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New SC Music Faculty begins viol consort with students and community
Director of Strings, Dr. Mark Elliot Bergman, brings a new, and rather old, style of music to Sheridan College. A group of students and community members will begin learning music for a group of instruments called viols. The six-stringed instruments are part a Renaissance and Baroque musical style originally performed for European royalty, said Bergman. The gut strings resonate differently than steel strings. Viols use the ambiance of smaller rooms and they have a silvery sound, said Bergman. There are several differences between these instruments and traditional orchestra strings in the violin family. They are played vertically and held by the player’s knees, similar to a modern cello, but without the endpin. They are also differentiated by the use of frets, c-shaped holes in lieu of f-holes, and the underhand grip of the bow. The viols (viola da gambas in Italian) that Sheridan College now owns came from the Charlie Ogle Workshop in Oregon. The five new viols include two trebles, two tenors and one bass. “I’m excited to get this group started,” said Bergman, “viols are fun to play and it will be a great way to involve the community in a new music partnership.” The group will comprise college students as well as community members interested in learning this instrument. Thus far Bergman has seven or eight interested in playing. The group will meet in the new Whitney Center for the Arts choir room beginning Thursday, Sept 3 at 7 pm.
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