Today's Hopf Violins
You can pay some very hefty prices for a Hopf violin - it certainly pays to shop around. It should always be on a web shopper's list to check ebay - not only will you save money on used Hopf violins, but the prices on new ones can be well below what you find elsewhere, even on the net. Merchants use ebay as a way to sell excess, last year's models, etc.
About Hopf Violins
The Hopf family are one of the oldest and largest of the families of traditional
violin makers from the town of Markneukirchen, which is the largest center of
violin making in Germany. The family decends from Caspar Hopf (1650-1708).
Jalovec's Encyclopedia of German Hopf Violin Makers has entries on 23 members of the
family. While genuine Hopf violins might sell for several thousand dollars,
there are many cheap antique violins branded "HOPF" on the back, near the neck. These are not likely to be genuine Hopfs, but factory-made mass market products. Old, but not particularly valuable.
About Violins
The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello.
A violin is sometimes informally called a fiddle, no matter what kind of music is played on it. The word "violin" comes to us through the Romance languages from the Middle Latin word vitula, meaning "stringed instrument"; this word may also be the source of the Germanic "fiddle".
Sizes
Children typically use smaller string instruments than adults. Hopf Violins are made in so-called "fractional" sizes for young students: Apart from full-size (4/4) violins, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/10, 1/16, and even 1/32-sized instruments exist. Extremely small sizes were developed along with the Suzuki program for violin students as young as 3 years old. Finely-made fractional sized violins, especially smaller than 1/2 size, are extremely rare or nonexistent. Such small instruments are typically intended for beginners needing a rugged violin, and whose rudimentary technique does not justify the expense of a more carefully made one.
These fractional sizes have nothing to do with the actual dimensions of an instrument; in other words, a 3/4-sized instrument is not three-quarters the length of a full size instrument. The body length (not including the neck) of a "full-size" or 4/4 violin is about 14 inches (35 cm), smaller in some 17th century models. A 3/4 violin is about 13 inches (33 cm), and a 1/2 size is approximately 12 inches (30 cm). With the violin's closest family member, the viola, size is specified as body length in inches or centimeters rather than fractional sizes. A "full-size" viola averages 16 inches (40 cm).
Occasionally, an adult with a small frame may use a so-called "7/8" size violin instead of a full-size instrument. Sometimes called a "lady's violin", these instruments are slightly shorter than a full size violin, but tend to be high-quality instruments capable of producing a sound that is comparable to fine full size violins.
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