The word violin comes from a Medieval Latin word that means a string instrument. Ravanastron is the oldest ancestor of the violin which can be traced back to 5000 BCE and is discovered in Sri Lanka. It has one 22 inch string that traversed three octaves. Its tone can be compared to the four strings of a modern violin. There is also a history that the ancestors of the violin came from the orient in the middle ages – the Arabian rabab and the rebec. It was said that it was played in the 15th century in both Spain and France. In the east, Erhu and morin khur from the Chinese come from the rabab thus making it also a relative of the violin.
Who made the first violin?
The first violin has four strings and looks like the violin that we have today. It was built by a famous Italian violin maker, Andrea Amati, in 1555. Since its first creation, it has become very popular that the King of France told Amati to craft him 24 violins. In fact, the oldest surviving violin was from these 24 violins and was called Charles IX – in the honor of King Charles IX of France.
Where was the first violin created?
Andrea Amati built his violins in Cremona, Italy. In fact, he and his sons have trained some of the world’s finest violin makers. Because of this, Cremona has become the home of the violin ever since and is known to be the place where the world’s greatest violins were created.
Famous Violin Makers
The violin has become a class of itself in terms of completeness. For the next hundred years, the violin has become the most famous instrument all throughout the European continent. It was in 1600 when the creation of the violin reached its peak. During this time, there were two famous violin makers – Guarneri and Stradivari family. Both were locals Cremona, Italy and a product of Andrea Amati’s school, the Amati School of Violin Craftsmanship. Until today, violins made by Guarneri and Stradivari family are still considered to be the greatest violin in the world. Violinists all over the world want to own one. In fact, a Stradivari violin called The Hammer was sold for a whopping $3.5 million in 2006.
The look of a modern violin has undergone a lot of development throughout the years. It has gone through a lot of changes that are necessary to allow higher pitch and to produce more volume for the orchestra.
