National Violin Day is celebrated on December 13 to celebrate the musical instrument. It recognises the impact and cultural contributions of the instrument. Arnold Rosé from Romania was the world's first violinist. The word 'violin' comes from the Medieval Latin word 'vitula', meaning stringed instrument, and graduated into the family of Viols. As we observe National Violin Day 2020, we bring to you some interesting facts about the musical instrument. Did you know that playing the violin can burn calories? Know more about it below. World Music Day: 5 Unique Musical Instruments Used in India.

Origin of the violin can be dated back to the ninth century in Europe or Asia. Violin came into limelight in the fifteenth century in Italy where violins they were made in Cremona, northern Italy. The violin is a string instrument with four strings and is tuned in perfect fifths. The instrument is played by drawing a bow across one or more strings and then by plucking the strings. Various other techniques are also applied to play the instrument. Brain Tumour Patient Plays Violin as Doctors Perform Critical Surgery at London's King's College Hospital (Watch Video)

  1. The modern violin has been around for roughly 500 years and is said to have been designed in the 1500s by Andrea Amati.

  2. Violins are typically made of spruce or maple wood.

  3. Violins are made by 70 different pieces of wood put together to form the modern violin.

  4. The world record in cycling backwards playing the violin is 60.45 kilometres in 5 hours 8 seconds.

  5. The most expensive violin in the world was made by Giuseppe Guarneri in 1741 at $18 million.

  6. The world’s largest playable violin was constructed by 15 violin makers from Germany. It is 4.27 metres tall and 5.22 metres wide with a sound three times lower than a conventional violin.

  7. According to a study, playing the violin is said to burn approximately 170 calories per hour.

  8. Violin bows typically contain 150 to 200 hairs made of different materials including nylon and horsehair.

Many violin facts show that playing the instrument can have a significant impact on the mind. According to the study from Harvard University, early training in the violin improves cognitive skills including memory, nonverbal reasoning, and attention. Researchers studying the brain’s plasticity often use violinists to examine how much the brain can adapt. National Violin Day celebrated in the United States is different from International Violin Day which is celebrated on June 17. We wish everyone who plays the instrument a Happy Violin Day!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 13, 2020 01:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).