viol

The open strings of the treble, tenor, and bass viols.

Member of a Renaissance family of bowed six-stringed musical instruments with flat backs, fretted fingerboards, and narrow shoulders that flourished particularly in England about 1540-1700, before their role was taken by the violins. Normally performing as an ensemble or consort, their repertoire is a development of madrigal style with idiomatic decoration.

The three principal instruments, treble, tenor, and bass, are played upright, resting on the leg (da gamba), and produce a transparent, harmonious sound. The smaller instruments are rested on the knee, not held under the chin. Tuning is largely in fourths, like a guitar. The double bass viol or violone, used in baroque orchestras as bass-line support to the harpsichord or organ, became the model for the present-day double bass.