Stroh Violin - Romanian Horn-violin

Romanian Horn-violin

The Romanian horn-violin is similar to the Stroh violin. It was built through the 20th century. It has the same length as the Stroh violin, but its horn is narrower and yields a more directional sound. The structure of the instrument is based on the element of an old-fashioned gramophone. Amateurs or small workshops could easily build it and, perhaps for that reason, many variants exist in Eastern Europe.

The vibrations of the strings and bridge are transmitted by a thin rod to the membrane of the gramophone-element. The membrane transforms these vibrations into sound waves, which are amplified by the horn or beaker. The horn-violin is harder to play than a normal violin because the reaction of the bow on the strings is less flexible, and the instrument's weight is less evenly distributed. This causes an imbalance on the shoulder.

The instrument is still used in Romanian folk-music for playing horas and doinas, and mixes well with the characteristic sound of the pan-flute. It is generally used sparsely as the grating tone can irritate after a while. Instruments like the Stroh violin and other types of horn-violin remain a curiosity; they are quite rare in the orchestra.

• Romanian horn-violin and its bow

• The gramophone serves as the receiver of the vibrations, which are transformed into sound waves in the horn