Introduction

   The origin of the word 'violin' came from the word 'violine', in which '-ine' means smaller in Italian. Therfore violine came from the word 'viola' and the fusion of the two makes: viola + ine = violine. Hence, 'violin' in English derives from smaller viola, violine.
   Historically, there is no doubt that the viola was used long before the violin was created. As the two instruments evolved, however, the viola became used more for chamber and orchestral music as the violin came more into the foreground as a favorite solo instrument. In the twentieth century composers have written progressively more for the viola and the cello as solo instruments, but the repertoire for either instruments cannot yet compare to the vast repertoire for the violin.
   The question that arises may be 'why did people prefer the high registered instrument such as the violin?' One of the reasons may be that the stimulation of the sound quality of the violin on the human ear may be more intense than that of lower register instruments.
   When one becomes excited or upset one tends to raise the pitch of the voice.  Female voices tend to carry further and sound louder than that of the male voice.  As a result of these natural tendencies, the violin has established itself as one of the most played instruments.