I am reminded of Shakespeare's Richard III "... in a lady's chamber to the lascivious pleasings of a lute". Not certain if that is exact, but it is illuminating.
These instruments are typical of the period and can be described as true chamber instruments. The sound is intimate rather than dramatic, They, like the lutes, passed out of existance because they could not compete in an orchestral, concert envoironment. The lutes tried not to go quietly and became huge (see theorbos and archlutes) in an attempt to contribute to the orchestral texture of the time. The writing, however, was on the wall.
Why/Slash how could such a wonderful instrument become extinct (and, for that matter, the many other Baroque and pre-Baroque instruments like harpsichord and lute)?
If you play the upright-bass (as you call it) you are already playing a viol, and not a big fiddle. See the way the shoulders curve into the neck (that's a viol) and not square into the neck (that's a fiddle)
But the viol has been adapted to fit in to the fiddle family. Its six strings have been reduced to four. The frets have been removed.. It's body size adjusted together with its string length, but its body shape and construction is viol.
@cuculus50 indeed so. For some reason, the bass never was change much. But the others started to change with the changing music and about 1503, you get the first violin by the Amati family, of course it was still lacking the bass bone and longer finger board, and fine tuners. This was the boroque form before the modern adaptations around paganini's time when the further modifications were made
Magnificent piece of music and so well performed, so enjoyable, thank you for posting it, I love finding pieces that I know or like when browsing youtube, is lovely.
The viola da gamba speaks to my soul, as does the cello, but the viola touches me even more. And Marin Marais is a most wonderful composer, his compositions are sublime. Thank you.
this is so pretty! it makes me want to learn this instrument! i already play upright bass, so i dont know if this would be hard or easy? i just dont know where to get one, or the money for it :)
Funny how we can for for years paying no attention to certain instruments, then - they grab us. My favorite instrument to play is the harpsichord. Recently I started to gravitate to the viol da gamba, like I'm hearing it for the first time, and wonder why it took so long for me to "find" it. Its' sound goes right to the heart and my response to it is almost physical, as well as aural. Like hearing the voice of a long lost parent, friend, lover or child.
Personally I don't have an issue with changing pitch, but for people who have absolute perfect pitch, reading the notes in 415 can be harder to get used to at first. I know this is a generalism, but that's been my personal experience.
I can't imagine myself among them, sadly. I tune violin kind of automatically as I remember 440. And what I meant was not going to 415, but using both. For strings that's a kind of a challenge, I think. Could destroy your brains
i sometimes go even down to around 400. It really does make a difference on the instruments, but one gets used to switching pitches easily. (my favorite is 395!)
@Joelpenguin If you have Firefox, there is an addon you can download for free that generates for all youtube videos a link to the corresponding mp3 file.
@Joelpenguin While I agree that good and true artists should be supported. I believe that art is not the creation of any individual, art is the creation of all of the society and the environment, it is my creation as much as it is Marais'' You can use the download link to the lower right corner. Share as you please and contribute as your heart tells. GW.
You're very fortunate to have a viola da gamba. I don't think I'll be buying one for quite some time considering how much they cost. The cheapest one that I've seen cost about $2,100 bucks.
Just personal preference didn't mean anything by it. Certainly there shouldn't be a sweeping generalization made, though, I was merely highlighting the links in light of the instruments and their development. Thanks for putting up the track.
"one being the precursor to the violin family, whereas the latter group (viol family)" yes families that have a relation in so much as they are related in their development and the families bear relation in as much as ones effect on the other, sheer influence.
Of course they influenced each other. They are both string instruments that existed at the same time. Still doesn't mean they should be lumped together into one family.
Classification: viol/viola da gamba/lira da gamba (all genealogically derived, in a loosely tangible sense from the Spanish vihuela or strictly dependant on your disposition). Please access, for corroborative purposes, the Hutchinson Encyclopædia also the Britannica Encyclopædia 2009. The various names the interrelations are evident (lieu the texts that have been flagged). Again as regards the aesthetics it's subjective as aforementioned, I think they look very similar I remained unmoved.
If that's the case, then the violin and cello belong to that family as well, since they seem to "look" like the viol family.
The names may come from the same etymological sources. I have not disagreed about that. But when we talk about families of instruments, the viola belongs to the violin family. When you have been claiming that I am refering to aesthetics, I'm not. These are musical instruments! Construction is everything.
"Over the centuries that followed, Europe continued to have two distinct types of bowed instruments: one, relatively square-shaped, held in the arms, known with the Italian term viola da braccio (or lira da braccio, meaning viol for the arm) family; the other, with sloping shoulders and held between the knees, known with the Italian term viola da gamba (or lira da gamba, meaning viol for the leg) group."
These are two distinct groups, the previously mentioned one being the precursor to the violin family, whereas the latter group (viol family) died out. This is where the similar "viola" word comes from. Nevertheless, these are two very seperate and very different string instrument families.
