Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Violin |
ViolinNoun1. Bowed stringed instrument that is 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. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "violin" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1380. (references) |
Etymology: Violin \Vi`o*lin"\, noun. [Italian violino, diminutive of viola. See Viol.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Dream Interpretation | To see, or hear a violin in dreams, foretells harmony and peace in the family, and financial affairs will cause no apprehension. For a young woman to play on one in her dreams, denotes that she will be honored and receive lavish gifts. If her attempt to play is unsuccessful, she will lose favor, and aspire to things she never can possess. A broken one, indicates sad bereavement and separation. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Fine Arts | Instrument having four strings tuned at the interval of a fifth. Source: European Union. (references) |
Literature | Violin The following musicians are very celebrated: Arcangelo Corelli, noted for the melodious tones he produced (1653-1713); Pierre Gaviniés, native of Bordeaux, founder of the French school of violinists, noted for the sweetness of his tones (1722-1800); Nicolo Paganini, whose mastery over the instrument has never been equalled, especially known for his musical feats on one string (1784-1840); Gaetan Pugnani, of Turin, founder of the Italian school of violinists; his playing was "wild, noble, and sublime" (1727-1803); Giuseppe Tartini, of Padua, whose performance was plaintive but full of grace (1698-1770); G. B. Viotti, of Piedmont, whose playing was noted for grandeur and audacity, fire and excitement (1753-1824). (See Cremonas. ) The best makers of violins. Gaspar di Salo (1560-1610); Nicholas Amati, of Cremona (1596-1684); Antonio Stradivari, his pupil (1670-1728); Joseph A. Guarneri (1683-1745). Almost equal. Joseph Steiner (1620-1667); Matthias Klotz (1650-1696). (See Fiddle.). Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The violin (or fiddle when used in the context of folk music) is a stringed musical instrument comprising 4 strings, each tuned a fifth apart from each other. The lowest string is a G just below middle C, then D, A and E (in that order). Occasionally other tunings are employed (for example, tuning the G string up to A) both in classical music (where the technique is known as scordatura) and in some folk styles.
Sheet music for a violin almost always uses a G clef (or treble clef). The lowest attainable note using normal tuning is the G just below middle C.
The violin has some similarities to the earlier viol family of instruments.
A person who plays violin is called a violinist.
Positions
The highest note apparently available on a violin is the little finger pressed down on the E-string (sounding a B). However this is only the highest note in first position. A higher note can be achieved by sliding the hand up the neck of the violin and presssing the fingers down at this new position. In 1st position, the first finger on the E string gives an F or F#. Pressing the first finger on a G is called going in to second position. Third position is achieved when the first finger presses down on an A, and so on. The upper limit of the violin's range is largely determined by the skill of the player, and a good player could easily get more than 2 octaves out of each string. Violinists often change positions on the lower strings even though this seems unnecessary. This is done to produce a particular timbre or to handle a piece which would otherwise require fast switching of strings.
Double-stopping
Double stopping is playing two strings simultaneously, producing a chord. This is much harder than normal single-string playing as more than one finger has to be coordinated on to different strings simultaneously. Sometimes going in to higher positions is necessary in order for it to be physically possible for the fingers to be placed in the correct places. Double stopping is also used to mean playing on three or all four strings at once, although such practices are more properly called triple or quadruple stopping. Collectively, double, triple and quadruple stopping is called multiple stopping.The style of bow used until around the end of the 18th century, particularly in Germany, had the wood curved outwards, which made it somewhat easier to play three notes at the same time. However, most treatises written around the time make it clear that composers did not expect three notes to be played at once, even though the notes may be written in a way as to suggest this, and playing four notes at once is almost impossible even with older bows. The normal way of playing three or four note chords is to briefly sound the lower notes and allow them to ring while the bow plays the upper notes. This gives the illusion of a true triple or quadruple stop.
A twentieth century invention by Emil Telmányi called the Bach bow makes use of a system of levers to temporarily slacken the bow hair and allow sustained three or four note chords; this design has no historical precedent and is less authentic than an ordinary modern bow for playing baroque (or any other) music.
As well as the style of bow, the curvature of the bridge (over which the violin strings are stretched) is an important factor in the ease of multiple stopping. On most classical instruments, the bridge is curved enough to make it difficult to play three strings at once, but on some fiddles the bridge is shaved down until almost flat, making it far easier to triple stop, as well as to alternate double stopping on different pairs of strings (D-A to A-E for example).
