Welcome to the 17th Century Iconography page that presents visual records of various period bass instruments and the actual period double basses which have coexisted together in the music practice of this period.
As with 16th century iconography, there will be very few iconographical representations of the actual 17th century double basses that can be unequivocally associated with the modern double bass. Yet, there will again be many man sized stringed bass instruments that appear similar to modern double basses, and along a variety of other larger predecessor bass instruments that have served the bass function in this period. In general you will observe a great flux of shapes, forms and sizes among the bass instruments that in many cases still elude the common stringed instrument classifications.
Thus as already mentioned in the Classification Issues heading Viol vs. Violin Families , this listing is designed to avoid a division on violin and viol instrument families for the 17th century instruments and leaves this matter open for a final summary in the future, when a complete documentation on the subject can be presented as discussed. Furthermore this century also introduces the Instrument Type field at the end of each record, and with intent to offer some guidance on the instrument type which the period nomenclature and other sources may suggest. Otherwise, all the other comments, insights and ambiguities that pertain to a particular image you will find at the Notes section of each record.
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Chronological Listing 1
Author Listing 2
Geographical Listing 3
Note 1. Chronological Listing
Chronological Listing column presents the years when the artworks were created in chronological order. If a particular year is missing, that implies that no artwork is affiliated with that year. Furthermore, where there are two or more artworks created within the same year, those will not be indicated in any particular way within the indexed year, but will be presented on the web page itself in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. Otherwise, the full listing of all cited artworks can be seen in either the Author Listing 2 or the Geographical Listing 3 .
In this iconography, you will find that every artwork is assigned a single specific year of creation in order to offer an easy chronological orientation and overview. However, due to the complexity of dating and date ascription, many of the dating entries on the actual artwork records will cite the year span estimates instead of a single year. Thus it is important to know that in such cases the Chronological Listing year indicates the earliest year at which a particular artwork may have been created. For example, the artwork estimated as created during 1640-1660 will be cited under 1640. All other details on dating procedures and issues are explained at the Year of Creation – Citation entry of the Artwork Record Format map.
Lastly, every artwork record will also present specific information on the dating sources, their assessment, and the subsequent ascription of a particular year, or a year span, within the Notes section. In general and according how the museums and individuals have dealt with dating issues, many sources did not offer a particular year of creation but have instead cited a decade, or sometimes even a century estimate that represents a creation period. Some other institutions have bravely simplified the matters by stating only the life dates of the author, if even these were known. Nevertheless, such practices were found unacceptably lax for the purpose of this Iconography and for this reason a particular year was always determined in order to provide some general sense of chronology within the listed works.
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Note 2. Author Listing
Each of the Author Listing citations is made of three fields in the following format: “Author – Title -Year,” as illustrated in the example below:
Fisch HU II – Tradesmen – 1640
The author’s Name is commonly abbreviated to the last name with possible suffix abbreviation for Junior, Senior, First, Second and similar. More on the name citations you will find at the Artist’s Name section of the Artwork Record Format map.
The artwork Title is taken commonly from the artwork record Image Title Heading, or Image Title Citation but in some instances may be abbreviated for a word or two and due to the short space that the Index field affords. Still, a due effort was made that the Index entry title is always recognized with the main record title. More on the title citations you will find at the Image Title Heading and Image Title Citation sections of the Artwork Record Format map.
The artwork Year represents the same year you will find in the Year of Creation Heading of each artwork record. More on the year citations you can find at Year of Creation – Heading and Year of Creation – Citation sections of the Artwork Record Format map.
Lastly, if the author is unknown, they are cited as Anonymous or Anonym. You will find that the listing of Anonymous authors in this index precedes the main alphabetical listing by authors and also that the Anonymous authors themselves are cited in chronological order by the year and not alphabetically by the artwork title.
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Note 3. Geographical Listing
The Geographical Listing for the 17th Century Iconography is organized in the alphabetical order by Country, City and Author hierarchy. The artworks which emanate from South America are cited in a separate section after the European entries.
The City name is commonly cited in the original language spelling, while the additional information on procedures and issues that pertain to the cities you may find at City of Origin section of the Artwork Record Format map.
The Country name is commonly cited in the original language spelling while the additional information on procedures and issues that pertain to the countries you may find at Country of Origin section of the Artwork Record Format map.
The rest of the citation follows the “Author – Title – Year” pattern presented in the Author Listing index citations (above) as illustrated in the example:
Fisch HU II – Tradesmen – 1640
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Chronological Listing
1600
Upright Bass Player
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Detail
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Anonymous. Upright Bass Player (from the series of Acht Musikanten – Eight Musicians). Basswood statue, ca. 1600, Braunschweig, Germany. Located at Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum Braunschweig, Germany, id. Hol 16 – Hol 23.
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Official Page – Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum Braunschweig
Image View – Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum Braunschweig
Official Page – Bildindex.de
Official Page – RIDIM.Musiconn.de
Official Page – Kulturerbe.Niedersachsen.de
Image View – Facebook
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Bibliography:
• Ausst.-Kat. Weltenharmonie. Die Kunstkammer und die Ordnung des Wissens, Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum Braunschweig 2000, S. 282, Kat.-Nr. 338.
Notes:
• This small statue presents a standing period performer with an elongated upright stringed bass instrument that rests on the ground without an endpin. This instrument approximates the height of a smaller modern double bass.
• The page presentation may imply to this instrument to be a “cello” with its tag, and which it certainly is not, given the shape, size and other characteristics, such as four “f” holes.
• It is interesting to note the position of the bow, which is in the middle of string height wise and unusual to both modern and period standards of playing. The bow is also relatively short.
• The dating of this statuette is based on the research of period costume details, while the statuette’s location information is based on the inventory of Herzog Ferdinand Albrecht that was undertaken at Braunschweig in 1687, and which may imply that the statuette was from Braunschweig of 1600.
• The top, peg box and scroll section of this instrument is unfortunately missing, as otherwise this instrument would look even taller in appearance. You can observe or possibly even imagine the original scroll by looking at the Hegewald – Musicant – 1620 which sustained a similar destiny, although we do have a photo that documents its state prior to the scroll disappearance accident. Hopefully in the future we may gather enough data on this type of instrument in order to attempt digital image reconstruction of this missing part?
• Lastly, in respect to the unique shape and the four C holes design, it appears that the design of this instrument may be much older and could date to the early 16th century. The 1536 fresco from the Rittersall (Knights’ Hall) at the Goldegg Castle, Pongau features several instruments of smaller proportions that show the same design characteristics. In the Image – lemuratepac.it you may note that some of these instruments are played in vertical position and with a bow touching at the middle of the string, exactly as with the Upright Bass Player featured above. Otherwise for a sense of actual fresco in real setting, here is look of the Knight’s Hall where you may see the fresco on the upper section of the right wall at the Goldeggamsee.at – Link . Further information on the reconstruction of this smaller type of a fiddle at Vihuela de Arco – Blogspot .
Further Research:
• It would be worthwhile to investigate the remaining seven statuettes from this series, and compare their instruments in respect to the other iconography of that era.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Unknown at the present
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1600
Sicut Autem Erat in Diebus Noe
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Detail
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Sadler, Jan. Sicut Autem Erat in Diebus Noe (As it was in the days of Noe). Engraving print, ca. 1600, Antwerp, Belgium. Located at British Museum, London, England, m.n. 1868,0612.521.
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Official Page – The British Museum
Official Page – The University of Melobourne
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Bibliography:
• place for future bibliographic entries
Notes:
• A description from British Museum page which says “a female musician plays a cello” may not be accurate in respect to this instrument, since it predates the standard violoncello form.
• Depicted is a smaller stringed bass instrument, featuring 5 strings, no endpin and yet performed while resting on the ground by a seated performer. This may indicate a larger size than a violoncello and it certainly may be classified as a predecessor instrument to the standard violoncello and double bass division.
• This instrument does not have an endpin, but appears to rest on the extended and narrowed portion of the sound box that ends in a point of a type. Also, while we commonly expect a tailpiece to be connected to fixed point under the instrument, in this case the tailpiece seems attached (in some way?) to the front plate above the bottom of the instrument.
• Further research and comparison may yield more details on the tuning, range and typical use of this instrument.
• This engraving was based on a work by Dirick Barendsz.
• Title citation if from Matthew 24:37 – Latin : English Translation .
• Almost identical composition is presented on the Unidentified, Flemish School, 17th Century painting at Christie’s – Painting Page – Larger Image Link . At this image you may observe the pale yellow varnish color of this instrument that was common for the stringed instruments of that period.
• Another presentation of this Flemish painting was offered at Artnet – Painitng Page – Image Link (it appears to be the same painting as above).
• The third variant of this painting was presented on Pintrest with no additional description offered – Image Link .
• Please consult also the Salodiensis – Venus and Attendants – 1559 that appears to predate the featured engraving of the same scene.
Further Research:
• It appears that this figural composition along with the instrument of interest here has been used and reused through the time. Thus a full systematization of all these images in various forms of likeness should be undertaken to sort out who was the first to make it and who has followed with later versions.
• Further Research remarks here.
• Further Research remarks here.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
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1601
Musicians
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Detail – Color
Detail – Black and White
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Dilich, Wilhelm. Musicians in Beschreibung und Abriß dero Ritterspiel, so der Durchleuchtige Hochgeborne Fürst und Herr, Herr Moritz, Landgraff zu Hessen etc. auff die Fürstliche Kindtauffen Frewlein Elisabethen und dann auch Herrn Moritzen des andern Landgrafen zu Hessen etc. am Fürstlichen Hoff zu Cassel angeordnet und halten lassen / Durch Wilhelm Dilich. Cassel: Gedruckt in Cassel durch Wilhelm Wessel. MDCL.(1601)
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Title Translated:
Description and presentation of the jousting, such as the enlightened high-born prince and lord, Lord Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse etc. on the princely child baptisms of Miss Elisabeth and then also Mister Moritz of the other Landgrave of Hesse etc. arranged and held at the princely court in Cassel / By Wilhelm Dilich. Kassel: Printed in Kassel by Wilhelm Wessel. MDCL. (1601)
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Official Page – Unkassel.de (Scan 214 – color)
Image View – Unikassel.de (Scan 214 – color full screen)
Title Page View – Unkassel.de (Scan 9 – color full screen)
Official Page – Hab.de (Scan 237 – monochrome)
Image View – Hab.de (Scan 237 – monochrome)
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Bibliography:
• Wilhelm Dilich – Wikipedia (English)
• Wilhelm Dilich – Wikipedia.de
• Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel – Wikipedia.org
• Elizabeth of Hesse-Kassel – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• This image of strolling musicians comes from an exceptional volume of drawings that documents the celebrations in honor of the christening of Princess Elizabeth of Hesse-Kassel. This event, which took place over four days and featured “lavish games, tournaments, and fireworks”, was also characterized as the “last knight games in Europe.” Now, whether true in respect or not, it obviously was a spectacular event for the contemporaries, and actually is impressive even for us today when we peruse the pages of this unique book.
• What you will notice here are the pages and pages of documentary drawings of various pageant participants in parade that feature different formations and cultures. Thus, among them we find also this unique music group depicted here. What you see are the Moorish African musicians of color in a small ensemble which, by chance also features a strapped mid sized bass fiddle.
• There is not much that can be deduced from the picture about the very instrument except that it is of a narrow design with relatively few strings. The peg box shows some three pegs, so it may have had perhaps three or four strings. Visible are also frets. Also, the instrument hold appears in reverse, as the left hand bows while the right hand presses the strings.
• Yet the true value of this presentation may lay in its cultural significance, as this image may be one of the earliest presentations of the African musicians of color in the western art music iconography. In respect to bass iconography this is actually the first presentation of a bass musician of color in western art, as the author of this site does not know of any other image that would illustrate African musicians with what appears to be western instruments, prior to this image.
• Otherwise, one may certainly ask how did these Moorish musicians materialize in the Mid German court of Kassel in 1598? If we consider that the ensemble may have come from Southern Spain, perhaps from Granada, that would be some 2400 kilometers or 1490 miles away. A long way to traverse in that time. The answer may lie in the fact that Landgrave Moritz was a great supporter of the arts and the German cities, including Kassel were already known to welcome the traveling troupes of various profiles at the time. So, particularly for this unique occasion when the court wanted to present its best splendor, perhaps an effort may have been made to invite or organize the appearance of this troupe as well, or possibly, a whole Moorish delegation with colorful horse riders that we see in the full image, may have come just to enhance the event.
• In respect to dating, the catalogers of the scanned book samples presented above commonly date this print to 1601, although the dates that appear on the very print may vary beyond this year. The event depicted is cited to have occurred variously in 1596 or 1598, or even later, so this part may also be investigated further for a more reliable year dating.
Further Research:
• The above lines present a very broad outline of what is seen in this image and it is hoped that a more detailed and extensive study may yield far more pertinent data on both the traveling musicians and in particular the Moorish musicians in Europe of the late 16th and early 17th century. For now let it suffice to know that this image just may contain more to be known.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
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1603
Violone
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Anonymous. Violone. Etching, 1603, Salzburg, Austria. The source of this image is at the present unknown.
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The official online image not available
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Bibliography:
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 5, Fig. 3 “Violone., Salzburg, 1603.”
Notes:
• Presented is a larger stringed bass instrument which is performed in standing position. The instrument’s scroll reaches to the mid head position of a lady performer.
• The instrument itself has 5 or 6 strings while the number of pegs can not be discerned. It appears that the instrument has two large C holes on each side while the bridge is not visible, or may be placed on the same level as the upper edge of the tailpiece. The size of this instrument appears similar to the one featured at Anonymous – Upright Bass Player – 1600 .
• The provenance of this image could not be determined, but it may emanate from a period edition that again may, or may not be affiliated with music subject. Planyavsky himself does not offer a source print for this image. Hopefully, the source should be discovered in future.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• A period Violone type
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1603
Armonia
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Ripa, Cesare. Armonia in Ripa, Cesare. Iconologia Ouero Descrittione di diverse Imagini cauate dall’antichità & Di Propria Inuentione, Trouate & Dichiarate Da Cesare Ripa Perugino. Roma: Appresso Lepido Facij, 1603. p. 26
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Title translated:
Iconology Work, Description of the Various Images taken from Antiquity & of his own Invention, Located & Claimed by Cesare Ripa Perugino.
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Official page – Limes.cfc.unipi.it
Presentation Page – Limes.cfc.unipi.it
Image View – Limes.cfc.unipi.it
Official Page – Internet Archive 1
Image View – Internet Archive 1
Official Page – Internet Archive 2
Image View – Internet Archive 2
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Bibliography:
• Cesare Ripa – Limes.cfc.unipi.it (in Italian)
• Cesare Ripa – Wikipedia.org
• Lirone – Wikipedia.org
• Lirone – Grove Dictionary Online (paid or institution access only)
Notes:
• An image of Armonia with her instrument is included here for a special reason. While this instrument may not fit the exact criteria for inclusion since it is of smaller proportions, it still rests on the ground while being played in standing position. However, it is included here for an important historical reason, as this is the first in a series of some twelve images of Armonia in various editions of influential Iconologia by Cesare Ripa, and which present larger stringed bowed instruments that appear suited for a bass function.
• Iconologia itself is essentially a comprehensive catalog-dictionary of emblematical representations and personifications among which Armonia (Harmony), and by some chance, is commonly presented with a period stringed bass instrument. The organological class of these instruments is not always the same, and it varies from the Lirone type we see illustrated here, to the other species of period strings of which some may include a double bass sized Violoni.
• The featured Lirone looking instrument is actually called Lira Doppia in the edition and should have some quindici (fifteen) strings. Yet regardless the number of strings, it would be of interest to find out what possible tunings did this particular instrument use, and what was the ambitus it may have covered.
• One may also note that the two lowest strings (those closest to the performer) look as if mounted on a different and higher mount at the scroll. The left hand fingers, which seem to be pressing simultaneously several strings speaks in favor of this instrument being used as a “chordal” instrument.
• A very similar image to this one, and with only few differences, has been published in the subsequent Iconologia editions of 1611, 1618, 1625, 1630 and 1636. From these, only those from 1611 and 1636 will be presented here, and you can see them at Ripa – Armonia – 1611 and Ripa – Harmonie – 1636 . All other images from editions subsequent to 1611 are omitted, as they are essentially the same. The completely new Armonia (Harmony) representation however appears in 1644 Iconologia with at Ripa – Harmonia – 1644. This edition presents a new type of an instrument that is similar to a larger Violone, or even a modern double bass.
Further Research:
• Further research may focus on what particular Lirone instrument may this be, and how it may, or may not relate to the other bass instruments of similar proportions that have served in bass function during this era.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• A period Lirone of larger proportions
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1603
Bankett mit Tafelmusik
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Detail
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Weckherlin, Johann Michael. Bankett mit Tafelmusik (Banquet with a Table Music), Tübingen, 1603, in Stammbuch Johann Michael Weckherlin (spans years 1594-1625), Württembergische Landesbibliothek, l.n. Cod. hist. oct. 218. p. v 163.
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Official Page – Wlb-Stuttgart.de
Image View – Dfg-viewer.de
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Bibliography:
• Johann Michael Weckherlin (1579–1631) – online biographical entry not available.
• Owens, Samantha. “Pictorial Depictions of Musicians, Musical Instruments & Music-Making in the Stammbücher of Paul Jenisch (1558–1647) and Johann Michael Weckherlin (1579–1631).” De Musica Disserenda. No. 15, Vol. 1-2, 2019, pp. 159-177. Page Source for Download – Download Link
Notes:
• This lovely table-music depiction comes from Johann Michael Weckherlin’s autograph album (Stammbuch) with a likely date of 1603, as the adjoining page describes it as “Friendship and Memory, written at the day in Tübingen with an illustration of the New Collegium.” So, although Weckherlin’s student days have started in Tübingen in 1594, it seems that he may still have had company there in 1603. If indeed this memento depicts him as well, he may be the Lutenist seated at the left side of the image.
• In respect to bass iconography we se a seated bass instrumentalist with his instrument on the right side of the table. The instrument rests on the ground and by height reaches to about the top of player’s head. The scroll section is not that well depicted but we actually can see the number of strings, and there are five of them. The front plate shows two rather elongated F holes and some four interesting “three holes in a triangle” groupings that appear on the upper and lower side of the front plate. Now, whether these are just the unique ornaments or perhaps were extra sound holes, is for a further study to determine.
• The authorship of this picture is certainly affiliated with Weckherlin’s autograph album, yet the actual author of the image may be the undersigned Joachim on the next page and whose last name was unfortunately difficult to decipher. The Owens exhaustive article offers a lot of details on further Weckherlin’s contacts, so perhaps one day a name of this gentleman and his affiliation to Weckherlin may be discovered as well. For all other details on this painting please consult Owens article at p. 162 (Weckherlin info) and p. 164 bottom paragraph (Tafelmusik image).
• You may also note that Owens in her article often compares the images from Weckherlin’s Stammbuch with those from the similar Stammbuch by Paul Jenisch. Jenisch was some two decades older than Weckherlin, and he also went to the University of Tübingen (Owens p. 162). An interesting detail is also mentioned that Jenisch has attended the Launingen Gymnasium before coming to Tübingen and which would put him there at the time of 1590s. So by chance, if he played lute at the gymnasium age, as he did when he got a post with Hofkapelle of Duke Johann Friedrich of Württemberg-Stuttgart in 1613, then he may as well be the lutenist depicted in the Anonym – Collegium Musicum – 1590 which depicts the student music ensemble of Gymnasium Illustre in Launingen. Please be welcome check the logic and chronology in the Owens article and make the assessment yourself, should you wish to explore this unique coincidence further.
• The next record presents an image which is also from Weckherlin’s Stammbuch, but illustrates a public night music making where Weckherlin is actually marked by name on the image (!)
Further Research:
• By following the notes in the Owens article it appears that more names of Weckherlin’s friends and acquaintances may be discovered in the future. So, hopefully among those we may find some of Weckherlin’s musicians’ friends as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
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1603
Nachtmusik
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Detail
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Weckherlin, Johann Michael. Nachtmusik (Night Music), Stuttgart, 1603, in Stammbuch Johann Michael Weckherlin (spans years 1594-1625), Württembergische Landesbibliothek, l.n. Cod. hist. oct. 218. p. v 264.
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Official Page – Wlb-Stuttgart.de
Image View – Dfg-viewer.de
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Bibliography:
• Johann Michael Weckherlin (1579–1631) – online biographical entry not available.
• Owens, Samantha. “Pictorial Depictions of Musicians, Musical Instruments & Music-Making in the Stammbücher of Paul Jenisch (1558–1647) and Johann Michael Weckherlin (1579–1631).” De Musica Disserenda. No. 15, Vol. 1-2, 2019, pp. 159-177. Page Source for Download – Download Link .
Notes:
• This is the second image from Weckherlin’s autograph album (Stammbuch) that is presented here. What we see is a night music event on the street of Stuttgart that occurred on August 20th 1603. If you care to look carefully you will see actually three bass fiddles in the ensemble. Also, the difference from the previous image, which presented a Tafelmusik event in Tübingen, is that here we have the names of all musicians listed. Among them are J.M. Weckherlin himself as a lutenist and closest to the lower edge of the picture, and his brother Georg Rudolf Weckherlin, depicted to the right and little down from the spinet (source Owens p. 163).
• In respect to bass iconography we see three bass fiddlers with shoulder strapped instruments that appear of a middle size on a first impression. The one left from J.M. Weckherlin is Ludwig Hoyoul a son of Balduin Hoyoul a Kapellmeister in Württemberg, and the one on the right from Weckherlin is signed as Aycheli(n). The third bass fiddler may be (G)intter. Now, according to Owens it appears that the musicians in this collegium are a mixture of avocational musicians and professional musicians from Stuttgart Hofkapelle, so it would seem desirable to look again at the sources which list all Stuttgart Hofkapelle musicians from the time. To begin with it would of interest to see which musicians were playing the bass fiddles in the Hofkapelle, and if perhaps those may not be Herr Aycheli(n) or possibly (G)intter.
• The bass instruments featured here unfortunately do not offer us much detail to judge them beyond the mere outline and some reference to the size, but it appears that they may be smaller than the instrument played in the seated position in the Tübingen image presented in the record above. One may consider that it certainly was easier to carry and play a smaller bass fiddle as a strap-on instrument in the outdoor setting, than perhaps a full sized one that we perform today commonly in fixed position on the stage. There are actual double bassists today who play in local folk music bands that still stroll around for the wedding and other strolling occasions, but those belong among the minority of double bassists in our time.
• Lastly, if you read the Owens article to the end you may note that she cites yet a third image with a bass fiddler from the Weckherlin’s Stammbuch. That would be the Tübingen Street Musicians from 1601, under v 332 Image Scan Link . You may note that this is again a strapped bass fiddle yet due to its smaller size, it was not included in the listing here. Owens introduces this image as the first from Weckherlin’s Stammbuch in her text (p. 162-3 Fig. 1), so you may as well compare this one to the other two presented here. In this image you can see the front of the instrument well and it appears to have a five strings.
Further Research:
• It would be of interest to look further into any extant records of the Stuttgart Hoffkapelle for any information on period bass fiddles employed there, since the Owens article indicates a source that cites some of these musicians.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
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1606
Musica
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Detail
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Fisch, Hans Ulrich I. Musica – Fünf Freie Künste (Musica – from the depiction of Five Liberal Arts: Rhetoric, Music, Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy). Pen drawing, washed, est. 1606, Aarau, Switzerland. Located at Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany, i.n. XI 751.
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Official Page – Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
Official Page – Ridim.Musiconn.de
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Bibliography:
• Hans Ulrich Fisch I – Sikart.ch
• Hans Ulrich Fisch I – Kunstbreite.ch
Notes:
• Presented is a lady player personification of Musica with a period stringed bass instrument. The Musica plays in standing position while the instrument rest on the ground. This instrument reaches in height to slightly above her shoulders.
• Visible are two C holes in the upper area of the front plate. The number of the pegs and the strings unfortunately can not be discerned due to the low resolution of the available image.
• Apparently this instrument has relatively thin ribs as was common with instruments of this period.
• The RidIM record ascribes the authorship to the Swiss artist Hans Ulrich Fisch, who was a known stained window artists and painter, while the original Kusthalle Karlsruhe record simply ascribes it to the anonym author.
• The official dating for this drawing by RidIM is very liberal and it covers 1551/1700, which actually contradicts their own entry for the author Fisch, who was born in 1583. The Kusthalle Karlsruhe record is equaly as vague as it simply states 16./17. century.
• The year for this listing is selected based on the start of Frisch’s artistic activity in Aarau as mentioned in his Sikart.ch biography Link. That said, it certainly is possible that he may have worked on this drawing even later, yet as this drawing appears very similar to the Musica – Lingg – 1607 (below), and since Lingg was also a painted window artists, it appeared suitable to group these two images together chronologically.
Further Research:
• It would be of value to assemble and compare all of the allegorical presentations of Musica with stringed bass instruments and evaluate their presentations and instruments according to chronological and other evidence, as then likely some other information on their dating and purpose may also become apparent. This project would also present an excellent basis for a future article..
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
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1607
Musica
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Detail
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Lingg, Lorenz. Musica – Acht Personifikationen Freien Künste und der Elemente (Musica – from the Eight Personifications of the Liberal Arts and Sciences). Drawing for a Stained Glass Window, Black pen with brown wash, 1607, Strasbourg, France. Located at Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany, i.n. XI 1082.
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Official Page – Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
Official Page – Ridim.Musiconn.de
Image View – Ridim.Musiconn.de
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Bibliography:
• Lorenz Lingg – Vitrosearch.ch
• Lorentz Linck – Wikipedia.fr
Notes:
• Presented is a lady player personification of Musica with a period stringed bass instrument. The Musica plays in standing position while the instrument approximates the size of a smaller modern double bass, and is played while resting on the ground.
• Visible are some three pgs on the left side of the scroll box, while there are four strings depicted. The front plate shows four C holes and whose position is reminiscent of those featured on Anonym – Upright Bass Player – 1600 .
• The bridge is set low and the bow appears rather large for the size of the instrument. Furthermore the bow touches the strings under rather sharp angle of some 45 degree and the placement of the bow is about in the middle of the string.
Further Research:
• Since this image was originally intended to be a sketch for a stained window it would be nice to investigate if there are any period bass instruments on the period stained windows that still adorn the edifices? Otherwise, the Lingg or Linck (in French) family, in which a tradition of producing the stained glass windows has run for some three generations, seems to have been well acquainted with period musicans. So there may be more of their drawings out there with musical subjects to be discovered. It is also hoped that the actual stained windows that presents our Musica with her instrument is also discovered in the future.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1607
Musae Sioniae I
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Detail
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Praetorius, Michael. Musae Sioniae I, in MUSAE SIONIAE Geistliche Concert Gesänge vber die fürnembste Deutsche Psalmen vnd Lieder/ wie sie in der Christlichen Kirchen gesungen werden/ mit VIII. vnd XII. Stimmen gesetzet/ Vnd in Druck verfertiget, Durch Michaëlem Praetorium, Fürstlichen Braunschweigischen Capelmeister / Ander Theil. Jehnae : Michael Praetorius, 1607. Title Page.
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Official Page – MDZ
Image View – MDZ
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Bibliography:
• Michael Praetorius – Wikipedia.org
• Planyavsky, Alfred. Geschichte Des Kontrabasses. Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1984, p. 79-80 (text), p. 80 (Abb. 35).
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 18, Fig. 14 “Double Bass Gamba as Baßgeige.”
Notes:
• Presented is an image of a standing performer with a man-sized stringed bass instrument, which is located at the lower right corner of the title page of the Praetorius’ Musae Sioniae edition.
• This instrument rests on the ground and. should the accuracy of the engraving be trusted, the instrument may have four or five strings, while the number of pegs may also be four or five. The front plate shows two C holes and the bridge is located below the holes and very close to the edge of the tailpiece.
• Otherwise, the edition itself is a compendium of choral compositions written in German Protestant chorale style where the parts could be doubled by instruments. In the case of a Bassus part, certainly with the stringed Bassus instrument of a kind that was available, and probably of a type that we see depicted here. Planyavsky also points to the BassGeige citation at the second page of Nota ad Lectorum preface to this edition. There indeed one reads of the additional instruments that can be used – Page Link – MDZ:
German:
… und zu dem Alt: Tenor, Bass, Drey Posaunen oder Zwo Posaunen/ und eine Bass Geigen / entweder allein / oder zu eim jeden eine MeschenStime darneben ordnen.
English:
… and with them Alt: Tenor, Bass, Three Trombones or Two Trombones/ and one Bass Fiddle/ whether alone / or each with a Human Voice along to be organized.
• So it looks like the Bass Fiddle was here to double the bass line. What kind of bass fiddle was used though is to be figured out, but it looks that it can be a larger bass fiddle.
• In respect to the title of this image, and for the sake of simplicity, this image is titled here Musae Sioniae, the same as the edition.
• Lastly, the Geographical Listing index cites this record as from the city of Jena, and following the city indicated on the edition, although at the time of this publication Praetorius was a Kapellmeister in Braunschweig.
Further Research:
• Since the opus of Michael Praetorius already belongs to the standard repertoire of modern performance practice groups, it would be of interest to see how did the modern performers approach the stringed bass part is his choral works and what instruments have been used and according to what criteria. The important matter with Praetorius is that he had also left as a groundbreaking Theatrum Instrumentorum treatise which documents all stringed bass instruments from ca. 1620 when the treatise was published. Yet, which of those cited bass instruments may be approximating the one depicted here is to be addressed in the future inquiry.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1607
Musae Sioniae II
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Detail
–
Praetorius, Michael. Musae Sioniae II, in MUSAE SIONIAE Michaelis Praetorii C. Geistlicher Deutscher in der Christlichen Kirchen vblicher Lieder und Psalmen mit II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. Stimmen. Theil 5 Theil 5. Wolffenbüttel: Fürstliche Druckerei, 1607. Title Page.
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Official Page – MDZ
Image View – MDZ
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The same image, different edition:
Musarum Sionar: Motectae Et Psalmi Latini Michaëlis Praetorij C. … Iv. V. Vi. Vii. Viii. Ix. X. Xii. Xvi. Vocum, Choro & Organis Accomodatae. I. Pars. Noribergae ecudebat Abrahamus Wagenmannus. MDCVII, n.d.
–
Bibliography:
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 48, Fig. 22.
Notes:
• In this edition of Musae Sioniae we see an image of a performer with a larger stringed bass instrument as located at the left side of the balcony along with two other fiddle players and a singer. This instrument is depicted with five or six pegs, so it could be a five or six stringed instrument. Given the small size of the image if one were to count strings as individual lines, it appears that there are five of them.
• This image appears in two editions by Praetorius as featured above. The titles of these editions differ as Musae Sioniae vs. Musarum Sionarum, yet both are from 1607. In order to distinguish this image from the one in previous record, this one is labeled for this listing simply as Musae Sionae II. The Musarum Sionar could also have been used though.
• A peculiarity of this instrument is a rather large peg box and also a slanted position of an instrument, which may imply a very large instrument.
• Lastly, the Geographical Listing index cites this record as from the city of Wolffenbüttel, and following the city indicated on the edition, although at the time of this publication Praetorius was a Kapellmeister in Braunschweig.
Further Research:
• As with the Musae Sioniae image from the previous record it would be of interest to see what kind of bass instrument has been used by the modern performance practice groups for Praetorius’ modern performance and to certainly further consult the Theatrum Instrumentorum for a possible match for this bass fiddle. Also, it would be of interest to see what kind of records on the Praetorius’ very Kapelle at Braunschweig may have been left, as some type of bass fiddle may be listed in period documents as well?
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1608
Orgeldeuren Sint Jacobskerk
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Detail
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Zijl, Roelof van. Orgeldeuren van de Sint Jacobskerk te Utrecht (Organ doors of the Sint Jacobskerk in Utrecht). Painting on the wood, 1608-1609, Utrecht, Netherlands. Located at Centraal Museum Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands, o.n. 2247/001-008.
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Official Page – Centraalmusuem.nl
Image View – Centraalmusuem.nl 1
Image View – Centraalmuseum.nl 2
Image Page – Wikimedia.org
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Bibliography:
• place for future bibliographic entries
Notes:
• In respect to the origin of this unique image here is a text translation from the Remarks section of the Centraalmuseum.nl page, originally in Dutch:
According to the accounts of the churchwardens of the Sint Jacobskerk from 1608 to 1609, a coffin maker made four windows for both sides of the positive of the organ, which were covered with 15 cubits of linen cloth. Roelof van Zijl painted the canvases for 55 guilders. See Van Riemsdijk 1888, p. 20. The canvases were probably removed from the organ during the renovation of the organ in 1823, cut and framed. Originally, the insides of the shutters would have shown David and Cecilia, according to the nail holes in photos from 1924, in the hollow part. The music-making women probably sat on the bulge on the reverse of David and Cecilia. The two vanitas representations were visible on the outsides of the shutters and the zither-playing angels with singers on their insides. See also Van Zanten 1999, p. 112-115. Place and year of birth and place of death Roelof van Zijl of M.J. Buck. See The Dutch Herald (1893), p. 12, and the Utrecht State Archives, Collection Buchell/Booth, inv.no. 165, folio no. 54.
• Thus it appears that these organ doors were originally covered in linen cloth that were then painted by Roelof van Zijl sometime during 1608 and 1609, only to be later cut out from the organ and reframed.
• What the text does not address is: who may this lovely lady with a period stringed bass instrument represent? Could she be St. Cecilia (likely on organ) or one of the two “vanitas” ? In either case there certainly is more to be known on this exquisite painting. The author of this site would like to apologize for a relatively generic title of this image as Orgeldeuren Sint Jacobskerk (The Organ doors of the Sint Jacobskerk) yet as soon as a better information on the role or name of the lovely lady with her instrument is unearthed, the title may be changed to honor this representation properly.
• In respect to the bass iconography we see a lady performer in a seated position with a five stringed bass instrument that in a form appears very similar to a modern violoncello. This instrument conforms to what we consider today a modern violin form, while the placement of the bridge is almost at the place we expect to see it today vs. many period setups where you will find it much lover on the front plate.
• Yet, this instrument still rests on the ground and is performed sidewise by resting on the left knee. The bow also touches the strings at about the 45 degree angle in a style that can be witnessed on the other period images from this era.
Further Research:
• The Sint Jacobskerk (St Jacob’s Church) was Catholic at the time this painting was produced, so perhaps it may be worth investigating if any record of the music activity from that time in this church was preserved. Likewise one may be curious if there are any other materials on music activities and ensembles of that era in Utrecht? If there are, it would be interesting to investigate how the bass instruments may have been titled there, possibly already as Violones or Violoncelli respectively?
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1609
Banquet of Herodes
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Detail
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Anonymous. Banquet of Herodes. Embroidery, silk threads on silk, 1609, City Unknown, Switzerland. Located at Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, Landesmuseum Zürich, i.n. 24273.
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Image View – TheFrenchConsortProject
Iconography Page – TheFrenchConsortProject (source page)
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Bibliography:
• place for future bibliographic entries
Notes:
• Depicted is a larger stringed bass instrument which rests on the ground while played by a standing performer. An instrument is held in somewhat slanted position.
• The instrument has four strings, four pegs, a bridge set lower then C (or S) holes. There are no frets visible. The number of strings may or may not be accurate due to the embroidery technique demands?
• The bow used appears rather large in proportion of the instrument and it seems to touch the strings at somewhat higher position above the bridge.
