What the violin consists of detailed description. The structure of the violin

It is generally accepted that the first string- bowed instrument invented by the Indian (according to another version - Ceylon) king Ravana, who lived about five thousand years ago. This is probably why the distant ancestor of the violin was called the ravanastron. It consisted of an empty cylinder made of mulberry wood, one side of which was covered with the skin of a broad-scaled water boa. The strings were made from the intestines of a gazelle, and the bow, curved in an arc, was made from a bamboo tree. Ravanastron has been preserved to this day by wandering Buddhist monks.

The violin appeared on the professional stage at the end of the 15th century, and its “inventor” was the Italian from Bologna, Gaspard Duifopruggar. The oldest violin, made by him in 1510 for King Franz I, is kept in the Nidergey Collection in Aachen (Holland). The violin owes its present appearance and, of course, sound to the Italian violin makers Amati, Stradivari and Guarneri. The violins of the master Magini are also highly valued. Their violins, made of well dried and varnished maple and spruce plates, sang more beautifully than the most beautiful voices. The instruments made by these craftsmen are still played by the world's best violinists. Stradivari has designed a violin that is still unsurpassed, having the richest timbre and exceptional "range" - the ability to fill huge halls with sound. It had kinks and irregularities inside the case, due to which the sound was enriched due to the appearance a large number high overtones.

The violin is the highest-pitched instrument of the bow family. It consists of two main parts - the body and neck, between which are stretched four steel strings. The main advantage of the violin is the melodiousness of the timbre. It can play both lyrical melodies and dazzling fast passages. The violin is the most common solo instrument in the orchestra.

The Italian virtuoso and composer Niccolo Paganini greatly expanded the possibilities of the violin. Subsequently, many other violinists appeared, but no one could surpass him. Remarkable works for the violin were created by Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and others.

Oistrakh, or, as he was called, "Tsar David", is considered an outstanding Russian violinist.

There is an instrument that looks very much like a violin, but a little bigger size. This is an alt.

MYSTERY

Carved in the forest, smoothly hewn,

Sings-poured, what's the name?

There are alto and soprano violins - instruments that play in low and high registers, respectively. Also, violins can be made of wood - the so-called acoustic violins, or they can be made of metal or, in extreme cases, plastic - electric violins.

Violins, like the piano, perform equally well in both ensemble and solo playing, so there is an incalculable number of works for, and they continue to be created.

According to some sources, the Spanish fiddle is considered the progenitor of the violin. Other resources say that her ancestors were the Arab rebab and the Kazakh kobyz. At first, these instruments formed the so-called "viol", from which comes the Latin - "violin". widespread (as folk instrument) violins were received in Romania, Ukraine and Belarus.

The best violins in the world are the violins of the great, talented Italian master - Stradivarius, or rather the so-called "golden period" of his work - the late 17th - early 18th centuries. The violins he created sounded so magical and unusual that his contemporaries said that he had sold his soul to the devil. It is known that Stradivari created about 1000 violins, but only about 600 violins of the great master have survived to our times, each costing from one to three million euros.

Some interesting facts. Albert Einstein once performed in a tavern playing the violin. One journalist following this and after finding out the name of this artist wrote a note about this. Einstein kept it for himself and told everyone that he was not a great scientist. There is also a legend that while painting the Mona Lisa, Leonardo Da Vinci ordered to play the violins. It is believed that her smile is a reflection of the music.

The violin is a bowed string instrument, without which no orchestra can do. Learning to play the violin takes years of practice under the guidance of an experienced tutor.

Instruction

The birthplace of the violin is Europe. The time of birth is the thirteenth century. Before the violin found its well-known form, it was subjected to various changes and improvements. We can say that the violin has been formed for centuries, and this formation is connected with the development and evolution of music as an art. appearance classical form violin, the world owes to the Italian master Andrea Amati, who managed to achieve from the violin close to human voice timbre. The Amati violin, thanks to its strong and rich sound, entered the stage of large concert halls and became one of the most popular instruments. Another famous Italian master, Antonio Stradivari, improved the structure of the violin, which made it possible to achieve a bright sound, combined with the softness and tenderness inherent only in this instrument.

Nowadays, the violin has not lost its popularity. It is a rather complex instrument, and it is much more difficult to master playing it than, for example,. To learn professional game on the violin, you need to spend several years, and preferably start in childhood. The sooner you start learning, the better, since the technique of playing this instrument requires great flexibility and mobility of the hands. To play the violin, it is not at all necessary to have an absolute ear for music, where harmonic hearing is more important. For its development, regular solfeggio classes will be needed.

