This article is part of the Fiddle & Violin series.

Basic physics of the violin

Fiddlers

History of the violin

Luthiers

Musical styles

Making and maintenance

Playing the violin

Violin construction

Violin family of instruments

Violinists

An intricately carved 17th century (circa 1660) British Royal Family violin, on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

The violin first emerged in northern Italy in the early 16th century. While no instruments from the first decades of the century survive, there are several representations in paintings; some of the early instruments have only three strings. Most likely the first makers of violins borrowed from three different types of current instruments: the rebec, in use since the 10th century (itself derived from the Arab rebab), the Viola da Braccio (or Renaissance Fiddle), and the lira da braccio. The earliest explicit description of the instrument, including its tuning, was in the Epitome musical by Jambe de Fer, published in Lyon in 1556. By this time the violin had already begun to spread throughout Europe. Image File history File links Scroll_and_ear. ... “Fiddler” redirects here. ... For the Anne Rice novel, see Violin (novel). ... The distinctive sound of a violin is the result of interactions between its many parts. ... This list of fiddlers shows some crossover with the List of violinists since the instruments used are quite similar, if not identical (given that each violin or fiddle has its own individual character). ... // Jazz The earliest references to jazz performance using the violin as a solo instrument are documented during the first decades of the 20th century. ... Making violins Just a few tools There is a three-dimensional geometric underlying construction that explains the main properties and placement of the different parts and proportions. ... The violin player usually holds the instrument under the chin, supported by the left shoulder (but see below for variations of this posture). ... This article covers the anatomy of a violin and some of its accessories. ... The Violin family of instruments was developed in Italy in the 17th Century. ... This is a list of notable violinists. ... Download high resolution version (960x1280, 195 KB)Detailed carving on the back of a Violin, seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. ... Download high resolution version (960x1280, 195 KB)Detailed carving on the back of a Violin, seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... // Events January 1 - Colonel George Monck with his regiment crosses from Scotland to England at the village of Coldstream and begins advance towards London in support of English Restoration. ... The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the worlds largest and finest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... The rebec in Virgin among Virgins (1509), by Gerard David. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... Arab music is the music of Arabic-speaking people or countries, especially those centered around the Arabian Peninsula. ... For Afghan Rubab, see Rubab. ... The Violin family of instruments was developed in Italy in the 17th Century. ... Italianische lyra de bracio as illustrated by Michael Praetorius in his Syntagma Musicum The lira da braccio was a European bowed string instrument of the Renaissance. ... This article is about the French city. ... Events January 16 - Abdication of Emperor Charles V. His son, Philip II becomes King of Spain, while his brother Ferdinand becomes Holy Roman Emperor January 23 - The Shaanxi earthquake, the deadliest earthquake in history, occurs with its epicenter in Shaanxi province, China. ...

The first real violin was built by Andrea Amati in the first half of the 16th century by order of the Medici family^{[citation needed]}, who had asked for an instrument that could be used by street-musicians, but with the quality of a lute, which was a very popular instrument among the noble in that time.The violin has four strings which consist of the A string, The D string, the E string , and The G string. Andrea Amati, one of the famous luthiers, or lute-builders, in that time decided to use the technique of applying a mould to build the instrument very precisely. In addition to that, he made the instrument vaulted, for he knew that that would provide for a much greater tone than was common until then. The violin immediately became very popular, both among street-musicians and the noble, which is illustrated by the fact that Charles IX of France commissioned an extensive range of string instruments in the second half of the 16th century^[1] . This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... For the board game, see Medici (board game). ... A renaissance-era lute. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... A luthier is someone who builds or repairs stringed instruments, ranging from guitars to violins. ... Charles IX (June 27, 1550 – May 30, 1574) born Charles-Maximilien, was a member of the Valois Dynasty, King of France from 1560 until his death. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ...

The oldest surviving violin, dated inside, is the "Charles IX" by Andrea Amati, made in Cremona in 1564. Perhaps the most famous, and certainly the most pristine is the "Le Messie" (also known as the 'Salabue') made by Antonio Stradivari in 1716 and never used. It is now located in the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Cremona is a city in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left shore of the Po river in the middle of the Pianura padana (Po valley). ... Events March 27 — Naples bans kissing in public under the penalty of death June 22 — Fort Caroline, the first French attempt at colonizing the New World September 10 — The Battle of Kawanakajima Ottoman Turks invade Malta Modern pencil becomes common in England Conquistadors crossed the Pacific Spanish founded a colony... // Events August 5 - In the Battle of Peterwardein 40. ... Ashmolean Museum main entrance. ...

The most famous violin makers, called luthiers, between the late 16th century and the 18th century included: A luthier is someone who builds or repairs stringed instruments, ranging from guitars to violins. ...

• Amati family of Italian violin makers, Andrea Amati (1500-1577), Antonio Amati (1540-1607), Hieronymous Amati I (1561-1630), Nicolo Amati (1596-1684), Hieronymous Amati II (1649-1740)
• Guarneri family of Italian violin makers, Andrea Guarneri (1626- 1698), Pietro of Mantua (1655-1720), Giuseppe Guarneri (Joseph filius Andreae) (1666-1739), Pietro Guarneri (of Venice) (1695-1762), and Giuseppe (del Gesu) (1698-1744)
• Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) of Cremona
• Jacob Stainer (1617-1683) of Absam in Tyrol

