The Viennese violone : A

Isaline Leloup

This research examines if the Viennese tuning was used in the orchestral works of Beethoven, Schubert, and Mendelssohn and whether it is possible to link the composers and the use of this tuning in their writing style for the 16’ instrument. The Viennese tuned violone is a particular 5-stringed 16’ fretted instrument tuned to “F, A, d, f#, a”. This instrument appeared in the region of Lower-Austria and Moravia in the late 17th century and was played until the middle of the 19th century. Considered a member of the viola da gamba family by its name “violone”, it also has similarities in its thirds and fourths tuning, flat back, sloping shoulders, and frets. I have found no clear evidence of a date, or of a composer, who made specific use of Viennese tuning in orchestras after the solos of Haydn's six symphonies. The Viennese tuning disappeared progressively towards the middle of the 19th century. The last clear evidence we found in the music is Beethoven’s Septet op. 20, the first performance of Beethoven’s 1st symphony, and Schubert’s Trout quintet. We also have the performance on 2nd November 1800 of Sperger’s last symphony “Erbprinzessin-sinfonie”. We also know that instruments of this tuning were built until at least 1820. For Mendelssohn, analysis of his works has shown that its classical characteristics come out clearer with the Viennese tuning. This research is done in the form of an exposition to highlight the musical extracts of the different composers.

Introduction

The Viennese violone: until when was the Viennese violone used historically in orchestral music?

This research paper explores two main questions:

The first question is: until when was the Viennese tuning used in the orchestras of the Habsburg empire by different composers? This research examines if the Viennese tuning was used in the orchestral works of Beethoven, Schubert, and Mendelssohn.

The second question is: is it possible to link the composers and the use of the Viennese tuning in their writing style for the 16' instrument?

I have been playing the Viennese Tuning in several orchestras for four years, in programs ranging from classical to romantic music. I also play the solo repertoire dedicated to this tuning. This experimentation and interest have led me to turn my attention to the theoretical application of Viennese tuning in orchestral works. The writing on this subject has mostly focused on the instrument’s solo and chamber music repertoire, while its orchestral use has not yet been explored in depth.

These two central questions lead me to want to investigate more about the Viennese tuning in its historical orchestral context, and specifically for the composers: Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Beethoven.

The investigation process of Viennese tuning in late classical and early romantic orchestral music

To carry out this research, I tried to develop different possible points of view to give a broad and well-informed perspective.

After having acquired a good knowledge of the theoretical sources, papers, and theses already written on the Viennese tuning, and on the main composers of that time, I started to research and analyze the scores written for the instrument. This led me to meet and discuss with, Dr. Andreas Roloff, the former custodianof the Landesbibliothek Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Günther Uecker of Schwerin, and to analyze the manuscripts of Sperger’s Symphonies kept there. I also spoke to musicians playing regularly on Viennese tuning in historical ensembles, and performing solos. Finally, I also interviewed the luthier Bram de Man who has researched and restored original Viennese Violones at the workshop “Kanzian” in Vienna.

The third part of my research was more analytical and practical. I was able to experiment with the practice of the Viennese tuning with several professional ensembles performing classical and romantic works at rehearsals, and concerts. I played repertoire of Haydn, Beethoven, and Schubert. This allowed me to come to several conclusions regarding the instrument’s analysis and practice.

The impact of the Viennese tuning on my artistic development

This research is directly linked to my professional activities. As previously mentioned, I started to specialize in the Viennese tuned violone by studying the solo repertoire of this instrument, and I am now regularly playing it in professional orchestras.

Until now, I mainly had a practical approach to Viennese tuning. I stopped playing other bass tunings for two years in order to understand its complexities. This allowed me to develop a grounded technique on the instrument, and greatly improved my sight reading. Now, when I am playing Viennese tuning in ensembles, I am no longer confused by other tunings. This research offers me the means to a greater understanding of the theoretical implications of this tuning. In the conclusion, I offer some possibilities for the use the tuning in larger ensembles for specific composers. This research helped me to accomplish this by looking at historical evidence in this specific context. I also investigated a practical approach to playing this particular tuning in the mid-romantic orchestral repertoire.

Due to the development of the instrument and the geographical context studied, a lot of the sources I used for this research were in German, Italian, French, and English languages. Many of them have not been translated until now, so the translations given are my own work.

The political and geographical influences on the Viennese violone in the 18th century

Tip

Tip

Isaline Leloup - The Viennese violone : A "Viennoiserie" with 5 spices - 2023