MUSI C. 
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not produce a good tone, though the original three had 
a charming efteft. Fig. 3. is the goudoh, or Ruffian rebec. 
Fig. 4. is the crowt/t , or crutli, an inftrument refembling 
a violin, formerly in common ufe in the principality of 
Wales, as a tenor accompaniment to the harp ; but now 
become extremely rare in that country. The length is 
20^ inches, the breadth at bottom q\, tapering towards 
the top to 8 inches; its thicknefs is 1^, and the finger¬ 
board meal'ures 10 inches in length. It has fix firings, 
fupported by a flat bridge, placed obliquely to the fides, 
and is played on with a bow. A, A, reprefent the aper¬ 
tures for the hand ; B, B, firings, conducted under the 
end-board ; C, C, the pegs, and d, d, the found-holes. 
The fifth and fixth firings are the unifon and ofifave of G, 
the fourth and third the fame of C, and the fecond and' 
fiiift the fame of D ; fo that the fecond pair of firings are 
a fourth, and the third a fifth, to the firft. Some have fup- 
pofed this inftrument to have been the parent of the violin ; 
but it is much more extenfive in its compafs. Two or 
three of the lower firings are often ftruck with the thumb, 
and ferve as a bafs accompaniment to the notes founded 
with the bow,. This inftrument was not peculiar to 
Wales; fince a figure of it has been lately difcovered 
among the outfide ornaments of the abbey-church of 
Melros, in Scotland, built about the time of Edward II. 
From the name crowtli is derived crowther, a crowder, as a 
common fiddler is now called. The ufe of this inftrument 
is almoft loft. The Welfh had alfo a three-ftringed crow'th, 
which was the ancient bafs-viol. 
The viellc, or hurdy-gurdy, is often confounded with 
the viole, or viol. It is not, indeed, a bowed inftrument, 
like the viol; but its tone is produced by the friftion of a 
w'heel, which performs the part of a bow. The firings are 
prefled on the w'heel by the fingers, and fometimes by keys. 
It is at prefenta mere ftreet-inftrument every-where but 
at Paris, where it is much in ufe with other inftruments 
at the Boulevards and Guinguettes ; and even ladies 
fometimes condeicend to learn to play upon it. Kircher 
gives it no better title than that of lyra mendicorum, “ the 
beggars’ lyre.” It is fo loud in the open air, that it feems 
irnpolfible to bear it in a room. The itinerant performers 
on this inftrument are generally Savoyards. The name 
of the inftrument feems a corruption of viole, if it be not 
the eideftof the two. It has a neck or finger-board fretted^ 
and five firings always founding as drones, tuned as in the 
following example; that is to fay, the two firft unifons, 
and the fourth an ohtave below' it; the third and fifth 
octaves to each other; fo that, in faft, the drone coniifts 
but of two notes, and the inftrument is fometimes defcribed 
as having but two firings : fome of the fmaller ones may 
perhaps have but two. As the keys, which lie conveni¬ 
ently for the hand, produce all the femitones from G to D 
in alt, an uncouth jarring is heard when the G& and D* 
found together with the A 1 ? and Dh of the drone. The 
following, then, is the complete fcale of this delightful 
inftrument: 
Q- 
The Viola d'Amove, or “ love-viol,” fo called from its 
fweetnefs, was the treble viol of the ancient cheft. It has 
fix double wire firings, of which the tuning has been given 
at p. 381. It is ftated to be 2ft. 4m. in length, fix inches 
longer than our violin ; then Purely the tenor viol, or 
viol di braccio, which muft have been larger and longer, muft 
have been an unwieldly inftrument to hold under the 
chin. As the rebec has the head of an old woman upon 
the neck, lo it will be feen, by our fig. 5. that the prelent 
is furmounted with a blind Cupid, denoting.that it is the 
love-viol. Dr. Burney mentions one of thefe in the pof- 
leflion of Giardini, which had but four firings, which 
were tuned fifths like thole of the violin ; but underneath 
thefe there were four other firings offmall brafs or iron 
wire, which were called fympatlwtie firings: thefe were 
never touched by the bow, but w'ere caufed to vibrate by 
the found of the firings over them, when played upon by 
the bow. In the Supplement to the firft Encyclopedic in 
folio, a viol d’amour is mentioned with twelve firings, fix 
upon the great bridge, and fix upon a fmaller bridge be¬ 
low. The fix inferior firings are of metal, and tuned 
o&aves to the fuperior. 
