The bow

History
 Ancient origins
• Ravanastron

• Ehru

• Simple construction
 Mediaeval bows
Through the middle ages and
following centuries, the
development of the bow remained
rather stagnant.

Certain developments, such as

rudimentary devices to spread the
hair, can be seen in paintings from
the fourteenth century.

It is not until the mid - and

late - seventeenth century,
well after the birth of the
violin, that improvements
such as mechanisms to adjust
hair tension, and true button
and screw mechanisms were
developed.
https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=syHiw5KDohk
 The baroque bow
• The development of the Baroque bow is a story of attempts and errors, an interplay of
craftsmanship and music during the course of which widely varied models were
designed, modified and improved.
(The baroque period with respect to music is approx. 1600-1750)
•When the violin was invented in the late 16th
century, the art of creating stringed instruments
reached a zenith that triggered a musical
revolution. The violin's predecessors were
predominantly used to keep time on the dance
floors of weddings and festivals, but this newer
form of the instrument quickly liberated itself
from its disdained origins.

•At first, however, the early masters of violin

making paid no thought to the issue of a
proper bow, so people continued to play
using the fiddle and rebec bows of the late
middle ages.

•Many of these bows were very clearly

designed as rhythm instruments. Some of
them were only 20 to 30 cm (8-12 inches)
and had a strong convex curve; their
length was further restricted by the player
using an underhand or closed-fist grip.
 The baroque bow (aka Corelli or Tartini bows)
• At first, French Baroque music in particular stayed close to the styles in the canon of dance
music, so it had little reason to re-examine how the bow was used and constructed.

• In Italy, however, there was vivid interest in cantabile playing. People there preferred the
overhand grip, which opened doors to new sounds and ways of playing the violin: the
“Italian” grip (as opposed to the “French” underhand grip) allowed the player to bow with
greater sensitivity and modify the sound.

• Legato and spiccato techniques became more widespread as music grew more
soloistic in nature, and longer bows meant that longer tones and sequences were
now possible.

• By composing pieces which relied on the long Baroque bow, Arcangelo Corelli (1653-
1713) made fundamental changes to the character of the violin; its aural ideal came to
resemble that of singing more and more.

The baroque bow, commonly referred to as the Corelli (1653-1713) and also the Tartini (1692-
1770), is so named after the two violinists who probably influenced the style.
 The baroque bow
• The introduction of a longer bow triggered a series of changes in construction,
especially an increase in the height of the head so as to achieve a more even
distribution of weight and playability along the full length of the bow.

• Bows with less of an arch gradually became more popular until eventually the straight
to slightly concave line evolved.

• Players once determined the pressure of the bow by modifying their grip, e.g. by
applying pressure with the thumb, but over time, the detachable frog and "toothpick"-
style bows made a greater variety in tension possible, until at last the frog with an
eyelet and screw established itself as the standard.

• These technical improvements were accompanied by more sophistication in the

aesthetic design of the Baroque bow. Premium woods, especially the very hard
amourette (snakewood), were processed with great artistry, sticks were fluted, and
frogs and heads were shaped into fanciful designs and decorated.

• No uniform standards emerged on a widespread scale, i.e. in this context one cannot
speak of there being a typical model of a Baroque bow. What is, however, typical of
Baroque-period bows is the diversity of shapes and designs.
 Pikehead bows mid 17c

The familiar pike-type Baroque bow head appeared in the mid-1700's, around the
time of the death of Stradivari. Common woods used for making bows during this
era were iron and snakewood; lighter woods were often fluted to give the bow
additional strength and rigidity.
 Transitional Bows

Up until the late eighteenth century, the curvature, or camber of the bow, remained convex. In
the 1780's, the Italian violinist and composer Viotti came to Paris, where he became friends
with the Tourte family.
Perhaps as a result of experimentation and artistic collaboration, the camber was changed
from convex to concave, the fluted bow and pike's head abandoned, and the ferrule invented.
•
 Transitional Bows 2

