How are baroque violins different?

Violin played by an Angel with the thumb on the bow hair. The physical differences between modern and baroque violins mean that the baroque violin is softer. The fact that the neck is angled back on the modern instrument means that the tension of the strings can be much higher without breaking the neck.

What is the feature of a baroque violin?

Baroque violins are almost always fitted with gut strings, as opposed to the more common metal and synthetic strings on a modern instrument, and played with a bow made on the baroque model rather than the modern Tourte bow. Baroque violins are not fitted with a chin rest and are played without a shoulder rest.

What are the characteristics of a baroque bow?

Baroque bows generally look straight or bent slightly outwards in the middle, with an elegant “swan-bill” pointed head. Typically made from strong, heavy snakewood, bows of the early 17th century were used to play both violins and violas. They were particularly short and light and well-suited for dance music.

What is Baroque tuning?

“A” refers to the note, typically sounded before a rehearsal or concert, to which all instruments are tuned; in Baroque music Philharmonia musicians tune their A to 415 Hz or Hertz, which refers to the number of cycles per second. …

What is the difference between a baroque violin and a modern violin?

The real difference between the two instruments is the way they’re played. The modern violin sounds forceful and declamatory in comparison with its baroque ancestor. Baroque violin playing has a gentler tone with hardly any vibrato. The complex nuances of bowing give it a sort of swelling-fading sound.

Why are violins held under the chin?

Tucking the violin (or viola) under the chin gives it stability. That having been said, any violinist I have ever known has a shoulder rest and frequently uses a soft cloth over the chin rest. The cloth serves to absorb perspiration when playing where it is very warm.

What is the difference between baroque and modern bows?

In simplest terms, the Baroque bow wood was a flat or convex shape and shorter than the modern bow, which is longer and has a concave shape. Baroque bows performed best at the era’s dance music, where the first beat of the music was heavier and the second beat light. You can’t modernize a bow.”

How do you tell if a violin is a Stradivarius?

How to Identify a Stradivarius

1. Experts can distinguish a Stradivarius from a copy by just looking at it for a couple of seconds.
2. You can find lots of violins that have the writing “Antonius Stradivarius Cremonenfis” on their label, but a huge number of them are copies of the original instrument.

What was the length of a baroque violin?

Baroque violins also have a shorter neck and fingerboard. The Baroque violin’s neck is 12 centimeters long, whereas modern violin’s neck is 13 centimeters long (McLennan, 2008, p. 121). The modern fingerboard is 4-5 centimeters longer (Baroque Band, 2013). This increased the string length of the modern violin.

What’s the neck angle of a Baroque neck?

Originally baroque necks were nailed in place directly against the ribs no mortise was used. A compromise would be to make a new neck with -90 degree neck angle and set it into the existing mortise. Then, you would need to make a baroque fingerboard which includes a wedge to control the string angle.

Why was the neck of the violin changed?

The neck of the modern instrument enters the body at a 7-degree angle (Donington, 1963, 465-466). This change increased the string tension, allowing for the louder and bolder sound desired during the Romantic era and required by larger concert halls.

Do you need a neck step for a baroque violin?

Baroque violin need always has no neck step? A neck step is required in order to raise the fingerboard so that the fingerboard is close to the strings. The step is accomplished with a wedge which is placed between the fingerboard and the neck. You can see the wedge shape in the above drawing.