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.