Books › A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments in the South Kensington museum, preceded by an essay on the history of musical instruments, 1874 › scan 283
Scan 283
A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments in the South Kensington museum, preceded by an essay on the history of musical instruments, 1874
13 lines. Read by computer on 14 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 263. See the scan on archive.org.
1The violoncello came into competition with the viola da gamba at the beginning of the eighteenth century, and has now entirely superseeded its predecessor.
31298, 1298a. '71.
5VIOLA-DA-GAMBA, with Bow. Wood, inlaid with ivory and with figures of Apollo, Venus, Mercury, and Diana, in mother-o'-pearl, the back of the neck having inserted in it a piece of ivory finely perforated; six strings and four tuning-peggs (two missing). Inscribed inside "Martin Voigt in Hamburgo me fecit, 1726." Said to have belonged to Haydn. German. L. 4 ft. 1 in., W. 14 3/4 in., L. of bow, 2 ft. 7 3/4 in. (Bought, 60l.) one of two readings
6VIOLA-DA-GAMBA, with Bow. Wood, inlaid with ivory and with figures of Apollo, Venus, Mercury, and Diana, in mother-o'-pearl, the back of the neck having inserted in it a piece of ivory finely perforated; six strings and four tuning-pegs (two missing). Inscribed inside "Martin Voigt in Hamburgo me fecit, 1726." Said to have belonged to Haydn. German. L. 4 ft. 1 in., W. 14 3/4 in., L. of bow, 2 ft. 7 3/4 in. (Bought, 60l.) one of two readings
8398, 398a. '71.
10VIOLA – DA – GAMBA. Altered into a violoncello. Sycamore (?) wood, with carved medallion of the Imperial arms; the finger-board, which terminates in a carved female head, is of ebony inlaid with ivory and pearl. Wooden case, covered with stamped leather. German. 17th century. L. 4 ft. 1 in., W. 15 1/2 in. (Bought, 16l.)
12Although the back and sides of the viola-da-gamba were occasionally made of some other wood, a species of maple, called air-wood by the English makers of the seventeenth century, was considered the most suitable for ensuring a fine quality of sound. Moreover, the body was not always made slanting towards the finger-board, but sometimes rounded like that of the violin. An illustration of a small viola-da-gamba of this shape is given in C. Simpson's 'The Division Violist,' London, 1659. The viola-di-spala, used about the year 1700, was nothing more than a viola-da-gamba of this description, which gradually merged into a small violoncello by the substitution of four strings for six, and the omission of the frets. The viola-di-spala was carried by the performer before him partly resting on his shoulder; hence its name. On the continent the violoncello also was not unfrequently carried by the performer in processions.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.