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Site Search: Use the search box to find an artiste, composer, title, or venue on this site |
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Listening position:
Relax with your choice(s) of beverage, in a place of your choosing, alone, or with company |
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Introduction by Ibrahim Aziz:
The viola da gamba is a fretted, bowed string instrument with six or seven strings, which was popular during the Renaissance and Baroque periods (16th & 17th centuries). It was superseded by the violin family in the 18th century. The viola da gamba is not an orchestral instrument but rather one played in small ensembles, or in consorts with other viols, with up to five or six other players. There are various sizes called treble, tenor, and bass. In the 18th century, the bass viola da gamba, or bass viol, was used as a basso continuo instrument. A lot of solo music was written for it at this time, including by famous composers such as JS Bach, Handel and Telemann. Frenchman Marin Marais was a leading player of and composer for the instrument. He published about 600 works between 1686 and 1725. The viol was still heard in concerts in London as late as the 1780s. Artist and Royal Academician Thomas Gainsborough was a keen amateur player. He painted portraits of his friend, the composer Carl Friedrich Abel, who was one of the last professional players of the instrument until the 20th century's Early Music revival. |
Ibrahim Aziz, viola da gamba |
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During lockdown Ibrahim wrote, narrated, performed, and produced a video about the composer Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe le Père.
This 20-minute video also tells us about the viola da gamba and its music. Sainte-Colombe was responsible for three key developments for the viola da gamba:
Feel free to skip this video if you would prefer to get straight into the music. There will be another opportunity to watch it at the end of today's selection. |
An Introduction to Monsieur
de Sainte-Colombe le Père (19m47) Written, narrated, performed and produced by Ibrahim Aziz |
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Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe le Père (c1640-1700)
Suite for Viola da Gamba (6m15) 1 Allemande ♦ 2 Courante performed by John Dornenburg |
The painting ← is Le dessert de gaufrettes, or Dessert Wafers, by Lubin Baugin (c1612-1663) |
Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe le Père
Les Couplets (Bergeronnette Preste) (9m45) The Couplets or Variations (on a ground bass of the song Bergeronnette Preste Agile Wagtail performed by Hille Perl, viola da gamba Lee Santana, lute • Andrew Lawrence-King, harp |
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Henry Purcell (1659-1695) Fantasy a 4 in A minor (4m41) performed by: Chelys Consort Ibrahim Aziz & Alison Kinder, treble Kate Conway, tenor • Sam Stadlen & Jenny Bullock, bass |
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The theme shown above is a famous theme called Folia. In fact, it is one of the oldest European themes still known and used in music-making today.
More recently you may know it from the Taizé chant Laudate Dominum. The same theme makes a brief appearance in the 2nd movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Its structure is embedded in many traditional Swedish folk tunes. This theme, first known at the end of the 1400s, is found in the final section of Tangerine Dream's Force Majeure. Rachmaninoff and Liszt used it too. Looking back, closer to its origins, we have here a recording of variations on Folia by three celebrated composers of a different era - Arcangelo Corelli, Alessandro Scarlatti and master viol player Marin Marais. |
Folia, variations by:
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) (6m46) Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725) Marin Marais (1656-1728) performed by Jakob David Rattinger, viola da gamba (director) Lina Tur Bonet, Baroque violin • Nadja Lesaulnier, harpsichord |
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Having mentioned the story of Anthony Holborne's The Fairie Round going into space for our distant neighbours to enjoy (or possibly puzzle over) I should let you hear a performance of it. So just before we reach our final item here it is, at its liveliest. |
Anthony Holborne
The Fairie Round (3m08) performed by Voices of Music: (left to right) Hanneke van Proosdij, recorder Carla Moore & Gabrielle Wunsch, baroque violins Lisa Grodin, baroque viola • Elisabeth Reed, viola da gamba • David Tayler, archlute |
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If this instrument or its period have sparked your interest you will find more to listen to or to study below. First, here, for those who skipped it earlier, is the promised repeat of Ibrahim Aziz' Introduction to Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe le Père, and more about the viola da gamba, including musical excerpts. |
An Introduction to Monsieur
de Sainte-Colombe le Père (19m47) Written, narrated, performed and produced by Ibrahim Aziz |
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At the Royal Conservatoire The Hague they have been working on an interesting viola da gamba project.
Bringing together the gamba students of the Conservatoire with the composition students, a great deal of learning through interchange of experience, knowledge, and ideas is taking place. This fascinating 13-minute video, made in June this year, reveals all: |
Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag
Royal Conservatoire The Hague Project Participants: Class of composition Hugo Bell Yonatan Ron Vojtech Sembera Alexandros Gkonis Arie Verheul van de Ven Coached by Trevor Grahl Class of viola da gamba Alex Baker Anna Lachegyi Stefan Woudenberg Magdalena Kasprzyk-Dobija Coached by Mieneke van der Velden |
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Never miss a concert . . .
Our weekly* newsletter tells you about upcoming concerts and other local music events *weekly - only during the weekly concert season, occasional at other times |
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Music on Thursdays - Online
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Gwenllian Llŷr
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Music on Thursdays - Online
Oboe Omnibus Artistes include oboists: Nicholas Stovall ♦ Lajos Lencses Bradley Shoemaker-Webster ♦ Bernice Lee ♦ Maurice Bourgue Isabel Maria Velasco Music by: Carl Nielsen • Christoph Förster • Edmund Rubbra • Ravel • Telemann Saint-Saëns • Grieg access concert: by clicking on the date or the picture |
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Music on Thursdays - Online
Gentle Guitar Artistes include: Francisco Correa ♦ David Massey ♦ Jon Gjyalci ♦ Roland Dyens ♦ Gary Ryan ♦ Adam del Monte ♦ Irene Gomez ♦ John Williams ♦ Julian Bream ♦ Andrés Segovia ♦ D&A Duo: Dimitris Kourzakis & Angelos Botsis ♦ Manuel Barrueco Music by: de Falla • Roland Dyens • Django Reinhardt • Gary Ryan • Piazzolla • Albéniz access concert: by clicking on the date or the picture |
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Music on Thursdays - Online
Music for Unusual Instruments Artistes include: Tjurgen Kam, throat singing & Jew's harp • Stefan Dollak, mandora • Fritz Mayr, Jew's harp • Dieter Kirsch, mandora • Münchener Kammerorchester • Lewis Lipnick, contrabassoon & contraforte • Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra • Eric Poe, water percussion • Contemporary Youth Orchestra • Yuan Li, guzheng • hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) Music by: O'Carolan • Albrechtsberger • Kalevi Aho • Glière • Tan Dun access concert: by clicking on the date or the pictures from August 13th onwards |
- ↑ Tjurgen Kam, Jew's harp • zheng or guzheng ↓ -
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