Modern violin
Violín moderno
- Date
- c. 1530-1560 (perfeccionado 1700-1720) · confidence medium
- Place
- Cremona and Brescia, Italy
- Credited to
- Andrea Amati (Cremona), Gasparo da Salò (Brescia); perfected by Stradivari and Guarneri
- People
- 👤 Andrea Amati1505–1577👤 Gasparo da Salò1540–1609
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A four-stringed instrument tuned in fifths, with an arched body, sound post and bass bar, synthesising the viola da braccio and the rebec. Amati fixed the model, and Stradivari (c. 1700–1720) gave it the form still used today.
Priority is disputed between Cremona (Amati) and Brescia (Gasparo da Salò); the oldest surviving violins are Amati instruments of c. 1560, commissioned by Charles IX of France.
What it led to
- The Baroque and Classical orchestra, built around strings
- The solo concerto and virtuosity (Corelli, Vivaldi)
- Violin-making as a trade of acoustic precision and a market for luxury instruments
Built on
- Rebec
- Viola da braccio
- Lira da braccio
- Bowed vihuela
Made possible
- Orchestral string family (viola, cello, double bass)
- Tourte bow (1780s)
- Wound (overspun) strings