Arthur Ness wrote: > Vivaldi also composed three concertos for violino in tromba marina (RV > 211, 311 and 313). This fiddle-like instrument, which was popular at > the Piet`a, has three strings tied to a floating bridge, which produces > a raspy sound according to Michael Talbot.
The fundamentals tend to sound low and raspy, but the harmonics have a muffled brassy sound, hence the "tromba." It can sound a bit hurdygurdyish. There are some Youtube tromba marina videos, but they tend to be unimpressive either in playing or recording. You might start here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHWbJZjZMPs > There are several articles > detailing with Vivaldi's use of "exotic" musical instruments. I wouldn't confuse "violino in tromba marina" with an actual tromba marina, an instrument not likely to be able to get the notes. We don't actually know what Vivaldi meant by "violino in tromba marina," but the most likely meaning is violin to which something has been done to make it sound more like a tromba marina. One solution is to put something on the bridge to produce a bit of buzz. You can see Europa Galante's two solo violins use aluminum foil here in R 558, the very concerto we have not been discussing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9QQQ0CU3CE -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
