Complete Encyclopaedia of Music/B/Bass viol

by John Weeks Moore

Bass viol. Properly, violoncello. (See that instrument.) A stringed instrument, resembling in form the violin, but much larger. It has four strings and eight stops, which are sub-divided into semistops, and is performed by a bow. This instrument has long been in use, and is much esteemed. It has a noble effect in con-cert. See VIOLONCELLO.