Viola da gamba

The viola da gamba held the role that cellos and basses later took—the mid-to-low range of ensemble music—before being displaced by violin family instruments over the 18th century. Held between the knees (gamba means "leg" in Italian), played with an underhand bow grip, and fretted like a guitar, viols produced a softer, more blending tone than the projecting sound of modern strings.

The gamba family flourished from the 15th through 17th centuries, with instruments in treble, tenor, and bass sizes forming complete consorts. Aristocratic amateurs played viols at home; professional musicians performed at court. The repertoire included both consort music for mixed groups and challenging solo works, particularly for the bass viol.

What ended the viol's dominance was not inferior sound but different acoustic requirements. As concert halls grew larger and orchestras expanded, the violin family's greater projection became advantageous. Baroque composers wrote for both families; Classical composers increasingly favored violins, violas, and cellos. By 1800, viols had largely disappeared from professional music-making.

The 20th-century early music movement revived gamba performance. Musicians researching historical performance practices rediscovered viol technique and commissioned new instruments from specialized makers. Today, viols are heard regularly in recordings and concerts of Renaissance and Baroque music, played by specialists who have mastered the distinct technique.

The gamba's softer dynamic range, once a liability, became an asset in intimate venues and recordings where projection matters less than timbral variety. Modern listeners can hear what 17th-century audiences valued: an instrument designed for blending rather than soaring, for chamber intimacy rather than concert hall presence.

The violin family won because the context changed, not because viols were inferior. Different acoustic environments selected for different instrumental characteristics.