, Le Banquet, 1548       below; tenor or alto viol played da braccio, Pieter Bruegel; Triumph of Death Dutch c1562 (see this similar Dutch viol shape for comparison and proof that such shape existed, this to is not pure fiction or fantasy)             Below; viola da braccio, Pauwels Francks, Allegory of Music maker and date unknown. I’d guess circa 1560-90 [update; good guess Rog! This artist’s more commonly known name is Paolo Fiammingo or Paolo Fiammingo dei Franceshi. Born in Antwerp (Netherlands) c.1540, died 1596. Active in Venice Italy from 1573, as asassistant in Tintoretto's workshop, then eventually opened his own studio, died in Venice 1596. So, this painting is 1573-1590 ]. This festoon or baroque shape appears frequently after around 1560 (see the viols in Paolo Veronese’s painting Dinner at Cana, and in the Gilling Castle frieze viols, and in the Hardwick Hall, Eglatine Table viol, England, 1567) and continuing in the northern  European countries throughout the 1600s, all sizes of viols, and many still survive. I think this is a particularly important picture for firmly establishing this exact shape, size, and body depth of small arm viol circa 1580. There are a number of these instruments to be seen in pictures contemporary with this one, but they’re usually in the background or generally too fuzzy to be certain what they are, e.g. their peg-boxes are usually obscured (boy do I hate that, and it happens so frequently ;’). I have one partiular picture and instrument in mind that I’ll hunt down later (a Hans Mielich miniature, Duke of Bavaria at Munich, c.1569, a “viola” player on the far right therein ). In any event, keep a look-out for more pictures by this artist, chances are he painted more viols, large or small, somewhere sometime. I shouild add, there’s more of interest happening in this picture as well. Skattered throughout you’ll see a number of other da braccio violas, long necked, narrow bodied, that I believe are also viols, not violin family instruments. One of these days I’ll flesh-out that particular thread too, being one of many shapes (geneological threads, so to speak) of arm viol that I believe existed during  the period or window c.1490  to 1590.       Below; viola da braccio, Pauwels Francks (Paolo Fiammingo or Paolo Fiammingo dei Franceshi), Allegory of Music, 1573-1590, Italy       Here’s a little more detail. I think we should add this to our short and stubby chunky necked viols collection. Also note they seem to be using small lute pegs in many of these instruments, not the big honking 17th century pegs we usually think of (and bigger still are the ones they used on violins circa 1600). Paolo Veronese’s Cana viols also display these same tiny pegs. In any event,  It’s clear there are 3 pegs on the left side of this instrument.             below; two festoon shape tenor bowed guitars, Paolo Veronese’s painting, Wedding Feast at Cana, Italy, 1562       below; another fine example of a viola da braccio viol from Paolo Caliari Veronese, Virgin and Child with musicians [full image here]. I should mention that I’ve been very cautious  throughout this section to aviod including any lira da braccios. This is an instance where I think it’s clear that the instrument is a viol played da braccio, not a lira. If you recall from earlier, I made this same call on the Vincent Sellaer viol.           Below; Now here’s one for the record! Man that is a fat neck, must be a true treble viol (not a violin), very tall and wide bridge too. Peg box seems small, but Fiammingo’s viola shows us how they were doing it, very compact with small pegs and vey little terminus. All this needs to be is 5 string. Joos Van Winghe, 1557-1603, Netherlands, Elegant Gezelschap.       Detail of Joos Van Winghe instrument       below, small viol, Titian (Vecellio Tiziano) -detail, mid 1500s       Below: Viol, Hardwick Hall, EglatineTable, England, 1567 Note the F-holes too (not C shaped)       Below; viola da braccio / treble viol, Gilling Castle Frieze, Yorkshire England, executed 1575-1585 Note that these two instruments, bass viol (or tenor) and treble viol, two of six players seen in the full freize, being members of an Elizabethan English mixed consort, have the exact same body contours and decoration. They are of a set, same maker, they are viols. The treble viol is played on the arm, is probably a 5 string. From a distance, by it’s size and playing position, violin enthusiasts, since the publication of the book Four and Twenty Fiddlers -- Violin at the English Court 1540-1690 , Peter Holman, Oxford U Press (1996) will now try to tell you that this instrument (and all sililar others in such mixed consorts) is a violin. You be the judge. [also compare the smaller instrument here to Joos Van Winghe’s treble viol for size ]       portion of Gilling Castle frieze       detail of viols seen in Gilling  Castle frieze       Update 5-10-2005 After the fact, I’ve now found what is unquestionably a mate of these Gilling Castle freize instruments, the alto viol of the same set! Meaning, both alto and treble viols are here played da braccio! These too can be added to our short chunky necked collection.       