The violin can sing, dance, whisper, and show off. These 15 pieces show all of it. Some are concert hall classics, and some are tunes your child will play in the first years of lessons.
Start here
1. “Spring” from The Four Seasons, by Vivaldi. Vivaldi was a violinist, and he wrote these four concertos to show what the instrument can do. Listen for: the solo violin that plays the birds. See the Four Seasons listening guide.
2. Concerto for Two Violins, first movement, by Bach. Two soloists chase each other through the same tune. Violin students call it the “Bach Double.” Listen for: the moment the second soloist comes in with the tune that the first one just played. Read Bach for kids.
3. “Méditation” from Thaïs, by Massenet. A slow song for violin and harp from a French opera. Listen for: how long the violinist can hold one note with one bow.
Show-off pieces
4. Caprice No. 24, by Paganini. Paganini was the greatest violin showman of the 1800s. This piece for violin alone is a tune and 11 variations, and each one shows a new trick. Listen for: the variation where the player plucks the strings with the left hand. Read Paganini for kids.
5. “Csárdás,” by Monti. It starts slow and sad, and then it races. Game: sway for the slow part and clap for the fast part.
6. “Zigeunerweisen,” by Sarasate. A Spanish violinist wrote it to play himself. The last two minutes are as fast as fingers can go.
7. “Hoe-Down” from Rodeo, by Copland. The orchestra’s violins play an old fiddle tune. Read violin vs fiddle.
Pieces with a story
8. Danse macabre, by Saint-Saëns. Death plays the fiddle at midnight, and the skeletons dance. The solo violin’s top string is tuned a half step low to give it a sour sound. Read the Danse macabre guide.
9. Scheherazade, by Rimsky-Korsakov. A solo violin plays the voice of the storyteller. It comes back in each of the four movements. Read Scheherazade for kids.
10. “The Lark Ascending,” by Vaughan Williams. The violin is a bird that rises until it is out of sight.
11. “The Devil’s Trill” Sonata, by Tartini. Tartini said that he dreamed the devil played the violin at the foot of his bed. He woke and wrote down what he could remember. A trill is two notes that flutter back and forth.
The big concertos
12. Violin Concerto, by Mendelssohn. In most concertos, the orchestra plays for a while before the soloist. Here the violin comes in after two seconds. Read Mendelssohn for kids.
13. Violin Concerto, by Beethoven. It begins with five soft taps on the timpani. Game: count the five taps each time they return.
Pieces a student will play
14. Gavotte, by Gossec. The last piece in Suzuki Violin Book 1. It bounces on short, light bow strokes.
15. “Humoresque,” by Dvořák. A tune that skips, with a slow, singing middle. It is in Suzuki Violin Book 3.
The “Bach Double” is in the Suzuki books too. Students learn the second violin part in Book 4 and the first violin part in Book 5. Read Suzuki violin books 1 to 10.
What the violin can do
| Word | What it means | Where to hear it |
|---|---|---|
| Pizzicato | Plucking the string with a finger | Paganini, Caprice No. 24 |
| Double stop | Two strings at once | Saint-Saëns, Danse macabre, the solo violin’s first notes |
| Trill | Two notes that flutter | Tartini, “The Devil’s Trill” |
| Harmonic | A light touch that makes a high, glassy note | Monti, “Csárdás,” the slow middle part |
| Vibrato | A small wobble that warms a long note | Massenet, “Méditation” |
Watch as well as listen
The violin is good to watch. Find a video of each piece and look at three things.
- The bow. Does it move in long strokes or short ones?
- The left hand. How far up the neck does it travel?
- The player’s body. Does the violinist stand still or sway?
For two more instruments, read famous cello pieces for kids and famous flute pieces for kids.
Games to play
- Sing or dance? After each piece, decide if the violin was singing or dancing.
- Spot the trick. Call out “pluck” when you hear pizzicato.
- Tick them off. Use the 25 classical pieces checklist.
To learn how the instrument works, read the violin for kids. If your child wants to play, read best age to start violin lessons and first violin songs for kids.
More from this guide
This article is part of How to introduce kids to classical music.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.