Also 6–7 de gambo, 7 di gambo, de gamboys; 7– de gamba, 9 di gamba. [ad. It. viola da gamba ‘leg-viol’: cf. VIOLA2 and GAMBA2.]
1. A viol held between the legs of the player while being played; in later use restricted to the bass viol corresponding to the modern violoncello.
1597. J. Dowland (title), The Firste Booke of Songes or Ayres of foure partes with Tableture for the Lute: So made that all … may be song to the Lute, Orpherian or Viol de gambo.
1599. B. Jonson, Ev. Man out of Hum., III. iii. Fast. I doe more … admire your … predominate perfections, than … euer I shall haue … facultie to expresse. Saui. Vpon the Violl de Gambo you meane?
1601. Shaks., Twel. N., I. iii. 27. He playes o’th Viol-de-gamboys.
1611. Coryat, Crudities, 252. Their instruments ten Sagbuts, foure Cornets and two Violdegambaes of an extraordinary greatnesse.
1662. Playford, Skill Mus., II. (1674), 91. Of this Viol de Gambo there are three several sizes,… viz., Treble Viol, Tenor Viol, and Bass Viol…. These three Viols agree in one manner of Tuning.
1774. ‘J. Collier,’ Mus. Trav., 34. I think the effect was equal to any viol di gamba I ever heard.
1789. Burney, Hist. Mus., III. vii. 361. This prince [Charles I.] who, during the life of his father, had been a scholar of Coperario, on the viol da gamba.
1801. Busby, Dict. Mus., Viol da Gamba, or Greater Viol, a viol with six strings, formerly much used in Germany.
1843. Penny Cycl., XXVI. 343/2. Viol da Gamba … was the last survivor of the family of viols.
1908. ‘Aberdeen Jrnl.’ N. & Q., I. 32/1. The music ceased, and died away in a long note, like the stroke of a viol-de-gamba.
2. An organ-stop having a tone resembling that of the above instrument.
1852. Seidel, Organ, 108. Viol di gamba, or simply gamba, is one of the finest registers.
1881. C. A. Edwards, Organs, 157. The Viol-di-Gamba is soft, reedy, and sweet.