below, I’ll do some cropping and scaleing magic  in order to view all three of these viols as a set.       Are we cooking with gas yet! ;’)         Following, is a reproduction instrument (by luthier Marco Ternovec) of a surviving five string Italian 16th century viola da braccio. About this instrument Marco says; “. . . A five string instrument made after an original of Hieronymus Brensius Bononiensis conserved in Museo Civico Medievale in Bologna, Italy . . .  The string length is 32 cm. A typical Renaissance instrument suitable for those ensembles who perform Italian music of the 16th and 17th century (eg. Orlando di Lasso and Claudio Monteverdi). Comparing with a violin it has a closer sound to viola da gamba and can be easly used for singers accompaniment . . . “       Below; 5 string viola da braccio reproduction of surviving 16th cent Italian original Images used by permission; thanks to Marco Ternovec at http://www.liuteria-antica.com/renainstruments.html         First, I should mention that Marco (an Italian luthier/violero) is the only person on the web I’ve seen yet who actually uses the term viola da braccio associated to the correct instrument. The original no doubt had frets and lute tuning, i.e. it was a true arm viola. It looks and sounds like a viola da gamba because that’s what it was, just diminutive in size. So, after seeing this documented instrument, it’s shape contours, neck width and neck length, overall size, etc, if one then goes back and looks again at 16th century iconography again, at all those would-be violins and "violas" from between 1540 and 1590, there’s actually a heck of a lot that can be called into question, if you're not needing to see violins everywhere you look, and if you don’t feel obligated to give the benifit of doubt to the vioilins every time. Most iconography is actually pretty fuzzy in the end, you really can’t tell how many strings there are, how many pegs there are, nor if there are frets, or if the frets were simply omitted. Also, with this instrument, you'd only see 2 pegs on the normal viewers side. Give special note to the exact shape of the C holes on this instrument, you'll see them often, e.g. like on the 1569 German stadtgeiger we saw earlier. The time-slot that this 5 string viola da braccio viol occupied, coinsides exacly with the instruments that might  be included and seen in any English broken or mixed consort, e.g. like the treble arm viola in the Gilling Castle freize, or the arm viola seen in Sir Henry Unton’s life/death commemoration painting, shown next. [For the full painting context see here]       Detail of Sir Henry Unton’s memorial painting, 1597-98, England. At lower right see the round table of six musicians sitting and playing. They are accompaning the walking masked actors of an English masque (essentially a mascarade ball or themed inter-disciplined theatrical performance piece and social art happening). The musicians at the table constitute an English mixed consort. The small arm-held bowed viola in that grouping (left-most at the table) is the instrument in question. [also note four other viol players in upper left corner room]       Below; isolate and enlarge the broken or mixed consort grouping from the Unton picture.       Detail of arm viola in Sir Henry Unton’s memorial painting. The question here is; is that a treble viol or a violin? I say it’s a viol. Not that it’s the sole determinant, but I see very deep ribs on this instrument, ribs constructed of 4 or 5 bands of alternating dark/light colored woods (a feature I’ve seen before on other and larger viols and guitars). The neck is of a descent width, and the peg-box is also large enough to accomodate any number of strings. The scale (and playing posture) of this instrument also matches the one seen in the Gilling castle frieze (also English of the same time period, and also within a mixed consort). I feel obligated to address these particular images and instruments because they’re now being claimed by the violin enthusiasts as repesenting them and their’s, i.e. as being violins. While it’s not inconcievable that violins might have been used sometimes for the treble part, treble viols were the traditional, usual, default instrument. In any event, in both pictures we’ve examines here, the treble instruments are played da braccio. I happen to believe that both of these instruments, Gilling and Unton, are treble viols, true viola da braccios, treble violas played on the arm. I also happen to believe that the violin enthusiasts have simply gone too far, in more that one way, and more than one example [one of these days we’ll get to the KIng cello, for example, or see the Ferrari paintings coming up next].       