Talk:Tenor violin

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[edit] Violin octet

Perhaps it's important to mention the tenor violin of the Violin octet? I'm not sure whether that is distinct from the tenor violin described in the article. RosinDebow (talk) 14:34, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

The two instruments are distinct if you take the perspective that Hutchins' development of the violin octet was not as much an effort to "fill out gaps in the existing family of violin instruments" as much as it was to develop a set of "acoustically matched instruments" based on balanced proportions (i.e. the soprano is proportionately equivalent to the contrabass whereas in the common violin family neither the violin, viola, cello, or bass are proportionate to one another). The dimensions of the mezzo violin do not match traditional violin dimensions and thus they are not functionally equivalent. I would treat Hutchins' octet as a specific branch of the violin family altogether rather than as variations of other violins bearing the same "title." (The Hutchins' baritone is a 5th below the "other" baritone. IMHO, I would again, treat the Hutchins' baritone as a part of that set/branch.) Petechen (talk) 10:05, 30 January 2008 (UTC)