The earliest surviving violins are those made by the Cremonese violin maker Andrea Amati — in the year They still have only three strings: G3, D4 and A4. It was probably not until after that Amati made the first violins with four strings. No other instrument which had undergone the major part of its development before was accepted so readily as an essential part of musical practice; this was due to the limitless range of means of expression that it offered.
Whereas violins — and later, other members of the violin family — have always been played exclusively by professional musicians, the viol remained an instrument also adopted by educated lay musicians such as noblemen and merchants and as such was endowed with a certain social standing. Italian players introduced the new instrument to a wider audience at European courts. Antonio Stradivari, who made around one thousand instruments during his career of which are said to be still in existence, is still regarded as the apogee of the art of violin-making.
Despite repeated attempts, which continue today and make use of the most modern technology, it has proved impossible to reproduce the sheer brilliance of timbre of a Stradivarius. North of the Alps the violin-making school led by Jacob Stainer — in Absam in the Tyrol gained great renown; Johann Sebastian Bach — , for instance, played a Stainer violin. In Vienna, Daniel and Joseph Stadlmann — were the most important.
New materials, such as varnish that dried faster, favored the new way of working and violin factories emerged. The leading violin makers of the following era were to be found in France, for example Nicolas Lupot — The upheavals that followed the French Revolution also had far-reaching repercussions in the world of music.
The responsibility for organizing and financing musical events shifted from the aristocracy to the bourgeoisie and concerts became a regular feature of society life. Since these were held in ever larger halls, louder instruments with thicker bows were required. This also altered the angle of the strings to the fingerboard, so that the musician would have had to apply more pressure to play the high notes. This difficulty was counteracted by placing the neck at a backward angle, thus maintaining equal distance between strings and fingerboard along its length.
At the same time both the neck and the fingerboard were lengthened. Yet, none of these early violins exist today. This history of the violin is inferred from paintings from this era that feature violins. With these two violin makers, the history of the violin emerges from the fog of legend to hard fact. Violins produced by these two still exist today.
In fact, the oldest violin in existence today is one built by Andre Amati around Though the violin was introduced to the world in the middle of the sixteenth century, there was a similar looking instrument made in about the fourteenth century called the viol. The viol thrived in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the violin and the viol actually coexisted in the Baroque period. Instruments in the viol family did not have the f-shaped sound hole of the violin but rather a C-shaped sound hole or even some more decorative shape.
The viol differs from the violin in that it has six, seven, or more strings tuned in fourths compared with the four strings of the violin tuned in fifths , a fretted fingerboard, and a relatively thick body because of the sloping shoulder shape at the joint where the neck meets the body. There are various sizes, but the Viola da Gamba, which has a lower register similar to that of the cello, was particularly famous. Musical Instrument Guide.
These crafters had the skill, age and reputation that made them highly sought after. Names like Giuseppe Guarneri, Antonio Stradivari and the Amati, Micheli and Rugeri families are synonymous with the art of violin making. Not only did craftsman have influence over the violin, composers like Monteverdi, Mozart and Bach contributed to its performance and development. Remember that curved bow we mentioned earlier?
The way the violin colours and plays with tones also makes this versatile instrument incredible for soloists.
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