Pochette (musical instrument)

Pochette
	Decorated pochette
Other names	Kytte, treble violin; creytertjes; poche, kit violin, dancing master's kit, pochette d’amour, sourdine; Posch, Tanzmeistergeige, Taschengeige, Trögl-geige; canino, pochetto, sordina, sordino; linterculus
Classification	Bowed string instrument;
Related instruments
	Violin; Viola; Cello; Double bass; Rebec;

The pochette is a small stringed instrument of the bowed variety. It is a small violin-like instrument designed to fit in a pocket, hence the name "pochette" (French for small pocket).

Also known as a pocket fiddle it was designed to be used by dance masters in royal courts and noble households, and by street musicians, from about the 15th century until around the 19th century, becoming especially popular in the 1800s.^[2] Prior, the rebec was used in a similar way, and some modern pochettes descend from the rebec instead of the violin family.^[3]

A common misconception is that pochettes were intended for children, when in fact they were conceived for adults; their small size allowed them to be used where the larger violins were too cumbersome to carry, or too expensive to own. The instrument's body is very small, but its fingerboard is long relative to the instrument's overall size, to preserve as much of the instrument's melodic range as possible. Pochettes come in many shapes, with the narrow boat shaped ones called "sardinos" being one of the most common, along with the pear-shaped type.^[2] A pochette shaped like a violin is called a "kit violin" or just "kit".

^ Remnant, Mary (2001). "Kit". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5.‎
^ ^a ^b Stowell, Robin (2001). "Related Family Members". The Early Violin and Viola: A Practical Guide. Cambridge Handbooks to the Historical Performance of Music (illustrated ed.). Cambridge University Press: 175. ISBN 9780521625555.
^ Donington, Robert (1962). The Instruments of Music. University of Virginia: Methuen. p. 64.

[1] Remnant, Mary (2001). "Kit". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5.‎

[Stowell-2] Stowell, Robin (2001). "Related Family Members". The Early Violin and Viola: A Practical Guide. Cambridge Handbooks to the Historical Performance of Music (illustrated ed.). Cambridge University Press: 175. ISBN 9780521625555.

[3] Donington, Robert (1962). The Instruments of Music. University of Virginia: Methuen. p. 64.

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