ABSTRACT
In order to understand how viols were made, it is necessary to take into account many factors that enable and constrain the work of viol makers. These include their clients’ opinions and instructions, makers’ financial and commercial organization, their training and work traditions, and the aesthetic environment wherein they worked. Such matters have been addressed in previous chapters; this chapter concentrates on the physical resources involved in the production of viols. The two aspects considered are the raw materials from which viols are made, and the way that raw materials were manipulated – tools.
