Violins were popular in Europe during the 15th century.
Music has been used by people for thousands of years to honor their gods, for socializing and for entertainment. Instruments such as the harp, flute and drum were in existence since antiquity, and other types of musical devices such as the violin, guitar and piano became widespread in Old World Europe before the 16th century. Each of these instruments has allowed people within Old World of Europe to express musical ability and helped to develop their cultural identities.
Stringed Instruments
String instruments such as the harp were in use by various cultures such as the Egyptians and the Hebrews in antiquity. This particular instrument was created by tightly stretching thin strings of animal flesh onto a wooden frame. No one person is credited with inventing the harp, which seem to have evolved over time into many different forms within many different cultures. Harps have been located in China, Japan and India as well as Greece and in various parts of Africa. This instrument has a strong connection with the divine and many ancient peoples viewed harps as a symbol for uniting the spirit and material worlds. Harps were used in the Old World as a part of telling stories and for entertainment. Eventually harps would involve into other string and percussion instruments such as the violin and piano.
Piano and Violin
Pianos first appeared in Italy and harps laid the foundation for this percussion and stringed instrument. Dulcimers were the earliest form of piano that were created during the 14th century, and this musical device eventually evolved into the harpsichord, which could only play music at one uniform volume. Instrument makers overcame this problem by creating the piano, which was designed to add depth to their music by striking the keys with varying degrees of force. Violins have their origin in the harp, too, and like the piano no one person is credited with their creation. Violins use a stringed bow to create music, although this instrument can be plucked, like a harp, to create melodic sounds. Violins became popular in Europe during the 1400s.
Wind Instruments
Wind instruments have been found by archaeologist within many different cultures. Some of the earliest discoveries for these types of musical devices included crudely made flutes. Greeks used sea shells and reeds to create various instruments such as the conch-shell and the syrinx. Ancient Egyptian paintings reveal that singers and musicians used wind instruments that resembled oboes, trumpets and clarinets. Wind instruments began to frequently appear in Europe during the 17th century and since then they have evolved into the modern types of brass instruments that are used in marching bands and by jazz musicians.
Percussion Instruments
Percussion instruments were in use for thousands of years within various cultures throughout the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Percussion instruments are made up of instruments such as drums, tambourines, glockenspiel and xylophone. Drums have been found by archaeologists in crude forms within various cultures, and they were used by armies and villages to communicate messages. Many percussion instruments that were present in the Middle East made their way to Europe during the Crusades. Some percussion instruments such as gongs entered into Europe from Eastern Asia. Many symphonies that first came into existence in Old World Europe used percussion instruments to accommodate their wind and stringed musical sections.
