Where is the violin. Stringed bowed instruments: description of the group

An essential part of the modern symphony orchestra. Perhaps no other instrument has such a combination of beauty, expressiveness of sound and technical mobility.

In the orchestra, the violin performs various and multifaceted functions. Very often, due to their exceptional melodiousness, violins are used for melodic "singing", for leading the main musical thought. The magnificent melodic possibilities of violins have long been discovered by composers, and have firmly established themselves in this role already among the classics of the 18th century.

Names of the violin in other languages:

• violino(Italian);
• violon(French);
• violine or Geige(German);
• violin or fiddle(English).

The most famous violin makers include such personalities as Antonio Stradivari, Niccolo Amati And Giuseppe Guarneri.

Origin, history of the violin

It has folk origin. The progenitors of the violin were Arabic, Spanish fidel, german company, the merger of which formed .

The forms of the violin were established by the 16th century. By this age and early XVII centuries are well-known manufacturers of violins - the Amati family. 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 the violin are: "Romanesca per violino solo e basso" by Marini from Brescia (1620) and "Capriccio stravagante" by his contemporary Farin. Founder artistic game the violin is considered A. Corelli; then follow Torelli, Tartini, Pietro Locatelli (1693-1764), a student of Corelli, who developed the bravura violin playing technique.

The violin acquired its modern form in the 16th century, and became widespread in the 17th century.

violin device

The violin has four strings tuned in fifths: g, d, a, e (salt of a small octave, re, la of the first octave, mi of the second octave).

violin range from g (salt of a small octave) to a (a of the fourth octave) and higher.

Violin timbre thick in the low register, soft in the middle and shiny in the high.

violin body has an oval shape with rounded notches on the sides, forming a "waist". The roundness of the outer contours and the "waist" lines ensures the convenience of playing, in particular in high registers.

Top and bottom decks connected to each other by shells. The bottom deck is made from maple and the top deck is made from Tyrolean spruce. They both have a convex shape, forming "vaults". The geometry of the arches, as well as their thickness, to one degree or another determine the strength and timbre of the sound.

Another important factor influencing the timbre of a violin is the height of the shells.

Two resonator holes are made in the upper deck - efs (in shape they resemble latin letter f).

In the middle of the upper soundboard there is a stand through which the strings, fixed on the tailpiece, pass. tailpiece is a strip of ebony, expanding towards the fastening of the strings. Its opposite end is narrow, with a thick vein string in the form of a loop, it is connected to a button located on the shell. Stand also affects the timbre of the instrument. It has been experimentally established that even a small shift of the stand leads to a significant change in timbre (when shifting down, the sound is muffled, while moving up, it is more piercing).

Inside the body of the violin, between the upper and lower decks, a round pin made of resonant spruce is inserted - darling (from the word "soul"). This part transmits vibrations from the top deck to the bottom, providing resonance.

Violin fretboard- a long plate of ebony or plastic. The lower part of the neck is attached to a rounded and polished bar, the so-called neck. Also, the strength and timbre of the sound of bowed instruments is greatly influenced by the material from which they are made, and the composition of the varnish.

Violin playing technique

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

Pressing the finger against the fretboard shortens the string, thereby raising the pitch of the string. Strings that are not pressed by a finger are called open strings and are denoted by zero.

violin part spelled in treble clef.

violin range- from salt of a small octave to up to the fourth octave. Higher sounds are difficult.

From the semi-pressure, the strings in certain places are obtained harmonics. Some harmonic sounds go beyond the violin range indicated above.

The application of the fingers of the left hand is called fingering. 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. 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 - from the sixth to the twelfth.

Ways of conducting a bow have a great influence on the character, strength, timbre of sound, and indeed on phrasing.

On a violin, you can normally play two notes simultaneously on adjacent strings ( double strings), in exceptional cases - three (strong bow pressure is required), and not simultaneously, but very quickly - three ( triple strings) and four. Such combinations, mostly harmonic, are easier to perform with empty strings and more difficult without them, and are usually used in solo works.

