(Ger. englisch Violet).
A bowed string instrument that existed in various forms in the 18th century. Leopold Mozart (Versuch, 1756/R) described it as a kind of viola d’amore, but with a different tuning and with seven principal and 14 sympathetic strings. J.G. Albrechtsberger (Gründliche Anweisung zur Composition, 1790/R) wrote that it was similar to the viola d’amore, but had only six playing strings, lacking the low A. F.A. Weber described it in the Musikalische Anthologie für Kenner und Liebhaber (1788) and in the ‘Abhandlung von der Viola d’amore oder Liebesgeige’ (Musikalische Realzeitung, no.31, 1789) as an ordinary violin which, when tuned with one of many ‘scordatura’ tunings, could sound like a viola d’amore, although he made no mention of sympathetic strings. Its primary scordatura tuning was in A major, although Weber stated that it could be tuned in many different keys. It was still mentioned in 1802 by H.C. Koch (Musikalisches Lexikon). It was apparently unknown under this name in England but it might be identical with the Violetta marina.
MYRON ROSENBLUM