In addition to the mastery of musical performance, an important element is the care of the instrument itself. The violin is very weather-sensitive, strong temperature fluctuations and any changes are destructive for it. environment. It should be protected from direct sunlight, heat, moisture. It is important to choose a quality case for her. Usually choose a spacious and heat-resistant. The case must be ventilated periodically. The violin is stored in a special bag made of "breathable" fabric and regularly cleaned with soft flannel napkins. The inside of the violin is cleaned with heated oats or washed dry rice. In addition, there are a lot of factory-made violin care products. The bow is rubbed with rosin for better glide.

Take care of your violin with love, spare no effort in learning to play it and it will repay you a hundredfold - with great sound and longevity!

lovers classical music appreciate the sound of each instrument, especially the violin. The sounds extracted from the strings by the bow touch the living, convey the bouquet of emotions that the composer wanted to convey to the listener. Some would like to learn how to play this instrument, while others are just interested in how it works, how many strings the violin has, what each of them is called.

Structure

The violin consists of a body and neck, along which the strings are stretched. Two planes, called decks, are connected by shells, forming the basis of a rounded instrument. A darling is installed inside, transmitting throughout the body. The sound, liveliness and fullness of the timbre depend on the design. More familiar classical instruments made of wood, but there are also electric ones, the sound in which comes out of the speakers. Do you know how many strings a violin has? The answer is simple - only four, and they can be made from different materials, lived, silk or metal.

String name

Each of them has its own name and is tuned to a certain tone. So, the first string on the left produces the lowest sound - salt of a small octave. Usually it is veined, entwined with a silver thread. The next two strings differ little in thickness, since they are in the first octave - these are the notes re and la. But the second over the veins is entwined with aluminum thread, and the third is solid intestinal or elongated from a special alloy. The string on the far right is the thinnest of all, it is tuned to the sound of mi of the second octave and is made of solid metal.

So, now you know how many strings the violin has, what they are called and what they consist of. Although sometimes you can find five-string models with an additional string. It produces a sound up to a small octave.

Stradivarius violins

The famous master made not only violins, but also cellos and double basses. It was he who brought the instrument to perfection both in form and in sound. Over 80 years of creativity, he created about 1100 musical instruments, of which about 650 have survived. Some of them can be purchased for personal use or as Museum exhibit. How many strings it has The same number as the factory model - four. The master gave the instrument exactly the form in which we meet it in modern life.

We hope that the question of how many strings a violin has will no longer confuse you. Enjoy the sounds of wonderful music!

"Family tree" of the origin of the modern violin. Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed.

The progenitors of the violin were the Armenian bambir, Arabic rebab, Spanish fidel, British crotta, the merger of which formed the viola. Violin forms were established by the 16th century; famous violin makers, the Amati family, date back to this century and the beginning of the 17th century. Their instruments are of excellent shape and excellent material. In general, Italy was famous for the production of violins, among which the Stradivari and Guarneri violins are currently highly valued.

The violin has been a solo instrument since the 17th century. The first works for violin are considered: "Romanesca per violino solo e basso" by Biagio Marini () and "Capriccio stravagante" by his contemporary Carlo Farin. Founder artistic game on the violin, it is believed to be Arcangelo Corelli; then follow Torelli, Tartini, Pietro Locatelli (-), a student of Corelli who developed the bravura technique of violin playing.

Since the 2nd half of the 19th century, it has become widespread among the Tatars. Since the 20th century, it has been found in the musical life of the Bashkirs.

The structure of the violin

The violin consists of two main parts: the body and the neck, along which the strings are stretched.

Frame

The body of the violin has a specific rounded shape. In contrast to the classical form of the case, the shape of the trapezoidal parallelogram is mathematically optimal with rounded notches on the sides, forming a "waist". The roundness of the outer contours and the "waist" lines ensures the comfort of the game, in particular in high positions. The lower upper plane of the body - decks - are connected to each other by strips of wood - shells. They have a convex shape, forming "vaults". The geometry of the vaults, as well as their thickness, its distribution to one degree or another determine the strength and timbre of the sound. A darling is placed inside the body, transmitting vibrations from the stand - through the upper deck - to the lower deck. Without it, the timbre of the violin loses its liveliness and fullness.

