- M A K I

AS I T WAS AND I S

B E ING A

li lstorieal, t heoretical, and Practical t reatise

O N THE

SCIENCE AND‘

ART O F VIO LIN—MAKING,

FO R THE USE O F

VI O LIN MAKERS AND PLAYERS,

AMATEUR AND PRO FES S IO NAL.

ED . HERON-ALLEN,

AUTHOR O F THE. ANCESTRY O F THE VIO LIN.

" “TI-I E H ISTO RY O F A GREAT VI O LIN CAsn,

“TH: RO MANCE o r A n o ar c.

WITH UPWARD S O F 2 00 ILLUS TRAT IO NS B Y THE AUTHO R.

Viva fu i in sy lv is , sum durd occi sa securi ,

D am vi z i tac u i , mor tua du lce can o .

PRECED ED B Y

Ji n essay on the Violin and its Position as a musical Instrument.

WA R D , L O C K C O L I M I TE D

LO ND O N AND MELBO URNE

P r in ted i n Gr ea t B r i ta in by

ED .CHAS . STRAKER , L

'

r D LO ND ON.

THE LI BRARY

BRIGHAM YO UNG UNI VERSI TY

PRO VO , UTAH

HI S R O YAL H IGHNES S

a lfrco E rnest E lbert, Euke of E omburgb

E arl of Rent, ano E arl of‘

lll lster,

1MB R U: k l) $.GJ IM B

ETC . , ETC ETC .

,

PR INCE O F THE B RO THERHO O D 0F AMATE UR VI O LINI STS ,

TH I S VO LUME I S ,B Y

m s RO YAL H I GHNES S’

MO S T GRAC I O US PERM I S S I O N,

RES PECTF ULLY

E eOtcateo

C DC E tttbor.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDI TI ON.

As m any O f my Reade rs a re doubtle ss a lready aw a re,m uch of

the substan ce of the The o re tica l an d Pra ctica l pa rts o f the fo l

low in g trea tise appe ared o rigin a lly in the pages o f Am a teur

Wor k I llustr a ted (vo ls. i . ii ., i i i . 1882 3 The w o rk hasprofited la rgely by this pre lim in a ry publication in seria l fo rm ,

fo r,as chapte r a fte r chapte r appea red

,m a ny va luable le tte rs

w e re re ce ived from reade rs O f the Maga z in e w ho w e re in te re stedin Vio lin m aking, bo th pro fe ssion a lly an d en am a teur

,con ta in ing

in fo rm a tion on doubtful po in ts,hin ts a n d sugge stion s a s to the

de sidera ta of fiddle -m ake rs,a nd po in ting o ut w he re m y w o rk

w a s to the ca su a l re ade r un in te lligible , o r seem ingly in correct.All such co rre ction s and addition s a s w e re thus sugge sted haven ow be en added to the o rigin a l text, grea tly, o f course

,to its

advan tage , fo r it is ha rdly n ece ssa ry to po in t out tha t the re m usta lw ays be m uch in a w ork w hich m ay seem clea r as the n oon

day to the w rite r,but w hich m ay be in com prehen sible to the

re ade r who can n o t fo llow w ha t w a s the Autho r’ s cha in O f

thought as he comm itted his se n te n ce s to pape r. I n the sam e

w ay, sin ce the appea ran ce of the first edition at the en d O f the

ye a r 1884, I have rece ived m a ny va luable sugge stion s fromreaders

,suggestion s by w hich I ha ve gra te fully profited, an d

I se iz e this oppo rtun ity to re co rd m y in debtedn e ss in thisre spe ct to Mr . J ohn Bishop (of Che lten ham ) , w ith w hosekin dly an d ca re ful assistan ce I have been en abled to add m anytouche s w he re they have bee n se riously n eeded

,and a lso to

e luc ida te m any po in ts w hich have appe ared vague in the te xt.Written o rigin a lly fo r the page s o f an exclusive ly practical

Magaz in e , the w o rk in its se ria l fo rm w a s of a n exclu sixelypractica l n a ture

,but n ow tha t space is n o longe r an Obj e ct of 80

b

v ii i PREFACE.

m uch con side ra tion a s it is in a pe riodica l,w ho se page s a re

ca re fully a llo tted am o ngst its co n tributo rs, I have thought it o fin te re st a nd advan tage to the w o rk to add an I n troducto ryEssay

,an d the Histo rica l chapte rs

,to the som ew ha t ba ld dog

m a ta w hich it w a s n ece ssary to lay dow n in a string w ithoutany comm en t upon them ,

w hen de scribing the a ctua l steps tobe taken in the so lutio n o f the problem Given , a log o f

w ood m ake,a fiddle .