Very common orchestral technique tremolo- fast alternation of two sounds or repetition of the same sound, creating the effect of trembling, trembling, flickering.

Reception if it's lazy(col legno), meaning the blow of the bow shaft on the string, causes a knocking, dead sound, which is also used with great success by composers in symphonic music.

In addition to playing with a bow, they use touching the strings with one of the fingers of the right hand - pizzicato(pizzicato).

To attenuate or muffle the sound, use mute- a metal, rubber, rubber, bone or wooden plate with recesses in the lower part for strings, which is attached to the top of the stand or filly.

The violin is easier to play in those keys that allow the greatest use of empty strings. The most convenient passages are those that are composed of scales or their parts, as well as arpeggios of natural keys.

It is difficult to become a violinist in adulthood (but possible!), since for these musicians the sensitivity of the fingers is very important and muscle memory. The sensitivity of the fingers of an adult is much less than that of a young person, and muscle memory takes longer to develop. It is best to learn to play the violin from the age of five, six, seven, perhaps even from an earlier age.

Famous violinists

• Arcangelo Corelli
• Antonio Vivaldi
• Giuseppe Tartini
• Jean-Marie Leclerc
• Giovanni Batista Viotti
• Ivan Evstafievich Khandoshkin
• Niccolo Paganini
• Ludwig Spohr
• Charles-Auguste Bériot
• Henri Vietain
• Alexey Fedorovich Lvov
• Henryk Wieniawski
• Pablo Sarasate
• Ferdinand Laub
• Joseph Joachim
• Leopold Auer
• Eugene Ysaye
• Fritz Kreisler
• Jacques Thibault
• Oleg Kagan
• George Enescu
• Miron Polyakin
• Mikhail Erdenko
• Jascha Heifetz
• David Oistrakh
• Yehudi Menuhin
• Leonid Kogan
• Henryk Schering
• Julian Sitkovetsky
• Mikhail Vayman
• Victor Tretyakov
• Gidon Kremer
• Maxim Vengerov
• Janos Bihari
• Andrew Manze
• Pinchas Zuckerman
• Itzhak Perlman

Video: Violin on video + sound

Thanks to these videos, you can get acquainted with the instrument, watch the real game on it, listen to its sound, feel the specifics of the technique:

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Violin- bowed string musical instrument high register. Has a folk origin modern look acquired in the 16th century, became widespread in the 17th century. It has four strings tuned in fifths: g, d1, a1, e² (salt of a small octave, re, la of the first octave, mi of the second octave), range from g (salt of a small octave) to a4 (la of the fourth octave) and higher. The timbre of the violin is thick in the low register, soft in the middle and brilliant in the high.

Origin and history.

The ancestors of the violin were Arabic rebab, Spanish fidel, British mole, the merger of which formed the viola. Violin forms were established by the 16th century; famous manufacturers of violins - the Amati family - belong 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 the violin are: "Romanesca per violino solo e basso" by Marini from Brescia (1620) and "Capriccio stravagante" by his contemporary Farin. Arcangelo Corelli is considered the founder of artistic violin playing; then follow Torelli, Tartini, Pietro Locatelli (1693-1764), a student of Corelli, who developed the bravura violin playing technique.

Violin structure.

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

Frame.

The body of the violin has an oval shape with rounded notches on the sides, forming a "waist". The roundness of the outer contours and the "waist" lines ensures the convenience of playing, in particular in high registers. The lower and upper planes 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 inserted inside the body, which communicates the vibrations of the cover to the bottom. Without this small detail, 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 the composition of the varnish. When impregnating a violin with varnish, it changes the density of the original wood. The degree of impregnation effect on the sound of the violin is unknown, as it depends mainly on the structure and characteristics of the wood itself. After drying, the varnish protects the violin from significant changes in the density of the wood under the influence of environment. The varnish paints the violin with a transparent color from light golden to dark red or brown.

bottom deck or "bottom" the body is made of maple, from two symmetrical halves.

