String bowed instruments: description of the group. Bowed musical instruments

A stringed musical instrument is a musical instrument in which the sound source (vibrator) is string vibrations. In the Hornbostel-Sachs system they are called chordophones. Typical representatives of string instruments are kobyz, dombyra, violin, cello, viola, double bass, harp and guitar, gusli, balalaika and domra, etc. Types of string instruments[edit | edit source]

See also full list of stringed instruments.

All stringed instruments transmit the vibrations from one or more strings to the air through their body (or through the pickup in the case of electronic instruments). Usually they are divided according to the technique of "starting" vibrations in the string. The three most common techniques are the pinch, the bow, and the strike.

bowed (string-bowed) musical instruments - a group of musical instruments with sound production, carried out mainly in the process of bowing along stretched strings. Exists a large number of folk bowed instruments. In modern academic music-making, four bowed stringed instruments are used:

The group of bowed instruments is considered the basis symphony orchestra and is divided into five parts:

First violins

Second violins

Cellos

Double basses.

Occasionally, a part is written out for the lowest stringed bowed instrument - the octobass

Range throughout bow group covers almost seven octaves from up to the counteroctave up to the fifth octave.

Bowed strings were formed and improved in about late XVII century, only the bow in its modern form appeared by the end of the 18th century. Despite the timbre differences between the individual instruments of the group, in the mass they sound uniform. This is due to the unity of the design and the general principle of sound extraction.

The source of sound for all instruments is the strings, which resonate with the body of the instrument and transmit vibrations through the air to the listener. The sound is produced by a bow ( arco) or fingers ( pizzicato)

A craftsman involved in the creation and repair of bowed stringed musical instruments is called a violin maker or Master of bowed musical instruments.

The violin is a high-pitched stringed musical instrument. It has folk origin, acquired a modern look in the 16th century, became widespread in the 17th century. Has four strings tuned in fifths: g, d 1 ,a 1 ,e 2 (salt of a small octave, re, la of the first octave, mi of the second octave), range from g(salt of a small octave) to a 4 (A fourth octave) and higher. The timbre of the violin is thick in the low register, soft in the middle and brilliant in the high. There are also five-string violins, with the addition of the lower alto string "c" or do (up to a small octave). Origin and history[edit | edit source]

Fidel. Detail of the altar of the Church of St. Zacharias, Venice, Giovanni Bellini, 1505.

Miniature "David the Psalmist" (detail). Godunov Psalter, 1594

"Family tree" of the origin of the modern violin. Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed.

The progenitors of the violin were the Arabic rebarab, the Spanish fidel, the British crotta, the merger of which formed the viola, hence the Italian name for the violin violino, as well as the Slavic four-string instrument of the fifth system j and g a (hence German title violins - geige). As a folk instrument, the violin was especially widespread in Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Istria and Dalmatia (now Yugoslavia). The struggle between the aristocratic viol and the folk violin, which lasted for several centuries, ended in victory for the latter. In the middle of the 16th century, the modern violin construction took shape in northern Italy. Gaspar Bartolometti da Salo (c. 1542-1609) - the founder of the school of masters in Bresci and Andrea Amati (1535-c. 1611) - the founder of the Cremonese school.] . Violin forms were established by the 16th century; to this age and early XVII include well-known violin makers - the Amati family. Their instruments are of excellent shape and excellent material. In general, Italy was famous for the production of violins, among which the Stradivari and Guarneri violins are currently highly valued.

The violin has been a solo instrument since the 17th century. The first works for the violin are: "Romanesca per violino solo e basso" by Biagio Marini (1620) and "Capriccio stravagante" by his contemporary Carlo Farina. Arcangelo Corelli is considered the founder of artistic violin playing; then follow Torelli, Tartini, Pietro Locatelli (1693-1764), a student of Corelli, who developed the bravura violin playing technique.

Since the 2nd half of the 19th century, it has become widespread among the Tatars. Since the 20th century, it has been found in the musical life of the Bashkirs.

