| | ViolHistory, Facts and interesting information about Medieval music, specifically, Viol Definition and Description of the Viol Definition and description of the Viol: The Viol can be described as being played with a bow and held on the lap or between the legs. Description: A stringed musical instrument formerly in use, of the same form as the violin, but larger, and having six strings, to be struck with a bow, and the neck furnished with frets for stopping the strings. The name is now applied as a general term to designate instruments of the violin kind, as tenor viol, bass viol, etc. Family of Instruments: The Viol belongs to the family of String instruments. Medieval Musical Instruments - Viol Medieval Musical instruments, including the Viol, would be used by the musicians of the period including the Waits, Minstrels or Troubadours. There were three categories of musical instruments in the Middle Ages - wind, string and percussion. Terms of description were Bas instruments and Haut instruments. Bas referred to soft instruments (literally, "low," but referring to volume, not pitch) which were suitable for the chamber which included the vielle, rebec and other bowed strings, the lute and other plucked strings. Haut referred to loud instruments (literally "high" but referring to volume, not to pitch) which were suitable for outdoors which included the shawm, sackbut, pipe and tabor. Read the above history, facts and information about the Viol. The Waits Medieval Music - Viol The Medieval Times website provides interesting facts, history and information about the musicians and styles of music which scatter the history books including Viol. The Medieval Life and Times Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts about the fascinating subject of the lives of the people who lived during the historical period of the Middle Ages. The content of this article on Viol provides free educational details, facts and information for reference and research for schools, colleges and homework for history courses and history coursework. | |