The Cipher for Viola da Gamba and Lute   Page 1   Page 2   Page 3   Page 4   Page 5  Page 6       A few highlights from previous pages  viols (bowed guitars) played on the arm (or da braccio)                                             Long necked, long and narrow bodied, thin shallow ribbed,  viols, large and small, da gamba and da braccio Now we need to back up a little and flesh out a few different body styles of small early 16th century viols. Large da gamba viols always get the most attention and coverage (all centurys). But if there’s one truth we can glean from viewing large early viols it’s that they came in a huge varriety of body shapes, depths, neck lengths, peg boxs, etc. So it is with small viols, particularly the earliest instruments. I’m going to start with one body type that seems most important to understanding all later 16th century small viols, da gamba or da braccio, and therefore all later 16th century da braccio iconography in general. This should illuminate why it isn’t nessesary nor even accurate or advisable to give the benifit of doubt to the violins every time one sees a fuzzy viola in any 16th century painting, etching, drawing, etc. Let’s cut to the chase. This next image, is key. You’ll probably never find a clearer nor earlier example of the body type than this. This instrument is c.1525, Italy, in an alterpeice painted by Vecellio Francesco  (older brother of the Italian painter Titian). As usual, we have only one question to ask ourselves, and once we have it answered to believe it, and sink our teeth into it like bull-dog as we view all later iconography throughout the rest of the 16th century. The questioin is; is this is viol or a violin?       Vecellio Francesco alterpiece, Italy, 1525 (click here for full image in pop-up window)       detail of Vecellio Francesco’s 1525 viol       First, viewed by itself, apart from any other instrument, in the blow-up detail of Vecellio’s instrument I see lots of tuning pegs, wide bridge, and even a couple fret-lines on the neck. And remember that this might be either a 4, 5, or 6 string viol (so there’s  lots of interpertation leaway on the viol’s side). The instrument is also played upright, or what we might call da gamba style. I happen to think this particular instrument is scaled to life, not scaled to the infant playing it. Meaning, it is an alto or tenor viol being held by an infant the only way that he could do. Also note the ever-so-slightly wider lower bout or half of the instrument, an unmistakeable feature of many later viols. I personally find nothing violin about this instrument whatsoever. Even mentioning violins here, at all, is only obligatory in nature, hardly nessessary or called for. As far as I’m concerned, then, this instrument gets no tics at all under the violin characteristics column. Once again though, we might turn to our old freind Timoteo Viti and his viol c.1500 for our best clue, evidence, bread crumb connections on the trail, tracks and traces in the gene pool.       Below; Timoteo Viti, Italain, c.1500, Madonna and child enthrowned with saints.       Below; juxtaposition of Viti’s and Vecellio’s viols       Here’s another similar, very early viol, same configuration as the above two, long necked narrow bodied shallow ribbed. Peter Le Jeune Vischer, the  muse Euterpe. Vischer lived from 1460 to 1529, so this early, say 1490-1525.See lute-style brigde and peg-head, plenty of pegs, and the tell-tale feature of small sound-holes in all four courners.       below; unidentified fresco, looks like 1460-90 to me.       Here’s one more quick example of long-necked, thin-necked, narrow-bodied, shallow ribbed, small viols to add to your diliberations. Two small viols, Lorenzo Costa, Madonna, 1497.       viols, Lorenzo Costa, Madonna, 1497, Italy       peg-head detail -- Lorenzo Costa viol, 1497       and yes, if it matters, there were vihuela guitars shaped like this too ;’)       Below, long necked vihuela, intarsia (rendering via wood, inlayed or marquetry), c.1507. Nice horse head too ;’)             Ok, so go back up and look at the Vicellio viol one more time. What we need to get burned into our heads is; that long narrow neck, and long narrow body, and shallow ribbed body, is a viol, not a violin. In future, throughout 16th century iconography and here below as well, you’ll see this instrument often, and very often held and played horizontally or da braccio. So here’s your first test (until I get some more pictures up). We’ll fast forward 50 or 60 years  to that Fiammingo painting again. Look dead center and see the long necked, narrow bodied, C-holes in upper bouts, very large sized viola played da braccio, and another one like it at the far left center way way off in the distance, appears tiny. Are those violins played da braccio? or are they viols played da braccio? If you can’t decide yet, wait untill I fill in the gaps with other examplary pictures and instruments occuring  in the middle years of that time slot wnindow, 1525-1580, let’s say. During the course of this examination you might want to keep a referanceing eye on the larger Ferrari instrument periodically as well.       Sokay. This next series of etchings (or is it two separate series?), most nameing planets, is as yet unidentified in terms of date. My safest guess is that they are from the mid 1500s, 1540-70. I believe that every one of the instruments seen in this series, without exception, is a viol. The smaller viols are all played da braccio. All the details like peg count, frets, body shape, types and locations of sound holes feels right to me.                   