A History of Melody Essay

The fiddle emerged from a primitive musical deflect, ordinarily an arched stick with a get let on stretched taut mingled with the two ends (Hughes, cc8). The imbibe is divided by a cringle or a bridge (Thinkquest, 1999). The premier bridge was utilise to add to the peckers rapport when the pull was vibrated, and strings were attached cross behaviors suitable receptacles (Hughes, 2008). These resonance enhancers took many forms-tortoise shells, coconut, calabash, woody boxes and even pig bladders (Thinkquest, 1999), thrust tightly between the strings and the bow (Thinkquest, 1999). as well to enhance the resonance of the bow, the prick was held beforehand the mouth (Thinkquest, 1999). The fiddle wish wellly came to europium around the 9th blow, mostly originating from Asia (Thinkquest, 1999). It took the developingary coer of the violin about 450 years to lead the violin to its present form. This only shows the ache years of experience needed by the maker s of the stringed operator (Thinkquest, 1999). The drug abuse of a bow to draw across the strings followed, in whole likelihood imported into Europe from Asia by Arab travellers (Hughes, 2008).The evolution of the violin was slow. It took until the middle Ages for a pas seul of the zither, a beginular and older instrumental role, to uprise into the vielle, which saw the instrument being held against the shoulder. This place it from the zither, as the latter was held across the knees (Hughes, 2008). As time went on, the original one string grew to four, and for a time, five strings (Hughes, 2008). modernistic until the 16th century, the vielle was changed with the small wooden ribs used in similar wooden pick off instruments replaced by the tailpiece and bridge (Hughes, 2008).fiddle 2 By the time of the Renaissance, the viol (a bowleg stringed instrument chiefly of the 16th and seventeenth centuries make in treble, alto, tenor, and bass sizes and distinguished from con stituents of the violin family especially in having a ambiguous body, a flat back, sloping shoulders, ordinarily six strings, a fretted fingerboard, and a low-arched bridge (Merriam-Webster, 2008), was being used, the first having a hole adding resonance and tone to the instrument (Hughes, 2008).It was a short time that the viol evolved into the genus Viola da gamba (a bass member of the viol family having a range approximating the cello (Merriam-Webster, 2008), which was dawdleed between the knees of the musician, and the viola de braccio held against the shoulder. The modern shape of the violin was evolved from the second version of the instrument (Hughes, 2008). The violin evolved form many different instruments, including the Rebob, the Rebec, lira da Braccio and the Renaissance fiddle. The violin now, the crude violin was not used until 1630 in Italy (Berkeley, 2008).The evolution of the modern violin appears to go been completed in Italy with the most live onn violin maker Andrea Amati at Cremona, providing 24 violins, six violas and eight cellos for the French world power Charles IX in 1560 (Hughes, 2008). Another historied violin maker, Antonio Stradivarius, joined the Amati check in the latter half of the 6th century (Hughes, 2008). The violins re attractivery As stated earlier in the paper, that apart from the Arab travellers influence had an on the violin, there is no certain fact on who invented the violin or a stringed instrument that is played with a bow (Hughes, 2008). any(prenominal) of the theories place the invention of the violin at around 1520 A. D. wherein the violin is included in the Gaudenzio Ferrari painting The Madonna of the Orange Trees (cited in Berkeley, 2008). violin 3 solely the violin emerged in Italy in the earlier 1500s and seems to begin actual from two medieval bowed instruments-the fiddle, in like manner called the viele or fiedel, and the rebec-and from the Renaissance lira de braccio (a violin-like instr ument with off the finger garget strings (Rosenblum, 2007). Also related to the violin, hardly not direct ancestors, is the six-string fretted viol.The viol appe atomic number 18d in Europe before the violin and existed with it cheek by side for about 200 hundred years (Rosenblum, 2007). In the early 1600s, however, the violin gained prestige through its use in operas such(prenominal) as Orfeo(1607) by Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi, and through the French queen Louis XIII band of musicians, the 24 violons de roi (the major powers 24 violins, formed in 1626). This growth in stature go on throughout the Baroque period (1600-1750) in the works of many notable composer- bring to passers.Among them were the Italians Ar tingelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi and Giuseppe Tartini and the Germanys Heinrich Biber, Georg Philipp Teleman and Johann Sebastian Bach (Rosenblum, 2007). The Craftsmen The earliest important violin makers were from Northern Italy, Gasparo da Salo (1540-1609) and Giovanni Maggini (1579-1630) from Brescia and Andrea Amati (1525-1611) from Cremona. The craft of violin ma poove reached its height in the 17th and 18th centuries in the workshops of the Italians Antonio Stradivarius (1644-1737) and Giuseppe Guarneri (1698-1744) from Cremona and the Austrian Jacob Stainer (1617-1638) (Rosenblum, 2007).Violin 4 Gasparo da Salo (1542-1609) The founder of the Brescian school of violin makers, Gasparo Bertlotti, or Gasparo da Salo, was a dedicated craftsman and instrument maker. He was formerly credited with the claim of having developed the violin in the shape we know today. Although his claims bring forth been disproved, his instruments are nevertheless look up to and venerated (Smithsonian, 2008). Gasparos violas are considered finer than his violins and probably were more numerous (Smithsonian, 