Or wound metal vs catgut, lol. When I started playing timpani the heads were
calfskin…a challenge to keep in tune, but nothing since has matched that tone
quality, imo.
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Ooh, this is good. You can hear the viola da gamba in all its glorious catgutty sloppiness. And who knew baroque music could be so hot? I wonder if after recording this they all lit up cigarettes.
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Here are the Bach cello suites, rendered on the viola da gamba. It’s very similar yet unmistakably different.
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These are wonderful. Takes a much different technique, with all the string crossings. They are all very good. And yes, cigarettes all around, lol.
I had a music history prof who was a cellist and raved about the viola da gamba.
He was cool, had us singing early polyphony from the HAM anthology. Thanks for the treat.
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I’ll never forget the commentary of Derek Jole, the author of the liner notes to my two-CD set of Maurice Gendron playing the Bach cello suites. He explained that at the time, the cello was a crude accomanying instrument, while the viola da gamba was the choice of the accomplished soloist. His exact words for how the cello was seen in Bach’s time?
“A natural niche in the basso continuo where it might support the more interesting voices, if need be, under the management of a dullard.”
How the times have changed. Let’s not even talk about the baryton… 
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Is Jole saying that it’s Bach that elevated the cello, basically single-handedly?
I think it’s safe to say, at least, that the viola da gamba was not an ancestor to the cello, but a different branch of the evolutionary tree.
And then (changing topic somewhat, I realize)… some rare scholars the case that “cello suite No. 6” was written for the “shoulder cello”, or cello da spalla… witness this astounding performance from analog, of the Netherlands Bach Society:
Nope. It wasn’t really fair of me to give that quote out of context, without what preceded and followed it. The entire essay, “The Rise of a Virtuoso Instrument,” is thorough and (it would seem) properly researched. Jole explains that it would be quite some time after Bach’s death before the cello would be accepted as a versatile solo instrument. Why, then, would Bach compose these magnificent pieces for a such a primitive instrument? Some historians believe they were for a virtuoso cellist (C.B. Linike) in Cöthen. Then why would Linike decide to develop virtuoso skills on the maligned cello (“destined for the dullest of jobs”)? Well, he could have been hedging his bets with the cello because the gamba was in decline - despite its wonderful expressiveness, it just wasn’t loud enough for the newer, larger concert halls…
The rise of the cello and fall of the gamba (and how they relate to Bach’s motivations for and compositional techniques in the suites) are apparently long stories, and it’s not practical or legal to reproduce Jole’s entire essay here. If you can find the CD or a reprint of the notes online, I highly recommend the listen and the read.
Jole asserts that the sixth suite was written for “violoncello piccolo, an instrument of Bach’s own” that is now obsolete. Maybe the same as a cello da spalla - the fifth string on both is evidence that the two instruments might be one and the same. I listened to this YouTube performance while only looking occasionally at the video. Tough indeed to hear a difference between the shoulder cello and a modern one. Flashbacks to playing a bell-front marching baritone horn for a few seasons - endurance required! My Gendron recording of this same piece is almost exactly 30 minutes - I suspect Mr. Malov cut a few repeats to make it a more bearable 24.
It would be a major challenge (but with rewarding results) to diagram relationships among the viol family, the modern violin family, and others like the baryton and arpeggione - not just a predecessor / successor timeline, but also with regard to range, number of strings, sympathetic strings, tonal and dynamic characteristics, playing technique (e.g. underhand vs overhand bowing, frets, held on the lap or under the chin or propped on the floor, etc). And even more fascinating to draw parallels to the evolution of trumpet / cornet / bugle familes.
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I am pretty sure a cello piccolo is not a cello da spalla, though indeed they both have five strings.
I’m ready to be wrong about this and most things!
Thanks for the further explication of Jole’s essay. Interesting stuff indeed.
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My dudes, check this out. We’ve all heard this music before, but not on this instrument, played at this tempo, and with such good sound engineering. It’s amazing. And another instance of where it pays to have good gear so as to appreciate the different tones of this instrument compared to its modern incarnations.
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@dcofficehack Wow. Indeed good gear helps. 
Much more edge here. What do you know about this instrument? Also for a real contrast of tone colors ck out Barenboims straight string piano. Debussy’s Sunken Cathedral. 2018 DG.
I only know what’s written on that youtube page. I’ll check out Barenboim. I’m a fan of his: his piano/cello sonats with J. du Pré are my favorite recordings of that music. He’s particularly good with Beethoven.
He has a 2020 album of Beethoven sonatas 13 thru 19, again DG I get it on Primephonic.
I should be on Primephonic. I stick to Tidal because I share with my kid, who listens to crap music. Tidal in fact has a ton of classical music, like that lovely Viola da gamba player, Lucile Boulanger, about whom I posted above. But finding stuff is daunting. Their seach functions just aren’t compatible with classical music.
That said, I just found that Barenboim album. You said he’s playing an interesting piano on that?
Yes. He had one made. Instead of bass strings crossing underneath they are all straight down from the keys. (Bigger case I think, and maybe different winding.) I think the info is on Wikipedia.
The Sunken Cathedral is a good example of a BASS sound, as well as fully exploring the full range of color the the instrument provides.
I am LOVING Primephonic. They are always evolving, now have more “booklets” available (liner notes) and they are up on new releases and some more obscure performances. They are now all CD and Hi res for $14.99/mo.
With all we spend on gear 50 cents a day extra is WELL worth it to me. I think they still have a 2 week free trial. And…their search function is very good!!!
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I just listened to this one on my main system and was struck by how good it sounded. Great tonality of each instrument, nice weight from the basses and timpani, good sense of the acoustics of the hall.
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anyone listen to the stuff by Nicholas Yee? amazing covers and theme songs on the cello.
the Star Wars medley is really good!
Here’s a lovely piece I just stumbled across. God, what a setting. The music is also a good exercise of sound stage and imagery. Close your eyes and place the singers, the male tenors to the left, the baritons to the right, with the ladies in the middle…and then focus on the instruments…
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Listening on Focal Clears, this album is full of great recording, great label…
Check out “Gregorian Chant - Crux Fidelis” by 2L Audiophile Reference Recordings & Consortium Vocale on Amazon Music. https://music.amazon.com/albums/B001NH8I2Q?do=play&trackAsin=B001NHFOOG&ref=dm_sh_EhiZMx2xobVOKYvy2PvzSvYeX
Not sure what took me so long but I finally bumped my Tidal subscription up to the Hifi level and mmmmmmmm. So good.
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Forgive me if I’ve posted this before, but man this gives me the chills. A love letter from Beethoven.
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