Wilhelm Cramer (2 June 1746, Mannheim – 5 October 1799, London) was a famous London violinist

and musical conductor of German origin. He was one of a numerous family who were identified with
the progress of music during the 18th and 19th centuries. Wilhelm Cramer is the father of the
famous Johann Baptist Cramer (24 February 1771 – 16 April 1858) (English musician of German
origin).
Transitional Bows 3
 The modern bow
• During this period, the evolution of the bow accelerated in response to important changes in
performance practice, as music moved from the court and salon to larger venues and larger
audiences.

• The new bow enabled greater sonority, power, and projection, sustained a wider
range of dynamic levels, and articulated a greater variety of new bowing techniques.

• The adoption of pernambuco as the wood of choice for string instrument bows is
said to have been, in part, a consequence of expanding international trade. Ships
plying South America trade routes would use pernambuco, which is extremely
heavy and dense, as ballast on the return leg of their voyages (ships from North
America used maple for similar purposes).

• Pernambuco also was an important source in dye manufacturing before the

advent of synthetic aniline dyes. The ready availability of tremendous quantities of
pernambuco wood eventually attracted the attention of François Xavier Tourte
(b.1747 - d.1835), "the Stradivari of the bow".
 François Xavier Tourte 1
While bow making in the Classical and Baroque
periods was defined by many fluid shifts, the
modern age of bow making has a clearly identifiable
founding father and classic figurehead, François
Xavier Tourte (1747/48-1835).

Tourte’s reputation as the “Stradivarius of

bow making” is undisputed. It is thought that
this bow maker's son was initially trained as
a watchmaker before joining his older
brother Léonard's workshop and learning
the family trade.
 François Xavier Tourte 2
Tourte's bow design took the accomplishments
of Classical bow making and perfected them,
always with an eye to the growing demands of
the era's soloists.

One of his earliest innovations still stands the test of

time: he used premium pernambuco wood. This
permitted him to apply complicated physics to the
shape of the stick, and as a natural material the wood
remains unequalled to this day.

The logarithmic narrowing of the later-

period Tourte bows is an exceptional and
historical achievement in terms of
mathematical complexity and the related
challenges in mechanical accuracy.

It was not until a generation had

passed that the great Jean-
Baptiste Vuillaume (1798-1875)
managed to comprehend and
describe the precision of Tourte
bows.
 François Xavier Tourte 3
• The massive successes which Tourte enjoyed even during his lifetime were not solely due to the
mathematical sophistication of his bows; they were also attributed to the ideal playing characteristics
he made possible.

• The Tourte bow was perfectly balanced and had a quick and agile response because of its strong
inward arch.

• This bow offered the largest spectrum of playing techniques ever encountered — from full cantabile
playing to newer spiccato techniques such as saltando, ricochet and sautillé.
 François Xavier Tourte 4

• Tourte perfected every aspect of the model, including the contours of the head and
the mounting for the horsehair, which he widened and increased. Much like
Cremonese violins, Tourte's style was only marginally modified by other craftsmen.

• The most significant heirs of his legacy include the “German Tourte,” Ludwig
Christian August Bausch (1805-1871), François Nicolas Voirin (1833-1885) and,
last but not least, the great Eugène Sartory (1871-1946).
 Alternative materials
• The most recent development in modern bow making
involves working with composite materials such as
fibreglass and carbon fibre, which have been
manufactured since the 1960s and the 1990s,
respectively. In the meantime they are also available
as high-quality models.

• The use of these materials is partially a response to

the shortage of good pernambuco; this in turn is due to
an expansion of agricultural areas and major
construction activity which have affected the most
important sites in Brazil where the pernambuco tree
Caesalpina echinata is grown.
• Bamboo has also been tried with limited success.
• http://www.dailymotion.com/video/
xdwc4e_jean-francois-daber-french-bow-
make_creation