viol

viola (vé-6’-la), I., viole (in F. vé’-6l; in G. f@-6’-lé). 1. The viola in modern usage is the tenor or alto violin, a little larger in size than the normal violin, and tuned a fifth lower c-g—d’—a’. It is written on the C clef (except high notes, which are written in the G clef). Its tone is more sombre (very richly melancholy and elegiac indeed), and its harmonics are more limited. 2. The prototype of the violin. A fretted bowinstr. with 6 strings (sometimes 5 to 8); flat and tapering back; belly usually flat; sound-holes circular; bridge low to facilitate chords; tuned in fourths with one midway third. In 4 sizes treble (alt a), alto (alt or tenore), ba (ba a), contraba (violone). The ba -viol still persists in England. v. di bardone (bir-do’né), I. A barytone viol, of the size of the ’cello, with 6 or 7 gut strings, and a number of wire resonance strings lying along the belly and tuned diatonically. v. bastarde (bis-taér’-da), I. ‘Bastard viol.” Large viol da gamba. v. da braccio (da brat’-cho). ‘‘Arm-viol” as opposed to v. da gamba, “Leg-viol.” v. da spall a. ‘“Shoulder-viol,” a larger arm-viol. viola d’amore (damo’-ré), I., viole d’amour (damoor’), F. 1. Richly beautiful, but obsolete instr., iarger than the viola, furnished with frets and more strings, some above, and some below the finger-board. 2. A stop. v. pic’cola or marina (mia-ré’-ni). An instr. resembling the v. d’amore. Vv. pomposa (pém-pd’-sd). A large viol of the compa of the ’cello, but with a fifth string. Inv. by I. S. Bach. viol da gumba (da gim’-ba), viol di (dé) gamba. ‘“Leg-viol.” A small obsolete violoncello, with frets and five or six strings. viola alt a. An enlarged viola inv. by Hermann Ritter of Wismar, Germany, 1877.