Update; I have a better resolution picture now (below) and now I see a more definate possible thin-ribbed outline in black, but then the neck block seems very fat and deep. The peg box looks even more populated now however, and concidering our new awarness of thin ribbed viols (in addition to viols played on the arm in general), we’re still left undecided, it’s inconclusive. It could go either way -- but at least we know that’s so, and why.       Below; Viola da Braccio, Paolo Veronese, 1565 to 1570, part of large altarpiece “Madonna in Glory with Saints, Church of St. Sebastian, Venice, Italy. This one looks like it has all the right stuff,wide neck, viol-like body shape, three visable pegs on one side and at least on on the other, possible frets as well (will try to get a better picture).             Will the real early violins please stand up! One thing should be clear from looking at these instrument pictures; 16th century treble viols were played on the arm, not da gamba, the majority of the time. Also, it’s becoming clearer to me that 4 and 5 string treble viols were probably the norm in the the 16th century, not 6 string, and it should be noted that 5 string treble viols in 4ths, and 4 string violins in 5ths, are at range parity, interchangable. Also ironic is that 5 string so called “viola da braccio violins” from the mid 1550s still survive (they were viols), and that more “viola” sized viola da braccios survive than violin sized. And remember that not one of the surviving 16th and 17th century instruments has escaped the knive of subsequent generations, they’ve all been altered and chopped to satisfiy the taste and needs modern violin players. I believe we have reason now to call into question every 16th century viola da braccio, violin, viola, and cello seen in iconography, and all surviving specimins as well, every four string instrument, and every 5 string instrument. And we most certainly need to re-define the definition of violin family, and the definition of the term viola da braccio, and of course the definition and membership of the Guitar family (the central point of this entire  article). How is it that both camps, viol and violin, ever came to the appearent gentleman’s agreement that da braccio or/and four strings, is the sole and exclusive domain and definer of the violin family? I don't have access to the major treasure-houses of iconography to wade through and cull from, yet I've still managed to collect a nice sampling of small viols played "da braccio" (on the arm), no matter how many strings they might have had, and enough four-stringers to confirm that there probably is a track there to follow if someone was of a mind to do it. Violin enthusiasts are most definitely not wanting to know from four string viols played on the arm ;') The violin, viola, cello, camp has spent a huge amount of energy over the last 150 years trying to distance themselves from viols, trying to distinguish themselves, looking for some ancient, independent, illustrious history -- to the point of fabrication or at minimum exaggeration (I believe). They've had a "free hand" for a good two hundred years, more than enough time to weave, spin, and erect some fanciful tales and mystique -- and with no-one there to challenge them. Viola da gamba revivalists are few and peripheral, and public awareness of viols overall is non-existent. Everyone wants and expects to see violins eveywhere they look, throughout history. If it has strings that are bowed it must be a violin -- after all, what else is there, and what else was there? What other possible interpretations could there possibly be? Case in point; lets take the most cherished image in all of early violin iconography and view it rationally for a change. The following series of images are isolated details from one Italian fresco, c.1535, by the painter Gaudenzio Ferrari, adorning the interior of the Cathedral of Saronno. This image reportedly shows the entire violin family, the first such image and proof in history of their early existance. This image is cited by Grove’s and ALL other violin books and web sites as their key-most earliest family portrait: violin, viola, and cello.       Below, the so-called violin family (?) from Gaudenzio Ferrari's fresco at the Cathedral of Saronno, Italy c.1535 There are four bowed string instruments in this grouping, all of which the violin archiologists and enthusiests would have you believe are violins of various sizes, i.e. a family portrait.       