Violine

As Printed on a Score

The German name on violin staves — Violine I and II, or the plurals Erste and Zweite Violinen, sometimes Geigen — shortened to Viol. or Vl. on later systems. Mahler’s Fifth Symphony spells the sections out as words rather than numbering them, and German directions such as get. (geteilt, divided) appear over the part where an Italian score would print div.

Abbreviations: Vl., Vln., Viol.

Also spelled: Violinen, Geige, Geigen

How Composers Use It

Naming the instruments in German, as Wagner and Mahler did, matches German directions inside the parts and signals the vernacular precision those composers wanted throughout a score. The instrument and its writing are unchanged: treble clef at pitch from the G below middle C upward, divided with geteilt and reunited with zusammen or unis.

Example

Mahler, Symphony No. 5, first movement (Trauermarsch), staff labels: “Erste Violinen.” and “Zweite Violinen.”, shortened to “Erste Viol.” and “Zweite Viol.” on later systems.

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