La viole d'Orphée,

The reconstruction of a forgotten instrument.

 

In February 2001, in collaboration with Philippe Foulon, D.F recreated a forgotten musical instrument which had been described by Michel Corrette in a 1781 treatise: “La Viole d’Orphée” (Orpheus’ Viol).The reconstructed instrument was presented to the public during a concert/conference at the “Salon de la Musique” on March 31, 2001 in Paris, France.

The instrument as described by Michel Corrette in his 1781 method for double bass, viol and “ viole d’Orphée” (Orpheus’ viol), disappeared without a trace, be it in music museums or in private collections. After having researched and interpreted a particularly informative excerpt of the treatise, D.F. proceeded with the reconstruction.

This project was a part of a greater scheme, which drove D.F. to collect viola da gamba blueprints in France as well as in other countries over the past several years, with the intention of recreating rare designs. Baroque-style viols of recent fabrication are usually based on only a few standard models.

Michel Corrette, probably noticing that the viola da gamba was falling out of favor and being replaced by the violin and the cello, attempted reviving his instrument of choice through various modifications: enter the “viole d’Orphée”. The instrument does not use gut strings, as would a traditional viola da gamba; metal strings are instead required, which is highly unusual for bowed instruments.