Bowed Stringed Instruments: A Comprehensive Guide
General
Bowed stringed instruments are made from precious woods, with different types of wood used for different parts of the instrument. For example, pine or fir is used for the body, while ebony is used for the fingerboard. The quality of the raw materials used significantly impacts the sound quality of the instrument.
The strings are typically made of metal or gut.
How Bowed Stringed Instruments Produce Sound
Bowed stringed instruments belong to the chordophone family. Their sound is generated by the vibration of the strings, which are bowed with a bow. The bow consists of a rod with a tip and heel. Horsehair is attached to the ends of the rod and stretched through a screw mechanism.
Types of Bowed Stringed Instruments
The Violin
The violin is the highest-pitched bowed string instrument in the family. It is an instrument of ancient origin, with its prehistoric ancestors being plant fibers that produced sounds when pinched.
The Egyptians believed that the violin originated from a turtle shell that contained only tendons and nerves. When pinched, these ropes produced a sound that was amplified by the shell. The ancient Greeks, however, attributed the invention of the violin to Mercury, the god of wit. They believed that Mercury emptied a turtle shell, attached two horns and goat hair, and stretched some cane stalks across it. Apollo, the god of music and poetry, was inspired by the vibrations of the strings in his silver bow and thought that Mercury had created the perfect instrument.
Asian countries have also been using bowed strings between two hollow pumpkins to amplify sound since antiquity.
The Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument that plays the alto role in a vocal quartet. It emerged in the 14th and 15th centuries as the successor to the vielha, a violin-like instrument with strings that vibrated through a keyboard. The vielha was replaced by a polished bow.
The viola had three or four variants, corresponding to the range of human voices (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass). These variants included the viola quinton (highest soprano), viola spalla (shoulder viola), viola da braccio (arm viola), which resembles the modern viola, and viola da gamba (leg viola), which had a similar range and playing style to the cello.
The viola was enhanced with additional strings and brass, which amplified the instrument’s sonority and gave it a special metallic sound thanks to the buzz and vibration of the lower strings.
The viola was used to support the voices, especially the lower ones, due to its range.
The Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned to C, G, D, and A. It is played with a bow made of horsehair.
The cello’s precursors appeared in the first half of the 17th century in Italy. Like the violin family, it originated as the bass viola da braccio in 1530, several years after the violin. The construction of these new instruments incorporated features from other instruments, such as the fiddle. The cello’s body was more similar to instruments like the violone, which was used as a basso continuo. Other instruments, such as the violonzino and basset, also existed. The viola da gamba was also similar to the cello in its interpretation with bow support.
Initially, the cello was played with a bow held at the waist, over the shoulder, between the legs, or on the ground. There were different cellos, from tenors to higher sizes, with varying tonality and methods of restraint.
The Bass
The bass is the lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the family. It emerged as a separate entity within the group of bowed strings in the 18th century.
The exact origins of the bass are unclear, and its emergence in the music world came relatively late. This may be due to its variable shape, size, pitch, and bow.
The bass can be defined as the second most serious instrument after the violin, although it has significant differences from the violin family. The bass originated in the 16th century as an evolution of the viola da gamba and the low violone. Its large size prevented it from being included in the string quartet. Some argue that the bass cannot be considered a true member of the violin family.
Currently, the bass is considered part of the violin family.
Physical Characteristics
The Violin
The Viola
The Cello
The Bass
Technical Aspects
The Violin
The violin is the soprano instrument of the family, which includes the cello, viola, and bass. It is a bowed string instrument, and the vibration of the strings is produced by the friction of the horsehair on the bow string.
The violin has a smooth fingerboard without frets (except for the electric violin). The fingerboard is a thin wooden plate that extends over the body of the instrument. To produce sound, pressure must be applied to the strings on the fingerboard.
The pitch of the strings is achieved by adjusting their tension. The strings are typically made of metal or gut, although they were initially made of gut. The length of the strings is approximately 325 cm. The strings produce sounds of different pitches by varying their tension and thickness.
The Viola
The Cello
The Bass
Role in the Orchestra
Bowed stringed instruments are the foundation of the orchestra. Most chamber music is written for strings, and almost no orchestral work exists without a significant role for the string family.
The Violin
In a symphony orchestra, violins are divided into first and second violins. The instruments are identical, but the first violins play higher notes, while the second violins play lower notes, creating two distinct voices. A symphony orchestra typically has 12 to 16 first violins and 12 to 14 second violins.
The Viola
The violas are placed among the other orchestral families to balance the overall sound of the orchestra. They are usually positioned between the violins and cellos, with the conductor. A symphony orchestra typically has 10 to 12 violas.
The Cello
The cellos in the orchestra are positioned in front of all the other instruments, next to the violas. A symphony orchestra typically has 8 to 10 cellos.
The Bass
In a symphony orchestra, the basses are positioned in front of all the bowed string instruments. A symphony orchestra typically has 6 to 8 basses.
Featured Artists
The Violin
- Yehudi Menuhin (born April 22, 1916, New York) was a violinist and conductor of Russian origin with British and American citizenship. He was known for his virtuosity and his humanitarian work.
- Niccolò Paganini (born October 27, 1782, Genoa) was a violinist, guitarist, and composer. He was considered one of the most famous virtuosos of his time and is recognized as one of the greatest violinists ever, known for his perfect intonation, absolute pitch, expressive bowing techniques, and innovative use of technology.
- Isaac Stern (born July 21, 1920, Kremenetz, Ukraine) was an American violinist considered one of the best of the 20th century.
- Vanessa-Mae Nicholson Vanakorn (born October 27, 1978, Singapore), known as Vanessa-Mae, is a classically trained violinist famous for her recordings that blend classical pieces with pop, jazz, techno, and other modern rhythms. Her recording The Violin Player (1994) brought her fame.
The Viola
- Jordi Savall (born 1941, Igualada, Barcelona) is a Spanish viola da gamba player, conductor, and musicologist specializing in historical music.
- Lionel Tertis (born December 29, 1876, Hartlepool) was an English violist, perhaps one of the first artists to draw attention to the viola as a solo instrument.
- Paul Hindemith (born November 16, 1895, Hanau) was a German composer and musicologist.
The Cello
- Pablo Casals was a cellist whose innovative interpretations significantly contributed to the world of music. His interpretation of the songs of birds became a symbol of peace and freedom around the world, and his work had a significant impact on Catalan culture.
- Mstislav Rostropovich (born March 27, 1927, Baku) was a Russian musician considered the greatest cellist of his generation.
- Pierre Fournier (born June 24, 1906) was a French cellist known as the”aristocrat of the sky writer” for his elegant musicality and majestic sound.
- Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini (born February 19, 1743, Lucca) was a Tuscan composer and cellist with Spanish nationality.
The Bass
- Franco Petracchi is considered one of the most prestigious bass players and teachers of the instrument.
- Ron Carter (born May 4, 1937, Ferndale, Michigan) is a jazz bassist. His unique swing made him a great musician, and he is one of the most recorded musicians in the world.
- Charles Mingus (born April 22, 1922, Arizona) was an American jazz bassist, composer, conductor, and pianist. He was also known as an activist against racial injustice.
- Scott LaFaro (born April 3, 1936) was an American jazz bassist who joined the original Bill Evans Trio and was crucial to the history of the instrument.
Anecdotes
Hearing Comments
The Trout Piano: Daniel Barenboim
Franz Schubert Violin: Itzhak Perlman
Viola: Pinchas Zukerman
Cello: Jacqueline du Pré
Bass: Zubin Mehta
It is a piece for piano with string quartet which includes the full range of bowed stringed instruments.