Emotional devices
Vibrato is a very common device used by violinists, which causes the pitch of a note to vary up and down quickly. This is achieved by moving the finger pressing on the string slightly forwards and backwards. Vibrato is often perceived to add much emotion to a piece. A useful side effect is that it can disguise an out of tune note. There are, in fact, several different styles of vibrato ranging from the use of just the fingers, to the use of the wrist or even the whole forearm. These produce different effects and are favoured by different players for different styles of music. Some styles of music use little or no vibrato at all.Pressing the finger very lightly on the string can create harmonics. This means that instead of the normal solid tone a wispy-sounding note of a higher pitch is heard. This is caused by the light finger blocking the string's fundamental; the position of the finger determines the first note of that string's harmonic series which is allowed to sound.
The tone of the violin can also be altered by attaching a small device called a mute to the bridge of the instrument. This stops the bridge itself from vibrating so much, and causes a more mellow tone, with fewer audible harmonics above the note being played.
Another way to vary the tone of the instrument is to move the bow nearer to or further away from the bridge. Playing up close to the bridge (sul ponticello) gives a thinner, harsher sound than usual, and playing with the bow over the end of the fingerboard (sul tasto) makes for a delicate, ethereal sound.
Occasionally the strings are struck with the back of the bow (col legno). This gives a much more percussive sound, and is most effective when a whole violin section is playing that way, since it is difficult to get much volume with this technique.
A second, more modern percussive technique is called the "chop," in which the hair near the bottom of the bow is struck against the strings. It is used by some jazz musicians, including the Turtle Island String Quartet.
Maintenance
Violins are tuned by twisting the pegs present in the head of a violin. The A-string is tuned first, typically to 440 Hz (see Pitch (music)). The other strings are then tuned in comparison to it in intervals of perfect fifths using double-stopping. Some violins also have adjustors (or fine tuners). These can adjust the tension of the string and are positioned behind the bridge. These are more convenient when a not a lot of adjustment is necessary. They are also much easier to use, as the pegs in the head have the nasty habit of slipping, and need to be set in a turning and pushing method. Adjustors are recommended for younger players. Small tuning adjustments can also be made by stretching a string. Adjustors work best, and are most useful, with higher tension metal strings. It is very common to use one on the E-string even if the others are not equipped with them.Strings are usually replaced after about a year or when they break. The cost of strings can vary very widely, and the quality of strings can have a big impact on the timbre of the sound produced. Strings made of gut, which are often used in historically accurate performances of music from the 18th century and earlier, have a tendency to go out of tune and snap more easily than modern strings made from metal. Synthetic cored strings (wound with metal) are a convenient modern alternative, which combine some of the benefits of gut strings with greater longevity and tuning stability.
It is said that Paganini purposefully weakened some of his strings so that in performance they would snap. He would then play the rest of the piece on the remaining strings, sometimes going into remarkably high positions in order to impress the audience.
The hair of the bow is traditionally made out of horse-hair, although many cheaper instruments are made from synthetic material. It has to be frequently rubbed with rosin so it can gain enough grip on the metal strings of the violin. In the course of playing the violin, hairs are often lost from the bow, making it necessary to have it rehaired periodically.
Violins typically make up the bulk of an orchestra, and are usually divided into two sections, known as the first and second violins. First violin parts tend towards the melody, while second violins tend to play harmony.
Some other string instruments are the viola, cello, double bass, guitar, lute and harp.
See also: How to play the violin
History
- Amati family of Italian violin makers
- Guarneri family of Italian violin makers
- Stradivarius
Virtuosi
- Niccolo Paganini
- Isaac Stern
- Yehudi Menuhin
- Gilles Apap
- Salvatore Accardo
- Stephane Grappelli (jazz)
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Violin."
