In which country did the violin originate?

Jeeves

The modern violin gradually evolved from earlier stringed instruments and the first examples were from Italy. http://www.emory.edu/MUSIC/ARNOLD/VIOLIN.HTML Apr 14 02, 8:56 PM

Senior Moments

There may be some argument that they originated elsewhere as it's almost certain that the first Italian violins were built by Sephardic-Jewish musicians (Linarol and Spilman family). 'Sephardic Jews' is a name for Hebrews who lived originally in Spain and Portugal. In 1492 they were driven out of Spain, together with Islamic peoples (in 1492 the Reconquista was completed with the recapture of Granada). It is an astonishing fact that the first documents reporting violin making (1495) coincides almost perfectly with the arrival of the Sephardic Jews in Italy. http://luthier-gheerardyn.hypermart.net/Historyv2.html Apr 15 02, 6:54 AM

Senior Moments

http://www.uwa.edu.au/media/statements/2000/07/20000721.html Did the violin originate in Italy, as many assume, or was it a hybrid that originated north of the European Alps, possibly at the Polish court in the 16th century? Dr. Suzanne Wijsman, musician and researcher at The University of Western Australia and Robert Curry from Edith Cowan University's WA Academy of Performing Arts believe there are tantalising clues that this may well be the case. They also believe that Poland in the 15th and 16th centuries may have played an important role in the evolution of the much-loved musical instrument. "Until recently it was assumed that the first violins were made in Italy in the 16th century, and were then disseminated throughout Europe, along with other aspects of Italian culture," Dr. Wijsman, a lecturer at UWA's School of Music said. "However there is interesting evidence to suggest that instruments existed in Northern Europe and Poland, in particular, that have characteristics we associate with the violin, raising new questions about its origins. Robert Curry and I are looking at the possibility that these early instruments were spread through Europe by itinerant Jewish musicians in the 15th and 16th centuries, and that this may have influenced the evolution of the violin family." Apr 15 02, 6:57 AM

Gnomon

The earlier instrument, upon which the violin was based, was called in English a viol. In Italian it was called a Viola da Gamba. These came in three different sizes (mainly). All three were played vertically like a cello, even the smallest violin-sized one. The violin is generally reckoned to have developed from the viol in Italy around the 15th or 16th century. Apr 15 02, 2:53 PM

Original22

It depends on what you would define as a violin, because there a few different "violin-like" instruments from the past. However, it is usually accepted that the first good examples of violins are from Italy, around the 16th century. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin Dec 19 08, 8:09 AM