System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-138).

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1989. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 389-402).

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliography.

This thesis examines evidence of the earliest viols in Italy. In light of recent changes in perspective on the origins of the Italian viola da gamba, a new approach to building historical models of the instrument is necessary. By using Castiglione's description of violas as a significant signpost, I have developed a clearer picture of the early viola da gamba's socio-musical context. Using this context, along with my experience as a luthier, I redefine the parameters by which we may interpret the corresponding iconography of the instrument. By relating the building techniques that appear in iconography to our modern knowledge of instrument-making, I expose the differences between building conceptions in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries and those that stem from later "surviving" instruments. Finally, by placing historical models within the musical framework of plausible repertoire, I reveal the ingredients for an updated sense of sound and performance practice.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), one of the best known German composers. He has a strong influence on the development of Western Music. Bach's three Viola da Gamba Sonatas (BWV 1027-1029) were composed during his Koethen period. These works were inspired by Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi, and have influenced the Classical Sonatas. The purpose of this thesis is to give a thorough presentation on Bach's three Viola da Gamba Sonatas. This essay consists of three chapters. The first chapter includes the introduction to Bach¡¦s life, the background of the three sonatas, and the development of the viola da gamba. The second chapter is the elimentary analysis of these works. The final chapter offers a comprehensive comparison to the different versions of the three Viola da Gamba Sonatas. The purpose of the thesis is to understand Bach¡¦s three viola da gamba sonatas deeply through the above aspects.

No description available.

Dubuisson (fl.1666-c.1685) is the sole French viol player-composer between Nicolas Hotman (1613-1663) and Le Sieur de Sainte-Colombe (d.c.1700) whose works are extant. His four suites from a Library of Congress manuscript (1666) are the oldest dated French music for the bass viol; his approximately 125 pieces are contained in five manuscript sources. This thesis brings together, for the first time, all the music from the five sources for study and analysis. Together with the few biographical details, this material is used to assess his position within the French viol school. Brief histories of the viol and the suite in France precede a discussion of Dubuisson's contributions to the evolution of the genre.

During the late seventeenth century in France, the viol was beginning to emerge as one of the most important musical instruments of the day. French luthiers had created the quintessential French viol, which allowed violists in France to make their mark on viol playing, both as performers and teachers. So fervent was this enterprise that players soon formed cliques, creating two opposing schools of viol playing. One of the main protagonists who is the focus of this thesis, De Machy, led one of these schools. Although we are fully aware of this historical dichotomy, it is widely assumed that De Machy's rivals were the eventual victors of this conflict, and thus have become the model for modern violists to emulate. This has, however, encouraged modern violists to completely disregard the efforts of De Machy, which, as this thesis shall demonstrate, are as important as those of his contemporaries. Chapter 1 discusses De Machy's place in modern scholarship, giving readers an overall view of the kinds of biases and prejudices that currently exist. It also serves to act as a brief collation and analysis of modern writings that discuss De Machy. Chapter 2 provides us with a historical account of the viol in France, giving special emphasis to solo viol playing. It also traces the evolution of musical style and playing technique as well as the development of the instrument within its social role. Chapter 3 discusses French ornamentation on plucked instruments, keyboard instruments and the viol, giving special emphasis to De Machy's own ideas on ornamentation. Possible explanations for the proper execution of these ornaments are also provided. Chapter 4 revaluates Rousseau and the Traité de la Viole (1687), and seeks to determine its reliability as a credible source of information. Chapter 5 describes and analyses the quarrel between De Machy and Rousseau as described by Rousseau in the Réponce de Monsieur Rousseau (1688). In addition to providing a more complete picture of the social interactions of the viol community of the late seventeenth century, this chapter seeks to better explain the issues that De Machy and Rousseau argued about. Chapter 6 examines historical and modern writings and attempts to explain one of the main issues of aforementioned quarrel, the left hand position otherwise known as the ports de main as advocated by De Machy. Appendix A reproduces the avertissement from De Machy's Pièces de Violle. The facsimile of the original publication is presented alongside the English translation. This document is central to many of the issues discussed in this thesis. Appendix B is an English translation of the Réponce de Monsieur Rousseau. One of the aims of this thesis is to re-examine the history of the viol in France, and more specifically, its use as a solo instrument. It is through De Machy's Pièces de Violle and Rousseau's Réponce that most of this information is centred.

Research on the origins of the violoncello reveals considerable dispute concerning the existence and identity of its ancestor, the bass violin. This study focuses on the classification of the sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century bass violin by means of the following criteria: construction, early history and development, role due the social status of builders and players, use within the violin band, performing positions, and defining terminology. Accounts of inventories, organological treatises, music theoretical writings, lists of households and royal courts, descriptions of feasts, reports of choreographies and iconographical examples confirm the bass violin's presence in the late sixteenth century and beyond. Three of the earliest unchanged extant organological examples embody, complement and corroborate the bass violin's identification, and conclude the essay.

No description available.