This lecture recital is about the rivalry between the viola da hamba and the violoncello in the eighteenth century. The story begins at the end of the century when the gamba was already in decline, though not completely obsolete as may have been traditionally viewed. The audience is then taken through the century to its beginning when the 'cello was primarily a bass instrument with hardly any solo repertory. The lecture looks at the hierarchical position of the instruments and examines the reasons why the table was turned in favour of the 'cello around the 1750s. The recital aspect complements the lecture. The music will include pieces that were specifically designed for the gamba, pieces that could be played on either, and pieces that clearly favours the cello. The lecture will also look at how composers viewed the instruments in previous centuries, and how they wrote for and orchestrated them in solo and chamber works. Lecture recital length 55 mins, concert version of similar length or extended also available; projector and screen needed for lecture, plus harpsichord. Three performers including speaker.

Example of lecture/concert venue. Harpsichord centre stage, gamba on left, cello on right in the well of harpsichord. Two fold up music stands, plus additional (tall) stand for speaker, on the floor, on the left.
Projector screen on right of stage at the tail end of harpsichord. Images projected from front row. Two small tables for projector (raised) and computer. Powerpoint. Assistant to move images along, cues given on a script.

BIBLIOGRAPHY (in preparation)

Holman, P. 'Life After Death'

Wissick, B. 'The cello music of Antonio Bononcini..', Journal of Seventeenth Century Music, http://www.sscm-jscm.org/v12/no1/wissick.html

Jackson, B. G., Commentary on Le Blanc's Defense de la Viole, Journal of VdGSA, Vol. 12, December 1975.

Vanscheeuwijck, M. 'In search of the eighteenth century "Violoncello": Antonio Vandini and the concertos for viola by Tartini', 2008, Claremont Graduate University.

Medlam, C. ' Approaches to the Bach Cello Suites'. 2013

Aziz, I. 'Johannes Schenck'. The Viol 26

Simpson, C. 'The Division Viol'. London, 1665.

Le Blanc, H. 'Defense de la Basse de Viole', Amsterdam, 1740. Translated in VdGSA vol _ by

Images:

Wikimedia

Wikipedia

Others

Cello and large festooned gamba (very likely violone) together, both played with the underhand bow hold:

Detail:

The player is the Prince Bishop of Liège , John Theodore, in a concert in 1755.

A shocking depiction of Abel: Thomas Rowlandson, 'Concerto Spirituale, Messrs BOCH and ABEL'. Note the frets and bow grip.

The Concert Spirituel venue at the Palais de Tuileries, which was destroyed in 1871 in the upheaval of the Paris Commune. The concerts took place on the second floor of the centre pavilion, in a lavishly decorated hall called the Salle de Cent Suisses (Hall of the Hundred Swiss Guards). It heralded the demise of the gamba.

Peter Holman's view is that viols and violins were used as alternatives - at least when referring to dance music in the early seventeenth century. This reminded me of another example, a hundred years later,  of gamba and cello being used as alternatives (which, of course, didn't help matters for the gamba): Telemann's Paris Quartets.  It seems that the two instruments were more or less on equal terms at this period, and Telemann took the trouble of producing a separate part, with appropriate clefs and adjustments to suit each instrument.

I then wondered whether the instrument he (Telemann) meant might have been a da spalla and have come to the following conclusions (conjectural). It seems to me - from the quotations I have read so far (see earlier post) that most of the descriptions of the da spalla came from Germany, and from pictorial evidence (such as the girls in Vivaldi's Pieta), from Italy; but in France, the violoncelle that Corrette, Boismortier and Telemann referred to was more likely a 'little Basse de Violon with five or six strings' (Brossard, 1703), played da gamba with overhand bow hold

I have overlooked the most obvious example (for me) of gamba - cello pairing, obvious because of my deep fascination of this composer's music and his personality: Charpentier's  Sonata a Huit (H548). 

