violin
instrumentsvye-oh-LIN
The highest-pitched member of the string family, played with a bow.
The violin is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the string family, tuned in fifths (G3–D4–A4–E5). Its remarkable range of over four octaves, combined with its ability to produce everything from a whisper-soft pianissimo to a singing forte, has made it the most prominent instrument in Western classical music. Techniques include vibrato, pizzicato, spiccato, legato bowing, double stops, and harmonics.
The great Italian luthiers — Stradivari, Guarneri, and Amati — crafted instruments in the 17th and 18th centuries that remain unsurpassed. The violin repertoire spans from Bach's solo sonatas and partitas through Mozart and Beethoven's concertos to the virtuosic showpieces of Paganini. In the orchestra, the first violins typically carry the melody while the second violins provide harmonic support. The instrument is equally central to folk music, jazz, and many world music traditions.
A Stradivarius violin made in 1721, known as the Lady Blunt, sold at auction for £9.8 million in 2011 — making it the most expensive musical instrument ever sold.