Top deck or "lid" made from spruce. Has two resonator holes - efas(in shape they resemble the Latin letter f). In the middle of the upper soundboard there is a stand, above which the strings, fixed on the string holder (under the fretboard), pass.

shells connect the lower and upper deck, forming the side surface of the violin. Their height determines the volume and height of the violin, fundamentally affecting the timbre of the sound: the higher the shells, the more muffled and softer the sound, the lower, the more piercing the sound of the violin. The shells are made, like the bottom, from maple.

Dushka- a round spruce strut that transmits the soundboard vibrations to the bottom. Its ideal location is found experimentally, for which the master sometimes spends many hours of work.

vulture, or tailpiece, serves to fasten the strings. Made from hardwood ebony or mahogany (usually ebony or rosewood, respectively). On the one hand, the neck has a loop, on the other - four holes with slots for attaching strings. The fastening principle is simple: the end of the string with a button is threaded into a round hole, after which, by pulling the string towards the neck, it is pressed into the slot.

A loop- a loop of thick intestinal string or plastic. A plastic loop is preferred as it has a loop length adjuster. 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.

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

Stand affects the tone of the instrument. It has been experimentally established that even a slight shift of the bridge leads to a significant change in timbre (when shifted to the fretboard, the sound is muffled, from it it is more piercing). The stand lifts the strings above the top deck at different distances for playing on each of them with a bow, distributes them at a greater distance from each other on a plane than the nut. The recesses for the strings in the stand are rubbed with graphite grease, which uses oil to soften the wood.

Vulture.

Violin fretboard- a long bar of solid hardwood (black ebony or rosewood). Over time, the surface of the neck either wears out or becomes uneven. The lower part of the neck is glued to the neck, which passes into the head, consisting of a peg box and a curl.

Nut- an ebony plate located between the neck and the head, with slots for the strings. The recesses in the nut are rubbed with graphite grease or graphite ( graphite pencil) to reduce friction on the strings and prolong their life. Holes in the nut space the strings evenly apart.

Neck- a semicircular detail that the performer covers with his hand during the game. A neck and a nut are attached to the top of the neck.

peg box- part of the neck, in which a slot is made frontally, two pairs of pegs are inserted on both sides, with the help of which the strings are tuned. The pegs are conical wedges. The wedge is inserted into the conical hole in the peg box. They must fit each other, not be pressed into the box without rotation, be inserted completely into the box - 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 peg box, and must necessarily enter the conical hole. The tuning pegs are usually made of ebony and are often decorated with mother-of-pearl or metal (silver, gold) inlays.

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 masters replaced the curl with a sculpture - a carved lion's head, for example, as did Giovanni Paolo Magini (1580-1632). Masters of the XIX century, lengthening the fretboard of ancient violins, sought to preserve the head and curl as a privileged "birth certificate"

Strings.

strings pass from the neck through the bridge, over the surface of the neck and through the nut to the pegs, on which they are wound in the head.

The violin has four strings:

first("fifth") - upper, tuned to mi second octave. The metal solid string "mi" has a sonorous, brilliant timbre.

second- tuned to for the first octave s. Veined (intestinal or from a special alloy) solid "A" has a soft, matte timbre.

third- tuned to re first octave. The vein (intestinal or artificial fiber) "re", entwined with aluminum thread, has a soft, matte timbre.

fourth("bass") - lower, tuned to small octave salt. Vein (intestinal or artificial fiber) "salt", entwined with a silver thread, harsh and thick timbre.

Accessories and supplies.

Bow- A wooden cane, passing into the head on one side, a block is attached on the other. A ponytail hair (artificial or natural) is stretched between the head and the block. Horse hair, especially thick, has large scales, between which there is a rubbing rosin, which favorably affects the sound.

Chinrest. Designed for the convenience of the musician. Lateral, middle and their intermediate arrangement is selected from the violinist's ergonomic preferences.

Bridge. It is also intended for the convenience of the musician's playing. Attaches to the back of the violin and is designed to be mounted on the musician's shoulder. It consists of a stand (straight or curved, hard or sheathed with a soft cloth, wooden, metal or carbon fiber), and fasteners on each side. The metal structure often hides the necessary electronics, such as a microphone amplifier. The main brands of modern bridges are WOLF, KUN, etc.