It's also noteworthy that viol's direct ancestor is the vihuela, which may have come from the lute, whereas the direct ancestor of the viola and violin is the viola da braccio, which comes from the rebec, and then the Arabic rebab.
Once again you're making assumptions, again. I'm not trying to do anything, I have done it. They can be classed as such, as it is an ostensible fact that they are referred to as such. Whether you feel it is fit is neither here nor there. Saying that they don't have similar body shapes is just asinine there is a stark resemblance if you look at the instruments. Also sound wise it is of course subjective and open for interpretation that's a misnomer for one thing.
The bodies are quite different. At first glance it may not seem so, but there are key differences. One of the key things is that the back of the viol is flat, whereas the viola is not. This alters sound production immensely.
I have not read a single book on music that has classified the viola and the viola da gamba in the same family. If you want to put them in the same family just because of name, then it doesn't work when you run into the fact that the viola and the viola da gamba are called different things in different countries. For example, the viola is called an alto in France.
N.B. the fact being that ze viol alongside being called 'viola da gamba' it is also sometimes called 'lira da gamba'. I state this as it is "any one of a family of bowed, fretted, stringed musical instruments developed in the 1400s and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods" as such it can be classed in the same group in a very strict sense. You may class it how ever you may wish, I was merely making a fine point about the strings and how they had developed. Thank you.
Well I think trying to class them etymologically exclusively is rubbish, especially because the only thing they really have in common is that they both have bows and strings. Otherwise, they don't have similar body shapes, they are played differently, one has frets, the other does not, etc. Really the only thing they have in common besides "viola" in the name is the sound, which I think is very debateble.
I did not imply otherwise. It is a fact the viol is often also called 'viola da gamba'. I said "aesthetically" this does not mean that they are classed under the same generic group by your estimations, this said neither did I imply that they were anything other then dissimilar. Hence why I used the words "uncanny resemblance" in conjunction with one another. Now this said whether you feel they should be classed differently is your business but if you look at the fact genealogically speaking.
Well the uncanny resemblance between the instruments, aesthetically speaking, is for one thing irrefutable (this must be acknowledged accordingly). Modern Violas (or viols as that sometimes called) are all equipped with metal strings though this was not always the case. Before they first became available they were made of silk core strings which were covered with copper wire and of course their forerunner, the infamous gut string'. These gut strings made for a much smoother sound it is said.
The viola and the viola da gamba are completely different instruments that belong to different instrumental families. The viola belongs to the violin family, the viola da gamba to the viol family. Very different instruments.
It's difficult to find teachers! I wanted to learn this instrument, but in the whole of London I found only three teachers..... quite extraordinary! Alas, I think that will dampen any hope of learning the viol....
Perhaps the most important role of the instructor is demonstration. Today we have the benefit of easily accessing a vast library of professional recordings and written knowledge. While it's true that particular advantages of a private instructor cannot be replaced, self-criticism and research come close; and with discipline, self-teaching has never been easier. If you desire to play the viol, then play it; you should fare better without an instructor than without any attempt at all.
This gambist has a fine little accelerando he employs on any ascent,which allows this music a levity which it usually gets not.Conversely the sequences are oft too regular & melting into each other without distinction.Beautiful tone.
While they are similar, it is actually more similiar to the vihuella which is the precursor to the guitar because it is tuned in fourths as is a guitar (all except fo the third to second string), and it has frets. The only similarity really to the cello is that it is bowed and that it is played upright. Even so, both the Viola da Gamba and Cello are remarkable and, i many ways, this cousin to the cello set the foundation for the modern instrument that we love so dearly.
Do you mean that since the Gauls were colonized by the Norsemen (after the Romans and the Franks)then their baroque might sound Celtic and Norweigan? Well, it might, by I rather think French baroque has more to do with the contemporary fashion in Italy and all Christiandom after the Crusades(influenced by the Arabs).I`m of Gaulish descent myself, but I think your correspondant was talking through her/his hat, perhaps not really knowing what "Celtic", or "Norweigan" music is meant to sound like..
Oscar Wilde expressed in plain english my reaction to music like this... "Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory." Many thanks for sharing.
Subtle and a hint of softness, but nevertheless, articulate and crisp... An ear opener indeed, when I first listened to the Viol, Galliard for Six Viols, I have fallen in love with the Viol ever since... Thanks for this beautiful piece. We all owe you!