Further Research:
• This image is cited at TheFrechConsortProject iconography page, yet the author of this site was not able to locate the official image on the Landesmuseum Zürich pages. Hopefully, further research may reveal more data and also the location where this interesting artifact was created.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1609
Violone
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Detail
–
Luython, Carolus. Violone. Liber I. Missarvm Caroli Lvython Sacrae Caesa: Maiest: Organista et Componista. Praga: Imprimebatvr Apvd Stravs., Anno Domini M. DC. IX. (1609). Title Page.
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The official online image unavalilable
–
Bibliography:
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 5, Fig. 4 “Violone on a Mass by Charles Lython, 1609.”
Notes:
• The image of this Violone Player appears on the lower left side of the cover page of the Missarvm Caroli Lvython, Vol. 1, 1609.
• The angel performs an upright four stringed instrument in standing position while holding the bow with an underhand grip.
• If we should try to measure the actual size of this instrument, the appearance of the other angels with musical instruments featured on this edition may offer a guide that can show us a relative size of this instrument. The complete title page with this image is located Here.
• In respect to the bass iconography this instrument shows the so called “gamba” outline while there are about three pegs visible on the left side of the scroll and also some four strings depicted on the image (should we trust the engraver).
• The score of Missarvm Caroli Lvython has been presented by Prof. Nicholas Johnson of Butler University in 2013, with more information on this edition at Prof. Johnson Page.
Further Research:
• In respect to the bass part, it would be interesting to investigate what kind of instrument may be best suited for the modern period performances of Luython today.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Violone (according to Planyavsky), further systematization possible
–
–
1610
Minerva bei den Musen
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Detail 1 – Clerck original – Four Stringed Instrument
Detail 2 – After Clerk – Six Stringed Instrument
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Clerck, Hendrik de. Minerva bei den Musen (Minerva with Muses). Painting, est. 1610, City or origin, Brussels, Belgium. Located at Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany, Inventar-Nr. 681.
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Official Page – Kunstbeziehung.de
Image View – Kunstbeziehing.de
Official Page – Bildindex.de
Source Page – Paintingsbefore1800.com (also biographical info)
Image View – Paintingsbefore1800.com 1
Image Veiw – Paintingsbefore1800.com 2
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Anonymous (Flemish School) after Hendrick de Clerck. Minerva und die Musen. Painting, post 1610 (since after the original), Flemish. Located at Private Collection, Germany.
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Official Page – Van-Ham.com
Official Page – Artnet.com
Official Page – Invaluable.com
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Bibliography:
• Hendrick de Clerck – Wikipedia.org
• Clerck, Hendrik de, approximately 1560-1630 – LC Name Authority
Notes:
• Presented is one of the muses with a four stringed period bass fiddle played in a seated position. The muse plays this instrument by leaning it on her right leg. The instrument itself is of a mid size but has characteristics that merit the inclusion.
• In respect to organology this instrument shows a slanted and curved peg box with four pegs. Visible are also four strings, two F holes (not the C type), four pegs, a bridge positioned at the lower bout and close to tailpiece.
• The dating of this image has been taken from Kimballtrombone – 17th Century Low Countries page as it appears about right. Otherwise, neither the Official Berlin Gemäldegalerie, nor any other follow up page offers any specific dates beyond the author’s life span years. So, in that respect this date year may be altered once the more credible evidence is presented.
• However, this lovely painting holds an interesting clue on the evolution of stringed bass instruments in the early 17th century as there exist a follow up painting “after” Clerck which shows basically the identical scene, but with the six stringed instrument depicted (!). Therefore, one may ask if this is a sign of some evolution from general four stringed bass fiddles, of which there are several examples here, to the now-standard six string bass viol tunings that we perceive as universal for the 17th and 18th century bass fiddle setup in modern period music ensembles.
Further Research:
• It would be of value if a more specific dating could be ascertained for this painting and also the “after Clerk” follow up painting. Likewise, it seems that there is a space for a serious study of all depicted four stringed bass fiddles from the 16th and 17th centuries in respect to the other five and string bass fiddles that have coexisted or followed them.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1610
Dame Joueuse
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–
Franco, Giacomo. Dame Joueuse (Lady Payer). Drawing pen and ink, brown wash, 1610, Venice, Italy. Located at Private Collection, Location Unknown.
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Official Page – Invaluable.com
Image View – Invaluable.com
Official Page – Artnet.de
–
Bibliography:
• Giacomo Franco – The British Museum
Notes:
• The Invaluable auction house titles this drawing as Joueuse de Viole de Gambe (Viola da Gamba Player) while at the same time in the notes section it states “La joueuse de viole de gambe’ de Franco donne à voir un rare exemple de contrebasse de viole.” (Franco’s ‘La Joueuse de Viola da Gamba’ presents a rare example of a contrabass (double bass) viol). So, what instrument is this then?
• Presented is a large stringed bass instrument that is played standing and which very likely is resting on the ground. The size of the instrument is such that it excludes an option of being held by the legs (gamba) as is common with all types of viola da gamba instruments. Thus here the title is simplified to Dame Joueuse (Lady Payer).
• The overall form of this instrument appears remarkably similar to the modern double bass in a form, since we can note sloping shoulders and likewise a violin form of the instrument.
• Depicted are six strings, while only four pegs are visible (probably due to the image cut of the peg box). An outline of two front plate holes is also visible and likely those are the C holes, while the bridge is not visible. The bow is held in the underhand style and the bow placement on the strings is relatively higher and above the C holes. The bow angle on this drawing is remarkably modern and it approximates a 90 degree angle, which is the way it is taught even today in collegiate bass practice.
• The dating of this image was fairly competently ascribed to 1610 by the author of Invaluable notes, and is based on the other extant drawings of Giacomo Franco, including the two preserved at The British Museum, which are The Concert Scene – British Museum and The Doge Seated Facing Front – British Museum. For the details on dating, please see again the notes section of the second paragraph at the Official Page – Invaluable.com .
Further Research:
• Further research should address the possible tunings for this instrument and also the music and use in music repertoire at Venice during the early 17th century.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period Italian Violone of a kind
–
–
1610
Musicians Playing on a Balcony
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Detail
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Honthorst, Gerard van. Musicians Playing on a Balcony. Pen and brown ink, 1610-1620, Rome, Italy. Located with Nicolaas Teeuwisse, Art Dealer.
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Official Page – Teeuwisse.de
Image View – Teeuwisse.de
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Bibliography:
• Gerard van Honthorst – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Presented is a group of musicians on a balcony at some place in Rome, and among them a standing bass instrumentalist with his instrument.
• The bass fiddle in this drawing is clearly visible up to the lower section which is obscured by a balustrade. So, the lower section may likely rest on a small podium and given the overall proportions of the depicted instrument. Unfortunately, we can not observe the number of strings or the other pertinent details except that the player bows the strings below the F holes, which would assume a bridge placement below them. The bow by itself appears rather large.
• In respect to dating, the year chosen was based on the earliest estimate year by Teeuwisse.de, however the Wiki biography of van Honthorst indicates that in Rome “he is first recorded in 1616.”
• Lastly, the causal overview of van Honthorst’s painting opus which relates to music and musicians indicates many works with music subjects, and which may imply that indeed he was interested in musicians and likely common in their company too. His post 1620 works all belong to the Utrecht and possibly Hague residences, so the music subjects in these paintings deserve a special consideration. From the causal overview of his music works it appears that none feature the larger bass fiddles, but there just may be some that await discovery in the future.
Further Research:
• If by chance there are any records of van Honthorst’s affiliations with musicians from his Rome and even post Rome periods, it would be of interest to see who these musicians were and possibly what instruments may they have played. Also, and should anyone ability and interest allow such a research, perhaps it may be possible to reconstruct the placement of this balcony based on the background building in this image? If the building were to be located than likely the musical assembly may also be identified with a particular patron or a company that was active at the time. Understandably however, and given the passage of some four hundred years from the depicted event, the outcome of such a search may be uncertain.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
Instrument Type:
• Period Italian Violone of a kind
–
–
1610
Neuw Grottesßken Buch
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Detail
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Jamnitzer, Christoph. Neuw Grottesßken Buch (The New Book of Grotesques), Second Title Page, Engraving Print, 1610, Nürnberg, Germany. Located at Located at Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig, Germany, m.n. CJamnitzer V 3.2938.02.
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Official Page – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM)
Image View – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM)
Official Page – Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg
Image Page – Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg
Official Page – Bildindex.de
–
Bibliography:
• Peter A. Wick. “A New Book of Grotesques by Christoph Jamnitzer.” Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts, vol. 60, no. 321, 1962, pp. 83–104. JSTOR
• Juchheim, Goda. Das ‘neuw Grottesken Buch’ Nuürnberg 1610 Von Christoph Jamnitzer. Thesis, München, 1976.
• Heuer, Christopher P. The City Rehearsed: Object, Architecture, and Print in the Worlds of Hans Vredeman De Vries. London: Routledge, 2013. pp. 99-100. Page Link
• Christoph Jamnitzer – Wikipedia.de
• Christoph Jamnitzer – Britishmuseum.org
Notes:
• We may consider this depiction of a bass fiddle as coming from the source that represents a unique early 17th century source of surreal images. Yet, wheter that was the first of that kind that may belong to the modern definition of surrealism, is yet t be figured.
• Presented is a large bass fiddle as played on the back of a dolphin or another large fish, and while a snail rests on a hat of a player.
• Yet regardless, all the men on this engraving are presented fairly straightforward, thus there is a chance that the bass fiddle may actually belong to the real and not the surreal world. Likewise, on the left of this engraving we see another musician with a xylophone that looks fairly standard.
• In respect to organology, this bass instrument appears human sized and approximates the smaller modern double bass. All that, and if we assume that the player is standing or leaning on the “title” of the image as it appears in the print.
• The instrument itself shows some common and some uncommon characteristics. Starting from top and going to bottom: the scroll box is slanted and curved as was common at the time. Visible are four pegs and some five or more strings, which again is fairly standard for this period. The bridge is wide, set very low, and there are also two curious dots set on each side of the bridge. The overall body contour, with emphasized curves in the upper and lower bouts, is relatively unusual, but not completely unknown. In that respect this particular instrument may just be a larger version of instruments presented in Titian – Two Arcadian Musicians – 1520 or perhaps the one featured in Du Pont – Musicians – 1534 , where the lower bouts show some similarity. In either case this may be an older type of instrument that has it roots in the early 16th century, rather than the contemporary instruments of the early 17th century.
Further Research:
• Any further observation or research on the instruments of this form should be registered, and particularly the references on how they were called and what music may these have performed.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1610
Angel with Violone
–
Detail
–
Rovere, Giovanni Mauro della. Angel with Violone. Fresco, c1610, Cantoria, Chiesa dei Santi Faustino e Giovita, or Chiesa parrocchiale di Bienno (Parish Church of Saints Faustino and Giovita), Bienno, Italy.
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Official Page – Chiesa dei Santi Faustino e Giovita
Image View – Chiesa dei Santi Faustino e Giovita
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Bibliography:
• Parish Church of Saints Faustino and Giovita – Bienno.info
• The Parish of Saints Faustino and Giovita – Commune – Bienno.bs.it
• Chiesa dei Santi Faustino e Giovita – Wikipedia.org
• Fiammeghini (Giovanni Mauro della Rovere) – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Depicted is a group of musician angles and among them an Angel with Violone.
• An instrument depicted is played in seated position while it rests on the ground, and leaning on the left knee. The overall proportion of the instrument appears to be larger then the common for instruments played in seated position, particularly since even in this sidewise hold the top of the scroll reaches well above the angel’s head.
• This instrument is well depicted and it shows four strings, four tuning pegs, two large elongated F holes, a well depicted bridge that sits low on the instrument and a small tailpiece. The ribs of this instrument are of a relatively small depth.
• This image also presents well the shape of period bridge that was built relatively low but very wide and with fairly stretched legs. Such a construction may explain why in some other period images with lesser detail the bridge may be depicted only as a “line” rather as a protruding object. Please see the Anonym – Orpheus and the Musues – 1550 for example.
• In respect to dating of this fresco, the original church has been built in 1580 yet the wiki info also points that the church was “rebuilt at the beginning of the 17th century.” Respectively, this fresco is dated here to approximately 1610 as the exact year when the fresco could not be found.
• This fresco is located at the Cantoria (choir loft?) right across the organ – an info from Comune.bieno .
Further Research:
• It would be of value to locate a more specific dating for this fresco, and also consider the period music practice in this church and region, as that may give us more accurate information on what kind of music may have this Violone performed at the time.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period Italian Violone of a kind
–
–
1610
Santa Cecilia e l’Angelo
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Detail
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Saraceni, Carlo. Santa Cecilia e l’Angelo (Saint Cecilia and the Angel). Painting, 1610, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, Pallazo Barberini, Rome, i.n. 1367.
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Official Page – Barberini Galerie
Image View – Barberini Galerie
Official Page – Beniculturali.it (excellent notes, describes the instrument as “Contrabbassso”)
Image View – Beniculturali.it (watermarked)
Official Page – Arte.it
Image View – Arte.it (detail view)
The page text cites this instrument as “il grande violone in re sulla sinistra, antenato dell’odierno contrabbasso” (large violone in D on the left, ancestor of today’s double bass). So, likely someone with the background in period bass instruments may have advised these notes.
Official Page – Fondazio Alinari
Image View – Fondazio Alinari (watermarked)
Official Page – Fondazio Federico Zeri (monochrome photos)
Official Page – RCMF (nice picture description)
Official Page – Wikimedia.org
Image View – Wikimedia.org
Official Page Saraceni – Wga.hu (leads to St Cecilia painting section)
Official Page – Wga.hu (nice description)
IImage View – Wga.hu
–
Bibliography:
• Carlo Saraceni – Wikipedia.org
• Muñoz A., Roma Barocca, 1919, cap. VIII
• Reference Ottani Cavina A., Carlo Saraceni, 1968, pp. 113-114.
• Reference Mochi Onori L./ Vodret R., Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica. Palazzo Barberini, i dipinti. Catalogo sistematico, 2008, p. 362.
• Planyavsky, Alfred. Geschichte Des Kontrabasses. Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1984, p. 82 (text), p. 38 (Abb. 38).
Notes:
• Presented is one of the most memorable and fascinating paintings that relate to bass iconography, as not only it features a large stringed bass instrument in a violin form, but also offers a profound visual experience in the very scene it depicts.
• In respect to bass iconography the featured instrument shows characteristics of a standard six stringed Italian Violone in violin form on which we can observe three pegs on the left side of the scroll box, but also six strings. Visible are also six holes for the strings on the well detailed tailpiece.
• The color of this instrument is very similar to the front plate of the featured lute, which should be an indication on how it appeared to the contemporaries in the early 17th century.
• In respect to the size of this instrument, it may be comparable to a modern 5/8 or even full sized double bass, and particularly if you compare the size of the violin depicted under the open music score book at the feet of the lute lady. The other reference to the size is certainly the lute itself, so perhaps a modern thorough study may address these instruments with digital image measurements, if one may wish a true systematic approach in this matter.
• The dating of this painting may wary from 1600-1620, but in general it will be ascribed to ca. 1610, so for this listing it was decided on 1610. The location where the painting was created is now with some certainty decided as Rome, so likewise this should be an illustration of an instrument from Rome at about 1610. This in turn brings a question of the instrument use and a possible repertoire it may have played at the time.
• The Arte.it notes (see link above) describe this instrument as a Violone in D, and which it may be since the instrument is of larger dimensions. Yet, whether by default all of early 17th Italian large bass instrument should fit that tuning, is perhaps still left to an inquiry. It certainly may have been in D though.
Further Research:
• In addition to a more detailed research in respect to the size of this instrument, this instrument is so well depicted that likely event the modern luthier-specialist appraiser may try to figure what the overall shape and particularly the form of the F holes may say about the possible period instrument maker, or whether it may resemble any of the preserved period Italian basses that belong to this period? If indeed such a correlation can be established, it would a great chance to feature the actual extant instrument with this painting side by side for the comparison purpose.
Other Media:
• Life, Death and Miracles – Santa Cecilia – YouTube
For all cognoscenti of bass iconography this painting of St. Cecilia and Angel may have be known for some time, but the actual moment that this painting depicts has not been discussed much. The following video explains the exact moment from the hagiography of St. Cecilia which this painting illustrates. For an abbreviated version try direct 12:30 to 13:30. This video is otherwise well worth watching to get acquainted with St. Cecilia’s as a patron saint of music and particularly since she is presented in many artworks here.
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For CC (Close Captioning) auto translation of the Italian narration, click “CC” button, then go to the round “settings” button and choose “Subtitles CC, Italian – English Translation.” Now you will be able to read a direct translation from Italian to English on the Screen.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ]
Instrument Type:
• Period Italian Violone in G or D
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1611
Dix Grandes Tables (Ten Large Tables)
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Table 2 – Sale d’Honneur
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Table 3 – Sale d’Honneur
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Table 5 – Sale Funebre
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Table 6 – St. George Church – July 17 1608
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Table 7 – St. Francois Church – July 19 1608
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Detail
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Brentel, Frideric. Dix Grandes Tables or Pourtraict de la Salle d’Honneur (A Presentation of the Hall of Honor – for the first two images) in Dix Grandes Tables, contenantes les pourtraictz des cérémonies, honneurs et pompes funèbres, faitz au corps de feu Serenissime Prince Charles 3 du nom, par la grâce de Dieu 63e Duc de Lorraine et 30e Marchis, duc de Calabre, Bar, Gueldres, Marquis du Pont-à-Mousson, Comte de Provence, Vaudemont, Blamont, Zutphen &c. à ses obsèques et funerailles tant en aucunes chambres et sales de l’Hostel Ducal … Nancy: Herman de Loye, 1611.
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Title Translated:
Ten large tables, containing the outlines of the ceremonies, honors and funerals, made for the body of the late Serenissime Prince Charles III of the name, by the grace of God, 63rd Duke of Lorraine and 30th Marchis, Duke of Calabria, Bar, Guelders, Marquis of Pont-à-Mousson, Count of Provence, Vaudemont, Blamont, Zutphen &c. at his funeral and funeral in any rooms and halls of the Hostel Ducal …
Bibliography:
• Cabot, Nancy Graves. “A Note on the Tapestries at the Pompe Funebre of Charles III of Lorraine” The Bulletin of the Needle and Bobbin Club. Vol. 31, 1947, pp. 32-42. Source Page – Download Link
• Friedrich Brentel – Wikipeida.org
• Charles III, Duke of Lorraine – Wikipedia.org
• The Funeral Ceremonies for Charles III, Duke of Lorraine – MFABoston.org (no pictures)
• Funeral Ceremonies and Procession in 1608 for Charles III, Duke of Lorraine – Chrities.com
• Ducal Palace of Nancy – Wikipedia.org
• Collégiale Saint-Georges du Nancy (The Church of St. George) – Wikipedia.fr (unfortunately, destroyed in 1743)
• Church of Saint François des Cordeliers – Wikipedia.org – Wikipedia.fr
Notes:
• This is one of the most complex records you will find in the ABP Iconography section, and hopefully all of the images and their designations are now well identified to all who wish to study this unique document and its individual prints further.
• What you see above are the five known images of bass instrumentalists with their bass fiddles from the famous Pompe Funebre (Funeral Ceremonies) organized on the occasion of the passing of Duke Charles III of the Duchy of Lorraine in 1608. Due to the high popularity of Duke, who was remembered as benevolent and progressive leader, the occasion has required an appropriate farewell ceremony which has indeed lasted from May 14th 1608, when he passed away, until July 19th 1608 when he was finally put to rest. The span and splendor of such a farewell may appear unusual to us, but it obviously was not to the contemporaries. The result however is the book with Dix Grandes Tables (Ten Large Tables), which documents in engravings all of these funeral ceremonies and of which some were accompanied with music services as well.
• So, the image details you see above are from those events, and consequently tables rendered by Frederic Brentel, that contained music and musicians, arranged here in consecutive order. The complete study of chronology of this events is beyond the scope of this presentation, but the general overview of tables brings a general sense of which of those were the early and which the later including the final ceremonies.
• Needles to say when all the bass images were organized chronologically, the complete sequence has proven to be one of the grandest and most detailed visual testimonies of how did the actual bassists looked in 1608, as the appearance of instruments and the instrumentalists are sufficiently well represented that in some instances we can perceive them as highly realistic, almost a photographically authentic in some respect.
• Thus let us go over each table image with few initial notes:
Table 2 – Sale d’Honneur illustrates the early stage of the Ceremonies as we see on this large engraving the body of the Duke exposed on the resting bed. In respect to bass iconography we can note a bass instrumentalist turned with his side to us and performing on a man sized bass fiddle that has five strings. The fiddle appears to rest on the floor while its scroll is slanted and curved as was the custom of the time.
Table 3 – Sale d’Honneur illustrates the same hall and featuring the body of the Duke, yet some time after the Table 2 event. In this image the bass instrumentalist appears to rest along the other musicians. His instrument is resting on the floor again, and its height again indicates man sized instrument as the top of the scroll reaches to about the player’s head in a tilted instrument. The instrumentalist seems to hold the neck “in position” or it may just look so. Also, the ribs in this instrument appear relatively thin when compared to modern basses.
Table 5 – Sale Funebre illustrates a different hall where the funeral commemoration has continued and here we see the Duke already in a coffin. Due to the presence of candles, the event is taking place either in dark or in a darkened hall, yet the musicians are performing this time. The bass instrumentalist is illustrated particularly well and we can see his instrument and his hold quite well. Depicted again is a large floor resting bass fiddle, which is held in a slanted way and which has five pegs, five strings, a front plate with two F holes and a bridge set very low almost in proximity of the tailpiece. This instrument shows a softened violin form while the ribs appear thin again.
Table 6 – St. George Church – July 17 1608 illustrates one of the last stages of the ceremonies as the event takes place in the St. George Church which was affiliated with the court complex and unfortunately does not exist any longer. In this image we see musicians on a church balcony while performing. The instrument is held similarly to the one we see in Table 5 yet its outline is quite different which may imply a different instrument. One may almost consider the outline of this bass fiddle similar to the one at Anonym – Collegium Musicum – 1590 , although perhaps a bit larger. Still, whether this was just an artistic license in depicting, or indeed a different instrument, the further study should address. The F holes on this instrument appear rather elongated, however the clarity of instrument outline and size are unmistakable as we can actually se the instrument through the balustraded fence, and which unfortunately in not the case with many other period images.
Table 7 – St. Francois Church – July 19 1608 is the last illustration from this series of engravings and presents a bass instrumentalist and the event which takes place in the Church of Saint François des Cordeliers, which still exists. The church has a special memorial chapel where all the Dukes of Lorraine are resting today, and so presumably also the honorable Duke Charles III of Lorraine. In this image we also see a bass instrumentalist behind the big theorbo looking instrument, which curiously does not have a lute rounded body but shows the “middle bouts” and a front plate ornament that may either be a rosetta or a guitar like hole (?). The bass instrumentalist in this image however is not seen in full presence as with images in the previous tables, but rather from the waist up. However at least in this example we may safely assume that he plays a man sized instrument that rests on the floor.
• In general however, there is much more that can be researched in these images, including the other image details and the text data that accompanies these plates.
Further Research:
• It would be in true scholarly interest if the subject of music performances and along the instruments used in these funeral ceremonies are researched thoroughly, and based on Dix Grandes Tables and whatever other period materials may have been left on the music at the court of Duke Charles III of Lorraine. It would indeed be of interest to rediscover what kind of music may have been performed then and also whether any court documents mention the period musicians, and particularly since we have many visual references that may help us understand the stringed bass instruments that were used in this court. These instruments may not be called the double basses in the true sense of the word, but their size definitely implies a predecessor instrument to the double bass, both in respect to the form and to its essential function.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• A period French Violone or a bass fiddle, whose period French name is yet to be discovered.
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1611
Armonia
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Ripa, Cesare. Armonia in Ripa, Cesare. Iconologia, Ouero Descrittione d’Imagini delle Virtu’, Vitij, Affetti, Passioni Humane, Corpi Celesti, Mondo e sue Parti. Padua: Pietro Paolo Tozzi, 1611. p. 28
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Title Translated:
Iconology Work, Description of Images of Virtues, Life, Affections, Human Passions, Celestial Bodies, World and its Parts.
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Official page – Limes.cfc.unipi.it
Presentation Page – Limes.cfc.unipi.it
Image View – Limes.cfc.unipi.it
Official Page – Internet Archive
Image View – Internet Archive
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Bibliography:
• Cesare Ripa – Limes.cfc.unipi.it (in Italian)
• Cesare Ripa – Wikipedia.org
• Ferdinando I de’ Medici – Wikipedia.org
• Lirone – Wikipedia.org
• Lirone – Grove Dictionary Online (paid or institution access only)
Notes:
• This is the second image of Armonia from the series of Iconologia editions by Cesare Ripa. This image is almost identical to the initial presentation from 1603 that you can see at Ripa – Armonia – 1603 . There are only few details different, but it was decided to include this image nevertheless, for the future comparison sake and if needed.
• Similarly to what you may read in 1603 image notes, while this instrument may not fit the exact criteria for inclusion since it is of smaller proportions, it still rests on the ground while being played in standing position, and thus merits an inclusion.
• Iconologia itself is essentially a comprehensive catalog-dictionary of emblematical representations and personifications among which Armonia (Harmony), and by some chance, is commonly presented with a period stringed bass instrument. The organological class of these instruments is not always the same, and it varies from the Lirone type we see illustrated here, to the other species of period strings of which some may include a double bass sized Violoni.
• The featured Lirone looking instrument is actually called Lira Doppia in this edition and should have some quindici (fifteen) strings, althogh here it has only six of them depicted, and which is different from the original 1603 edition where we see many more strings. Yet regardless the number of strings, it would be of interest to find out what possible tunings did this particular instrument use, and what was the ambitus it may have covered.
• Also, a curious comment can be seen just above the image in this edition and which lacks in 1603 edition. This comment reads “Come di pinta in Firenze dal Gran Duca Ferdinando,” translated: “As painted in Florence by the Grand Duke Ferdinand.” This is indeed a very curious statement as it may imply an existence of such image in Florence that is created by the Grand Duke himself? A search for this image, if it may have survived to this day, would be a worthy project in itself. Otherwise, The Grand Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici was a known patron of arts and was a sponsor of what is now considered the very first opera production in history in 1600. It was a performance of Jacopo Peri’s Euridice. Thus when considering this unique contribution, one may wonder if Duke perhaps may have performed on Lirone himself, since this line indicates that he has already drawn the likeness of Armonia with one such instrument?
• This particular image of Armonia has repeated itself in the subsequent Iconologia editions of 1618, 1625 and 1630, so these will be omitted. The 1636 edition offers a different image but the one which still presents a Lirone – Ripa – Harmonie – 1636. The completely new Armonia (Harmony) image appears in 1644 edition and you can see it at Ripa – Harmonia – 1644 . You may note a difference as the featured instrument now bears resemblance to a larger Violone, or even a modern double bass.
Further Research:
• Further research may focus on what particular Lirone instrument may this be, and how it may, or may not relate to the other bass instruments of the similar proportions that served the bass function in this era. It would also be of interest to research further the music activities of Grand Duke Ferdinando I for any clues on his painting activities and certainly any pointers that may indicate that he also played any of the period instruments.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• A period Lirone of larger proportions
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1612
Chorus Musarum
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Detail
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Kilian, Lucas. Chorus Musarum (Chorus of the Muses). Copper Engraving, 1612, Augsburg, Germany. Located at Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig, Germany, m.n. WKilian AB 3.208
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Official Page – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM)
Image View – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM)
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Bibliography:
• Lucas Kilian – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Presented is a mid sized stringed bass instrument that is played seated while resting on the small podium. This instrument very much resembles the one featured in Polymnia in the next record, and one may be tempted to compare these two, and particularly since these were drawn by the same author and likely in the same series of engravings. The shape of the instrument is basically identical to the one in Polymnia with the only detail of difference being the lower position of the bridge.
• In respect to the style of playing here the “Bass Musa” plays the overhand (solid grip) bow style, while in the next record Polymnia plays with the underhand bow style.
• Also, given the presentation of all the other instruments in this ensemble one can easily envision how the ensemble may have sounded at the time.
• This image is obviously inspired by the muses of antiquity and thus it does not surprise to see the title on the organ music which reads Canite Musae Altissimo (Sing o Muses Your Best). In the same music we also see four parts of which the lowest appears to be written in a modern bass clef and actually if one would wish to do so, it could be played on modern bass as well. Consequently it would be of interest to compare this music to the known compositions from the period and investigate if there is a match with any extant period compositions.
• Lastly, we can see here that “Bass Musa” has her head turned to the right in order to read the bass part from the organ music, and which illustrates a practice that can be witnessed in many other period images all the way to the late 18th century.
Further Research:
• This instrument among many other with similar characteristics needs further systematization.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
Instrument Type:
• A German Violone of a type
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–
1612
Polymnia
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Detail
–
Kilian, Lucas. Polymnia, Copper Engraving, 1612, Augsburg, Germany. Located at Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig, Germany, m.n. WKilian AB 3.202
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Official Page – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM) – 1
Image View – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM) – 1
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Official Page – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAB) – 2
Image View – Virtuellese Kupferstichkabinett (HAB) – 2
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Bibliography:
• Lucas Kilian – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Presented is a mid sized stringed bass instrument that is played seated while standing on the floor.
• The Kupferstichkabinett.de record honors this image with a “cello” tag in 1st link, yet there may be more to this instrument. The image is very detailed and on the first observation it appears to be a 5 stringed instrument, yet a careful look at the bridge section will reveal a sixth string as well. So this may as well be a 6 stringed Violone in G. The scroll box indicates only two pegs and two holes for the pegs on the other side.
• Curiously, the record in the second link cites a Kontrabass tag as well.
• The bow hold is at the tip of a frog, so this is not a typical gamba hold as it appears more along the lines of a modern German bass bow hold.
• The bridge is positioned lower then the F holes, yet not completely under them as is the case with the other period instruments of this period.
• Overall, the appearance and instrument shape and its hold remind a lot of the one featured in Witte – King David and St. Cecilia – 1591 . The viewers are welcome to compare these two images for their own impression.
Further Research:
• The additional research should focus on the tuning options and period names for this instrument.
• The authorship of this engraving is attributed to Lucas Kilian, yet the Kupferstichkabinett.de designates it authorship almost as a collective effort of brothers Kilian, where Lukas is likely the image author while Wolfgang is the engraver and publisher.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
Instrument Type:
• Possibly a six string Violone in G
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1613
Certamen Gigantis cum Pigmaeo
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Detail
–
Kilian, Wolfgang. Certamen Gigantis cum Pigmaeo (A Contest Between a Giant and a Dwarf). Copper Engraving, est. 1613, Augsburg, Germany. Private ownership.
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The official online image unavalilable
–
Bibliography:
• Landwehr, John. German Emblem Books 1531-1888 : A Bibliography. Utrecht: Haentjens Dekker & Gumbert ; A.W. Sijthoff, 1972, p. 36.
[ This book was located over Google Book search and it should contain relevant information that pertains to the series of some “10 copperplates by Wolfgang Kilian after Th . Hoffmann, each with Latin caption” (as cited in Google Snippet preview). When the book is examined, a full report will be offered. ]
• Wolfgang Kilian – Wikipedia.org
• Lucas & Wolfgang Kilian – Hollstein.com
• Violone in G/Sol – Posted on October 22, 2013 – Post Link
Notes:
• Presented is a Gigantus that appears to exert his might with a stringed bass fiddle toward the Pigmaeo with his little fiddle. Obviously there may be some type of insinuation here that the bass fiddles could leave a lasting impression.
• In respect to bass iconography this lovely engraving has unfortunately proven very difficult to document beyond the name of the author (Wolfgang Kilian) and the name of the artists after whom the engraving was made (Th. Hofman). The life path of Wolfgang Kilian that is available online is rather sparse, but it may offer some clues. Wolfgang Kilian has started the engraving career relatively early in his native Augsburg, probably by the beginning of the 17th century. After his brother Lucas returned from the study trip to Italy in 1604, he himself undertook the same trip and remained in Italy from 1604 to 1608. Afterwards he was active in Augsburg. Thus in respect of dating for this engraving one would be hard to answer where it may fit?
• However, the instruments depicted by his brother Lucas in his Chorus Musarum and Plymnia 1612 engravings, appear to be very similar if not identical to the one played by Gigantus. Thus it was decided to associate chronologically this image with them and assign an arbitrary year 1613 to this engraving. This dating choice is purely chronological and may stand correction in the future, and pending what the Landwehr’s source (bibliography above) or other inquires may produce.
• Otherwise this instrument shows four strings, a bridge set lower then the F holes, and (probably) a seated performer. The bow depicted indeed reminds a lot of those depicted in Lucas Kilian Chorus Musarum and Plymnia of 1612 (records above).
Further Research:
• Once a sufficient documentation on activities and chronology of Kilian brothers are accumulated, perhaps it may be possible to investigate when this image may have been produced and whether it had to do anything with Italy, or is firmly affiliated to Augsburg production.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
Instrument Type:
• A German Violone of a type
–
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1615
Eight Lady Musicians
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Detail (Four Ladies)
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Eight Lady Musicians in Hübner, Tobias. Abbildung vnd Repræsentation Der Fürstlichen Inventionen, Auffzüge/ Ritter-Spiel/ auch Ballet, So in des Durchleuchtigen … Leipzig: In Henning Grossen des ältern Druckerey verfertiget, 1615. Scan image no. 160.
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Official Page – Herzog August Bibliothek Digital
Image View – Herzog August Bibliothek Digital
Title Page – Herzog August Bibliothek Digital
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Bibliography:
• place for future bibliographic entries
Notes:
• The procession drawing depicts eight leady musicians playing three lute instruments, a harp and the four stringed instruments of various sizes. Presented in the image detail above are the four lady musicians with their bowed stringed instruments.
• From the perspective of double bass iconography the most interesting instrument is the first one, which is also the largest and approximates the size and proportions of a modern smaller double bass. In this image it is performed in a procession and most likely strapped on the shoulder of a performer, although the strap is not visible.
• This instrument appears to have five strings and about as many pegs, two F holes in the lower bouts of the front plate, and a bridge that is set between the F holes at about the place where we position the modern double bass bridge.
• The other detail of importance is the actual wood endpin depicted on this instrument, and which may be considered among the first recorded in the iconography of larger sized bass instruments. Most other prior to the date of this image (1615) either rest on the ground or appear to have some sort of a wood ball that serves as a resting point.
• Otherwise, the depicted ladies each carry an instrument of a different size and which due to their similar form could be perceived as various members of a period stringed instruments division, similar to the viol consort division. It may be farfetched to compare these instruments to a modern violin, viola, violoncello and double bass division, but to a modern musician’s eye this is probably the closest association.
Further Research:
• Given the unique contours of these instruments it would be of value to investigate if any members of this family may have been preserved in the museums, and whether any instruments that approximate the largest one are possibly exhibited at some place. Likewise it would be of value to consider the tuning and the ambitus of this largest instrument.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
Instrument Type:
• A German period stringed bass instrument awaiting further systematization
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1618
Grosser Streichbass
–
Detail
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Anonymous (or presently unknown). Grosser Streichbass (Larger Sting Bass). Stone (wood?) carving (Choir music stand), 1618, St. Andreas Church, Cologne, Germany.
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The official online image not available
–
Bibliography:
• Planyavsky, Alfred. Geschichte Des Kontrabasses. Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1984, p. 82 (text), p. 85 (Abb. 39).
Notes:
• Presented is a carving of an angel in standing position that plays a larger stringed bass instrument which rests on the ground.
