viola da gamba

The viola da gamba, commonly referred to nowadays as gamba or viol, emerged in the late Middle Ages, reached its zenith in the seventeenth century, became obsolete in the eighteenth, and was revived in the twentieth. Its component parts are substantially the same as those of the violin. Gambas differ, however, in the number and tuning of their strings—they have six strings tuned in fourths with a central third—deeper ribs, sloping shoulders, a proportionately longer neck, a flat back with canted...