The viola da gamba (Italian for “leg”) is a family of bowed instruments of the 15th–18th centuries which, unlike the violin family, are held vertically, resting on or between the knees. The gamba usually has six or seven strings and frets on the neck, and its sound is soft, matte, and intimate, with a characteristic “breathing” attack of the bow.
In the Baroque era the viola da gamba was one of the noblest solo and ensemble instruments: Marin Marais, Sainte-Colombe, and Johann Sebastian Bach (the sonatas for gamba and harpsichord) wrote for it. In the 18th century it was gradually displaced by the louder and more agile cello. Yet with the revival of authentic performance the gamba has returned to the stage, and its tender voice again enchants lovers of early music.
