"baroque" setup - what do we really know?

[baroquecello]

I'm a professional baroque cellist. But I have to admit that I don't have the faintest idea where to get information that is rooted in sources from the 17th and 18th century on the topic of setup. I'm not only talking about bass bar size and neck angle, but rather about things like the bridge model, the bridge thickness, the sound post position, the tail piece (weight, thickness, size and placement) and also string diametre. I only know enough to know that I do not really know much with certainty. There seems to be a tendency nowadays to believe setup wasn't that different from modern setups after all, but sometimes one finds radically different opinions.

Today, I played a cello that supposedly is a Klotz (forgot which family member) from the 1770ies. It had a peculiar "baroque" setup: a huge and thick tail piece which looked like it had been cut out of a multiplex windowsill, a Stradivari model bridge which was thick, especially at the string end (I'd estiate 3 or 4 MM thick!), a sound post that stood at least 12 MM south of the bridge foot, a true Romberg (which is not flat under the c string, but hollow) fingerboard that was massiv ebony without underside fluting, and very lightly strung. 65 CM string length, so technically a 3/4 cello. I'd never have expected this cello to work well at all. But I was wrong. For me, this cello offered opportunities like I've never experienced. The sound was not loud at all (as I expected), rich and colourful (which I didn't expect), and very direct, with very immediate string response and incredible possibilities regarding articulation and therefore, timing (which I expected, but not this extreme). It required almost no weight in the right arm, but it nonetheless could withstand weight, which gave a lot of opportunity for couloring the sound. I imagine this has more to do with the weird setup than with the cello itself. I'm wondering where this kind of setup comes from.

So, the question is, does anyone know of any solid sources regarding the setup string instruments (regarding cellos in particular, but violins are also interesting), or of properly researched books on the topic that are not written with a certain ideal, but rather with a neutral mindset?

[deans]

Monical's book, shapes of the baroque is a must. Although Im sure there are points in there that can be challenged.

You often see late 18th century instruments, with original neck,  tarted up as 17th century Amati or Stainer. Weird when you think about it

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jacobsaunders]

Although the “Baroque” set up you describe sounds pretty bogus to me, I think it important to resist the urge to try and establish a definitive “Baroque” specification. The fact is there were wide ranging regional and time differences. If you go for instance to the Technische Museum in Vienna, you can see a small (they probably have more not on display) selection of 18^th C. bridges, pegs, tailpieces and so on. It is interesting that the bridges aren’t radically different from today. One comes across the occasional instrument still in unchanged condition, a couple of which are in my front room, I expect colleagues will also have some if you ask.