Violone in G by Anonymous

Milano School, 18th C.

Catalog 73. Violone, 6-strings in G, Milano, ca. 1700

At present this violone is on permanent loan to Hector Castillo,
Madrid, Spain, who performs regularly with Orpheon.

Violone: Orlando di Lasso
Bavarian Court Chapel, late 16th C.

Violone: Lastman, early 17th C.

Violone: Pier Francesco Mola 1612-1666

Braunschweig: ca. 1635

This is a member of the viola da gamba family. Larger than a normal bass viol, it is usually refered to as “great bass viola da gamba” (Praetorius: Groß-Baß-Viola da gamba; in England: great bass viol). The tuning is usually: GG-C-E or F-A-d. It was one of the most frequently used violones during the 16th and 17th Centuries, in church and chamber alike. Our violone, a particularly excellent example of this instrument, has often been used for recordings

Body length	940 mm
Upper width	420 mm
Middle width	314 mm
Lower width	553 mm
Rib height	180 mm
String length	970 mm