General Matters affecting the Violin to 1650

Abstract To understand the history of violin playing involves more than a narrow focus on the mechanics of manipulating the violin and bow. In earlier chapters we have dealt with the historical ‘why’ of many matters relative to the progress of the violin, violin music, and the technique of playing it. In this concluding chapter to Part II we consider those questions of a general musical nature which are pertinent to our subject. The performance of violin music belongs to a larger context of musical performance in general, and such matters as ornaments, including the vibrato, often need special discussion in connexion with violin music. In addition, certain general musical facts of the time are imperfectly understood-for instance, rhythm and tempo in the early seventeenth century-and in so far as these questions affect the performance of violin music, we will report any significant results of the most recent investigations.