19th Century: the End and New Beginning of the Viola da Gamba

Abstract

The viola da gamba was a leading instrument in the musical scene of the Renaissance and European Baroque, entering the Classical period with some renowned viols players. For decades, musicians and musicologists have asserted that the viola and its repertoire died with the last viol player Carl Friederich Abel, when he died in 1787. From a modern perspective it is difficult to understand how an instrument that had such wide acceptance in the courts and long performance on the stage and European salons may have been totally forgotten and abandoned in the 19th century. The article presents reflections and traces a possible historical path that the viola da gamba took throughout the 19th century in the European music scene.