The strength and timbre of the sound of the violin is greatly influenced by the material from which it is made, and, to a lesser extent, the composition of the varnish. There is an experiment with the complete chemical removal of varnish from a Stradivarius violin, after which its sound did not change. The lacquer protects the violin from changing the quality of the wood under the influence of the environment and stains the violin with a transparent color from light golden to dark red or brown.

The bottom soundboard (a musical term) is made from solid maple wood (other hardwoods), or from two symmetrical halves.

The top deck is made from resonant spruce. Has two resonator holes - efas(they look like latin letter(f). A stand rests on the middle of the upper deck, on which the strings, fixed on the string holder (under the fingerboard), rest. A single spring is attached to the top soundboard under the leg of the stand on the side of the G string - a longitudinally located wooden plank, which largely ensures the strength of the top soundboard and its resonant properties.

The shells unite the lower and upper decks, forming side surface violin body. Their height determines the volume and timbre of the violin, fundamentally influencing the quality of the sound: the higher the shells, the muffled and softer the sound, the lower, the more piercing and transparent the upper notes. The shells are made, like the decks, from maple wood.

The darling is a round (spruce wood] spacer that mechanically connects the soundboards and transmits the tension force of the strings and high-frequency vibrations to the lower deck. Its ideal location is experimentally found, as a rule, the end of the darling is located under the leg of the stand on the side of the E string, or next to it. is rearranged only by the master, since its slightest movement significantly affects the sound of the instrument.

The neck, or string holder, is used to fasten the strings. Previously made from hardwoods of ebony or mahogany (usually ebony or rosewood, respectively). Nowadays, it is often made of plastics or light alloys. On the one hand, the neck has a loop, on the other - four holes with slots for attaching strings. The end of the string with a button (mi and la) is threaded into a round hole, after which, by pulling the string towards the neck, it is pressed into the slot. The D and G strings are often fixed in the neck with a loop passing through the hole. Currently, lever-screw machines are often installed in the neck holes, which greatly facilitate tuning. Serially produced are light alloy necks with structurally integrated machines.

a loop of thick string or steel wire. When replacing a strand loop larger than 2.2 mm in diameter with a synthetic one (2.2 mm diameter), a wedge must be inserted and a hole with a diameter of 2.2 must be re-drilled, otherwise the point pressure of the synthetic string may damage the wooden sub-neck.

A button-head of a wooden peg inserted into a hole in the body, located on the opposite side of the neck, serves to fasten the neck. The wedge is inserted into the conical hole corresponding to it in size and shape, completely and tightly, otherwise cracking of the shred and shell is possible. The load on the button is very high, about 24 kg

The stand affects the timbre of the instrument. It has been experimentally established that even a slight shift of the stand leads to a significant change in the instrument's tuning due to a change in the scale and to some change in timbre - when shifted to the neck, the sound is muffled, from it - brighter. The stand raises the strings above the top sounding board to different heights for the possibility of playing on each of them with a bow, distributes them at a greater distance from one another on an arc of a larger radius than the nut.

Vulture

Fretboard (detail of a musical instrument) of a violin - a long board made of solid hard wood (black ebony or rosewood), curved in cross section so that when playing on one string, the bow would not cling to adjacent strings. The lower part of the neck is glued to the neck, which passes into the head, consisting of a peg box and a curl.

The nut is an ebony plate located between the neck and the head, with slots for the strings. Slots in the nut distribute the strings at equal distances from each other.

The neck is a semicircular part that the performer covers with his hand during the game. Attached to the top of the neck vulture And nut.

Peg box - part of the neck, in which a slot is made frontally, two pairs are inserted from both sides pegs, which are used to tune the strings. The pegs are conical rods. The rod is inserted into the conical hole in the peg box and adjusted to it - failure to comply with this condition may lead to the destruction of the structure. For tighter or smoother rotation, the pegs are pressed in or pulled out of the box, respectively, and for smooth rotation they must be lubricated with lapping paste (or chalk and soap). The pegs should not protrude much from the pegs box. The tuning pegs are usually made of ebony and are often decorated with mother-of-pearl or metal (silver, gold) inlays.

