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viola da braccio

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  • Braulio Kshlerin
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Meaning of Viola da Braccio in Music

The term "viola da braccio" refers to a family of instruments from the violin family that were used during the Baroque period. It is used to distinguish these instruments from the "viola da gamba" family, which includes the viol, a bowed string instrument played between the legs. "Viola da braccio" translates to "arm viol" in Italian, indicating that these instruments are played on the arm, similar to the modern violin. The term was later used specifically to refer to the viola, the alto member of the modern violin family .

The viola da braccio played a significant role in the development of orchestral music. In the 18th century, it often doubled cello parts in the orchestra. Composers such as Christoph Willibald Gluck, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Joseph Haydn gave the viola distinctive treatment, and it gradually assumed an independent orchestral role. It has been featured in notable works such as Hector Berlioz's "Harold in Italy" and Richard Strauss's "Don Quixote." The viola also gained prominence through the viola sonatas of Paul Hindemith, Bla Bartók's viola concerto, and the contributions of renowned violists like William Primrose and Walter Trampler.

The viola da braccio is sometimes confused with the viola da gamba, which is a different family of instruments. The viola da gamba is the ancestor of the modern cello and is played between the legs. The confusion arises because the Italian word "viola" was a generic term used to refer to any bowed instrument or fiddle in the 15th century. However, in the context of the viola da braccio, it most commonly denotes an instrument from the violin family or specifically the viola.

Overall, the viola da braccio is an important instrument in the history of music, particularly in the development of orchestral music and the role of the viola in the modern violin family.

The family of of which the modern violin is a member. This family originated in the early Renaissance, and developed alongside the viola da gamba family; it eventually overshadowed the later in popularity due to its brighter, louder, more lively tone.

Popular questions related to viola da braccio

Viola da braccio (from Italian "arm viola", plural viole da braccio) is a term variously applied during the baroque period to instruments of the violin family, in distinction to the viola da gamba ("leg viola") and the viol family to which the latter belongs.

The instrument popularly known as the violin is short for “viola da braccio,” which indicates the instrument is played on the arm (“braccio”) in a horizontal position. This is as opposed to the “viola da gamba,” or the instrument played vertically, between the legs (“gamba”).

From the 1400's to the 1700's, the Italian word viola was the general term for any stringed instrument played with a bow. Viola da braccio, or “arm viola,” was the generic name for any member of what we now call the modern violin family.

The standard tuning is in fourths with a major third in the middle.

Italian (southern): from braccio 'arm' hence a nickname for someone with strong deformed or otherwise noticeable arms. Alternatively from the medieval personal name Braccio a short form of Fortebraccio ('strong arm').

masculine Il braccio (the arm) is masculine in the singular but feminine in the plural (le braccia).

The name indicates where you hold it. “Gamba” is the Italian word for leg and it's held between the legs like a cello. So let me tell you the difference between a viola da gamba and a cello. The cello has four strings; the gamba has six (or sometimes seven).

The German word for viola ("bratsche") is said to come from "viola da braccio" ("viola for the arm"), which is what instruments in the violin family were referred to in Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries. An early viola. Its sloping shoulders show its lineage from the viol.

violet Viola is a girl's name of Latin and Italian origin, meaning “purple” and “violet.” This beautiful floral name will be ideal for baby as they grow and blossom throughout life. The famous American actress and producer Viola Davis rocks this name with style and is one of the most influential celebrities of this era.

The viola often plays the "inner voices" in string quartets and symphonic writing, and it is more likely than the first violin to play accompaniment parts. The viola occasionally plays a major, soloistic role in orchestral music.

You get a sweet sound that is a bit reedy (gut strings) and melancholy, just right for what it was originally intended: private music for personal or royal consumption. The viol also comes in different sizes, like recorders.

The viola, which many believe to have predated the violin, is tuned to the notes C G D A with the lowest open string pitch being C and the highest pitch being A. The intervals C to G, G to D and D to A on a correctly tuned viola are all Perfect Fifth intervals.

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