Violone in G by Anonymous

Milano School, 18th C.

Catalog 73. Violone, 6-strings in G, Milano, ca. 1700

  

At present this violone is on permanent loan to Hector Castillo,
Madrid, Spain, who performs regularly with Orpheon.

Violone: Orlando di Lasso
Bavarian Court Chapel, late 16th C.

Violone: Lastman, early 17th C.

Violone: Pier Francesco Mola 1612-1666

Braunschweig: ca. 1635

This is a member of the viola da gamba family. Larger than a normal bass viol, it is usually refered to as “great bass viola da gamba” (Praetorius: Groß-Baß-Viola da gamba; in England: great bass viol). The tuning is usually: GG-C-E or F-A-d. It was one of the most frequently used violones during the 16th and 17th Centuries, in church and chamber alike. Our violone, a particularly excellent example of this instrument, has often been used for recordings

Body length 940 mm
Upper width
420 mm
Middle width 314 mm
Lower width 553 mm
Rib height 180 mm
String length 970 mm