• The instrument itself presents two rather oversized F holes, and a slanted and curved peg box which is very typical for this period. The position of the bow indicates a low bridge setup at the place below the F holes, and which is also typical for this period. Visible are four strings, while the peg box does not indicate any pegs. The closer look at the peg box does indicate some four or possibly five holes, but the viewers are welcome to make their own observation on this matter.
• Planyavsky calls this image Grosser Kontrabass, yet for the sake of legitimacy here it is called simply Grosser Streichbass (Larger Sting Bass), until enough evidence is accumulated in favor of a modern double bass consideration.
Further Research:
• It would be interesting to investigate further any other extant materials on Cologne’s early 17th century string music practice and the particular use of the stringed bass instruments. Likewise, it would be of value to investigate if any records at the St. Andreas Church point to a use of stringed bass instrument at that period. Lastly, it would be interesting to explore if there is a record of an artist who may have created this lovely presentation.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• A period German Violone type
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1618
Vier Musen 16
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Detail
–
Brentel, Friedrich. Vier Musen 16 (Four Muses 16), Etching Print (Scan page no. 29) in
Aigentliche Wahrhaffte Delineation vnnd Abbildung aller Fürstlichen Auffzüg vnd Rütterspilen. Bey Dess durchleuchtigen hochgebornen Fürsten unnd Herren, Herren Johann Friderichen Hertzogen zu Württemberg, unnd Tecks, Graven zu Montpelgart Herren zu Haydenhaim, etc. Iro F:G: Jungen Printzen und Sohns Hertzog Ulrichen wohlangestellterr Fürstlichen Kindtauff : vnd dann bey hochermelt Iro F:G: geliebten Herren Bruoders. Dess auch durchleuchtigen hochgebornen Fürsten und Herren Herren Ludwigen Friderichen Hertzogen zu Württemberg etc. Mit der durchleüchtigen hochgebornen Furstin und Fräwlin Fraw Magdalena Elisabetha Landtgräffin auss Hessen etc. Fürstlichem Beylager vnd Hochzeytlichem Frewdenfest : Celebrirt und gehaltten In der fürstlichen hauptstatt Stuetgartt. Den 13.14.15.16. vnnd 17. Iulij Anno 1617. Publicirt vnnd verferttiget Durch Esaiam von Hulsen Stuttgart: Hulsen, 1618.
Located at Herzog August Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel, Germany, sig. A: 36.17.4 Geom. 2° (1).
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Official Page – Digilib.hab.de
Image View – Digilib.hab.de
Official Record – Herzog August Bibliothek
Official Record – WolrdCat
Official Record – Agorha.inha.fr (offers full title citation)
Page Record – Biblio.com (commercial)
[ The Biblio portal record offers excellent information on this unique book and its prints ]
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Bibliography:
• Friedrich Brentel – Wikipedia.org
• Andresen, Andreas and Rud Weigel. Der Deutsche Peintre-Graveur Oder Die Deutschen Maler Als Kupferstacher Nach Ihrem Leben U. Ihren Werken V.d. Letzten Drittel Des 16. Jahrh. Bis Zum Schlass Des 18. Jahrh. Vol. 4, Leipzig: Verlag von Alexander Danz, 1874.
Page 196 (about the work title) Page Link
Page 199 (Entry 17. Image description with Apollo and Four Muses on Parnassus) Page Link (please note the etching print
indicates no. 16 while Andresen cites it under no. 17)
Notes:
• This is an etching from a book that illustrates and describes two festivities: the baptism of Prince Ulrich von Württemberg (Stuttgart 1617-1671), son of Duke Johann Friedrich von Württemberg (1582-1628) and the marriage of the Duke’s brother Lüdwig Friedrich and Magdalena Elisabeth, countess of Hessen. This particular image comes from the festivity section organized in honor of the baptism of Prince Ulrich von Württemberg – Stuttgart.
• This etching, with the printed number 16, presents a parade “island” that shows Apollo on Parnassus (lute player) accompanied with four Muses and all imagined in the setting of a mountain spring (actually a fountain).
• Of interest to the bass iconography is certainly the second Muse who plays a large bass fiddle. Her instrument may actually rest on the ground or perhaps a very small podium (the bottom section is not visible). In either case it is one of the larger ones from that period.
• The instrument also features a slanted and curved peg box that extends above the Muse’s head, it has some four strings, a bridge set lower than the F holes, and certainly two very long F holes on the front plate. The bow hold is of an underhand type.
• To the modern bassist the four strings immediately bring an association of a modern double bass tuning, but for 1618 this may need to be proven. Still, given the size of the instrument, it could have reached to some notes of the 16 foot register if the tuning was extended low enough.
Further Research:
• Could this be an illustration of the ensemble members from the early 17th century Stuttgart court? If indeed so, then it may be of interest to see who were the actual musicians employed at that time and perhaps what music they may have performed. It would also be of interest to see how many women may have been in this ensemble and whether this all-ladies ensemble may have had any basis in reality as well?
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1618
Vier Musen 44
–
Detail
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Brentel, Friedrich. Vier Musen 44 (Four Muses 44), Etching Print (Scan page no. 57) in
Aigentliche Wahrhaffte Delineation vnnd Abbildung aller Fürstlichen Auffzüg vnd Rütterspilen. Bey Dess durchleuchtigen hochgebornen Fürsten unnd Herren, Herren Johann Friderichen Hertzogen zu Württemberg, unnd Tecks, Graven zu Montpelgart Herren zu Haydenhaim, etc. Iro F:G: Jungen Printzen und Sohns Hertzog Ulrichen wohlangestellterr Fürstlichen Kindtauff : vnd dann bey hochermelt Iro F:G: geliebten Herren Bruoders. Dess auch durchleuchtigen hochgebornen Fürsten und Herren Herren Ludwigen Friderichen Hertzogen zu Württemberg etc. Mit der durchleüchtigen hochgebornen Furstin und Fräwlin Fraw Magdalena Elisabetha Landtgräffin auss Hessen etc. Fürstlichem Beylager vnd Hochzeytlichem Frewdenfest : Celebrirt und gehaltten In der fürstlichen hauptstatt Stuetgartt. Den 13.14.15.16. vnnd 17. Iulij Anno 1617. Publicirt vnnd verferttiget Durch Esaiam von Hulsen Stuttgart: Hulsen, 1618.
Located at Herzog August Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel, Germany, sig. A: 36.17.4 Geom. 2° (1).
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Official Page – Digilib.hab.de
Image View – Digilib.hab.de
Official Record – Herzog August Bibliothek
Official Record – WolrdCat
Official Record – Agorha.inha.fr (offers full title citation)
Page Record – Biblio.com (commercial)
[ The Biblio portal record offers excellent information on this unique book and its prints ]
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Bibliography:
• Friedrich Brentel – Wikipedia.org
• Andresen, Andreas and Rud Weigel. Der Deutsche Peintre-Graveur Oder Die Deutschen Maler Als Kupferstacher Nach Ihrem Leben U. Ihren Werken V.d. Letzten Drittel Des 16. Jahrh. Bis Zum Schlass Des 18. Jahrh. Vol. 4, Leipzig: Verlag von Alexander Danz, 1874.
Page 196 (about the work title) Page Link
Page 201 (Entry 45. Image description with Apollo holding a book in each hand and Four Muses in a cave on
Parnassus) Page Link (please note the etching print indicates no. 44 while Andresen cites it under no. 45)
Notes:
• This is an etching from a book that illustrates and describes two festivities: the baptism of Prince Ulrich von Württemberg (Stuttgart 1617-1671), son of Duke Johann Friedrich von Württemberg (1582-1628) and the marriage of the Duke’s brother Lüdwig Friedrich and Magdalena Elisabeth, countess of Hessen.
• This etching with the printed number 44 presents a parade “island” that shows Apollo on Parnassus with books and four Muses who perform in a cave.
• Of interest to bass iconography is again the second Muse who plays a large bass fiddle. This time it appears that this instrument is resting on the ground while the height of instrument certainly reaches above the Muse’s head. The difference from the Vier Musen 16 (previous record) is that this instrument features five strings. So, could it be the same instrument but just a little different engraving, or actually a larger instrument from the one in a previous record? The common sense would say that it may be either. If we assume that every parade “island” has had its own music, the yes, perhaps this is a different ensemble with different instruments as well.
• This instrument, and similarly to the one in previous record, also features a slanted and curved peg box that extends above the Muse’s head. Five strings are depicted, a bridge set lower than the F holes, and certainly two very long F holes on the front plate. The bow hold appears of an overhand type this time.
• Given the size of the instrument, one may assume that it could reach down to the 16 foot register if the tuning was extended low enough.
Further Research:
• Could this be an illustration of the ensemble members from the early 17th century Stuttgart court? If indeed so, then it may be of interest to see who were the actual musicians employed at that time and perhaps what music they may have performed. It would also be of interest to see how many women may have been in this ensemble and whether this all-ladies ensemble may have had any basis in reality as well?
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1618
Vier Musen 74
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Detail
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Brentel, Friedrich. Vier Musen 74 (Four Muses 74), Etching Print (Scan page no. 87) in
Aigentliche Wahrhaffte Delineation vnnd Abbildung aller Fürstlichen Auffzüg vnd Rütterspilen. Bey Dess durchleuchtigen hochgebornen Fürsten unnd Herren, Herren Johann Friderichen Hertzogen zu Württemberg, unnd Tecks, Graven zu Montpelgart Herren zu Haydenhaim, etc. Iro F:G: Jungen Printzen und Sohns Hertzog Ulrichen wohlangestellterr Fürstlichen Kindtauff : vnd dann bey hochermelt Iro F:G: geliebten Herren Bruoders. Dess auch durchleuchtigen hochgebornen Fürsten und Herren Herren Ludwigen Friderichen Hertzogen zu Württemberg etc. Mit der durchleüchtigen hochgebornen Furstin und Fräwlin Fraw Magdalena Elisabetha Landtgräffin auss Hessen etc. Fürstlichem Beylager vnd Hochzeytlichem Frewdenfest : Celebrirt und gehaltten In der fürstlichen hauptstatt Stuetgartt. Den 13.14.15.16. vnnd 17. Iulij Anno 1617. Publicirt vnnd verferttiget Durch Esaiam von Hulsen Stuttgart: Hulsen, 1618.
Located at Herzog August Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel, Germany, sig. A: 36.17.4 Geom. 2° (1).
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Official Page – Digilib.hab.de
Image View – Digilib.hab.de
Official Record – Herzog August Bibliothek
Official Record – WolrdCat
Official Record – Agorha.inha.fr (offers full title citation)
Page Record – Biblio.com (commercial)
[ The Biblio portal record offers excellent information on this unique book and its prints ]
–
Bibliography:
• Friedrich Brentel – Wikipedia.org
• Andresen, Andreas and Rud Weigel. Der Deutsche Peintre-Graveur Oder Die Deutschen Maler Als Kupferstacher Nach Ihrem Leben U. Ihren Werken V.d. Letzten Drittel Des 16. Jahrh. Bis Zum Schlass Des 18. Jahrh. Vol. 4, Leipzig: Verlag von Alexander Danz, 1874.
Page 196 (about the work title) Page Link
Page 204 (Entry 75.) Image description of six ladies with winged hourglasses (sand clocks) on thier heads followed by a horse
riding winged lady how thorws flowers and another lady on the horse after her how holds an image of the sun) Page Link
(please note the etching print indicates no. 74 while Andresen cites it under no. 75)
Notes:
• This is an etching from a book that illustrates and describes two festivities: the baptism of Prince Ulrich von Württemberg (Stuttgart 1617-1671), son of Duke Johann Friedrich von Württemberg (1582-1628) and the marriage of the Duke’s brother Lüdwig Friedrich and Magdalena Elisabeth, countess of Hessen.
• This etching with the printed number 74 presents a procession of ladies with winged hourglasses (sand clocks) on their heads followed by a horse riding winged lady who throws (likely) flowers and at the end another horse rider holding an image of the sun. This is likely yet another allegorical representation that perhaps has to do something with the time (hourglasses) and the ancient imagery of sun.
• Of interest to bass iconography is again the second Muse (Hourglass lady?) who plays a large bass fiddle. This time it appears that her instrument is strapped to her. The difference from the Vier Musen 44 (previous record) is that this instrument features four strings as Vier Musen 16, yet the peg box indicate three pegs on the right side and two pegs visible on the left side, so possibly there may have been six pegs altogether which certainly would then make it to six strings as well?
• If this instrument was played in resting position it would certainly require a small podium, the one which may be implied in Vier Musen 16, so possibly this may be the same instrument?
• This instrument, and similarly to the those presented in the previous two records, also features a slanted and curved peg box, a bridge set significantly lower than the F holes, and certainly two very long F holes on the front plate. The bow hold type is difficult to judge on this one.
• Tuning wise, the string lengths of this instrument could afford a reach to the 16 foot register, but whether indeed the ambitus went that low is up to the future research to prove or disprove.
Further Research:
• Could this be an illustration of the ensemble members from the early 17th century Stuttgart court? If indeed so, then it may be of interest to see who were the actual musicians employed at that time and perhaps what music they may have performed. It would also be of interest to see how many women may have been in this ensemble and whether this all-ladies ensemble may have had any basis in reality as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1618
David in the Temple
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Detail
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Lastman, Pieter. David in the Temple. Painting on a wood plate, 1618, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Located in Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum Braunschweig, id. GG 208.
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Official Page – Kulturerbe Niedersachsen (dates 1618) enlargement available
Image view – Kulturerbe Niedersachsen
Image View – Google Arts & Culture (dates 1602, likely a mistake)
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Bibliography:
• Bryan, John and Michale Fleming. Early English Viols: Instruments, Makers and Music. London and New York: Routhledge, 2019, Plate 31. Page Link
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 8, Figure 9, “Violone as depicted by Pieter Lastmann, 1618”
• Pieter Lastman – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• This painting offers an unusually detailed presentation of the performer who plays his bass instrument in a standing position.
• The instrument presents six pegs, six strings and it appears to rest on the ground. The proportions of this instrument show a somewhat longer neck, which in turn would allow for longer strings that may have a greater lower ambitus.
• The performer leans forward a bit, while his bow hand stands out on in a very muscular way. If the author of this site is allowed a direct comparison, his bow hand almost reminds of the hands of Moses sculpture by Michelangelo.
• The performer plays the underhand bow style that is basically identical to a modern German bow hold of today (!). Also, the bow crosses the strings in almost perfect 90 degree pattern and follows the modern collegiate teaching practice as well. In fact this illustration could be used even today to demonstrate how to hold German bow on a double bass in respect to strings.
• The instrument itself is reminiscent of a prototypical gamba form with two elongated C holes, yet a closer look may reveal a slightly rounded corners. Now, whether that would be enough to class this instrument in a violin form, is up for the readers to decide themselves.
• Planyavsky designates this instrument as a Violone, yet it would be of interest to find out how did the contemporaries call this instrument. The Official Page fro this painting by Kulturerbe Niedersachsen points that the interior is probably of the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, with the period organ visible. That version of organ is not any longer extant in Oude Kerk, yet the four other organs replace it now. Still, if indeed the interior of this painting reflects the period Oude Kerk appearance, it would be of interest to explore if there was a steady ensemble of musicians affiliated with its services in 1618. Oude Kerk is otherwise known as the oldest building Amsterdam. Pieter Lastman’s resting place is also in this church.
Further Research:
• It would be of interest to look for all period documents that may point to the music ensemble activity in Oude Kerk during the early 17th century, in order to see if any bass instrumentalist may have been affiliated with them and likely how the instrument played was called. Likewise it would be of interest to see what kind of music was performed there since the painting indeed shows, for the time, a rather sophisticated ensemble with singers and instrumentalists.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Likely a Violone in G, or possibly there may be another period Dutch designation for this instrument?
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–
1620
Musikant mit Bassgeige
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Image – Black & White Photo (1935)
Image – Color (Present)
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Hegewald, Michael. Musikant mit Bassgeige (Musician with a Bass Fiddle). Colored wood figurine, c.1620, Neukirchen, Germany. Located at Schlossbergmuseum, Chemnitz, Germany, m.n. N/A.
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Official Page – Bildindex.de
Image View – Konzerte in Schloss 2016, Schlossbergmuseum Chemnitz, pdf
Image Page – Wikimedia Commons
–
Bibliography:
• place for future bibliographic entries
Notes:
• Presented is an early 17th century bass fiddler in a wood figurine and with a detail that is fairly rare in the iconography of that time. Not only can we compare the size of the instrument to the body, but also asses the posture and the overall approach to playing wit this lovely presentation.
• There are two versions of this figurine preserved, the original as was captured by camera in 1935 (Bildindex.de) and the preserved but slightly damaged figurine as it exists now. Unfortunately, the figurine is missing the scroll section visible in the 1935 image, and which points to possibly a four or five string instrument.
• The instrument itself is certainly smaller and narrower then the modern double basses, yet here it is however played in standing position and while resting on the ground through a unique three (or four) point endpin. The bridge is set slightly below the F holes as was custom of the time, and the bowing technique of an underhand style, reminds of the modern German “slanted” underhand approach. Given the smaller size of the instrument this tiled bow style seems perfectly natural for this instrument height.
• The gold plated coloring of the figurine dress appears quite impressive and unique in bass iconography. It is possible that this figurine may have been part of the liturgical setup in the Church at Neukirchen by Chemnitz, where it was original located (Bildidex.de info). Yet, at what church was it located is yet to be figured out.
• Otherwise, the other figurine in this set, a lady with cornetto, has its own page at Sachsen-Museum-Digital, and she is described there as an “allegory of music – Lady Musica.” So perhaps our bass fiddler may also be considered an allegory of bass music as a “Lord of Bass.”
• The actual height of this figurine is some 48cm, or about 19 inches, and so it is actually much larger then many of the shelf figurine sets one may encounter from the other periods.
Further Research:
• It would be nice to discover from what church and in what liturgical or other function was this figurine originally set, and likewise how and when was the dating for this figurine deduced as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
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–
1620
Groß Contra-Bass-Geig
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Plate V, No. 1
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Praetorius, Michael. Groß Contra-Bass-Geig in Theatrum Instrumentorum seu Sciagraphia, Wolfenbüttel, 1620. An appendix to the second volume (Band 2). Table V, No. 1.
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Info from Praetorius’ wiki page:
“An appendix to the second volume (Theatrum Instrumentorum seu Sciagraphia, 1620) consists of 42 beautifully drawn woodcuts, depicting instruments of the early 17th century, all grouped in families and shown to scale.
Document Online View – Wikimedia Commons
Image View – MDZ (incomplete scan)
Unfortunately the woodcut print is not visible beyond the very bottom edge of the instrument. The scan personnel has forgotten to unfold the Plate V when they were acquiring the scans
Tuning Citation:
Praetorius, Michael. Syntagma Musicum, De Organogrpahia, Band 2, Wolfenbüttel, 1619, p. 25.
Official Page – Tuning List – MDZ
Official Page – Tuning List – IA
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Bibliography:
• Michael Praetorius – ABP Treatises
• Michael Praetorius – Wikipedia.org
• Planyavsky, Alfred. “Der Kontrabaß bei Michael Praetorius.” Geschichte Des Kontrabasses. Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1984. pp. 67-71 (text), p. 69 (Abb. 35, image), additional info on Abb 35, p. 72.
• Zeller, Matthew. “Reconstructing Lost Instruments: Praetorius’s Syntagma Musicum and the Violin Family c. 1619” De Musica Disserenda. No. 15, Vol. 1-2, 2019, pp. 137-158. Page Source for Download – Download Link
• Obsolete German Units of Measurement – Fuß (Foot) – Wikipedia.org (look for Braunschweig (Brunswick) entry: 1 Foot = 285 mm or 11.22 inch).
Notes:
• This is probably the very first official image of a double bass as we know it today as printed in a period treatise. This instrument is titled by Praetorius as Groß Contra-Bass-Geig which translates in English as Large Contra-Bass Fiddle, thus without the first and last adjective the actual Contrabass, or as we know it in English: the Double Bass.
• This instrument features five strings, yet its five string tuning is not related to a modern five string double bass tuning, which was actually formalized in the late 19th century, a long time after this instrument type has vanished. The tuning of this instrument however is remarkably similar to the standard modern double bass tuning, as it is essentially the same with the addition of the fifth low D string: D1, E1, A1, D, G.
• Should you wish to verify this tuning yourself please follow the Tuning Citation page in Praetorius’ Syntagma Musicum cited above or click on one of the following: Tuning List – MDZ or Tuning List – IA. To decipher this particular tuning, please follow these simple pointers, since the tuning is not cited in a common bass clef:
Once on the page (either MDZ or IA), go to the lower section that reads “Viole de Gamba. (and) Violen,” although the title has little to do with our instrument as it was simply adjoined to this list. Look then to the very left, where you will see in the vertical column written Gar Groß Baß-Viol. Look now to the left of this title about the level of letter r in word Gar and you will note a stylized F letter for F (bass) clef. This is the starting point for the “count to down” steps to our tuning as all the tunings are written in actual pitches and not transposed as the bass players are accustomed to read them today. So, from letter F count down seven notes till you reach the G and which is marked by a Greek Gamma sign “Γ”. This G is the top G string of our modern double bass. Next, follow down, and above the letter C you will note our D string, down the line from C line is our A string, and then one note below the F line our lowest open E string. Then (!) one note below the E string, the lowest D string.
• Naturally, you may wonder what are the tunings for those other Viola da Gamba and Viol instruments, and although this subject merits interest, the complete coverage of all stringed instruments in a bass function that are listed by Praetorius would require much more space here. These will be covered here at the later time with separate instruments pictures, but if interested for an available overview now, please check the Zeller article cited in bibliography.
• The additional remarkable feature of the Groß Contra-Bass-Geig image is that we can actually deduct the ambitus of this instrument based on the depicted frets. As you can see, there are only four of them, which means that on the top G string the range goes only up to B natural, and thus the full range spans from D1 to B. In total, about an octave and a sixth.
• This image also offers us a scale by which we can measure the instrument and that scale has been researched already in the excellent article by Zeller. This scale is indicated in Brunswick foot as you may check in Zeller’s article p. 138 and p. 145. The unit measurement Zeller used is 285.4 mm per Brunswick foot, while the Wikipedia entry cites it as 285 mm, so close enough. Thus by following the scale and the methodology Zeller used to reconstruct the actual length of Praetorius’ Discant Geige on p. 145, the author of this site has calculated the height of our Groß Contra-Bass-Geig which, as you see in the image, has the height of some 8 (eight) foot. Thus 8 x 285mm (or 11.22 Inch) = 2280 mm, which would be 2 meters and 28 centimeters – or in modern American measurement 89.76 inches, or 7 feet and 5.76 inches.
• So, was this instrument even playable? The author of this site has made an approximation based on his own height (an average one) by setting a measuring tape toward the wall and approximating the low positions of this instrument. And indeed yes, they are quite reachable to our 21st century average height, although your hand will be reaching to those positions by extending above your head. As far as the 17th century contemporaries are concerned, they may have had a taller person for this job or may have possibly used a stool to help access to the playing positions of this instrument.
• One other curious element of this instrument is a bottom fifth string mount through the tailpiece and continuing down. If you look carefully, you may note that the fifth string does not end on the tailpiece, but continues through it and extends over the bottom nut probably down around the leg. Why did such a detail made into this drawing is really a curious matter that makes a setup of this gargantuan instrument even more intriguing.
• Lastly one may naturally wonder for what music was this instrument suited in 17th century? Common sense would say probably for the pedal tones in large vocal and instrumental works, but this part may really need a further inquiry, and particularly in respect to what Praetorius has written himself on stringed bass instruments.
Further Research:
• A complete new and fresh overview of all bass instruments featured in Praetorius’ treatises is needed. There is chance that the bibliography on stringed instruments as presented in Praetorius’ works is large already, but the work of compiling and analyzing all of the previous research on this subject is necessary in order to bring up to date our understanding of what Praetorius knew, and what was the practical reality of period bass instruments use in the first half of the 17th century.
Instrument Type:
• The first official representation of Contrabass / Double Bass in a period treatise.
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–
1620
Angel with Violone
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Detail
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Teniers, David the Elder. Angel with Violone. Museum title: Landscape with the Rest on the Flight into Egypt or Landscape with the Rest on the Flight into Egypt and Attendant Angels Playing Musical Instruments (source Artnet.com). Oil Painting on Oak, 1620, Antwerp, Belgium. Located at Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden, i.n. NM 6870.
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Official Page – Nationalmuseum.se (for image augmentation click “Show full screen” link)
Image View – Nationalmuseum.se
Official Page – Artnet.com
Image View – Artnet.com (lower quality)
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Bibliography:
• David Teniers the Elder – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• This extraordinary composition presents Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus at the moment of rest and surrounded by music making angels, while the family was on their flight journey away from King Herod. The Nationalmuseum notes point to the presence of the Roman like ruins in the background and believe this was an element that Teniers probably took from his study days in Rome.
• However, the Romans ruins were most likely not the only element that Teniers may have remembered from his journey to Rome, as the wonderful stringed bass instrument we see may also have been something that he remembered from Rome. If we compare the size of this instrument to the seated angel who plays it, this instrument although certainly with a shorter neck, actually approximates a fine Italian 17th century double bass model, the one possibly made by Giovanni Paolo Maggini for example.
• The violin shape is obvious, the outline very similar to that of fine vintage Italian bass instruments, and the neck does not show any frets. The neck may be a bit shorter than these we see today on modern instruments, but then, all the necks (and fingerboards) on the period Italian instruments have already been changed during the past few centuries. So, if you wish to compare this instrument with the modern period Italian bass, try imagining it with a typical modern endpin extended for an orchestral setup, and the similarity may become apparent.
• This instrument also shows four well depicted strings, and the fourth one indeed resembles the thickness of the modern (older) gut double bass string. Thus there is a chance that this instrument was indeed tuned in the modern four string orchestra bass tuning. That in turn would make it a 16 foot instrument in respect to its range.
• Also, and to be fair, there is a possibility that such an instrument was also extant at Antwerp at 1620, yet the other period Antwerp paintings unfortunately do not show similar bass instruments of this size, so unless proven otherwise, it seems that this instrument has come from Italy.
• For the other Italian period stringed basses that may relate to this depiction, please see Saraceni – St Cecilia & Angel -1610 and Boncori – The Musical Group – 1695 .
Further Research:
• Although this would imply a years-long research project, it would be nice to consider a systematization of all sources that point to the period Italian instruments which have traveled outside of Italy already in the 17th century. It would imply a creation of index table that would show how many of these instruments, and where, have been employed. Likewise, it would be nice to see a research on the iconography of all early Italian double basses that appear in period Italian sources, and make a comparison of these images with extant Italian instruments of the same age that have survived to our day, and regardless of their present location.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ]
Instrument Type:
• The actual Double Bass, although probably called differently in the early 17th century.
–
–
1622
Coronation
–
Detail
–
Rubens, Peter Paul. Coronation of Maria de Medici. Oil Sketch, 1622, Antwerp, Belgium. Located at Hermitage Museum, St. Peterburg, Russia, i. n. ГЭ-516.
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Official Page – Hermitagemuseum.org
Image View – Hermitagemuseum.org
Official Page – Wikimeida.org
Image View – Wikimeida.org
Official Page – Sai.msu.su
–
Final Painting Citation:
Rubens, Peter Paul. Le Couronnement de la reine à l’abbaye de Saint-Denis, le 13 mai 1610 (The Queen’s Coronation at the Abbey of Saint-Denis, May 13, 1610). Oil Painting (final work). Located at Louvre Museum, Paris France, i.n. INV 1778 ; other i.n. MR 969.
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Official Page – Louvre Museum
–
Bibliography:
• Peter Paul Rubens – Wikipedia.org
• Marie de’ Medici – Wikipedia.org
• Rubens – Marie de’ Medici Painting Cycle – Wikipedia.org
• Rubens – Marie de’ Medici Painting Cycle – The Coronation in Saint-Denis – Wikipedia.org
• Basilica of Saint-Denis – Wikipedia.org
• Planyavsky, Alfred. Geschichte Des Kontrabasses. Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1984, p. 100-101 (text), p. 102 (Abb. 42).
Notes:
• Presented is an oil sketch by Rubens which depicts the Coronation of Marie de’ Medici as the Queen of France, a ceremony which took place on May 13, 1610 at the Cathedral of Saint-Denis in Paris, France. This sketch was made as a preliminary idea for the final painting that was part of the large order of some twenty four paintings which Marie de’ Medici has commissioned from Rubens in 1622 in order to commemorate her life and the life of her late husband, Henry IV. These paintings were intended to be displayed in her Luxembourg Palace. The final painting is now classed as number ten according to the life events sequence of Marie de’ Medici which these paintings were meant to illustrate.
• So, what we have here is a sketch of an event that took place some twelve years before the commission. That in turn brings a question of what kind of reference did the great master have when depicting the musicians that we see here, and whether these instruments may belong to Parisian, or possibly Antwerp music establishment? The answer to this inquiry is difficult to offer, but let us hope that future research may offer us a better insight of what we see here.
• To clarify the details of this commission, let us add that Rubens used to reside in Antwerp until 1621, a city which at that time belonged to the Spanish Netherlands realm. After that time, and coinciding to his 1622 visit to Paris, where he received the commission for this grand cycle of paintings, he was on the road and traveling widely on diplomatic missions – see Rubens – Marie de Medici Cycle and Diplomatic Missions . So, there is a chance that he had seen some Parisian French musicians on these occasions and likewise has probably visited the church of Saint-Denis where the coronation took place in 1610, as one would assume that he would wish to know the church interior for the painting purpose. However, it would be good prove this conjecture some additional evidence if such may be located.
• In respect to bass organology we see here the upper part of a period bass fiddle as a member of an ensemble that was positioned on the balcony for the occasion. Judging from the rough outline presented this may be a larger instrument which rests on the ground. The top part of the instrument with a scroll, which actually is not visible, seems to reach the performer’s head height, yet not much more can be seen. Planyavsky (1984) does not offer us a definitive answer on what this instrument may be in the text, but he does assign the name Kontrabass under the featured image in Abbildung 42.
• Lastly, this oil draft did evolve into the full finished painting, but it presents an altered composition where the perspective on the balcony with musicians is completely changed and there is also no sign of bass instrumentalist or his instrument. So, a final conclusion on what kind of an instrument has Rubens witnessed, and at what location, may not be able to be drawn from this finished painting (for the reference see Official Page – Louvre Museum ).
Further Research:
• It would be of interest to research if Rubens has had any contacts with musicians during his life time and or if anyone has already researched the musicians and musical instruments in Ruben’s work as any additional insights on period bass fiddles at the time of Rubens, and whether at Antwerp or in France would be nice to consider. Likewise, as the very coronation of Marie de’ Medici was probably a high profile public event, there just may be some record on the ceremony or the organization of the same which may mention the music and musicians, and such an information may help as well in figuring the actual ensemble profile that took part in the ceremony.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period French or Flemish stringed bass instrument. Awaiting further systematization.
–
–
1622
Princess (Sketch)
–
Detail – Sketch
Detail – Painting
–
Rubens, Peter Paul. Princess (Sketch) (French: L’éducation de la Princesse ; German: Die Erziehung der Prinzessin ; English: Education of the Princess). Oil Sketch, Painting on wood, 1622, Antwerp, Belgium. Located at Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen – Alte Pinakothek München, Munich, Germany, i.n. 92.
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Official Page – Alte Pinakothek München
Image View – Alte Pinakothek München
Official Page – Photo.rmn.fr
Image View – Photo.rmn.fr
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Final Painting Citation:
Rubens, Peter Paul. L’Instruction de la reine (The Queen’s Instruction). Oil Painting (final work). Located at Louvre Museum, Paris France, i.n. INV 1771 ; other i.n. MR 962.
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Official Page – Louvre Museum
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Bibliography:
• Peter Paul Rubens – Wikipedia.org
• Marie de’ Medici – Wikipedia.org
• Rubens – Marie de’ Medici Painting Cycle – Wikipedia.org
• Rubens – Marie de’ Medici Painting Cycle – Education of the Princess – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Presented is an oil sketch by Rubens which depicts the Education of a Princess (Marie di Meidici) , and which was made as a preliminary idea for the final painting that was part of the large order of some twenty four paintings that Marie de’ Medici has commissioned from Rubens in 1622. The commission was placed in order to commemorate the lives of Marie de’ Medici and her late husband, Henry IV, and for a display in her Luxembourg Palace. The final painting that came out of this sketch is classed as number three according to the life events sequence of Marie de’ Medici which these paintings were meant to illustrate.
• As you may note, the composition of this sketch very much resembles the final painting, however the small stringed instrument of interest differs in many ways from the sketch to the final painting. So, given a rather small proportions of this instrument, one may wonder why was it included in the bass iconography at all? Yet, there are merits to this image that deserve to be listed.
• As seen, the instrument is performed in a seated position and while it rests on the ground, so this is not a typical “da gamba” hold, although it certainly could have been held so. Moreover, the instrument has a unique characteristic of having a guitar like bridge that appears to hold strings without a tailpiece. This in turn points to an older generation of instruments that were already depicted in Virdung – Gross Geigen – 1511 and Agricola – Vier Geigen – 1528 , and makes a very curious appearance for such an instrument in the 1622 painting. This instrument however has four strings, four pegs and a guitar like hole in the middle of instrument, which certainly lacks in the Virdung and Agricola instruments..
• According to the notes this instrument is played by no one else but the Orpheus himself, so perhaps the idea of presenting a spirit of venerable antiquity may have been behind the presentation of Orpheus and likewise an instrument that was meant to be considered an older type at the time. The other option is that perhaps this instrument was simply a temporary “prop” instrument at the master’s atelier. Yet another thought is that this instrument was sketched at a different location from the one depicted in finished painting, and yet where that initial location would be, is up to the further inquiry. It may have bee in Antwerp where Rubens was prior to 1621, or at France, or even some other location after 1621.
• In respect to the appearance of this instrument in finished painting, we can actually observe a “da gamba” like mid sized instrument with six strings and C holes. Another interesting detail that differs from the sketch is the lute that we see by the feet of Orpheus, and which has somehow evolved in the archlute in the finished painting. So, it seems that the finished painting is presenting an update modern instruments of that time, while the drawing, and for some reason, is presenting the older ones. This hypothesis however would need to be tested and proven further.
• For the history of the oil sketch please consult the exquisite coverage that the Alte Pinakothek Official Page offers.
Further Research:
• It would be of interest to research if Rubens has had any contacts with musicians during his life time, or perhaps if anyone has already researched the musicians and musical instruments in Ruben’s work in order to see if any findings may relate to this set of artworks. It would also be of interest to find out what kind of an ensemble and musical instruments were in use at the court of Marie de’ Medici, whether in Paris or her Luxemburg residence, as likely the instruments affiliated with Marie de’ Medici surrounding would have been more likely depicted by Rubens than perhaps those located elsewhere, or in his Antwerp workshop?
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization (relates to the oil sketch)
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1624
Musizierende Gesellschaft
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Detail
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Boulogne, Valentin de. Musizierende Gesellschaft (Music Making Company). Oil Painting, ca. 1624, Rome, Italy. Located at Museum der Bildenden Künste (as a part of Maximilian Speck von Sternburg Stiftung), Lepizig, Germany. i.n. G 1669.
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Official Page – Mdbk.de
Official Page – Wikimedia.org
Official Page – Agorha.inha.fr (black and white)
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Bibliography:
• Valentin de Boulogne – Wikipedia.org
• Valentin de Boulogne – Wga.hu
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 9, Fig. 10 “Violone, Rome, ca. 1620.”
