The violin bow: a brief depiction of its history

The history of the violin bow is a frequently neglected chapter in the annals of violin making. To put it in other words, it is a central chapter in the history of instruments, given that it is the very history of the sound of a violin. The bow is what first brings the voice of a violin to life, and the composition of the stick, frog, head and horsehair reveals just as much about the instruments of a given era as the angle of a violin's arch or its varnish.

The development of the violin bow and violin has always followed a recurring pattern of musical and artisanal/technical factors mutually influencing one another. Every significant advance in violin making either was followed by new musical standards or created the conditions necessary for them to evolve – but at each phase, this progress could not take place until a new bow model emerged. With each new step in the history of making bows, the promise of new qualities of sound became reality. Those who wonder why the violin became a leading instrument in Europe's musical tradition can find solid answers by taking a closer look at the bow.

We have outlined the history of the violin bow in a short series of three introductory articles:

Part I: The Baroque bow

Part II: The Classical bow

Part III: The modern bow

Biographical and regional sketches:

Bazin – The turbulent history of a great bow maker dynasty (two parts)

John Dodd – a legend of oyster shells and silver spoons

Joseph Alfred Lamy Père – a key figure in modern bow making

The bow makers of Markneukirchen

Morizot père et frères: The short history of a great family of bow makers

Eugène Nicolas Sartory – a modern classic among bow makers

James Tubbs: the classic name in English bow making

François Nicolas Voirin and the new French bow

Jean Baptiste Vuillaume – notes on his life and work

W. E. Hill & Sons – on the Mt. Parnassus of the art of violin making

In our online catalogue you will find historical masterpieces of the art of making bows ...