Violone
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The term violone ([vjoˈloːne]; literally "large viol" in Italian, "" being the augmentative suffix) can refer to several distinct large, bowed musical instruments which belong to either the viol or violin family. The violone is sometimes a fretted instrument, and may have six, five, four, or even only three strings. The violone is also not always a contrabass instrument. In modern parlance, one usually tries to clarify the 'type' of violone by adding a qualifier based on the tuning (such as "G violone" or "D violone") or on geography (such as "Viennese violone"), or by using other terms that have a more precise connotation (such as "bass violin" or "violoncello" or "bass viol"). The term violone may be used correctly to describe many different instruments, yet distinguishing among these types can be difficult, especially for those not familiar with the historical instruments of the viol and violin families and their respective variations in tuning.
In modern usage, the term refers to the double bass viol, a bowed bass string instrument in early music groups performing Renaissance, Baroque and Classical era music on period instruments. Only a few players specialize in these instruments. Some use contemporary reproductions rather than actual historical instruments.
There are several different instruments that have historically been called by the name "violone". Some of these can be loosely described as 'cello-sized' instruments, and play their parts sounding at the notated pitch (using organ terminology, we say those parts are played at "8′ pitch"). Other types of violone are larger-bodied than the cello (sometimes as large or even larger than modern double basses) – most of those violoni sound their parts an octave below notated pitch (at "16′ pitch"), but some types are flexible about which octave they play in. Ultimately, however, it is not the size of the instrument that determines the type, but rather the tuning that is utilized, which generally makes it possible to classify the instrument as a member of either the viol or violin family. During the Renaissance music and Baroque music eras, most players and composers were not precise in describing the specific type of violone they had in mind when that name was written on the page. Indeed, some ensemble works do not even indicate which instruments should play the different parts, leaving it up to ensemble leaders to choose the instruments. This contrasts sharply with the standardization of instrumentation which developed during the Classical music period; for example, during this period, a string quartet, with only a few exceptions, is intended to be performed by two violins, a viola and a cello.
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