Violone

Violone

A violone is a big, bowed musical instrument. It belongs to the viol or violin family. Violones can have three, four, five, or six strings. They are not all the same size—some are smaller than a cello, and others are even bigger than a modern double bass.

People today often add special names to violones to tell them apart. You might hear names like "G violone" or "D violone," which tell us how the instrument is tuned. Other names include "bass violin," "violoncello," or "bass viol." Even though the word violone can describe many different instruments, it can be tricky to know exactly which one someone means without more information.

The word violone usually means the double bass viol today. This is a large string instrument that plays its notes one octave lower than written in old music from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical times. Some musicians play modern copies of these old instruments instead of very old ones.

There are many types of violones. Some are about the size of a cello and play notes at the written pitch. Others are larger than a cello—sometimes even bigger than modern double basses—and these usually play their notes an octave lower. What makes each type of violone special is how it is tuned. This tuning can place it in either the viol or violin family.

During the Renaissance and Baroque music eras, musicians and composers did not always clearly say which exact type of violone they meant. Some pieces did not even tell players which instruments to use. This changed during the Classical music period, when instruments became more standardized.

Today, music experts try to be more precise about which instrument a composer might have intended. They classify violoni based on their tuning, family, and how they are used. This helps us understand what composers wanted in different times and places.

Cello-sized Instruments

Cello-sized instruments are usually the "tenor" members of the viol or violin families. There are three main types:

• The bass viol. This is a 6-string viol family instrument, most often tuned in D.
• The bass violin. This is usually a 4-string violin family instrument, a bit larger and lower in pitch than the cello.
• The violoncello or "cello". Still used today in modern symphony orchestras, it has four strings.

Larger Instruments

• The great bass viol, also called the G violone or the A violone. This is the next largest viol after the bass viol, usually with 6 strings.

Double Bass-sized Instruments

There are several instruments in this group. One is a true viol family instrument, while others share features with the violin family but have different tunings, sizes, or construction.

• D violone. This is the largest viol family instrument, with six strings, tuned in D.
• The Viennese violone was a hybrid instrument with features of the viol family. It played mostly at a lower pitch and was used as a chamber and solo instrument from the 17th century onward.

The violone is a fascinating instrument that has been enjoyed by musicians for many years. It shows how musical instruments can change and adapt over time.