weigl

walther

bonanni

Treatises

Period instrumentalists and scholars rely heavily on the consultation of "primary sources" - materials that date to the actual period in question without any more modern kinds of editing or interpretation. Of particular interest are a large number of treatises and instruction manuals that describe instruments' physical attributes, techniques and use. As a result of scholars' interest, a few of the larger or more famous documents have been republished in facsimile editions. Others, however, have remained frustratingly isolated in various collections around the world.

By following the links below, you may access high quality images of facsimiles from a variety of these sources. Some of the (lengthy) French treatises are not given in their entirety here, but most are readily available in excellent facsimile editions for viola da gamba or cello, published by J.M. Fuzeau. A few of the links below will connect you to Dirk Moelants' website, or to other individuals or libraries. I intend to continue adding materials to this list, so if anyone has specific requests, or if you notice that any of the links have become defunct, please email me. Likewise, if you happen to have materials for anything I have listed but not linked and would be willing to share, I'd be very grateful.