ETYM Italian violino, dim. of viola. Related to Viol.
Bowed, four-stringed musical instrument, the smallest and highest pitched (treble) of the violin family.
The strings are tuned in fifths (G3, D4, A4, and E5).
Developed gradually during the 16th century from a variety of fiddle types, the violin was perfected in Italy by a group of makers including Nicolň Amati, Antonio Stradivari, and Guarneri del Gesů working in Cremona around 1670–1710. Designed without frets and with a complex body curvature to radiate sound, its voicelike tone and extended range established a new humanistic esthetic of solo instrumental expression and, together with the viola and cello, laid the foundation of the modern orchestra.
Today's violin has not changed in form since that time, but in the late 18th century aspects of the design were modified to produce a bigger sound and greater projection for the concert hall and to allow for evolving virtuoso expression. These include a lengthened fingerboard, an angled neck, and larger-sized basebar and soundpost.
The repertoire for solo violin exceeds that for most other instruments. Composers include Vivaldi, Tartini, J S Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Paganini, Elgar, Berg, Bartók, and Carter.
The highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow; SYN. fiddle.