TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
9th Biennial Conference on Baroque Music
ABSTRACT
String instruments at the Wuerttemberg court c.1717: identification
of the Hand Gamba
Samantha Owens
Archival sources relating to music at the court of Württemberg (in
south-western Germany) around the turn of the eighteenth century occasionally
refer to an unusual stringed instrument known to local musicians as a Hand
Gamba. Far from being a novelty it was considered a reasonably standard
member of the ducal musical ensemble, since in 1717 the acting Kapellmeister
stated it was necessary for the performance of both a "well-appointed"
Kirchen-Music and Tafel-Music. The appearance of the Hand Gamba in
a comprehensive inventory of instruments owned by the court in 1718 proves
that it was an entity in its own right--quite distinct from other strings
such as the viola da gamba The myriad of instruments available to
the Württemberg Kapellmeister around this time clearly shows that
the transition from consort to orchestra had yet to be fully accomplished
at the court. This paper will examine the extant references to this
mysterious instrument (which include contemporary descriptions of musicians
playing it) in an attempt to determine its identity-focusing on both the
Hand Gamba's physical nature and its function within the ducal Hofkapelle.
Last updated on 22 March 2000 by Yo
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