It is believed that the violin history originated in Italy sometime in the early 1500s. It was made by closely resembling the fiddle and the rebec. Both were bowed stringed instruments and were played in the medieval period. It also came from an instrument that resembled the violin, called lira da braccio. The lira da braccio came from the Renaissance period.

Andrea Amati is the one who invented the violin. He became a master instrument player in 1525. During the 17th and 18th century, the violinmakers reached its highest. The Italians were prevalent during this period.

The violins you see today are not as they were originally. Back when the violin was made, it had a shorter neck. The neck was very thick and not very angled. The strings on the violin were made of gut, the fingerboard was shorter, and the bridge was flatter. When the violin was invented, it was not very popular among the people.

It was considered to be played by the lower class. Over time, the violin status became more interesting and people begin to play, especially after a popular violinists called Claudio Monte Verdi played the violin in one of his operas. During the Baroque period, the violin popularity began to grow. In addition, by the 18th century the violin was mostly a necessity to be played in instrumental ensembles.

Nicolo Paganini was one of the many famous violinists during this time. As we neared the 20th century the violin was an instrument that many high classed people learned how to play, therefore it became more and more popular as time went on. Isaac Stern and Fritz Kreisler were one of many famous violin players during our time in the 20th century.

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