I am in love with the sound of viola da gamba even though I play the harpsichord...My dream is to buy viola da gamba and learn to play it...you never know at what age you can fall in love with something...I should play the harpsichord but think all the time of viola...
wiesz, mam dokładnie ten sam problem :) też gram na klawesynie. powiedz mi, co my ze sobą zrobimy ;p Jak na razie czytam transkrypcje Forquereya i trwam, ale jestem święcie przekonana, że nadejdzie taki dzień, kiedy gamba, na swoją własną zgubę, wpadnie w moje szpony :D
To moze powinnysmy wreszcie zadac sobie to fundamentalne pytanie: co nas tak naprawde kreci?A moze w zyciu po prostu warto probowac...to dzieki temu mozemy dowiedziec sie o czyms nowym, np. o PASJ:-D Innymi slowy, poki nie sprobujemy, to sie nie dowiemy. A tak z ciekawosci, gdzie studiujesz gre na klawesynie? Pozdrawiam
I don't think you would have wanted to live in that time if you were born then! For the vast, vast majority, I'd imagine life wouldn't be too pleasant!
Very nice! Today I heard the first time about this instrument. A real surprise to find a previously unknown instrument. And you are making it proud playing it so nicely. Listening to it, you must like playing it ;).
Hi. Did you get your computer sorted out? I have a similar problem & suspect it's due to a virus problem I got some months ago. I got rid of 2 viruses but there's still adware embedded in my web browser I can't get rid of & God knows what else is there! Try inserting/writing to your discs via disc-writing software only. My computer is still compromised. Stuart.
Well I've isolated the problem anyways. It seems that the encoder file is corrupted. I would normally just have to reinstall moviemaker and windows media player, but becuase they are components of vista, they can't be uninstalled or reinstalled. So, it seems that the only solution is to back up all my files and reinstall vista. However, my comp is a dell, so I'll have to get them to ship my vista disk.
OMG tell me about reinstalling an OS! WARNING! do NOT i repeat DO NOT install back up program files. reinstalling these over with the disks. AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR MOTHERBOARD DRIVERS!!! THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!! only Pictures and documents and media ONLY! This way no viruses will get on your new wiped hard drive and your OS will stay perfect, trust me.
The film 'Tous les matins du monde' is a dramatic interpretation of Marin Marais' life in the same genre as the film Amadeus, that portrayed Motazrt. It was released in 1991 and anyone who likes viol da gamba music should see this film. Like Amadeus, it's a visual masterpiece too. Stuart.
Just for MudNova's edification, (BTW I play both the viola and the viola da gamba), the terms gambist or violist (but pronounced to rhyme with "bio list" to differentiate between the thing I get called when I sit in the orchestra) can be used.
Wow, very beautiful, yeah, very, how do you call a Viola da Gamba Interpreter? Violoist? like if he plays Viola ? X_x anyway...
I have to say, that i'm in love with this instrument too, but as a cellist, i have to say that, the cello has a sadder sound, but, it is a sad and melancholic and a dramatic sound, and the viola da gamba is too melancholic, but not dramatic, but it has also a very happy sound, it's a very complex instrument..
If you play viola da gamba i have to say: Congratulations!
I'm a violist but a composer at heart. I almost ended up with the cello. It takes very interesting people to be violists or an interesting person to be a violist. Love the sound. I suck at chords.
When I play Bach solo violin pieces, I still can't play the double stops and quadruple stops delicately enough for my taste. Oh well... you never stop learning.
viola. I wish I played viola da gamba. You from Europe or America or any other place. Cause I notice in Europe if you say violist they're usually gonna think viola da gamba.
In north america at least, most people seem to go with gambist to avoid mixup. I know that in france the viola is called an alto, like the clef it uses, so perhaps that's why there is a difference. I'm Canadian by the way.
no no no NO! Dude the violin is less than 3/4 the size of a 17" viola and everything is so much closer together, so it is easier to hit your notes. And shifting on the tiny violin is a breeze.
I think that mostly depends on what your used to. I have a friend who is a violist, and she tried playing my violin once for fun. Didn't work out so well.
I have to side with shadow on this. I picked up a violin after 5 years of viola playing, and it almost made me want to switch, it was so much easier.
Shifting is at least twice as hard, not to mention how much heavier the viola is (personal problem, I prefer lighter so I can focus on my fingering and bowing more).
I stuck with viola, but I have to say, viola is harder to play.
I have been learning violin but always wanted to become a violist as I like viola's deep and warm tone. A lot of people take no notice of viola, sadly. Never mind, we are very interesting people!
Rock on dude I love playing the Viola, (also i heard that a violinist who plays the viola for a few months and then goes back to violin finds that they have improved on the violin greatly.)
I am reminded of Shakespeare's Richard III "... in a lady's chamber to the lascivious pleasings of a lute". Not certain if that is exact, but it is illuminating.
cuculus50 5 months ago
@MrNicholasarcher
These instruments are typical of the period and can be described as true chamber instruments. The sound is intimate rather than dramatic, They, like the lutes, passed out of existance because they could not compete in an orchestral, concert envoironment. The lutes tried not to go quietly and became huge (see theorbos and archlutes) in an attempt to contribute to the orchestral texture of the time. The writing, however, was on the wall.
cuculus50 5 months ago
omg the impossible! i solo for a viola! O_O i think ive died and gone to heaven! YAY!!!!!!!!! i am content now.
sbpurple 7 months ago
Deep, beautiful, mix of emotions...
