How to Use viola da gamba in a Sentence

viola da gamba

noun
  • They are set to music which is haunting but simple, driven by a cello and a viola da gamba.
    — R.l., The Economist, 27 Sep. 2019
  • Its roots go back to a Renaissance instrument called a viola da gamba.
    — Jessi Virtusio, chicagotribune.com, 30 Mar. 2022
  • So Howard wrote music for old, hard-to-tune instruments such as the viola da gamba and cello d’amore and gut-string violin.
    — Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2021
  • Gone is her ancient viola da gamba (until now, a calling card); on this LP, her voice is the only earthly sound.
    — Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica, Caryn Ganz, Elysa Gardner, Giovanni Russonello and Simon Vozick-Levinson, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2017
  • Privately, however, the artist much preferred painting bucolic landscapes—a penchant reflected in his letter about the viola da gamba.
    — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2021
  • Performers wielding a copious assortment of electronic gear — along with acoustic outliers like a viola da gamba or a church organ — played at night in clubs and other venues in downtown Durham late last week.
    — Jon Pareles, New York Times, 21 May 2018
  • Sarah Cunningham is one of the leading performers of the viola da gamba, an early string instrument popular in Renaissance and Baroque music.
    — Mary Carole McCauley, baltimoresun.com, 29 Aug. 2019
  • The music will be performed on historical instruments by Pama Lynn Broeckel (violin), Susan Willis-Powers (harpsichord), Ulla Sinz (recorder), Cathe Sobke (Baroque guitar/recorder), and Sandra Stram (viola da gamba).
    — Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'viola da gamba.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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