Below is a performance of the section where the gamba is accompanied by a 'basse de violon a cinq corde', followed by a recit of the same accompanied by the gamba:

Recit de la viole seule

Recit de la basse de violon

Charpentier's ingenious device in highlighting each of the instrument's strengths include the use of multiple stops in the high ranges of the gamba, giving it a typically elegant dance, the Sarabande, following its recit; and giving a more flamboyant, sprezzatura type recitative to the cello followed by a very sprightly, uplifting bouree. 

The PLAN

Programme (with lecture)


DOORS OPEN 

IMAGE 1 (as audience are gathering) : LECTURE TITLE 

with http://violncello.blogspot.co.uk

IMAGE 2 (after everyone's sat, BEFORE walk on) : ABEL BY GAINSBOROUGH

Artists' entrance, bow, play:

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723 – 1787):  Sonata in E minor (first movement)

IMAGE 3:  PALAIS DE TUILERIES

Introduce - The story of the rivalry began with .. etc., etc.,

..while at the end of the eighteenth century only professional players played the viol. Abel was generally thought to be the last of these players, certainly the last to be celebrated as a virtuoso gambist. But even they resorted to the cello. Show picture.

IMAGE 4 : ABEL WITH CELLO AND CONCERTO SPIRITUALE

At this point I somehow need to take the audience a step back into the mid 1700s when composers began to issue music that could be played on either instrument. Michel Corrette - who, what, - Les Delices - what - title page. This is a sonata played on cello: 

IMAGE 5 : CORRETTE TITLE PAGE

Michel Corrette (1707 – 1795): Sonata no. 6 in D major, Op. 20 (first movement)

And here an example of a duet:

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689 – 1755): Sonata no. 3 in D minor, Op. 14:

Allemande - Lentement - Gigue

Talk the most here. Talk about general previous perceptions of the viol and cello. Touch on terminology (as a digression). Talk about actual examples where cello and viol were specified. 

IMAGE 6 : HOFKONZERT (1755)
followed by
IMAGE 7 : PRINCE BISHOP

Johannes Schenck (1660–after 1712): Sonata no. 2 in A minor, Op. 9:

Adagio  - Corrente  - Vivace

I must now decide on the amount of talking that I do and the actual contents of this lecture recital. The programme is confirmed (see an earlier post). From people's reaction so far, I have a feeling I should be aiming for more playing than talking, so making it more of a concert than an academic presentation.

But does the topic have a point?

My aim is that people should go away thinking that the gamba and the cello are not an ill-matched couple, that the two could work well together under the right conditions, that there were pieces actually written for the two instruments together, that due to their contrasting nature, they could make an attractive pairing, that we shouldn't shy away from mixing viols and violins for certain repertory.

I attended an interesting lecture today by Peter Holman who pointed out that in German sources of the 17th century where 'violen' is indicated, the instrumentation intended does not necessarily mean a consort of viols, but also of violins. I was reminded of a picture from this period showing violins being accompanied by larger viols with a virginal in the middle (the picture, in fact, on the cover of Edgar Hunt's edition of Dowland's Lachrimae), which supports my statement above. In consort literature, we are reminded of Lawes, who indicated violins on the soprano lines of his music. I think there are others.

The gamba-cello pairing is of course later. The most vivid examples that I can think of at the moment include the sonata in D major by Ruhe, and earlier, Charpentier's Sonate a huit, while other examples, such as the continuo part of the Corelli transcriptions which has tenor clef, and the Schenck sonata which I will demonstrate in the talk, only suggests the use of a different bass instrument, such as a 'cello.

The way I've organised the programme means that I will have work backwards from the period when only professionals played the viol (Abel), to the period pre Le Blanc where wealthy amateurs upheld the viol's preeminence, and there were virtuosi who demonstrated its superiority (Marais, Forqueray). 

Will I talk about the da spalla? 

According to Charles Medlam, the underhand bow hold on the cello/bass violin was the exception rather than the norm. Cellists held the bow in imitation of the violin, overhand. I recall reading that in Germany, the bow was held underhand (where it is still held so by the double bassists), but in order to conform to the down bows of the violins in Lully's orchestras (so that the player starts at the heel and ends at the tip), cellists in France had to hold the bow overhand. 

