Violin — Lutherie Encyclopedia

ViolinType: instrumentThe soprano voice of the bowed string family, renowned for its expressive range and central role in Western classical music, folk traditions, and beyond.## History The violin emerged in northern Italy in the early 16th century, evolving from earlier bowed instruments such as the rebec and the medieval fiddle. Andrea Amati of Cremona is generally credited with creating the first true violins around 1550. The instrument quickly became the cornerstone of orchestral and chamber music. The Cremonese workshops of Amati, Stradivari, and Guarneri del Gesù produced instruments during the 17th and 18th centuries that remain the most prized violins in existence—Stradivari violins regularly sell for millions of dollars. The violin's supremacy in Western art music is unmatched by any other instrument, and it has also become essential to countless folk traditions worldwide, from Irish fiddle to Indian Carnatic music to American bluegrass. ## Construction The violin consists of a carved spruce top (belly) and a carved maple back, connected by maple ribs (sides) bent to shape. Internal structures include the bass bar (a spruce strip glued under the top on the bass side) and the sound post (a spruce dowel wedged between top and back on the treble side). The neck is maple, with an ebony fingerboard, and terminates in a scroll. The bridge is a thin, precisely carved piece of maple that transmits string vibration to the top. Four gut-core, synthetic-core, or steel strings are tuned G-D-A-E. The total body length is approximately 14 inches, with an overall length of about 23.5 inches. The instrument is held under the chin and played with a horse…