Media Writing: "Gary Lee Plays Viola da Gamba at Faculty Concert"

Gary Lee Plays Viola da Gamba on Faculty Concert

written by Caleb Broeker

A bit of classical music history will be heard at the Community Music School’s Faculty Concert on April 1st. One of our faculty members, Gary Lee, will be performing a piece with his viola da gamba.

The viola da gamba, a bowed string instrument which varies in size and range depending on the specific kind (not unlike the difference between a violin and a violoncello), originates from the vihuela di arco brought from Spain to Italy in the 1400’s. 

Gary Lee’s bass viola da gamba has a few key differences from a modern cello, his usual instrument. For one, there are six to seven strings, rather than just four. The strings used are also different - gut strings, as opposed to metal strings. Even the tuning of the instrument is different; Gary Lee compares its tuning to a guitar, with the six to seven strings being tuned mostly in fourths, and one third in the middle.

Lee will be playing “Sonata for Viola da Gamba in D Major” by Bach, accompanied by Vera Parkin on a keyboard emulating a harpsichord. Gary’s passion for the viola da gamba was actually sparked when, in his freshman year of college, his cello professor performed another Bach piece - “St. John Passion”, which features a beautiful aria for the viola da gamba. After being immensely moved by this performance, he made the viol his secondary instrument, and was pleasantly surprised to find that many concepts from playing the cello carried over to the viola da gamba.

We are incredibly excited that Gary Lee will be bringing not only his skill and passion for music, but also a piece of classical music history, to our Faculty Concert!