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# Violins in History ## Ancient, Central Asia * Ancient two-stringed instruments played with horsehair bows (e.g., kobyz, kyl kyyak). * Used by Central Asian horse riders. ## Late 800s, Middle East * Arabic rabab with two silk strings attached to a pear-shaped gourd. * Played with a bow, held i...

# Violins in History ## Ancient, Central Asia * Ancient two-stringed instruments played with horsehair bows (e.g., kobyz, kyl kyyak). * Used by Central Asian horse riders. ## Late 800s, Middle East * Arabic rabab with two silk strings attached to a pear-shaped gourd. * Played with a bow, held in the lap or on the floor. ## 1000s, Europe * Rebec in Spain, a variation of the rabab. * Typically had five strings and a wooden body. ## 1200s, Europe * Viella in France with five strings. * Resembled a modern violin with a C-shaped hole. ## 1500s, Italy * Viola di braccio with three strings, and f-shaped hole similar to modern violin. * Andrea Amati created the first four-string violin. ## 1644-1737, Italy * Antonio Stradivari, an apprentice of Amati's grandson Nicolo, made famous violins. ## 1600s-1700s, Italy * Violin-making centers in Venice, Cremona, Brescia, and Innsbruck. * Violins became part of orchestras and chamber music during the Baroque period. # Vivacious Violin * The violin is the smallest and highest-pitched orchestral string instrument. * Other orchestral string instruments include viola, cello, double bass, and harp. * Traditionally used as an accompaniment to singing and dancing. * Held under the chin with the bow in the right hand, drawn across the strings at right angles. The left hand presses strings on the neck. # Electrifying! * Electric violins have been used since the 1920s. * Some are made of lightweight materials (e.g., Kevlar, glass) instead of wood. * Strings were traditionally made from animal gut, but now are often made from metal for better playability. # Tuning * Violin strings are tuned by turning pegs. * Each string is tuned to a note. # Priceless Violins * Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) considered the most famous violin maker – creating high-quality violins. * His designs have been copied by many others. * The Stradivarius "Hammer" sold for over $3.5 million in 2006 – one of the highest prices ever paid for an instrument at auction. # Top Violinists * Classical composers challenged violinists with compositions. * Famous child prodigies, (e.g, Niccolò Paganini, Joseph Joachim), have shown impressive abilities. * 20th-century violinists like Jascha Heifetz, Yehudi Menuhin, are also very notable. # Listen to This * A solo violin is the main instrument in the "Spring" from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons from 1723. * Violins should be regularly rubbed with rosin to help the strings vibrate and produce sound.