Books › The M. Steinert collection of keyed and stringed instruments : with various treatises on the history of these instruments, the method of playing them, and their influence on musical art, 1893 › scan 147
Scan 147
The M. Steinert collection of keyed and stringed instruments : with various treatises on the history of these instruments, the method of playing them, and their influence on musical art, 1893
6 lines. Read by computer on 29 August 2026. Printed page 145. See the scan on archive.org.
1and other great Dutch masters of the 17th century, we repeatedly behold richly dressed ladies and gentlemen playing the Gamba. In fact at one time there were only few noblemen's or gentlemen's houses without a "chest" containing a set of four or more gambas of different sizes, of rich make, carved and inlaid with ivory or tortoise shell. This popularity of the Gamba extended to the middle of the 18th century, when the Violoncello gradually began to supersede it. The Gamba was played very much like the 'Cello. Sebastian Bach was the last great composer who wrote for the Gamba, and he seems to have had a special predilection for it. There are still extant three of his sonatas for Clavier and Gamba, and a number of obligato accompaniments for airs in his cantatas and the Passion music. He also composed a Concerto grosso for two viols de Braccio, two viols de Gamba, Violoncello, Violone and Harpsichord, and on other occasions he used that instrument for attaining special orchestral effects. In the beautiful introduction to the cantata "Gottes Zeit" we find three different gamba parts combined with violins and flute, which must have produced a very peculiar effect. In vain, however, we look for the gamba in Handel's scores. C. F. Abel, (who died in 1787) a pupil of Bach, and Lidi, an Englishman, (who died in 1789) were the last well-known virtuosi on the Gamba.
3The Viola de Spalla, or shoulder Viol, was a small bass, which could be fastened with a ribbon round the neck, and after playing could be thrown back upon the shoulder. This instrument was probably a 'cello used by wandering musicians and was carried by them by means of a leather strap over the shoulder. The English Violet resembled in construction and tone the Viola d'Amore.
5The Pochette, or Pocket Violin, was carried by dancing masters in their pockets, hence its French name; it was also termed the "Kit" and was usually 16 inches long. The Viola Pomposa, a small violoncello with an additional treble string, was invented by Sebastian Bach and is probably identical with the "Violoncello piccolo" of his scores. The sixth of his solos for the violoncello
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