7antoosah 9 months ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
I've got some original viola music on my channel that I'd love people to check out!
mattsiffert 9 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I've got some original viola music on my channel that I'd love people to check out...
mattsiffert 9 months ago
What's this a solo forma viola.... What is going on? Is this real
lamichael19 9 months ago
What
lamichael19 9 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I liked this very much :)
TheCosmicJam 10 months ago
He is my inspiration to play my viola violin cello and piano, and guitar, his music is soooo beautiful and well put together
Davinp123 11 months ago
@Davinp123 This on my top ten list, Marais is one of the best composers ever!
notethisname 9 months ago
This so beautiful. i wish i could learn.
Davinp123 11 months ago
Is it possible to get sheet music for this piece and some other ones for viola da gamba? Please and thank you.
123eustachy 11 months ago
by far my favourite that you have put up! You really do have amazing taste!! i havent disliked a single one!
DressageQueen221 11 months ago
hum je rêve ou il y a un petit bou de follia dans la chaconne ? ... a 4:50 ... ? ^_^
TheTerendul 1 year ago
Why/Slash how could such a wonderful instrument become extinct (and, for that matter, the many other Baroque and pre-Baroque instruments like harpsichord and lute)?
counterpoint35 1 year ago
@counterpoint35 sorry, "slash" was me think-writing :)
counterpoint35 1 year ago
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DanielleX1108 1 year ago
@ Shouldbeinthe60s
If you play the upright-bass (as you call it) you are already playing a viol, and not a big fiddle. See the way the shoulders curve into the neck (that's a viol) and not square into the neck (that's a fiddle)
But the viol has been adapted to fit in to the fiddle family. Its six strings have been reduced to four. The frets have been removed.. It's body size adjusted together with its string length, but its body shape and construction is viol.
cuculus50 1 year ago
@cuculus50 indeed so. For some reason, the bass never was change much. But the others started to change with the changing music and about 1503, you get the first violin by the Amati family, of course it was still lacking the bass bone and longer finger board, and fine tuners. This was the boroque form before the modern adaptations around paganini's time when the further modifications were made
Dansback21 5 months ago
Do you know if this has been recorded by Jordi Savall? I'd love to hear his interpretion of this.
rosten736 1 year ago
This is one of my favorites by Marais along with Marche pour les Matelots from Alcyone and Sonnerie de Sainte Genevieve.
rosten736 1 year ago
I came via a 'Tous Les Matins du Monde' link. Your uploads always sound so great. Thank You.
Loumademe 1 year ago
Magnificent piece of music and so well performed, so enjoyable, thank you for posting it, I love finding pieces that I know or like when browsing youtube, is lovely.
arunachala1 1 year ago
I have never heard a viol da gamba in person. Does anybody know if they fill the room as much as they seem to, or is that just studio magic?
MrNicholasarcher 1 year ago
The viola da gamba speaks to my soul, as does the cello, but the viola touches me even more. And Marin Marais is a most wonderful composer, his compositions are sublime. Thank you.
arunachala1 1 year ago
this is so pretty! it makes me want to learn this instrument! i already play upright bass, so i dont know if this would be hard or easy? i just dont know where to get one, or the money for it :)
shouldbeinthe60s 1 year ago
amazing, fantastic, indescribable.... You can go back in time...
recassun 1 year ago
What a beautifully played Chaconne! John Dornenburg is a master.
nfahring 1 year ago
Funny how we can for for years paying no attention to certain instruments, then - they grab us. My favorite instrument to play is the harpsichord. Recently I started to gravitate to the viol da gamba, like I'm hearing it for the first time, and wonder why it took so long for me to "find" it. Its' sound goes right to the heart and my response to it is almost physical, as well as aural. Like hearing the voice of a long lost parent, friend, lover or child.
lichtbroeder 1 year ago 27
ringrazio di cuore per questo post.
brano straordinario. molto ben suonato. ne vale davvero l'acquisto!
moeck70 2 years ago
The Viola da Gamba looks kind of cute. Its chubby, and sounds good too!
ifrit1780 2 years ago 45
This comment has received too many negative votes show
you've been in your domicile to long.
wingatei 2 years ago
I want to play this piece. Is the score in internet?
¿Alguien sabe si esta pieza esta para bajar gratis de internet?
Thanks
Blockflote1 2 years ago 4
I do not think so. Maybe you could find it on IMSLP.
requiemaeturnum 2 years ago
I'm playing this piece at the moment, it's so gorgeous to play as well as to listen to.
