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 • Dec. 20, 2018

The approach here is enthusiastically scholarly, using boys for the soprano parts and such authentic instruments as the wooden flauto traverso and the five-stringed violone.

From Time Magazine Archive

The character Sileno sang the upper part and accompanied himself on the violone, while the lower parts were given to other instruments.

From Some Forerunners of Italian Opera by Henderson, W. J. (William James)

Of these the earliest known is a "Romanesca per violone Solo e Basso se piaci," and some dances, by Biagio Marini, published in 1620.

From Famous Violinists of To-day and Yesterday by Lahee, Henry Charles