”The se chapte rs a re the

,tabula ted re sults

o f m any yea rs of a ssiduous study o f the histo ry o f StringedI n strum en ts

,and of con stan t re se a rch am o ng m o re o r le ss

fo rgo tten authors fo r pa ssage s w hich m ight a ssist m e in fo rm ingan ide a o f the e stim a tion in w hich “the king of in strum e n tsha s be e n he ld throughout the cen turie s w hich have e lapsedsin ce the in troduction o f how in strum e n ts in the ir pre se n tfo rm s

,and I have be en m o st ca reful to give the fulle st refe r

en ces to eve ry autho r I have con sulted,so tha t my w o rk m ay

have a bibliographica l a s w e ll a s an histo rica l va lue .

Written o rigin a lly fo r Am a teurs,I trust that the da ta I have

give n , w ith a ll the m in uten e ss re sulting from a long expe rien c eo f Vio lin -m aking, m ay prove o f m uch practica l va lue to tho sew ho se m etier it is to give life a nd song to the dull w o od

,w hich

is de stin ed to be com e tha t w on de r o f m usic,the vio lin .

” 1

Un til recen tly m o st w o rks w hich have be en published on

the Vio lin , w he the r pra ctica l o r o the rw ise,have been w ritten

by Am ateurs, w ho have had but l ittle o r n o a ctua l expe rien ceo f the practica l pro ce sse s o f Vio lin - m aking, a nd, the re fo re , theo n ly books w hich have been o f a ny grea t va lue to the luthie rhave been tho se w ritte n unde r the direction of

,if n ot dic ta ted

by,som e

.

pr a ctica l fiddle-m ake r. Thus tha t sca rce little w o rk

La Che lon om ie , by the Abbé Sibi re,

2w as

,w e kn ow

, practi

ca lly in its en tire ty the w o rk o f the ce lebra ted m ake r Nico la sLupot ; ag a in , the an onym ous w ritte n

To perfect th at w on der of tra v e l— th e lo com otive— h as perh aps n ot

requ ired th e expen d iture o f m ore m en ta l strength a n d application , tha n to

perfect that w on der of m us ic— th e v io l in .-W'

. E . Gla dsto ne.

La Che lon om ie , ou le Pa rfa it Lu th ier , pa r M. l’

Abbé Sibire (Pa ris : Mi llet,repri n ted in J . Ga l lay

’

s“Les Luth iers I ta l ien s, aux xv i i° et xv ii i° siecles ;

Nouve lle ed ition du Parfa it Luth ier de l ’Abbé Sibire (Pa ri s,“Luthom o n ograph ie Histo rique etRa ison n ée ,” etc .,par un Am ateur (Frank .

fort SIM Ch . J uge l ,

PREFACE. be

by the Russian prin ce You sso upow (o r J ou soupo f), is so fullo f stra nge m istake s as to be o f but little va lue apart fromits bibliographica l ra rity ; a nd the re is n o doubt tha t Sa ndysand Fo rste r’ s Histo ry o f the Vio lin ” 1

o w e s its popula rityand va lue en tire ly to the fa c t tha t to the cha rm ing style an d

cultiva ted re se a rch o f Mr . San dys,

w a s added the practica lkn ow ledge o f the gre at Sim on Andrew Fo rste r. Thus it is tha t,though m any w o rks a re an nua lly produced in va rious language s onthe subject o f the Vio lin

,un til ve ry re cen tly there ha s existed

rea lly n o practica l guide to the a ctua l m an ufa cture of Vio lin sin an y language , save the som ew ha t m eagre Ma n ue l Eo re t ”

of MM. Mangin et Ma ign e .

’ I t w a s urged by this te rriblecon side ra tion tha t I de te rm in ed to w ri te the pre sen t w o rk, sotha t Am a teurs n eed n o longe r say in de spa ir, I should liketo m ake a fiddle

,but ca n n o t find dire ction s anyw he re how to

set to w ork,

so tha t vio lin ists m ay at la st re a lly kn ow som ething about how the ir in strum e n ts a re m ade

,a n d so tha t tho se

w ho w ould le a rn how fiddles a re built ca n do so w ithout go ingthrough the tedious a n d expen sive course o f tu ition which I , anda ll o the r fiddle -m akers

,have had to en dure . Thus

,to the The o ry

w hich has bee n m y con stan t study eve r sin ce I first toucheda vio lin

,I have brought the P rac tice w hich has be en the

fa sc in a ting am usem en t o f la te ye a rs,a nd I thin k I am right

in saying tha t n ow fo r the first tim e the Histo ry, The o ry, a n dP ra ctice of Vio lin -m aking have bee n com bin ed in a singlevo lum e .

lVith a view to reduc ing to a m in im um the histo rica l pa rt of

my w o rk (so a s to m ake it as m uch a s po ssible a pra ctice-bo ok),I have confin ed such pa rt to m y I n troduction a n d a few pre l im in a ry chapte rs

,so sepa ra ted from the re st o f the w o rk tha t

tho se w ho a re n ot in te re sted in the in strum en t,beyon d the a ctual

prin ciple s an d practice of its con struction,n e ed n ot n ece ssa rily

read them to unde rsta nd the re st o f the tre a tise,but I can ha rdly

im agin e tha t “ the re bre a the s the m an w ith soul so dead a s

n ot to fe e l any curio sity in the evo lution,and in the in c iden ts

9

Th e Histo ry of the Vio lin , an d oth er I n strum en ts played on w ith the b ow ,

’

etc ., by William San dys an d Sim on An d rew Fo r ster (Lon don Sm ith ,Man ue la Eo ret, Nouvea u Man ue l Com plet du Luthier , etc ., par MM.