If you want to, for comparison, jump back up to  the 1525 Vecellio alto long viol again (I just inserted a blow-up of it an inch below here). Many of the other instruments we’ve seen previously on this page also clearly fit with these, and in totality they help firm up our emerging picture of what small 16th century viols in general were, and most all of them played da braccio as well.     detail of long-necked viola da braccio(s) Paolo Fiammingo’s  painting, Allegory of Music, 1573-1590, Italy       Update, 5-21-05 BINGO ! 1631, large Viola da braccio viol, long narrow bodied and necked, C holes in upper bouts, Orpheus taming the animals, carved wood panel, Voorzijde Van Een Duits, Dutch. I love it when a plan comes together ;’)       below, viol, after Maarten Von Der Vos, the Conditions of Man series, Peace (pax), detail, late 16th century.       below, two viols, left and right, Abbate Nicolo Dell, Italian painter working mostly in France, Apollo and Muses in Wagon, detail, mid 1500s.       Below; lute and thin-ribbed viol, Jan Van Balen, Flemish, Allegory of Hearing, c.1600       Below; viol in mixed consort, Hans Vredeman de Vries, 1596.       Below; Painting detail: Baroque Guitar -- Nicolas Poussin, French Le Grande Bacchanale 1627       Below (next three images): viols carved into an organ loft case, c.1575 Andley France, birthplace in 1594 of painter Nicolas Poussin (see his painting above). Notice the near identicle shapes of the two viols (bowed guitars) below and plucked guitar above. [or is the below one viol and one guitar in the third image at far right?] This organ is located in the church of Église Notre-Dame, Le Grand Andely, Normandy, Eure, France                   Below; anon, Netherlands, Orpheus, 1581       nelow; guitar, long-thin-neck, Frans Floris, 1550-60, Minerva       below; surviving 16th century viol -- long, thin, narrow, etc. -- you know the song by now ;’)       As long as we’re establishing the existence of this size and shape bowed viol and plucked viola in early 1600s France, specifically noting that they are NOT 5ths tuned bass viola da braccio violins, here’s two more (their neck-length alone is a tip-off, and we know already about these tiny pegs): Below; 5 or 6 string Viol, Daniel Rabel, 1625, France, “Ballet des féwes des fôrets de Saint Germain” .       Below; 5 string viol, painting by Benedetto Floriani, 1568, Italian       Below; viol, late 16th century       Below; guitar, late 16th century, from the same series as the above viol.       Below; painted spinet lid (keyboard), Lucas Van Valckenborch, c.1580-90, scene containing three viols, details follow.       three details of the above:                   Below; tenor viol being plucked, portion of a fresco by Gaudenzio Ferrari, c.1530?, Adoration of the Magi.       Below; tenor-viol, Tizian (Titian)Venus, 1565-70, Italian.       Below; tenor viol, San Francesco d'Assisi (St Francis),  painting by Gioacchino Assereto, c.1630, Italian       Below, bass viol, Festoon shape, John Rose, London, c.1600       Below; viol, Reinhold Timm, 1622, Danish, King Christian IV’s royal court musicians.       Below; viol, Hendrick Terbrugghen, Dutch, 1625       Below; viol, Pieter Paul Rubens, Flemish, 1622-25, Education of Marie de Medici.       Below; Chinease?!, anon, broken consort with bass viol, virginal-case lid painting, 1641, maker Hans Cornelius Haquaerts. Is just a Chinoiserie decoration no doubt, but interesting nonetheless.       Below; bass viol, Gerrit Van Honthorst, Netherlands, c.1630       Below; consort of viols, five (long-necked) viols and players, detail from Sir Henry Unton memorial painting, upper left room, 1597-98, English.       Below; Viol consort, detail from anon French painting, c.1625 time of King Louis XIII.       Below; viol, Abraham Bosse, Musical Society, French, c.1635.       Below; close-up detail of viol in Abraham Bosse’s, Musical Society, French, c.1635.       Below: Baroque shaped viol, Michiel van Musscher, Dutch, c.1675-80.       Below, Baroque Guitar, Lely, detail, Lake Family portrait, c.1660       Below, another Baroque festoon-contoured viol, Pieter de Hooch, Dutch, c.1660-70.       Below; thin-rib viol, Gerard Dou, 1660, Card Players by Candlelight       Below: viol and lute, Jacob Duck, Dutch, early-mid 1600’s       Below; gamba and guitar, Hendrick van der Burch, Dutch, c.1650-60       Below, viol, painting detail: Abraham van den Tempel, 1671, Netherlands, Amsterdam       Below; a true treble viol, angel on the left, held hoprizontal across her lap, by Aurelio Luini, Italy, mid16th, detail from one of a few rare 16th century images we have of a full quartet consort of viols. You can approximate the neck length perhaps by comparing it to the other. This is still a very small instrument and might be played da braccio by an adult. This is still conforming very much to the long narrow bodied model we’ve been focusing on. Luni lived from 1530 to 1593. This is supposedly dated mid century. Also note; the large tenor of bass viol on the right has a body depth only one-half or less than it appears to be at the upper bout resting on her thigh. The lines are washing out and merging with her garments.       Below; viol consort, Aurelio Luini, Italy, mid 16th century.       