The modern violin is made of wood and is hollow. It is carefully varnished to preserve the tone. The violin contains four strings with pegs that loosen or tighten the strings and change the pitch of the sound. Originally, the strings were made from catgut, but today many have silver wires scrolled around the gut or are made entirely out of steel strands. The bow consists of about 150 horse's hairs. As the bow goes back and forth, vibrations cause the strings to emit sounds.
The original violins probably go back to the rebab--a stringed instrument used by Arabs as early as the eighth century--as well as similar stringed instruments, such as the lira, from Asia. It was not until the 1500s to 1600s that violin production became an art and more similar to what is used today. During this period, Amati, Guarneri and Stradivarius--who all lived in Northern Italy--were some of the most well-known violin craftsmen.
With the Industrial Revolution, violins began to be produced in assembly lines and factories became a form of violin production. Shortly after, France became a center of violin making.
Until World War II, American violin construction was mainly in the form of restoration at repair shops. Now most of the violins are made in factories.Today, China is a popular source of violin production.
The violin is used in a variety of different applications and music styles. It is one of the major instruments in any orchestra and is also a common instrument for soloists. Chamber music consisting of a violin, cello and viola demonstrates the ability of these instruments to be played together harmoniously. The violin is used in the rebirth of Klezmer music, which stems from Eastern European street musicians. Folk, jazz and country music all use the violin in their works as well.
Various composers wrote famous concertos for the violin, including Bach, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn and Mozart.
Fritz Kreisler, born in 1875, gave his first concert at age 8 at the Vienna Conservatory. He performed for 61 years.
Jascha Heifetz gave his first concert at age 7. For many years, he was considered the leading violinist in the world.
Yehudi Menuhin was a child prodigy who excelled at playing Beethoven at an early age. In World War II, he performed for the soldiers at the USO.
Isaac Stern conducted a master class in China for young violinists. He was honored by the White House at the Kennedy Center in 1984.
Itzhak Perlman studied in Juilliard and, despite his affliction with polio, reached worldwide acclaim. His first major appearance was in 1958 on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
Joshua Bell is today considered a virtuoso violinist.