The violin is a string instrument.
The first thing we are going to do is find the etymological origin of the term violin . And in this case we can say that it derives from Italian, specifically violino which, in turn, comes from Provençal viula . This word, for its part, is considered to emanate from the Latin vitula .
Violin is the diminutive of viola (a musical instrument that has strings). A violin, therefore, resembles a viola, although it is smaller in size and emits a higher-pitched sound.
It is, in short, a four-stringed instrument that is played with a bow . Its neck lacks frets, while its soundboard has a shape similar to the outline of the number eight.
Types of violin and their components
The first violins, made in the 17th century , had strings made from guts. Nowadays, however, the strings are usually metal or even synthetic materials. As for the bow used to play this instrument, it is a somewhat curved stick made of wood and a ribbon made of horsehair.
It is possible to find violins of different sizes: the most common is the 4/4 violin , which is also the largest. Additionally, 1/4 , 2/4 , 3/4 and 7/8 violins appear, used by women , children and men with small hands.
The pegbox , the fingerboard and the bridge are other parts of the violin, also existing in other stringed instruments, such as the bass and the guitar .
The violin is often used in classical music.
famous violinists
The violin is used mainly in classical music , although it can also appear in various currents of folklore , jazz , rock and pop .
Among the best-known violinists and violin composers in history we can name Antonio Vivaldi , Johann Sebastian Bach , Giuseppe Tartini , Niccolò Paganini and Felix Mendelssohn , among many others.
However, we cannot ignore highlighting other important violinists, especially of recent times, among whom we can highlight the following:
– Petra Haden (1971). She is an American violinist who has managed to make the musical instrument at hand an essential element not only in folk or classical music but even in rock. And he has achieved this by working side by side with artists in this genre such as Green Day or Foo Fighters.
– Vanessa Mae (1978). Without a doubt, one of the artists who, in recent years, has managed to get the violin to capture the attention of the whole world and free itself from prejudices is this one. She is a violinist from Singapore who, although classically trained, has opted for more current genres such as pop and even techno. She is considered one of the best performers and has great successes such as those she achieved with the album titled "The Violin Player" (1994).
– Sharon Corr (1970). She is an Irish violinist and composer who has achieved great international recognition both in her solo career and with her brothers, with whom she formed the famous group The Corrs.