The History of Violin
Violin is a string musical instrument that is high pitched and is played using various techniques and was informally known as the fiddle. They are used to play a wide variety of genre of music and are used in most parts of the world. According to Chitwood, the production of the violin can be traced back to Italy in the 16th century. The instruments were using bows to produce sound and were categorized as bow-stringed instruments. Though the argument on its origin is not clear as people claim it was existed before in the middle ages and appeared in Europe being called fiddle. Majority of the current violins produced in the world come from China and Europe where people continue to value the instrument when plating different genre of music. It is mostly used in classical, jazz, folk and Arabic music and continues to be adopted in other genres of music. It was introduced and gained fame in most parts of the world in the 16th century and had some similarities with an instrument called viol which was used in the 14th century. It was a common piece of instrument that was used by street musicians to perform songs. Some of the violins that were built in the past exist in some museums in Europe and in the middle east.
Changes in the Violin Industry
The violin industry has changed over the past century in terms of intellectual value, structure, and loci of interest (Sheets 251). The violin belongs to a family of other instruments such as erhu and morin which have their origins in the middle east and China. Further modifications on the instrument were done in the 18th and 19th century. Most of the violins that exist are made of wood but recently, electric violins have been introduced. Electric violins started to be introduced to the market in the 20th century with some having four strings and others even seven. The size has also reduced to accommodate the younger players whose fingers will not reach the right position of the full sized instrument. Over time, two different types of violins have been built and used in Europe. The first is one that is held between the knees and sloping the shoulder and the other is the one that is square shaped and it is held in the hands.
Innovations and Transformations of the Violin
According to Sackman, Gasparo di Bertolotti and Andre Amati from Italy and two of the world most famous early makers of the violin. Some of the instruments produced by these gentlemen in the 16th century still exist up to date. Recent innovations have seen the transformation of the musical instrument to produce other such as Stroh violin. There are other different inventions that have been made on the violin and most are in the 20th century. As compared to those that were used in the past years, the newly developed violins have a high pitch and are lighter (Sheets 252). The renovations of the violin have mostly been to meet the needs of the people to ensure better utilization when being played. The current violins products are used to produce and record sound and thus there has been a major transformation in the structure and use of the instrument.
Musicians and Influences
The violin has been played by some of the past and current musicians in the world.
Pedagogical Pedigree of Violinists
The history of the musicians who have been playing violin can be traced back to over five decades ago. They are considered as famous due to their influence in their performance and development of new styles of playing the instrument. Modern-day violinists trace their pedagogical pedigree to Pierre Marie François de Sales Baillot (1834), Leopold Mozart (1756), Joseph-Barnabé SaintSevin (1761), and Francesco Geminiani (1751) (Hann 4). Geminiani, for instance, introduced an intonation that helped to please the ears of people and strikes their imagination. Also, his technical instructions of the geometry and knowledge of the fingerboard are still utilized today. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a good posture to enhance the quality of the performance (Hann 4). Mozart, on the other hand, is famous because of the publications he made regarding the playing of the violin in the 18th century. His inspiration for the publications came due to the frustrations of instructing individuals who had been previously taught using the wrong techniques. The efforts and teachings of Geminiani and Mozart have played an essential role in inspiring the emergence of the new crop of violinists in the world.
Contemporary Violinists
Some of the contemporary violinists who have made a mark in the industry include Owen Pallet, Itzhak Perlman, and Viktoria Mullova among others. Pallet is a young Canadian violinist who performs as a solo artist. He has won multiple awards and has had a good breakthrough in the release of his music. He is better known for his live performances which attract a huge number of people in many places he tours across the globe. Perlman started performing at the age of 13 and has been popular in the United States as he prominently featured in televisions and gained a huge audience in the 20th century. For many years, he has been a teacher who has inspired many people to play the instrument. Mullova is a female violinist who has won major music contests in the world. She has a good reputation on the international market and continues to play an essential role in introducing contemporary styles in her performance.
Work Cited
Chitwood, Daniel H. "Imitation, genetic lineages, and time influenced the morphological
evolution of the violin." PloS one9.10 (2014): e109229.
Hann, Hanna C. "The Influence of Historic Violin Treatises on Modern Teaching and
Performance Practices." Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado 4.3 (2015): 4.
Sackman, Nicholas. "Niccolò Paganini’s Cannone violin and David Laurie’s “Canon” violin:
some considerations." (2018)
Sheets, Arian. "The American Violin." Galpin Society Journal71 (2018): 251-254.