Sound pickup devices. Required in order to convert the sound vibrations of the violin into electrical impulses (for recording or for amplifying the sound of the violin using special devices).

If on a violin the sound from pickup devices that perform an additional function (sound amplification or other) is insignificant in relation to the sound created by structural elements (body, darling, etc.), then the violin is acoustic .

If both make an important contribution to the formation of sound, then this is - semi-acoustic violin.

If the design elements do not have a large effect on the sound, then this electric violin .

case(or case) for violin and bow, as well as all kinds of accessories.

Mute is a small wooden or rubber "comb" with two or three "teeth". It is worn on top of the stand and reduces its vibration, making the sound muffled and very soft. The mute is usually used when performing pieces of an intimate, lyrical nature. Most often, the mute is used in orchestral and ensemble music.

"Jammer"- This is a 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 holes, and a hook that serves to fasten the string, located on the other side. The machine allows finer tuning, which is most critical for mono-metal strings, which have little stretch. For each size of the violin, a certain size of the machine is intended, there are also universal ones. They are usually black, gold-plated, nickel-plated or chrome-plated, as well as a combination of them. Models are available specifically for gut strings, for the E string. You can also learn and play the instrument without typewriters: in this case, the string is inserted directly into the neck hole. It is possible to install machines not on all strings to lighten the weight of the neck. Usually in this case, the machine is placed on the first string.

Record.

The violin part is written in the treble clef. The standard violin range is from the salt of a 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 placement.

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

By pressing with a finger, the length of the oscillating region of the string decreases, due to which the frequency increases, that is, a higher sound is obtained. Strings that are not pressed with a finger are called open strings and are indicated by zero when indicating 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 application of the fingers of the left hand is called fingering (from the word applique). The index finger of the hand is called the first, the middle - the second, the ring - the third, the little finger - the fourth. A position is a fingering of four adjacent fingers spaced one tone or semitone apart. 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:

Old("German") way in 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.

Newest("Russian") method, in which the index finger touches the cane from 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.

Holding the bow has a great influence on the character, strength, timbre of the sound, and in general on phrasing. On a violin, you can normally take two notes simultaneously on adjacent strings (double notes), in exceptional cases - three (strong bow pressure is required), and not simultaneously, but very quickly - three (triple notes) and four. Such combinations, mostly harmonic, are easier to perform on open strings, and are usually used in solo works.

Left hand position.

"Open Strings"- the fingers of the left hand do not clamp the strings, that is, the violin extracts four notes separated by fifths: g, d1, a1, e² (salt of a small octave, re, la of the first octave, mi of the second octave).

The first position - the fingers of the left hand, except for the thumb, can clamp the string in four places, separated from each other and from the open string by a diatonic tone. Together with open strings, they form a 20-ton range of sounds from the note Sol of a small octave to C of the second octave.

First position.

The thumb is directed at the player, forming a “shelf” on which the violin neck lies - it performs only a supporting function. The other fingers of the left hand are located on top, pressing the strings without holding the neck. Left hand has a total of seventeen "basic" positions, which are based on the following:

The fingers are located in the position corresponding to the white keys of the piano;

The fingers do not move along the neck;

The distance between adjacent fingers of the same string is a tone or a semitone;

The distance between the fifth and second (extreme working) fingers of the next string is one tone.

Basic tricks:

Detache- each note is extracted by a separate movement of the bow, by changing its direction;

Martele- a stroke performed by a push of the bow, in which the length of the sound itself is much shorter than the decay period of the sonority;

Staccato down and up with a bow - movement of the bow with a stop;

Staccato volant- a kind of staccato. When playing, the bow jumps, breaking away from the strings;

Spiccato- rebound stroke, very light staccato;

Ricochet-saltato- a stroke performed by hitting the hair of a raised bow on a string, as a rule, is performed by a continuous group;

Tremolo- multiple rapid repetition of one sound or rapid alternation of two non-adjacent sounds, two consonances (intervals, chords), a single sound and consonance.

