Talk:second violinist

...what exactly is the point of having an article for second violinist. A friend of mine was the like the 14th violinist, do they get a definition as well? --12.216.254.3 01:20, 22 Nov 2004 (UTC)

You probably mean your friend was 14th chair (of either 1st or 2nd violin). There are generally two violin parts in orchestral scores. First violinists play the first of these parts, second violinists play the second part. There could be any number of first or second violinists in an orchestra (within reason). In a string quartet, there is one of each.

In larger ensembles, the players are usually seated in order of ability, so the first chair second violinist is probably a better player than the second chair, etc. The first chair first violin, generally the best violinist of all, is called the concertmaster. In smaller orchestras, the concertmaster may also conduct.

In any case, there are generally not fourteen distinct violin parts scored in an orchestral work.

Finally, the phrases second violin, and particularly second fiddle have come to be widely applied outside their literal context, which pretty much automatically qualifies them for dictionary entries.

Hope this helps. -dmh 04:40, 22 Nov 2004 (UTC)