The clip below is Wieland Kuijken talking about bow holds and his King Amati cello. 

Kuijken with Amati cello

In addition to Vandini (see one of my earlier posts), another striking example of an underhand cellist is 'a certain Herr Greuel' who played a concerto in Berlin in 1828 holding his bow underhand.
This information also came from Charles Medlam's 'Approaches to the Bach cello suites'.

I should now address the issue of terminology. What is a 'cello? What was a 'cello? What is a basse de violon, a basse de viole? I'm hoping to show some quotes which will tell that it depends partly on where you are and when.

J. G. Walther Preacepta der Musicalishen Composition Leipzig, 1708: The violoncello is an Italian instrument not unlike the viola da gamba, which is played almost like a violin. It is supported partly by the left hand, which stops the notes, and partly by being hung from a coat button because of its weight.

Sebastian Brossard, 1703: Violoncello, This is our Quinte de Violon or a little Basse de Violon with five or six strings.

Johann Mattheson, 1713: The excellent Violoncello, the Bassa Viola and Viola di Spala are small bass instruments (in comparison with the bigger ones) with 5 or 6 strings, on which one can play more easily fast notes and ornaments. It is held against the chest by means of a ribbon and is played on the right shoulder.

Leopold Mozart, 1756: Violoncello: It used to have 5 strings but is now played with only four.

J. Eisel, 1738: Violoncello, Bassa Viola, Viola da Spalla: we should throw all three into the same pot, since all three are small bass violins.

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These quotes are from Charles Medlam's recent book, 'Approaches to the Bach cello suites'.

Bononcini

Brent Wissick's work in the Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music. Note 5.

Today, I learnt that the last gamba built in France was an eight string instrument made by Benoist Fleury in 1759 (or 1769 depending on how you interpret the label) - right around the time the cello was gaining prominence. A copy of it can be heard in a new recording of Rameau's Pieces de Clavecin en concert played by Ensemble Fleury. I was thinking about Louis Guersan and his pardessus viols  and thought I saw somewhere an instrument dated 1770.

Viol with cello characteristics.

In 1659 Christopher Simspon writes that viols suitable for playing divisions - a form of variation on a ground usually improvised by a master player - should have a sound that is quick and sprightly, like a violin. Viols which are built with their 'Bellyes being digged out of the Plank', he says, will normally have such a sound. This is an obvious concern for Simpson, at least for the purpose of virtuoso solo playing, and he seems to prefer the sound of the viol on the left, which is violin/cello - shaped, than on the right . Perhaps the consort viols, whose fronts were built from strips rather than carved from a plank, did not offer the type of sonority that Simpson wanted.

Below is the Alqhai brothers performing on Amati viol copies, playing a Corelli transcription. Note the violin characteristics of the instruments, including the 'F' shaped sound holes.

Jacob Stainer was another maker who made viols with a violin outline. Below is an example of an original, played by José Vázquez .

Picture. A print of what looks a like large early viol or bass violin being bowed overhand. Frets are barely visible.




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Cello with viol characteristics. The two instruments have never been very different from each other!

Underhand bow hold. Pictures.

Frets. Quantz? Bruno Cocset.

The story of the rivalry began with the advent of public concerts which became widespread in the eighteenth century. The Concert Spirituel in France began in 1725. Fifteen years later Hubert Le Blanc wrote his Defense de La Basse de Viole, upholding the viol against the pretence of the violin to superiority. While members of the nobility played the viol early on in the eighteenth century, only a handful of players - professional musicians -  played the viol at the turn of the nineteenth century. Soon the viol left the scene almost altogether and the rivalry between the two instruments was quickly forgotten. 

Since the revival of early music the general perception has been that the two instruments do not work well together. But well before Le Blanc's Defense, viol and cello had played side by side as can be seen in the works of Buxtehude, Ruhe, Charpentier, Handel and even J.S. Bach. Around the period of the Defense, composers began to produce music that can be played on either instrument. This programme aims to show that the viol and the cello could form an amiable partnership when their different characters are sensitively expressed by the composer and the player. 

