Fig.1
Viola, Matthijs Hofmans, Antwerp, before 1679, inv. 2846
Fig.2
Methods of reducing a soundbox. Left: Reduction in height; Right: Reduction in width
Fig.3
Reduction of the size of the C-bouts, inv. 2846
Fig.4
Viola, Johannes Cuypers, The Hague, 1761, inv. 2833
Fig.5
Transverse and sagittal view of the viola by Matthijs Hofmans, inv. 2846
Fig.6
Transverse and sagittal view of the viola by Johannes Cuypers, inv. 2833
Fig.7a
Tracing of the channel on the soundboard of the viola by Johannes Cuypers
Fig.7b
Tracing of the channel on the soundboard of the viola by Matthijs Hofmans
Fig.8
Theoretical effect of the reduction in width of the body on the contour lines
Fig.9a
Rounded contour lines on the soundboard of the viola by Johannes Cuypers
Fig.9b
Angular contour lines on the soundboard of the viola by Matthijs Hofmans
Since the mid-eighteenth century, the violin family consists of three clearly differentiated instruments: the violin proper, the viola and the cello (the well-known double bass actually combines morphological characteristics of the violin and the viola da gamba). During the Baroque period, however, the violin family was very diverse in size. Only at the end of this period, the violin quartet composed of two violin parts, a viola part and a cello part gradually became established, in the repertoire of both chamber music and the orchestra.
Consequently, the many old instruments fell into disuse. Their dimensions did not correspond to the new standard of the quartet, and their short, stubby necks were not adapted to the increasing virtuosity demanded of musicians. To give these obsolete sounding objects a second life, luthiers gave them a new neck and sometimes reduced the size of the soundbox.
While the replacement of the neck is a well-documented practice, the adaptation of the soundbox is less familiar. Early sources describe two ways of doing this. To reduce the height of the sound box, a crescent of wood was cut away at the top and bottom of the body; to reduce the width, a strip of wood along the axis of symmetry was removed. (fig.2). Both methods could be combined and adapted according to the circumstances.
This is what happened to the instrument by the Antwerp luthier Matthijs Hofmans (1622-1672), which is preserved in the Musical Instruments Museum (inv. no. 2846) as a 'viola'. This instrument was given a new neck and had its body reduced in height and width, probably in the late eighteenth or nineteenth century. The alteration can be deduced from the presence of wooden strips inserted near the upper corners of the soundboard and the back (blue arrows in fig.3).
It is clear that the C-bouts were originally larger and in proportion to a longer soundbox. In order to adapt the size of the C-bouts to the size of the reduced body, they were incised halfway down (red arrows). The luthier who did the work, carefully cut the edge and the purfling to the corners. After inserting the strips, he glued the corners and edges back together.
In order to verify the alterations to the Hofmans' instrument, it was analysed for various geometric anomalies. A later, unaltered viola by Johannes Cuypers (MIM, inv. no. 2833) served as a point of comparison (fig.4).
To visualise the reduction in length, it is necessary to examine the channel that runs along the edge of the back and the soundboard, all around the arching. On a reduced instrument, this channel tends to disappear at the top and bottom of the box, whereas on a normal instrument it remains roughly parallel to the edge around the back and soundboard. Figures 5 and 6, obtained by CT scan, illustrate this. Above, a transverse and a sagittal view of the Cuypers viola clearly show the channel near the edges of the instrument (red arrows). Below, Matthijs Hofmans' viola shows a channel in the sagittal section, but not in the transverse section. This is a sign of reduction.
By studying 3D photogrammetric models, it was possible to trace the channel on the soundboard of each of these two instruments (fig.7). The channel of the Hofmans instrument merges with the edge of the body, both in the upper and lower part.
To determine whether the soundbox has been reduced in width, the contour lines are a good indication. On a normal instrument, these curves are rounded. However, when a strip has been cut away along the axis of symmetry, one should expect the curves to be more angular, as figure 8 suggests.
In practice, violin archings are rarely perfectly symmetrical, especially in the case of older instruments whose wood has warped over time. However, angular curves are still visible on the Hofmans viola, as shown in figure 9. This instrument has obviously been reduced in height as well as in width.
This manipulation of the instrument has important musical implications. Insofar as many surviving Baroque violins, violas and cellos have been altered, they cannot be considered faithful witnesses of the period in which they were built. Their timbre has changed and corresponds more to the sound ideals of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries than to those of the seventeenth. For historically informed performance, it is important to approach the repertoire of this period taking into account the great morphological diversity of the bowed instruments of this period.
Text: Anne-Emmanuelle Ceulemans
For more information
- Anne-Emmanuelle Ceulemans, Philémon Beghin, François Glineur, Paul Fisette, Iona Thys, « Baroque Violas with Reduced Soundboxes: An Evaluation Method » The Galpin Society Journal, LXXVI (2023), p. 109-126, https://www.galpinsociety.org/open%20access.htm
- Philémon Beghin, Anne-Emmanuelle Ceulemans, Paul Fisette, François Glineur, « Validation of a photogrammetric approach for the objective study of ancient bowed instruments », https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.08745v2, submitted to Heritage Science.