A modern violin is made from 70 different pieces of spruce or maple wood. The word ‘violin’ comes the Italian violino which has its roots in the Medieval Latin vitula, meaning ‘stringed instrument. A craftsman who builds and repairs violins is a luthier. The Messiah Stradivarius made by Antonio Stradivari in 1716 is the most expensive in the world with an estimated value of US$20 million. It has never been played after more than 300 years in existence. The oldest-surviving violin is the Charles IX made in Cremona (Italy) in 1564 by Andrea Amati.
The largest section of the instrument, a violin’s body, or “corpus” (you don’t need to be fluent in Latin to make the translation), is actually several parts. The “top,” in which the soundholes or “f-holes” are cut, is typically made of spruce. Spruce is favored because of its density. You can shave it to the desired thinness without compromising integrity.
The back, or bottom, of the violin and the ribs that form the sides and give the instrument depth, are often made from maple. Like spruce, maple is dense and strong. As you would expect, both types of wood are great at conducting sound.
Credit : Connolly Music
Picture Credit : Google