I . C . Maugin et W . Ma ign e (Pa ri s Eo ret,

I PREFACE.

O f existen ce, o f the in strum en t w hich he w a tche s grow ing be n e athh is hands in to the very in ca rn a tio n of MUS I C. Such the o rie sas I have quo ted from o the r w o rks

,I have suppo rted by the

autho rity from w hen ce they cam e,so a s n o t to m ake myse lf

re spon sible fo r the e rro rs o f o the rs,w hich I have stigm a tiz ed a s

such w hilst pre se n ting them to my reade rs ; an d such pa rticularsas have be en by the ir n a ture or vo lum e in adm issible a s foo tn o te s

,I have set ou t a s appe n dice s.

Fin ally, I beg to lay a tribute o f the w a rm e st gra titude at the

fe e t o f tho se m em be rs o f the Vl o lin - trade w ho have a t a ll tim e splaced the ir va luable tim e

,experie n ce ,a n d trea sure s atmy abso lu te

dispo sa l,w ith a courteo us gen e ro sity w hich I had n e ithe r a right

to expe ct n o r the tem e rity to dem an d. Espe c ia lly I de sire tothan k Mon s. Georges Cha ri ot, w ho se pupil in the a rt o f vio linm aking it ha s been m y privilege to be , fo r the pa in s w ith w hichhe ha s a n sw e red m y m in ute st in quirie s, and ha s put his store so f kn ow ledge , skill, a n d experien ce at my dispo sa l a n d fin a llyMr . Wi lliam Ebsw or th H i ll

,a nd his tw o son s

,w ho se e n o rm ous

expe rien ce o f the trade,an d w ho se en thusia sm an d e n e rgy in a ll

m a tte rs co n n ected w ith the in strum en t,have m ade the frie nd

ship they have un ifo rm ly extended to m e o f in ca lculable va luein the com po sition a n d revision o f the fo llow ing page s, an d to

the m an y re ade rs o f this w o rk w ho have applied to them fo r

in fo rm ation a nd in struction,tha t c ircum stan ce s have preven ted

m e from supplying them w ith pe rson a lly.

With this pre fa to ry excursion , w hich I have deem ed n e ce ssa ryto prefix to the se co nd edition o f my w ork fo r the purpo se o f

expla n a tion an d in troduction (if n o t o f apo logy), I take leaveo f m y Gen tle Reade rs, n iany ~

o f w hom I kn ow a re a lre ady o ld

frie nds,to w ho se critic ism s a nd sugge stion s an en t m y w o rk

w hen it appea red in Am a teu r Wor k,and u pon its first appe ar

an ce in vo lum e fo rm ,I ow e m uch o f such com m e ndation as m ay

rew a rd m y effo rts to in itia te them in the fa sc in a ting mysterie so f the Sc ie n ce and Art of Violin m aking.

ED . HERON-ALLEN.

Sr . JOHN’

S, PUTNEY HI LL,LOND ON, S.W., Sep tember , 1885.

C O NT E NT S .

n u

F O REWO R D S

TI TLE

PO EM (PERCY REEVE)PREFACETAB LE O F CONTENTSLI ST O F I LLUSTRATI ONS

“ECI I O ES (R. A.)INTRO D UCT I O N

D E FI D I B US”

(S. C. G.)

PART I .—119i£itoL

‘

t’

Ital.

CHAPTER I.THE ANCESTRY O F THE VI OLIN.

D ifilcu ltics in th e Way o f Research— D estru ction— Err ors of D escr iption

a nd Repre se n tatio n— Me n tio n o f Vio ls in the Bible— B ow I n strum e n ts

am o ng the An c ien tGre ek s a n d Rom a ns— The Ra van a stron—The Om erti

— '

I‘

h e Kem a n geh a’

go u z— The Rehab e sh Sha

’

e r— The Go n dok— The

Re hab— The Nofre— Th e Assy rian Tr igon on— Pe a r - shaped Vio ls— The

Itebec an d th e Vio l— Th e Gigu e an d Kit— Th e Vio l -m ak ers a n d the ir

I n str um e n ts—Fren ch Cla im s to I n ven tion— Th e Vio l da Gam ba

Playfo rd—Th e Baryton e— Praeto r ius— Chests of Vio la 29—57

CHAPTER I I .

