The pardessus de viole is the instrument in the viol family that makes the highest sound. It is a bowed string instrument with five or six strings and a neck that has frets. The pardessus was first made in the early 1700s and was often played by women, especially in places where French was spoken.

Description

The pardessus de viole is the smallest instrument in the viol family. It is about the same size as a violin and has a similar range. The strings are made of gut, like those on most bowed string instruments before the 1970s. The highest string is tuned to g'', which is a fourth higher than the highest string of the treble viol. Like the treble viol, the pardessus de viole was rarely used to play background chords. Instead, it was always used to play melodies. When played, it is held upright on the lap and played with a bow.

Unlike the treble viol and other viol instruments, the pardessus de viole usually has five strings. The five-string version is tuned in fifths and fourths (g, d', a', d'', g''). The earlier six-string version is tuned like other viols, in fourths with a third (g, c', e', a', d'', g''). However, the third on the six-string pardessus is between the fourth and fifth strings, not between the third and fourth strings as on other six-string viols. This means the lowest five strings of the six-string pardessus match the highest six strings of the treble viol.

History

The pardessus de viole was created around the year 1700. At this time, violins were becoming popular in Italy, and the pardessus was made so that people who played viols could learn to play violin music. Its sound was similar to the viol, which made it easier for audiences unfamiliar with violins to hear. Musicologist Annette Otterstedt described the pardessus as a mix of viols and violins.

The pardessus was often played by women because holding it on the lap was seen as more appropriate for women than holding a violin on the shoulder. It was most popular in French-speaking areas, but by 1770, it was no longer widely used, as viols were being replaced by louder instruments from the violin family.

Cecile Dolmetsch supported the use of the pardessus de viole. At times, she may have been the only professional musician who played it. Dolmetsch also searched French libraries for lost music written for the pardessus. The collection she gathered included solo pieces composed by Jean-Baptiste Barrière, Thomas Marc, and Caix d'Hervelois.