Programme (with lecture)

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723 – 1787):  Sonata in E minor (first movement)

Michel Corrette (1707 – 1795): Sonata no. 6 in D major, Op. 20 (first movement)

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689 – 1755): Sonata no. 3 in D minor, Op. 14:

Allemande - Lentement - Gigue

Johannes Schenck (1660–after 1712): Sonata no. 2 in A minor, Op. 9:

Adagio  - Corrente  - Vivace

The viola da gamba was used mainly as a solo instrument in the eighteenth century. Abel, one of the last celebrated performers on the viol, was admired for his expressive playing but he also gave performances on the cello. In France, where the viol had flourished in the early eighteenth century, the cello slowly gained ascendancy as composers began publishing music that could be played on either instrument and eventually wrote sonatas exclusively for the cello. Schenck, of Dutch extraction, worked in Düsseldorf and wrote some of the most demanding music for the viol. The final movement of his A minor sonata highlights the continuo string bass which is given a solo. 

Length: 50 - 55 mins.

Lecture requirements: Powerpoint. JPEG projections onto a screen.

Harpsichord at A = 415, 1/6 comma mean tone temperament. 

Two music stands. 

Three chairs, adjustable height preferred. 

Antonio Vandini

Charles Burney, 2nd August 1770: 'It was remarkable that Antonio (Vandini), and all the other  violoncellists here, hold the bow the old-fashioned way, with the hand under it'

Pieces that involve the use of bass viola da gamba with another bowed bass instrument.

Ruhe- Sonata for viola da gamba and violoncello
Charpentier- Sonate in 8 parts, which feature the gamba and cello accompanying each other's solo
Buxtehude- Sonata for viola da gamba, violone, continuo. If 'violone' is to be taken in its Italian sense such as in Corelli, the instrument referred to would probably be a bass violin or cello. G violone in Germany, but either way, an 8 ft instrument.
Corelli transcriptions- by implication, the tenor clef in the basso may indicate cello.
Bach- Brandenburg 6

More to follow..

From 'A Commentary on Le Blanc's Defense de La Viole', by Barbara Garvery Jackson, VdGSA Journal Volume 12.

'Here he feels the fretted instruments have a definite advantage in the playing of duets - that it is impossible for two cellists to play in tune with each other but that two gambists, so long as the strings are not false, can play beautifully in tune'

'He' is Hubert Le Blanc.

But what about one of each?

Composers in the eighteenth century began to be less specific about instrumentation. Here, Violoncelle is followed by Viole, Basson.

Abel with the Concerto Spirituale . Information also from 'Life After Death'. Note bow hold and Abel manoeuvring the cello like a viol to reach the low string.

Abel, by John Nixon (1787), entitled 'A Solo on the Viola da Gamba'. The instrument looks like a cello, with four pegs. In Peter Holman's book, 'Life After Death', we learn that Abel performed solos on the viol, but played bass lines on the cello in orchestras. He co-directed with J. C. Bach. When Abel directed, it was from the keyboard. When J. C. was directing, Abel played cello in the ensemble. Professional gambists at this stage - even the most famous - played and performed on the cello. Earlier on, Antoine Forqueray switched from the basse de violon to the viol and became one of its greatest  players. '..having had the honour of playing the basse de violon before the King (Louis XIV)..He ordered that he (Forqueray) should be taught to play the Bass viol...at present, one finds few who can equal him.' (Mercure galant, April 1682).

In a few weeks I'll be delivering a lecture recital about the relationship between the viol and the cello in the eighteenth century. I've decided to call it 'A forgotten rivalry'. I don't know if this blog will ever survive these first few lines, but I thought it would be good to try and at least use it as a place where my ideas and various bits and pieces could be stored and developed. Anyone interested can access the project and see it taking shape.

I will begin with some pictures which I'm aiming to include in the lecture. The first is Carl Friedrich Abel with a seven string bass gamba, by Thomas Gainsborough. The seventh string is used in at least one of his 27 unaccompanied pieces.