2008).His viola da gambas were converted to violincellos and are a lot esteemed, and virtually of his six-stringed bass viols draw been remounted as threesome and four stringed double basses. Twenty instruments have been recorded (Smithsonian, 2008). Giovanni Paolo Maggini (1579-1630) An apprentice of Gasparo da Salo, he acquired a thorough knowledge of the timberland available to him (Smithsonian, 2008). Maggini do his own place and as a master, his own techniques of craftsmanship. He frequently experimented to improve tone grapheme for his pieces and perfect his construction methods (Smithsonian, 2008).Many of the instruments made by Maggini at the twilight of his line of achievement are considered his finest work. These works are know for the feel of the woods and unusually enlarged undecomposed holes as well as for their unusually mellow tones (Smithsonian, 2008). Andrea Amati (1525-1611) The founder of the outstanding Cremona school of violin making, Amati focused on violins and was making viols and rebecs. Instruments dated after 1584 are said to be the works of his sons Antonio and Hieronymus (Smithsonian, 2008). Violin 5It is claimed that he made 24 violins, 6 violas and 8 cellos for the French king Charles IX for use at the approach at Versailles (Smithsonian, 2008). A few of these instruments know to this day (Smithsonian, 2008). Antonio Stradivarius (1644-1734) Stradivarius interpretation of geometry and design served as a conceptual model for violin makers for more than 200 years (Smithsonian, 2008). Stradivarius also made harps, guitars, violas and cellos- more than 1,100 instruments by sure estimate (Smithsonian, 2008).About 650 of these instruments survive today (Smithsonian, 2008). Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri (1698-1744) Guarneri is considered the most illustrious member of this violin making family. The fifth and last member of the family, he is known more as Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu. Guarnerius is the Latin form of the family name and Joseph the Hebraic form of Giuseppe (Smithsonian, 2008). The estimate of his total take is not more than 250 violins no essay suggests that he made more (Smithsonian, 2008). But at least one cello and some violas are attri entirelyed to him.The outline of his violins, with fragile modifications, is founded on instruments of Stradivarius (Smithsonian, 2008). Stradivarius and Guarnerius are ranked as among the greatest violin makers, but fine violinists prefer Guarnerius over Stradivarius (Smithsonian, 2008). Whatever the archives or whoever the maker of the violin, we all moldiness appreciate the efforts of these individuals who in one way or another contributed to the making of the violin. altogether these men have given much by way of continuously honing the instrument as it is known and have sexed today by scores of people.Violin 6 personal Reflection The violin represents probably on of the more versatile, elegant and mysterious of the instruments that we have today. The seeming smallness of the instrument fairly does not tell of the long and conscientious process that went into its refinement and development. The reason that I centred the paper on this instrument is sound for those following reasons. The instrument for me seems to just now drift its notes and sounds over the listeners ears at just the rectify moments.They are, I believe, different from the wind pieces such as the trumpet and the saxophone. These pieces produce these sibilant notes that sometimes tend to be techy if you are not an admirer for the winning of music. But the violin just seems to play its notes in a mellow and flat sound. It sometimes will want to simmer down to sleep at times. Im a fan of the violin. For me, there is just no instrument just like it in sound and depth and quality of sound. Yes, there are many pieces out there that seem to sound alike, but cant seem to pay heed the position of the violin.I cant imagine an orchestra without a violin in the strings section. It would be incomplete without it. The sound would be really different than the violins in it. And the violin can cross over to d ifferent genres of music, from classical to country to pop to jazz and to others, without a tad of difficulty. Thats another thing I like about this instrument, its very versatile. It can just blend in with the conglomerate styles of music that you put it with and it will perform handsomely, a trait not all instruments can boast of.What we can do now is just relax at every playing of the violin, just to enjoy the elegant sound of the instrument as the musician begins to play and begins to once again weave its magic over its listeners. characterBerkeley. (2008). The origins and history of the violin. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Berkeley website. http//www-atdp. berkeley. edu/2030/jmoriuchi/violin-title. html Hughes, A. (2008). Where did the violin resurrect? Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Answer Bank database http//www. theanswerbank. co. uk/Article1910. html Merriam-Webster. (2008). Viola.Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Merriam-Webster website http//www. merriam-webster . com/ dictionary/viol Rosenblum, M. (2007). Violin. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Microsoft Encarta encyclopaedia database. http//encarta. msn. com/encyclopedia_761576364/Violin. html Smithsonian Institution. (2008). Violin makers. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from cyclopaedia Smithsonian website. http//www. si. edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/violdasa. htm ThinkQuest. (1999). The violin. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Oracle Education Foundation database. http//library. thinkquest. org/27178/en/section/1/index. html