Cath198127 2 years ago
Comment removed
claudiobassist 2 years ago
btw, to those who play early music: do you get stuck in 415 or other pitch or can you switch to modern without pain and feel comfortable with both?
assa123assa123 2 years ago
Personally I don't have an issue with changing pitch, but for people who have absolute perfect pitch, reading the notes in 415 can be harder to get used to at first. I know this is a generalism, but that's been my personal experience.
Cath198127 2 years ago
I can't imagine myself among them, sadly. I tune violin kind of automatically as I remember 440. And what I meant was not going to 415, but using both. For strings that's a kind of a challenge, I think. Could destroy your brains
assa123assa123 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
you read the same notes with your string tuned down. its not that difficult.... personal experiance my ass.
CORbinIZZROKINN 2 years ago
@CORbinIZZROKINN Exactly.
Adrillius 1 year ago
i sometimes go even down to around 400. It really does make a difference on the instruments, but one gets used to switching pitches easily. (my favorite is 395!)
rmontalvan1 2 years ago
Es un sonido tan sumblime y elegante no puedo dejar de escucharlo... simplemente hipnotizante
Rorroki 2 years ago 5
Comment removed
Joelpenguin 2 years ago
Nope.
Buy the disc, it's worth every cent. Plus you'll be supporting Mr. Dornenburg as well. :)
HARMONICO101 2 years ago 17
@HARMONICO101 Would know happen to remember the name of the disc? or how to find it?
Riuk881 1 year ago
@HARMONICO101 I am totally agree!!!!!
arkavi90 1 year ago
@HARMONICO101 Could you tell me what cd this is on?
Riuk881 1 year ago
@Joelpenguin If you have Firefox, there is an addon you can download for free that generates for all youtube videos a link to the corresponding mp3 file.
DeusVivus 1 year ago
@Joelpenguin While I agree that good and true artists should be supported. I believe that art is not the creation of any individual, art is the creation of all of the society and the environment, it is my creation as much as it is Marais'' You can use the download link to the lower right corner. Share as you please and contribute as your heart tells. GW.
SophosVII 8 months ago
@Joelpenguin google quall publications. i think they sell early music.
abink10 7 months ago
i cant stop playing my degamba now ive just been playing for a few days and i luv it
Clemsonandcubsfan1 2 years ago
You're very fortunate to have a viola da gamba. I don't think I'll be buying one for quite some time considering how much they cost. The cheapest one that I've seen cost about $2,100 bucks.
Trekkiebucket 2 years ago
Enorme, impresionante
lacatapulta 2 years ago
Lira literally means lyre, without bow...
UlimorUdamenta 2 years ago
Fantastic sound! And it´s so clear, soft... beautiful
clarinetbrasil 2 years ago
Likewise.
devnation 2 years ago
Just personal preference didn't mean anything by it. Certainly there shouldn't be a sweeping generalization made, though, I was merely highlighting the links in light of the instruments and their development. Thanks for putting up the track.
devnation 2 years ago
No problem. I liked chatting with you. :)
HARMONICO101 2 years ago
"one being the precursor to the violin family, whereas the latter group (viol family)" yes families that have a relation in so much as they are related in their development and the families bear relation in as much as ones effect on the other, sheer influence.
devnation 2 years ago
Of course they influenced each other. They are both string instruments that existed at the same time. Still doesn't mean they should be lumped together into one family.
HARMONICO101 2 years ago
Classification: viol/viola da gamba/lira da gamba (all genealogically derived, in a loosely tangible sense from the Spanish vihuela or strictly dependant on your disposition). Please access, for corroborative purposes, the Hutchinson Encyclopædia also the Britannica Encyclopædia 2009. The various names the interrelations are evident (lieu the texts that have been flagged). Again as regards the aesthetics it's subjective as aforementioned, I think they look very similar I remained unmoved.
devnation 2 years ago
If that's the case, then the violin and cello belong to that family as well, since they seem to "look" like the viol family.
The names may come from the same etymological sources. I have not disagreed about that. But when we talk about families of instruments, the viola belongs to the violin family. When you have been claiming that I am refering to aesthetics, I'm not. These are musical instruments! Construction is everything.
HARMONICO101 2 years ago
"Over the centuries that followed, Europe continued to have two distinct types of bowed instruments: one, relatively square-shaped, held in the arms, known with the Italian term viola da braccio (or lira da braccio, meaning viol for the arm) family; the other, with sloping shoulders and held between the knees, known with the Italian term viola da gamba (or lira da gamba, meaning viol for the leg) group."
HARMONICO101 2 years ago
These are two distinct groups, the previously mentioned one being the precursor to the violin family, whereas the latter group (viol family) died out. This is where the similar "viola" word comes from. Nevertheless, these are two very seperate and very different string instrument families.
