double bass viol

noun

: a very large member of the viol family tuned an octave below the bass viol
Probably only toward the end of the sixteenth century was a true, six-string, double bass viol … developed that was large enough to have strings capable of sounding at sixteen-foot pitch throughout its range.Jeffery Kite-Powell, ed., A Performer's Guide to Renaissance Music, 2nd edition, 2007

called also violone

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of double bass viol was in 1837

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Dictionary Entries Near double bass viol

Cite this Entry

“Double bass viol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/double%20bass%20viol. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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