Dance master violin
The dance master violin , also known as the pocket violin or pochette (French pochette , literally " little bag"), is a violin with a greatly reduced body . The musical instrument of the dance masters of the 17th and 18th centuries produced a sound that was correspondingly thin due to its small size.
Design
The narrow shape of the violin allowed the dance teachers to play a melody and at the same time perform the dance steps to be learned. The violins then 35 to 40 centimeters long were carried in sewn-in elongated pockets on the lap of the skirt.
Well-known violin makers like Stradivari and Lupot are known to have models that have a small violin body with a long neck (fingerboard).
The dance master violin originally had three strings , and since the 18th century four strings, tuned in fifths . It consists of a spatula-shaped piece of wood, the thinner upper part of which forms the neck with the fingerboard and pegs , while the body consists of hollowed walnut and represents the soundboard, which is closed by a ceiling .
Particularly elaborate specimens were made for the nobility. The “ Grand Dauphin ” owned an ivory bow pouch. In other instruments, the back, neck, fingerboard and bow were artfully made of tortoiseshell decorated with silver wire inlay .
The fame of the world-famous Swiss clown Grock was based in part on a number with a real Dutch miniature violin from the 18th century.
By increasing the ceiling to the size of a normal violin top originated Brett violin , a practice instrument.
See also
literature
- Claude Lebet: La pochette du maître à danser . 1999
Web links
- Martin Schulze: dance master violin. In: heinrich-schuetz-haus.de.