HARMONICO101 2 years ago
It's also noteworthy that viol's direct ancestor is the vihuela, which may have come from the lute, whereas the direct ancestor of the viola and violin is the viola da braccio, which comes from the rebec, and then the Arabic rebab.
HARMONICO101 2 years ago
@HARMONICO101 have u ever checked Praetorius?if not,do it and u'll find interesting things about what u were discussing... thank's for the post :)
cuperona 3 months ago
Once again you're making assumptions, again. I'm not trying to do anything, I have done it. They can be classed as such, as it is an ostensible fact that they are referred to as such. Whether you feel it is fit is neither here nor there. Saying that they don't have similar body shapes is just asinine there is a stark resemblance if you look at the instruments. Also sound wise it is of course subjective and open for interpretation that's a misnomer for one thing.
devnation 2 years ago
The bodies are quite different. At first glance it may not seem so, but there are key differences. One of the key things is that the back of the viol is flat, whereas the viola is not. This alters sound production immensely.
HARMONICO101 2 years ago
I have not read a single book on music that has classified the viola and the viola da gamba in the same family. If you want to put them in the same family just because of name, then it doesn't work when you run into the fact that the viola and the viola da gamba are called different things in different countries. For example, the viola is called an alto in France.
HARMONICO101 2 years ago
Nice picture as well.
devnation 2 years ago
N.B. the fact being that ze viol alongside being called 'viola da gamba' it is also sometimes called 'lira da gamba'. I state this as it is "any one of a family of bowed, fretted, stringed musical instruments developed in the 1400s and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods" as such it can be classed in the same group in a very strict sense. You may class it how ever you may wish, I was merely making a fine point about the strings and how they had developed. Thank you.
devnation 2 years ago
Well I think trying to class them etymologically exclusively is rubbish, especially because the only thing they really have in common is that they both have bows and strings. Otherwise, they don't have similar body shapes, they are played differently, one has frets, the other does not, etc. Really the only thing they have in common besides "viola" in the name is the sound, which I think is very debateble.
HARMONICO101 2 years ago
I did not imply otherwise. It is a fact the viol is often also called 'viola da gamba'. I said "aesthetically" this does not mean that they are classed under the same generic group by your estimations, this said neither did I imply that they were anything other then dissimilar. Hence why I used the words "uncanny resemblance" in conjunction with one another. Now this said whether you feel they should be classed differently is your business but if you look at the fact genealogically speaking.
devnation 2 years ago
Well the uncanny resemblance between the instruments, aesthetically speaking, is for one thing irrefutable (this must be acknowledged accordingly). Modern Violas (or viols as that sometimes called) are all equipped with metal strings though this was not always the case. Before they first became available they were made of silk core strings which were covered with copper wire and of course their forerunner, the infamous gut string'. These gut strings made for a much smoother sound it is said.
devnation 2 years ago
The viola and the viola da gamba are completely different instruments that belong to different instrumental families. The viola belongs to the violin family, the viola da gamba to the viol family. Very different instruments.
HARMONICO101 2 years ago
Marais played like an angel and his control of the bow was a wonder to behold according to contempary accounts which I shall not dispute.
grizzlybear0 3 years ago
He sings beautifully, so what's the wooden thing plus strings on his lap, and what meaning does it have in this video?
martijncomes 3 years ago
That's the composer of this piece, Marin Marais. The "wooden thing" is a viola da gamba, which is the instrument being played in this video.
HARMONICO101 3 years ago
Where is 'the' place to learn this instrument properly? The viol da gamba has a sweet husky sound.
Viahandel06 3 years ago
It's difficult to find teachers! I wanted to learn this instrument, but in the whole of London I found only three teachers..... quite extraordinary! Alas, I think that will dampen any hope of learning the viol....
djsmurfie 3 years ago
Perhaps the most important role of the instructor is demonstration. Today we have the benefit of easily accessing a vast library of professional recordings and written knowledge. While it's true that particular advantages of a private instructor cannot be replaced, self-criticism and research come close; and with discipline, self-teaching has never been easier. If you desire to play the viol, then play it; you should fare better without an instructor than without any attempt at all.
dolofonos 3 years ago
This song on the the ville de jambon is rocking!
clancywiggam 3 years ago
good performance. This is terrifyingly difficult music, and he plays it easily and gracefully. good stuff.
blind913 3 years ago
This gambist has a fine little accelerando he employs on any ascent,which allows this music a levity which it usually gets not.Conversely the sequences are oft too regular & melting into each other without distinction.Beautiful tone.
