=The Violin Bow=.—A few words must be said in regard to the bow, the means for producing tone from the violin strings. In its earliest form it was simply a bow with a stretched string. Hair came into use, to replace the string, about the 13th century, and the bow lost its original shape, becoming straight for nearly its entire length, curving downward at the point. Corelli used a bow of this shape. Tartini’s bow had the same shape, but was made longer. At the end of the 18th century, =François Tourte= (1747-1835), a Paris bow-maker, lengthened the bow still more, and bent it slightly inward, giving it the form familiar to us today. Viotti was the first great player to use this style of bow, and is credited with a share in perfecting it. It is no exaggeration to say that upon Tourte’s improvements to the bow rests the whole fabric of modern violin-playing, with its wonderful variety of execution and consequent nuances in expression. =The Viola and the Violoncello=.—Two other instruments of the violin type are in use, the Viola, the _tenor_ violin, and the Violoncello, the _bass_ violin; both these instruments shared in the development of the violin, and were made by the great makers, Amati, Guarnerius and Stradivarius. The Contra-bass, the bass-viol, as it is often called, while it is used to furnish the bass to the string orchestra, is a member of the viol family, having the special characteristics, sloping shoulders and flat back. Instruments were made on the violin pattern, but given up as less satisfactory than the viol type. The impetus given to instrumental composition by the perfecting of the instruments of the string group stimulated makers to work for improvement in those belonging to the family of wind instruments, flutes, oboes, clarinets, horns, harps, etc., thus offering the means to reproduce for hearers the great conceptions of the tone-masters. REFERENCES. Grove.—Dictionary of Music and Musicians, article on the violin. Stoeving.—Story of the Violin. Hart.—The Violin. Its Famous Makers and their Imitators. Heron-Allen. Violin-Making as it Was and Is. Haweis.—Old Violins. QUESTIONS. Why did the Viol type yield to the Violin? Who is credited with being the originator of the Violin type? Give the names of the early Italian makers. What noted family of violin makers started the fame of Cremona? What was the model used by the Amati family? What improvements did Joseph Guarnerius make? What was Stradivarius’ contribution? Who was the greatest German maker? Name French and English makers. Compare the great makers of violins and their work.