The Viola, Alto Viola, or Tenor.—What the contralto is 
in vocal mufic, the alto viola is in inftrumental. The fame 
clef is ufed for both; the tenor on the third line. The 
inftrumental tenor is an obfave above the violoncello, and 
five notes below the violin, as will appear from the fol¬ 
lowing fcale: 
4th String. 
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Thefe, with the femitones, are all the notes that were 
given to the tenor during the firft fifty years of the laft 
century, in the concertos of Corelli, Geminiani, and Han¬ 
del ; and the tenor was the inftrument to which great 
violinifts retreated, when the hand, and perhaps the eyes, 
failed. But, during the laft fifty years of the preceding 
century, when quartets, a parti equali, came into favour, 
the tenor was made an important inftrument; and, when 
played by a Hindmarfh, a Shields, a Stamitz, and by Giar¬ 
dini liimfeif, was as much and as defervedly applauded 
as the violin and violoncello. 
The Viola di Braccio. or “ arm-viol,” (fo called to dif- 
tinguilh it from the viola di gumbo, or “ leg-viol,”) was 
the ancient tenor-viol, though, having fix firings, its fcale 
was different. See p. 381. 
The baritone, we are told in the Life of Haydn, 
is a complex inftrument between a tenor and a bafs. 
Mufic was written for it with the bafs clef on the third 
line. 
The Violoncello, or Bafs Viol.—Violoncello is the 
diminutive of violone, which is the name for the double- 
bafs, as violino is the diminutive of viola, or tenor. The 
violoncello is the natural bafs to the violin and tenor ; 
and has been very much cultivated throughout Europe, 
and no-where more fuccefsfully than in England, during 
the laft century, in proportion as the fix-ftringed bafs loft 
its favour. The firft performer on the violoncello in 
our memory, who . was always heard with pleafure, was 
Caporale, whole chief excellence was his fine tone. Gor¬ 
don and Paxton had confiderable merit of that kind. The 
elder Cervetto and Pafqualino, both defective in tone, 
had what was then thought confiderable execution and 
knowledge of the finger-board; but Crofdil and the younger 
Cervetto became in all refpedts the mod complete and 
delightful performers on the violoncello, that not only 
England but all Europe could boaft. We have however 
many performers on the violoncello for general bufinefs, 
who would have been thought wonderful players for¬ 
merly; and, to confole us a little for the lofs of Cervetto 
and Crofdil, a Linley, who, in every requifite of a greae 
player, may be pronounced wonderful at prefent. The 
figure and natural fcale of the violoncello are given at 
fig. 6. but folo-players extend the fcale very coniiderably 
upwards. 
The Viola di Ganiba, or old bafs-viol, is fomewhat lefs 
than our violoncello, while the tenor and treble viols, 
appear to have been larger than ours. Like all the an¬ 
cient viols, it has fix firings, which give the half-notes 
by means of leven frets on the finger-board, or neck. The 
laft Englilh performer on the viol di gamba, who was 
favourably noticed, was Mils Ford, afterwards Mrs. 
Thicknefs; but flie made little more ufe of it than in 
accompanying her voice, which flie did with great ex- 
preflion and efteci. But Abel, in fplte of the natural 
defers of the inftrument, the tone of which every one 
difliked, by his exquiiite tafie, prodigious execution when 
he 
