The article has been updated successfully.The modern violin, viola, and cello are all members of the violin family. The violin family has a long history, which can be traced back hundreds of years. Various types of 2,3 and 4 string fiddles exist in many different cultures all over the world.
During the middle ages in Europe, two types of fiddles existed. The rebec and the vielle. The rebec had a pear shaped body and neck made from a single piece of wood. Over time the instrument developed and the round sound holes became more like the f-holes we see today on modern violins. The vielle came in a variety of shapes of shapes and sizes, and had a separate neck from the body. The vielle could have between 3 to 6 strings, and was mostly used for drone style accompaniments. The vielle and the rebec continued to developed from the12th to the 15th centuries. Strings were added, improvements were made to the construction and the bridge and tailpiece were improved.
During the Renaissance period as a result of experiments to combine features of the rebec and vielle the viola da braccio appeared. It had four strings tuned in 5ths and was the immediate predecessor to the violin.
The violin emerged between 1520 and 1550 in northern Italy. Andrea Amati was the first of the great violin makers. The very first four string violin made by Amati is dated 1555. The famous school of Cremonese violin makers was established by Antonio Amati, Girolamo Amati, and his son, Nicola. The pupils of Nicola Amati were Girolamo Amati II, Andrea Guarneri , G.B. Rogeri, Francesco Ruggieri , Paolo Grancino, and Antonio Stradivari, who became the most famous of all violin makers. Stradavari was the most influential and important violin maker in that he established the model of the violin that would be used by all his successors. During his long life he produced over 1000 instruments.
In the 17th century the violin was held by resting the end pin against the chest. In the mid 18th century composers began to write more complex music that involved shifting to higher positions, resulting in the need for violinists to hold the instrument under the chin, as it is held today.In the 18th and 19th centuries the fingerboard was lengthened and the angle of the neck was increased and strengthened. This came about after composers started to make greater demands of the violin, asking performers to play in higher positions.
The modern viola was developed along the same historical lines as the violin. Luthiers would make both tenor and alto violas and were tuned like the modern viola C-G-D-A). A tenor viola made by Stradavari measures almost 18.5 inches! The tenor version of the instrument fell out of use after 1700, probably because it was simply too big. The alto viola is now called the viola. The full-size modern viola is between 15" and 17" in length.
The violoncello is the bass instrument of the violin family and developed along the same historical path as the violin and viola. The name literally means 'small violone' or 'small large viol' in Italian - cello meaning "small." From the 1550's instrument was called various names including basse de violon and bass viol de braccio. Makers experimented with several sizes and tunings and the name 'violoncello" came in use after 1665. Stradavari designed a standard cello size around 1707 which became the standard dimensions for those that followed. The instrument was held between the legs without using an end pin for support and many cellists continued to hold the instrument in the old style well into the 19th century. The use of an end pin began in the 18th century and gained popularity in the 19th. It is now standard to play with an end pin for support.
The double bass is a descent of the violone and is tuned in perfect 4ths, not 5ths. Because of the size of the instrument, the bass has been subject to considerable experimentation in size, shape, number of strings and tuning. During the 1700s and 1800s, 3 string basses were tuned in 5ths whilst the 4 string basses were tuned in 4ths. The orchestral tuning of E-A-D-G did not become common until around 1900, and experiments with tuning continue today. Some 4-string basses have what is called a C extension. A device is attached to the E string, which allow the player to play down to a low C. This allows the bassist to double all of the music written for cello, which often goes down to the C, without needing to transpose notes up an octave.