Legato- connected performance of sounds, in which there is a smooth transition from one sound to another, there is no pause between sounds.

Col legno- blow with the shaft of the bow on the string. Causes a knocking, dead sound, which is also used with great success by composers in symphonic music.

In addition to playing with a bow, they use touching the strings with one of the fingers of the right hand ( pizzicato). There is also pizzicato with the left hand, which is used mainly in solo literature.

There is also a special way to separate the overtone from the composition of the timbre of a sounding string - a harmonic. It is performed by partially pressing the string at the point of dividing its length by 2 (the pitch of the string rises by an octave), by 4 (two octaves), etc.

famous performers.

17th century

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) - Italian violinist and composer, considered the creator of artistic violin playing.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) - Venetian composer, violinist, teacher, conductor. One of the most famous works- a cycle of 4 violin concertos "Seasons".

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) 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 (1747-1804) - 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 of Russian society.

Giovanni Battista Viotti (1753-1824) - famous Italian violinist of the generation that preceded Niccolò Paganini. Apart from ten piano concertos, all of Viotti's works are written for string instruments, the most important of which are 29 violin concertos.

19th century

Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) - 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 (1820-1881) - Belgian violinist and composer, one of the founders of the national violin school. Vieuxtan is the author of numerous works for violin, which are still very popular: seven concertos with an orchestra, a number of fantasies, variations, concert etudes, etc.

Leopold Auer (1845-1930) - Hungarian, Russian violinist teacher, conductor and composer. He is the founder of the so-called Russian violin school.

Eugène Ysaye (1858-1931) - Belgian violinist, conductor and composer. He wrote 6 violin concertos, variations on a theme by Paganini and others.

20th century

Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) Jewish American violinist. Considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century.

David Oistrakh (1908-1974) - Soviet violinist, violist, conductor and teacher, professor at the Moscow Conservatory, National artist THE USSR.

Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) American violinist and conductor. He also left a mark in philately, one of the philatelic awards is named after him.

XXI Century

Vanessa May (October 27, 1978) is an internationally renowned violinist and composer. Known mainly for techno-arrangements of classical compositions. Performance style: "techno-acoustic alloy"

Famous violin works.

J. S. Bach. 3 sonatas and 3 partitas for violin solo

Classical music lovers 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!

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

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 recesses 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 and upper planes 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. An experiment is known 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.

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

The top deck is made from resonant spruce. It has two resonator holes - efs (in shape they resemble the 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 the side surface of the violin body. Their height determines the volume and timbre of the violin, fundamentally influencing the sound quality: 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 spacer made of spruce wood that mechanically connects the soundboards and transmits string tension and high-frequency vibrations to the lower soundboard. Its ideal location is found experimentally, as a rule, the end of the homie is located under the leg of the stand on the side of the E string, or next to it. Dushka 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 splines 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.

Loop made 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.

Button - a hat 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.

Musical Instrument: Violin

The violin is one of the most refined and sophisticated musical instruments, with a charming melodious timbre very similar to the human voice, but at the same time very expressive and virtuoso. It is no coincidence that the violin was given the role of " orchestra queens».

The voice of the violin is similar to a human, the verbs “sings”, “cries” are often used to it. It can bring tears of joy and sadness. The violinist plays on the strings of the soul of his listeners, acting through the strings of his powerful assistant. There is a belief that the sounds of the violin stop time and take you to another dimension.

history violins and many interesting facts read about this musical instrument on our page.

Sound

The expressive singing of the violin can convey the thoughts of the composer, the feelings of the characters operas And ballet more accurate and complete than all other instruments. Juicy, soulful, graceful and assertive at the same time, the sound of the violin is the basis of any work where at least one of this instrument is used.

The timbre of the sound is determined by the quality of the instrument, the skill of the performer and the choice of strings. Bass is distinguished by a thick, rich, slightly strict and harsh sound. The middle strings have a soft, soulful sound, as if velvety, matte. The upper register sounds bright, sunny, loud. The musical instrument and the performer have the ability to modify these sounds, add variety and an additional palette.

