THE SOUNDBOARD

Carved soundboard

    This building technique works well for solo playing  instruments, to play thorough bass or to play along with other kind of instruments.

It usually gives quite a "character" to the instrument and this kind of instrument is not advised for playing in a viol consort.

   Two adjacent pieces of spruce are glued together. Then the outline of the instrument is drawn up and the shape of the soundboard cut.



  Then, this piece is carved.The arching is shaped on the outside and

afterwards in the inside, as we can see on this image.

Already in  the Ordinances for the craft of violeros of of Lisbon of 1572,

mention is made to this way of making the soundboards:

Item faraa huma viola darco tipre ou contrabaxa qual quiserem laurada
de fogo e do tampaõ cauado de muito boa grossura toda igoal e da regra
que venha conforme ao caualete que naõ seia muito alto nem muito
baixo. (1)

...of digged soundboard of very good thickness all equal... (underlining and
 translation are mine)

(1) Livro dos Regimentos dos offiçiaes mecanicos da mui excelente e Sempre leal Cidade de lixbona refromados per ordenança do Illustrissimo Senado della pello Licenciado Duarte nunez do liam Anno MDLxxij
A Viola de Mão em Portugal (c. 1450-c.1789). Manuel Morais
Nassarre. Revista Aragonesa de Musicología XXII