The curl has always served as something like a corporate brand - evidence of the taste and skill of the creator. Initially, the curl rather resembled a female foot in a shoe, over time, the similarity became less and less - only the “heel” is recognizable, the “toe” has changed beyond recognition. Some craftsmen replaced the curl with a sculpture, like a viol, with a carved lion's head, for example, as Giovanni Paolo Magini (1580-1632) did. Masters of the XIX century, lengthening the fretboard of ancient violins, sought to preserve the head and curl as a privileged "birth certificate".

strings

The strings run from the neck, through the bridge, over the surface of the neck, and through the nut to the pegs, which are wound around the headstock.

The violin has four strings:

• first("fifth") - upper, tuned to mi of the second octave. The metal solid string "mi" has a sonorous, brilliant timbre.
• second- tuned to la of the first octave. Veined (intestinal or from a special alloy) solid "A" has a soft, matte timbre.
• third- tuned to D of the first octave. The vein (intestinal or artificial fiber) "re", entwined with aluminum thread, has a soft, matte timbre.
• fourth("bass") - lower, tuned to the salt of a small octave. Vein (intestinal or artificial fiber) "salt", entwined with a silver thread, harsh and thick timbre.

Accessories and accessories

The bow is an accessory for continuous sound production. The basis of the bow is a wooden cane, passing from one side into the head, on the other, a block is attached. A ponytail hair is pulled between the head and the block. The hair has keratin scales, between which rosin is impregnated when rubbed, it allows the hair to cling to the string and produce sound.

Chinrest. Designed for the convenience of pressing the violin with the chin. Lateral, middle and intermediate positions are selected from the violinist's ergonomic preferences.

Bridge. Designed for the convenience of laying the violin on the collarbone. Mounted on the bottom deck. It is a plate, straight or curved, hard or covered with a soft material, wood, metal or plastic, with fasteners on both sides. The metal structure often hides the necessary electronics, such as a microphone with an amplifier. The main brands of modern bridges are WOLF, KUN, etc.

Sound pickup devices. Required for conversion mechanical vibrations violins into electric ones (for recording, amplifying or converting the sound of a violin using special devices).

• If the sound of a violin is formed due to the acoustic properties of the elements of its body, the violin is acoustic.
• If the sound is formed by electronic and electromechanical components, it is an electric violin.
• If the sound is shaped by both components to a comparable degree, it is a semi-acoustic violin.

Case (or wardrobe trunk for violin and bow and additional accessories.

The mute is a small wooden or rubber "comb" with two or three teeth with a longitudinal slot. It is put on top of the stand and reduces its vibration, due to which the sound becomes muffled, "socky". More often mute is used in orchestral and ensemble music.

"Jammer"- heavy rubber or metal mute, used for homework, as well as for classes in places that do not tolerate noise. When using a jammer, the instrument practically ceases to sound and emits barely distinguishable pitch tones, sufficient for perception and control by the performer.

typewriter- a metal device consisting of a screw inserted into the neck hole, and a lever with a hook that serves to fasten the string, located on the other side. The machine allows finer tuning, which is most critical for mono-metallic strings with low stretch. For each size of the violin, a certain size of the machine is intended, there are also universal ones. They usually come in black, gold, nickel or chrome, or a combination of finishes. Models are available specifically for gut strings, for the E string. The instrument may not have machines at all: in this case, the strings are inserted into the neck holes. Installation of machines not on all strings is possible. Usually in this case, the machine is placed on the first string.

Recording and performance

Recording

The violin part is written in the treble clef. The standard violin range is from the salt of the small octave to the fourth octave. Higher sounds are difficult to perform and are used, as a rule, only in solo virtuoso literature, but not in orchestral parts.

Hand position

"Franco-Belgian" way of holding the bow.

The strings are pressed with four fingers of the left hand to the fretboard ( thumb excluded). The strings are led with a bow located in right hand playing.

From pressing with a finger, the length of the oscillating region of the string decreases, due to which the frequency increases, that is, it turns out more alt. Strings not pressed with a finger are called open and are denoted by zero when specifying the fingering.

From touching the string with almost no pressure in certain places, harmonics are obtained. Some harmonic sounds go beyond the standard violin range in their pitch.

The location of the fingers of the left hand on the fretboard is called fingering(from the word applicate). The index finger of the hand is called the first, the middle - the second, the ring - the third, the little finger - the fourth. Position called the fingering of four adjacent fingers, spaced from one another by a tone or semitone. Each string can have seven or more positions. The higher the position, the more difficult it is to play cleanly in it. On each string, excluding fifths, they go mainly only up to the fifth position inclusive; but on the fifth or the first string, and sometimes on the second, higher positions are used - up to the twelfth.

