what does Gamba mean?

Dear Eric,

Both interesting and sensible. Thank you for sharing it.

Was playing a viola da gamba, briefly, two weeks ago (pretty ineptly, I should add); of course, one does hold it cradled in the legs, as you say. While I do have some work-place-learned Italian, I failed to make the connection.

Don't know about Busetto...didn't this come up recently, here, or was it over at Ken Smith's place? I can't recall if the answers were silly, meaningful, or both...

Thanks again.

 

If you gamba too much and don't pay your IOUs, Louie da Braccio goes for your arms.

 

The town the style was developed in. It's not Italian for "love handles."

 

You could have found it right here in your own backyard. Read from post #36.

 

Sigged,about when you gamba too much! Thanks for sharing that nugget of information.

 

I lol'ed very hard.

I've never been fond of the Busetto shape; I have indeed thought of it as a Double Bass with a muffin top.
Though it certainly does seem to command more respect from non-players (since it looks liek soo weird), from what I've heard.

 

Busettos are so weird. they are real funny shapped. Look it up. Of course basses like that are $10,000 or very very old

 

There was a thread a while ago that went over some of this stuff. The term Bussetto (Busetto, Busseto) derives, rightly or wrongly, from Giovanni Maria del Bussetto. The most famous bass supposedly made by him is Rainier Zepperitz's old bass. I personally think the shape is related to the viola d'amore. Look at the corners as well as the f-holes of the Zepperitz bass and compare them to these viola d'amores:

http://www.violadamoresocietyofamerica.org/instruments/instruments/VDA014-1.jpg
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/waac/wn/wn18/wn18-1/wn18-1m.jpg
http://lh3.ggpht.com/HayleyKilroy/Rwn4f_TeWrI/AAAAAAAABkY/VGh5zgeYorM/DSC01845.JPG?imgmax=512
http://www.williampetit.com/viole-d%27amour-hulinsky/1.JPG

If you have Paul Brun's book on the history of the bass, page 28 has a drawing from 1650 of a similar looking bass instrument called a "Lyra dodecachordae."

 

Wow, there are obvious elements of the female form in the design of these instruments.

In this pic, from the back it's pretty clear. Haha.

http://www.violadamoresocietyofamerica.org/instruments/instruments/VDA014-1.jpg

I know that in times past, (Renaissance period) women with more voluptuous figures were considered to be more beautiful. (which I have always agreed with )

The art from these times certainly reflects this, and so must the instruments I suppose.

 

Here's some further discussion on the "Busetto" question/derivation, with Mr. Smith's usual breadth and depth:

http://smithbassforums.com/showthread.php?p=10401#post10401