Couple of minor changes have occurred, including: This article is about the Amati family of luthiers. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... 1500 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Events March 17 - formation of the Cathay Company to send Martin Frobisher back to the New World for more gold May 28 - Publication of the Bergen Book, better known as the Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, one of the Lutheran confessional writings. ... Year 1540 was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Year 1607 (MDCVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... // Events The Edict of Orleans suspends the persecution of the Huguenots. ... Events February 22 - Native American Quadequine introduces Popcorn to English colonists. ... Amati is the name of a family of Italian violin-makers, who flourished at Cremona from about 1550 to 1740. ... Events February 5 - 26 catholics crucified in Nagasaki, Japan. ... Events France under Louis XIV makes Truce of Ratisbon separately with the Empire and Spain. ... // Events January 30 - King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland is beheaded. ... Events May 31 - Friedrich II comes to power in Prussia upon the death of his father, Friedrich Wilhelm I. October 20 - Maria Theresia of Austria inherits the Habsburg hereditary dominions (Austria, Bohemia, Hungary and present-day Belgium). ... Guarneri is the family name of a group of highly acclaimed violin makers (luthiers) from Cremona in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose standing is considered comparable to those of the Amati and Stradivari families. ... Events September 30 - Nurhaci, chieftain of the Jurchens and founder of the Qing Dynasty dies and is succeeded by his son Hong Taiji. ... Events January 4 - Palace of Whitehall in London is destroyed by fire. ... Events March 25 - Saturns largest moon, Titan, is discovered by Christian Huygens. ... // Events January 6 - The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings February 11 - Sweden and Prussia sign the (2nd Treaty of Stockholm) declaring peace. ... Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù (August 21, 1698 - October 17, 1744), more commonly known as Joseph Guarneri, is the only violin maker to rival Antonio Stradivari in the respect accorded to his instruments. ... 1666 is often called Annus Mirabilis. ... // About the number 1739 1739 is the smallest integer that can be written as sum of three perfect cubes, in two ways. ... Jan. ... 1762 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Events January 4 - Palace of Whitehall in London is destroyed by fire. ... // Events The third French and Indian War, known as King Georges War, breaks out at Port Royal, Nova Scotia The First Saudi State founded by Mohammed Ibn Saud Prague occupied by Prussian armies Ongoing events War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) Births January 10 - Thomas Mifflin, fifth President... Antonio Stradivari examining an instrument, in a Romantic 19th-century print. ... // Events February to August - Explorer Abel Tasmans second expedition for the Dutch East India Company maps the north coast of Australia. ... Events 12 February — The San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is inaugurated. ... violin by J.Stainer Jacob Stainer (c. ... Events Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed I (1603-1617) to Mustafa I (1617-1623). ... Events June 6 - The Ashmolean Museum opens as the worlds first university museum. ... Absam is a small village located approximately 13 km east of Innsbruck. ... Coat of arms of the Counts of Tyrol Austria-Hungary in 1914, showing Tirol–Vorarlberg as the left-most province, coloured cream Capital Meran (Merano), until 1848 Government Principality Historical era Middle Ages  - Created County 1140  - Bequeathed to Habsburgs 1363 or 1369  - Joined Council of Princes 1582  - Trent, Tyrol and...

• the fingerboard was made a little longer to be able to play even the highest notes,
• the fingerboard was tilted a little more, to produce even more volume as larger and larger orchestras became popular.
• nearly all old instruments were modified, including lengthening of the neck by one centimeter, in response to the raising of pitch that occurred in the 19th century.
• the bass bar of nearly all old instruments was made heavier to allow a greater string tension.
• the classical luthiers nailed and glued the instrument necks to the upper block of the body before gluing on the soundboard, while later luthiers mortise the neck to the body after completely assembling the body.

The results of these adjustments are instruments that are significantly different in sound and response from those that left the hands of their makers. Regardless, most violins nowadays are built superficially resembling the old instruments.

Nevertheless, instruments of approximately 300 years of age, especially those made by Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù, are the most sought after instruments (for both collectors and performers). In addition to the skill and reputation of the maker, an instrument's age can also influence both price and quality.

Recent inventions

More recently, the Stroh violin used mechanical amplification similar to that of an unelectrified gramophone to boost sound volume. Some Stroh violins have a small "monitor" horn pointed at the player's ear, for audibility on a loud stage, where the main horn points at the audience. A Stroh violin has a metal horn and resonator instead of a sound box. ... Edison cylinder phonograph from about 1899 The phonograph, or gramophone, was the most common device for playing recorded sound from the 1870s through the 1980s. ...

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries before electronic sound amplification became common, Stroh violins were used particularly in the recording studio. These violins with directional horns better suited the demands of the early recording industry's technology than the traditional violin. This article is about the engineering discipline. ... For the British rock band of the same name, see Amplifier (band). ... For the Anne Rice novel, see Violin (novel). ...

Stroh was not the only person who made instruments of this class. Over twenty different inventions appear in the Patent books up to 1949. Often mistaken for Stroh and interchangeably known as being Stroh-viols, phono-fiddles, horn-violins or trumpet-violins, these other instruments have slipped into virtual obscurity.

The electric violin on the right was built by John Jordan in the early 21st century, and is tuned C G D A E. The history of the electric violin spans the entire 20th century. The success of electrical amplification, recording and playback devices brought about a comparatively swift end to the use of the Stroh violin in broadcast and recording. This electric violin, made by Leo Fender in the late 1950s, has a non-traditional design. ...

Stroh Violin

Electric 5-string violin Image File history File links Download high resolution version (493x1277, 33 KB) Summary 5-string electric violin, made by John Jordan Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: History of the violin ...

References

1. ^ Violin - History and Repertory to 1600 - (v) Authenticity and Surviving instruments, Grove Music Online, Accessed 14 November 2006. (subscription required)

See also

• Violinist
• List of violinists
• Luthier
• violin