Division viol

The division viol is an English type of bass viol, which was originally popular in the mid-17th century, but is currently experiencing a renaissance of its own due to the movement for historically informed performance. John Playford mentions the division viol in his A Brief Introduction of 1667, describing it as smaller than a consort bass viol, but larger than a lyra viol.

As suggested by its name, (divisions were a type of variations), the division viol is intended for highly ornamented music, and for improvisations. The division viol also had a very large range with the tuning D–G–c–e–a–d', resulting in the ability of skilled players to play divisions on any part in a polyphonic vocal piece.