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Interesting Facts

• Athira Krishna from India in 2003 continuously played the violin for 32 hours as part of the Trivandrum City Festival, as a result of which he got into the Guinness Book of Records.
• Playing the violin burns about 170 calories per hour.
• Inventor of roller skates, Joseph Merlin, Belgian manufacturer of musical instruments. To present a novelty, skates with metal wheels, in 1760 he entered a costume ball in London, while playing the violin. The audience enthusiastically greeted the graceful sliding along the parquet to the accompaniment of a beautiful instrument. Inspired by success, the 25-year-old inventor began to spin faster, and at full speed crashed into an expensive mirror, smashing it to smithereens, a violin and seriously injured himself. There were no brakes on his skates then.

• In January 2007, the US decided to conduct an experiment in which one of the brightest violin music performers, Joshua Bell, took part. The virtuoso went down to the subway and, like an ordinary street musician, played the Stradivari violin for 45 minutes. Unfortunately, I had to admit that the passers-by were not particularly interested in the violinist's brilliant playing, everyone was driven by the fuss big city. Only seven out of a thousand who passed during this time paid attention to famous musician and another 20 threw money.In total, $32 was earned during this time. Usually Joshua Bell concerts are sold out with an average ticket price of $ 100.
• The largest ensemble of young violinists gathered at the stadium in Zhanghua (Taiwan) in 2011 and consisted of 4645 school students aged 7 to 15 years.
• Until 1750, violin strings were made from sheep intestines. The method was first proposed by the Italians.
• The first work for violin was created at the end of 1620 by the composer Marini. It was called "Romanesca per violino solo e basso".
• Violinists and violin makers often try to create tiny instruments. So, in the south of China in the city of Guangzhou, a mini-violin was made, only 1 cm long. The master took 7 years to complete this creation. Scot David Edwards, who played in national orchestra, made a 1.5 cm violin. Eric Meisner in 1973 created an instrument with a melodic sound 4.1 cm long.

• There are craftsmen in the world who make violins from stone, which are not inferior to wooden counterparts in sound. In Sweden, sculptor Lars Wiedenfalk, while decorating the facade of a building with diabase blocks, came up with the idea to make a violin out of this stone, because amazingly melodic sounds flew out from under the chisel and hammer. He named his stone violin "The Blackbird". The product turned out to be surprisingly jewelry - the thickness of the walls of the resonator box does not exceed 2.5 mm, the weight of the violin is 2 kg. In the Czech Republic, Jan Roerich makes marble instruments.
• When writing the famous Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci invited musicians to play the strings, including the violin. At the same time, the music was different in character and timbre. Many consider the ambiguity of the Mona Lisa smile (“the smile of either an angel or the devil”) as a consequence of the variety of musical accompaniment.
• The violin stimulates the brain. This fact has been repeatedly confirmed by well-known scientists who knew how and enjoyed playing the violin. So, for example, Einstein from the age of six masterfully played this instrument. Even famous Sherlock Holmes (composite image) always used her sounds when he was thinking about a difficult problem.

• One of the most difficult works to perform are "Caprices" Nicolo Paganini and his other compositions, concertos Brahms , Tchaikovsky , Sibelius . And also the most mystical work - “ Sonata of the Devil "(1713) G. Tartini, who himself was a virtuoso violinist,
• The most valuable in terms of money are the violins of Guarneri and Stradivari. The highest price was paid for Guarneri's violin "Vietante" in 2010. It was sold at an auction in Chicago for $18,000,000. The most expensive Stradivarius violin is considered to be "Lady Blunt", and it was sold for almost $16 million in 2011.
• Germany created the most big violin in the world. Its length is 4.2 meters, width is 1.4 meters, the length of the bow is 5.2 meters. It is played by three people. Such a unique creation was created by craftsmen from Vogtland. This musical instrument is a scale copy of Johann Georg II Schoenfelder's violin, which was made at the end of the eighteenth century.
• A violin bow is usually strung with 150-200 hairs, which can be made from horsehair or nylon.
• The price of some bows reaches tens of thousands of dollars at auctions. The most expensive bow is the work of master Francois Xavier Tourt, which is estimated at about $ 200,000.
• Vanessa May is recognized as the youngest violinist to record violin concertos by Tchaikovsky And Beethoven at the age of 13. Vanessa-Mae debuted with London Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 10 in 1989 At the age of 11, she became the youngest student at the Royal College of Music.