Alto(English and Italian) viola, fr. alto, German Bratsche) or viola violin- string-bowed musical instrument of the same device as a spark, but somewhat larger, which makes it sound in a lower register. The viola strings are tuned a fifth below the violin and an octave above the cello - c, g, d 1 ,a 1 (do, salt of a small octave, re, la of the first octave). The most common range is from c(up to a small octave) up to e 3 (mi third octave), in solo works it is possible to use more high sounds. Notes are written in alto and treble clefs. The viola is considered the earliest bowed instrument in existence today. The time of its appearance is attributed to the turn of the XV-XVI centuries. Viola playing techniques are slightly different from violin playing techniques in terms of sound production and technique, however, the playing technique itself is slightly more limited due to the larger size, and as a result, the need for more stretching of the fingers of the left hand. The timbre of the viola is less bright than the violin, but thick, matte, velvety in the lower register, somewhat nasal in the upper. Such a timbre of the viola is a consequence of the fact that the dimensions of its body (“resonator box”) do not correspond to its formation: with an optimal length of 46–47 centimeters (such violas were made by old masters of Italian schools), a modern instrument has a length of 38 to 43 centimeters [ source not specified 1220 days] . Larger violas, approaching the classical ones, are played mainly by solo players with stronger hands and developed technique.

As a solo instrument, the viola has been used relatively rarely until now, due to the small repertoire. However, quite a lot of very good violists have appeared in our time, among them Yuri Bashmet, Kim Kashkashyan, Yuri Kramarov and others. But, nevertheless, the main scope of the violas is the symphony and string orchestras, where, as a rule, they are entrusted with medium voices, but also solo episodes. Viola is an obligatory member of the string quartet, often used in other chamber compositions, such as string trio, piano quartet, piano quintet, etc.

Traditionally, they did not become violists from childhood, switching to this instrument at a more mature age (at the end of a music school, when entering a college or conservatory). Basically, violinists of large build with big hands and wide vibration. Some famous musicians successfully combined performance on the violin and viola, for example, Niccolo Paganini and David Oistrakh.

Cello(ital. violoncello, abbr. cello, German Violoncello, fr. violoncelle, English cello) - a bowed stringed musical instrument of the bass and tenor register, known from the first half of the XVI century, the same structure as the violin or viola, but much larger. The cello has wide expressive possibilities and carefully developed performance technique, it is used as a solo, ensemble and orchestral instrument. The appearance of the cello dates back to the beginning of the 16th century. Initially, it was used as a bass instrument to accompany singing or playing an instrument of a higher register. There were numerous varieties of the cello, which differed from each other in size, number of strings, and tuning (the most common tuning was a tone lower than the modern one).

In the 17th-18th centuries, the efforts of the outstanding musical masters of the Italian schools (Nicolo Amati, Giuseppe Guarneri, Antonio Stradivari, Carlo Bergonzi, Domenico Montagnana, etc.) created a classical cello model with a firmly established body size. At the end of the 17th century, the first solo works for cello appeared - sonatas and ricercars by Giovanni Gabrieli. TO mid-seventeenth In the 1st century, the cello began to be used as a concert instrument, thanks to a brighter, fuller sound and an improving performance technique, finally displacing the viola da gamba from musical practice. The cello is also part of the symphony orchestra and chamber ensembles. The final approval of the cello as one of the leading instruments in music occurred in the 20th century through the efforts of the outstanding musician Pablo Casals. The development of performance schools on this instrument has led to the emergence of numerous virtuoso cellists who regularly perform solo concerts.

The cello repertoire is very wide and includes numerous concertos, sonatas, unaccompanied compositions.

Viola da gamba(ital. viola da gamba - foot viola) is an ancient stringed bowed musical instrument of the viol family, similar in size and range to the modern cello. The viola da gamba was played while sitting, holding the instrument between the legs or laying it sideways on the thigh, hence the name.

Of the entire viol family, the viola da gamba retained its significance the longest of all instruments: many works by the most important authors of the middle of the 18th century were written for it. However, already at the end of the century, these parts were performed on the cello. Goethe called Karl Friedrich Abel the last gamba virtuoso. At the beginning of the 20th century, authenticist performers revived the viola da gamba: the first modern gambo player was Christian Döbereiner, who made his debut in this capacity in 1905 with the performance of Abel's sonata.

