Bihor County

European studies concerning the spread and tradition of musical instruments note that the horn violin was used in folk music only in the eastern part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the turn of the century, across all parts of the border with Romania influencing Romanian folk music bands.
These violins were found in Nasaud, Mures, Banat and Bihor counties, but today are present only in Bihor, where folk music bands adopted the horn violin for its ability to amplify its sound; something which enables it to be heard at large or outdoor events and sets it apart from other string instruments.
In Central and Western Europe, the horn violin was not successful because when it was used in classical pieces (such as the works of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, etc.) it was noticed that the instrument sounded too similar in tone to ‘fiddler’s music’, and was not compatible with the scores written for classical violins at that time.