The violin family of musical instruments was developed in Italy in the 16th century. At the time the name of this family of instruments was viole da braccio which was used to distinguish them from the viol family (viole da gamba). The … See more

The playing ranges of the instruments in the violin family overlap each other, but the tone quality and physical size of each distinguishes them … See more

The octobass, a larger version of the double bass, is a rarely used member of this family constructed in the 19th century. It is extremely unwieldy to play and thus has not found much acceptance; nevertheless, it can be found in some Romantic-era … See more

1. ^ Witten 1982
2. ^ Viola da braccio literally means "viol [played or held] on the arm". Not all members of the family were or are held against the chest or between chin and shoulder, but that some were was enough to distinguish them … See more

The instruments of the violin family may be descended in part from the lira da braccio and the medieval Byzantine lira.
While the cello (which developed from the bass violin), … See more

The instruments of the violin family are the most used bowed string instruments in the world today. Although all share a place in classical music, they are also used to a lesser degree in See more

• Violin octet, an experiment in part to create an even more homogeneous blend of instruments related to the violin.
• Kit violin
• Tenor violin
• String instrument See more