I have been a bit concerned by the throwaway usage of the term ‘bass viol’ recently mostly in regards to John Harbison’s Concerto for Bass Viol. I am actually pleased that by the use of the term, double bassists are recognizing the connection between the double bass and the viol (or viola da gamba) family. I would however like to offer a few thoughts on this euphamistic colloqiualism. The term bass viol often refers to the 8′ bass instrument in the viol family. Now there are two sizes larger that travers the 8′ and 16′ ranges. If you are confused by the term ‘8 foot’ range – these are universal descriptions given to range as they apply to the length of organ pipes in regard to register. With this in mind, the double bass or string bass (referred to as Kontrabass, Contrebasse, Contrabasso, Contrabajo in numerous European languages) is a contrabass instrument – meaning it exists an octave lower than the actual bass register. This would then be better to refer to our favorite instrument as a ‘contrabass viol.’ This is not just an issue of symantics, but of proper labelling.

The ranges for instruments in the viol family are as follows:

Pardessus de Viole (specialized solo literature: g”, d”, a’,e,c, (g))
Treble viol (d”,a’,e’,c’,g,d)
Alto viol (historically very rarely used: c”,g’,d’,b-flat,f,c)
Tenor viol (g’,d’,a,f,c,G)
Consort Bass viol (d’.a,e,c,G,D)
Lyra viol – smaller than consort bass viol (more than 50 different tunings
in solo & consort literature)
Division viol (d’.a,e,c,G,D)
G-Violone/ Great bass viola da gamba (g,d,A,F,C,GG)
D-Violone/ Double bass viola da gamba (d,a,e,C,GG,DD)

Much of the seventeenth century (especially English) solo literature is for two styles of performance, the division style (a highly ornamented and improvisational style) and the
lyra-way. The majority of the literature for this lyra-viol was printed or
written in what is referred to as French lute tablature notation:

This would incorporate six lines, representing the strings on a lute or viol, with rhythm placed above the score. This system used letters to represent the location of which fret to play. An a represented an open string, b the first fret, c the second, d the third, e the fourth, f the fifth, and so on.

The two types of literature cultivated for the viol in Europe during the instrument’s history were solo literature and consort, or chamber music literature. Chamber music composers for viol include William Byrd (1542-1623), Alfonso Ferrabosco II (1543-1574), John Coprario (c1570-1626), Thomas Lupo (1571-1627), John Ward (1571-1638), Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625), John Jenkins (1592-1678), William Lawes (1602-1645) and Henry Purcell (1659-1695). Composers of solo literature for viol include Tobias Hume (c1569-1645), Christopher Simpson (c1605-1669), Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707), Johann Schenck (1660 – c1712), Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Jean de Sainte-Colombe (d. 1691-1701), Marin Marais (1656-1728), Georg Philipp Telemann, (1681-1767), C.P.E. Bach (1714-1788) and Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787).

For more information on the viola da gamba family, please visit http://www.vdgsa.org/.

Example of Chamber Music for Viols from Doctoral Recital from 2002 at Northwestern University

Selections from the Complete Viol Consort Music by Christopher Tye
(b. c1505; d before 15 March 1573)

In nomine VII: Follow Me
In nomine III: Rachell’s Weepinge
In nomine XX: Crye

Mary Springfels, Treble Viol
Lynn Donaldson, Treble Viol
Russell Wagner, Tenor Viol
Dr. Phillip W. Serna, Bass Viol
Anne Lazarides, Bass Viol

Program Notes from Doctoral Recital from 2002 at Northwestern University:

Dr. Tye was a peevish and humoursome man, especially in his latter dayes, and sometimes playing on ye organ in ye chap.[el] of qu. Elizab. wh.[ich] contained much musick but little delight to the ear, she would send ye verger to tell him yt he play’d out of tune: whereupon he sent word yt her eares were out of Tune.

Although Chistopher Tye’s origins are ambiguous at best, it has been established that Christopher Tye spent the majority of his professional life in Cambridge, Ely, and the surrounding parishes. It has been postulated that Tye may have originated in England’s eastern counties, where his family name was common. Documentation shows that Tye took a Bacchaleareate of Music at Cambridge, later becoming a lay clerk at King’s College in 1537. Although correlation of any musical activity prior to his Baccaleareate and Doctorate at Cambridge exists, the Grace for his degree suggests a ten year study of the art of music with studies in composition and teaching boys.

Christopher Tye was a contemporary of Thomas Tallis (1505 – 1585), and contributed to the English compositional assimilation of newer continental structural principles during the first half of the sixteenth century, representing synthesis of English florid style and the continental techniques of structural imitation and syllabic text setting in the surviving examples of his sacred choral music. Tye is most renown as a composer of instrumental ensemble music for viol consort. He left thirty-one such compositions including twenty-one polyphonic settings of the “In Nomine” type. In nomines were 16th and 17th century compositions that use the Sarum antiphon Gloria tibi Trinitas as their cantus firmus (listen for the cantus part below the treble line). The In Nomine was the most signifigant single formal structure in the early development of consort music, with over 150 examples surviving by some 58 English composers from John Taverner (c. 1490-1545) to Henry Purcell (1659-1695).

For more information, visit Dr. Phillip W. Serna at http://www.phillipwserna.com/ & http://www.spiritofgambo.org/.

For more information on the viola da gamba family, please visit http://www.vdgsa.org/.