Thesis--University of Michigan. / "The compositions ... [in v. 2] constitute ... works ... taken from Marin Marais' five publications of pieces for bass-viols and figured bass." Includes bibliographical references.

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The music of Marin Marais, a major figure among the French Baroque bass viol composer-performers, is seldom played today. His compositions which are artistically and historically significant, should be available to instrumentalists of this century. Marais published five volumes of bass viol compositions. Seven movements were transcribed from the Second Suite of Marais' first volume. The first chapter is an introduction to Marais; the second chapter pertains to the bass viol and its styles of performance, and the final chapter illustrates the editing required for the transcription. The problems encountered were those of adapting the melodic, harmonic, and contrapuntal styles of the seven-stringed bass viol to the double bass which is normally monophonous. Melodic elements were unchanged, chords were simplified, and contrapuntal lines were retained by giving the second voice to the continuo bass.