Overwhelmed by Dumplings.

Frank Sinatra,  Send In The Clowns  (Sondheim)

Here is a photoset of the Ornate Hawk Eagle (Spizaetus ornatus), the light of the world and an inspiration to us all.

Andrea Amati (Italian, ca. 1505–1578). Violoncello, “The King”, mid-16th century. National Music Museum, Vermillion, South Dakota.

The oldest “Cello” known to exist.

This instrument is one of a set of 6 Bass Violins that were made by Andrea Amati in the mid 1500s for the French court. Four are known to survive, each with elaborately painted decoration. The other two were destroyed during the French Revolution. Composers such as Lully and Rameau would have been very familiar with this actual instrument.

At the time of its construction “The King” would have been known by one or more of various names such as Violone (Italian for ‘big Viola’ - ‘Cello, short of Violoncello, means ‘little big Viola’, Violino means ‘little Viola’.), Bassetto, Basso di Violino, Basse de Violon, or just Basso. The term Violoncello (‘Cello) didn’t come into common use until a century after this instrument was constructed.

“The King” was originally larger but was reduced in size during the 19th century, as were so many pre-1700 instruments.

The Double Bass (the bass member of the Viol family) was not widely used in France until the end of the first decade of the 18th century.

September 1951.