Straw violin
The Stroh violin (also known as phono violin or phono fiddle or Cornet violin called) is a 1899 in London (* 1828 in Frankfurt am Main, † 1914 in London) developed form of John Matthias Augustus straw violin that without sound makes do.
Sound generation
The strings of the violin are struck with a bow as usual. The mechanical string vibration is transmitted directly to a membrane on the bridge via a lever . This generates air vibrations corresponding to the gramophone, which are released into the surrounding air through a metal funnel.
There are also instruments with a normal sound box. In spite of this, they don't sound like a normal violin, because the bridge is also coupled to the membrane here.
With the spread of the gramophone and the mechanical recording technology required for it, traditional string instruments in particular were too quiet for this. In the case of the straw violin, the sound emerges from the bell jar amplified and, above all, directed and could thus be recorded with the same volume with brass instruments and loud woodwind instruments (for example the saxophone ).
Tiebel violin
Around 1925 the Markneukirchen engineer Willy Tiebel constructed a funnel violin, which was built by master violin maker August Glaesel. Its own feature is that in addition to the main horn, a small horn radiates to the musician's left ear so that he can control his playing. This Tiebel violin was marketed as the Tiebel Radio System violin .
Other variants
Until the beginning of the 20th century there was a single-stringed fiddle with a bell in Great Britain, which was called the jap fiddle (from Japanese fiddle , "Japanese fiddle") because of its supposed resemblance to a Far Eastern string instrument . Rare replicas are used in New Music .
Today, in the Romanian district of Bihor vioară cu goarnă ("violin with horn") or higheghe , straw violins are used in folk music and are often made by the musicians themselves . The instrument probably came to the area with returning ex-emigrants and has established itself as an independent instrument.
The Indian version of the straw violin is called tar shehnai . The word composition of tar (a common name for lute instruments) and shehnai (an Indian cone oboe) corresponds to the sound. The tar shehnai is based on the north Indian string esraj , to which a brass funnel was attached.
From around 1950, straw violins imported from Germany were played in the music of Myanmar . Today the instruments known as hun tayaw are made in Myanmar.
Musician
Well-known musicians who like to use the straw violin because of its special sound include Tom Waits , múm and R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenaders . In the field of Tango Argentino she was played by Julio De Caro ("violín corneta") and she is played by Javier Casalla , the violinist of the Bajofondo Tango Club and with Cristóbal Repetto . In Shakira's ' Sale El Sol "world tour (2010-2011) violinist Una Palliser played a Stroh violin. Even Lindsey Stirling plays in the music video for Roundtable Rivals on such an instrument. In the field of new music , the British violinist and sound artist Aleksander Kolkowski is known for his use of the straw violin.
Web links
- Straw violin . The National Museum of American History
- Straw violin. digitalviolin.com
- The phono collection of Stroviols and other horned stringed instruments. pamelasmusic.co.uk
- Aleksander Kolkowski: Portrait in Shellac for Solo Stroh violin & gramophone .
- Straw violin No. 722 by Armin Sternberg, Budapest, around 1910 corilon.com