Jap fiddle explained

The Jap fiddle or Japanese fiddle was a one-stringed bowed instrument used by street performers, music hall performers, and vaudevillians^[1] around the start of the 20th century, particularly in the United Kingdom and United States. The instrument was particularly associated with Cockney blackface performer G. H. Chirgwin.^[2] A variant was later produced with a vibrating membrane and horn for amplification,^[3] as a one-stringed phonofiddle.^[4]

The instrument was likely named for its vague similarity to the Japanese kokyū, as in the late 1800s interest in East Asia had been piqued by the opening of Japan to foreign trade.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Book: Experimental Musical Instruments. 1 April 2012. 1994. Experimental Musical Instruments. 13.
2. Book: Rachel Cowgill. Julian Rushton. Julian Rushton. Europe, Empire, and Spectacle in Nineteenth-century British Music. 1 April 2012. December 2006. Ashgate Publishing. 978-0-7546-5208-3. 273–.
3. Book: Christine Hunt. I'm ninety-five – any objection?. 1 April 2012. 1985. Reed Methuen. 978-0-474-00040-9. 36.
4. Book: English Dance and Song. 1 April 2012. 1983. The English Folk Dance and Song Society. 10.
5. Book: Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society. 1 April 2012. 2000. American Musical Instrument Society. 201.