Now we’ll jump ahead a full 50 years to a Jan Brueghel painting of 1606-09, Apollon and Muse concert. Here’s two details below.       Detail Jan Brueghel painting; Woman on the left is playing a what? I think that’s a treble viol, complete with underhanded bowing technique. Woman on the right with her back to us is playing a very thin bodied alto or  tenor viol, which, if she were to put it up on her left arm and shoulder might not be so different from the Nicolo Dell braccio of 1545 we saw earlier.       below; viola da braccio, Bartholomaeus Spranger , Athena visits Apollo and the Muses, b.1546 d.1611       below; viola da braccio, Bartholomaeus Spranger, Apollo Pan and Muses, b.1546 d.1611       Below; These are not violins. Two small viols, 1603, Minerva and Muses, Hans Rottenhammer, German       below, yet another Paolo Veronese, part a ceiling dome fresco, c 1570 (I believe). Will the shapes nver cease ;’)       Below: hard to tell if this was a dedicated plucker or bower, Vihuela da mana (plucked viola) or bowed viola da gamba. Eustache Le Seuer, 1643, France, “Filtronia welcomes Polifilo in front of three doors”.       below; treble viol, small arm viola, lute fiddle, Jan Jansz Arnhem, 1617,  Dutch       Below; peg-box and upper neck of viol, detail of painting by Domenico Zampieri (aka Domenichino), Profetisa or The Cumean Sybil, 1616.       Below; five srting viol, Bernardo Strozzi, St. Cecilia and Angel, c.1620-25       below; a rare find, plucked and bowed guitar (a lute too) in Santiago Chile, South America, 1670-80, Franciscan order Convent, Alegoría painted by Taller de Basilio de Santa Cruz. I think the artist was a native South American Indian. Colonial South American art is rare enough, finding this picture and instrument is a miracle ;’) This instrument looks Colonial, i.e. as if it came off the boat in the 1550’s with the first Fransican monks to reach Chile.       Below; another South American picture, bowed guitar, angel musician, Iglesia de Huachacalla, Oruro, Bolivia. Date unknown (to me), probably 1600s.       Below; very long-necked bass viol. Rosso Fiorentino, Italy. Fiorentino lived from 1494 to 1540, so this is very early too, say 1520-1535. Also compare this to slightly later long-necked viols, like the Giorgio Ghisi etching of 1557 following this one.       Below;plucked guitar and bass bowed-guitar, both being very similar in design. Apollo and the Muses, Gaspar ab Avibus (Osella) or Giorgio Ghisi, 1557       Below; bass viol, drawing by Ligorio Pirro, 1540-70, Concert.       Below; bowed guitar (large tenor viol), lute, and spinet (keyboard), fresco mural by Giovanni Antonio Fasolo, at Villa Caldogno, Venice, Italy, 1570. This viol has festooned lower bouts, and is held ala guitar as we’ve seen time and time again in the historical record, these iconograpical documents. Da Gamba sure looks like across the lap to me ;’)       Below; for comparison with the previous two pictures (and many others as well), is the bowed guitar by Vincent Sellaer, Apollo and the Muses, 1538-1544d, Flemish.       Below; similar hold again, tenor viol, English, second half of 16th century (and a male for a change ;’).       Below; from another section of Sir Henry Unton’s memorial painting, viol player from the broken or mixed consort (depicted therein) using the typical guitar-held and lap-held playing position, and also using the commonly seen reversed bow hold, 1597-98, English. I have four English, late 16th century, pictures now exhibiting those same two features, guitar held viol with reversed bow hold, all four are also part of a consort setting.       Below; another fresco by Giovanni Antonio Fasolo, Venice, Italy, 1570, bass viol.       Below; largest of bass viols, violone. Unidentified picture (to me) but the costuming suggests mid-late 16th century, i.e. Elizabethan.       Below; the monster of the family, Violone or “great bass viol” Sir Peter Lely, Dutch-born English Baroque Era Painter, 1640.       Below; a much earlier incarnation of said monster, large violone and player in Paolo Veronese’s, Wedding feast at Cana, 1560, Italian. I belive that’s a four string fretted super-bass viol. Second from the right is a viola da braccio player of some sort, but whether it’s a fretted trable viol played on the arm, or a violin (fretless 5ths), is unknown. In any event, the picture represents a string quartet, all viols or mixed,  playing as part of a larger Renaissance band, which also includes a couple woodwinds at least. I was tempted to include this ensemble with our collection of viol consorts exhibited at the bottom of page 1, but this group, being mixed as it is, wouldn’t qualify as a straight pure gamba-only consort. It does however show not one but two, twin, 6 string tenor viols, lap held bowed guitars.             Below; a mystery machine from the iconographical bone-yard ;’)   what the . . !       To be cautious, I should add, finally, that I could be partially wrong somewhere herein, throughout this entire section, this fresh interpretation of viola da braccio and small early viols in general. But there’s unquestionably more that enough iconographical proof here now to make a solid case for gamba-viol-viola-vihuela family viola da braccios , small viols played on the arm -- I’ve just proven it without a shadow of a doubt. I’ve done my best (and this is still a work in progress). You decide for yourselves. There were,  early violins in the early 16th century as well, somewhere, and in some shape(s). Iconography is undoubt