The Early History of the Viol

Dr Woodfield brings iconographic evidence and an interesting approach to this study of the viol which will be of interest to musicologists, iconographers, organologists and viol players.

Ian Woodfield (Author)

9780521357432, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 21 April 1988

284 pages
24.5 x 16.9 x 1.6 cm, 0.461 kg

'There is no doubt that this book is now the authoritative treatment of the subject, and will remain so for some time to come.' The Times Literary Supplement

This book traces the development of the viol from its late medieval Spanish origins to the sixteenth century, when it became the most widely played bowed instrument in western Europe. Ian Woodfield examines the two most important ancestors of the instrument, the Moorish rahab and the vihuela de mano. From these two instruments emerged an early form of viol, the Valencian vihuela de arco, which spread rapidly across the Mediterranean during the papacy of Rodrigo Borgia. The viol was enthusiastically accepted by the d'Este and Gonzaga families and other Italian arbiters before migrating across the Alps and into the rest of Europe. The author discusses all aspects of the viol during its Renaissance hey-day: the growing perfection of viol design at the hands of Italian craftsmen; the gradual evolution of tuning systems; the development of advanced playing techniques and the wide range of music, both solo and consort. The final chapter examines the growth of a viol playing tradition in sixteenth-century England, in particular in the London choir-schools. Dr Woodfield brings iconographic evidence and an interesting approach to this study which will be of interest to musicologists, iconographers, organologists and viol players.

List of illustrations
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
1. The medieval viol
2. The Moorish rabab in Aragon
3. The vihuela de mano
4. The Valencian viol: its structure, playing techniques and music
5. The introduction of the viol into Italy
6. The viol in early sixteenth-century Germany
7. The structural development of the Italian viol in the sixteenth century
8. Italian viol tunings
9. Viol-playing techniques in sixteenth-century Italy
10. Music for solo viol in sixteenth-century Italy
11. The viol consort and its music in sixteenth-century Italy
12. The viol consort in late sixteenth-century Germany
13. The viol in France and the Low Countries
14. The viol in sixteenth-century England
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: String instruments [AVRL]