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Short abstract:

Tracing the history of the modern Pernambuco violin bow from the 19th century, this paper addresses the connections between colonialism, environmental crises, indigenous land access, and European classical music.

Long abstract:

Apace with European colonialism, the violin bow became the object of extensive experimentation. The large influx of wealth to Europe opened new avenues for musical performance, alongside which a desire for bigger instrumental sounds arose. Bow makers experimented with different woods to find new sounds, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that the shape of the modern violin bow was fully established, when a tropical wood became available to bow makers.

Pernambuco (paubrasilia echinata) is endemic to Brazil’s Atlantic rain forest. This tree was once Portugal’s central colonial interest and its biggest export from Brazil, which in fact was named after the precious dyewood. When due to changing markets the wood became affordable enough to become a resource for instrument makers, it quickly became the dominant material for bow makers, as it offers the ideal combination of lightness, density, strength, and elasticity to produce more versatile sounds.

After centuries of colonial extraction, Pernambuco is now an endangered species protected under the international CITES Convention. As bowmakers continue to use the wood, the production of bows is increasingly becoming a contested ground, where the cultural heritage of violin makers and the interests of musicians clash with decolonial and environmental conservation efforts in Brazil.

The violin bow is a contact zone, in which diverse landscapes, histories, and ontologies encounter one another. Tracing the history of the modern Pernambuco violin bow, this paper addresses the connections between colonialism, environmental crises, indigenous land access, and European classical music.