Just a quick question that I thought of yesterday when talking about viols in my AS music class: if a viola player is a violist, what's a viol player?

I'm not sure... maybe a violist as well

Hmmm... thats a good one, perhaps a 'violer'

The OERD definition of violist is "a viol or viola player". Skylark used to specialise in "viol" instruments - perhaps we should ask them.

Oh, so you just have to work it out according to the context?

I have edited my post here to remove an inane comment.

meanwhile here is some music

.....deededeee da dum......

what's a viol???

QUOTE (Jade @ Oct 6 2004, 06:06 PM)

what's a viol???  :blink:

A family of bowed stringed instruments (usually six strings, tuned in fourths with one major third, something like a guitar), popular with rich amateurs of music in much of Europe from c. 1550 to 1650, later in England. Byrd, Gibbons, Jenkins and Purcell all wrote for viol "consorts": ensembles with 4 to 6 of different sizes. J S Bach wrote for the bass viol, which was also known as the viola da gamba.

Well...I think it's better we call them just "viol players" but since viols are very rare and viol players even rarer why bother???

QUOTE (DGA @ Oct 8 2004, 01:18 PM)

Well...I think it's better we call them just "viol players" but since viols are very rare and viol players even rarer why bother???  :D

From time to time I play my mute cornett with lots of other early music enthusiasts, among whom I expect to see a dozen or more amateur viol players.

I know more viol players than violin players

I love the Viols, (Viola da gamba) go to this website and you can listen to some viola da gamba music. - http://www.hillenet.net/cds/cd_08.shtml - listen to the Caprice, it's my fav on that CD.
Just so you know Viola da gamba is the bass in the viol family that often has 7 strings. I love it.
and someone who plays the Viola da gamba is usually called a Gambist