O violino violado

The representation of the violin as a hegemonic musical instrument is an undisputed fact, regarding its presence within the widest scope of Western musical performance. The last decades have witnessed, however, the emergency of some dissonant voices: the Historically Informed Performance (HIP) practice has rediscovered the baroque violin and all its technical apparatus; the Brazilian fiddle rabeca claimed to be heard through its own voice, despite the neglectful approach from the mainstream scholars and musicians. Departing from the intersection between popular and erudite culture that characterizes most of Brazilian José Eduardo Gramani’s music written for rabeca, this article raises reflections about violin teaching in a multi-cultural society, according to the concepts of Walter Benjamin’s Über den Begriff der Geshichte. It discusses the standardization of performance practice imposed by the cultural industry.