ORPHEUS BAND
The viola da gamba–a generic name, though now applied most often to the bass member of the viol clan–looks much like the modern cello: long-necked, with a pear-shaped body, held vertically between the player’s knees (gamba means leg). But the earliest viols appeared in Aragon in the late 15th century, while the violin, which was developed in the early 15th century, is believed to have descended from the rebec, an Arabic instrument introduced to Europe around the time of the Crusades. The Spanish-born viols spread across the Mediterranean to Italy, where they quickly emerged as the instruments of choice for early practitioners of polyphony. Of course what the Italians liked became the rage in the northern countries, and soon viol music of considerable sophistication was introduced to the court of Henry VIII by Flemish and Italian players.
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Intricate counterpoint also dominates John Hingeston’s Suite for Three Bass Viols. The pace set by the three violists was more ferocious, more emphatic than that of the previous suite, but structurally Hingeston’s work is a mess: a fantasia followed by four allemandes. The composer was much more a self-aggrandizing improviser than a thoughtful virtuoso. A similar observation can be made regarding Simpson’s second suite from Mr. Simpson’s Little Consort and “Winter” from his Four Seasons–though he did tone down the polyphony and perk up the rhythm in places, as if trying to address the impending threat of the far livelier violin dances. Simpson didn’t quite know how to tidy up his structure either: the second suite has four airs interrupted by one courante.
