violone

American  

[vee-uh-loh-ney] / ˌvi əˈloʊ neɪ /

noun

1. a double bass.

2. an organ pedal stop of 16-foot pitch, giving a tone resembling the violoncello.

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violone British  

/ ˈvaɪəˌləʊn /

noun

1. the double-bass member of the viol family lying an octave below the viola da gamba. It corresponds to the double bass in the violin family

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Etymology

Origin of violone

1715–25; < Italian, equivalent to viol ( a ) bass viol + -one augmentative suffix

Example Sentences

Two violas, with cello, are pitted against two viols, with violone.

From New York Times

There were fine contributions, too, from colleagues including Carla Moore on violin, Erin Headley, Josh Lee, and Elizabeth Reed on violas da gamba, Curtis Daily on violone, Jillon Stoppels Dupree on organ, and Stubbs himself on the lute’s long-necked cousin, the chitarrone.

From Seattle Times

Violone, vē-ō-lō′nā, n. the largest kind of bass viol, having strings tuned an octave lower than the violoncello.

From Project Gutenberg

The King was angry with Bourdon, and he sent his army, under the command of Tuba Mirabilis, who, helped by Posaune, Clarion, and Cymbal, captured Bourdon and his three brothers, Bass, Violone, and Ophicleide, and put them in prison in the Lake of Sighs.

From Project Gutenberg

Hide it away under as many Italian coatings as you choose,—viol, violin, viola, violone, violoncello, violoncellettissimo, at bottom it is all one, a fiddle; in its best estate, a diddle, diddle, frivolous, rattling, Yankee-Doodle, country-tavern-ball whirligig, without dignity, sentiment, or power; and at worst a rubbing, rasping, squeaking, woolleny, noisy nuisance, that it sets my teeth on edge to think of.

From Project Gutenberg