Bowed Strings

The origins of bowed stringed instruments are not fully understood, though their presence was documented by the 10th century in Central Asia and the Middle East. Bowed stringed instruments are chordophones in which the strings are primarily induced to vibrate by rubbing, often with a bow strung with horse tail hair. The horsehair, or other rough material, its stickiness enhanced with materials like rosin, pulls and releases the string at imperceptibly frequent intervals, resulting in a sustained sound. The National Music Museum’s bowed stringed instruments include many from the historical centers of Italian Renaissance and Baroque violin making, Cremona and Brescia. Additional strengths include instruments and bows from the German region of Vogtland, a major center for violin making in the 19th and 20th centuries.