double bass(ital. contrabbasso or ss))) - the largest in size (about two meters in height) and the lowest in sound of the widely used bowed stringed musical instruments, combining the features of the violin family and the viol family. (Viola da GAMBA family, Viola da GAMBA). .. It has four strings tuned in fourths: E 1 , A 1 , D, G (mi, la counteroctave, re, octave salt), range from E 1 (mi counteroctave) to g 1 (salt of the first octave) and higher. The real double bass was first mentioned in a book in 1566. The author of this book mistakenly drew a violin. Then he got the idea that it is possible to create such a tool. The author of this book is unknown modern people, but it is known that the book was written in Central Asia when the inhabitants of those lands were represented by Europe. Soon, the idea of ​​a new instrument was brought to Europe. At that time Europe was the poorest place in the whole world. The double bass viol is considered to be the forerunner of the modern double bass. She had five strings tuned to D 1 , E 1 , A 1 , D, G(re, mi, la big, re, salt of a small octave), and, like most violas, frets on the fretboard. In the middle of the 17th century, the Italian master Michele Todini designed a new instrument based on it, which did not have the fifth (lowest) string and frets, but the shape of the body remained (“shoulders” - parts of the body adjacent to the fingerboard - the double bass still has more sloping than those of the instruments of the violin family) and a fourth system (among modern bowed instruments, the double bass is the only one that has it).

The new instrument was first used in the orchestra in 1699 in Giuseppe Aldrovandini's opera "Caesar of Alexandria", but then it was not used for a long time (bass voices were performed by cellos and low-pitched viols). Only since mid-eighteenth century, the double bass becomes an obligatory member of the orchestra, displacing bass viols from it. At the same time, the first double-bass virtuosos appeared who gave solo concerts - Domenico Dragonetti, in particular, gained significant European fame. For the convenience of solo performance, the masters designed a three-string double bass, the strings of which were tuned in fifths ( G 1 , D, A- salt of the contra-octave, re, la of a large octave, that is, an octave below the cello, but without a string before) or by quarts ( A 1 , D, G- la counteroctave, re, salt of a large octave). With the development of performing technique, it became possible to perform virtuoso compositions on a conventional four-string orchestral instrument, and three-string double basses fell into disuse. For a brighter sound in solo works, the double bass tuning is sometimes raised by one tone (this is the “solo tuning”).

In the 19th century, in search of opportunities to obtain lower sounds, the French master Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume built a four-meter-high double bass, which he called the “octobass”, but due to its huge size, this instrument was not widely used. Modern double basses may have either a fifth string tuned to C 1 (up to the counteroctave), or by a special mechanism that “lengthens” the lowest string and allows you to get additional lower sounds.

The development of solo playing on the double bass in modern times is associated primarily with the work of Giovanni Bottesini and Franz Siemandl at the end of the 19th century. Their efforts brought the virtuosos of the early 20th century to a new level - in particular, Sergey Koussevitzky and Adolf Mishek.

The violin, like the cello, belongs to stringed bowed musical instruments. But a non-professional, perhaps, will distinguish them only by their appearance: the cello, as you know, is much larger than the violin in size. Sometimes, when asked what is the difference between a violin and a cello, they give a curious answer from a fireman from an old joke: "The cello burns longer." But seriously, what is the difference between these musical instruments?

Definition

Violin(violino in Italian) is a stringed musical instrument played with a bow, similar in structure to the viola and cello, but having the highest register.

Violin

Cello (violoncello in Italian) - a stringed musical instrument from which sounds are extracted with a bow, similar in structure to the viola and violin, but having a bass and tenor register.

Comparison

Although these tools have common origin: their ancestor is an old viola, which they could masterfully improve Italian masters, each of them has its own characteristics. The first and obvious difference is, of course, the size. A standard cello is almost three times the size of a full-sized violin and has an impressive weight, so it is played while sitting, previously set on the floor on special stand- spire. From this follows the difference in the length of the strings and the distance between adjacent sounds - in the cello they are much larger. When playing the cello with a musician less risk hit an unnecessary string. In addition, the cello has a larger neck size and a wider scale (which gives the sound a noticeable tension and "hardness" compared to the violin).

The cello and the violin have different timbres of sound. The sound of a violin can be compared to a high female voice, while the sound of a cello resembles a low male timbre (now bass, now baritone, now tenor). Many music lovers are sure that the sound of the cello - juicy, melodious - is as close as possible to human voice compared to other tools.

