From an old episode of my weekly stream Enter the f Hole, which you can see every Sunday night live here. Support for this kind of creative expression is rare these days. Thank you for listening. Cordelia was once a Viola de Amore, made most likely in Fusen, Germany in the late 1500s and made music in her original form for well over a century before being converted into a form that could be strung and used like a Viola in 1733 by Giovanni Fiorillo (the luthier not the virtuouso viol player - although some believe the two were one and the same ) Whether this was done because the stately and nuanced flute like tones of the viol family were falling out of fashion in the excitement over the new, more strident and piercing sound of the violin family or because some misfortune had befallen the instrument and the conversion was easier to accomplish than restoring her original form Cannot be determined. Although this metamorphosis was in many ways tragic, it was also likely the reason she survived and was played in the following centuries, as the Viola de Amore and it’s kin fell out of favor with the public, and composers and players moved on to the fashions of the day to earn a living. As a unique hybrid, with a remarkable sound and the ability to be played in the “modern” ensembles of the age, she bears the signs of frequent playing and her career as a serviceable instrument has spanned at least four centuries. Indeed, she may be nearing half a millenium in service, and she still is a formidable and exquisite producer of an incredible range of tonal colors. Internally she is constructed very differently from a Viola, with a nearly flat back and internal braces like a lute. Her ribs have been shortened, her neck narrowed and her enormous filigreed scroll box halved in size, as it only accommodates four strings now instead of her original 12 (6 playing and 6 sympathetic) She likes dogs and gambling.
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