Still Life—Violin and Music (1888) by William Michael HarnettThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
The violin is cherished by music lovers around the world – an instrument whose tonal range can shift from delicate sweetness to resonant power. But how much do you know about its history?
Rebab Rebab (late 19th century)The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1. Before the violin
The violin has been around for about 500 years, though the history of bowed instruments goes back much further. One direct ancestor of the violin is the rebab, an Arabic instrument used in traditional Bedouin music since the 9th century.
VerniciaturaOriginal Source: Consorzio Liutai “Antonio Stradivari” Cremona
2. Violino!
The first violins, as we know them today, emerged in northern Italy in the early 1500s. Famed for their fine craftsmen, the cities of Cremona and Brescia were the likely birthplaces of the instrument – though the precise origin remains a mystery.
Allegory of Charles IX as Mars (1573)The J. Paul Getty Museum
3. A royal instrument
During the 1500s, the violin quickly became popular in Europe, with street musicians and nobles alike. The French king, Charles IX – a great lover of music – commissioned many beautiful violins and other stringed instruments during his reign.
ex "Kurtz" Violin (ca. 1560) by Andrea AmatiThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
4. Great makers
While we'll never know the name of the violin's inventor, one man stands above the rest for his violinmaking. This is Andrea Amati, a craftsman from Cremona, who achieved renown in his lifetime for his fine violins and other instruments from the same family.
Violin, Andrea Amati (ca. 1505-1578), Cremona, ca. 1559 Ex. 1 (ca.1559) by Andrea AmatiThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
Here is one of Andrea Amati's original violins played by musician and entrepreneur, Sean Avram Carpenter. The instrument was built around 1559, in Cremona, but still sounds as sweet after nearly 500 years!
Old Violin Maker in His Workshop (circa. 20th century) by Andreas KrugGrohmann Museum at Milwaukee School of Engineering
Other luthiers – that is, someone who specialises in crafting stringed instruments – who helped shape the violin include Antonio Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù. These men created beautiful instruments that are considered classics of their kind today.
Wolfgang Amadé Mozart, wearing a court dress (1763) by LorenzoniThe Mozart-Museums of the International Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg
ZUBIN MEHTA CONDUCTING (circa 1965) by Eugene CookLA Phil
Today, the violin is as popular as it ever was, having been incorporated into musical genres as diverse as traditional Iranian song, bluegrass and Celtic folk. There are even electro-acoustic violins, too, that have found their way into heavy rock. From Mozart to the mosh-pit!
The Violin Player (1626) by Honthorst, Gerrit vanMauritshuis
If you're feeling inspired by this musical history, why not take up your bow and compose a masterpiece with Viola the Bird?
