The term violone (; literally "large viol", being the augmentative suffix) can refer to several distinct large, bowed musical instruments which belong to either the viol or violin family. The violone is sometimes a fretted instrument, and may have six, five, four, or even only three strings. The violone is also not always a contrabass instrument. In modern parlance, one usually tries to clarify the 'type' of violone by adding a qualifier based on the tuning (such as "G violone" or "D violone") or on geography (such as "Viennese violone"), or by using other terms that have a more precise connotation (such as "bass violin", "violoncello", or "bass viol"). The term violone may be used correctly to describe many different instruments, yet distinguishing among these types can be difficult, especially for those not familiar with the historical instruments of the viol and violin families and their respective variations in tuning.
Usage
In modern usage, the term most often refers to the double bass viol, a bowed bass string instrument sounding its part an octave lower than notated pitch in early music groups performing Renaissance, Baroque and Classical era music on period instruments. However, the term can rightly be applied to members of the violin family, and also to ‘cello sized’ instruments, of both the violin and viol families, where those instruments play their parts at notated pitch. Only a few players specialize in these instruments, some of whom use contemporary reproductions rather than actual historical instruments.
Types
There are several different instruments that have historically been called by the name "violone". Some of these can be loosely described as 'cello-sized' instruments, and play their parts sounding at the notated pitch. Other types of violone are larger-bodied than the cello (sometimes as large or even larger than modern double basses) – most of those sound their parts an octave below notated pitch, but certain types are flexible about which octave they play in, and sometimes switch back and forth. Ultimately, however, it is not the family or size of the instrument that determines the type, but rather the tuning that is utilized, which generally makes it possible to classify the instrument as a member of either the viol or violin family. During the Renaissance music and Baroque music eras, most players and composers were not precise in describing the specific type of violone they had in mind when that name was written on the page. Some ensemble works do not even indicate which instruments should play the different parts, leaving it up to ensemble leaders to choose the instruments. This contrasts sharply with the standardization of instrumentation which developed during the Classical music period; for example, during this period, a string quartet, with only a few exceptions, is intended to be performed by two violins, a viola and a cello.
In the 2000s, musicologists and historians acknowledge the importance of distinguishing specifically which instrument a composer intended, or if the composer allowed the ensemble leader to choose the instruments for each part. Assigning specific names and classifying violoni as different types, as we are doing here, is a modern attempt to clarify things. Loosely described, bowed string instruments are made in families so that different sized members can play in different ranges, with treble instruments corresponding to the soprano and bass instruments corresponding to the lowest vocal range (or even lower, down to the "contrabass" register). Members of the violin family are the easiest to identify in this way: with the violin corresponding to the soprano, the viola to the alto singer, violoncello to the tenor, and bass to the bass ranges of the human voice (historically, the violin family was made in more than just these four sizes: there were originally several sizes of violas, as well as instruments smaller than the modern violin, for example). The viol family also comprises instruments in a multitude of sizes. In North America in the 21st century, they are classified as 'treble' viols (soprano), 'tenor' viols (alto range), 'bass' viols (tenor range), and 'great bass' viols, 'violoni' and violones (bass range).