• Episode from the opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan » Rimsky-Korsakov "Flight of the Bumblebee" is technically difficult to perform and is played at high speed. Violinists all over the world arrange competitions for the speed of performance of this work. So in 2007, D. Garrett got into the Guinness Book of Records, performing it in 1 minute and 6.56 seconds. Since then, many performers have been trying to overtake him and get the title of "the fastest violinist in the world." Some managed to perform this work faster, but at the same time it lost a lot in the quality of performance. For example, the Discovery TV channel considers Briton Ben Lee, who performed "Flight of the Bumblebee" in 58.51 seconds, not only the fastest violinist, but also the fastest person in the world.

Popular works for violin

Camille Saint-Saens - Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (listen)

Antonio Vivaldi: "The Four Seasons" - Summer Storm (listen)

Antonio Bazzini - "Dwarf Round Dance" (listen)

P. I. Tchaikovsky - "Waltz-Scherzo" (listen)

Jules Masnet - "Meditation" (listen)

Maurice Ravel - "Gypsy" (listen)

J.S. Bach - "Chaconne" from partita in d-moll (listen)

Application and repertoire of the violin

Due to the diverse timbre, the violin is used to convey various moods and characters. In modern symphony orchestra these instruments occupy almost a third of the composition. The violins in the orchestra are divided into 2 groups: one plays the upper voice or melody, the other lower or accompanies. They are called first and second violins.

This musical instrument sounds great both in chamber ensembles and in solo performance. The violin harmonizes easily with wind instruments, piano and other strings. Of the ensembles, the most common string Quartet, which includes 2 violins, cello And alto . A huge number of works of different eras and styles have been written for the quartet.

Almost all brilliant composers did not bypass the violin with their attention, composed concertos for violin and orchestra Mozart , Vivaldi, Chaikovsky , Brahms, Dvorak , Khachaturian, Mendelssohn, saint sans , Kreisler, Venyavsky and many others. The violin was also entrusted with solo parts in concertos for several instruments. For example, at Bach is a concerto for violin, oboe and string ensemble, and Beethoven wrote a triple concerto for violin, cello, piano and orchestra.

In the 20th century, the violin began to be used in various modern directions music. The earliest references to the use of the violin as a solo instrument in jazz are documented in the early decades of the 20th century. One of the first jazz violinists was Joe Venuti, who performed with famous guitarist Eddie Lang.

The violin is assembled from more than 70 different wooden parts, but the main difficulty in manufacturing lies in the bends and processing of wood. In one instance, up to 6 different types of wood can be present, and the masters were constantly experimenting, using more and more new options - poplar, pear, acacia, walnut. best material It is considered a tree that has grown in the mountains, because of its resistance to temperature extremes and moisture. The strings are made of veins, silk or metal. Most often, the master makes:

1. Resonant spruce top.
2. Neck, back, maple curl.
3. Coniferous, alder, linden, mahogany hoops.
4. Coniferous patches.
5. Ebony neck.
6. Chinrest, pegs, button, bellows made of boxwood, ebony or rosewood.

Sometimes the master uses other types of wood or changes the options presented above at his discretion. The classical orchestral violin has 4 strings: from the "basque" (salt of a small octave) to the "fifth" (mi of the second octave). In some models, a fifth alto string may also be added.

Different schools of masters are identified by knots, hoops and a curl. The curl stands out in particular. It can be figuratively called "the painting of the author."

Of considerable importance is the varnish that covers the wooden parts. It gives the product a golden to very dark hue with a reddish or brown sheen. It depends on the lacquer how long the instrument will "live" and whether its sound will remain unchanged.

Do you know that the violin is shrouded in many legends and myths? Also in music school children are told an old legend about a Cremonese master and magician. For a long time tried to unravel the secret of the sound of instruments famous masters Italy. It is believed that the answer lies in a special coating - varnish, which was even washed off the Stradivari violin to prove it, but all in vain.

