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'.