The violin is also used in global folk music. It is utilized for a variety of solo pieces and is generally one of the most beloved instruments for composers and audiences alike. Due to its distinct tone, it can stand out from other instruments and therefore typically plays the melody in an orchestra or smaller ensembles. The violin enjoys a prominent role in classical music from all eras. If you are curious to know what a violin is made of, be sure to check out this article. I will describe the differences and tuning notes later on. Click here to read a more detailed article on this subject.Īs you may already know, the violin is tuned as follows: G-D-A-E, in perfect fifths, like almost all other family members. It boasts the highest range, starting from G3 just below middle C and reaching up to A7 on the E string. The violin is the smallest member of the family. Some believe these are perhaps arbitrary disparities or that they arose due to reasons other than viol family connections. Differences in the body of the instrument, the tuning, and the flat back suggest that this instrument originates from the viol family. The double bass-or contrabass-might have different origins. Both “violin” and “violoncello” are rooted in the word “viola,” so the other instruments were most likely invented later on. It’s unclear which came first however, linguists argue that it was possibly the viola. Today, the oldest surviving violin hails from 1564 and was manufactured by Andrea Amati.īack then, luthiers experimented with varied sizes to create the best bowed stringed instrument, so the viola and cello emerged around the same time. The violin quickly gained popularity among both street musicians and nobles. At that time, cities like Cremona were well-known for crafting the best stringed instruments. Geography-wise, there is solid evidence that the very first violins originated in northern Italy near Milan. The first evidence of the violin we know and love today is seen in paintings by Gaudenzio Ferrari from the 1530s-though these instruments only had three strings. In Central Asia, specifically, bowed stringed instruments emerged later within nomadic equestrian cultures-up until the Byzantine Empire-from which hailed the first direct ancestors of the violin: the Byzantine lira and, later on, lira da braccio during the Renaissance period. The viola da gamba was played between the legs like a contemporary cello, and the viola da braccio was placed on the shoulder like the contemporary violin and viola (Cizek, 49).The very first stringed instruments were typically plucked. They were usually divided into two groups based on where the instrument was situated. The viol family covered a wide range of pitch, similar to the modern string family, from bass to soprano. They had more strings than the contemporary violin, some with 5 on the fingerboard and an additional 2 off to the side (Cizek, 52).Īt the end of the Middle Ages, the vièle evolved into the viol.
Many of the lira had carvings of faces on the backs and scrolls. The f-holes were shaped as Cs instead of Fs. Its form resembles that of a woman, which for Renaissance musicians represented the connection between love and music. It was quite popular during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. (Cizek 49) The lira da braccio was a beautiful, precise instrument for its time. The lira da braccio is usually considered the predecessor to the violin.