The violin is usually played with a bow, except for the pizzicato technique, which is played by plucking the string. The bow has a wooden base and horsehair tightly stretched over it, which is rubbed with rosin before playing. Usually it is 75 cm long and weighs 60 grams.

Currently, you can find several types of this instrument - a wooden (acoustic) and an electric violin, the sound of which we hear thanks to a special amplifier. One thing remains unchanged - this is a surprisingly soft, melodious and mesmerizing sound of this musical instrument with its beauty and melodiousness.

Dimensions

In addition to the standard full-size whole violin (4/4), there are smaller instruments for teaching children. The violin "grows" with the student. They begin training with the smallest violins (1/32, 1/16, 1/8), the length of which is 32-43 cm.

Dimensions of a complete violin: length - 60 cm, body length - 35.5 cm, weight about 300 - 400 grams.

Violin playing tricks

The violin vibration is famous, which penetrates the soul of the listeners with a rich wave of sound. The musician can only slightly raise and lower the sounds, bringing even greater variety and breadth of the sound palette to the musical range. The glissando technique is also known; this style of playing allows you to use the absence of frets on the fretboard.

By pinching the string not hard, touching it a little, the violinist extracts original cold, whistling sounds, reminiscent of the sound of a flute (harmonic). There are harmonics, where 2 fingers of the performer participate, placed a quart or quint from each other, they are especially difficult to perform. The highest category of skill is the performance of flageolets at a fast pace.

Violinists also use such interesting playing techniques:

• Col Legno - hitting the strings with a bow reed. This approach is used in "Dance of Death" by Saint-Saens to simulate the sound of dancing skeletons.
• Sul ponticello - playing with a bow on a stand gives an ominous, hissing sound characteristic of negative characters.
• Sul tasto - playing with a bow on the fretboard. Produces a gentle, ethereal sound.
• Ricochet - performed by throwing the bow on the string with a free rebound.

Another trick is to use a mute. This is a comb made of wood or metal that reduces the vibration of the strings. Thanks to the mute, the violin makes soft, muffled sounds. A similar technique is often used to perform lyrical, emotional moments.

On the violin, you can take double notes, chords, perform polyphonic works, but most often its many-sided voice is used for solo parts, since the huge variety of sounds and their shades is its main advantage.

The history of the creation of the violin

Until recently, it was considered to be the progenitor of the violin viola , however, it has been proven that these are two completely different instruments. Their development in the XIV-XV centuries proceeded in parallel. If the viola belonged to the aristocratic class, then the violin came from the people. Mostly it was played by peasants, itinerant artists, minstrels.

This unusually diverse sounding instrument can be called its predecessors: the Indian lyre, the Polish violinist (rebeca), the Russian violinist, the Arabic rebab, the British mole, the Kazakh kobyz, the Spanish fidel. All of these instruments could be the progenitors of the violin, since each of them served as the birth of the string family and rewarded them with their own merits.

The introduction of the violin into high society and reckoning among aristocratic instruments begins in 1560, when Charles IX ordered 24 violins from the string maker Amati for his palace musicians. One of them has survived to this day. This oldest violin in the world, she is called "Charles IX".

The creation of violins as we see them today is contested by two houses: Andrea Amati and Gasparo de Solo. Some sources claim that the palm should be given to Gasparo Bertolotti (Amati's teacher), whose musical instruments were later perfected by the Amati house. It is only known for certain that this happened in Italy in the 16th century. Their successors a little later were Guarneri and Stradivari, who slightly increased the size of the violin body and made larger holes (efs) for a more powerful sound of the instrument.

IN late XVII century, the British tried to add frets to the design of the violin and created a school for teaching how to play a similar instrument. However, due to a significant loss in sound, this idea was quickly abandoned. Violin virtuosos such as Paganini, Lolli, Tartini and most composers, especially Vivaldi, were the most ardent supporters of the free style of playing with a clean neck.

Video: listen to the violin