BEST IELTS General Reading Test 495

BEST IELTS General Reading Test 495

IELTS General Reading Test

THE HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN AND ITS DEVELOPMENT

A. The violin, viola and cello were first made in the early 16th century in Italy. The earliest evidence for their existence is in paintings by Gaudenzio Ferrari from the 1530s, though Ferrari’s instruments had only three strings. The instruments Ferrari depicts have bulging front and back plates, strings which feed into peg-boxes with side pegs and f-holes. They do not have frets. The only real difference between these instruments and the modern violin is that Ferrari’s have three strings and a rather more extravagant curved shape.

It is not clear exactly who made these first violins, but there is good evidence that they originate from northern Italy. Violins are likely to have been developed from a number of other string instruments of the 15th and 16th centuries, including the vielle, rebec, and lira da braccio. The history of bowed string instruments in Europe goes back to the 9th century. Since their invention, instruments in the violin family have seen a number of changes. The overall pattern for the instrument was set in the 17th century.

IELTS General Reading Test

B. At first, the violin was not popular. In fact, it was considered a musical instrument of low status. But by the 1600s, well-known composers like Claudio Monteverdi used the violin in his operas, and the violins’ status grew. The violins’ prestige continued to rise during the Baroque period once major composers began dedicating time writing for the violin.

By the mid-18th century, the violin enjoyed a vital place in instrumental music ensembles. In the 19th century, the violins’ rise to fame continued in the hands of virtuoso violinists such as Nicolo Paganini and Pablo de Sarasate. In the 20th century, the violin reached new heights both in technical and artistic aspects. Isaac Stern, Fritz Kreisler, and Itzhak Perlman are some of the well-known icons.

IELTS General Reading Test

C. The Stroh violin used mechanical amplification similar to that of an unelectrified gramophone to boost sound volume. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries before electronic sound amplification became common, Stroh violins were used particularly in the recording studio. These violins with directional horns better suited the demands of the early recording industry’s technology than the traditional violin.

Stroh was not the only person who made instruments of this class. Over twenty different inventions appear in the Patent books up to 1949. Often mistaken for Stroh and interchangeably known as being Stroh-viols, phono-fiddles, horn-violins or trumpet-violins, these other instruments have slipped into comparative obscurity.

IELTS General Reading Test

D. The history of the electric violin spans the entire 20th century. The success of electrical amplification, recording and playback devices brought an end to the use of the Stroh violin in broadcast and recording. Acoustic-electric violins have a hollow body with sound holes and may be played with or without amplification. Solid-body electric violins produce very little sound on their own and require the use of an electronic sound reinforcement system which usually includes equalization and may also apply sonic effects.

E. Most violins are made from approximately 70 different pieces of spruce or maple. The violin parts include the scroll, tuning pegs, peg box, neck, frets, finger board, F-holes, strings, bridge, tailpiece, and chin rest. The bow includes the stick, hair, and screw. A violin bow is usually made with between 150 and 200 hairs. These bows can be made with horse hair, nylon and a variety of other materials. Violins are available in different sizes. Beginners usually begin with smaller instruments and eventually move to full size violins.

IELTS General Reading Test

When playing the violin the musician rests the violin under the chin and uses their left hand’s fingers to press strings on the neck while bowing or plucking the string at the bridge. When playing the violin the bow is drawn at right angles across the strings, with the right hand, to make sound. The violin is the smallest instrument in the violin family. It also has the highest pitch of the four types of instruments.

F. The viola is a member of the violin family and is a bit larger than the violin and has a lower pitch. The cello is a member of the violin family and is larger than the viola. It rests on a metal spike that touches the ground while playing. The double bass is the largest instrument in the violin family. It also rests on the floor and the musician stands to play. It has a much lower pitch than the violin. The folk music version of the violin is the fiddle. Aging and softening of the wood work together make a violin more responsive with a warmer tone.

IELTS General Reading Test

It is this warmth and ease of response that often make old violins a treasure. Every violin has small differences from other instruments that make it unique. Uniqueness can be good or bad depending on whether the violin conforms to accepted qualities or has qualities that are undesirable such as wolf tones or dead spots (unresponsive areas). In the hands of a master, a violin can bring the most subtle emotion to an entire symphony hall.

The text has six sections, A-F.

Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number, I-VI.

LIST OF HEADINGS

I. The violin family

II. Electrical amplification of violins

III. Adulation of violin

IV. Violin with directional horns

V. Structural details of violin

VI. Annals of violin

IELTS General Reading Test

27. Section A

28. Section B

29. Section C

30. Section D

31. Section E

32. Section F

IELTS General Reading Test

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS/OR A NUMBER.

33. What does Stroh violin used to magnify sound volume?

34. During which period did composers embark on to dedicate time writing for the violin?

35. Which violins were first made in the 16th century in Italy?

36. Name the largest instrument in the violin family?

37. What does the bow comprises of?

38. Up to an year less than 1950, how many inventions appeared in the patent book?

39. What is the folk music version of the violin called?

40. Which violin called off the use of the Stroh violin in broadcast and recording?

IELTS General Reading Test

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IELTS General Reading Test

27. VI

28. III

29. IV

30. II

31. V

32. I

33. MECHANICAL AMPLIFICATION

34. BAROQUE

35. VIOLA AND CELLO

36. DOUBLE BASS

37. STICK, HAIR, SCREW

38. OVER TWENTY/OVER 20

39. FIDDLE

40. ELECTRIC VIOLIN

IELTS General Reading Test

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