Synonym: ViolinSynonym: fiddle (n). (additional references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | With a goat playing the violin. (Notting Hill; writing credit: Richard Curtis) My late husband played the violin. Not professionally, but he was very good (Airport; writing credit: Arthur Hailey; George Seaton) It's a violin bow (Fame; writing credit: Christopher Gore) If anything happens to me, Sylvester, it'll be too bad for you. You'll be made into violin strings (Tweet and Sour; writing credit: Warren Foster) | |
Lyrics | I got me a violin and I beg you call the tune ("Uncle John's Band"; performing artist: The Grateful Dead) | |
Clever | Drunk Gets Nine Months in Violin Case (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | The Violin (1974) Story of a Violin (1947) Melody Masters: Rubinoff and His Violin (1939) The Broken Violin (1927) Lure of the Violin (1912) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
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Periodicals |
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Theater & Movies |
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Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Man in bed playing violin. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Winner's improved method for the violin. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Fret-board and bow of a Mongolian violin, made by the master Abirmid of Ara-Changaj. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Violinist, full-length portrait with violin. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Barto, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Thomas Evans, a FSA (Farm Security Administration) client, giving a violin lesson to one of the neighbor's boys. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Unidentified woman playing the violin, portrait photograph. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Mr. Wargo. Portrait of Mr. Wargo with violin. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Stavin' Chain playing guitar and singing the ballad "Batson" accompanied by a musician on violin, Lafayette, La. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | The timid soul. The timid soul has read that gangsters occasionally carry machine guns in violin cases. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Abstract design incorporating crescent moon, violin outline, and batlike flying creature. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Violin" by Remko Meijer Commentary: "This is a picture of the violin of my girlfriend." | "Violin" by Whitney Jones Commentary: "Black and white violin." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption | Play | Caption |
 | Synthesized violin note. | | Violin chord. |
| Low violin tone. | ||
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
June Masters Bacher | Love is like a violin. The music may stop now and then, but the strings remain forever. |
Napoleon Bonaparte | I love power. But it is as an artist that I love it. I love it as a musician loves his violin, to draw out its sounds and chords and harmonies. |
Robert Schumann | If we were all determined to play the first violin we should never have an ensemble. therefore, respect every musician in his proper place. |
Samuel Butler | Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | From back at the camp came the thin penetrating tone of a violin feeling about for a tune |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | CREMONA, n. A high-priced violin made in Connecticut. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Violin" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 87.43% of the time. "Violin" is used about 548 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 87.43% | 479 | 12,412 |
| Noun (proper) | 12.57% | 69 | 40,280 |
| Total | 100.00% | 548 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "violin": a poor hand on the violin ♦ play first violin ♦ play on the violin ♦ play the violin ♦ scrape out a tune on the violin ♦ set a violin ♦ violin bow ♦ violin case ♦ violin cellist's cramp ♦ violin clef ♦ violin concerto ♦ violin lesson ♦ violin maker ♦ violin part ♦ violin player ♦ violin school ♦ violin section ♦ violin sonata ♦ violin string. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "violin": violin-cases, violin-leader, violin-maker, violin-makers, violin-playing, violin-pupil, violin-string. | |
Ending with "violin": mini-violin. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
violin | 2,845 | spider violin | 51 |
violin music | 323 | free music violin | 46 |
violin sheet music | 193 | violin tab | 43 |
electric violin | 188 | violin making | 42 |
free violin sheet music | 152 | student violin | 36 |
violin bow | 124 | violin auction | 33 |
violin lesson | 120 | violin part | 33 |
violin maker | 115 | violin shop | 33 |
red violin | 114 | violin accessory | 32 |
picture of violin | 108 | tune a violin | 32 |
violin sale | 107 | bond violin | 32 |
violin case | 107 | used violin | 32 |
history of the violin | 93 | violin note | 31 |
play the violin | 91 | old violin | 31 |
stradivarius violin | 90 | buy violin | 28 |
violin string | 90 | violin scale | 27 |
suzuki violin | 79 | italian violin | 27 |
antique violin | 75 | violin repair | 26 |
violin tuning | 57 | violin player | 25 |
gratis para partituras violin | 54 | rare violin | 24 |
violin playing | 24 | ||
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "violin"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | viool. (various references) | |
Albanian | violinë (fiddle). (various references) | |
