The Violin Family
The violin, viola, double bass (contrabass) and cello (violcello) are the (modern) members of the “violin” family of instruments. They are all characterised as being stringed instruments (or “chordophones” that also include guitars and harps) also played with a bow.
The Players
Someone who plays a violin is called a “violinist” such as Itzhac Perlman, while a viola player is a “violist”, such as William Primrose, and a cello player is a “cellist” such as Yo Yo Ma. A double bass player is a “double bassist” such as Edgar Meyer.
Origins of the Family
The Violin family was developed in the sixteenth century in Italy, and may well be descended from the Libra Da Braccio, of the Viol family.
The Viol
Viol’s are very closely related to the violin family, and are strongly suspected of being the ancestor of the whole violin family. Developed in the fifteenth century, they were most popular in the renaissance and baroque period. They are distinct from the Violin’s for having a different body shape (sloping shoulders and a flat, fretted neck), has six strings rather then four and gut strings rather than steel.
No comments:
Post a Comment