On this date in 1787, an obituary in London’s Morning Post noted the passing two days earlier of Carl Friedrich Abel, 63, a composer, concert impresario and viola da gamba virtuoso.
The viola da gamba was the forerunner of the modern cello. Its heyday was in the 17th century, but soon after the softer-voiced gamba lost out to the more powerful cello. Abel’s obituary remarked: “his favorite instrument was not in general use and would probably die with him.”
Well, as usual, the press got it partly right — the gamba did pass out of general use for almost 150 years, but the early music revival in the 20th century has renewed interest in the viola da gamba, and today there’s even new music being composed for this old instrument: for example, Roy Whelden’s Prelude and Divisions on “She’s So Heavy” — based on the Beatles tune by Lennon and McCartney.
Roy Whelden was born in 1950 in New Hampshire. Until 23, his instruments were the trumpet, and secondarily the cello, but he fell in love with the viola da gamba and ended up playing with and composing for period instrument groups like Ensemble Alcatraz and American Baroque.
Roy Whelden (b. 1950): Prelude and Divisions on ‘She’s So Heavy’; Roy Whelden, viola da gamba; New Albion 59