The viola da gamba, the ancestor of the modern cello, itself had antecedents that have been only sparsely preserved. Two of them are examined on this Spanish-British release, played by Fernando Marín in reconstructed versions featuring such down-and-dirty original equipment as sheep gut strings. The lyra-viol is rather mysteriously described by Marín as a "fusion of the viola da gamba, Indian bowed stringed instruments with resonant metal strings, and the Italian Lira de arco for polyphonic playing." The last phrase is ...
Read More
The viola da gamba, the ancestor of the modern cello, itself had antecedents that have been only sparsely preserved. Two of them are examined on this Spanish-British release, played by Fernando Marín in reconstructed versions featuring such down-and-dirty original equipment as sheep gut strings. The lyra-viol is rather mysteriously described by Marín as a "fusion of the viola da gamba, Indian bowed stringed instruments with resonant metal strings, and the Italian Lira de arco for polyphonic playing." The last phrase is key; it's a small viol with a large number of strings laid out in such a way that the instrument can produce extended passages of polyphony. The repertory for the lyra-viol from 17th century England has been played from time to time, but the examples by Italian composer Alfonso Ferrabosco played here are quite rare. The lyra-viol's buzzy gut bass strings are matched in exoticism by the vihuela de arco, the Spanish instrument that, influenced directly by Arabic models,...
Read Less