ClassicalMusicReview 3 years ago 2
cool. it sounds so similar to a cello.
younhafan124 3 years ago
While they are similar, it is actually more similiar to the vihuella which is the precursor to the guitar because it is tuned in fourths as is a guitar (all except fo the third to second string), and it has frets. The only similarity really to the cello is that it is bowed and that it is played upright. Even so, both the Viola da Gamba and Cello are remarkable and, i many ways, this cousin to the cello set the foundation for the modern instrument that we love so dearly.
aljazeerkazan 3 years ago
beautiful
olaQls 3 years ago 2
so the guy who wrote this song played the viola?
angel1967cougar 3 years ago
No. He played an instrument called a viola da gamba. Up there is the portrait of the composer with his viola da gamba.
HARMONICO101 3 years ago
Beautiful piece and performance.
Full of musicality!
hermx0 3 years ago
This is a wonderful song - very celtic/norwegian folk sounding.
honeyspur 3 years ago
It's 100% French baroque, however I think I can hear where you might get that.
HARMONICO101 3 years ago
Do you mean that since the Gauls were colonized by the Norsemen (after the Romans and the Franks)then their baroque might sound Celtic and Norweigan? Well, it might, by I rather think French baroque has more to do with the contemporary fashion in Italy and all Christiandom after the Crusades(influenced by the Arabs).I`m of Gaulish descent myself, but I think your correspondant was talking through her/his hat, perhaps not really knowing what "Celtic", or "Norweigan" music is meant to sound like..
punkodave 3 years ago
No. I just mean that some articulations and bits of the melody sound a bit celtic/norwegian. :)
HARMONICO101 3 years ago
No they don't
leslwhatfish 3 years ago
To someone uneducated it in the field, it probably does.
HARMONICO101 3 years ago
It isn't a song
leslwhatfish 3 years ago
Oscar Wilde expressed in plain english my reaction to music like this... "Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory." Many thanks for sharing.
foozlefoozle 3 years ago
Ha, I have that exact quote on my channel page!
HARMONICO101 3 years ago
Subtle and a hint of softness, but nevertheless, articulate and crisp... An ear opener indeed, when I first listened to the Viol, Galliard for Six Viols, I have fallen in love with the Viol ever since... Thanks for this beautiful piece. We all owe you!
mayura97 3 years ago
Baroque Cello
Very nice
Vanquard5150 3 years ago
Actually, it is a Viola da Gamba. Different instrument altogether.
HARMONICO101 3 years ago
I am in love with the sound of viola da gamba even though I play the harpsichord...My dream is to buy viola da gamba and learn to play it...you never know at what age you can fall in love with something...I should play the harpsichord but think all the time of viola...
zanetkka 3 years ago 3
wiesz, mam dokładnie ten sam problem :) też gram na klawesynie. powiedz mi, co my ze sobą zrobimy ;p Jak na razie czytam transkrypcje Forquereya i trwam, ale jestem święcie przekonana, że nadejdzie taki dzień, kiedy gamba, na swoją własną zgubę, wpadnie w moje szpony :D
orangecappuccino 3 years ago
To moze powinnysmy wreszcie zadac sobie to fundamentalne pytanie: co nas tak naprawde kreci?A moze w zyciu po prostu warto probowac...to dzieki temu mozemy dowiedziec sie o czyms nowym, np. o PASJ:-D Innymi slowy, poki nie sprobujemy, to sie nie dowiemy. A tak z ciekawosci, gdzie studiujesz gre na klawesynie? Pozdrawiam
zanetka232 3 years ago
ce n'est pas un violoncelle.
thecritiquevirtuoso 3 years ago 2
Viola da gamba is the instrument of baroque era, I want to live in....., thank You for posting this music, vivat de Colombe and Marine
GiovanniXXIV 4 years ago 8
I don't think you would have wanted to live in that time if you were born then! For the vast, vast majority, I'd imagine life wouldn't be too pleasant!
jonathantosio 3 years ago
Very true. I would perhaps like to go on vacation to the past, as opposed to living in that time. :)
HARMONICO101 3 years ago
This I would do too!
jonathantosio 3 years ago
Thanks!
marccianita 4 years ago 4
Very nice! Today I heard the first time about this instrument. A real surprise to find a previously unknown instrument. And you are making it proud playing it so nicely. Listening to it, you must like playing it ;).
Post more! Please.
Lemo
lemonnado 4 years ago
Hi. Did you get your computer sorted out? I have a similar problem & suspect it's due to a virus problem I got some months ago. I got rid of 2 viruses but there's still adware embedded in my web browser I can't get rid of & God knows what else is there! Try inserting/writing to your discs via disc-writing software only. My computer is still compromised. Stuart.
carmel1956 4 years ago
Well I've isolated the problem anyways. It seems that the encoder file is corrupted. I would normally just have to reinstall moviemaker and windows media player, but becuase they are components of vista, they can't be uninstalled or reinstalled. So, it seems that the only solution is to back up all my files and reinstall vista. However, my comp is a dell, so I'll have to get them to ship my vista disk.
