The term violone (Italian pronunciation: [vi.oˈloːne, vjo-]; literally 'large viol', -one being the augmentative suffix) can refer to several distinct large, bowed musical instruments which belong to either the viol or violin family.

Violone (It.: ‘large viol’). In modern terminology, the doublebass viol, the direct ancestor of the double bass. Historically, the term has embraced avariety of meanings: any viol, a large viol (in particular a low-pitched viola da gamba),and even (in some Italian sources) the cello. The term is known as early as 1520.

The modern double bass (or contrabass) has a long history reaching back into the Renaissance, when it was known as a violone or bass viol. Heather Miller Lardin takes a few minutes to show...

The violone (pronounced: "Vee-o-LOH-ne") is a very big string instrument that used to be used in the 16th and 17th centuries. It is like a double bass, but it belongs to the viol family. The name "violone" means "large viol". It was really a "double-bass viola da gamba".

The unqualified term violone is particularly vague, since it is ageneric word meaning “large viola,” and at different times and places, was used to refer to the tenor or bass-sized members of either the violin or gamba families!

Description and demonstration of the violone by A. Arceci, an Early Music student at the Peabody Conservatory.

The violone is a bowed box-lute chordophone, the lowest member of the viol family of European string instruments that are played in a vertical position; the Italian name for the instrument is ‘violone da gamba,’ which means ‘leg bass viol’ and describes how the instrument is held between the player's calves.

What is a violone? For most bassists, the term is encountered at the head of bass parts in music by JS Bach. A natural assumption would be that it was an earlier term for the double-bass, or a predecessor.

The violone is a historical string instrument from the viol family, significantly used in Baroque music ensembles. Typically larger than the bass viol, the violone is often considered the predecessor to the modern double bass.

Il violone è uno strumento musicale antico del gruppo dei cordofoni, appartiene alla famiglia degli strumenti ad arco ed alla sottofamiglia delle viole. Con questo termine nei secoli XV - XVIII venivano identificati vari strumenti musicali di questo tipo.