Le Sieur Danoville

Le Sieur Danoville (worked at the end of the 17th century ) was a French gambist and instrumental teacher.

Le Sieur Danoville described himself as a student of Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe . In 1687 he published the textbook L'Art de toucher le dessus et le basse de violle for playing the viola da gamba . This concise work of only 47 pages was intended for self-study. It comprises four parts, in which the position of the viol, the notation and the fingerboard in notation and tablature , the decorations and finally the bowing are explained. In contrast to Jean Rousseau's Traité de la viole , which appeared in the same year and achieved extraordinary popularity, Danoville's textbook did not include any historical, aesthetic or instrumental chapters, but was limited to technical instructions. Danoville is the first author to point out the diatonic fingering of treble instruments , which because of their small size were not suitable for chromatic playing.

Work edition

• L'Art de toucher le Dessus et Basse de Violle avec des Principes, des Regles & Observations si intelligibles, qu'on peut acquerir la perfection de cette belle Science en peu de temps, & mesme sans le secours d'aucun Maistre . Paris 1687. Facsimile reprint ed. von Minkoff, Geneva 1972