Gamut Instruments - Andrea Amati Violin Consort

When Andrea Amati made violins in the 16th century, he made violins as matched sets, or consorts of instruments. The most famous of these is a set of instruments he made during the 1560s and 1570s for the court of Charles IV in France. His mother, Catherine de Medici, loved to dance, imported the instruments and musicians from her Italian homeland for the ‘ballets” and other dances at the French court. The violin as a consort instrument was used throughout Europe during the 16th and early 17th centuries for dance music and polyphonic compositions.

I have spent years collecting measurements and information about the extant instruments from this great maker and I am pleased with the Gamut Workshop instruments modeled on his work.

Gamut instruments are made with fine materials with careful attention to detail. Before varnishing the instrument is coated with a silicate ground that was developed by David Rubio and has come to be known as the “Rubio Soup.” The varnish I use is made from amber resin according to a 16th century formula and colored in between coats with a madder-lake distilled according to the method devised by David and Nest Rubio.

A set of these instruments can be heard on recording by The King's Noyse - The King's Delight - 17c. Ballads for Voice & Violin Band.

Gamut Small Pattern Violin:

Modeled after: Violin D.8:2, c. 1564 – Now in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Gamut Large Pattern Violin:

Modeled after: Violin 3366, Before 1577 – Now in the National Music Museum, Vermilion, SD

Gamut Tenor Viola:

Modeled after: Viola D.8:1, c. 1574 – Now in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Gamut Bass Violin (Violincello):

Modeled after: Cello 3351, c.1560–74 – Now in the National Music Museum, Vermilion, SD