Baroque, transitional, and modern bows under the positivist aegis

a discussion of the concept of evolution traditionally applied to the development of the violin bow

Abstract

In violin bow history, it is usual to face the conception of a linear and progressive sequence over the course of its development through the centuries; a sequence marked by the refinement of somewhat rudimentary specimen into the perfection of the modern bow. Reference violinists from the 19th century, such as Woldemar and Baillot, as well as the historian Fétis, developed charts signaling the characterization of a bow evolution. This is, however, a notion marked by the positivist thought. These images, largely reproduced in books and articles, solidified a reality different from that presented by treatises and iconography from the 17th to the 19th century. In this article, we aim to show, through comprehensive bibliographic review and iconographic analysis, that various bow models coexisted in musical practices between 1600 and 1850 – bearing in mind the diversity of needs imposed by instrumentalists, genres, and styles –, and that a historical understanding of these features, through an evolutionist view, would be reductionist.