A small selection of pieces from the second book of pieces for viol. The viol is not to be confused with the later viola, a lower tuned cousin of the violin. The viol is much bigger, a little less so than the cello, and with a neck that resembles a bit that of a double bass. It is also called viola da gamba, Italian for leg violin. It’s six string are made of gut, just like all baroque instruments.
It is also, just like the double bass tunes in fourths, but with one major third distance. Interestingly, it is an instrument that predates the equal temperament (the one Bach wrote a famous piece for). Because it is possible, many pieces demand a slightly adjusted tuning. This is not a modern instrument, and many of the musical theories from later ages just don’t apply. That makes playing it, but also hearing it quite a different experience.
This music was used in the film Tous les matins du monde, a biopic about Marin Marais’ lessons on the viol by Sainte Colombe. I wrote about that many times already.