HARMONICO101 4 years ago
OMG tell me about reinstalling an OS! WARNING! do NOT i repeat DO NOT install back up program files. reinstalling these over with the disks. AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR MOTHERBOARD DRIVERS!!! THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!! only Pictures and documents and media ONLY! This way no viruses will get on your new wiped hard drive and your OS will stay perfect, trust me.
Shadowtech666 4 years ago
The film 'Tous les matins du monde' is a dramatic interpretation of Marin Marais' life in the same genre as the film Amadeus, that portrayed Motazrt. It was released in 1991 and anyone who likes viol da gamba music should see this film. Like Amadeus, it's a visual masterpiece too. Stuart.
carmel1956 4 years ago
Oh yes, that's one of my favorite movies. I actually heard of Marin Marais and St. Colombe before I saw the movie.
HARMONICO101 4 years ago
Just for MudNova's edification, (BTW I play both the viola and the viola da gamba), the terms gambist or violist (but pronounced to rhyme with "bio list" to differentiate between the thing I get called when I sit in the orchestra) can be used.
haroldlieberman 4 years ago
I love love love this cd!!!
John Dornenburg is truly a master...
FooPerson 4 years ago
Wow, very beautiful, yeah, very, how do you call a Viola da Gamba Interpreter? Violoist? like if he plays Viola ? X_x anyway...
I have to say, that i'm in love with this instrument too, but as a cellist, i have to say that, the cello has a sadder sound, but, it is a sad and melancholic and a dramatic sound, and the viola da gamba is too melancholic, but not dramatic, but it has also a very happy sound, it's a very complex instrument..
If you play viola da gamba i have to say: Congratulations!
MudNova 4 years ago
A 'gambist' I believe? Stuart.
carmel1956 4 years ago
I'm a violist but a composer at heart. I almost ended up with the cello. It takes very interesting people to be violists or an interesting person to be a violist. Love the sound. I suck at chords.
violalord1 4 years ago
When I play Bach solo violin pieces, I still can't play the double stops and quadruple stops delicately enough for my taste. Oh well... you never stop learning.
HARMONICO101 4 years ago
Violist as in you play viola, or violist as in viola da gamba player?
HARMONICO101 4 years ago
viola. I wish I played viola da gamba. You from Europe or America or any other place. Cause I notice in Europe if you say violist they're usually gonna think viola da gamba.
violalord1 4 years ago
In north america at least, most people seem to go with gambist to avoid mixup. I know that in france the viola is called an alto, like the clef it uses, so perhaps that's why there is a difference. I'm Canadian by the way.
HARMONICO101 4 years ago
Cool. I have a canadian friend. Lives here in america. Desindent from some king that was thrown out I guess you can say.
violalord1 4 years ago
Some would say it takes a poor violinist to be a violist. Not me though!
ThisDream 4 years ago
Every body says that!! I'm am a poor violist (I mea alto violin) but I find easier to play violin, it's only a piece of lie by conceited violinist!!
all my support
moiliryc 4 years ago
Um dude the viola is A LOT harder to play than the violin
Shadowtech666 4 years ago
I don't see how either instrument is harder than the other considering that they are so similar.
HARMONICO101 4 years ago
no no no NO! Dude the violin is less than 3/4 the size of a 17" viola and everything is so much closer together, so it is easier to hit your notes. And shifting on the tiny violin is a breeze.
Shadowtech666 4 years ago
I think that mostly depends on what your used to. I have a friend who is a violist, and she tried playing my violin once for fun. Didn't work out so well.
HARMONICO101 4 years ago
I have to side with shadow on this. I picked up a violin after 5 years of viola playing, and it almost made me want to switch, it was so much easier.
Shifting is at least twice as hard, not to mention how much heavier the viola is (personal problem, I prefer lighter so I can focus on my fingering and bowing more).
I stuck with viola, but I have to say, viola is harder to play.
vaust 4 years ago 3
I have been learning violin but always wanted to become a violist as I like viola's deep and warm tone. A lot of people take no notice of viola, sadly. Never mind, we are very interesting people!
sweetviolet1000 4 years ago
Rock on dude I love playing the Viola, (also i heard that a violinist who plays the viola for a few months and then goes back to violin finds that they have improved on the violin greatly.)
Shadowtech666 4 years ago
God I love that sound!
I'm a cellist by trade, but at heart I'm a violist!
emmlopezs 4 years ago
Yes, this is on the first viola da gamba CD I ever purchased and this is one of the pieces that just made me fall in love with the instrument.
HARMONICO101 4 years ago
Marvelous! Who is the artist?
cleftbass 4 years ago
John Dornenburg. I'm glad you like the music!
HARMONICO101 4 years ago
oh ok thank you for replying and that also answeres my question about that instument he has on his lap :) but this is a marvelous song
angel1967cougar 3 years ago