The History of The Bow
The History of The Bow
The History of 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.
• 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.
• 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
• 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).
• 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.