Notes:
• Depicted is a mid sized stringed bass instrument played in a seated position as a part of an ensemble that consist of five instrumentalists and two singers. The event is likely occurring at Rome, Italy, since this is the location where Boulogne was active after 1612.
• In respect to bass organology we see a mid sized instrument which rests on the ground and has four pegs, four strings and a bridge set at the lower area of the F holes. The instrument itself shows a violin form type, which reminds much of a modern double bass outline, although this instrument is certainly not as big.
• The other unique characteristic of this instrument is a small hole, or a rosetta, right under the end of the fingerboard. In summary, this is likely a type of four stringed Italian Violone from 1624, unless called differently by the contemporaries.
• The Bow hold is of an underhand type and very similar to a modern German underhand hold, and where the hand rests behind the frog and the fourth finger resides inside the frog.
• A very similar, if not identical instrument is depicted in Boulogne – Concert – 1628 and Boulogne – Fortune Teller – 1631, where you can see this instrument both from the front and sidewise.
• Now, considering the very similar appearance of the ensemble and a relatively short year span between this painting of 1624, respectively the Concert of 1628 and Fortune Teller of 1631, one may wonder if indeed Boulogne may have had a regular contact with the actual ensemble that resembles the one we see depicted here?
Further Research:
• It would be of interest to look further for any evidence of Boulogne’s affiliation with musicians during his stay in Italy and likewise a period bass instruments nomenclature in Rome of the first half of 17th century, as this instrument has likely already been named and described by the contemporaries.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
Instrument Type:
• Likely a period Italian Violone of a kind
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1625
Violino e Basso
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Detail
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Anonymous. Violino e Basso (Violin and Bass). Painting, c. 1625 – First half of the 17th century, Venice, Italy. Located at Il Museuo della Musica Venezia, Chiesa San Maurizio, Venice, Italy, m.n N/A.
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Official Page – Il Museuo della Musica Venezia (eng)
Official Page – Il Museuo della Musica Venezia (it)
Image View – Il Museuo della Musica Venezia
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Bibliography:
• San Maurizio Church – Museodellamusica.com
Notes:
• The official Museuo della Musica page offers very little information on this lovely painting, except that it belongs to the Venetian school. The dating is also vague and mentions only the “beginning of the 17th century” (Italian page) or the “first half of the 17th century.” Thus, for this listing a year of 1625 was chosen.
• Depicted are two musicians, one with shoulder held instrument, likely a violin, and another, with a stringed bass type of an instrument. The English version of this page calls the bass actually a “double bass,” and which it may have been. However, for the sake of this listing this paining is simply called Violino e Basso.
• The stringed bass instrument shows well developed violin form outlines. As for the violin, those are hidden.
• On the bass instrument four strings are visible and also the two pegs on the right side. That should indicate the four strings as well. The bridge is set to about lower line of the F holes and the instrument is played by an underhand bow style.
• There are two interesting elements that appear on this image which although not of great significance to the research of period organology, nevertheless show some elements of period setup. One of them is a clearly depicted loose string that emanates from the scroll box. Today, such loose strings would appear as a sign of a negligent instrument setup, but perhaps at the time there may have been more to it? Possibly the extra length could have come useful if the string would break, as then one would only need to use the remainder and would be ready to play right away again? A thought to consider. The other element is a very precise depiction of how were the strings set on the tailpiece. The string would apparently go through the tailpiece and then be tied in a knot at about the half distance between the bridge and the tailpiece.
• This paining may also be considered a good guide on how the period stringed instruments appeared to contemporaries in respect to color. We may notice that both the body of the instrument, the fingerboard and the tailpiece are all of the same pale yellow color.
• In respect to the size of this instrument it appears to be somewhat larger specimen than the modern violoncello, so likely a type of a Violone.
Further Research:
• Further research may concentrate on the music making activities at the Church of San Maurizio if indeed the painting was derived form their musical activities, and in general on the Venetian musical practice of the first half of the 17th century. The other similar iconographical evidence may yield more light on the actual sizes and use of these instruments.
Instrument Type:
• Double Bass
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1625
Figure Con Basso
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Detail
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Bracelli, Giovanni Battista. Figure Con Basso at Figure Con Instrumenti Musicali e Boscarecci (Figures with Musical Instruments and Rustics/Villagers (Woods)* – British Museum translates it as Sylvan). Etching, 1625-1630, Rome, Italy. Located at The British Museum, London, United Kingdom, m.n. 1878,0112.270.
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Official Page – The British Museum
Image Page – Kharoozo Livejournal
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Bibliography:
• Giovanni Battista Bracelli – Wikipedia.org
• Giovanni Battista Bracelli – The British Museum
Notes:
• Starting with the title in translation, it appears that the “woods” here may not mean what it says and in respect to the entire series of etchings that are featured under this title. Possibly this is the old archaic Italian way of designating public realm and which would seem more appropriate to describe the common public instruments of that era. Check the Kharoozo Livejournal for all the etchings in this series.
• Depicted is a stringed bass instrument with four pegs, four strings that has an elongated narrow body designed in violin shape according to present-day standards. There is no visible bridge depicted and the strings connect directly to the small tailpiece that may have served as a bridge as well. The neck is fairly short and the likewise the fingerboard as was the custom at the time.
• The instrument is played in standing position while it rests on a small box, presumably made out of wood and which may enhance the resonating qualities of the instrument in the same way that some modern solo bassists use similar boxes on stage to augment the tone of their modern instrument.
• The bow appears to be held in underhand style and it touches the strings at approximately half the way of their full length. The instrument is held somewhat tilted to the left ad likely supported by the upper part of the left leg too.
• Judging by the accuracy of the other depicted instruments in this series, and which are visible at the Kharoozo Livejournal presentation, it appears that this instrument did look in reality as depicted here.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
Instrument Type:
• Period Italian Violone type
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1626
Musikant
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Detail
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Anonymous. Musikant in Neun Musikanten mit ihren Instrumenten (Nine Musicians with their Instruments). Copper engraving, est. 1626-1651, Unknown Location, Germany. Located at Herzog August Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel, Germany, M.n. Graph. Res. C: 148.3
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Official Page – Virtuellese Kupferstichkabinett (HAB)
Image View – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAB)
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Bibliography:
• place for future bibliographic entries
Notes:
• The Official Page commentary translated: “From a series of formerly bound emblem-like depictions. Two depictions each on one sheet.” No further information on the source or provenance of this interesting engraving is given.
• Presented is a merry ensemble with a bass instrument player visible from the back. The instrument approximates a modern double bass in size since it is performed in standing position, while instrument rests on the ground. The instrument scroll reaches above the top of the performer’s hat indicating a larger instrument.
• This instrument in its size and shape reminds of both Amman – Drey Geiger – 1568 and Solis – Nach der Music – 1562. However, since this instrument is featured from the back, we may only guess the number of the strings. It may have been a three stringer like the one in Amman’s Drey Geiger since it shows only two pegs?.
• In addition to a bass player, this engraving features the additional eight performers, which play stringed and wind instruments. That fact may contribute to the assumption that bigger stringed instruments were better suited in bass function for an ensemble of such a size and function.
• This instrument could be considered a predecessor of double bass in respect to its function, possibly including even the tuning.
Further Research:
• It would be of value to explore further the available evidence on what possible tunings may this instrument have used and what was its likely range. While it is common to assume that the majority of stringed bass instruments in the 17th century have used the 8 foot register, it certainly would make sense if some have, and particularly those employed in larger ensembles or used for tavern and dance settings, where a strong beat was required, may have used the 16 foot register as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
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1626
Laudate Pueri Dominum
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Detail
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Overadt, Peter. Laudate Pueri Dominum, Full Title: Laudate Pueri Dominum Laudate Nomen Domini. Translated: Praise the Lord Children Praise the Name of the Lord. Copper Plate Engraving, 1626-1650, Cologne, Germany. Located at Herzog August Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel, Germany, Signatur: Graph. Res. C: 240.17.
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Official Page – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAB)
Image View – Virtuellese Kupferstichkabinett (HAB)
Official Page – Deutschefotothek.de
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Bibliography:
• Meurer, Peter H. “The Cologne Map Publisher Peter Overadt (Fl. 1590-1652).” Imago Mundi, vol. 53, 2001, pp. 28-45. JSTOR
• Bass Heritage Board – Posted on December 21, 2014 – Post Link
Notes:
• Presented is a group of children angels in a musical ensemble. The angel on the right plays a stringed bass instrument which rests on the ground and reaches to about the height of the angel’s head. The angel plays this instrument in the standing position.
• Visible are four strings and four pegs, while the bridge is set lower then the F holes as was the custom at the time. The bow is played with an underhand style where fingers do not touch the bow hair, similar to the modern German bow hold.
• The author of this engraving is not known, while the publisher is Peter Overadt from Cologne, thus his name is cited above. Overadt’s home city of Cologne is likewise assumed as the location of the music tradition which this engraving represents.
• This instrument is similar in some details to those presented in Anonym – Hailige Cacilie mit Engeln – 1685 and even Scheffler – Causa Nostrae Laetitiae – 1732 .
Further Research:
• As the date span for this image approximates the second quarter of the 17th century, it would be of value to explore what possible tunings may this instrument have used and what was its likely range.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• A type of period Violone
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1627
The Royal Palace in Brussels
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Detail
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Breughel the Younger, Jan. The Royal Palace in Brussels. Painting, c. 1627, Brussels, Belgium. Located at Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain, i.n. P001857.
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Official Page – Museo del Prado
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Bibliography:
• Jan Breughel the Younger – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Depicted is a group of musicians in a merry pastoral setting at the river bank across the Palace Coudenberg / the Royal Palace in Brussels. Presented are the bass player, a boy singer, a da braccio viol player, also seated a lutenist and a gentleman by his side who seems to be offering a beat to the event.
• The bass player performs in standing position an instrument that actually approximates the size of the modern double bass. The augmentation for this image detail was substantial, yet still some pertinent details may not be discernible. The instrument scroll reaches above the player’s head (even with a nice hat on), the bow hold is underhand, the ribs of the instrument are relatively thin, while the shape of the holes on the front plate is not easy to discern.
• An interesting detail for this informal event is that both the viol player and the bass player appear to read the music from the score held by a boy, while the lutenist reads from another score held by a companion. So, it should have been the same music in both scores. Obviously, it was a composed music of a kind since otherwise they would have just played it all from memory.
• Prado Museum ascribes the possible authorship also to Sebastian Vrancx, yet for the sake of simplicity only Breugel the Younger is cited as the author.
Further Research:
• Any other information from Brussels of the 1620s that relates to music making may help in providing more insight into this lovely music memento. It would be nice to figure what variants of the tuning may have been used for bass instruments of this period too.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
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1628
Concert
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Detail
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Boulogne, Valentin de. Concert. Full title: Concert à Huit Personnages dit aussi Concert dans un Intérieur (Concert with Eight Characters also known as Concert in an Interior). Oil Painting, 1628-1630, Rome, Italy. Located at Louvre Museum, Paris, France, i.n. main number INV 8252; other number MR 2548.
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Official Page – Louvre Museum
Image View – Louvre Museum
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Bibliography:
• Valentin de Boulogne – Wikipedia.org
• Valentin de Boulogne – Wga.hu
Notes:
• Depicted is a mid sized stringed bass instrument played in a seated position as a part of an ensemble that consists of five instrumentalists and three singers. The event is likely occurring at Rome, Italy, since this is the location where Boulogne was active after 1612.
• In respect to bass organology we see a mid sized instrument which rests on the ground and has four pegs, four strings and a bridge set at the lower area of the F holes. The instrument itself shows a violin form of a type that reminds very much of a modern double bass outline, although this instrument is certainly not as big.
• The other unique characteristics of this instrument are the rosetta (or a guitar like hole) right under the end of the fingerboard and a unique wide ornament that covers the central part of the front plate. So in summary, this is likely a type of a four stringed Italian Violone from 1628-1630, unless called differently by the contemporaries.
• The bow hold is of an underhand type and very similar to a modern German underhand hold, where the hand rests behind the frog.
• A very similar, if not identical instrument is also depicted in Boulogne – Musizierende Gesellschaft – 1624 and Boulogne – Fortune Teller – 1631, where we can see this instrument from a side and also observe relatively thin ribs on this instrument.
Further Research:
• It would be of interest to look further for any evidence of Boulogne’s affilation with musicians during his stay in Italy and likewise a period bass instruments nomenclature from the first half of 17th century, as this instrument has likely already been named and described by the contemporaries.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
Instrument Type:
• Likely a period Italian Violone of a kind
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–
1628
Elegant Company
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Detail
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Hals, Dirck. Elegant Company. Title in Dutch: Elegant Gezelschap in een Hollandse Renaissancezaal (Elegant Company in a Dutch Renaissance Hall). Medium, 1628, Haarlem, Netherlands. Located at Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, Netherlands, i.n. N/A.
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Official Page – Frans Hals Museum
Image View – Frans Hals Museum
Official Page – Artwee.com
Image View – Artwee.com
Official Page – Wikipedia.org
Image View – Wikipedia.org
Official Page – Artnews.com (recent history of this painting)
Official Page – Theglobeandmail.com(recent history of this painting)
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Bibliography:
• Bib entry hereDirck Hals – Wikipedia.org
• Dirck Hals – The National Gallery
Notes:
• Presented is a Dutch Gezelschapjes (Merry Company) which was a known Dutch painting genre at the time, and which commonly featured musicians, and among them the bass fiddlers as well. In this particular painting of the Gezelschapjes genre, we see probably the first representation of a standing player with a period bass fiddle, as many of the paintings from this genre feature bass fiddlers, but they are depicted in a seated position and with smaller sized bass fiddles. This one however appears to be somewhat larger and it certainly rests on the ground, so it merits the inclusion here.
• The instrument itself shows some four pegs, and thus likely is a four stringed instrument. The neck is relatively short and there are no depicted frets. The body outline presents a violin form contours, perhaps of a simplified type. The front plate also shows two F holes and a bridge place below them. The scroll section is somewhat slanted but still appears to follow a violin form. So the overall impression is that this may be a unique Dutch instrument that contains the general violin form indicators but has its own style.
• The question then arises if this may be the early version of Dutch double bass, which its size it may imply. The appearance of this instrument however may suggest more a period Dutch Violone type of a kind, which probably had a local name that we should try to discover and ascribe to this bass fiddle (if possible).
• This painting however was also recently in the news as unfortunately its World War II story was not a happy one, but fortunately the painting was able to return to its original owners, and now resides at Frans Hals Museum. For the full story please check the Official Pages for the Artnews.com and Theglobeandmail.com online articles.
• Lastly, this painting appears to have a sister painting which is very similar and also shows a bass instrumentalists among the musicians. You can see this painting at Merry Company in a Palace – Pubhist.com . This painting is also attributed to Dirck Hals, so the future studies may address which one of these was the first and why? Since these paintings are very similar there is a good chance that a period Dutch patron has already seen one of them and has decided to order yet other another “just like this one,” to adorn his residence.
Further Research:
• It would be nice to research further all shapes and sizes of larger Dutch bass instruments and find how these were called by the contemporaries, so that perhaps a defined class of these instruments can be established.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period Dutch Violone of a kind, awaiting further systematization.
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1631
Fortune Teller
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Detail
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Boulogne, Valentin de. Fortune Teller. Full title: Cheerful Company with Fortune-Teller. Oil Painting, 1631, Rome, Italy. Located at Liechtenstein Palace Museum, Princely Collections Vaduz-Vienna, Vienna, Austria, i.n. GE 2131.
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Official Page – Liechtensteincollections.at
Official Page – Metmuseum.org (while on loan)
Official Page – Wikimedia.org
Image View – Wikimedia.org
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Bibliography:
• Valentin de Boulogne – Wikipedia.org
• Valentin de Boulogne – Wga.hu
Notes:
• Depicted is a mid sized stringed bass instrument played in a seated position and as a part of an ensemble that makes a company to a fortune teller and her customer. The event is likely occurring at Rome, Italy, where Boulogne was active after 1612.
• In respect to bass organology we see a mid sized instrument which rests on the ground and has four pegs, four strings, and a bridge set a the lower area of F holes. The instrument itself shows a violin form of a type that reminds of a modern double bass outline, although this instrument is certainly not as big. The ribs of this instrument are however considerably thinner from what we would expect today with instrument of this size.
• The other unique characteristics are the rosetta (or a guitar like hole) right under the end of fingerboard and a unique wide ornament that covers the central part of the front plate. So in summary, this is likely a type of four stringed Italian Violone from 1631, unless it was called differently by the contemporaries.
• The bow hold is of an underhand type and somewhat similar to a modern German underhand hold, with the hand behind the frog, and with a difference that the last two fingers rest inside the frog.
• A very similar, if not identical instrument is depicted in Boulogne – Musizierende Gesellschaft – 1624 and Boulogne – Concert – 1628, where you can see this instrument from two different perspectives. Now, considering the very similar appearance of the ensemble and a relatively short year span between the paintings from 1624, 1628 and this one of 1631, one may wonder if indeed Boulogne may have had a regular contact with the actual ensemble that resembles the one we see depicted here?
Further Research:
• It would be of interest to look further for any evidence of Boulogne’s affiliation with musicians during his stay in Italy and likewise a period bass instruments nomenclature in Rome of the first half of 17th century, as this instrument has likely already been named and described by the contemporaries.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
Instrument Type:
• Likely a period Italian Violone of a kind
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–
1634
Music for Dance
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Detail
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Mascardi, Vitale. Music for Dance. Engraving, in Festa, fatta in Roma, alli 25. di febraio MDCXXXIV, Roma: Vitale Mascardi [1635], scan page 0008-0009.
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Official Page – Bibliotheca Hertziana [ full scan – activate image 0008-0009 ]
Official Page – Bibliotheca Hertziana [ image record ]
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Bibliography:
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, pp. 34-35 (text), p. 34 Fig. 18 “Balletto at home of H. Mazalotti, Sacchi, Rome, 1634.” (Planyavsky takes the event information from MGG, Vol XI, 1963, pp. 725-726)
• Festa, Fatta in Roma – Royalacademy.org.uk (offers the details on the work and the event)
• Festa, Fatta in Roma – Metmueum.org (offers the details on the work and the event)
• Festa, Fatta in Roma – Christies.com (offers the details on the work and the event)
• Vitale Mascardi (publisher) – Brown.edu
• Andrea Sacchi (design author) – Wikipedia.org
• François Collignon (engraver) – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• This book with its engravings represents a record of the celebration of the Festa di Saracino in Piazza Navona, arranged by Cardinal Antonio Barberini with special magnificence to honour the visit to Rome of Prince Alexander Charles of Poland in 1634.
• Depicted is a stringed bass instrument played in seated position while it rests on the ground.
• This instrument has curved and slanted peg box with possibly four pegs and four strings. The two sound holes have a “wavy” appearance and the bridge is set some distance below them.
• The entire ensemble presents a bass instrument, archlute, spinet and some four singers who hold music in their hands.
• An interesting element of this image is a side-by-side depiction of an archlute and a period bass instrument, which allows a direct comparison of these two. So, from what is depicted it appears that the archlute has strings that are actually longer than those of the bass instrument.
• Also, from a bass player’s facial expression it looks as if he is reading the music from the spinet, although the spinet music stand is not depicted.
• Looking wider at the depicted event and considering the notes from Christies page, it appears that the performance is taking place in Palazzo Barberini while the music is intended to accompany the dancing (ballet) in the hall. So in that respect a solid bass beat would have been welcomed by all.
Further Research:
• It would be nice to research the circumstances and documentation that may have accompanied the event depicted as then likely more information on the actual music and possibly this music ensemble may be uncovered as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
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–
1634
Music on the Boat
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Detail
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Mascardi, Vitale. Music on the Boat. Engraving, in Festa, fatta in Roma, alli 25. di febraio MDCXXXIV, Roma: Vitale Mascardi, [1635], scan page 0026-0027.
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Official Page – Bibliotheca Hertziana [ full scan – activate image 0026-0027 ]
Official Page – Bibliotheca Hertziana [ image record ]
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Bibliography:
• Festa, Fatta in Roma – Royalacademy.org.uk (offers the details on the work and the event)
• Festa, Fatta in Roma – Metmueum.org (offers the details on the work and the event)
• Festa, Fatta in Roma – Christies.com (offers the details on the work and the event)
• Vitale Mascardi (publisher) – Brown.edu
• Andrea Sacchi (design author) – Wikipedia.org
• François Collignon (engraver) – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• This book with its engravings represents a record of the celebration of the Festa di Saracino in Piazza Navona, arranged by Cardinal Antonio Barberini with special magnificence to honour the visit to Rome of Prince Alexander Charles of Poland in 1634.
• Juding by the image that preceeds this one in the book, one would think that this is also one of the parade wagons, which is supposed to present a boat with musicians in it. Among them there is certainly visible a stringed bass instrumentalist with his instrument, and which may be similar to the one presented in the previous “Music for Dance” entry.
• Depicted is a stringed bass instrument that has a slanted and curved peg box. It has four or possibly five pegs, and is played in the semi standing or semi kneeling position.
• This instrument is held well slanted and the bow looks rather large in proportion to the instrument.
• It is interesting to note that instead of a spinet, which is presented in the previous image, here we see a small portative organ, with bellows right by the bass player.
• So, if we take all of this in consideration, the portative organ and this bass instrument may have produced a sufficiently loud and festive sound for the observers to admire the boat show in this procession.
Further Research:
• As with previous image it would be nice to research further the circumstances and extant documentation on this event and find out more on the music and musicians affiliated with this festivity.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1636
Harmonie
–
Detail
–
Ripa, Cesare. Harmonie in Ripa, Cesare. Iconologie ov Explication Novvelle : De Plvsievrs Images Emblemes et Avtres Figvres Hyerogliphiques Des Vertus Des Vices Des Arts Des Sciences Des Causes Naturelles Des Humeurs Differentes & Des Passions Humaines : Oevvre Necessaire a Tovte Sorte D’esprits Et Particvlierement a Cevx Qvi Aspirent. Paris: Chez Iacoues Villery, rue Clopin, prés le petit Nauarre, à l’Escu de France, 1636. p. 106.
–
Official Page – Internet Archive (Image LXXV)
Image View – Internet Archive (Image LXXV)
Text View – Internet Archive (p. 108)
Official Page – Hathitrust.org
Official page – Limes.cfc.unipi.it (all Armonia Images – Harmonie cited 1644)
Presentation Page – Limes.cfc.unipi.it (Harmonie cited 1644)
–
Bibliography:
• Cesare Ripa – Limes.cfc.unipi.it (in Italian)
• Cesare Ripa – Wikipedia.org
• Ferdinando I de’ Medici – Wikipedia.org
• Lirone – Wikipedia.org
• Lirone – Grove Dictionary Online (paid or institution access only)
Notes:
• This is the third image of Harmonie (Armonia) from the series of Iconologia editions by Cesare Ripa and the first one in French edition. This image in basic form reminds of the images that can be seen in the first Ripa – Armonia – 1603 and second Ripa – Armonia – 1611 , yet the engraving is different.
• This is again a Lirone type of instrument, and similarly to what you may read in 1603 image notes, while this instrument may not fit the exact criteria for inclusion since it is of smaller proportions, it still rests on the ground while being played in standing position, and thus merits an inclusion.
• Iconologia itself is essentially a comprehensive catalog-dictionary of emblematical representations and personifications among which Armonia (Harmony), and by some chance, is commonly presented with a period stringed bass instrument. The organological class of these instruments is not always the same, and it varies from the Lirone type we see illustrated here, to the other species of period strings of which some may include a double bass sized Violoni.
• The featured Lirone looking instrument is called Lira Doppia in Italian editions and there it is ascribed some quindici (fifteen) strings. In this image however there are some seven or eight of them depicted, and which is different from the original 1603 edition where we see many more strings. Yet regardless the number of strings, it would be of interest to find out what possible tunings did this particular instrument use, and what was the ambitus it may have covered.
• The text that accompanies Harmonie LXXV image at the page 108, mentions again the source painting at the Palace of the Grand Duke of Florence. We offer here the initial two paragraphs in French and with English translation to better present the sense this image of Harmonie was supposed to evoke.
–
French:
HARMONIE LXXV.
E tableau de l’Harmonie se void au Palais du
grand Duc de Florence; où elle est peinte comme
une belle Royne, ayant sur la teste une Couronne
toute brillante de pierrerie, une Lyre en une main,
un Archet en l’autre.
Pour donner l’explication de la beauté de cette figure,
il suffit de dire en gêneral auecque les Poètes, Qu’ elle
est couronnée comme fille du Ciel, les charmes de
laquelle enchantent les cœurs, flechissent les tygres, &
donnent du mouuement aux chofes inanimées. Tesmoin
la Lyre d’Orphée, qui par fes mélodieux accords
se rendoit fenfible aux rochers, & defracinoit les arbres.
Mais il ne faut pas s’estonner de ces merueilles de l’Harmonie,
puisque sélon les Pytagoriciens, il n’y en a point
icy bas qui ne prenne fon origine des Cieux.
–
English Translation:
HARMONY LXXV.
The painting of Harmony takes place at the Palace
of Grand Duke of Florence; where she is painted like
a beautiful Royne, having on her head a Crown all shining with
precious stones, a Lyre in one hand,
a Bow in the other.
To explain the beauty of this figure,
it suffices to say in general with the Poets, that she
is crowned as daughter of Heaven, the charms of which
enchant hearts, bend tigers,
give motion to inanimate things. Witness
the Lyre of Orpheus, which by its melodious chords
made itself vulnerable to the rocks, and tore up the trees.
But we must not be surprised by these wonders of Harmony,
since, according to the Pythagoreans, there is none
here below which does not take its origin from the Heavens.
–
• What a beautiful and inspiring text to accompany our Lirone Harmony lady which just happened to play an instrument of a size (and possibly a function) that merits the presentation in this listing.
• This is the last image of Harmony with a Lirone type of instrument. The subsequent edition of 1644 at Ripa – Harmony – 1644 , will present a completely new Armonia (Harmony) with an instrument that bears a resemblance to a larger Violone, or even a modern double bass.
Further Research:
• Further research may focus on what particular Lirone instrument may this be, and how it may, or may not relate to the other bass instruments of the similar proportions that served the bass function in this era. It would also be of interest to research further the music activities of Grand Duke Ferdinando I for any clues on the Harmony painting that resided in his palace, and certainly any other information that may indicate his involvement with music, musical instruments and musicians.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• A period Lirone of larger proportions
–
–
1640
Allegorie der Eitelkeit
–
Detail – Painting
Detail – Etching
–
Bramer, Leonaert (Leonhard). Allegorie der Eitelkeit (Allegory of Vanity). Painting and Etching, est. 1640-1674, Delft, Netherlands.
–
Painting – Located at Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Gemäldegalerie, i.n. Gemäldegalerie, 413.
Official Page – Kunsthistorischen Museums Wien
Official Page – Artsandculture.google.com
Etching – Located at Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig, Germany, m.s. LBramer V 3.603.
Official Page – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM)
Image View – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM)
–
Bibliography:
• Leonaert Bramer – Wikipedia.org
• Hollstein Dutch and Flemish, III.182.3
Notes:
• According to the notes from Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett, the painting was created first and the etching followed after.
• The appearance of figures and instruments is presented in reverse at the etching artwork. This may be due to the ease of creating a print mold for the etching and/or using the mirror in the process? In any event, the etching presents a bass instrument with the thickest string as the top one, which most certainly is not so in the original painitng. Likewise, the lute holding also appears reversed.
• In both the etching and the painting the bass instrument is featured with five pegs and some six strings. The nature of painting and the subsequent etching are such that it may not be clear how many strings were on the original instrument. The stringing in the etching is even less clear as the clarity was obviously not the priority. The bridge is set on the lower side of the F holes.
Further Research:
• Once a sufficient number of similar bass instrument depictions is accumulated, it would be worth to investigate the common characteristics of these instruments and consider the tuning options as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1640
Un Concierto
–
–
Falcone, Aniello. Un Concierto (The Concerto). Oil Painting, 1640c, Naples, Italy. Located at Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain, cat. no. P000087.
–
Official Page – Museo del Prado
Image View – Museo del Prado
Image Page – Wikipedia
–
Bibliography:
• Aniello Falcone – Wikipedia.org
• Planyavsky, Alfred. Geschichte Des Kontrabasses. Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1984, p. 82, 87 (text), p. 86 (Abb. 35).
Notes:
• The Official Page in Spanish under the “Objetos Presentatod” tab (bottom right) offers a section on Bajo de Violón depicted in this painting. The English version of the page also offers under the “Displayed Objects” tab, a paragraph on Bass Viol, which however is still in Spanish, so one may use the Google Chrome browser translator for a direct translation.
• The Museum commentary under the Bajo de Violon / Bass Viol mentions 4 strings, yet a closer inspection of the bridge and tailpiece area reveals likely a 5 stringed instrument. Likewise a close inspection of a peg box also reveals actual three visible pegs, which may mean that the other side would have two of them?
• This image has been quoted in bass scholarship works and probably due to the fact that in its initial appearance it resembles a modern bass of a violin form. Yet, this is due to the fact that the instrument is placed high, and the scroll extends above the player’s head. This instrument rests on what appears to be a table and which is almost on the level with the harpsichord, thus making bass viol much taller then what it is. Likewise, the first impression of a bow hold would suggest a modern German underhand bow hold. However, this bow hold apparently displays only a stick hold with three fingers, and there is no indication of a support of a small finger either inside the frog, to balance the hair, or outside of it as in a modern German hold.
• For the sake of easier detail identification, this image was slightly lightened so that one can observe details with more ease.
Further Research:
• It would be of interest to find out more on the period Neapolitan ensembles active at the time of Falcone, and find out how were the period bass instruments called by the contemporaries. It would also be of interest to find out what kind of music have been performed in 17th century Naples, and whether some may appear suitable for the ensemble depicted in this painting.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1640
Tradesmen
–
Detail – Innkeeper and Musicians
–
Fisch, Hans Ulrich II. Tradesmen. Full title: Wirt und Musiker, Barbier, Zahnarzt, Arzt, Bauer, Steinmetz, Maurer (Innkeeper and musicians, Barber, Dentist, Doctor, Farmer, Stonemason, Bricklayer). Drawing, 1640-1660, Aarau, Canton Aargau, Switzerland. Located at Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, Landesmuseum Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland, i.n. LM-24725.
–
Official Page – Nationalmuseum.ch
Image View – Nationalmuseum.ch
–
Bibliography:
• Fisch, Hans Ulrich II (1613–1686) – Kunstbreite.ch
• Fisch, Hans Ulrich II (1613–1686) – Sikart.ch
Notes:
• The image detail above presents a merry company with Innkeeper, his wife (likely), musicians and guests. This detail is a part of a larger drawing which presents various tradesmen at the time this drawing was made ca. 1640-1660 in Aarau, Switzerland.
• Notes Entry Here.
• Of interest to the bass iconography is certainly a gentleman with a larger bass fiddle who plays it while standing by the table. The instrument appears to be of an older type as we see four S holes on the front plate and curiously no bridge. The lack of the bridge may actually be for real as apparently there were bass instruments of an older type which lacked the bridge. An instrument very similar to the one depicted here can be seen also in Anonym – Upright Bass Player – 1600 from Braunschweig, Germany, and which also lacks the bridge. There are five strings depicted.
• The size of this instrument would certainly allow it to reach in the 16 foot register of the modern bass if there was a need, but that part is yet to be corroborated further.
Further Research:
• Once a sufficient number of bass instruments with four sound holes are accumulated, perhaps an independent study may be undertaken to see where and for what purpose these were used. Chances are that some of them may have been folk or tavern instruments but it would be good to investigate if they may have been used for other musical venues as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1640
Three Musicians
–
Detail
–
Anonym. Three Musicians. Full title in German: Entwurf für ein Oberbild mit Tischgesellschaft und Musikanten. Translated: Draft for a Picture with Dinner Company and Musicians. Drawing, est. 1640, City Unknown, Germany. Located at Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany, i.n. XI 732.
–
Official Page – Kunsthalle-karlsruhe.de
Official Page – Ridim.musiconn.de
–
Bibliography:
• Place for future bibliographic entries
Notes:
• Presented is a merry company seated at the table in a tavern, while the local musicians lift their spirits. The museum page however does not offer much additional infromation on who may have been the artist, or where this event is taking place.
• The museum dating for drawing is also rather liberal. Kunsthalle Karlsruhe dates it as 16th – 17th century, while RIdIM.musiconn.de narrows it to 1551/1700. Thus for this listing a “mean approximation” of 1640 was decided, and where it makes a company to Fisch HU II – Tradesmen – 1640 with similar tavern setting and similar bass instrument.
• In respect to bass iconography we see here an interesting elongated bass fiddle performed in a standing position, while the height of this instrument seem to approximate the modern double bass. This instrument seems to float a little above the ground, so it may either be played by being strapped (and with the strap not being visible) or perhaps resting on the player’s foot.
• The instrument itself shows a peg box with some three pegs, but possibly four of them with one not being depicted, and which it turn would make this instrument a three or four stringed bass fiddle. There are two C or S looking holes in the upper bouts, while the bridge is set very low in the lower part of the front plate. The bow use on this instrument is rather long and may approximate in length almost the three quarters of a length of an instrument.
• Taken all in summary, this is probably a local folk variant of a tavern bass fiddle. The author and the location of this drawing are not cited by museum, so the country location was ascribed to Germany and with hope that in future additional details on the provenance of this drawing may be uncovered.
Further Research:
• Once a sufficient number of samples of 17th century tavern music-making scenes are accumulated, perhaps it may be possible to draw wider conclusions on the size, type and setting of these unique instruments.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1640
Night Feast
–
Detail
–
Mortlake Tapestry Manufacture. Night Feast by Torchlight (French: Fête de Nuit à la Lueur des Torches). Tapestry, 1640-1646, London, England. Located at Musée Labenche d’Art et d’Histoire, Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, i.n. N/A.
–
Image View – Musée Labenche
Official Page – Musée Labenche (tapestries page)
Official Page – BnF Gallica (black and white)
Record Page – BnF
–
Bibliography:
• Mortlake Tapestry Works – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Presented is a seated performer with a period stringed bass instrument whose overall height may approximate the height of a standing performer to his left. Unfortunately, the instrument is presented only from the back, yet some features such as a slanted and curved peg box and a tapered lower bout are clearly visible.
• There are only two pegs depicted so perhaps this is a four or five stringed instrument. Visible are also frets on the neck.
• This lovely image was produced in the famous Mortlake Tapestry Manufacture at London, while at the present it is located in the Musée Labenche in France. The museum page offers some details on their tapestry collection, yet not much detail on this very example.
• The title of this tapestry is an English translation of the French title from the Musée Labenche, while the BnF Gallica and BnF Record links offer a different title: L’enfant Prodigue / Ecole de Raphaël (The Prodigal Son / School of Raphael). So it looks as that there may be a source image to this tapestry that emanates from an author who may have studied or worked with Raphael in person?
• The instrument depicted very much resembles the one depicted at Bol – Verlorene Sohn – 1588 and which by a curious coincidence also bears a title of The Prodigal Son.
Further Research:
• It would be nice to research this image further and possibly find out who may have drawn this composition in the original, if not already someone at the Mortlake Manufacture?
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
–
–
1640
15. De Geige
–
Detail
Detail – Complete Field
–
Troschel, Peter. 15. De Geige, in “Das Königsspiel, und von desselben doppelten Gebrauch,” Nürnberg: Paul Fürst, 1640-1667. Etching – Board Game. Located at Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig, Germany, m.s. PTroschel WB 2.9.
