A bowed stringed instrument of the viol family, held between the legs, with a warm, mellow tone and a wide range.
From Italian 'gamba' (leg) or from Spanish 'vihuela de gamba' (viol held between legs), derived from medieval Latin 'gamba.' The instrument was named for how it was held.
The viol da gamba was the rock star instrument of the Renaissance and Baroque periods—composers like J.S. Bach wrote entire suites for it, and its rich, soulful sound was considered the closest thing to the human voice that any instrument could produce.
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