There are at least three ways to hold the bow:

• The old ("German") way, at which forefinger touches the cane of the bow with its lower surface, approximately against the fold between the nail phalanx and the middle one; fingers tightly closed; the thumb is opposite the middle; the hair of the bow is taut moderately.
• New ("Franco-Belgian") way, in which the index finger touches the cane at an angle with the end of its middle phalanx; there is a large gap between the index and middle fingers; the thumb is opposite the middle; tightly taut bow hair; inclined position of the cane.
• The newest ("Russian") way, in which the index finger touches the cane on the side with a fold between the middle phalanx and metacarpal; deeply covering the middle of the nail phalanx with a cane and forming with it sharp corner, he, as it were, directs the conduct of the bow; there is a large gap between the index and middle fingers; the thumb is opposite the middle; loosely taut bow hair; straight (not inclined) position of the cane. This way of holding the bow is the most appropriate for achieving the best sound results with the least expenditure of energy.

The violins also make up a significant part of the orchestra, in which the musicians are divided into two groups, known as the first and second violins. Most often, the melodic line is dedicated to the first violins, while a group of the second ones perform an accompanying or imitating function.

Sometimes the melody is entrusted not to the whole group of violins, but to the solo violin. Then the melody is played by the first violinist - accompanist. Most often, this is necessary to give the melody a special color, delicate and fragile. The solo violin is most often associated with the lyrical image.

The string quartet in its original form, consists of two violins (musicians playing the parts of the first and second violin), viola and cello. Like an orchestra, most often the first violin plays the leading role, but in general, each instrument can have solo moments.

Famous violinists

17th century

• Arcangelo Corelli (-) - italian violinist and a composer credited with creating artistic violin playing. Contemporaries called him Columbus in music.
• Antonio Vivaldi (-) - Venetian abbot. Composer, violinist, teacher, conductor. Creator of the Violin Concerto musical form. One of the most famous works is a cycle of 4 concertos for violin and orchestra "The Seasons".
• Giuseppe Tartini (-) is an Italian violinist and composer. He improved the design of the bow, lengthening it, and developed the basic methods of conducting the bow, recognized by all contemporary violinists of Italy and France and included in general use.

18th century

• Ivan Khandoshkin (-) - Russian virtuoso violinist, composer and teacher. Founder of the Russian violin school. The first violin virtuoso in Russia. During his lifetime, he was popular in wide circles Russian society.
• Giovanni Battista Viotti (-) is a famous Italian violinist of the generation that preceded Niccolò Paganini. Apart from the ten piano concertos, all of Viotti's works are written for string instruments, the most important of which are the 29 violin concertos.

19th century

• Niccolo Paganini (-) - Italian violinist and virtuoso guitarist, composer. One of the most bright personalities musical history XVIII-XIX centuries. Recognized genius of world musical art.
• Henri Vietain (-) - Belgian violinist and composer, one of the founders of the national violin school. Vieuthan is the author of numerous works for violin, which are still very popular: seven concertos with orchestra, a number of fantasies, variations, concert etudes, etc.
• Henryk Wieniawski (-) is a Polish virtuoso violinist, composer and teacher.
• Leopold Auer (-) - Hungarian, Russian violinist, teacher, conductor and composer. He is the founder of the so-called Russian violin school.
• Eugène Ysaye (-) is a Belgian violinist, conductor and composer. He wrote 6 violin concertos, variations on a theme by Paganini and others.

20th century

• Jascha Heifetz (-) - American violinist Jewish origin. Considered one of the greatest violinists XX century.
• David Oistrakh (-) - Soviet violinist, violist, conductor and teacher, professor at the Moscow Conservatory, People's Artist of the USSR.
• Leonid Kogan (-) - Soviet violinist, teacher, professor at the Moscow Conservatory, People's Artist of the USSR.
• Yehudi Menuhin (-) is an American violinist and conductor. He also left a mark in philately, one of the philatelic awards is named after him.

XXI Century

• Itzhak Perlman (August 31, 1945) is an American violinist, conductor and teacher.
• Vadim Repin (31 August 1971) is a Russian violinist.

