Violin History Overview

Violin History

• Violins are the smallest and highest-pitched orchestral string instruments
• They are commonly used with other instruments like viola, cello, double bass, and harp
• Violins have been traditionally used to accompany singing and dancing
• Ancient instruments in Central Asia (like the kobyz and kyl kyyak) were forerunners of the Arabic rabab
• The Arabic rabab, from the Middle East (800s), had a pear-shaped gourd, silk strings, and a long neck; it was played on the lap or floor
• The rebec (1000s, Europe) was a variation of the rabab, with five strings and a flat wooden body; it was held on the shoulder
• The vielle (1200s, France) had five strings and a C-shaped body; it was more similar to a modern violin
• The viola di braccio (1500s, Italy) resembled the vielle, having only three strings and an f-shaped body, similar to a modern violin
• Andrea Amati (1555) is known as the father of the modern violin; he created the first four-string violin
• Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) trained under Amati’s grandson and built world-famous violins.
• Venice, Cremona, Brescia, and Innsbruck in Italy and Austria became important violin-making centers in the 1600s-1700s
• Violins became a regular part of orchestras and chamber music in the Baroque period (1600s)

Violin Construction and Playing

• The violin is held under the chin, with the bow in the right hand
• The bow is drawn across the strings at a right angle while the left hand presses on strings
• The violin has a chin rest and different parts, e.g., tailpiece, bridge, and f-holes