The Violin

A violin is a stringed instrument that is played with a bow. The modern four-string violin originated in 1550 in northern Italy. It incorporated features of other instruments including; the rebec, the Renaissance fiddle, and the lira da braccio. It is unknown who thought of the idea of stringed instruments, but prior to the violin, there were other stringed instruments like the lyra and the rebec. It is thought that the first four-stringed violin was built by Andrea Amati.

The violin was used for vocal and dance accompaniment. The violin became very popular. The King of France at the time, Charles IX, had AndreamAmati build him 24 violins. The oldest surviving violin is one of these 24 violins and is called the Charles IX. Although the viola da gamba was the preferred bowed string instrument, composers started to incorporate violins into ensembles more, replacing the viola da gamba. Violins have gone through many changes to their design. The first violins had a shorter and thicker neck. The bridge was also flatter and the finger board was shorter. Changes were made to give the instrument a higher pitch and a louder volume. The purpose of the violin has always been the same; to entertain people with music.

https://www.ducksters.com/musicforkids/violin_history.php

https://www.dkfindout.com/us/music-art-and-literature/musical-instruments/violin/

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/renv/hd_renv.htm