Let’s start with the bass instrument in that grouping. Look at the width of the neck near the nut, the width of the bridge, and then observe that it has FRETS !  At this early date,  no-one in their right minds could see that instrument  as being anything other than a viola da gamba, 4, 5, or 6 string, exept violin enthusiasts desparately looking for a history.       detail of bass instrument Ferrari’s large VIOL       Below; Polymnie (Greek. many songs, muse of sacred or heroic song or/and dancing) gravure au burin, Virgile Solis, Nuremberg, 1514-1562 Compare this instrument to Ferrari's above. It even has the same so called archaic style peg head which interpretations of Ferrari’s instrument are assuming. And this is a full sized grown woman standing up. Shrink her down to adolescent size, and sit her down, and wha-lah.             below is another viol to compare with Ferrari's. Francesco Da Montereale, first quarter 16th century, fresco at Santuario Della Madonna D-Appari, Italy.       and another; viol of 1525 in painting by Jean de Gourmont, Adoration of the Bergers. [full image here]       Next, we’ll take the viola sized instrument from that grouping. This instrument, by their reckoning,  is  a three-stringed violin. Again, that’s an awful lot of neck width at the nut for 3 strings, there are at least 4 peg dowels visable within the peg-box, we know from Martin Agricola that there were small 4 and 5 string viola da gamba violas existing in this same time frame and that violins were still at 3 strings, we know from the images we’ve just seen that small viola da gamba family instruments were usually played on the arm during the 16th century, and last but not least we also know now (and learned here) that narrow ribs on small viols was the rule. We have as much or more reason to assume, expect, suspect, and even conclude, that in all probability that instrument is a viola-guitar family true viola da braccio, not a three string violin or what we today call a viola (becuase of it’s large size). Small, descant sized, 3 string violins berely even existed yet, let alone larger versions.     detail of viola sized Ferrari instrument       further detail of viola sized instrument -- see neck width at the nut and count how many peg dowels are visable inside the peg box. [Compare the neck width at the nut with the 5 string viola da braccio repreduction we saw earlier.]       below; two Ferrari braccios in the background       If the violin enthusiasts need to see some violins in this picture, they can have the two instruments in the background  top center (for the monent at least, but I have my doubts about almost everything here). The two blond faced instruments in the foreground, however, as far as I’m concerned, are viols. The bass instrument is a near definate, 98 per-cent surety, the viola is more likely a true viola family viola, a true viola played on the arm, a true viola da braccio, 4 or 5 string, than a violin family instrument. Even if we give it a generous 50/50 either way, that’s still too much room for doubt to declare that  this is a violin and the definitive image in early history.       Below, as yet unidentified and undated image. I would put this at around 1530, plus or minus 10 years. Again, I believe this is scaled to life, not the infant, meaning it represents an alto or even treble viol. See blow-up of bridge for possible string count, and note how wide the bridge is and how wide the tail is in any event. Also note it has early “S” holes (a nod to Apollo’s lyre, in Italian Renaissance Greco-Roman Classical revival, it’s two outer upright arms with strigns running upwards between them), just like Ferarri’s Soranno instruments have, and not yet stylized into the later “F” holes -- as occured around 1550-60 by my reconning. All one really has to show is that there are more than three strings on this instrument (and it appears to me that could easily have had five). This instrument also has a definate bent-back lute-style peg-box which may or may not have terminated in a scroll of some kind.  If my dating is correct, four or more strings automatically makes this a viol. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn some day that this image is ascribed to Ferarri himself,  in fact. I should add that this is getting dicey because there were 4 string violins approaching this shape circa 1560, so dating is important. There’s no shape that violins did first in any event. They brought nothing new, inovative, or original, in the shape and contours department (jump back to Durer’s 2 viols of 1520: viol 1, viol 2).       