Chronology

At what moment did the violin leave the viola da braccio family? It is difficult to say...

Terminology has long been hesitant, and the term "viola" was used most often for the soprano as well as for the alto. In Italian we find the expressions "viola con tre corde senza tasti" or "viola da braccio senza tasti"; in German "Geige", in French "vyollon" in 1523 and "violon" in 1556. "Violino" appeared in Italy in 1538 and "violin" in England only in 1572.

The names of the oldest violin makers are for the most part unknown; some were undoubtedly also lute makers. Many musicians, moreover, built their stringed instruments themselves. The most ancient document mentioning instrument making as an independent profession comes from Paris, where in 1292, "féseurs de vielles" (vielle makers) were registered.

The violin emerged in its definitive form between 1520 and 1550 in northern Italy with Milan as its centre.

The first violin makers in the area included, from Brescia, Giovan Giacomo Dalla Corna (ca. 1484-1530) and Zanetto de Michelis da Montechiaro (ca. 1488-1562) who made lutes, lyres and other similar instruments. It should be noted, however, that the instruments of these violin makers were not all violins that had reached the final phase of their evolution.

Amongst the instruments that bear a date are two violins by Andrea Amati (born between 1500 and 1505, died in Cremona in 1576), built between 1542 and 1546, that had only three strings in their primitive form. But as from 1555 several documents testify to the existence of the four-stringed violin: the first four-stringed violin by Amati that has come down to us is dated precisely 1555. Charles IX, King of France, placed a substantial order with Amati in 1560 for 38 instruments including 24 violins, 6 violas and 8 cellos; two of them can be found today at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Northern Italy maintained close political relations with France since Francis I (1515-1547, dates of his reign), which explains the order with Amati and the rapid expansion of the violin in France.

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