The Bass Viol on the right is a product of John Rose’s
craftsmanship. Made of wood, it was crafted in London, England in 1600. The size is as follows: total L.: 119.5 cm
(47 1/16 in.); Body L.: 71.5 cm (28 3/16 in.); Body W.: upper 32 cm (12 1/2
in.), middle 23.4 cm (9 3/16 in.), lower 39 cm (15 1/8 in.); Rib H.: upper 9 cm
(3 5/8 in.), middle 23.4 cm (9 3/16 in.), middle 12.6 cm (4 15/16 in.); Belly
W.: at the neck 5.2 cm (2.05 in.) lower 39 cm (15.35 in.) lower: 12.7 cm (5.0
in.) Belly W. at the neck 5.2 cm (2.05 in.)
Produced in England
during the Seventeenth century, the Viol was introduced into playwriting as an accompaniment
piece. It was frequently played in a consort of two to six people for the
purpose of entertaining. The Viol was commonly played within Henry VIII’s
court, and developed into an instrument that could be played by amateurs. The
ease of production and playing of this instrument led to the discovery of
various characteristics of music such as chords and scales.
While it is easy to
learn to play the Viol, it is not easy to craft a Viol. The Viol is not a traditional
art form, in that is a variation of wood working. Only certain types of wood
may be used in order to ensure the instruments durability, while the shape of
the wood greatly factors into the intonation of the sound produced by the
bowing or plucking of the five strings. The Viol is considered an instrument of
elegance. Crafter’s such as John Rose have recognized this, and have shaped the
instrument with curves to emphasize this elegance.
In contemporary
times, this elegance is represented by the art’s audience. The Viol has become
an instrument that is less common in “pop” music, and is typically played by a
master Violinist in a professional orchestra. The orchestra is more frequently
visited by the one percent, or upper class of society. The etiquette standard
that one dresses in evening clothing when going to the orchestra has a direct
correlation to the elegance of the Viol, and other instruments seen in the
orchestra company. It is interesting how the guitar, a direct descendent of the
viol is more commonly used in pop music which is considered less formal music.
Guitars are often included in the musical entourage that accompanies a group or
singer when performing. In these performances, the audience is typically more
casually dressed indicating a lack of formality or elegance at these events.
Word Count: 425
Sources:http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1989.44
Word Count: 425
Sources:http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1989.44
Hi Gillian!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post, and found it very interesting that you compared how people treat certain instruments to the class systems of modern and renaissance societies. I also thought it was very interesting that you brought the guitar, a descendant of the Viol, into the blog as a parallel for treatment of instruments, as while they are related, one is treated as more sophisticated than the other. It is also interesting that you related the curvature of the instrument to its elegance, and it made me wonder whether or not the shape of items defines its stature in our society or if that idea has become obsolete. Overall, it was very interesting to read, and I learned a lot about the Viol as an art of the 1600's.
Be sure you do more with the little picture- look at and cite specific examples of format, structure, language, etc. It will strengthen your analysis and provide more depth/ examination of effect in your big picture. Also- think about effect of choices (by the artist here) on the audience.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post because it taught me about the Viol, which I had never heard of before. It was interesting how you described that the Viol led to other discoveries in music such as the chords and scales, which is really cool! Also, I agree with how you compared the elegance of the Viol to the elegance of clothing worn at an orchestra, which only the upper class of a society would attend. I thought it was interesting how you compared the Viol to its modern descendant, the guitar, and discussed how the guitar is more often heard in "pop" music. I agree that instruments are created to cater to the audience that listens to them.
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