–
Official Page – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM)
Image View – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM)
–
Bibliography:
• Peter Troschel – The British Museum
Notes:
• This image comes form a board game which is dated by the Kupferstich Kabinett as 1640-1667, so for this listing cited as 1640.
• The title is derived from the Game board field that is called “De Geige” and implies only a generic term “The Fiddle,” while in fact the presented instrument certainly reaches in the bass register.
• The actual image depicts a standing performer while playing on stringed bass instrument which rests on a small stool. Although not very precisely etched, it appears that instrument has four strings and likely as many tuning pegs, if not more.
• Within the board game, this image is associated with the field number 15 that is called “De Geige” and which also contains a small edificational text on the musical art, Orpheus and Euridice. It may be added that a position on this field “zahlt nichts” (pays nothing).
Further Research:
• It may be of interest to look further on how the bass instruments were called at this period in Nürnberg and possibly try to correlate the name of the instrument with this engraving. Hopefully some other designators beyond mere Geige may be unearthed.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period German Violone of a kind.
–
–
1644
Harmonia
–
–
Ripa, Cesare. Harmonia (Harmony), in Iconologia of Uytbeeldingen Des Verstands. Amsterdam: Dirck Pietersz Pers, 1644, p. 341, and Iconologia of Uitbeeldinge Des Verstands. Amsterdam: Timotheus ten Horn, 1699, p. 124.
–
1644 Editions
Official Page – Internet Archive
Image View – Internet Archive
Official Page – Limes.cfc.unipi.it
Image View – Limes.cfc.unipi.it
–
1699 Editions
Official Page – Ugent.be
Official Page – Limes.cfc.unipi.it
Image View – Limes.cfc.unipi.it
–
Bibliography:
• Cesare Ripa – Limes.cfc.unipi.it (in Italian)
• Cesare Ripa – Wikipedia.org
• Ferdinando I de’ Medici – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• This is the fourth image of Harmonia (Armonia) from the series of Iconologia editions by Cesare Ripa and the first one in Dutch edition of 1644 and subsequently of 1699. This image offers a completely new presentation of Lady Harmony, which differs from the preceding four since it does not present the Lirone instrument any longer. What you see here is an instrument that we would associate today with a period Violone and also has an appearance that reminds of a modern double bass.
• Depicted is a lady Harmony who performs in standing position while holding her instrument in a slightly slanted position. The instrument shows a scroll with some four pegs, however six stings depicted. The neck shows seven frets while the bridge is positioned below the F holes. There may even be a little endpin at the bottom of the instrument. Lady Harmony plays a large and well arched bow with an underhand style.
• Iconologia itself is essentially a comprehensive catalog-dictionary of emblematical representations and personifications among which Armonia (Harmony), and by some chance, is commonly presented with larger period stringed instrument. The organological class of these instruments is not always the same, and it varies from the Lirone type that were featured in Ripa editions of 1603, 1611 and 1636, to the one presented here which appears closer to a period Violone.
• The text that accompanies the Dutch edition Harmonia chapter, mentions again the source painting at the Palace of the Grand Duke of Florence. Here we offer the affiliated text in Dutch with translation for both the 1644 and 1699 editions, since the image is the same but the affiliated text is not.
–
Dutch (1644)
Harmonia. Musical geluyt, gelijck die
geschildert is te Florenzen van den Groot-Herzog Ferdinando.
Een feer brave en schoone longhvrouw
met een dobbelde Vioole van vijftien
snaeren, hebbende een kroone op ‘t hoofd,
met seven eedelgesteenten, die al gelijeck
zijn, het kleed sal zijn van seven verscheyden
verwen, geheel met gout geciert, en met
veelerleye eedelgesteenren omset.
–
English Translation (1644)
Harmony. Musical sound, similar to
the one painted in Florence by Gross-Herzog Ferdinando.
A very brave and beautiful long lady
with a double Viole of fifteen
strings, having a crown on her head,
with seven precious stones, which all equal
are, the garment shall be of seven different
(verwen), entirely decorated with gold, and
with many gemstones decorated.
–
* * *
Dutch (1699)
Harmonia
Musikaal geluid
O zoet geluid, gy brengt tot rust
t’ Gemoed, en weet het op te wekken,
en als ten hemel op te trekken,
Gy zijt der Goden hoogste lust.
–
English Translation (1699)
Harmony
Musical sound
O sweet sound, ye soothe
the Mind, and know how to arouse it,
and as if going up to heaven,
Thou art the gods’ highest delight.
–
• The text for 1644 edition is apparently taken “as is” from earlier Italian editions which cite Lira Doppia and where some quindici (fifteen) strings are ascribed to the instrument. In this edition however this is not a Lirone instrument any longer, and there are only six strings. Yet regardless the number of strings, it would be of interest to find out what possible tuning did this particular Violone-like instrument from the Dutch edition use. The 1699 text is far more inspiring and indeed for the modern Violonists it may serve well as an inspiration in their quest to explore polychordal and harmonical abilities of their instrument.
Further Research:
• Further research may focus on what particular Violone instrument may this be, and how it may, or may not relate to the other bass instruments of similar proportions from this era. It would also be of interest to research further the music activities of Grand Duke Ferdinando I of Florence for any clues on the Harmony painting that resided in his palace.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further research and with hope that this may be a period Dutch Violone
–
–
1645
Das Konzert
–
Detail
–
Palamedesz, Anthonie. Das Konzert. Oil on Wood, est. 1645, Delft, Netherlands. Located at Private Collection.
–
Official Page – Auction.fr – G Cache
Image View – Auction.fr
–
Bibliography:
• Planyavsky, Alfred. Geschichte Des Kontrabasses. Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1984, p. 82 (text), p. 83 (Abb. 37)
• Anthonie Palamedesz – Wikipedia.org
• Anthonie Palamedesz – Merry Companies – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Presented is a detail from one of many “Marry Companies” genre paintings by which Palamedesz has become well know during his residency in Delft, Netherlands. Apparently many of these “Companies” also feature a variety of bass fiddles of different sizes and thus are of interest to us. Not all of them may fit the criteria of resting on the floor and standing by height to the performer’s head, but the one featured here certainly does, as we see a standing performer with an instrument that rests on the floor. This is also a proof that such larger instrument, and which approximate the size of a modern (smaller) double bass, was indeed used in Delft and Netherlands during the mid 17th century. This is the only painting by Palamedesz discovered so far that features both the standing performer and an upright instrument. The other paintings from this genre commonly feature a seated performer.
• The bass instrument displays four tuning pegs and some four strings as well. The scroll section shows a violin model type and the instrument contour points to an elongated violin form.
• Thus given the characteristics, it may not be a surprise that Planyavsky has covered this painting in his Geschichte 1984. Planyavsky claims that this instrument belongs to the Kontrabass fraternity, based on its size and number of pegs. A bit more modern approach may allow for a possibility that this is a type of period Dutch Violone which by size approximates a smaller double bass.
• In respect to the current location, provenance and authenticity of this painting the author of this site has undertaken a serious work to gather as many details as possible, but some important information is still lacking. To begin with, Planyavsky cites this painting as “nach Palamaedes (unbekannter Maler um 1610) / (Stiftelsen Nordiska Museet, Stockholm).” Translated: “after Palamedes (unknown painter about 1610 / (Stiftelsen Nordiska Museet, Stockholm)”. The initial search at Nordiska Museet, Stokholm and the affiliated digitaltmuseum.se has not yielded any information on this painting. The general online search however has uncovered this painting at the Auction.fr page as: Lot 3226, December 2014 (A135) at Schuler Auktionen AG which was ascribed to Anthonie Palamedesz, yet without a date attribution. This auction site page however is not longer available, but it exists now only as a Google cache, which itself may disappear after some time. Thus the links provided may prove unreliable in the future beyond the offered image.
• In respect to the identity of the very painting presented here vs. the one presented in Planyavsky, they appear very similar, but pending on the contrast setting, some details appear different as well. (you are welcome to see the image in Planyavsky yourself and make your own judgment). Thus, there is a possibility that either of these paintings may be a copy of the other, and which in turn brings a point of the original artwork, and the follow up one.
• Lastly, the dating. Planyavsky cites the date of this painting to “about 1610” which would be too early for Palamedesz who was born in 1602. Therefore, for this listing it was decided to affiliate it with the similar Palamedesz painting whose dating has been determined more accurately, which is the Musizierende Gesellschaft of 1645-1650 that follows in the next record.
Further Research:
• The first priority should be to determine the provenance of this painting in the Nordiska Museet, Stockholm and then follow on with any additional information the auction house may offer. Likewise, a wide overview of all Palamedesz’ Merry Companies with all floor resting bass fiddles should be undertaken as well, in order to make a selection for the further study of the big fiddles in Netherlands of 17th century.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Likely a period Dutch Violone of a kind.
–
–
1645
Musizierende Gesellschaft
–
Detail
–
Palamedesz, Anthonie. Musizierende Gesellschaft (Music Making Company). Oil on Wood, 1645-1650, Delft, Netherlands. Located at Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, i.n. SG 512.
–
Official Page – Staedelmuseum.de
–
Bibliography:
• Planyavsky, Alfred. Geschichte Des Kontrabasses. Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1984, p. 82 (text), p. 83 (Abb. 37)
• Anthonie Palamedesz – Wikipedia.org
• Anthonie Palamedesz – Merry Companies – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Presented is a detail from one of many Marry Companies paintings by which Palamedesz has become know during his residency in Delft, Netherlands. Apparently this painting genre was very popular, so by chance many of these “Companies” also feature a variety of bass fiddlers with their fiddles as well. Not all of them may fit the criteria of resting on the floor and standing by height to the performer’s head, but this one certainly does and is a proof that such larger instrument were indeed used in Delft and Netherlands during the mid 17th century.
• This image depicts a bass instrumentalist from the back and while he plays his large fiddle in a seated position. The bass fiddle displays some six tuning pegs, so likely it is a six stringed instrument as well. The scroll section shows a nice violin model type of the scroll and also the details of the lower bouts which can be seen beneath the chair also point to a violin form shape.
• As mentioned this is not the only Palamedesz painting that features a bass fiddle but it is the one that has been covered by Planyavsky in his Geschichte 1984. Planyavsky claims that this instrument belongs to the Kontrabass fraternity, based on its size and number of pegs. A bit more modern approach may allow for a possibility that this is a type of period Dutch Violone that by size approximates a smaller double bass. Now, considering our modern access to the innumerable other images on the net it may take some time to find out how many other Palamedesz paintings may be out there that feature larger, floor resting, fiddles that may be of interest to include in this listing and systematize further.
• Also as a curiosity, Anthonie Palamedesz has had a brother whose first name was Palamedes, so the same as the last name but without the last “z.” He was apparently also a painter, thus if you encounter a Palamedes Palamedesz cited anywhere, it is not a spelling mistake but a brother of Anthonie Palamedesz.
Further Research:
• A wide coverage of all Palamenidesz’ Merry Companies with all floor resting fiddles should be undertaken, in order to find out how many of them relevant for the study of big bass fiddles in the Netherlands of the 17th century.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Likely a period Dutch Violone of a kind.
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–
1646
The Concert
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Lely, Peter. The Concert. Oil Painting, 1746-1749, commonly dates as late1640s, Lodon, England. Located at The Courtauld Gallery, London, England, a.n. P.1947.LF.216
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Official Page – Artuk.org
Image View – Artuk.org
Info Page – Artuk.org (offers some details on the painting and the instrument)
“A Lyrical Vision” Exhibition Page – Courtauld.ac.uk (offers deatiled painting description)
“A Lyrical Vision” Exhibition Journal Review – Theartsdesk.com (offers a review of an exhibition including The Concert painting)
Official Page – Courtauld.ac.uk (lacks picture notes)
Image View – Courtuld.ac.uk
Info Page – Flickr.com (excellent notes)
Peter Lely Violone – Wikipedia.org (image detail)
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Bibliography:
• Peter Lely – Wikipedia.org
• Peter Lely – Artuk.org
• Morton, Joelle “The Early History and Use of the G Violone” Journal of the Viola da Gamba Society of America vol. 36, 1999, pp. 58-60. Download Link (pages refer to the section dedicated to Lely’s Painting)
Notes:
• Presented is one of the most striking images related to the bass iconography as it features the famous court painter Pieter Leley himself as playing a period bass instrument. Leley was otherwise known as court portrait painter, but also by a rather liberal approach with some of his painting compositions and sometimes even a sexual connotation, which to a degree this painting suggest as well. Lely was also interested in musical subjects and music, so there is a good chance that he actually played a bass viol of a kind as depicted here. Otherwise, this painting is a bit challenging to decipher in a general overview, as it seems to combine personal, mythological and allegorical elements together.
• This painting is dated by official sources as “late 1640s” and produced in London, England. Lely’s arrival at England is not universally agreed up on, and pending on the source it may be 1641 or 1643, so correspondingly this painting may have originated in 1646-1649 period, if the available dating estimates were to be narrowed. For now it was decided to simply list it as 1646 until one day a better estimate is available.
• In respect to bass iconography we see a bass instrument with some five pegs and five strings (see video 1:07). So it is not a six stringed instrument. The outline of the instrument otherwise suggests a violin form. The other interesting detail is the color of the fingerboard and the tailpiece, which are both black, and which may indicate that they were made of ebony, as with the modern instruments of violin family. That approach was not common at that period, where you may commonly see that the tailpiece and the fingerboard made out of ordinary wood and matching the color of the instrument. Also, Lely’s instrument appears to be set without any gut frets (video 1:09), which again is a more modern approach and differs from the standard bass viol setup of 17th century. On the first sight thought this instrument appears as a typical six stringed G Violone used in period ensembles today, but perhaps a further analysis may yield more to the actual setup and nature of this instrument.
• The bow hold depicted is relatively standard for upright viols (at least the way it is commonly held today) with exception that the hand is very close to, if not touching the frog.
Further Research:
• Given the prominence of Peter Lely, and considering the available period documentation and along the modern research on him and his activities, it would be of interest to focus on his musical contacts and musical activities if there is a record of these. If indeed he was a bass violonist of some skill, then some record of his playing should exists separate from this unique painting. That data may offer us more info on the Lely and the actual instrument we see here.
Other Media:
• Painting – Guided tour Video – Courtauld Gallery
This is an official presentation of the The Concert painting by the Courtauld Gallery in London. The painting coverage starts at 0:52 and offers the general overview of the artist and the symbolism that the details of this artwork offer. In the video this painting is again dated as c. 1650 at 0:56, so yet another date option is available.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization. Likely a period English mid sized Violone, unless called otherwise by contemporaries.
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1649
Peace and Joy Meal
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Detail
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Kilian, Wolfgang. Peace and Joy Meal. Full title in German: Aigentliche Abbildung deß Fried- und Freüden-Mahls (An Actual Illustration of the Peace and Joy Meal). Copper Engraving, 1649, Nürnberg, Germany. Located at Located at Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig, Germany, m.n. WKilian AB 1.246.
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Official Page – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM)
Image View – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM)
Image View – Stanford.edu (color)
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Bibliography:
• Wolfgang Kilian – Wikipedia.org
• Wofgang Kilian – Wikipedia.de
• Lukas and Wolfgang Kilian – Hollstein.com
Notes:
• This engraving apparently depicts a meeting of notable Nürnberg citizens during the public meal assembly at the city hall on September 25, 1649. It is in fact quite rare that period music iconography can be associated with an actual date, but here we have one indeed. Moreover, since the occasion was solemn and meant to be preserved in memory by this engraving (similarly to the modern public gathering photos), many of the citizens are cited and their images actually designated with numbers on this print.
• However, one may wish that the musicians would have been mentioned and numbered as well.
• The musicians are well visible on the balcony of this festive room, and among them at the front; a standing player of what to appears to be a smaller sized stringed bass instrument. Unfortunately, the balcony balustrade covers the bottom section of this instrument, so we can not discern whether this instrument was standing on the ground, or was positioned on a small podium, which was also the custom at the time.
• The instrument itself shows six or seven pegs, implying as many strings. It also has a slanted and curved scroll box. So this is an older type of bass fiddle.
• This image is also mentioned in an article by Camille Brown:
Brown, Camille “Study of 17th-Century Food and Dining Practices yields compelling cultural Information about a Society struggling to rebuild after the Thirty Years War. Note: They Ate a Lot of Meat, and Everyone Drank Beer.” Stanford News, Stanford Report, March 23, 2012 (online) – Article Link – IA.
Although the article is not related to music, it offers a colored version of this engraving that may also come from the 17the century. Otherwise, the article itself offers much good information on the context of times and eating habits that this engraving presents.
Further Research:
• It would be nice to locate the colored version of this engraving and see when and how it may have originated.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
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–
1650
Musicians on Balcony
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Full View
Detail
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Borgonio, Giovanni Tommasso. Musicians on Balcony at the Gli Hercoli domatori de’ Mostri, et Amore domatore degli Hercoli (Hercules, the tamer of Monsters, and Love the Tamer of Hercules), Alessandro Federico Cuarelij: Torino, 1650.
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The official online image not available
Image View – Castellonplaza.com
Image View – Codolario.com
Image View – Fundacioncajacastellon.es
Image View – Kimballtrombone.com
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Bibliography:
• The International Musicological Society Conference, Study Group on Musical Iconography in European Art “The Courts In Europe, Musical Iconography And Princely Power, Le Corti In Europa, Iconografia Musicale E Potere Principesco,” Archivio di Stato, Piazzetta Mollino, 2, 23-25 May 2011, Torino. Pdf Download
• Book Record in the Biblioteca Reale, Torino Record Link
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 24, Fig. 16 “Large group of musicians with the double bass in the foreground”
Notes:
• This image presents a larger bass instrument with a peg box and scroll standing above the musicians’ heads. That may imply a larger stringed instrument that approximates the size of a modern double bass, if we assume that all performers are standing. An interesting detail however in the image with greater augmentation shows that this bass instrument has actually five strings. So perhaps this may also be a period Italian Violone of a kind.
• It is however difficult to figure the general proportions in this entire composition, as the size of musicians in respect to the structure is obviously augmented, thus the proportions are already distorted.
• Although an attempt was made to locate a scanned copy of this work in order to provide a direct link to the image, such a scan was not located.
• The exact location of this image in the book is yet to be determined.
• After searching the OPAC SBN, it appears that there are only two registered copies of this book in Italy.
Instrument Type:
• Double Bass (with assumption that instrument is resting on the ground) or a period Italian Violone type.
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–
1650
Musical Gathering
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Detail
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Janssens, Hieronymus. Musical Gathering. Oil Painting, est. 1650, Antwerp, Belgium. Located at Private Collection.
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Official Page – Meisterdrucke.uk
Image View – Meisterducke.uk
Official Page – Rkd.nl
Image View – Rkd.nl
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Bibliography:
• Hieronymus Janssens – Wikipedia.org
• Hieronymus Janssens – Wga.hu
Notes:
• This lovely musical gathering detail comes from a painting by Hieronymus Janssens that could not be traced to any official source available online. The initial search has only brought up the Meisterdrucke.uk page, which is commercial in nature and the Rkd.nl record which is a type of bibliographic memento, that again does not offer any relevant details on the painting itself. Form all the information gathered, it appears that this painting was sold by Sotheby’s 1996 and the present whereabouts of this artwork are unknown, so likely it may reside in a private collection.
• In respect to bass iconography this painting offers a unique view on the standing period bass instrumentalist how plays a larger bass fiddle which reminds very much of a modern double bass, both in size and it playing position.
• This instrument offers some three, possibly four pegs (the resolution is not ideal), likely as many strings, a rather short fingerboard without visible frets, a bridge set in the middle of F holes’ vertical span, while the lower side of the instrument is not visible. A conjecture would imply that this instrument likely rests on a wood endpin, although certainly it may rest on a small podium or a stool if an endpin was missing. The overall shape of this instrument appears to be a modified violin design outline and the scroll section also looks very much of a violin form.
• The bow hold and a general position of an instrumentalist appears very modern and double bass like as this instrument is not performed in a slanted way as many other of this time are, but rather upright as the modern bass players would approach it. The bow hold appears to be of an underhand type and it reminds of a modern German bow hold type.
• Looking from a pure composition perspective this painting offers some elements that eerily resemble the “set pieces” we can see in the Vermeyen – Musicierend Gezelschap – 1520 , which should predate Janssens’ by some hundred and twenty years. For example, there is a fallen chair, than a jug resting on the floor and finally a hat on the floor. This could be a mannerist tradition that has persisted in Flemish paintings over the decades, although in Janssens’ work the bassist certainly does not play from a music that leans on a hat, but rather from a memory.
• The title for this entry was summarized from the picture content and does not rely on either the meisterdrucke.uk or the rkd.nl titles, both of which differ and are simply descriptive of the picture’s content in their own way. Once the location and or the official title by which this picture is called by the present owner, or was titled the auction house is determined, than likely the amended title may be offered here as well.
• In respect to dating no online source offers any guidance on the possible timeframe for this work so it was decided to simply place the date in the middle of Janssens’ extant dated paintings, and which range from 1646 to 1661 (source wikipedia Janssens), thus 1650 was selected. If the further inquiry produces a better date estimate, or even a direct information on the year that may be marked on the painting, then the date will certainly be amended.
Further Research:
• The paintings’ opus of Hieronymus Janssens offers several other artworks which present musical ensembles and among them the bass fiddles of various sizes. It would be good to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of all these artworks and make a systematization of the bass fiddles in them. Many of them are of a smaller type that resemble a violoncello by initial appearance, but in general these will be larger than cello and commonly will rest on the ground without any endpin visible. So these instruments may be better described as bass violins of a type. Further evaluation of all sources may then bring the additional entries even to this listing.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period Flemish Violone of a kind
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–
1650
Musurgia Universalis / Violone
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Full Page View
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Kircher, Athanasius S.J. Violone in Musurgia Universalis Sive Ars Magna Consoni et Dissoni in X. Libros Digesta; Bd. 1: Quà Universa Sonorum doctrina, & Philosophia, Musicaeque tam Theoricae, quam Practicae Scientia, Summa Varietate Traditur. Liber Sextus (Bk. 6), Roma: Haeredum Francisci Corbelletti, 1650. Violone drawing, table “Iconismus VIII”, Fol. 487, designated “I. Figura / Chelys maioris.” Relevant text which describes depicted instruments pp. 486-487. Page Link – ECHO
Title Translated:
The Universal Musical Art, of the Great Art of Consonance and Dissonance in X Books Presented
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Official Page – ECHO
Image View – ECHO
Official Page – Hathitrust
English Translation – Iowa Research Online (starts page 67)
This is a digitized copy of Crane, Frederick Baron. Athanasius Kircher, Musurgia Universalis (Rome, 1650): The Section on Musical Instruments. M.A. Thesis, State University of Iowa, 1956. “Explanation of Figures Contained in plate VIII” p. 67 of the document.
Record Link – Iro.iowa.edu
Although this MA Thesis dates back to 1957, it offers accurate English translation of the text which pertains to the Folio 487 illustration.
German Translation – HMTFM Leipzig
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* * *
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Kircher Athanasius and Andreas Hirsch. Violone in Kircherus Jesuita Germanus Germaniae Redonatus : Sive Artis Magnae De Consono & Dißono Ars Minor ; Das Ist Philosophischer Extract Und Auszug Aus Deß Welt-Berühmten Teutschen Jesuitens Athanasii Kircheri Von Fulda Musurgia Universali in Sechs Bücher Verfasset Darinnen Die Gantze Philosophische Lehr Und Kunst-Wissenschaft Von Den Sonis Wie Auch Der so Wol Theoretisch- Als Practischen Music Mit Höchster Varietät Geoffenbaret … Und Vor Augen Gestellet Wird. Gräter 1662. p. 109.
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Official Page – MDZ (Baß-Violon, p. 109)
Official Record – MDZ
Official Record – WorldCat
–
Bibliography:
• Athanasius Kircher – Wikipedia.org
• Musurgia Universalis – Wikipedia.org
• Planyavsky, Alfred. Geschichte Des Kontrabasses. Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1984, p. 93-94 (text), p. 95 (Abb. 41).
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, pp. 84-85.
• Musurgia Instrumentalis at ABP Treatises page with additional bibliography and comments at ABP Treatises – Kircher – Misurgia
Notes:
• Presented is a table “Iconismus VIII, Fol. 487” which is a part of the chapter dedicated to the stringed instruments named De Chelybus, sine Violis (On the Chelys, without Viols). Here the Chelys means the stringed instrument, although it is etymologically derived from the Greek for tortoise, and whose shell was originally part of the tortoise sound box in ancient Greek lyres (reference Chelys – Wiki). So, ages later, it has become synonym for stringed instruments, and by chance here in Kircher also in the chapter that covers a period Violone type.
• What we see in the table are several stringed instruments that to our modern concept belong to both the “violin form” and the “viols.” At the time, obviously these were combined in one picture to make a point, while the general purpose of this large Kircher’s work was to accumulate all the period knowledge on music and along all stringed instruments, in order to present it methodically for the audiences of his time. So, fortunately for us, he was able to get us some data on the period bass fiddles as well. Unfortunately for us (bass enthusiasts), his tuning description has left some space for interpretation which should be clarified further, if possible.
• So, in respect to bass iconography we see in the middle row three larger stringed instruments titled on the plate as:
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I. Figura / Chelys MaiorisIII. Figura / Chelys HexachordaeV. Figura / Lyra Dodecachordae.
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Translated:
Figure I. / Fiddle LargeFigure III / Fiddle Six-stringedFigure V. Lyra Tewelve-stringed
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Now, each of these also comes with the tuning presented in a modern staff system where “ↄ:” represents an F clef. Thus if we follow the logic that the F clef may represent a unified register (at least for the three big fiddles presented), this is what the tunings come to:
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I. Fiddle Large: G1, D, A, eIII. Fiddle Six Stringed D, G, c, e, a, d’V. Lyra Tewelve-stringed: F, D, G, d (etc)
L’accordo del Violone
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• The “III . Fiddle Six Stringed” tuning is an exact tuning of the bass viola da gamba (see tuning list Viol – Tuning – Wikipedia.org). The “I. Fiddle Large (Violone)” however does not correspond to any known present-day bass tuning, but it does overlap with a 19th century three string double bass tuning in fifths which was G1, D, A without the top “e” string. This interpretation of a register is supported by Planyavsky in both his 1984 and 1998 editions, but may not be universally accepted. The other argument is that since the instrument appears smaller than the common modern bass, the tuning should actually read G, d, a, e’ and which would sound a fifth above the modern violoncello tuning. This argument commonly takes a stand that the instrument depicted here is just too small looking for a 16 foot register as it looks even smaller than the bass gamba depicted in this image. Yet again, the argument against this thesis is that very likely these instruments were not drawn up to the scale here and that the “I. Fiddle Large (Violone)” has in reality looked much bigger than the bass gamba. Either way, there is one other argument that may corroborate the thesis that in fact we see here a 16 foot register Violone. This argument can be deduced from the text citation of Violone in Kircher’s 1662 edition on p. 109 page link . There you may see a repetition of the Violone tuning from the above, but cited all in capital letters , while the Figure III / Fiddle Six-stringed (Bass Gamba) in Italian tuning on p. 110 page link , is cited in a combination of capital and small letters thus indicating a combination of registers. Otherwise why would they bother to mix the capital and small letters in the print if they did not wish to emphasize a register change in the same way that we differentiate registers today?
• Lastly, please take a look at the VII. Monochordon at the very bottom of the page. This should be Tromba Marina. Does this instrument look up the scale with the Hurdy-Gurdy (VI. Lyra Mendicorym) or any other instruments depicted, as it certainly should be the longest (tallest) of them all? As with the other instruments presented, it seems that Tromba Marina was depicted here only as an illustration of its shape, but not of its proportions when compared to the other instruments. References Monochord – Wiki and Tromba Marina – Wiki.
• For an orientation on the register nomenclature used on this page, please see Pitch Scale Table.
Further Research:
• As one of the first encyclopedic works which presents music and musical instruments, Kirchner’s Musurgia Universalis certainly deserves a further consideration and overview in respect to all stringed instruments, including those that are mentioned in the other period treatises, such as Praetorius’ for example.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ]
Instrument Type:
• A 17th century four stringed Violone type.
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–
1650
Young Musician
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Detail
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Mola, Pier Francesco. Young Musician. Museum Title: Giovane Suonatore di Viola da Gamba, Metà XVII Secolo Oil Painting (Young Player of Viola da Gamba, Mid 17th Century), est. 1650, Rome, Italy. Located at Museo d’arte della Svizzera Italiana Lugano (MASIL), Lugano, Switzerland, i.n. MCA1987/0810.
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Official Page – Museo d’arte della Svizzera Italiana Lugano (MASIL) – Search Engine
Unfortunately, the MASIL Museum does not offer direct links to their paintings’ pages, although these do exist. To access this Painting in MASIL digital database, click the Serch Engine link above, then select “Mola, Pier Francesco” in the Artist field (simply start typing in “Mola” and the rest will fill in). Then hit “Enter” or click “Search,” and you will get all the Mola’s paintings. Select “Giovane Suonatore” and you will get the official page for this painting.
Official Page – Christies.com
Image View – Christies.com
Image View – Artes.com
Article Link – Artribune.com (mentions “Young Musician”)
Image View – Artribune.com
Official Page – Kunst-fuer-alle.de (commercial)
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Bibliography:
• Pier Francesco Mola – Wikipedia.org
• Pier Francesco Mola – Museothyssen.org
Notes:
• Presented is a young musician while playing a stringed bass instrument which is designated as Viola da Gamba by auction houses and museum that houses it now. Yet, the form of this instrument may not fit the typical form of viola da gamba and the number of strings and some other details on this painting may also point to an instrument that should have stronger string bass roots.
• The performer is depicted in a seated position, yet he may be seated so low that the top of instrument extends above his head by a large margin. Otherwise this instrument appears to be of larger dimensions than a typical viola da gamba, although does rest on the player’s calves, and not the ground.
• The other interesting characteristic of this instrument is its very outline, which reminds a lot of the modern double basses form, although it certainly predates most of them by a great margin. This is not a typical viola da gamba outline and can be classified as a violin form.
• Additionally, the bridge in this instrument is placed at the middle position of the F holes height, which is a modern setup, and not the typical one for the 17th century.
• This instrument feratures some six tuning pegs, but curiously there are some nine (9) strings depicted, which is a puzzle as viola da gamba seems to be equipped mostly with up to seven strings (source Viol – Tuning – Wikipedia.org and Tunings – Viola da Gamba Society of America). So in that respect this instrument appears to be more of a Lirone instrument, then either Gamba or Violone.
• There is however one other element which appears to have been added later, or perhaps was not well thought at the first place. That is the “fingerboard extension” that appears to go straight up from where we would expect the nut at the bottom of the scroll section, and which ends at the level of the bottom left peg. Thus either is this element was a later addition, or perhaps some other sections on this painting may have been adjusted through the time.
• Moreover, and pending the available image (!) this instrument may or may not show gut frets. So how this possible if the source should be the same? The author if this site really does not have an answer to this puzzle unless the image manipulation was do strong with some presentations that the frets have simply lost themselves in the process. As far as the image featured on the official Museo d’arte della Svizzera Italiana Lugano page, that one does not show any frets.
• The bow hold presented is more along the lines of a typical stringed bass instrument hold that you may see in the other images here, which is at or around the frog section, than the standard da gamba hold which up the stick Illustration Sample – is.ed.ac.uk.
• The dating for this image was derived by a simple equation of the official museum approximation which states “Mid 17th Century,” thus 1650. Other online sources do not go as far but simply cite the Mola’s life span years. In respect to a location where this painting was made, if we consider that the year was 1650 than, certainly in Rome, id some time prior to that than possibly some place in North Italy, including Bologna and Venice (source Museothyssen.org).
• In summary this instrument may show a degree of similarity with Violone featured at Majer – Violone – 1732 although it predates it by some eighty years.
Further Research:
• It would be nice if the curators and specialists on Mola’s opus would analyze this painting for possible information on any alterations or other clues of its origin. In respect to bass organology, it would be of interest to compare all bass instruments and Violones that show similar characteristics in order that possibly an instrument building school for this instrument may be determined and also at what type span it may have been made. Mola did leave few other paintings and sketches where bass fiddles and large period stringed instruments where depicted and these should be considered while evaluating this painting.
• On this painting we find a smaller bass fiddle, yet with five strings, a very low bridge setup and a small rosetta (or a hole) below the fingerboard. This image is titled Omero (Homer) – source Wikimedia.org.
• Furthermore, there is another image of Homer depicted by Mola has depicted, and this one shows venerable poet with a multistringed Lirone type of instrument, as seen in the Fondazionezeri.unibo.it and Meisterduke.es pages.
• Mola has also left two sketches of the larger stringed bass instruments played in seated position located now in Rijsk Museum Amserdam. The museum titles them as viola da gamba, but they may look a bit larger than the common gambas as we know them today. The first one is a drawing sketch that features an instrument similar to the one featured in Young Musician, yet with the larger upper bouts. The performers collar in this drawing is similar to the one we see at the Young Musician, so possibly this may have been a draft intended for the Young Musician? Viola da Gamba Spieler, en Face – Rijskmuseum.nl . The second sketch also shows a seated performer but from a little different perspective, yet also with similarities in clothing that we note in the Young Musician, so possibly this one as well may have served as a preparatory drawing for the final painting? Viola da Gamba Spieler, direktwart – Rijskmuseum.nl .
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• A period Italian Violone of a kind.
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–
1652
Musicians and Dancers
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Detail
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Anonym. Musicians and Dancers. Painted glass humpen, 1652, Unknown, Bohemia. Located at private collection.
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Official Page – Sothebys.com
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Bibliography:
• place for future bibliographic entires
Notes:
• Depicted are three musicians, of whom the one on the very left and the very right perform on a man sized bass instruments which rest on the ground. The entire scene is depicted on a Bohemian humpen of 1652. The very scene however reminds a lot of both Amman – Drey Geiger – 1568 and Solis – Nach der Music – 1562 woodcuts. In fact the Sotheby’s page states that this image is “taken directly from a woodblock by Jost Amman’s (‘Ständebuch’, Frankfurt am Main 1568)” which would be Drey Geiger.
• Well said, however there are actually some details in this image that differentiate it from the Drey Geiger. For example, here the instrument on the right has four strings, while Amman has three. This one has a round hole, or a rosetta right below the fingerboard, while Amman does not depict any. Lastly, here in the middle of the tailpiece we see an unusual round ornament while Amman lacks it. Thus if we take it altogether, perhaps this is an enhanced Amman’s image, yet why and how, would be of interest to find out. In any event, this mage is already depicting antiquated instruments in 1652, although some of them may have survived in the tavern settings that in fact this humpen implies.
• The image title says Got Mein Trost Der Mich Erlöst which in translation may mean God is my Consolation, and the One who Redeems Me. Yet, since the title is located on humpen, there is a good chance that the Trost means actually Durst (thirst), in which case the entire message may read God (help me) quench my Thirst.
Further Research:
• This image sample may certainly help in systematizing all 16th century instrument types that are still being depicted in the 17th century iconography.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• An older type of 16th century bass instrument awaiting systematization.
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–
1652
Mode Sous-Dorien
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Gaultier, Denis. Mode Sous-Dorien, in La Rhétorique des Dieux, Drawing Print, ca. 1652, Paris, France. Held by Staatliche Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Kupferstichkabinett, MS. 78 C 12.