Both the violin and the cello have four strings, but due to the size of the instruments, the technique of playing them differs, although the same principles are used. Because the cello is on the floor, the cellist has more maneuvers than the violinist. He can freely move his left hand, which is also less twisted than when playing the violin, since the cello is almost vertical, neck up, and the bow is pointed towards the fourth string. The violin is the opposite: the neck is directed downwards during the game, and the strings are located in relation to the hand in the reverse order.

The cello bow is shorter than the violin bow and more massive. The strings of the cello are thicker than those of the violin, which means that a stronger constant pressure on the bow is required when playing.

Findings site

1. The cello is almost three times larger than the violin.
2. Violin - hand tool, cello - foot. Usually the musician plays the violin while standing, the cello - only sitting, as the instrument is quite massive. The cello is pre-installed on the floor on a special stop.
3. The cello has longer and thicker strings and a larger fretboard.
4. The timbre of the violin sounds like a high female voice, the timbre of the cello is low male.
5. When playing, the violin is held with the neck down, the cello with the neck up.
6. The cello bow is shorter than the violin bow and is more massive.

Viola, cello, double bass

When asked what a viola is, almost everyone answers: “It’s a violin, only bigger.”

This answer is correct, if we keep in mind only the shape of the instrument, its appearance. But the viola has its own characteristic timbre, unlike the sound of any other instrument, so it cannot be considered just a big violin.

The history of the viola is dramatic. He was unlucky, and still not very lucky.

The fact is that the body of the viola, if done according to acoustic calculations resulting from the failure of the instrument, should be quite large - about 46 centimeters in length. Increases, of course, and the length of the neck. And to play such an instrument, the musician must have long and strong fingers. And that rarely happens.

You ask: how then do they play the cello, and even more so the double bass - after all, these instruments are much larger than the viola?

There is a significant difference here. Left hand violinist and violist does two things at once: presses the strings to the fretboard and supports the instrument. The left hand of the cellist and double bass player is freed from this second task - their instruments have a different support. If the violist could freely hold his hand over the neck, there would be no problems. But him thumb all the time must remain below, under the neck, and the remaining fingers have to be pulled, especially when playing in the place of the neck, which is located above the body of the instrument. Doing this on a long alto fretboard is not easy. Therefore, there was a natural desire among violists to reduce the size of their instruments.

Cremonese craftsmen made large, acoustically correct violas, and they sounded amazing. But a paradoxical thing happened: if the violinist always dreamed of a good violin and was looking for it, then the viola, on the contrary, was looking for a musician and did not always find him. Musicians rejected big, fine sounding violas and ordered smaller instruments. Gradually, the opinion was formed that it was impossible to play the big viola at all. Masters, responding to the demand of musicians, began to produce undersized violas with a nasal and muffled sound. Even Antonio Stradivari eventually compromised his craft and made small violas, not much larger than a violin. They sounded, of course, worse than his violins and big violas.

Because of all this, the reputation of the viola by the eighteenth century was noticeably shaken. Most often, unsuccessful violinists began to play it, and composers were wary of entrusting serious parts to the viola in orchestral works.

But some people did not want to put up with this situation. For example, the master Jean Vuillaume (the same one who made the violin-box for Felix Savart) built a large instrument at a time when almost everyone believed that the real viola was a thing of the past and would never return. The instrument turned out to be beautiful, but ... again, no one wanted to play it. Viola Vilhom ended up in the museum, never knowing life in music.

However, little by little, composers began to reconsider their attitude to the viola. Christoph Gluck laid the foundation for the main melody in one episode of his opera Alceste, and then gradually the viola occupied the position in the orchestra that had been assigned to it by the Cremonese. Conductors stopped tolerating unsuccessful violinists as violists and began to demand full-fledged music from viola players.

Now in some orchestras, in addition to the usual requirements for a musician playing the viola, there is also this: the body of his instrument must be no shorter than 42 centimeters. This is already close to the calculated alt, but not yet complete, so some compromise remains.

The viola is not as popular as the violin or cello. Yes, he is a full-fledged member of the symphony and chamber orchestras, he is invariably a member of the string quartet, but solo concerts by violists are not held so often. But if any of you manage to attend such a concert, and even if the musician has a real big viola in his hands, the impression will remain unforgettable.

