viols
Fretted bowed instruments
Viols are a family of bowed stringed instruments popular in Renaissance and Baroque music, predecessors to the modern violin family.
They have fretted fingerboards, six strings, and are held vertically between the legs—hence the term viola da gamba (leg viol).
Viols produce a softer, more intimate sound than violins, suited to chamber music.
Fretted bowed string instrument
- consortRoyal spouse
- madrigalUnaccompanied Renaissance choral composition
- polyphonySimultaneous independent melodic lines
- motetSacred polyphonic choral work
counterpoint · pavane · tablature · frottola · chanson · tallis · elizabethan · courtly
Stringed instrument craftsperson
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
- frettedWorried persistently
- gut stringsInstrument strings from intestines
- soundholeOpening in acoustic instrument
rosette · bridge · tailpiece · fingerboard · pegbox · ribs · belly · soundpost
Bending forward in deference
- underhandDeceptive and secret
- divisionsSeparate portions of something
- ornamentationDecorative additions to something
- vibratoOscillating pitch effect
fingering · stopped · open strings · chords · arpeggiation · slur · articulation · phrasing
gamba
Fretted bowed string instrument
- consortRoyal spouse
- madrigalUnaccompanied Renaissance choral composition
- polyphonySimultaneous independent melodic lines
motet · counterpoint · pavane · tablature · frottola · chanson · tallis · elizabethan · courtly · fantasia
luthier
Stringed instrument craftsperson
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
- frettedWorried persistently
- gut stringsInstrument strings from intestines
soundhole · rosette · bridge · tailpiece · fingerboard · pegbox · ribs · belly · soundpost · carving
consort
Royal spouse
bass · tenor · treble · alto · continuo · accompaniment · blend · voices · players
bowing
Bending forward in deference
- underhandDeceptive and secret
- divisionsSeparate portions of something
- ornamentationDecorative additions to something
vibrato · fingering · stopped · open strings · chords · arpeggiation · slur · articulation · phrasing · legato
fantasia
Free-form musical composition
suite · ground · variations · dance · voluntary · duet · manuscript
- Baroque MusicBach, Vivaldi, Handel, harpsichord, Vivaldi Four Seasons
- Court Entertainmentjesters, jester, court jester, court fool, fools
- Early Musicmedieval music, Gregorian chant, Renaissance music, motet, baroque music
- Renaissance artifactsSistine Chapel, illuminated manuscripts, oil painting, altarpieces, fresco
violsviolins
Bowed stringed instruments
cellos · violas · double basses · fiddles · bowed strings
- Viola Davis
- viola da gambaFretted bowed string instrument