Famous violin makers

• Giovanni Paolo Maggini (-) - Italian violin maker. His tools are different. soft sound, similar to the viola and highly prized. His son, Pietro Santo Magini, also made excellent violins, violas and basses.
• Nicola Amati (Nicola Amati, -) is one of the most famous masters of the Amati family. Creator of many stringed instruments, including cellos. Teacher of renowned string makers such as Jacob Steiner, Antonio Stradivari and Andrea Guarneri.
• Jacob Steiner (c. -) - the first known Austrian master, the most famous representative of the so-called Tyrolean school.
• Andrea Guarneri (or -) is a famous manufacturer of bowed instruments. Andrea was a student famous master Amati, lived in Cremona in the 17th century.
• Antonio Stradivari (-) - famous master string instruments, a student of Amati. Completed the formation of the violin as a construction in detail. Any modern violin is essentially a Stradivarius violin. About 650 instruments of his work have been preserved.
• Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù (Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù, -) - grandson of Andrea, acquired greatest fame. Giuseppe's instruments are valued on a par with those of Stradivarius. On Guarneri's violin "Il Cannone Guarnerius ( English)" was played by Niccolo Paganini.
• Ivan Andreevich Batov (-) - the first famous Russian master for the manufacture of musical instruments.
• Jean Baptiste Vuillaume ( Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, 1798-1875) was a French violin maker. In 1828 he opened his own workshop in Paris. From 1835 he was engaged in imitation of old Italian instruments(mainly Stradivari and Guarneri). He made over 3000 instruments.

The most famous works for violin

• A. Vivaldi. Seasons for violin and orchestra
• J. S. Bach. 3 sonatas and 3 partitas for violin solo
• J. Tartini. Sonata "Devil's Trills" for violin and piano
• W. A. ​​Mozart. 5 concertos for violin and orchestra
• L. Beethoven
• L. Beethoven. 10 sonatas for violin and piano
• I. Brahms. Concerto in D major for violin and orchestra
• I. Brahms
• F. Mendelssohn. Concerto in E minor for violin and orchestra
• E. Grieg. 3 sonatas for violin and piano
• N. Paganini. 24 caprices for solo violin
• N. Paganini. Concerto in D major for violin and orchestra
• S. Frank. Sonata for Violin and Piano
• C. Saint-Saens. "Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso" for violin and orchestra
• G. Venyavsky. 2 polonaises for violin and orchestra
• P. Sarasate. Fantasy on the themes of the opera "Carmen" by G. Bizet
• I. Sibelius
• P. Tchaikovsky. Concerto for violin and orchestra
• E. Izai. 6 sonatas for solo violin
• S. Prokofiev
• D. Shostakovich. 2 concertos for violin and orchestra

Literature

• K. Flash, The Art of Violin Playing (vol. 1)- Music, M., 1964.
• K. Flash, The Art of Violin Playing (vol. 2)- Classics-XXI, M., 2007.
• L. Auer, Violin Playing as I Teach It(1920); in Russian per. - My violin school, L., 1933;
• V. Mazel, Violinist and his hands (right)- Composer, St. Petersburg, 2006.
• V. Mazel, Violinist and his hands (left)- Composer, St. Petersburg, 2008.

• A. Tsitsikyan "Armenian bow art", Yerevan, 2004

Links

• Violin alphabet, history of the violin, sheet music, books and films about the violin, violin in literature, painting, animation, etc.

History of the violin

"And since then everyone knows about the violin family,

and it is superfluous to say or write anything about it."

M. Pretorius.

Before we start talking about the great masters who created the magic violins, let's find out where this instrument came from, why it is the way it is and, in general, what is in it that has been disturbing our minds and hearts for half a thousand years...

Now, probably, it is no longer possible to say exactly in which country and even in what century she was born. It is only known thatThe violin acquired its modern look in the 16th century and became widespread in the 17th century, thanks to the works of the great Italian masters.

The violin, as the most common bowed string instrument, is called the “queen of the orchestra” for a reason. And not only the fact that large orchestra more than a hundred musicians and one third of them are violinists, confirms this.

The expressiveness, warmth and tenderness of her timbre, the melodiousness of the sound, as well as the huge performance possibilities rightfully give her a leading position, as in symphony orchestra and in solo practice.
Of course, we all represent modern appearance violin, which was given to her by the famous Italian masters, but its origin is still unclear.

This issue is still being debated to this day. There are many versions of the history of this tool. According to some reports, India is considered the birthplace of bowed instruments.

Someone suggests that China and Persia. Many versions are based on the so-called "bare facts" from literature, painting, sculpture, or on early documents confirming the origin of the violin in such and such a year, in such and such a city.