The next instrument of the violin family is the cello. Here, no one, perhaps, will say that the cello is a big violin. The cello has a very special timbre of sound and its own character. When it is necessary to express grief, sadness, sadness, despair with music, the cello has no equal, it conveys these feelings so deeply.

Cellos were built already the very first violin makers- Bertolotti, Magini, Amati. But, like the violin, Antonio Stradivari brought the cello to perfection. One of Stradivari's favorite students, Carlo Bergonzi, made a lot of cellos. His instruments are considered among the best.

Like the viola, the cello did not immediately take a prominent place in music. For a long time, she was entrusted with only accompaniment in the orchestra, and even when she was accompanied, she was often not independent, but only duplicated the parts of other instruments. But her extraordinary qualities were eventually noticed, great musicians improved their playing techniques, composers began to entrust individual parts to her in the orchestra, and then recognized her as a solo instrument. Now cellists participate in many international competitions on a par with violinists and pianists, and works written specifically for the cello are inseparable from the rest of the musical wealth.

The violin family is completed by another representative - the double bass.

Special mention must be made of its form. Try to mentally enlarge the violin to the size of a double bass - and there will be no coincidence. The double bass has sloping shoulders - those parts of the body that are adjacent to the neck. Its bottom is flatter than the violin, and the cutouts on the sides are not the same shape. It is believed that the double bass has not yet “completed” - it has not completed its transition from viols to violins. Even the sizes have not settled down - in different workshops they make double basses of different sizes, from 180 to 200 centimeters long. Therefore, double bassists sometimes have a hard time: it is difficult to carry such a large instrument with them on tour, and there, in another city, a double bass of unusual size can be caught.

This instrument has a drawback that has not yet been overcome - the so-called contrabass rumble, which accompanies its sound. But, despite this, the double bass is indispensable in the orchestra - it is the only one of all the instruments of the low register that has such a thick and dense sound. The old masters built small bass instruments with a clear, hum-free sound, but very few such instruments have survived.

All instruments of the violin family in different time introduced into jazz orchestras and ensembles, but only the double bass firmly established itself in them. There were and are among jazz double bassists their virtuosos, their stars. And despite the emergence of such an instrument more suitable for jazz as a bass electric guitar, not all jazz orchestras hastened to abandon the double bass.

It would seem that the double bass is in no way suitable for solo performances, his business is escort. But it's not. There are musicians who overcome the existing specifics of the instrument and prove that there are still undiscovered possibilities hidden in it. Maybe you can get to solo concert double bassist or at least buy a record of such a concert, then you will see for yourself.

So we met four relatives from the violin family - violin, viola, cello, double bass. Their role in contemporary music huge, it can no longer be entrusted to any other instruments. Without them there is neither symphony nor chamber orchestra, no string trio, quartet, quintet, no many folk ensembles. And at the same time each of them is a great soloist.

violin + viola + cello

Three identical cards (card term)

Ensemble of performers

Group "Ivanushki-International" in its composition

Group "Lyceum" in its composition

musical ensemble

Music band

Musical ensemble of three performers

The name of the group of musicians

Middle between duet and quartet

Ensemble of 3 performers

One and a half duets

The quartet that lost its soloist

Violin, viola and cello put together

Ripe trio

Card game

Musical piece for three performers

Song for three

Septet minus quartet

Cream Group

Quartet without one

Ensemble for three

Between duet and quartet

Solo + duet

duet, ..., quartet

Three performers

One third of nonet

Song in three throats

Quartet minus solo

Merging solo and duo

Mandolin, guitar and bass

Tercet (music)

Two singers and an accordion player

Three performers

The quartet that lost a singer

Chorus of three

3 musicians who decided to play in a choir

musical trinity

Less than a quartet

3 soloists who decided to sing in chorus

Three musicians who decide to play in choir

Three in an ensemble

Three soloists who decided to sing in chorus

. "six-armed" ensemble

Three singers gathered together

Cooler than a duet

Half sextet

Soloist and duet on joint tour

Emerson Lake & Palmer

Ensemble "Marenich" in its composition

Double quartet minus quintet

Three on stage

Musical tercet

Association of three soloists

A little more than a duet

Less than a quartet

Chorus of three singers

Same as tercet

The result of "crossing" a duet and a soloist

Ensemble of three performers

A piece of music for three performers (musicians, singers, dancers) with independent parts for each

Ensemble of three performers