A baritone violin, more properly called an octave violin, is an instrument with a vibrating string length exactly the same as a standard violin, but tuned one octave lower. This puts a baritone/octave violin in the note range between the viola and the ‘cello. Special “fat” strings are used on octave violins to achieve the lower pitch. In fact, a musician can put octave strings on a standard violin and it will play an octave lower, but it will have very little power, volume or depth of timbre without electric amplification.
Designed to be Octave Violins!
The Rickert-Fiddarci instrument is a true purpose-built (not a converted violin or viola...it's made to play low!) octave violin is specifically designed to draw all of the sound possible out of such a small instrument. After over 10 years of experimentation and research, Rickert-Fiddarci Octave Violins, while having the same vibrating string length as a regular violin, have incredible power, beautiful deep timbre and VOLUME without amplification, and superior playability. The instruments can be seen and heard on Don Rickert Research & Design’s YouTube site at or simply go to DoctorFiddle on YouTube (www.YouTube.com/DoctorFiddle and look for the play list called “Demonstrations of New Baritone Fiddle.”) Some of the greatest musicians in the world own and play the Rickert-Fiddarci instruments and they are beginning to show up on their recordings.
Inspired by an Old Design
The Octave Violins from Fiddarci Lutherie™ were designed by Don Rickert, Ph.D., IDSA of Don Rickert Research & Design™, inspired by an obscure and unique violin from the mid-19th Century. This inspirational instrument, called the “Cradle of Harmony” was invented by the artist and inventor William Sidney Mount. W.S. Mount’s Cradle of Harmony attracted Dr. Rickert’s attention during his years of design research related to octave violins. In tribute to William Sidney Mount, we call our Octave Violins by the name Cradle of Harmony™.
There are significant differences, such as use of a modern bassbar and soundpost, between William Sidney Mount’s brilliant creation and our Octave Violins, but one central design feature shared by our modern instrument and Mount’s 160 year old design is the use of bent flat plates for the top and back rather the traditional carved arched plates. The tops of our instruments are convex and the backs are concave. Further, Mount’s instruments were tuned like standard violins; hence, our Octave Violins, made specifically to play an octave lower, have much higher ribs than Mount’s in order to increase the airspace within the soundbox, one of many important variables for obtaining power and volume from a stringed instrument.