w                   www.ernststolz.com © ernst stolz muziekatelier den haag nederland 2011 webmaster: ernst stolz The viola da gamba is a stringed instrument dating from the 15th and 16th Century. After 1770, the viola da gamba passed into disuse. One of the main reasons behind this was the fact that the instrument had a relatively low volume, while from 1750 onwards a kind of uniformity in the set of instruments was pursued. Eventually, the stronger family of violins was preferred. In addition, certain instruments, including the harpsichord and the viola da gamba, became associated with nobility after the French Revolution. The violin also required less maintenance, mainly due to the fact that the gamba has frets. Frets are pieces of gut string, which are tied around the fingerboard. This makes it easier to find the right tones, but more importantly, also influences the way in which the tones are coloured. Because of the frets, the sound becomes clearer. However, one of the drawbacks of frets is that they make it less easy to play in all keys. They also make it harder to quaver at a certain tone. As far as I am concerned, the instrument deserves definitely to regain some of its former popularity. I try to contribute to this by publishing video clips on YouTube, in which I play the gamba. Initially, the frets make it easier to learn and play the instrument, and this also made it easier for me to accept the challenge. But as soon as one is able to play the notes, one will come across some real gamba issues. One of the difficulties of playing the gamba is that one also has to play a great amount of chords, for which the frets are indeed needed. Still, the most significant reason of these frets remains the clearer sound they produce. Over the last years, I have made the viola da gamba into my main instrument and I have devoted many hours a day to the study of the instrument. Unfortunately, my other professional activities do not leave me too much time to study the gamba. In that respect, I believe one cannot always determine fully in which way one’s career develops. I also enjoy playing chamber and ensemble music on the instrument, e.g. cantatas by Bach. Furthermore, I would like to encourage other people to start and play this special instrument. It is possible to rent a gamba and see for yourself whether you would like to go on with it. One can start very early, as there are also very small violas da gamba