Stroh violin

The straw violin (also known as phono violin or phono fiddle or cornet violin ) is a 1899 in London by John Matthias Augustus straw (* 1828 in Frankfurt am Main, † 1914 in London) developed form of violin that does not sound box.

Tone

The strings of the violin are, as usual, painted with a bow. The mechanical string vibration is transmitted to the web via a lever directly on a membrane. This produced therefrom in accordance with the gramophone air vibrations that are emitted through a funnel made ​​of metal reinforces the ambient air.

Designs

Around 1925, constructed the Markneukirchner engineer Willy Tiebel a funnel violin, which was implemented by the master luthier August Glaesel structurally. Is your own, that in addition to the main horn a small bell to the left ear of the musician radiates out so that he can control his game. Tiebel this violin was marketed as Tiebel radio system violin.

Furthermore, there are instruments with a normal body response. Despite this, they do not sound like a normal violin, because the web is also coupled to the diaphragm.

Use

With the spread of the gramophone and the necessary mechanical recording technology mainly traditional stringed instruments for this were too quiet. In the straw of the violin sound emerges strengthened from the horn and directed primarily and was thus identical with brass instruments, woodwind instruments and noisy (eg, the Sax ) are taken together.

Today in the Romanian Bihor county are straw violins ( there Vioară cu goarnă ( " violin with a horn " ) called ) used in folk music and also - often in the self-made musician - made ​​. The instrument is likely to come with returning former emigrants in the area and has established itself as stand-alone instrument.

Among the more famous musicians who use the straw violin because of their special sound happy, including Tom Waits, múm and R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenaders. In the area of ​​Tango Argentino they played by Javier Casalla, the violinist of the Bajofondo Tango Club and Cristóbal Repetto. In Shakira's "Sale El Sol " world tour (2010-2011) played the violinist Una Palliser a straw violin.