The History of the Violin Bow

The bow is one of the most important tools everfor thousands of miles. Because of this the bow
invented in musical history because it made possiblewould soon appear in many locations throughout the
some of the most important instruments such as theworld.
violin, viola and cello.The modern bow
Historians agree that stringed instruments existedThe bow caused a sensation after it was introduced
long before the bow except that these instrumentsinto France in the early 19th century. Francois Tourte
were plucked not bowed. Bowing can be traced backis given credit for honing the bow to perfection in
to central Asia where it is thought to have originatedthe same way that Antonia Stradivari mastered the
and then spread throughout the world. Wall paintingsart of violin making. He was trained as a watchmaker
of bowed instruments have been found in placesand started out making bows along with his father
such as Tajikistan in central Asia.and brother. After much painstaking research he
Other evidence is that central Asia is a society ofcame to the conclusion that Brazil Wood was the
horse peoples such as the Huns and the Mongols.ultimate material for violin bows because of its
These people would use horse hair for their militarystrength, weight and elasticity.
bows. It is agreed that the bow was probablyModern bow making reached its pinnacle in Paris
discovered when some Mongol warrior decided to trybetween the mid 19th and 20th centuries, when bow
out his horse hair bow on a harp or lyre. This is themakers would travel from all over the world to learn
most likely origin of the bow.from the French masters.
Once the bow was invented it spread very quickly,Today violin bows are generally made by specialist
the central Asian horse peoples lived along the Silkbow makers although some violin makers have made
Road on which goods and innovations would traveltheir own bows as well.