ON THE VIOLIN FAMILY

The Oldest Violin
Which is the oldest violin known to us? When and where was it invented?

Origin of the violin (English) / Ursprung der Violine (Deutsch)

The Violone
What exactly is a violone?

What are the differences between the viol family and the violin family

A case in point...
Who made this violin? (a warning about attributions by experts!)

On the Viola da gamba



INSTRUMENTS THAT WILL MAKE YOU VIBRATE
(they have sympathetic strings)

The Viola d'amore
What exactly is a viola d'amore? (English not yet available)

The Baryton: a magical instrument



GET THE DETAILS

Bridges to the Past:
a brief survey of historical and modern bridges for the
violin family
viola da gamba family

Bending over Frontwards:
The Austrian instrument maker, Simone Zopf, illustrates this ancient technique of constructing the fronts of the viola da gamba by bending several strips of wood (similar to the making of a lute)

What is dendrochronology? / Dendrochronology: the results!

With Strings Attached: on historical strings



Of Special Interest

Articles of special interest, which have already appeared in print:

1. The French Rondeau (English and German)

2. On Restauration of Historical Instruments (English and German)
(This article examines the highly controversial polemic about restoring instruments for practical use by musicians or conserving instruments, to be seen, but not played, in the museums)

3. Alte Musik auf der Universität (only in German)

4. Sonatas for Viola da gamba and Harpsichord by Bach (Seminar)

5. Marin Marais and his Time (Seminar)

6. Tomás Luís de Victoria: an essay by James Mitchner


More to come...


updated 16.03.2011