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Official Image Page – Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Image View – Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Record Link – Bibliothèque Nationale de France
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Bibliography:
• Denis Gaultier – Wikipedia.org
• Gaultier, Denis. La Rhétorique des Dieux, geschrieben von Belluchau und Damoiselet für Anne de Chambré. Staatliche Museen zu Belin,
Manuscript, Record page – Official Record – SMB (no images available)
• Gaultier, Denis. La Rhétorique des Dieux : ca. 1652, Fac-similé de Manuscrit du Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin, 78 C 12.
Manuscript Facsimile Edition, Geneve: Editions Minkoff, 1991. Record Link – WoldCat
This facsimile may present all the engraving images attached to the original manuscript, including the Mode Sous Dorien featured here.
• Gaultier, Denis. La Rhetorique Des Dieux.
Modern Edition. Edited by David J. Buch. Madison: A-R Editions, 1990. A & R Editions Page
This is a well researched modern edition that may offer additional information on the manuscript content. Check “Abstract” tab for additional info and “Contents” tab for the actual contents including the II. Sour Dorien suite, which this image illustrates.
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 68 (text), p. 69, Fig. 35 (Tenor, bass and double bass gamba, Gaultier, 1655).
Notes:
• This image has proven difficult to trace in the online scan of the integral work La Rhétorique des Dieux, which should be held by the Staatliche Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz. Instead, it was located at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, which we offer at the links above.
• The Rhétorique des Dieux is otherwise a manuscript collection of lute pieces compiled under the patronage of Anne de Chambré, that also contains engravings by Le Sueur, Abraham Bosse and Robert de Nanteuil (source Gautier, Wiki). So, if we look at this particular engraving for any sign of authorship, we may note a small “B” at the lower right corner of the image. Possibly that may indicate Abraham Bosse as the author, and in that respect the Bibliothèque Nationale de France agrees, since they also cite A. Bosse as the author.
• In respect to dating of this work, there are some variants, but the 1652 was selected following the Editions Minkoff Facsimile edition title date, although they also add the suffix “ca.” to the year. The Bibliothèque Nationale de France however offers no 17th century date for this image at all. The official record by Staatliche Museen zu Berlin states 1660 to 1670. Planyavsky, according to his source dates it 1655.
• In respect to bass iconography, depicted are two viol players with two viols of different sizes where the “Fairy” performer in “da gamba” style while the angel to the right performs in standing position. For us, to the right is of interest. Yet, the question immediately arises of how large both of these instruments were in reality. If we observe both instruments in respect to normal humans, the instrument on the right could be considered as man-sized, and particularly if the angel is standing. Yet, even if the angel is seated, as the “fairy” on the left is, the instrument is still of larger proportions.
• In respect to what we actually see, the stringed bass instrument on the right is played by resting on the ground and has six strings, six pegs, eight frets and two C holes. Its bridge is positioned on the lower line of the C holes. The instrument is played in a tilted position. Also, one interesting aspect of this image is a noted disproportion between the sizes of the lutes, harps and cornette depicted at the front of the image, versus the two stringed instruments in the back. So, perhaps the author wanted to leave us an impression of perspective as the front instruments are bigger while the two that on the stage are further away and should be smaller. If indeed that is the way to perceive this image, then the characteristics of the bass instrument presented on the right are such that it merits inclusion here.
Further Research:
• For the further research, it would be good to find the exact location of this image in the original source that resides at Staatliche Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz, and investigate the context in which these images were presented, and particularly given that the work is dedicated solely to the lute music. It would also be of interest to contemplate if the pieces from La Rhétorique des Dieux collection were ever meant to be performed with an accompaniment?
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization.
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1652
Die Hochzeit zu Kana
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Detail
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Schönfeld, Johann Heinrich. Die Hochzeit zu Kana (Wedding at Kana). Oil Painting, after 1652, Augsburg, Germany. Located at State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia, i.n. ГЭ-5357.
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Official Page – Hermitagemuseum.org
Image View – Hermitagemuseum.org
Official Page – Zeno.org
Image View – Zeno.org (smaller size)
Official Page – Wikimedia.org
Image View – Wikimedia.org
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Bibliography:
• Johann Heinrich Schönfeld – Wikipedia.org
• Johann Heinrich Schönfeld – Britishmuseum.org
• Johann Heinrich Schönfeld – Wga.hu
Notes:
• Presented is a well known biblical scene of Wedding at Cana which in this instance is accompanied by a small ensemble consisting of a flutist, fiddle player and exquisitely depicted bass instrumentalist.
• The depicted instrument shows some unique characteristics that may possibly help us identify the other such instruments and also the location where this painting may have been created. This instrument is played in seated position while it rests on the floor. The length of the instrument is such that the section of its upper neck, along with the scroll box, extends above the performer’s head, so this implies a longer instrument.
• Visible is also an older type of a slanted and curved scroll box section, although its “slant & curve” are not as well emphasized as in the true 16th century instruments. There are some four pegs visible, yet there may be some four or five strings depicted so it may be a five stringed instrument as well. The front plate shows two elongated F holes and a small bridge set quite lower than the plate holes. The ribs of this instrument appear relatively thin. The general body outline of this instrument points to a rather elongated violin form of a kind, and the overall appearance of this instrument implies (again) a unique elongated form.
• In respect to a location where this painting was possibly made the official hermitage Museum page offers no specific year beyond the 17th century designation. The Zeno.org source dates it to “after 1652” which should be the year when Schönfeld was married and have moved to Augsburg, so the Augsburg has selected as a location for this listing. However, the wider online search has produced scholarly books on Schönfeld that respectively date this painting from ca. 1645, so the time Schönfeld was in Italy (Ursula Zeller, Johann Heinrich Schönfeld, 2009, p. 61), to 1670 when Schönfeld was in Augsburg (Herbert Pée, Johann Heinrich Schönfeld, 1971, p. 57). Now given, that the very painting represents a wedding, just perhaps this artwork may have been created in the year when Schönfeld has married himslef, and that would be 1652 which is cited here. Otherwise, let the further research bring any additional insights that concern the dating.
• In regard to the other similar instruments featured here, this instrument shows similarities to Bramer – Allegorie der Eitelkeit – 1640 (Netherlands) although Bramer’s instrument has thicker ribs, and definitely his own Schönfeld – Musik Unterhaltung – 1670 which shows almost an identical instrument, yet in a different interior.
Further Research:
• It would be nice to peruse in detail all scholarly books and articles on Schönfeld, and figure the latest on the chronology of his extant works and their places of creation so that one may get a beter idea on where this particular painting may fit within Schönfeld’s chronology. Likewise, it would be of interest to see if there is any extant documentation which indicates Schönfeld’s affiliation with period musicians, whether in Italy or later in Augsburg. The Schönfeld Wga.hu biography states: “it is only after he settled in Augsburg in 1652 that his development can be traced through dated works” and this infromation should be taken into an account with Wedding at Kana as it appears that this painting may not be dated?
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• An older transitional type of 17th century bass instrument awaiting systematization.
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1658
Concerto in Casa Lazzari
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Painting
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Detail – Sister Serafina with Violone
Detail – Bridge and Strings on the Violone
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Martinelli, Girolamo. Concerto in Casa Lazzari (Concerto in the Home of Lazzari). Painting, 1658, or wider 1650-1661, Capri, Italy. Located at Museo Palazzo dei Pio, Carpi, Italy, n. A/751.
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Official Page – Bbcc.ibc.regione.emilia-romagna.it – Offical URL (different)
Image View – Bbcc.ibc.regione.emilia-romagna.it
Home Page – Palazzodeipio.it (offers only the paintings’ listing)
Record Page – Culturaitalia.it (cites 1658)
Image Detail – Pinterest.com
Image Detail – Stringking.net – Source Page – Stringking.net
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Bibliography:
• Santa Chiara, Carpi – Wikipedia.org
• Violone in G, Facebook Group – Concerto in Casa Lazzari. Posted on October 15, 2013 – Post Link
Notes:
• Presented is a group portrait of family Lazzari from the city of Carpi while they performed together at home. The central figure is the father of the family Andrea di Giacomo Lazzari, whom we see playing the violin. Both to his right and left are presented his sons and daughters. To the very right (our view) we see his son Antonio, a Canon at the local church, who plays violoncello sideways by holding it on his lap. To the very left (our view) we see his daughter Paola, devotional Sister Serafina of the Santa Chiara convent, who plays a period Violone.
• This painting is very unique for the 17th century, as all the members of the ensemble can be identified. It also appears that all of them are in some way affiliated with the church. The father Andrea Lazzari was however a silk merchant, and apparently very successful one, while his passion was music (source the museum Official Page).
• All of the above indeed offers plenty of materials to consider in respect to both the bass iconography and the period music practice.
• In respect to bass iconography, the instrument which Sister Serafina plays in seated position, appears to be a mid sized, six stringed violone that features a body with a guitar outline. This instrument rests on the floor while its top reaches slightly above Sister Serafina’s head. The front plate shows two F holes and the bridge set at about the middle of F holes span, which is where modern instruments position their bridg as well. The neck of this instrument shows some four frets, so the range may have been somewhat smaller than of those violoni that show common seven frets.
• Thus here we have a clear witness of a bass fiddle from Carpi of ca 1650-1661, as a museum’s wider estimate, or 1658 specifically, as mentioned on Museum’s “Martinelli Girolamo – Notizie” (news) date. The nature of “Notizie” would be nice to clarify if possibly, as this may be a citation of Martinelli’s own note? Otherwise, it appears that at the present there is no single biography of on the net about Girolamo Martinelli, and neither did online book search produce any document that descirbes his life and work?
Further Research:
• This painting indeed offers much to contemplate for a further research. To begin with it appears that family Lazzari had enjoyed music in their home often, so it would be nice to find out where actually their home was, and whether that building may exist today? Second, it would be good to look for any records of Lazzari’s musical activates, if by chance these records are preserved at some place. One would think that the family had stored their instruments at home, so chances are that the violone featured here may have been a part of the home inventory as well, and it would be nice if some record of such an inventory is preserved.
• Moreover, we can observe music scores in this painting, so there is a good chance that the Lazzari residence has had a small music library as well. So again, it would be nice if some record would be found to corroborate this deduction, as it would be of interest to find out more on the music they performed in their music gatherings.
• The other line of interest may concentrate on the Church and Convent of Santa Chiara in Capri, as it would be nice to find out if any period 17th century music may have remained there till our day. Furthermore, it would also be well worth to investigate the church period music activities and a possible instrumentarium that the church and the convent may have owned at the time. It would also be nice to see if Sister Serafina is mentioned in any preserved documents in Santa Chiara and whether she is mentioned as a musician as well. If she is, we may hope to find out if she played a bass fiddle in the church, and how was this bass fiddle called at the time..
• The RISM database offers registration information for some five libraries in Carpi that may hold period music, yet none of them offers any music that is catalogued in the RISM database yet. So the filed work on location in Carpi may yield new discoveries for those brave souls who would wish to undertake such a research.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period Violone type, likely Violone in G (instrument played by sister Serafina on the left)
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1660
Instruments de Musique
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Baschenis, Evaristo. Instruments de Musique (Musical Instruments). Oil Painting, c. 1660, Bergamo, Italy. Located at Musees Royeaux des Beaux Arts, Bruselles, Belgium, i.n. 3893.
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Official Page – Musees Royeaux des Beaux Arts, Bruselles – Search Engine
Unfortunately, Musees Royeaux des Beaux Arts, Bruselles do not offer direct links to their paintings’ pages, although these do exist. To access this Painting in their digital database, click the Search Engine link above, and then select “Titre” (Title) in on the tab to the right. Then enter “Instruments de musique” in the search field and activate “Rechercher” button. You will get three images, Baschenis is on the top.
Official Page – Wga.hu
Official Page – Wikimedia.org
Official Record – RIdIM
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Bibliography:
• Baschenis, Evaristo – Wga.hu
• Evaristo Baschenis – Wikipedia.org
• Evaristo Baschenis – Metmuseum.org (overview of an exhibition, excellent biography)
• Evaristo Baschenis – Italianartsociety.org
• Evaristo Baschenis – Treccani.it (in Italian)
• Evaristo Baschenis – Galerie Canesso – Baschenis Exhibition Catalog – Issuu.com Document (info p. 11)
• Poulton, Charlotte. “The Sight of Sound: Musical Instruments in the Paintings of Pietro Paolini and Evaristo Baschenis.” Music in Art, vol. 33, no. 1/2, 2008, pp. 123-35. JSTOR
• Moore, Susan. “The 17th-century Painter and Priest with a Documentarian’s Eye for Detail.” Financial Times, 23 November, 2022, Online – FT.com
Notes:
• Maestro Baschenis has indeed offered us a treasure trove of paintings that pertain to music iconography, as the good portion of his artworks represent the still-lifes of musical instruments, some of whihc also depict period bass fiddles. Otherwise, Baschenis’ painting style is characterized by great attention to detail, which certainly can help in the analysis of the featured instruments. Baschenis was also a musician who was in contact with major instrument makers of the day, and he also owned a collection of musical instruments.
• What we see here is a period Violone of a kind that rests on its top side and offers us a splendid view of its back plate along with the neck and the scroll section. Notwithstanding the fact that any reasonable musician today would never place their bass fiddle to rest on the bridge and face down, it appears that such a placement was not of a much concern at the time.
• At the peg box we note three pegs and respectively three little “ears” on the other side, so this is likely a five stringed instrument. The neck shows some seven frets, which is the common number of frets for bass fiddles. The fingerboard is of the same color as the neck and may have been carved as an extension of the neck, but the closer examination of the original painting should prove that claim further. Lastly, the back plate shows a flat back design.
• The size of this instrument is somewhat difficult to judge as we do not have a person standing by it for a reference. But we do have a violin resting right by it, so some comparative measurements could be extracted by measuring the violin and then extrapolating the possible Violone size. Also, as this instrument reminds very much by outline of a modern double bass, it is possible to perceive it as a small double bass. Yet, whether it really is that big, should be left to a more comprehensive analysis.
Further Research:
• In the field of musical instruments research, Evaristo Baschenis has already been featured in books and theses. However, which these works may be relevant to the bass fiddles study is something yet to be determined. The Financial Times online article also cites the Baschenis’ estate sale of some fourteen instruments and numerous scores, so it would be worth to peruse the records of this sale for any citation of period bass fiddles and the music which may have featured them.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period Italian Violone of a kind
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1662
Höfische Tafelrunde
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Detail 1 – Central Balcony, Left Side
Detail 2 – Right Balcony
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Anonyomus. Höfische Tafelrunde (Court’s Round Table). Copper Engraving, est. 1662, Venice, Italy. Located at Herzog August Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel, Germany, m.n.s. Graph. C: 329a.
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Official Page – Virtuelles-Kupferstichkabinett (HAB)
Image View – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAB)
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Bibliography:
• Ferdinand Albert I – Wikipedia.org
• Ferdinand Albert I – Wikipedia.de
• Ospedale della Pietà – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• The notes at the Kupferstichkabinett page for this image refer to the trip of Georg Ferdinand Albrecht (Herzog Ferdinand Albrecht I) to Venice in 1662. An attempt was made to find out more on this trip, but beside the incomplete hints from the web searches that confirm Herzog’s trip to Italy and among the other cities, to Venice as well during 1662-1663, no direct report of his visit to Venice was located.
• Yet, if indeed this image was made in Venice there is a good chance that the featured young ladies are actually the members of the Ospedale della Pietà ensemble, as there simply was no other ladies ensemble of this size in Venice, or for that matter the entire Europe at that time.
• If the further research corroborates that these are indeed the Ospedale della Pietà musicians, this may also be one of the earliest presentations of them preserved, as the other available Ospedale depictions come from the 18th century. This one is however from the 17th century and thus predates the Vivaldi’s own tenure with this ensemble.
• This image features musicians on three balconies, which is consistent with Venetian antiphonal practice. Moreover, it appears that a large winged lion, which is a symbol of Venice, hangs from the middle of ceiling, while the lion itself is “populated” by five young ladies. Now, whether there are any reports of such a supple concert presentations at Venice of 17th century, is a subject that would be worth to investigate further. The initial impression is that such a combination of music, pomp and flamboyance is well consistent with lavish early Baroque shows.
• In respect to bass iconography, the ensemble at the left side of the central presents a lady on a larger stringed bass instrument, which if considered the length of the fingerboard, is likely a 16 foot violone of a size that may rest on the floor of the balcony (Detail 1). The right balcony also presents a lady bass player and again with an instrument that shows characteristics of a longer fingerboard that suggests a larger type of Violone (Detail 2). The size of the orchestra and the presence of brass instruments suggest that the use of larger stringed basses would have been desirable to balance the overall sound.
• Lastly, the records of Ospedale della Pietà indicate that this institution actually had officials in charge of maintaining all those instruments. Pending on the profile of preserved documentation from 17th century, it just may be possible to reconstruct how these larger bass instruments were called in this ensemble, and how many of them may have been in use at that time. If there were only two of them, then this image would corroborate the preserved documentation very well.
Further Research:
• As the records of Ospedale della Pietà indicate that there were actually the officials in charge of maintaining institution’s instruments. Pending on the profile of preserved documentation from the 17th century, it just may be possible to reconstruct how were these larger bass instruments called, and how many of them may have been in use at that time. If there were only two of them, then this image would corroborate the preserved documentation very well. Likewise, it would be of interest to make a chronological listing of all bass instruments in use at Ospedale della Pietà throughout the time. Once such a work is completed, this list may also offer information on how many lady bass instrumentalists Ospedale may have had in certain periods.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ]
Instrument Type:
• Period Italian Violone of a kind, or actually a Contrabbasso (Double Bass)
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1663
Ball at Chambéry
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Detail
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Anonym (Flemish). Ball at Chambéry. Christie’s title: The Opening of a Ball in a Palatial Assembly Room. Oil Painting, 1663, Chambéry, France. Located at Private Collection.
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Official Page – Christies.com
Official View – Wikimedia.org
Image View – Wikimedia.org
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Bibliography:
• Château de Chambéry – Wikipedia.fr (the location of the ball, yet no interior image available)
• Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy – Wikipedia.org
• Françoise Madeleine d’Orléans – Wikipedai.org
Notes:
• Presented is a ball ceremony that apparently took place in Château des ducs de Savoie (Castle of the Dukes of Savoy) in Chambéry, France. This event was organized in honor of the marriage between Duke Carlo Emmanuelle II and Francesca d’Orléans Valois. So, although the initial impression is that this may be an event affiliated with the court of Louis XIV in Paris, the Christie’s research points to a royal celebration in a Duchy of Savoy in Chambéry.
• Thus what we see are most likely the musicians of the court of Duchy of Savoy. Depicted are at least some fifteen (if not few more) fiddlers of various instrument held in “da braccio,” “da gamba” and even on the shoulders in “da spalla” styles. So, the number of the strings for the time is rather impressive and one may wonder if indeed these may not be borrowed musicians from the Louis XIV Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi? If not, than the court at Chambéry had indeed a splendid ensemble to show.
• In respect to bass iconography we see on the painting at the up front and down position, the large bass fiddle played in seated position, and whose size implies an instrument that may be resting on a floor. The design of the instrument body appears elongated and shows two elongated F holes as well. The bow hold (should we trust the artist) appears of an overhand style.
Further Research:
• As the Christie’s notes appear well researched in respect to a location of this event at Chambéry, France, it would be of interest to find out what kind of a music activities and music ensembles did the Savoy court indeed have in the 1660s. This information could tell us if in fact the presented musicians are affiliated with the Savoy court. Also, if in fact there are extant period records on the court musicians and their number from the court of Savoys, then it would be of interest to see investigate if any bass instrumentalists are listed, and particularly how did they call the bass instruments employed.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• A period French bass instrument of a kind. Awaiting further systematization.
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1663
String Quartet
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Detail
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Höckner, J. Gaspar. String Quartet, in Hammerschmidt, Andreas. A. & M. Andreae Hammerschmidii Missae, V. VI. VII. IIX. IX. X. XI. XII. & Plurium Vocum, Tàm Vivae Voci, Quàm Instrumentis Varijs Accommodatae. Dresden: Impensis Christiani Bergen, Bibliopolae, 1663.
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Official Page – MDZ
Image View – MDZ
Official Page – Bibliothèque nationale de France (scan no. 9)
Image View – Bibliothèque nationale de France
Record Link – Bibliothèque nationale de France
Image Page – Hammerschmidt Missae – Wikimedia.org
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Bibliography:
• Andreas Hammerschmidt (composer) – Wikipedia.org
• Johann Caspar Höckner (engraver) – Britishmuseum.org
• Planyavsky, Alfred. Geschichte Des Kontrabasses. Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1984, p. 121, Abb. 48.
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 51, Fig. 25 “String Quartet with Double Bass.”
Notes:
• Presented is a “string quartet” which features three shoulder-held fiddles and a string bass fiddle. This image constitutes a part of the larger engraving which adorns the front page of Hammerschmidt’s collection of masses printed in Dresden of 1663.
• This is an interesting image as it was featured in two editions of Planyavsky as illustration of a period double bass. Yet, the true nature of this instrument, although it admittedly reminds very much of a modern double bass, is yet to be explained, both in respect to the edition on which it is printed, and the likely location which it represents.
• So, to begin with, in respect to bass iconography we see an upright man sized instrument of an elongated violin form which rests on the ground and by height exceeds slightly the performer’s head. The scroll section appears to be of a slanted and curved type, which should suggest an older design. Visible are also two pegs. However, the stringing shows some five strings, and these appear to multiply in the section that spans from the bridge to the tailpiece. So it seems that the stringing detail may not have been so important to the engraver. The front plate shows two elongated F holes and a bridge placed below the sound holes. This instrument is also relatively unique for this period as it features a short endpin. The bow presented, shows a high arch and is held with an underhand style.
• A peculiarity of this image however is that it is associated with a music edition, and naturally one would think that the images on the cover should reflect on what the score present. Thus when the edition is perused, we note that the scoring of these masses is intended for choral, organ and instrumental combinations. The exact nature of the instrumental ensemble is not specified in the detail but the instruments mentioned are violins, trombones and (to our delight) a Violon. So, the image of a big bass fiddle should be the period Violon(e).
• The Vox XIII (Voice 13) of this collection holds exclusively the figured part for Violon that is actually labeled as such. Please see Vox XIII Title Page and Vox XIII Music p. 2 where you will notice Mass no. I indicates as “Violon a 5 Voc.” Masses in the Violon part are only several pages long and you can always see a note by the Mass Roman numeral for how many additional voices these are intended.
• The complete index for scoring of all masses for the Violon part is presented at Vox XIII p. 111 and there you can see that some are intended for larger ensemble sand some for the smaller ones. However, since the Violon part contains all 13 masses, it is assumed that Violon plays in all of them. If you are interested to hear how this music sounds the media section below offers a sample of this music from Mass No. XIII.
• Also, since we have the music we can observe the lower ambitus in the score and assume that it may represent the lower ambitus of this Violon itself. If this rule may offer some clue, than the lowest not indicated is D in the Great Octave, so as written sounding in 8 foot register. Yet, if assumed to be played on the 16 foot transposing instrument than certainly D1 in the 16 foot register. The question is however, what kind of Violone may this be, and whether it may even be a D Violone, given the bottom D note represented in music.
• Lastly, although both the image and the music offer many clues on the instrument used, one may wonder for what actual period ensemble in 1663 was this music originally intended for, or in fact composed for. The matter is not as straightforward, since composer Andreas Hammerschmidt has moved in Zittau in 1639, and has remained there for the rest of his life. So, these masses should have been composed in Zittau, and if composed there, these were likely performed there as well. However the 1663 edition is printed in Dresden, while the engraver Johann Caspar Höckner is also affiliated with Dresden. One may then consider an option that the front page images, including the “string Quartet,” may illustrate the Dresden instruments then. Either way however, these issues should be given a further thought in hope that some additional clues in the future may offers a better understanding of where and how was a depicted Violon used.
Further Research:
• The full modern edition of these masses has been realized by Verlag C. Hofius, Ammerbuch in 2018. The company web page, and by chance also offers the full edition sample, although “probe exemplar” marked so that it can not be used in real performance. In this sample edition you will see that the bass part is labeled as in the original part book as “Continuus, Violon.” The edition information is available at Verlag C. Hofius Missae 1663 Page while the download sample can be taken at Verlag C. Hofius Sample Score Download. The editorial notes for this edition unfortunately do not offer any information on the origin of these masses, so likely further research may be need to uncover more. Otherwise, Hammerschmidt has already been well researched by scholars and there is a good chance that his masses may have been covered in the scholarly works already.
Other Media:
• Mass No. XIII – TENET Vocal Artists – YouTube
For all Violone enthusiasts the following video may present a special treat, as you will be able to hear a contemporary period performance of Hammerschmidt’s Mass No. XIII while also observing the very part in the original, as printed in 1663 – Mass No. XIII Violon p. 79 . This video presents indeed a lovely performance, however for some reason it appears that the very violone is not present in the performance as one may note instead two large theorbos on each side of the organ. In the future it certainly would be nice to hear our Violon by the organ as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period German Violone in G or D.
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1665
Engel mit Violon
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Detail
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Asper, Andreas. Engel mit Violon. Fresco, 1665, Basilica St. Lorenz (Choir section), Kempten, Germany.
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The official online image not available
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Bibliography:
• Planyavsky, Alfred. “Kontrabas 04. Versuch eines Protokolls im gedenken an Sperger Ende und Aufbruch.” Sperger Forum -Mittelungsblatt der Internationalen Johann-Matthias-Sperger Gesellschaft. Heft 4/5, Oktober 2006, p. 6 (text – top paragraph), p. 6 (Abb. 4).
• Planyavsky, Alfred. “The Violone in the Anglo-American literature. An attempted protocol.” Sperger Forum -Mittelungsblatt der Internationalen Johann-Matthias-Sperger Gesellschaft. Heft 4/5, Oktober 2006, p. 21 (note – there are some difference in text between the German and English versions of this article, so this article is not strict translation)
• Geschichte, Bauweise und Spieltechnik der Tiefen Streichinstrumente: 21. Musikinstrumentenbau-Symposium Michaelstein, 17. bis 19. November 2000. Blankenburg, Germany: Stiftung Kloster Michaelstein, 2004. Cover page image, also cited in Impressum section on the last page. Otherwise, this image is not mentioned anywhere in the book.
• St. Lorenz Basilica – Wikipedia.org
• St. Lorenz Basilica Parish – Picture Gallery – StLorenz.de
Unfortunately a direct image of angel with violone is not available online, however it can be seen at the following St. Lorenz Basilica Dome photo. This angel is visible as a part of ceiling frescos at the upper left corner Dome – St. Lorenz.de
Notes:
• Depicted is a larger stringed bass instrument that rests on the ground (on the “cloud” in the image), while being performed by angel in a seated position.
• Visible are four strings and four pegs, while the instrument does not appear to be fretted. The bridge is set below the F holes. The peg box appears slightly slanted.
• The bow hold if of an underhand style where all fingers appear to be pressing the bow stick, while the little finger is extended aside.
Further Research:
• According to the historical notes from both the wikipedia and St. Lorenz Parish source, the St. Lorenz church was a part of the monastery in 17th century. So, it is hoped that the monastery may have left a nice legacy of its musical activity and likewise a collection of music. However the search at RISM for Stadpfarrkirche St. Lorenz, Musikarchiv (D-KPsl) has not offered any results, which may mean that their collections have not yet been entered in the RISM catalog. It would however be of interest to see if any music from the mid and late 17th century still exists in St. Lorenz, Musikarchiv, and whether any of their scores indicate the use of period bass instruments.
• It would also be of value to investigate what kind of tuning did this four stringed instrument use, and whether St. Lorenz Basilica records (including the former monastery) may indicate an ownership and use of any period stringed bass instruments in the past.
Other Media:
• Hildegardplatz & Basilika St. Lorenz- YouTube
This video presents the basilica’s magnificent interior in 3D setting, so you can freely move the “camera” around and up as the movie plays. The Violone Angel is up there among the dome frescos.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period German four stringed Violone
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–
1665
Agliardi Triptych (Left)
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Baschenis, Evaristo. Agliardi Triptych (left). Oil Painting, 1665-1670, Bergamo, Italy. Located at Private Collection.
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Official Page – Wga.hu
Image View – Wga.hu
Image View – Financialtimes.org
Official Page – bu.digication.com (Nicholas Schwartz)
Image View – Wikipedia.fr–
Bibliography:
• Baschenis, Evaristo – Wga.hu
• Evaristo Baschenis – Wikipedia.org
• Evaristo Baschenis – Metmuseum.org (overview of an exhibition, excellent biography)
• Evaristo Baschenis – Italianartsociety.org
• Evaristo Baschenis – Treccani.it (in Italian)
• Evaristo Baschenis – Galerie Canesso – Baschenis Exhibition Catalog – Issuu.com Document (info pp. 62-63)
• Poulton, Charlotte. “The Sight of Sound: Musical Instruments in the Paintings of Pietro Paolini and Evaristo Baschenis.” Music in Art, vol. 33, no. 1/2, 2008, pp. 123-35. JSTOR
• Review of: Bayer, Andrea. The Still Lifes of Evaristo Baschenis: the Music of Scilence. Catalogue of exhibition at Metropolitan Museum of Art, 7 November 2000 – 4 March 2001. Milan: Edizioni Olivares, 2000. by Kenny, Elizabeth. The Galpin Society Journal, vol. 54, 2001, pp. 416-18. JSTOR
• Moore, Susan. “The 17th-century Painter and Priest with a Documentarian’s Eye for Detail.” Financial Times, 23 November, 2022, p. 16, Online – FT.com – Facebook – FT page scan
• Galerie Canesso – Facebook, An exhibition “Evaristo Baschenis (1617-1677). The triumph of musical instruments in seventeenth-century painting” featured Agliardi Triptych (left) – Facebook – December 16, 2022
• Galerie Canesso – Facebook, Luthier Roman Cedron presenting a reconstructed Violone based on Baschenis’ Instruments de Musique,1660 – Facebook – December 16, 2022
Citation: Luthier Roman Cedron has built a violone in sol [image 3] using Baschenis’ painting in the Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique as a model [image 2]. We recently had the chance to see this violone at the gallery, as the owner came to visit the exhibition. He posed in front of another painted violone in the “Agliardi Triptych.”
• Galerie Canesso – Facebook, A live performance of a reconstructed Violone by the Bashenis original painting in Gallerie Canesso – Facebook – December 16, 2022
• Galerie Canesso – Facebook, A view of a reconstructed Violone according to the one depicted in the Bashenis Agliardi Tritich (left) – Facebook – December 16, 2022
Notes:
• This painting by Baschenis presents a similar, if not identical, period Violone that is featured in his Baschenis – Instruments de Musique – 1660. We see here again the period violone that rests on a table, with its top section down. Yet, now depicted from a different perspective.
• This painting is titled Agliardi Triptych (Left) and it is one of three paintings dedicated to Agliardi family members. To the left is Evaristo Baschenis himself as a musicians on spinet, while the archlute lute player is Count Ottavio Agliardi. This is also the only painting where Baschenis has portrayed himself. Otherwise, Baschenis has owned a personal collection of musical instruments and was also in contact with major instrument makers of the day.
• The difference from the instrument featured in Instruments de Musique 1660 is that on this instrument we see less detail due to different perspective, yet we can still perceive the outline and the size of this instrument.
• The online search for this painting has yielded information that this instrument was indeed reconstructed by luthier Roman Cedron and it was featured in the December 2020 Galerie Canesso, Paris exhibition of all Baschenis musical instruments paintings. The details and effort invested in Violone reconstruction are not known at the moment, but will be of interest to review in the future.
• A fascinating detail which a depiction of Violone offers in this painting is also a small square hole patch one can notice at the bottom of ribs, and which is distinguished by a different color of instrument.
Further Research:
• In the field of musical instruments research, Evaristo Baschenis has already been featured in books and theses. However, which of these works may be relevant to the study of bass instruments is something yet to be determined. The Financial Times online article also cites the Baschenis’ estate sale of some fourteen instruments and numerous scores, so it would be worth to peruse the records of this sale for any citation of period bass instruments and the music which may have featured them.
Other Media:
• Galerie Canesso – Evaristo Baschenis Exhibition – Facebook Video
Maurizio Canesso offers a short introduction to the Baschenis paintings exhibited in Galerie Canesso, including Agliardi Triptych (left) at 0:45.
• Galerie Canesso – Evaristo Baschenis Exhibition – Facebook Video
This video presents an exquisite overview of Baschenis’ paintings and even period musical instruments that were presented in Galerie Canesso, Baschenis exhibition. The Agliardi Triptych (left) is featured at 2:20. The video is in French with English subtitles.
Instrument Type:
• Period Italian Violone of a kind. Modern reconstruction as Violone in G.
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–
1665
Psalmodia Christiana
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Detail Choir Left 1
Detail Choir Left 2
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Psalmodia Christiana. Title page. Mithobius, Hector. Psalmodia Christiana: Das Ist Gründliche Gewissens Belehrung, Was Von Der Christen, Musica, so Wol Vocali Als Instrumentali Zu Halten. Jena: E. Berger, 1665. [also Bremen: Berger, 1665]. Location depicted: interior of St. Severikirche, Otterndorf, Germany during the organ inauguration ceremonies on September 19, 1662.
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Official Image Page – Bethlehemsgemeinde.de
Official Image Page – Wikipedia.de
Official Page – British Library
Official Page – Google Books
Official Image Page – Uni-Rostock.de (image damaged)
Image View – Uni_Rostock.de (image damaged)
Image View – Organ Today – Wikimedia.org
Image View – Altar View Today – Lucente-lichtplanung.de
This photo of the modern church with the view on congregation and altar sections, offers the closest perspective to the one can observe in Mithobius’ depiction. The difference is that the organ is not visible, while one of the wall balconies is not there any longer as well.
–
Bibliography:
• Hektor Mithobius – Deuteche-biographie.de
• Gable, Frederick K. “Heinrich Scheidemann in Otterndorf, 1662: The Reconstruction of an Organ Dedication Service.” Keyboard Perspectives. Vol. I, 2008. pp. 37-71. Download Page – Download Link
• Severikirche Otterndorf – Congregation site – Kirche-otterndorf.de
• Severikirche Otterndorf – Wikipedia.de
Notes:
• Depicted is dedication ceremony for a new organ in St. Severikirche, Otterndorf, Germany, which occurred on September 19, 1662. The event was noted in several period documents and also the front page of Mithobius’ Psalmodia Christiana, which is a collection of period Lutheran sermons. Some of these sermons “speak against the enemies of music in church” and explain “the role of beautiful music on earth as a glimpse of the heavenly harmony to come and a symbol of divine order.” (sources Gable p.41, 44 ; Mithobius, pp. 379-93). Thus in summary, the image we see is a visual praise of a new organ that offers heartfelt support for an enjoyment of music in this church.
• The image itself presents the music ensemble divided between the two side choir lofts that go along the wall on each side of the organ. The St. Severikirche exists today as it has in 1662, but the congregation certainly is not positioned to look at the organ now, nor was it at the 1662. So, what we see here is allegorical depiction of congregation directed toward the organ, or in a metaphor, to the music as means to contemplate to the divine order. (source Gable, pp. 51-52)
• The St. Severikirche of today however is missing one of the wall balconies, while the organ of 1662 itself has been reconstructed in the 18th century again. However, the present day organ’s appearance very much resembles the one you see depicted in Psalmodia Christiana.
