1. It’s a fiddle, not a violin!

Have you ever been wondering what is the difference between a fiddle and a violin? If you think it’s the same instrument, you’re correct!

Now most often fiddle is associated with folk music and American bluegrass, but it wasn’t always the case. Back in the day classical musicians also used it. For example, Mozart’s father (Leopold) in his book about violin playing referred to the violin as a fiddle!

Whether you are a violin student or a violin music enthusiast, I believe there are some facts about the violin that you will find interesting. In this post, I’ve collected twelve of them and I hope you’re curious to know them. Let’s get started!

2. Animal guts and the violin: what do they have in common?

There was a time when violin strings were not always made of synthetic materials nor were they solid steel-stranded metals like they are today. In fact, it used to be standard that violin strings were made from animal intestines (from sheep gut, specifically). These types of strings are called ‘catgut’ strings and while they are definitely made from guts, string makers never used cat guts.

If you want, you can buy a set and try them out because they are still in production but be prepared for a high bill. They sound similar to the metal strings we use today but catgut strings have a much richer and more pure sound.

The strings most commonly used today are solid stranded steel or various other materials and are also sometimes plated with silver or gold.

3. It’s a fiddle, not a violin!

Have you ever been wondering what is the difference between a fiddle and a violin? If you think it’s the same instrument, you’re correct!

Now most often fiddle is associated with folk music and American bluegrass, but it wasn’t always the case. Back in the day classical musicians also used it. For example, Mozart’s father (Leopold) in his book about violin playing referred to the violin as a fiddle!

4. The violin is nearly 500 years old

That’s right, the violin we play today was developed nearly five centuries ago by famous luthiers Andrea Amati, Antonio Stradivari, and Giuseppe Guarneri. These violin-making rivals created the instrument that after some adjustments became what we know as the modern violin. Their original instruments are some of the most expensive violins in the world! Luckily, you don’t need to spend millions of dollars to play an instrument that is similar to what soloists play today.

5. The modern violin was being developed in the same city for centuries

To continue from above, the modern violin we all know and recognize today was pioneered in the city of Cremona, Italy beginning in the 16th century and continued to be developed in that same city for 500 years.

It’s an interesting piece of history to know that violin making and violins basically developed from the same city since the instruments came into existence! Certainly, there are many places around the world that produced violins, but Cremona is considered the home and origin of the violin.

6. The word ‘violin’ comes from…

The word we used to describe our four-stringed instrument actually comes from the medieval Latin word vitula, which was a reference to the goddess of joy before becoming the modern word for a female calf. Eventually, the Latin word vitula becomes fides/fidula, then violin and fiddle, respectively.

So if you want to call your instrument the fiddle (like Mozart and his father might have) then now you have some evidence that supports your reasoning!