detail of bridge and tail -- bambino (or puto) with viol       Update, 6-7-05. This won’t settle anything, or get us any further, but it’s interesting in any event. Below left is a near identical drawing by Bernardino Lanino, one of Ferrari’s students (and a respected artist in his own right). No date with this one either, but Lanino lived 1512 - 1583, Ferrari died in 1546,  I believe. I had to mirror-flip this new drawing around and scale both to match. Pretty amazing how close they are.       Below; update 11-21-05, I think we can call this solved, and call it a viol. Below is a fresco by Bernardino Lanino, c1535-50. This still doesn’t solve the issue of the Ferrari arm viola one way or the other, but it does provide evidence of a viol being dipicted in much the same shape as the Ferrari viola, same thin ribs, same time, same place, same school.       Below; here’s one that’s close shape-wise; see peg-head, short tail, square shoulders and butt, thin ribs -- viol by Antonio Mohedano, 1604, Spain.       Below; update 12-06-2005. Well here we have something completely unexpected. Couldn’t ask for more than this I don’t think. Here’s a plucked viola of the exact same size and shape as Ferarri’s bowed viola. I don’t have an ID on this relief carved statuary yet , but there ya go.       Below; and maybe we should revisit this instrument as well, by Bonifacio Veronese (Paolo’s father?), 1540-50, Italy. This viola also has a very pronounded wide flared lower bout, i.e. the shape is definately within the greater family vocabulary. If we keep looking we’ll probably find more.         There’s just too much room for doubt, too much room for alternate interpretation in Ferrari’s Saronna instrument grouping for it to be taken as the definitive icon and supposed representative proof of an early violin family. I can't help thinking that people were "seeing what they wanted to see" when they grabbed this bit of iconography for the violin family. Given the importance of this picture, I'm thinking that's pretty shaky ground, a little reckless, to risk erecting an entire foundation and family pedigree upon. Don't you, all? We should mention that the more obviouse instrument to look for in any early 16th century painting, if you’re wanting to see a 3 string fretless 5ths machine, is a Rebec played on the arm. That’s what violins are, rebecs grafted on to viola bodies. The older original body type lasted quite a long time thoughout the century.       another instrument isolated from the Ferrari painting Rebec da braccio, 3 string gigue in fretless 5ths, aka violin.       Here’s what Ferarri’s full domed ceiling fresco looks like (at the bottom of this page below, click that image for a larger pop-up blowup). There must be 60 to 80 musician angels in that scene. In all fairness, do you really think Ferrari would have neglected to include some good examples of viola-viol family instruments in 1535, yet include a family of violins (assuming there was such a thing in viola bodies yet)? Viols were still the star of the show in 1535, the most respected bowed string instrument, just like plucked lutes (viola). You’ll get your turn in the sun soon enough (later in the century), you violiners. Don’t get so greedy ;’) To carry this idea a little further, let’s look again at the other earlier angel consort grouping we saw. Aside from the large da braccio viola seen in that picture, there is also a violin there, i.e. a rebec da braccio, small 3 string fretless 5th tuned guige played on the arm. See the instrument second from the right. Generally speaking, at this early date, rebecness hadn’t yet been ported to viola bodies enmass.  That happened little by little as the century rolled on,  finally adding a 4th string to the small instruments somewhere around 1550-60 is everyones agreed best bet. A 21st century modern, lookiing for violins in the early 16th century, will see violas, viola bodies, and think they are violins. That’s jumping the gun. Small arm Viola , in 4 and 5 strings, came first, then at some point rebecness, 3 strings in frettless 5ths, were ported over to the newish viola bodies. That’s my best honest and rational take on things. I’ve also included a Hans Holbein 1513 drawing of a 3 string fretless 5ths tuned rebec geige, similar to the ones in the paintings we’ve been examining. Also shown below is a detail from Michael Praetorius’ Theatrum Instrumentorum, 1619 (i.e. 100 years after Holbein’s drawing ) still knowing and grouping rebec giegen (the 3 string fretless 5ths proto-violin) with the violin family.       