• In respect to bass iconography, the left choir loft presents some three stringed instruments with protruding necks, and the one in the center with the longest neck appears to be a type of a period stringed bass. The other two are likely lutes or theorbos. The size of the neck on this bass instrument and indeed the extent to which the scroll box reaches above the player’s head, may indicate a truly large instrument that may approximate, or even exceed, the size of modern double bass. So, considering the importance of the event, this instrument may even have been carried from a different city to enhance the organ consecration event in Otterndorf. Gable himself asks who are the musicians depicted and whether they are Ottendorf natives, or may have come from neighbouring Hamburg speciffically for the organ inauguration? (pp. 45-46)
• Unfortunately, the drawing does not offer a sufficient detail to afford an easy count of instrument pegs, but the slanted and curved peg box indicates an older (pre violin form) type of instrument.
• Lastly, the wiki page on Severikirche offers a section on its organ (direct link), which actually features all the registers this organ has had, including those present on the instrument on its inauguration in 1662. If you check the Pedal C–f1 register column, you will note the “36. Subbaß 16’ H” entry. The latter “H” indicates that this register has existed since the 1662 when Hans Riege has built the new organ. So, leaving aside whether the bass instrumentalist depicted has performed on a 16 or 8 foot register instrument, the organ most certainly has had a 16 foot register pipes that could well enhance this celebration in 1662.
Further Research:
• In the case of an event that is illustrated in this particular image we have preserved the complete list of sermons and music compositions performed on the inauguration day, and which may offer additional details of relevance to the use of bass instruments for this event. Likewise it would be of interest to pursue further the data on Heinrich Scheidemann, an organist in Hamburg’s Katharinenkirche, who was the organist at the organ inauguration day at St. Severikirche. If any musicians may have come from Hamburg, and that may include the bass player with his instrument, than they may have come from the Hamburg’s Katharinenkirche ensemble that was under the direction of Scheidemann at that time. So, if any records may point to a period bass player’s in Scheidemann’s Hamburg ensemble, that may be the bassist featured in this image as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• An instrument to the right with a longer neck may be a type of period Violone, perhaps even a large Violone in D.
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–
1669
La Glorievse Campagne
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Detail
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Moncornet, Balthasar. La Glorievse Campagne De L’annee M. D. C. 67 (The Glorious Campaign of the Year M.D.C. 67 [1667] ). Engraving, 1669, Paris, France.
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Official Page – BnF – Gallica
Official Page – Europeana
Official Record – BnF
–
Bibliography:
• Balthasar Moncornet – Wikipedia.org
• War of Devolution – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Let us observe first the context of this image from a historical point. The Louis XIV Biography.com at Foreign Relations heading states: “Louis XIV is notorious for his overbearing approach to foreign policy. In 1667, he launched the invasion of the Spanish Netherlands, deeming it his wife’s rightful inheritance. The War of Devolution, as the conflict was named, lasted a year and ended when the French surrendered and gave the land back to Spain. France’s only conquest was to occupy a few towns in Flanders.” So in technical terms this image celebrates the conquest that in fact was not so great at the end. But in respect to bass iconography we do have here a very fine specimen of the bass instrument used at that time, and actually presented in the same composition with Louis XIV himself.
• Presented is a lady who performs a large stringed bass instrument in seated position. Visible on this instrument is a highly curved and slanted scroll with four pegs, which should imply a four stringed instrument. The neck does not appear to have any frets. A unique characteristic is also the neck “bulge” which extends from the neck into the back plate of the instrument. This instrument detail can also be seen in the famous Veronese – Nozze di Cana – 1562 , yet one may ask if indeed such a neck design have survived with a similar instrument still in use by 1669 in France?
• The other interesting design element is a non tapering upper bout that appears to go even wider as it approaches the lower leg area. Perhaps this may have been a guitar shaped instrument or a design of its own.
• In respect to dating of this image presents several challenges. The very image title states 1667, yet the Almanach year title (bottom of the image) states the Mil Six Cents Soixante et Hvic (Huic – Eight). So 1668? While the BnF Gallica record page states 1669. So, perhaps the BnF Gallica has had some insight at why it should be 1669, therefore this year was adopted here as well. • The young noble we see in the image may have been the King Charles as a child, and who appears to have died with seven years of age from a small pox. He is mentioned here as it seems that his untimely death may have had a political ramification on the end of this conflict. See War of Devolution – Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle – Wikipedia.org.
Further Research:
• It would be of value to investigate the remaining instrument iconography related to Louis XIV and his famous Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi ensemble, in order to explore any if there are any big stringed instruments that are similar to the one featured here. It would also be of value to peruse the nomenclature of French court stringed bass instruments at this time, for possible precise terms on how this instrument may have been called.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
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–
1669
Concert
–
Detail – Orchestra Left
Detail – Orchestra Right
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Sevin, Pierre-Paul. Concert (Full title – Swedish: Konsert av Sångare Och Musiker, Framförd för en Förfinad Publik, English Translation: Concert of Singers and Musicians, Performed for a Refined Audience). Watercolor, 1667-1669, Rome, Italy. Located at Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden, i.n. NMH THC 3628.
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Official Page – Nationalmuseum.se
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Bibliography:
• Spitzer, John. “The Birth of the Orchestra in Rome — An Iconographic Study.” Early Music, vol. 19, no. 1, 1991, pp. 9–27. JSTOR (the exact page of citation not known)
Notes:
• Presented is a large 17th century ensemble that consists of orchestra and chorus. Among the orchestra members visible are several types of string fiddles, some of which obviously serve the bass function. For the sake of this record selected are separate Detail views of the left and right section of the orchestra.
• The Detail – Orchestra Left offers at the lower row a sketch view of a stringed bass player with an instrument whose size may approximate the modern double bass, since we can observe the instrument’s section that appears above the balustrade, and along the extended neck and a scroll. According to the appearance of the other musicians they all appear to be standing, so likewise the bassist should also stand, and since the neck and scroll go above his head, this is likely a larger instrument. Another option is that this instrument rests on a small platform as was the custom of the time, yet even if it does, it still appears to be a bigger instrument.
• The Detail – Orchestra Right offers a far more intriguing detail of larger stringed instruments as there are apparently four of them and each played in a different holding style. Starting with the upper row, we see a “guitar like” hold with a bow, then an upright hold where likely the instrument rests on the small platform as the neck and the scroll are way above the player’s head. In the lower row, looking from the left the first larger instrument is held in “up side down” fashion and played with the bow, and then on the very right again a larger instrument is held with a “guitar like” hold while played with the bow. The difference in hold styles is amazing, and a question of wheter and to what extent all of these instruments were of a similar size, tuning and function is the one that should be clarified.
• The dating for this watercolor was set to 1669 after comparing several sources. To begin with, this watercolor is located in Nationalmuseum, Stockholm and ascribed to Pierre-Paul Sevin, a French artist. While examining the available references, the following conclusions have come to the fore: Almost all of the Pierre-Paul Sevin drawings at the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm are related to period of 1667-1669, so it appears that they have come from the single acquisition thatalso includes this undated Concert watercolor.
Second, the Pierre-Paul Sevin residency in Italy was extending from 1666 to 1671, and while in the Rome he was able to produce “the ordinance of banquets given by the Pope in honor of Christina of Sweden.” (source Sevin – wiki.fr) So, since the watercolor resides in Sweden, one may ask when was Queen Christina present in Rome then? It appears that (quote) “(her) last entry in Rome took place on 22 November 1668. Clement IX often visited her; they had a shared interest in plays. Christina organized meetings of the Academia in the Great Hall which had ‘a platform for singers and players’.”(source Christina, Queen of Sweden, Later Life – wiki ).
Thus in conclusion, there is a good chance that an event presented above was organized by Queen Christina at a representative hall in Rome where the church dignitaries and likely Pope himself were present sometime during 1669. The task of determining the actual hall however remains.
• In respect to the music performed, obviously this is a vocal instrumental work that Queen Christina may have sponsored in Rome, since she was a known patroness of artists and musicians there. Thus there is a good chance that this is a performance by a known Italian composer whose name is yet to be determined, and who was among the composers affiliated with Queen Christina. Some of those composers were Alessandro Stradella, Bernardo Pasquini, Arcangelo Corelli and Alessandro Scarlatti.
• In respect to images of Italian ensembles of similar size and appearance from this period are also Corelli’s orchestra presented at Rome of 1687, at Schor – Piazza di Spagna – 1687 and the Anonym / Anziani – Annunciation Concerto – 1705 from Bologna.
Further Research:
• It would be nice to determine what particular composition do we see performed here, and likewise at what particular hall may have this event taken place. Chances are that since this image has already been covered in research, some ideas on this matter have already been covered, yet at the present it seems that these findings are still not available freely on the net.
• In respect to the bass instruments presented, once the additional details on the very event and the information on the likely ensemble that we see here are unearthed, it may be possible to investigate further the featured instruments as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period Italian Violoni of different sizes. Awaiting further systematization.
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1670
Musikalische Unterhaltung
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Detail
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Schönfeld, Johann Heinrich. Musikalische Unterhaltung am Clavichord (Musical Entertainment on the Clavichord). Painting, c 1670, Augsburg, Germany. Located at Staatlich Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Dresden, Germany, i.n. Gal.-Nr. 1991.
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Official Page – Skd.museum
Official Page – Wikiart.org
Image View – Wikiart.org
Offical Page – GHDI
Image View – GHDI
–
Bibliography:
• Johann Heinrich Schönfeld – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Depicted is a splendid reception hall, located likely in a court or an estate of a nobleman. As can be observed, various paintings decorate the walls from the eye level to the top ceiling. The overall impression of this interior brings out the sense of magnificence and splendor.
• However, of our interest is a small musical ensemble that consists (left to right) of a shoulder fiddle player, small child singer, plucked instrument player, singer, theorbo player, spinet player and stringed bass instrument player.
• This bass instrument is played in a seated position while it rests on the ground. Visible are four pegs and four strings, while the bridge is set low below the F holes. The scroll section extends above the head of the player by high margin, suggesting that this instrument could have been played in a standing position as well, if perfomer wished to do so.
• The overall design of this instrument shows an elongated violin form and relatively narrow upper, middle and lower bouts. The ribs of instrument appear to be relatively thin, while the neck shows some length too. Similar instrument can be seen at Schönfeld’s own 1652 – Hochzet zu Hana – Schönfeld and possibly also 1685 – Anonym – Hailige Caecilie mit Engeln, where an instrument is played in standing position and also shows relatively thin ribs.
• The overall height of this instrument could actually approximate the smaller modern double bass as its scroll top stands on the same level with the top of the heads of other standing performers visible on the left. The string length of this instrument could certainly allow a reach to a contra range of a modern double bass, yet more credible evidence should be collected to support such a claim.
• The location of origin for this painting was decided on the fact that Schönfeld appears to have moved to Augsburg after 1651. Otherwise, none of the Official pages offer any information on where this painting was made.
Further Research:
• Further research should address the interior location where this scene may have occurred and likewise where the 1652 – Hochzet zu Hana – Schönfeld may be taking place. Once the location is determined, it would be of interest to investigate if any other evidence on the musical activities from this period is preserved there, and whether any bass fiddles in any form or title are mentioned as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization
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–
1672
Angel with Bass
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Detail
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Galletti, Filippo Maria. Angel with Bass. Fresco, 1672, Church of Santa Cristina, Parma, Italy.
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Official Page – Adobe.com
Image View – Adobe.com
Image View – Aleteia.org
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Bibliography:
• Filippo Maria Galletti – Wikipedia.org
• Church of Santa Cristina, Parma – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Presented is a group of angel musicians that play respectively shoulder fiddle, plucked instrument (lute or guitar), stringed bass instrument and cornetto.
• The bass instrument is featured from the back so the front setup is not visible. Yet the back perspective may still offer some details. The scroll section appears to be slightly slanted and shows two pegs. So it is possible that this was a four stringed instrument. The overall contour of the instrument indicates a violin form, while the approximation of size suggests an instrument perhaps larger than the bass violin but smaller than the modern smaller double bass. The ribs on this instrument are relatively thicker in comparison to the other instruments of this size and from this period.
• The playing posture for this instrument appears to be in a seated position, yet due to the inventive presentation of this group that appears to play up high and on the edge of some stairs’ looking platform, it is somewhat difficult to judge how would the player hold this instrument in a normal chair-seated position.
• A curious bit of information that is to be checked further is that likely Bottesini himself has witnessed this group of players during his residence in Parma. This detail has remained in the memory of the author of this site from an unknown source, and should certainly be checked further.
Further Research:
• It would be of interest to investigate further the Church of Santa Cristina records for any information on its period ensembles and music performed in the late 17th century, and in order to possibly identify the bass instruments used in the church at the time. The RISM registry of Parma libraries and archives shows some fifteen institutions that house period music manuscripts, yet none of them indicates Church of Santa Cristina. So, either their old music manuscripts are located now with some other library, or (if they are preserved) these are still at the church archive, yet not registered with RISM.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Pending on the number of strings and tuning this may be a Period Italian Violone, Bass Violin or even Contrabbasso (Double Bass).
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1676
Bass Geige – Psalm 150
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Bass Geige – Psalm 150 / Spielet Ihm aus Säiter: Psalm. CV. Title Page Engraving in Sultzberger, Ulrich. Von D. Ambr Lobwasser in Teütsche Reimen, und jetzt under aber also in die transporsition übersetzt, von Joh: Ulrich Sultzberger, Direct: Mus und Zincekristen, in Bern. Con Meyersin, Bern, 1676.
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Official Page – E-rara.ch
Image View – E-rara.ch
Official Page – Alma UZB
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Bibliography:
• Sultzberger, Johann Ulrich, 1638-1701 – Deutsche Biographie
• Sultzberger, Johann Ulrich, 1638-1701 – LC Name Authority Record
• Ambrosius Lobwasser, 1515-1585 – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• This engraving appears to be dedicated to the Psalm 150, in Latin CL, although on the print the psalm number looks more like CV (105). The text is an excerpt from Psalm 150:4 which says Spielet Ihm aus Säiter in translation “(Perform in) Praise (for) Him with Strings.” So indeed, the featured stringed bass fiddle illustrates the point well.
• Depicted are two gentlemen on each side of the desk with organ and a curious stringed bass instrument visible in the background. Standing on the left is Johann Ulrich Sultzberger, a 17th century composer, organist and publisher from Bern, and on the right Ambrosius Lobwasser a 16th century translator of Psalms from Germany, whose translations are still used in Anabaptist churches today. Thus in reality these two gentlemen could have never met, but this is an allegorical picture which presents the idea that Sultzberger’s musical psalm settings are very much connected to the venerable tradition of Lowbasser’s Psalm translation.
• Otherwise, there is also a large book featuring psalms by Lobwasser and the music arranged by Sultzberger, which is titled:
Sultzberger Johann Ulrich and Ambrosius Lobwasser. Transponiertes Psalmen-Buch : Worinnen Begriffen Sind I. d. Ambr. Lobwassers Psalmen Davids II.. Die so Genanten Alten Psalmen III. Die Gebräuchlichen Fäst-Gesäng IV. Andere Kirch- Und Haus-Gesäng : Alles Zu Sonderbarem Dienst Und Komlichkeit Denen so Sich Gern Entweders Auf Dem Clavier Oder Bass-Geygen Exerciren Die Choral-Stimm Darzu Zu Singen in Die Transposition Gesetzt Beyde Haubt-Stimmen Tenor Und Bass Undereinander Gerichtet Dass Jeder Theil Absonderlich Oder Alles Zusammen Kan Gebunden Werden : Mit Etlich Ausserlessnen Schönen Gebätten. Bey Samuel Kneubüler 1676.
Translated:
Transposed Book of Psalms: Wherein Presented are I. Ambr. Lobwasser’s Psalms of David II. The so-called Old Psalms III. The Common Fäst Songs IV. Other Church and Home Songs : Everything for a special service and comeliness for those who like to perform either on the piano or Bass Fiddles, and to sing the chorale part with them in transposition arranged, Both the main parts tenor and bass are directed towards each other so that each part separately or all together can be bound : With a select few beautiful prayers.
• So, it appears that this book compendium of psalm-and-song tunes by Sultzberger has indeed envisioned a use of bass fiddles in a church or home setting, for those who wish to enjoy the communal singing of spiritual songs. Thus considering the book effort, the featured image of the composer with Bass Geige by his side complements perfectly the goal of this edition.
• In respect to bass iconography, what we see in this image is a Bass Geige, i.e. a stringed bass instrument, which leans on the desk, or the organ seat, and appears to be of larger proportions. The scroll head would certainly be at the level of Sultzberger’s head, if the instrument was to be set in upright position. The other unique detail which shows the heft of this instrument are the unusually wide ribs that can be observed behind the legs.
• Otherwise, the tuning scroll box indicates four pegs, thus it should be a four stringed instrument as well.
Further Research:
• It would be of interest to find out what particular location does this engraving depicts and whether such a place (church or another hall with organ) has had a permanent congregation-related ensemble affiliated with it. Otherwise, not much is available on Sultzberger online so it seems that there may be some valuable material on him, his music and his publishing that can be discovered as well. Likewise, it would be of interest to try to approximate the tuning and size of this bass fiddle today and attempt to perform these songs in a way these have been performed in Sultzberger’s time.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period Swiss Bass Fiddle (Violone) of a kind
–
–
1680
Bass Geige – Psalm 147
–
Detail
–
Anonymous. Bass Geige. Painted Ceramic Plate, 1680-1690, Winterthur, Switzerland. Located at Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, Zürich, Switzerland, i.n. HA-3140.
–
Official Page – Nationalmuseum.ch
Image View – Nationalmuseum.ch
–
Bibliography:
• place for future bibliographic entries
Notes:
• This painted plate offers indeed a nice overview of the period instruments that also includes a period bass fiddle of a kind. The museum itself describes it as Kontrabass, which for this site certainly should be an honor, but let us still consider what else this fiddle may be.
• An instrument is depicted with four pegs, yet three strings, two standard, if a bit elongated F holes, a bridge set lower then the F holes, as was the custom then; and a pointed period bow stuck among the strings. The instrument appears to conform to the violin form profile. There is no visible endpin or a performer behind it that could give us a hint on how large this instrument was.
• However, we also see lute, violin and a harp in this image, so perhaps some deduction on the size may still be viable. Thus, to estimate it according to the small fiddle and lute, the instrument appears to be at least as large as a modern violoncello. If we compare it directly to the King David with Harp (in kneeling position), then it appears as tall as harp, or the human figure from the knees up to the head, and that reference should point to an instrument larger then the common violoncello.
• This instrument is included here in hope that some other similar specimens may be located in iconography of late 17th century Winterthur.
• Lastly, the plate also indicates Ps. 147, which should stand for Psalm 147. Now, considering the presence of Kind David and his harp along with the other instruments, a due consideration was given to the image name, and thus it was named “Bass Geige – Psalm 147” although this particular psalm does not mention the strings as the psalm 150 does. The term Bass Geige was used, because in German bass fiddles were called Bass Geygen. For a similar Swiss instrument please see Sultzberger – Bass Geige Ps. 150 – 1676 .
Further Research:
• It would be nice to find out what kind of music was performed in Winterthur in the late 17th century and then compare the bass part titles or other indications that may point to bass instruments in use there.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period Swiss Violone of a kind.
–
–
1680
Baccanale
–
Detail
–
Anonymous. Baccanale. Full title: Un Baccanale e Una Caccia di Satiri e Cavalieri con Falconi. (IV bim. 1680). (A Bacchanal and a Hunt with Satyrs and Knights with Falcons). Insignia degli Anziani Consoli (Insignia of the Elder Consuls), vol. IX, c. 120, IV Bimestrale, Bologna, 1680. Located at Archivio di Stato di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
–
The official online image unavalilable
–
Bibliography:
• Full printed catalog: Archivio di Stato di Bologna et al. Le Insignia Degli Anziani Del Comune Dal 1530 Al 1796, Catalogo – Inventario. Roma: Archivio di Stato di Bologna, 1954. Image citiation on p. 161.
• Insignia degli Anziani Consoli – see excellent Description section at the unrelated image at Baroqueart.museumwnf.org Image.
• Barnett, Gregory. “Deconstructing Corelli’s bass violin.” Basler Jahrbuch für historische Musikpraxis : eine Veröffentlichung der Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Lehr- und Forschungsinstitut für Alte Musik an der Musik-Akademie der Stadt Basel, vol. 37, 2013, p. 208, Fig. 15. Download Link
[ Although this article focuses mainly on mid sized bass fiddles at Corelli’s time, it is still a valuable reference on the subject that by chance also features the presented image ]
Notes:
• This is the earliest image with a bass fiddle from the famous Bolognese registry Insignia degli Anziani Consoli, which was intended to document all public and official events in Bologna from 1530 to 1796.
• In respect to bass iconography, this image presents a group of four standing musicians, from whom the one on the very left appears to play a large bass fiddle that rests on the ground.
• This instrument is played with a slanted hold, while its shape reminds of the “gamba-viol” outline to an extent. The neck however appears somewhat longer than common. The other instrument characteristics, such as the number of strings and pegs, can not be discerned due to the miniature appearance of the image.
• The full context of the appearance of this music group is unfortunately not possible to cover here since the full Insignia degli Anziani Consoli vol. X, c. 120 drawing is not available in public. Yet, once available, perhaps the additional insights may be possible as well.
• The title for this image was adopted from the Gregory Barnett image citation (bibliography above), although the full item description in Archivio di Stato di Bologna (1954) catalog, p 161, is presented below. The Full Title is taken from the last line of the Archvio description:
cc. 119b – 120a. Miniatura:
Affigurazione del teatro per la festa della Forchetta costituito da un porticato a due ordini, interrotto al centro da un palcoscenico sul quale sono affissi gli stemmi (in giro dal basso a sinistra): Ercolani, Grassi, Zambeccari, Garzoni, Marescalchi (timbrato dall’ombrello di legazione), Albergati, Malvasia, Orsi, Pepoli. Nell’arena sono rappresentati un baccanale e una caccia di satiri e cavalieri con falconi. (IV bim. 1680).
Translated:
Representation of the theater for the Feast of the Fork consisting of a two-tiered portico, interrupted in the center by a stage on which the coats of arms (around from the bottom left) are affixed: Ercolani, Grassi, Zambeccari, Garzoni, Marescalchi (stamped by the legation umbrella), Albergati, Malvasia, Orsi, Pepoli. In the arena a bacchanal and a hunt with satyrs and knights with falcons are represented. (IV bim. 1680).
• The Insignia degli Anziani Consoli, bound in 16 volumes and housed in the Archivio di Stato Bologna, consists of documents on parchment. They were made every two months, from 1530 to 1796, to celebrate the eight Anziani Consoli and the Gonfaloniere di Giustizia, a group of magistrates that ruled the city of Bologna Information Source – Baroqueart.museumwnf.org . This is a unique set of iconographical documents in which we can trace quite precisely by month and year the appearance of many period stringed bass instruments as depicted in the actual events in the city of Bologna.
Further Research:
• Unfortunately, since only some of the drawings from this monumental set are available in public, it would be of interest to research all the other drawings of Insignia in order to make a comprehensive overview of period bass instruments featured there. Such a listing could then offer us also an overview on a possible evolution of these instruments in Bologna. Such a work would probably take time to assemble but would be of great importance for the further study of bass instruments, both in Italy and wider.
• It would also be of value to explore further the music life in Bologna of the late 17th century itself and investigate all extant records on the variety of period stringed bass instruments that have been used there. The large instrument presented in this record may certainly be a type of a period Violone, yet its tuning and range are open to further scrutiny.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• A type of period Italian Violone
–
–
1682
Festivus Apparatus
–
Detail
–
Gantrel, Étienne. Festivus Apparatus Collegi Ludovicii Magnii (The Festive Splendor of the College of Luois the Great). Etching, 1682, Versailles, Paris, France. Located at British Museum, London, United Kingdlom, m.n. 1861,1109.458.
–
Official Page – The British Museum
Official Page – Gallica.bnf.fr
Official Record – Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Image Page – Pintrest
–
Bibliography:
• Étienne Gantrel – Wikipedia.fr
• Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Apparently this is the Louis XIV court orchestra at the festive occasion of the birth of his grandson, who was later to become father of the future Louis the XV. The entire ensemble is visible and it features three bass fiddles, two of which rest on the stool while played standing while the third touches the ground by endpin. Those on stools are: the one in the middle, positioned behind the conductor and the one left from him.
• The third bass instrument is visible on the right from the conductor and it appears to be sized as a smaller modern double bass and played essentially the same way. The legs of the performer are slightly stretched and the instrument is tilted slightly to the left. Otherwise, the endpin is assumed but not visible due to the orchestra divider, as otherwise a small podium would be visible as with the other two bass instruments. This instrument is also depicted with four strings, if the accuracy of the engraver’s image can be trusted. Lastly, this instrument appears to have a somewhat longer neck as the scroll section stands way above the player’s head.
• All of the three instruments presented have the F holes positioned in the lower section of the front plate.
• Lastly, judging by the year of the event, one may consider that the festivity presents the famous Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi (The Twenty-Four Viols of King). Yet, when carefully observed there are only a handful of stringed instruments depicted, while the winds predominate. So, what ensemble is this then? The Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi – Wikipedia.org explains it well: “The Vingt-quatre Violons were combined when needed with the wind instruments of the Grande Écurie, the royal stables, which were used for hunting, war, and celebratory open-air occasions.” So, it seems that here we have not one, but two Royal court ensembles at work for an important public festivity.
Further Research:
• While much work has been done on the history of stringed instruments in Louis XIV ensembles, it would still be nice to have a single online source that may explain in brief what kind of bass instruments were used in various king’s ensembles and at what periods.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• The exact type of instrument will depend on how it was called and classified in the French nomenclature of the time.
–
–
1682
Mass in Salzburg Dom
–
Detail
–
Küsel, Melchior. High Mass in Salzburg Dom. Copper engraving, 1682, Salzburg, Austria. Located at Dommuseum Salzburg, Erzbischöfliche Mensa, Salzburg. m.n. NA.
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Official Page – DomQuartier Museum Salzburg
Image View – Dom Quartier Musuem Salzburg (best detail in full engraving)
Official Page – Salzburger Dom – Wikipedia.de
Image View – Salzburger Dom – Wikipedia.de
Official Page – Missa Salisburgensis Score – DomQuartier Museum Salzburg
Image View – Missa Salisburgensis Score – Dom Quartier Musuem Salzburg
–
Bibliography:
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 100, Fig. 44 (Violone in Slazburg, 1670-80, by Melchior Küsel).
• Kainberger, Hedwig. “Festspiele: Salzburg triumphiert mit Musik” Salzburger Nachrichten, 23. Juli 2016 18:20 – Article Online
• Missa Salisburgensis – Wikipedia.de
• Elisabeth Reisinger, Music Archive and Music Practice at Salzburg Cathedral, Musicologica Austriaca: Journal for Austrian Music Studies (September 27, 2019), Firgure 3. Article Online
Notes:
• This image comes from Melchior Küsel’s engraving of the Heinrich Biber’s Missa Salzburgensis in 1682 and on the occasion of the 1100th year anniversary of the city of Salzburg foundation. The year span for this performance varies according to the sources, though Hedwig Kainberger (see bibliography) states that it presents an actual illustration of an even that took place in 1682 and that the engravinvg was likewise made at the same year.
• As you may see form the full picture of this engraving, the music ensembles for this event were positioned at various balconies and also the church floor. If you check the Missa Salisburgensis-Wikipedia, you will note that these groups are cited as: six choirs (instruments or instruments with voices), two brass ensembles and an Organo and Basso Continuo group. The detail presented above is the section of that continuo group, which is enlarged to present relevant details.
• The continuo group consists of a portative organ and a large human sized violone, which is performed in standing position. Yet, whether the violone rests on a small podium or on the ground is an issue that may need further consideration. Otherwise, this violone has likely had five or six strings, and in acoustical terms was able to produce a sufficient sound to cover and balance the ensemble needs.
Further Research:
• Since this image is directly related to a known and preserved work of music, it would be nice to undertake an in depth analysis of Biber’s Missa Salisburgensis and investigate the use of basso continuo parts. The Dom Museum Salzburg offers a title page of the preserved score of this work by unknown copyist that the museum dates to possibly 1682. This page visibly indicates the Basso Continuo line and also few other sections with Viols, some of which again may have served in a bass function. Likewise a further investigation on any preserved instrument lists of the Salzburg Cathedral may indicate basso instruments, and those lists could point to the types of instrument used in this work.
Other Media:
• Misa Salzburgiensis – YouTube
This video offers a present-day photo of the altar section where the Violone player was depicted in the image above. If you open the Image View – Missa Salisburgensis Score , you can simultaneously watch the original bass part writing in Basso Continuo line and listen to this magnificent work.
• Misa Salzburgiensis – Salzburger Dom 2016 – YouTube
This video offers a magnificent performance of Biber’s Missa Salisburgensis in its original Salzburger Dom location. Since this concert has featured Missa Salisburgensis in the second part of concert in 49:02 the video link is set to start right at that time.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• A period Salzburg Violone type.
–
–
1685
Hailige Cäcilie mit Engeln
–
Detail
–
Anonymous. Hailige Cäcilie mit Engeln (St. Cecilia with Angels), Medium unknown, possibly painting or fresco, est. 1685, City Unknown, Country Unknown – temporary listed as Germany. Location and provenance unknown.
–
The official online image not available
Online Page – Akgimages.de – Link 2 (commercial)
Online Page – Gettyimages.com (commercial)
Online Page – Alamy.com (commercial)
–
Bibliography:
• Place for future bibliographic entries.
Notes:
• This painting has proven to be one of the most difficult to document, since the extensive search could produce neither the official institution that owns this artwork nor any other source with image details. The search has only yielded several commercial distributors that offer this image (see above), yet their records also do not offer any information on the painter or the provenance of this artwork.
• The only lead into the provenance of this painting has offered the LP set “Alexander’s feast or the Power of music : Cäcilien-Ode Van 1736” TELDEC, Hamburg, P 1978, 6.35440EK, WorldCat – Record as seen on the Amazon.com – Page , which features this painting on the front cover. The back cover of this set cites this painting as: Hailige Cäcilie mit Engeln – Gemalde Eines unbekannten Falmisches masters des 17 Jahrhunderts (Archiv für Kunst un Geschichte, Berlin). Translated: St. Cecilia with Angels, Painting by unknown Flemish master from the 17th century (Archiv für Kunst un Geschichte, Berlin). Back Cover Image – Direct Link (located lower left corner).
• The further search for Archiv für Kunst und Geschichte, Berlin did not yield any viable institution that could confirm the ownership.
• In respect to bass iconography however, this painting presents a wonderful period depiction of a period bass instrument. What we see at the right side of this image is an angel performing a large bass fiddle in a standing position. This instrument shows some six pegs and six strings as well. The bridge is set at the lower line of the F holes, while we can not see the bottom of this instrument for which we assume that it rests on the ground. The bow hold is of an underhand style, yet with all fingers resting on the bow stick. This instrument also presents the relatively thin ribs which may indicate an older type of instrument similar to the one featured in Schönfeld – Musikalische Unterhaltung – 1670 .
Further Research:
• Considering that this mage has already been featured on a major label recording, and which in turn has even mentioned the institution its cover image is held at, one would hope that the thorough search that may start with Teledec, Hamburg Company should offer additional details. Once the basic details on the painting are established, than the further analysis and comparison can be undertaken as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Likely Violone in G
–
–
1687
Piazza di Spagna
–
Detail – Lower Section of the Orchestra
–
Schor, Cristofor. Piazza di Spagna [image section] in Festa Celebrata dall’ Ill.mo, Ecc. mo Sig. March. e di Coccogliudo Anba. re del Rè Cattolico in Roma (The Festivity Celebrated by the Most Illustrious and Most Excellent Marquis of Coccogliudo, Ambassador of the Catholic King in Rome). Drawing Print, 1687, Rome, Italy. Located at Kungliga Biblioteket, Stockholm, l.n. KoB Pl.AF 24:51.
–
Official Page – National Library of Sweden
Image Page – National Library of Sweden
–
Bibliography:
• Cristoforo Schor – Wikipedia.fr
• Riedo, Christoph. “How Might Arcangelo Corelli Have Played the Violin?” Music in Art 39. 1-2 (2014): 103-118. (p. 108)
• Spitzer, John. “The Birth of the Orchestra in Rome — An Iconographic Study.” Early Music, vol. 19, no. 1, 1991, pp. 9-27. JSTOR
Notes:
• In the drawing of Piazza de Spagna, which by format is rather wide, we may see the Corelli’s own string ensemble at the right side as taking place in the Festivities organized by the Marquis of Coccogliudo in Rome of 1678. The detail from the print which is presented here offers a view of the lower orchestra section with a full complement of bass instruments, two harpsichords, soloists and Corelli himself, who stands on the very left on the raiser.
• In respect to bass iconography, all the stringed bass instrument players are seen at the first row seated, and if you wish to count them all there are some eleven (11) of them counting from the left. That is indeed quite a substantial number of bass instrumentalists to appear together in a concert of late 17th century.
• However, and due to the sketchy nature of this drawing, it may be difficult to distinguish how many different sizes of bass instruments are presented here. On a casual glance it does appears that possibly the four on the very right may look a bit bigger than those on the left from them, as the scrolls of those four instruments tend to go a bit above the players’ heads. So likely they were the larger types of bass fiddles, although still played in a seated position.
• It is also of interest to note a wiki biography citation on Corelli’s activities in 1687 as “In 1687 Corelli led the festival performances of music for Queen Christina of Sweden .” Now if we take a note that the copy of this very print now resides in the National Library of Sweden one may wonder if this very print may have also arrived in Sweden by assistance of Queen Christina.
Further Research:
• It would be of value to peruse all extant scholarship on this particular ensemble in order to overview what kind of bassi have been used for this event. The subject of bass part in Corelli’s opus has certainly been investigated in scholarly literature, but the use of some eleven bassi in this very ensemble may need further attention.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period Italian Violone
–
–
1688
Al Mio Basso Ballate
–
Detail
–
Mitelli, Giuseppe Maria. Al Mio Basso Ballate (Ballads to my Bass) detail lower left section, in La Maschera è Cagion di Molti Mali. (The Mask is the Cause of Many Evils). Engraving, 1688, Bologna, Italy. Prints held in various institutions featured below.
–
Official Page – Britishmuseum.org m.n. 1852,0612.464.
Official Page – Calcografica.it i.n. S-FC36049
Image View – Calcografica.it
Official Page – Fondazionecarisbo.it i.n. 2406 (rep.1/387)
Official Page – Fondazionecarisbo.it i.n. 2407 (rep.1/387)
Official Page – Spamula.net (Gironale Novo) Mitelli IA backup
Image View – Spamula.net (Gironale Novo) La Maschera IA backup
–
Bibliography:
• Giuseppe Maria Mitelli – Wikipedia.org
• Boschloo, Anton W. A. “Giuseppe Maria Mitelli (1634—1718): Kunstenaar of Handwerksman?” Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek (NKJ) / Netherlands Yearbook for History of Art, vol. 38, 1987, pp. 40–52. JSTOR (in Dutch but worth checking in the future for additional information on Mitelli)
• Bass Heritage Board – Posted on January 17, 2015 – Post Link
Notes:
• This image of a “devilish” player with his instrument comes form a larger print called La Maschera è Cagion di Molti Mali (The Mask is the Cause of Many Evils). The online information search on this enigmatic Masque has indeed yieleded very little information beyond what one can deduct in person. The Fondazionecarisbo.it perhaps offers the most succinct definition by stating that “Printing is an elaborate invention that illustrates the five senses and the temptations to which man is exposed through them” (translated). Thus it seems that one should be careful of five senses and what may come through them and out of them, and certainly for the benefit of all.
