After years of playing the various Folias by Diego Ortiz, Antonio de Cabezón, Antonio Martín y Coll, Arcangelo Corelli and Marin Marais, it became clear to us that there were certain links between the origin and evolution of the important art of musical improvisation and variation and the viola da gamba, or bass viol, itself.

In fact, it is no mere coincidence that, throughout the 16th century, and in places as different as France (Adrian Le Roy, 1551), Italy (Vicenzo Ruffo, 1564) and Germany (Matthäus Waissel, 1573), we find references in the various manuscripts and printed documents to the term “gamba”, used as a synonym for “Folia”.

Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, and long before the appearance of the violin, the bass viol was the most widely used bowed instrument for improvisation on a basso ostinato. According to the various treaties and historical references (Diego Ortiz, Aurelio Virgiliano, Christopher Simpson, André Maugars, etc..), a good musician should be able to carry out and improvise variations on a song, a theme or a bass continuo during a concert or any other musical performance (see Maugars, 1638). In the case of creative a creative genius such as Ortiz, Cabezón, Martín y Coll, Corelli or Marais, improvisation blossomed into masterpiece.

This aim of this CD is therefore to bear witness to an art which contributed so much to the evolution of the language of instrumental music.

JORDI SAVALL (Paris. Autumn 1998)