Il dolce suono – Acoustical measurements and practical experiences with ’new’ viols after Ganassi 1542/43

From 2011 to 2015, two research projects at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis were concerned with bowed string instruments around 1500. An important part of it was the evidence-based reconstruction of a "viola d’arco tastadaäfter Silvestro Ganassi 1542/43, whereby the internal construction of the instruments was of particular importance, as the earliest evidence of the use of soundpost and bass bar dates only from the 1590s (www.rimab.ch). The ’new’ viols, reconstructed
on the basis of written, iconographic and organological sources, were acoustically measured at the Department of Music Acoustics in Vienna (IWK), as well as tested in concerts and a CD recording of the ensemble arcimboldo (Co’l dolce suono, audite 97.731) published in 2018. The acoustic and practical performance results with regard to various parameters such as timbre, reaction speed (e.g. in diminutions), sound balance and mixing ability (in different instrumentations)
are presented here.