• The other interpretation is perhaps that the masque can hide and tempt our misbehavior, of which we should be aware. Assumed is that the reference pertains to masqued balls of the time and the ability of ball participants to bypass the moral norms of the time by hiding behind the masques. Well perhaps that was so then, but for this listing the detail which features the horned player and his instrument is certainly of interest.
• The online data on Mitelli are scarce but from what was located, it appears that he was from Bologna and active in Bologna as an artist known for his, sometime surreal, images. In his La Maschera under the “temptation” class of “young couple dancing,” we see on the left a little devil playing a period bass fiddle, which by size appears as a mid sized violone.
• The contour of this instrument shows a traditional violin form, while the other details present four pegs, a slanted and curved peg box (an older school), some loose strings coming out of peg box, a fingerboard without frets, two traditional F holes and a bridge set lower than the F holes. Visible is also a little wood “knob” at the place of endpin, which may indicate that this instrument could be played in the upright position as well. However in this presentation the instrument is indeed played in a seated position, and very much tilted.
• This depiction can certainly be of use if and when the larger collection of Violoni images from Bologna and Italy are assembled for a further analysis. For now, perhaps one may try to see if there are similarities with the instrument featured in Boncori – The Musical Group – 1695 which also features a painting made in Bologna.
Further Research:
• Given the enigmatic appearance of La Maschiera, it would be of value to concentrate first on the very artist who produced it and along the other possible music representations that he may have left us. Otherwise, a broader look at the bass instruments and the period music these may have performed in late 17th century Bologna, may give us additional insights in to the tuning and use of this instrument.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Mid sized Italian four string Violone.
–
–
1690
Alsatian Bassist
–
Detail
–
Anonymous. Alsatian Bassist, in Grillet, Laurent. Les Ancêtres du Violon et du Violoncelle: Les Luthiers et les Fabricants D’Archets. Tome Deuxieme (Vol II), Paris: C. Schmid, 1901, p. 161 [ titled: Panneau d’un Buffet Alsacien (Fin du XVIIe siècle) ]
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Page View – Internet Archive
Image View – Internet Archive
Image View – Wikisource.org
–
Bibliography:
• Brun, Paul. A New History of the Double Bass. Villeneuve d’Ascq: P. Brun Productions, 2000. Plate 22 (Double Bassist Carved on Alsatian Buffet), Plate citation on p. 311.
Notes:
• This image depicts a mid sized, bass instrument with four strings. A bassist appears to be either seated with an invisible stool behind him, or standing in somewhat stretched position.
• This carving should come from an unidentified Buffet (cupboard/cabinet) in Alsace region of France. Yet, where exactly, should be figured in the future.
• Since Grillet dates this image to late 17th century, for the sake of year classification the year 1690 was chosen here. If this Buffet still exists today, it could be worth to investigate when it was built and by whom.
• In respect to bass iconography we also see a small knob-like endpin with a spike at the bottom of the instrument, which should indicate that the instrument was meant to be played by resting on the ground. Otherwise, this representation is consistent with smaller violoni depictions from late 17th to mid 18th century.
Further Research:
• to be determined
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Awaiting further systematization. Once a complete period nomenclature of the French bass fiddles is established, this instrument should be designated with its proper French name.
–
–
1690
El Niño Jesús
–
Detail
–
Correa, Juan. El Niño Jesús con Ángeles Músicos. (Jesus as Child with Angel Musicians). Oil painting on wood board, est. 1690, Mexico City (?), Mexico. Located at Museo Nacional de Arte, Mexico City, Mexico, i.n. 17645.
–
Official Page – Museo Nacional de Arte
Official Page – Akg-images.de (commercial)
–
Bibliography:
• Juan Correa – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• Presented is a group of angel musicians with Infant Jesus. Yet, although appearance of angels is approximating small children, when their musical instruments are compared in respect to their statures, for example a shoulder held fiddle or a lute; we see that these instruments are proportioned as if the adults are playing them. Thus the same proportion scale can apply to the bass instrument depicted here, and which should approximates a smaller modern double bass in height then.
• In respect to bass iconography we see a period Spanish / Mexican bass fiddle with some unique characteristics. The instrument rests on the ground while being played by a standing angel. The height of this instrument reaches to about the mid head level of a performing angel, which should approximate the height of the instrument in respect to adult human well. The scroll section of this instrument is not as well defined in this image, yet it appears that the instrument features some six strings. Barely visible are the frets on the neck while the bridge appears relatively small and positioned below the ornamented F holes.
• The body of this instrument appears to follow an elongated violin form shape, while the very instrument looks relatively narrow. The ribs also appear to be relatively thin. The most striking characteristics of this instrument however are the elaborate three part “F” holes that remind of those presented at Witte – King David and St. Cecilia – 1591 .
• The overall composition of this picture should evoke the Overadt – Laudate Pueri Dominum – 1626 , where infant Jesus is also surrounded by angel musicians of whom one plays a larger bass fiddle. The overall layout of Overadt and Correa presentations appear almost identical in respect to gestures and positions of angles, yet with exception that in Correa we see different instruments which likely belong to the local Mexican tradition. The bass instruments certainly look different. So, given the similarity of these two presentations, there is a good chance that there were more of these compositions, and when discovered, these will be presented here as well.
• The most important feature of this painting however is that this is probably the first representation of a human sized bass instrument of European descent in Latin America. In respect to dating however, the Official Page of Museo Nacinal de Arte does not offer any specific year estimate beyond the general 17th century designator. So, for the sake of this listing, the dating is based on an approximation of artist’s middle creative period of 1671 to 1716, and which should fall in 1690s. Thus the year 1690 was selected. If a better estimation appears in future, this year will certainly be amended.
Further Research:
• It certainly would be of interest to find any other pictorial compositions which feature Infant Jesus that are similar to the one presented here with Correa and in Overadt images. Moreover, it would be of interest to investigate further the period music practice of Mexico City in 17th century for any notice of larger bass instruments, and particularly how were they named. Chances are that these instruments may have been featured in liturgical music, or possibly cited in period church records as the large instruments were likely the church property at the time.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ] ?
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Spanish / Mexicam six stringed large bass instrument.
–
–
1692
Ne Quid Nimis
–
–
Meyer, Johann. Ne Quid Nimis (Nothing in Excess). Engraving Print, 1692, Printed by Musikgesellschaft “ab dem Musik-Saal,” Zürich, Switzerland. Located at Zentralbibliothek Zürich, ZB Graphische Sammlung (GSM), call no. STF IV, 6 .
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Official Page – e.rara.ch
Image View – e.rara.ch
Official Page – Link Here
Image Page – Link Here
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Bibliography:
• Johannes Meyer the Younger (1655-1712) – The British Museum
• Johannes Meyer the Younger (1655-1712) – Artwee.com
• Zürcher Neujahrsblätter, Zürich 1971, p. 85
• Ne Quid Nimis – Wikipedia.org
Notes:
• This particular engraving of a period bass fiddle may not fit perfectly in this listing and due to the fact that it does not rest on the ground, but instead on player’s lower leg sides (calves). Yet, it still presents some unique characteristics to merit citation here.
• So, on the first sight one would say viola da gamba, but in respect to the shape this is instrument presents an outline that reminds very much of a modern double bass, although its dimensions are certainly not comparable. This instrument also features some five pegs and five strings, and which brings the question of tuning, likely not the standard gamba tuning. The fingerboard does not feature any frets, and which presumably is a defining characteristics of the entire viola da gamba family. Lastly, the front plate presents two F holes (and not C holes as common with gambas). The bridge is positioned on this instrument right in the middle of the F holes vertical orientation, at the place where all modern stringed instruments position their bridges. Yet, this bridge placement location was still not common at this period.
• Also, the overall proportions indicate instrument that may appear to a degree larger than the standard bass gambas, and in that respect this instrument may approach the size, and in a certain way foreshadows the violoni from mid 18th century that were also played in seated position. Please see Weigel – Musicalisches Theatrum – 1722 , Ridinger – Gravitätische Violone – 1723 and Engelbrecht – Une Lutiere – Violon – 1730 .
• The bow hold appears to be a standard gamba hold with one of the fingers pressing the hair down inside the bow. The end portion of this bow however looks as if having an extended stick and possibly a winding screw inside of it?
• So in summary, this instrument offers a combination of period and modern violin form characteristics within an instrument of somewhat larger size for “da gamba” (leg) holding position, and which makes it relatively unique, and certainly of interest to further study.
Further Research:
• It would be of interest to find out if a depiction of this instrument is a one of a kind, or if perhaps there are other depictions of similar five stringed instruments from the time. It would also be of interest to look for a possible five string tuning that this instrument may have used, and whether this tuning would have allowed a reach in the proximity of 16 foot register as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• A type of Swiss Violone, although it may have been called differently at the time.
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1693
Musizierende Frauen
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Deatail – Original
Detail – Original Corrected
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Bottschild, Samuel. Musizierende Frauen (Women Playing Music). Etching Print, 1693, Dresden/ Nürnberg, Germany. Located at Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig, Germany, m.n. SBottschild AB 3.36.
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Official Page – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM)
Image View – Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM)
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Bottschild, Samuel. Opera Varia Historica Poetica & Iconologica. [Nürnberg] : Weigel 1693. Plate 30.
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Official Page – Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (all scans, scroll down to plate 30)
Official Record – Österreichische Nationalbibliothek
Official Page – Google Books (plate 30)
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Bibliography:
• Samuel Bottschild – Wikipedia.it
• Samuel Bottschild – Britishmuseum.org
• Johann Christian Schumann – Stadtwikidd.de
Notes:
• This striking image simply exudes a sense of power and determination that one can almost relate to the ancient temple freezes depicting Gods and Heroes. Although, and judging by the clouds that form the basis of this composition, and also a small angel that holds presumably the music score, this image also brings a feel of syncretism between the late 17th century traditional depictions of haven and the venerable ancient Graeco-Roman tradition. So then, what is this? Judging, by the preceding and succeeding images in Bottschild’s Opera Varia this is one of the plates depicting ancient mythological and allegorical representations of Gods and divinized personifications. This entire set of prints was dedicated by Bottshchild to Johann Christian Schumann, who was a Dresden lawyer, city councilman and one of the three rotating Dresden mayors. Schumann was also a learned man, an avid collector of prints and a supporter of arts. So this entire set of prints appears to address his taste for ancient and learned matters which people of high standing have enjoyed at the time.
• This brings us to the point of who may be the depicted lady with an instrument? If we browse the images prior and after this one, the lady may actually be a muse who enjoys the company of the other muses within a small music ensemble. This page unfortunately does not have a title which describes the image as most other in this set do, but the deduction of muses in celestial realm appears most appropriate. This is also supported by the title ascribed to one other plate from this series with lady musicians titled as Muses with Musical Instruments by the Philadelphia Museum of Art – Page Link. The title for this image however follows the official Kupferstichkabinett (HAUM) title which is Musizierende Frauen (Women Playing Music).
• In respect to bass iconography depicted is a muse in seated position that performs on a larger stringed bass instrument. This instrument rests on the ground (cloud) while its scroll box extends slightly over her head. Visible is also a large scroll section with some six pegs and which should qualify this instrument in a period Violone class. The ribs of this instrument do not appear that thick, but neither they are as thin as with some other instrument featured here, and while the very outline of this instrument shows violin form profile with the tapered upper bouts, similar to the modern double bass design.
• One unique detail however immediately catches the attention, and that is the reverse hand position status in respect to the instrument hold. Bows are always held by the right hand, while in this presentation it is the opposite. This may be due to an engraver’s omission of not using the “mirror image” procedure to get the impression right, or it simply wasn’t as important a detail. So, to remedy that part, the muse with a stringed bass instrument is presented here both in the original and in the reverse-corrected image that should show her in standard performance position.
• The bow hold also appears somewhat generic in respect to how the period bows were held, but one may never exclude a possibility that in fact some period performers may have practiced a generic bow hold at the time.
Further Research:
• Given that this image was produced in Dresden by a Dresden artist and for a Dresden patron, it would stand some reason that the instruments depicted represent those at the use at Dresden of that time as well. Thus it would be of interest to explore further what music was performed at that time in Dresden, by what ensembles and whether there are any records at the time of larger period basses that could match the one depicted here.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ] ?
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Violone in G (likely)
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–
1695
Angel Violonist
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Detail
–
Anonymous. Angel Violonist. Cover page engraving in Novae Agendae Olomucensis Directorium Chori. Jussu et Authoritate Reverendissimi ac Celsissimi Principis, Domini Domini Caroli, Dei Gratia Episcopi Olomucensis, Ducis, Sacri Romani Imperii Principis, Regiae Capellae Bohemiae et de Lichtenstein Comitis. Brunae : excudebat, et venale exhibet, Franciscus Ignatius Sinapi, 1695.
Title Translated:
New Agenda of the Director of the Choir of Olomouc. By order and authority of the Most Reverend and Most High Prince, Lord Carol, by the Grace of God Bishop of Olomouc, Duke, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, Royal Chapel of Bohemia and Count of Lichtenstein.
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The official online image not available
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Official Record – Moravská Zemská Knihovna Brno
Official Record – Manuscriptorium.com (1645?)
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Bibliography:
• Karl II von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn – Wikipedia.org
• Bishop Karl von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn – Catholic-hierarchy.org
• Maňas, Vladimír. Vytištěno v Brně… ke zpívání (Printed in Brno … to Sing), December 14, 2014 Mestohudby.cz (offers a short description of this choral manual, starts with 6th paragraph from the top)
• Vicarová, Eva. Die Musik in der Kathedrale von Olomouc (1872–1985), Internationale Arbeitsgemeinschaft für die Musikgeschichte in Mittel- und Osteuropa an der Universität Leipzig, August 15, 2017, p. 180 (cites Kapellmeister affiliated with Olomouc Cathedral) – Download Page – Download Link
• Philipp Jakob Rittler (composer) – Wikipedia.de
• Pavel Josef Vejvanovský (composer) – Wikipedia.org
• Thomas Anton Albertini (composer) – List of Works WorldCat
• Milota, Jiří. Barokní violony. Masters Thesis, Masaryk University, Brno, 2007, p. 218, plate 109 Thesis Download Page
Notes:
• This choral handbook has proven to be one of the most elusive sources to track down. The book itself appears to be the a handbook for church musicians of the Olomouc diocese, yet its content is probably best described by Vladimír Maňas in his Printed in Brno … to Sing post from Mestohudby.cz (cited in bibliography – also Direct Link).
Translated in English (Starts with 6th ends with 7th paragraph online):
In 1695, the Brno printer Sinapi also published a handbook for church musicians of the Olomouc diocese ( Novae Agendae Olomucensis Directorium Chori ), which, according to the title, was an extension, an addition to the diocesan agenda published a year earlier, one of the basic liturgical handbooks. In addition to Latin choral songs, there are also 42 Czech and 40 German songs (mostly including the melody). Then the Bishop of Olomouc, Karel Liechtenstein-Castelcorno, explains in the preface: “However, so that nothing is missing in this work in the slightest, we made sure that German and Czech songs, which are customarily sung during the year before the sermon, are included” (quoted from the book History of Music in Moravia, Brno 2001, p. 66). Among the Czech songs there are a number of very old ones from before the Reformation, including Christmas songs Christ the Lord was born.
In the spirit of strict regulations, these songs were to be sung only outside the mass itself (the sermon was usually not part of it, but preceded or followed the service), although the practice of the time was considerably more relaxed. In the church of St. Janů (minorites) in the 18th century, at the end of each devotion (that is, perhaps every day), a song about the Blessed Sacrament, Freuet euch, ihr lieben Seelen (Rejoice, dear souls) was sung. If by chance the musicians there did not remember it, they could consult the aforementioned Directory.
• So, from the presented summary we may assume that the illustration for this handbook presents the instruments used to accompany songs that were sung before the official mass.
• Thus in respect to bass iconography, we see here an angel who plays a larger bass instrument in standing position, and which may imply that the Olomuc Diocese, and which at that time encompassed Olomuc, Brno and Kremsier, have had such an instrument in use for its liturgy and other services. This instrument, and by modern standards, very much reminds of a smaller double bass with a longer endpin extension. Otherwise, on this instrument we see four strings and a bridge set lower than the F holes.
• Was this instrument by chance tuned as a modern double bass? The string lengths would suggest that it could have been, but a more substantial corroboration would certainly be welcome to back such a claim.
• Otherwise, the author of this text has tried to find out what other music may have been performed in Olomuc region at that time, and it appears that from 1680 to post 1710 there were three Kapellmeisters active there: Philipp Jakob Rittler (1639?–1690), PavelVejvanovský (1640–1693), Thomas Anton Albertini (1660–1736). Source Vicarová, 2017. The further look over the opus of these composers indeed indicates that they have left works which use the Violone. Yet, whether their compositions use the type of Violone depicted here, or some other, is also to be verified by further inquiry. At the very least, we may assume that for the church liturgy the Violone type we see above was likely employed.
Further Research:
• It would be nice to peruse all the music of Olomouc composers from the late 17th and early 18th century for a comprehensive study of bass instruments used, as perhaps some of these instruments may have already been capable of 16 foot register reach.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Smaller period Double Bass or Violone.
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–
1695
The Musical Group
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Detail
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Boncori, Giovanni Battista. The Musical Group. Painting, ca. 1695, Rome, Italy. Located at Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, USA, o.n. 71.544.
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Official Page – Chrysler Museum of Art
Image View – Lama Armonica
Image View – Peraltrees
Image View in Gallery – Nordart
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Bibliography:
• Giovanni Battista Buonocore – Wikipedia.org
• Giovanni Battista Buonocore – Rkd.nl
• Giovanni Battista Buonocore – Askart.com
• Wennerstrom, Nord. “Elegant and rare 17th Italian Baroque painting for sale in Paris – Updated” at Nordonart.wordpress.com, December 10, 2013 (Boncori, The Musical Group, 7th paragraph down) – Post Link
Notes:
• Featured is a lovely image of four young musicians among whom one actually plays a double bass looking instrument, and which probably was not called so at the time this painting was created. What is interesting however is that the actual painting presents the performers and their instruments very much to the scale and which certainly could help in further evaluation of this instrument.
• This bass instrument appears to rest on the ground while its top appears to reach over the head of the standing violin player to the left. So, this is relatively larger instrument although it may appear similar in shape to the instruments presented in Baschenis – Agliardi Triptych (left) – 1665 and Baschenis – Instruments de Musique – 1660 . The pointed end of the neck, the center split line between the left and right board of the back plate and the back bevel on the back plate toward the neck; all appear similar to those seen in the Baschenis. Likewise, and although we can se the instrument only from the back, the outline of this instrument sows a violin form. We also see the four pegs and the frets on the neck and these all appear on Baschenis instruments as well.
• So would this be the same instrument then? Probably not, as this one appears a bit larger. It should not be considered bigger only because a child plays it, but because the very painting may offer us the clues of its size. The Chrysler Museum of Art on their official page titles this instrument both as Double Bass and Violone. Moreover, since we mentioned that the painting is likely made to scale, please compare it to a modern adult in a gallery setting, as then it may be perceived as a man sized instrument, which these instruments presented by Baschenis are not? Check source page Nordart Dec. 10 2013 and Nordart – Gallery View for the reference. As for the actual details of the scale, certainly and since the painting is available in public, any future research may address the point with specific measurements and details. In fact, it would be also interesting to make a comparative study of extrapolated measurements for well painted period Italian instruments such as those featured in Saraceni – St Cecilia & Angel -1610 or Teniers D E – Angel with Violone – 1620 for example.
• Lastly, the name of Boncori was spelled in many different way during his life time and the following link presents all the spellings that have been in use: Boncori – Wikidata . For a while this painting used to be attributed to Donato Creti, yet now it is considered a work of Giovanni Battista Boncori, while the possible creation dates range from 1675 till late 1690s. The Chrysler Museum estimate, and which appears to be the most relevant, cites it as ca. 1695, so this year is also accepted in this listing.
Further Research:
• Further study of this painting may attempt to correlate this instrument with the period instruments listings in late 17th century instrumental music scores, and likewise the opus of composers active at Rome at the time. Chances are that this instrument was called Violone in some of these sources, but it would be interesting to see if Contrabasso is cited in some of them as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period Italian large Violone of a kind.
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1695
Cembalo con Violone
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Detail
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Walther, Johann Jacob. Cembalo con Violone, in Hortulus Chelicus, Maintz: Bourgeat, 1694, cover page. Publication print (image showing 1695), page five of the scan. This is likely the cover page for the edition since it precedes the title page.
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Bibliography:
• Johann Jacob Walther – Wikipedia.org
• Johann Jacob Walther – Walther, Johann Gottfried. Musikalisches Lexikon, Oder, Musikalische Bibliothek. Leipzig: Wolffgang Deer, 1732, p. 645 – Page Link MDZ
• Planyavsky, Alfred. Geschichte Des Kontrabasses. Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1984, p. 257 (text), p. 258 (Abb. 75), “Contrabasso al Cembalo”
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 101, Fig. 46. “Contrabasso al Cembalo”
Notes:
• The lovely engraving of a music ensemble with a bass instrument comes from the cover page of the Hortulus Chelicus, a compendium of violin pieces written by violinist Johann Jacob Walther who was active in Mainz at the time. The edition however, may have served several purposes: as a promotion for Walther’s compositional skills, as a didactic manual, and as a compendium of violin pieces for avocational musicians and nobility. Yet with all this considered, one may still puzzle why was a big bass fiddle presented so prominently, while the violins are barely visible in an edition that features solo violin pieces?
• This edition also has some text sections, but none addresses the bass instrument or the bass part, so the edition itself offers no comment on the presented bass instrument.
• On the other side, in the more recent scholarship, Planyavsky presents this image in two of his editions, but he titles it as contrabasso. The perception of the author of these lines however is that this instrument may be more a type of larger period Violone which is played in seated position, although in fact it may approximate by its dimensions a modern smaller ¾ sized double bass. Also, one can certainly note that the instrument rests on the ground while its scroll section appears to reach above everyone else in the room. If you wish for a reference of how a modern double bass would look with someone who holds it while seated in a common chair, please compare this image with the picture of a modern double bassist in such a chair. Photo Link (“Unidentified man with double bass,” 1890s, held by National Library of Scotland, Official Page – Nationalgalleries.com).
• The other details visible on this instrument are two pegs on the side, which may imply a four stringed instrument. One can also note the frets on the fingerboard. The scroll box appears somewhat “twisted” in respect to the rest of the neck. Also, this image offers one other unique detail, which is the protrusion of the neck in the back plate that looks similar to the one visible at Moncornet – La Glorievse Campagne – 1669 . In respect to the body outline, this instrument appears to follow a general violin form.
• Naturally, since this bass instrument is printed on the front page, one may wonder of the period tuning employed. The thoughts on the tuning may need to wait a bit till all the treatises are perused for all the tuning options for this period. But even if this instrument was tuned in the 8 foot ambitus span, its very size would allow it quite a deeper timbre and resonance than the violoncello or even bass gamba, since it has a larger corpus than these, and thus can offer a better resonance.
• Lastly a word about the dating. The print year on the score states 1694, yet the image shows 1695 in Latin numbers. This may imply that the entire edition was printed in 1695, unless the year presented in the engraving is a mistake? If you are curious about the text at the bottom of the image, it reads: “The Mogunitae Anno / MDCLXXXXIIIII” which means “In Maintz of Year 1695”. The very title Hortulus Chelicus could be translated as “The Little Garden of Fiddles,” so let us assume that one of them is also a bass fiddle, waiting in to be properly defined.
Further Research:
• This instrument, and observed in strictly technical terms can easily be identified with a modern double bass, however such a claim should be corroborated by further investigation of period records from Mainz. The court and church records may offer more details on the names and possibly even the personnel that has played these bassi. Additionally, the biographical information on Johann Jacob Walther’s years in Mainz state that he was a state secretary at the court after 1680, but one may wonder whether and how active as a musician was he at the time, and whether the creation of Hortulus Chelicus edition was simply a side activity to him at the time?
Other Media:
• VII Passagagli D Minor – BaRockM Ensemble -YouTube
Presented is a performance of a Passacaglia, printed as a composition No. 7 in this compendium. In this performance you will see The BaRockM Ensemble members that resemble the musicians featured on the title page of this edition. If you wish, you may also follow the music directly from the scanned Hortulus Chelicus Passacaglia at MDZ Link
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period German Violone of a kind
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1698
Leopoldus
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Detail
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Anonym. Leopoldus (Emperor Leopold meets Polish King Jan Sobieski), Drawing, 1698, City or origin, Country of origin. Located at Uppsala University Library, Uppsala, Sweden, i.n. 5106 (Bildsök-id), 6336a 162 (Davidssonnummer : Svensk handteckning), alvin-record:86617 (alvin opac).
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Official Page – Alvin-portal.org
Image View – Alvin-portal.org
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Bibliography:
Image – General Research:
• Charles XI of Sweden (father) – Wikipedia.org
• Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark (mother) – Wikipedia.org
• Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden (daughter) – Wikipedia.org
• Hedvig Sophia of Sweden (daughter) – Wikipedia.org
• Charles XII of Sweden (son) – Wikipedia.org
• Laine, Merit. “An Archivist Queen? Lovisa Ulrika and the Historical Documents at Drottningholm Palace.” Uppsala Rhetorical Studies URS, vol. 8, 2017, pp. 256-281. Download Link
Image – Featured Content Research:
• Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor – Wikipedia.org
• Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (King of Hungary 1687-1690, King of Romans 1690-1705) – Wikipedia.org
• King of Romans – Wikipedia.org
• John III Sobieski, King of Poland – Wikipedia.org
• Battle of Vienna 1683 – Wikipedia.org
• Treaties of Nijmegen – Wikipedia.org
Image – Bass Research:
• Planyavsky, Alfred. The Baroque Double Bass Violone. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 101, Fig. 45, “Contrabasso al Cembalo in Vienna 1683.”
• Planyavsky, Alfred. Geschichte Des Kontrabasses. Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1984, p. 254 (text), p. 255 (Abb. 255).
• Bass Heritage Board “Queen Christina’s Great Bass Viol” of 1597 – Posted on January 3, 2016 – Post Link
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Notes:
• This is one of the most complex images that represents the late 17th century bass iconography, since what you see initially in this image may after the peruse of available data turn to have a very different meaning. So, let us try to explain what is depicted and what it may represent at the end.
• To begin with, the present day location of this drawing is at the Uppsala University Library, Sweden, and where it came a part of Royal Swedish family estate heritage that dates back to the 17th century. This drawing is a part of a series of some 148 historical drawings that were intended to serve as a didactic tool for the upbringing of young Swedish princesses in period that may span from 1690 to 1698, according to sources available at the present. The young princesses were Ulrika Eleonora and Hedvig Sophia, old respectively 10 years and 17 years of age in 1698. They also had a brother, future Swedish king Karl XII who would have been 16 year old in 1698 and who also may have been brought up on these drawings.
• The sources for the dating of this image thus comes from three venues, the content featured on the image itself, the Uppsala Library record and the research by Merit Laine as featured in her article on p. 266. Bearing in mind all this, let us start with the content of the image itself:
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Image
The title of the drawing is LEOPOLDUS which stands for Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, (or the Austrian Emperor to simplify the matter), while the entire drawing represents a didactic summary of emperor’s main achievements and activities for the reference of young Swedish princesses. So what we see in the upper part of the drawing is a successful battle against the Turks in Vienna of 1683 led by fearless forces of Polish King Sobieski. Then we have a music assembly at the left side of the painting which obviously would not be taking place there during the battle. To the right and leaning on the table we see Leopold I, Austrian emperor as he greets Polish King Sobieski and behind him young Joseph I, future Holy Roman Emperor (Austrian Emperor), yet who from 1687 to 1690, was titled as King of Hungary (cited right under his figure as Josephus I, R(ex) Hung.).
After1690, Joseph I was crowned as King of Romans, and he has held this title until his ascension to the Austrian throne as Emperor in 1705. These dates are of importance for dating this image as likely after 1690, he would have been titled on this image as King of Romans unless this title change was not of importance to the author of this drawing.
Now, the other accomplishment record visible on this image is “Pax Neomagi conciliata A. 1679” seal at the upper right corner. This seal refers to the peace treaty signed after the Franco-Dutch war in 1679 in Nijmegen, Netherlands. In this war the Holly Roman Empire (Austria) with its coalition was fighting the French-Swedish coalition. Apparently Leopold I, as the head of the Holy Roman Empire has had a contribution to that treaty and so it is presented here in this drawing as affiliated with him as well. The other company we see on the lower right image is not known, but they may be the other heads of states and signers of the peace treaty in Nijmegen.
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Uppsala Library record – Collection of 148 Drawings
Thus, by considering only the data available from the image itself, it appears that this drawing may have originated sometime between 1687 and 1690 when Joseph I was titled as King of Hungary and certainly after Peace treaty in Nijmegen which took place in 1679. With that in mind, let us consider the Library of Uppsala record and the affiliated information it presents. The record states (in translation):
Unknown artist. The drawings were previously attributed to Queen Ulrika Eleonora the Younger, and were probably commissioned by her teacher C. Friedrich Gutermuth (1637-1702) to illustrate his “Christliche Fürstenlehre”, a historical-biblical textbook printed in 1698 and 1702, but without illustrations. Several of the drawings are provided with shorter texts in German and/or Latin.
Uppsala Library – Record (all drawings)
The library record information moves the date of this drawing up from 1690 to 1698 or even 1702. So, for the reference sake, in 1698 Ulrika Eleonora the Younger was 10 years old, and her sister Hedvig Sophia 17 years old. That appears plausible if we consider the didactic purpose of these drawings. Now let us look at what the research has to say.
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Other Research
Laine, Merit. “An Archivist Queen? Lovisa Ulrika and the Historical Documents at Drottningholm Palace” Uppsala Rhetorical Studies URS, vol 8, 2017, pp. 256-281. Download Link
On page 266 of Laine’s well documented article on the subject of Royal Swedish archives, we read the following in regard to the education sources related to Swedish princesses Ulrika Eleonora the Younger and Hedvig Sofia:
“The earlier set of documents included an exercise book of the seven-year old Karl (XII), and two historical picture books written for his sisters, the princesses Hedvig Sofia and Ulrika Eleonora, by Coelestin Friedrich Gutermuth.28 These were obviously executed with some artistic ambition: they represented a great deal of work, but were incredibly simple, according to Sotberg.”
Note 28
This is probably the manuscript for Gutermuths Christlicher Fürsten-Lehre […], printed in Stockholm in 1698 on the initiative and with funding from the princesses’ grandmother, Dowager Queen Hedvig Eleonora; see Anders Jarlert, “Rikets trogna mor och amma. Hedvig Eleonoras kristna värld”, Hedvig Eleonora: Den svenska barockens drottning, ed. Merit Laine (Stockholm: Kungl. Husgerådskammaren, Votum, 2015), 34-39; 36-37 and Gurli Taube, “Coelestin Friedrich Gutermuth och hans historiska bilder”, Lychnos: Lärdomshistoriska samfundets årsbok 1957-58 (Uppsala, 1958), 14-38.
So, now the question emerges: does the Uppsala Library Record for the Collection of 148 Drawings presented above, actually represent the “picture book” cited in Laine’s article? The description offered by Sotberg of these drawings “being incredibly simple” does correspond to an extent with the style of drawing presented in this and the other images from this collection.
At the present, no source points to a specific author, however there is one small detail that may have passed the research so far, and that is the fact that mother of the Swedish Princesses, Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, was also a painter. Could she have personally made all of these 148 drawings for the edification of her daughters and son? Perhaps that may appear as too much of a work for the Queen of Sweden, but then again, she just may have had an interest in doing this work herself for the benefit of her children? Perhaps the future research may prove or disprove this thesis, and one way to approach this issue would be by comparing the other extant handwriting of Queen Ulrika Eleonora with the one featured on this image. Please check the wiki page on Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark as her painting and drawing activities are mentioned there (source Wikipedia.org).
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• Thus in summary of all mentioned above, for this listing the dating for this drawing was decided based on the Uppsala Library record and Merit Laine research to coincides with the publication of Coelestin Friedrich Gutermuth’s Christlicher Fürsten-Lehre in 1698. Although admittedly it appears that the work on all these drawings could have taken more than a year. If interested to check the Gutermuth’s publication for further reference, it is available in the scan format online as well.
Guthermuth – Christlicher Fürsten-Lehre – Uni Rostock Digitized
Guthermuth – Christlicher Fürsten-Lehre – WorldCat Record
• Finally, what does all this tell us about the image of musicians and among them the bass fiddle player? Well, if this image was created in Sweden for the education of Swedish Princesses, then the inspiration for this ensemble and the instruments featured may have come from the current Swedish court surroundings and not the aftermath of the Vienna battle of 1683 or the Leopold I Viennese court music circles. This is a deduction based on the present findings, although it is technically possible that the image of musicians we see here is based on some other image available to the Swedish author and which was simply copied here for the occasion.
• Yet regardless, what we see is a Tafel Musik (table music) ensemble from the late 17th century where one of the instrumentalists plays a large bass fiddle in standing position. The bass instrument touches the ground by a small wood endpin while the scroll box shows some six pegs, indicating likely a six stringed instrument. The shape of this instrument appears to present a modified violin form, while the ribs appear of a relatively thinner profile and similar to the one at Anonym – Hailige Cacilie mit Engeln – 1685 . A curious detail is also a neck-end that seems to go a bit into the back plate.
• Could this then be the ensemble of Swedish court from about 1698, or a preceding decade or two perhaps, or is it simply a reproduction of some other image with an ensemble and which by chance may come from Austria? That question should be addressed in further research.
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• Lastly, and just as a thought. If indeed this is an illustration of a period Swedish Court Ensemble and not the Viennese one, than there is a good chance that the featured instrument may be the one that to has survived to our times and which still plays with the Royal Swedish Orchestra (!) This instrument made by Maggini, was brought to Sweden by an Italian troupe in 1652 and was left there after the troupe departed Sweden in 1654. Soon it has become a favorite instrument of Queen Christina of Sweden , and so much indeed, that she even gave it a special name as “Drottning Cherstes Stora Bass-Viol,” translated: “Queen Cherstes (Christina’s) Large Bass-Viol.” So, if this was the only large bass instrument at this time at the Swedish court, and the image above is indeed featuring the Swedish court musicians about two decades later, then and very likely, the instrument you see is Queen Cristina’s very own favorite bass. Notwithstanding that the real Maggini has much thicker ribs than the one depicted here, and certainly a different outline; this should be the instrument.
More on the story of Queenn Christina’s bass, you can read at Royal Swedish Orchestra – Online Article . Yet also, if you wonder about the Queen Christina’s other musical interests and particularly the interest in Italian Music please check the record for Sevin – Concert – 1669 watercolor which is now also located in Sweden and due to Queen Christina’s efforts.
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Further Research:
• All the notes presented in this record can serve as a foundation for a further study of the Swedish court ensembles and the various bass fiddles that have played in it. Meanwhile, if any evidence shows that the ensemble in the above image is actually derived from a Non-Swedish source, it would be a good idea to follow on that information as well.
Predecessor Instrument Classes:
• ps[ predecessor instrument by size ]
• pf[ predecessor instrument by function ]
• psh[ predecessor instrument by shape ]
• pt[ predecessor instrument by tuning ] ?
Instrument Type:
• Period Italian or Swedish six stringed Violone.
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Pitch Scale Table
The following table demostrates the nomencalture, range and pitch definitions as used in this page.
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Created by Igor Pecevski
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Posted: April 25, 2023
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