tenor viol
after John Rose
In general
String length: 580mm
Large tenor viol (can also be used as a Lyra Viol) restores the middle register to the consort as a full member, and can hold its own against the bass and treble viols
The original
The original instrument belongs to the Hill collection of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and is dated 1598. It is lavishly decorated with, among other things, a carved head with hair finished in gold leaf. In all probability it was used as a Lyra Viol.
About John Rose
A chronicle of 1631 mentions two instrument makers with this name – father and son. However, it is not known whether it was the father or the son who died in 1563. Whichever it was, he lived in Bridewell, near London, and was of Italian origin. He was a viol maker and traded in lutes from 1552 onwards.
now available for purchase
audio and video
Mary-Ann Ballard
Roswitha Bruggaier
Mary-Ann Ballard