Arabic | كمان (fiddle), عازف الكمان (fiddler, violinist). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | цигулка (fiddle), виолинов, за цигулка. (various references) | |
Chinese | 小提琴 (fiddle). (various references) | |
Cornish | fyl. (various references) | |
Czech | housle (fiddle). (various references) | |
Danish | violin. (various references) | |
Dutch | viool (violet). (various references) | |
Esperanto | violono. (various references) | |
Faeroese | fiól. (various references) | |
Farsi | ویولن(مو.). (various references) | |
Finnish | viulu (fiddle). (various references) | |
French | violon. (various references) | |
Frisian | fioele. (various references) | |
German | Geige (fiddle), Violine. (various references) | |
Greek | βιολί (fiddle). (various references) | |
Hebrew | כנור. (various references) | |
Hungarian | hegedû (fiddle). (various references) | |
Indonesian | suling (flute), biola (bowl). (various references) | |
Italian | violino (fiddle, fiddlefamiliare). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | ハ長調 (bar, bar code, barbarism, barbecue, barbell, barber, barell, bargain, bargain sale, bargaining power, bartender, barter, base, Bayer, BBQ, Berkeley, berkelium, Berkley, Bermuda shorts, Bermuda Triangle, berth, bias, biathlon, bio, bio music, biochip, biocomputer, bioconversion, bioelectronics, bioethics, biofeedback, biogas, biography, biohazard, bioholonics, bioindustry, bioinfomatics, biomass, bionics, biopsy, bioreactor, biorhythm, bioscience, biosensor, biotechnology, biotelemetry, biotron, bird carving, bird sanctuary, bird watching, birdcall, birdie, Birmingham, birth, birth control, birthday, bourbon, Burberry, burger, burlesque, burner, burn-out syndrome, burst, buying power, by, bye, C major, crowbar, Farbenfabriken Bayer Aktiengesellschaft, hair combed in stripes across a bald pate, old man who takes Viagra, scale, updating a software version, Vermont, vernier, verse, version, vertical marketing, violinist, virgin, Virginia, virginity, virtual, virtual circuit, virtual reality), ワラント債 (110 camera, 6-8 seat automobile with sliding door, bonds with warrants, bow-wow, cost of maintaining a pet dog, doggie fashion, down one out, katakana for "we", katakana for "wi", migratory bird, minivan, non-returnable bottle, once through, one, one down, one step at a time, one touch, one two, one way bottle, one-length, one-man, one-man bus, one-man show, one-piece dress, one-point relief, one-sided, one-step, people-mover, punch, studio apartment, studio flat, version, version-up, vitality, wand, warrant loan, wonder, wonderland), 提琴 (variety of ancient Chinese stringed instrument), 弦 (bow string, chord geom, etc, handle, string of guitar). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | バイオリン , ヴァイオリン , ていきん (home education, variety of ancient Chinese stringed instrument). (various references) | |
Korean | 바이올린 (FIDDLE). (various references) | |
Manx | biol (bow drill, fiddle, viol). (various references) | |
Norwegian | fiolin. (various references) | |
Papago | wio-lihn. (various references) | |
Papiamen | fió. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | iolinvay.(various references) | |
Polish | skrzypce. (various references) | |
Portuguese | violino. (various references) | |
Romanian | vioarã (fiddle). (various references) | |
Romany | kemanès. (various references) | |
Russian | скрипка (fiddle). (various references) | |
Scottish | fidheall (fiddle). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | violina (fiddle), ćemane. (various references) | |
Spanish | violin, violín (bee, fiddle). (various references) | |
Sranan | finyoro. (various references) | |
Swedish | violin, fiol (fiddle). (various references) | |
Turkish | keman (fiddle). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | скрипка (catgut), скрипаль (fiddle, fiddler, violinist). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "violin": violinist, violinistic, violinists, violins. (additional references) | |
| |
"Violin" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Biolink, velin, vilen, vilin, vilion, Villino, violan, violen, violi, violina, violino, violit, violo, violu, violy, voily, Voisin. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "violin" (pronounced vīuli"n) |
| 3 | -l i" n | Berlin, Lin, Linn. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "i-i-l-n-o-v" | |
-2 letters: lino, lion, loin, noil, vino, viol. | |
-3 letters: ion, lin, nil, oil. | |
-4 letters: in, li, lo, no, on. | |
| Words containing the letters "i-i-l-n-o-v" | |
+1 letter: olivine, violins. | |
+2 letters: diluvion, oblivion, olivines, olivinic, pavilion, visional, volition. | |
+3 letters: boliviano, convivial, diluvions, evildoing, frivoling, inviolacy, inviolate, involving, nonliving, oblivions, olivenite, outliving, pavilions, vermilion, violating, violation, violinist, volitions. | |
+4 letters: bidonville, bloviating, bloviation, bolivianos, dissolving, divisional, eluviation, evildoings, frivolling, inviolable, inviolably, involuting, involution, levigation, levitation, nontrivial, novelising, novelistic, novelizing, olivenites, olivinitic, overliving, pavilioned, provincial, riboflavin, salivation, television, validation, valorising, valorizing, vermilions, vermillion, villainous, violations, violinists, visionally, visionless, vitrioling, vocalising, vocalizing, volitional, vowelizing. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Sounds 10. Quotations: Familiar 11. Quotations: Fiction 12. Quotations: Non-fiction | 13. Usage Frequency 14. Expressions 15. Expressions: Internet 16. Translations: Modern | 17. Derivations 18. Rhymes 19. Anagrams 20. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