From other sources it follows that many centuries before the appearance of the violin as such, almost every cultural ethnic group already had similar bowed instruments and therefore look for the roots of the origin of the violin in separate parts light is inappropriate.

Many researchers consider the synthesis of such instruments as the rebec, the fiddle-like guitar and the bowed lyre, which arose in Europe around the 13th-15th centuries, as a kind of prototype of the violin.

Rebec is a three-stringed bowed instrument with a pear-shaped body that smoothly passes into the neck. It has a soundboard with resonator holes in the form of brackets and a fifth system.

Rebecque came to Europe from the Middle East. It is much older than the violin, as it was already known in the twelfth century. Rebec (French rebec, Latin rebeca, rubeba; goes back to Arabic rabāb) is an ancient bowed string instrument that influenced the formation of instruments of the entire violin family. The exact origin is unknown, possibly late middle ages the Arabs brought the rebec to Spain, or the Arabs met him after the conquest of Spain.

The peak of popularity for this instrument came in the Middle Ages, as well as in the Renaissance.

At first, the rebec was a folk instrument, not a court instrument, used by jugglers, minstrels and other itinerant musicians. Later it was also used in church and secular court music. Moreover, the rebec sounded not only at secular receptions, but also at village holidays. It is also a church instrument, an invariable companion of many religious rituals. Since the fifteenth century, the rebec has been used only in folk music making.

Outwardly, the rebec looks like an elongated violin. It does not have those sharp curves that are inherent in the body of a violin. In this case, the smoothness of the lines is important. The rebec has a pear-shaped wooden body, the upper tapering part of which passes directly into the neck.

On the body there are strings with a stand, as well as resonating holes. The fretboard has frets and tuning pegs. The neck is crowned with an original curl, which is calling card rebecca. Two or three strings of the instrument are tuned in fifths.

The instrument is played with a bow that is moved along the strings. It is important to note that the use of the bow when playing the string instruments originated presumably in Asia in the ninth century and spread through Byzantium and Muslim countries by territory Western Europe tenth to twelfth centuries. The rebec is one of the first instruments to be played with a bow.

The tonal range of the instrument is quite extensive - up to two octaves inclusive. This allows you to perform on the rebec not only program works, but also various kinds of improvisations. This largely explains why the rebec was so popular among the people. The tool is quite compact in size. Its total length does not exceed sixty centimeters. This allows you to easily transport the tool without worrying about bulky cases.

Of course, this once again proves the "convenience" of the tool, even in everyday life. An interesting fact is that one of the descendants of the rebec was called "pocket", which means "small pocket" in French. This instrument was so tiny that it could easily fit in a dance teacher's pocket. Then, during a rehearsal or a ball, the teacher led the party, accompanying the poke.

Rebec belongs to the class of accompanying instruments that produce sounds due to the vibration of the strings. The musician guides the strings with a bow, as a result of which the strings begin to oscillate. This is how the sound of the instrument is born. Today, the instrument belongs to the category of rare, but not forgotten. Rebec rightfully occupies important place in the heritage of world musical culture.

The rebec was once played in fairs, streets, but also in churches and palaces. Images of the rebec remained in the psalters, illuminated manuscripts, in the paintings of cathedrals.

The greatest artists of the Renaissance painted angels and saints who played the rebec: both Raphael and Giotto, and the “blessed angelic brother” Fra Beato Angelico…

Raphael - "The Coronation of Mary" (detail)

Giotto "The Wedding Procession of Mary" (detail)

As we can see, the tool was quite popular.Yet the Rebec's reputation seems to have been ambivalent.

Like the minstrels themselves - although a gift from God, but still there are no artists, no, and they were suspected of something bad. In some places, the rebec was lowered in rank: then they were placed in the underworld with the pagans,then they gave him into the clutches of outlandish half-humans - half-animals of a suspicious look.

Paradoxes led to the fact that although the rebec was once good enough to be played by angels and saints, so that the ears of the Blessed Virgin and the Lord God, as well as kings and queens, were delighted with his game, but not enough - for to be played and listened to by decent people.

And he became quite a street tool. And then he took it and completely disappeared.

But how did he disappear? Firstly, caring people made reconstructions in the 20th century, and secondly, maybe we feel some features of this instrument when we play the violin?

And the rebec still sounds. And we can listen to him….. Like fidel (viola).