JS Bach: Works for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord

In JS Bach's time, the silvery tones of the courtly viol had not quite yet fallen victim to the louder, brasher sound of the violin family. This programme of music for viola da gamba ('leg viol') and harpsichord presents solo works originally written for viol virtuosi, alongside transcriptions of music composed for the upstart violin.

Like the violin family, viols come in a range of sizes, and the viola da gamba is a cello-sized instrument. While the two instruments may look superficially similar, there are several important differences: viols have frets, they have five to seven strings (while a cello has four), the body of the instrument is differently constructed, the strings are tuned differently, and bowing is underhand.

The presence of frets also makes the viol significantly easier to learn to play than the cello or violin – hence the historic association with gentlemanly pastimes and the modern growth in popularity of viol consort playing among Early Music enthusiasts.

Despite the Baroque-era perception of the violin and cello as instruments for professionals, with accordingly demanding repertoire, there is nevertheless also a substantial body of sophisticated and virtuosic music for solo viol. In this recital, gambist Ibrahim Aziz and harpsichordist Dan Tidhar present some of this material – and also reclaim a few musical morsels from the violins.

Performers:
Ibrahim Aziz viola da gamba
Dan Tidhar harpsichord