Viola da Gamba Society of America

Welcome to the Online Database of Historical Viols! You can use this resource to learn about historical viols and their makers by searching the database for groups of instruments and sorting the results based on various criteria. Additional information about individual makers and national schools of viol making may be found in a group of related documents.

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To consult instructions for using the database, click here. 

 

For a brief introduction to the database, which explains its history and the kinds of information it contains, click here . A complete list of the fields used and the conventions or limitations relevant to each is available here.

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Click here for a bibliography and discography with full citations to all publications with abbreviated references in the database itself.

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​Updated biographical information about the makers and the different national traditions of viol making can be found in the essays linked below:

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