Viola sized viola bodied Viola da gamba: Coronation of the Virgin, St. Lararus Master, c.1510       Angel Consort, fresco, c.1510: viola da gamba viola da mano viola da braccio (and viola sized) rebec da braccio (violin) second from right       detail of violin, i.e. rebec da braccio       below; Hans Holbein drawing, c.1513       below: Praetorius, Theatrum Instrumentorum, 1619 detail of plate dipicting The Rebec-come-Violin family       Below; one hundred years before Praetorius, two famous treatices included that same instrument as representing the three string fifths tuned frettless instrument of the age, the Rebec, or Clein (Klein) Geige -- at top is Sebastian Virdung 1511, lower is Martin Argicola 1529.  It seems to me that at least a full half, if not two thirds, of the early 16th century “violin” iconography people should be looking for and collecting are these very rebecs. But rebecs aren’t “sexy”, no-one wants to claim them, collect them and proudly exhibit them, and call them the early violins that they are. But there are tons of them to be seen (in paintings) throughout the 15th and 16th centuries (and earlier).       below, anonymous 16th century Itallian drawing, tenor (or bass) and alto rebecs.       below; rebec, Fra Angelico, 1433, Italy       Below; rebec da braccio, Macrino dAlba, 1499       Below; rebec, Lorenzo Lotto, Madonna Enthroned, 1508.       Below; rebec, Gerard David, 1509.       Below, another Gaudenzio Ferrari painting, c.1530, Madonna and the Orange Trees. This is another of the most cherished images in all of violin iconography. This is often said to be first image in history of a 3 string violin, i.e. rebec-ness ported over to a small viola-type body. But this too might actually have four strings, with one peg obscured on the far side, making it a small arm viol. Or, this could simply be yet another of Ferrari’s bizarre fanciful creations. You have to see the totality of wierd machines he and his students painted (created) to know what I’m talking about, and then take everything Ferrari left us, in terms of bowed string iconography, with a very large grain of salt. There’s also little or no trace of this instrument (that I can find at least) in the intervening years, 1530 to  1565, or there abouts. In my searches so far, the only da braccio instruments I find are either lira da braccios or alto viols played da braccio, and of course many rebecs played da braccio. In the end, in late 15th and early 16th century iconography, I’ve found ten viols played da braccio for ever one “violin”. The only instrument I’m getting any real competition from, if you will, is lira da braccio. Violins aren’t even in the running, bearly on the map, and then most of the examples that are on the map are questionable (to me).  Things do heat up quickly though, circa 1565. Violins do begin to appear more and more, but there are still plenty of alto viols played da braccio to be found, as we’ll see.       Below: An earlier contender for the first viola-bodied three string violin is in a fresco by Garofalo c.1510, Italy. This is another image I’d like to see contested, i.e. find the original and count how many strings are painted in (as I believe they lightly are). This (and all early frescos) might also have been “restored” in the 20th century by people “knowing” (i.e. assuming) this is a violin (i.e. viola body automatically means violin). This could easily be a 4 string arm viol too, Remember; we know now that shallow ribs was the norm on small viols. This one even has a flat face (not carved), wide bridge, and wide end of neck. Compare it’s overall size to the small instrument seen in the 1509 Durer drawing seen earlier on this page (amoung others). The exact dating of any fresco is also often suspect, i.e. a guess (plus or minus 5, 8, 10, 20 years can make a difference sometimes).       Below; just as a reminder, for comparing against the above would-be early violins, we now have this example from 20 years earlier, the Sforza Book of Hours, also Italian, small waist-cut, thin ribbed, four-string fretted arm viols, two pegs per side.                               Page 1   Page 2   Page 3   Page 4  Page 5   Page 6     Top     Index of The Cipher for fretted Viola da Gamba: Front page of The Cipher for Viols and Lute 3 Minute Introduction for Viola da Gamba Commonsense String Numbers, Viola da Gamba Five Degree Calculation Line for Viola da Gamba Demonstrations for Viola da Gamba Number formula translation tables: intervals, scales, and chords Pattern of Unisons and Octaves for Viola da Gamba Beginners open position chords for Viola da Gamba Triads on Viola da Gamba fretboard (two pages) Scales, Major and minor, parallel, Viola da Gamba or Lute fretboard, by string set Chord Progressions for Viola da Gamba and Lute (Triads of Major) Notes of Viola da Gamba and Lute fretboard spelled Free PDFs, Blank 6 and 7 string fretboard grid paper