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A History of Melody EssayThe fiddle emerged from a primitive musical bow, commonly an arched stick with a string stretched taut between the two ends (Hughes, 2008). The string is divided by a loop or a bridge (Thinkquest, 1999). The first bridge was apply to add to the peckers sonority when the string was vibrated, and strings were attached across suitable receptacles (Hughes, 2008). These resonance enhancers took many an(prenominal) forms-tortoise shells, coconut, calabash, wooden boxes and even bulls eye bladders (Thinkquest, 1999), thrust tightly between the strings and the bow (Thinkquest, 1999). Also to enhance the resonance of the bow, the pecker was held forward the mouth (Thinkquest, 1999). The fiddle probably came to atomic number 63 around the 9th ampere-second, mostly originating from Asia (Thinkquest, 1999). It took the evolutionary process of the violin about 450 long time to bring the violin to its present form. This only shows the long years of experienc e needed by the makers of the stringed instrument (Thinkquest, 1999). The use of a bow to draw across the strings followed, probably 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 version of the zither, a popular and older instrument, to formulate into the vielle, which saw the instrument being held against the shoulder. This differentiated it from the zither, as the latter was held across the knees (Hughes, 2008). As beat went on, the maestro one string grew to four, and for a time, five strings (Hughes, 2008). Fashionable until the 16th century, the vielle was changed with the small wooden ribs used in similar wooden plucked instruments replaced by the tailpiece and bridge (Hughes, 2008). violin 2 By the time of the Renaissance, the viol (a bowed stringed instrument chiefly of the 16th and 17th centuries make in treble, alto, tenor, and bass sizes and distinguished from extremitys of th e violin family especially in having a deep body, a flat back, sloping shoulders, usually 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 viola da gamba (a bass member of the viol family having a range approximating the cello (Merriam-Webster, 2008), which was blowouted 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 today, the new violin was not used until 1630 in Italy (Berkeley, 2008).The evolution of the modern violin appears to live with been completed in Italy with the most notable violin maker Andrea Amati at Cremon a, providing 24 violins, six violas and eight cellos for the French King Charles IX in 1560 (Hughes, 2008). Another famous violin maker, Antonio Stradivarius, joined the Amati school in the latter half of the 6th century (Hughes, 2008). The violins refinery As stated earlier in the paper, that apart from the Arab travellers influence had an on the violin, there is no accepted fact on who invented the violin or a stringed instrument that is played with a bow (Hughes, 2008). near 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 bloody shame of the Orange Trees (cited in Berkeley, 2008). Violin 3 and the violin emerged in Italy in the early 1500s and seems to take in developed from two medieval bowed instruments-the fiddle, also called the viele or fiedel, and the rebec-and from the Renaissance lira de braccio (a violin-like instrument with forth the finger drone strings (Rosenblum, 2007). Al so related to the violin, still not direct ancestors, is the six-string fretted viol.The viol appe bed in Europe before the violin and existed with it side by side for about 200 hundred years (Rosenblum, 2007). In the early 1600s, however, the violin gained prestige through its use in operas such as Orfeo(1607) by Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi, and through the French King Louis XIII band of musicians, the 24 violons de roi (the Kings 24 violins, formed in 1626). This growth in stature continued throughout the Baroque period (1600-1750) in the kit and boodle of many notable composer-performers.Among them were the Italians Ar tidy sumgelo 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 fashioning 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 move over of the Brescian school of violin makers, Gasparo Bertlotti, or Gasparo da Salo, was a dedicated craftsman and instrument maker. He was in one case credited with the claim of having developed the violin in the shape we know today. Although his claims have been disproved, his instruments argon as yet admired 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 much esteemed, and some of his six-stringed bass viols have been remounted as three and four stringed double basses. Twenty instruments have been recorded (Smithsonian, 2008). Giovann i Paolo Maggini (1579-1630) An apprentice of Gasparo da Salo, he acquired a thorough knowledge of the woods available to him (Smithsonian, 2008). Maggini made his own mark and as a master, his own techniques of craftsmanship. He frequently experimented to improve tone role for his pieces and perfect his construction methods (Smithsonian, 2008).Many of the instruments made by Maggini at the twilight of his career are considered his finest work. These works are known for the quality of the woods and unusually large impenetrable holes as well as for their unusually mellow tones (Smithsonian, 2008). Andrea Amati (1525-1611) The founder of the great Cremona school of violin making, Amati focused on violins and was making viols and rebecs. Instruments date 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 court at Versailles (Smiths onian, 2008). A few of these instruments survive 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 current enter (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 Hebrew form of Giuseppe (Smithsonian, 2008). The estimate of his total production is not more than 250 violins no evidence suggests that he made more (Smithsonian, 2008). But at least one violoncello and some violas are attributed to him.The outline of his violins, with sli ght 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 muniment or whoever the maker of the violin, we all must appreciate the efforts of these individuals who in one way or other contributed to the making of the violin. All these men have given much by way of continuously honing the instrument as it is known and esteemed 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 slightly does not tell of the long and painstaking process that went into its refinement and development. The reason that I centred the paper on this instrument is just for those following reasons. The instrument for me seems to just waft its notes and sounds ov er the listeners ears at just the function moments.They are, I believe, different from the wind pieces such as the trumpet and the saxophone. These pieces produce these shrill notes that sometimes function to be irritable if you are not an admirer for the kind of music. But the violin just seems to play its notes in a mellow and smooth sound. It sometimes will want to lull 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 touch 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 different genres of music, from classical to country to pop to jazz and to others, without a tad of difficulty. Thats another(prenominal) thing I like about this instrument, it s very versatile. It can just blend in with the sundry(a) styles of music that you put it with and it will perform handsomely, a trait not all instruments can self-praise 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 delusion over its listeners.ReferenceBerkeley. (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 originate? 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/ lexicon/viol Rosenblum, M. (2007). Violin. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Microsoft Encarta encyclopaedia database. http//encarta. msn. com/encyclo pedia_761576364/Violin. html Smithsonian Institution. (2008). Violin makers. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Encyclopaedia 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