violin

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Vivaldi, Antonio

Joachim, Joseph

Hardanger fiddle

Typically ornate Hardanger fiddle (detail), a Norwegian folk instrument.

violin interior

Read Next

Undated photograph of American violinist Nathan Milstein playing a 1716 Stradivarius violin. Undated photo.

What’s So Special About Stradivarius Violins?

Woman Playing a Theorbo to Two Men, oil on canvas by Gerard Terborch, 1667-1668. (Baroque Art)

What’s That Sound?: 8 Intriguing Early Musical Instruments

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart rehearsing his 12th Mass with singer and musician. (Austrian composer. (Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

7 Famous Child Prodigies

Macro of sheet music

10 Classical Music Composers to Know

Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)

All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained

Discover

Calendar marking march 15th

22 Questions About Time and Timekeeping Answered

Adolf Hitler (Nazi, nazism, German leader).

9 Things You Might Not Know About Adolf Hitler

The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)

New Seven Wonders of the World

Camel at Khor Rori, Oman; mammal.

Do Camels Store Water in Their Humps?

Bar graph of the United States Death Toll during major events. Infogram chart.

U.S. Death Toll During Major Events

Close up of periodic table, focus on nickel, copper, zinc, palladium, silver, cadmium

When Was the Periodic Table Invented?

Calendar marking march 15th

What Is the “Ides” of March?

violin: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	fiddle

Photos

Vivaldi, Antonio

Joachim, Joseph

Hardanger fiddle

Typically ornate Hardanger fiddle (detail), a Norwegian folk instrument.

violin interior

See All Images and Audio →

Topics

Hardanger fiddle button chordophone violin family double bass viola cello guitar lyre piano zither lute harp harpsichord

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven

German composer

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Austrian composer

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach

German composer

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Russian composer

Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms

German composer

Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky

Russian composer

Sergey Prokofiev

Sergey Prokofiev

Russian composer

Arnold Schoenberg

Arnold Schoenberg

American composer

Felix Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn

German musician and composer

Alban Berg

Austrian composer

Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi

Italian composer

Antonín Dvořák.

Antonín Dvořák

Bohemian composer

Béla Bartók

Béla Bartók

Hungarian composer

Dmitri Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich

Russian composer

Luigi Boccherini

Luigi Boccherini

Italian composer

Skaggs, Ricky

Ricky Skaggs

American musician

Arcangelo Corelli

Italian musician

Benjamin Britten

Benjamin Britten

British composer

Sibelius, photograph by Yousuf Karsh, 1949

Jean Sibelius

Finnish composer

Paganini, Niccolò

Niccolò Paganini

Italian composer

Quiz

Gong. Closeup of a khong wong gong circle chime. Thai classical musical instrument, part of piphat ensemble. (percussion, music)

Music Quiz

Young girl wearing a demin jacket playing the trumpet (child, musical instruments, Asian ethnicity)

Sound Check: Musical Vocabulary Quiz

List

Woman Playing a Theorbo to Two Men, oil on canvas by Gerard Terborch, 1667-1668. (Baroque Art)

What’s That Sound?: 8 Intriguing Early Musical Instruments

Demystified

Undated photograph of American violinist Nathan Milstein playing a 1716 Stradivarius violin. Undated photo.

What’s So Special About Stradivarius Violins?