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The violin family, which challenged and supplanted
members of the viol family, appeared in Europe in the early
16th century and by the mid-16th century was found in paintings
of the period. Since then these instruments--the violin, viola,
violoncello (or cello), and double bass--have been the major
component of symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles.
Compared to viols these instruments are louder and more forceful,
with strings that are heavier and tenser, a neck that is more
substantial, and a body whose wood is thicker.
Basic to members of the violin family are
four strings tuned in intervals of fifths (except the double
bass, which is tuned in fourths), an arched bridge and unfretted
fingerboard, and a body that acts as a resonator of the instrument's
sound. The look of instruments in the violin family became
standardized in the late 16th century. By that time they shared
a sound hole in their bodies shaped like a letter f, square
shoulders, and a belly and back that protruded and projected
past the ribs. By the late 18th century, when conventional
pitch had risen and there was a need for more forceful sound,
the violin was modified. Its bridge was lifted and arched,
its neck was set back at an angle and lengthened, and the
tension of its strings was increased. The bow resembled the
viol bow until the early 18th century, though it was somewhat
shorter. By the end of the 18th century, the modern bow had
been perfected by a Frenchman, Francois Tourte.
The greatest violins were from Italy, and
no city was more renowned for its instruments than Cremona.
This was the home of the Amati family, whose instruments set
the international standard for beauty of sound, and of Antonio
Stradivari, whose name is still synonymous with the finest
violins (see Stradivari).
Although the four well-known members of the
violin family are most often encountered today, there are
other instruments related to this group that once were equally
prominent. The pochette, or Taschengeige, is a miniature violin
tuned an octave above the normal instrument whose use is associated
with dancing masters who accompanied their students with these
instruments. The violino piccolo, tuned a fourth above the
normal violin, and the tenor violin, tuned a fifth below the
ordinary viola, were both employed in the 17th and 18th centuries
but are obsolete today.
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From Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia
© 1999 The Learning Company, Inc.
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