Instruments | Baryton | Classical Era | Classical

A baryton is a bass string instrument, similar in appearance to a viol. It is held between the performer’s knees and played with a bow; it usually carries six strings which the bow sounds directly. It has a number of strings (up to 40) which are concealed and which can be plucked by the thumb or allowed to vibrate in sympathy. These run underneath the fingerboard over which the six active strings are stretched, across the belly and over a low bridge, to be attached near the base of the tailpiece. They were often (though not always) tuned D, G, c, e, a’, d’ like a bass viol; the decoration of the few surviving examples suggests they may largely have been owned by aristocratic amateurs. Haydn’s patron Prince Nikolaus I Esterházy was such a one, and as a result Haydn wrote chamber music for the instrument.

Styles & Forms | Classical Era | Classical
Instruments | The Classical Orchestra | Classical Era | Classical

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