THE WELSH CBWTH.

a ncient Hebrew Lyra—Modern African Lyra—Greek an d Rom an Lym

—The Rotta— Th e Crw th Tr itha n t—Th e Ch ro tta , or Crw th prope rGru ffydd ap How e l— D a in es Barrington— Wyn n e Fin ch— Gen ea logielof th e Vio lin a n d Crw th 58—68

m i CONTENTS.

CHA P TE R I I I

B I O GRAPHI CAL.

i r e :

Early Mak ers- Gasparo da Sa lo— Gio Pa olo Maggi n i—An dreas Am ati—An .

to nius an d H ieron ym us Am a ti— Nico lau s Am ati— An d rea s Gua rn e r ius

- Ja cobus Ste in er Fran c isco Ruggieri— An ton ius Str ad iua r ius

Joseph Guarn e r iu s Pete r Guarn eriu s Lauren tius Guadagn in i

J oh an n es Baptista Gu adagn ini D om en icus Mon tagn an a Sa n ctu s

Se raph in o— Ca r lo Bergo n z i— Fran c iscu s a n d Om obon o StI ad iua r ius

Joseph An tho n y Gua rn eriu s (d e l Jesu) —Vin cen z o Pan orm o — Car o lu sFerd in a n dus La n do lph i

— La uren tiu s Sto r ioni— Nicho las Lupot—Jea n

Baptiste Vu i llaum e— Barak No rm an— Ben jam in Ba n k s— Th om a s D odd

—Wi lliam Fo rster— Richard D uk e— Peter Wam sley— John Lo tt

Wi ll iam Ebsw orth Hi ll—Georges Chan ot—J acobs (Am ste rdam )— TheMirecourt VIO IID Tra de 0 o o o o o 0 69— 85

CHAPTER IV.

THE B OW.

Progressi ve Histo ry of th e B ow— The Co re l l i B ow— The Crém ai llére— To urte

—The Mod e rn B ow — D im en sions— Ha irin g an d Reba ir ing— Ro sin an d

its Action— Fo ld ing B ow— Vui lla um e

’

s B ow—Wi the rs— O ther Pa te n tsThe Grea t B ow -m ak ers 86— 103

CHAPTER V.

THE VI OLIN, I TS VAGAR I ES AND I TS VARI EGATO RS.

Per fection of the Existing Fo rm— Ea rthenw are , Meta l , Leather, PapierNaché and Eccen tri c Viol in s— Trum pe t Vio lin

— Pea r-shaped Vio linHu lsk am p

’

s Vio l in— Po lychord Vio l ius— I soard’

s— D ubo is— Vu i llaum e

—H(n n se l— Haw k ins— Sin c la ir—Wy lde’s Nage lge ige, o r Na il -Vio lin

B oxw ood Vioh n How e l l’

s Ja cqu e’

e Be l l Robertson Co llinsHow e l l— Mo l len hauer— Gu ita r -shaped Fidd les

— Ga lbusera— F. Cha n ot-Savart

’

s Trapez o id Vio l in— Pa te n t Repa irs . l Oi— l 2l

PART I I .— ’CllllJeorrtt

’

ral.

CHAPTER VI .THE WO O D— THE M O D EL,

The Viol in—The Woods used— Chem ica lly prepa red Woods— Th e Qualitie lo f the Wo ods “Ha lf

,

"an d Slab Back s— The Mod e l

Method of Copying an O ld Mod e l— Method of D raw ing a Math em atical

O u tlin e 125— 130

CONTENTS .

CHAPTER VI I .THE B ACK , B ELLY, AND S I D ES.

The Th ick n esses of the Ba ck a n d Be lly— Copy ists— The S id es—Ma ss o f Air’AGI

co n ta in ed in a Fiddle— He ight of the Side s 140— 146

CHAPTER VI I I .THE I NTERI O R O F THE VI O LIN.

The Block s—Th e Side Lin ings— Th e So u nd Po st— I ts Measur em en t

Positio n in the Fiddle— Fun ction s o f th e Soun d Post— Pe tiz eau ’

s

Sou n d Post— Han se l ’s— D avidso n’

s— The Ba ss B ar— I ts Measu rem en ts

—Position in the Fidd le— The O ld Ba rs— Vaga r ies attem pted w ith theB 388 B ar 0 o D 147— 154

CHAPTER IX.

THE EXTERI OR O F THE VI OLIN.

ffHo les— Meth od o f Tr ac in g— Th e ir O bject— Po sition in the Be l ly

Th e ir Ca pac ity— The Ne ck a nd Scro l l— I ts Fun ction s— I ts Settin g ou

the Fidd le— I ts Mea su rem en ts— Method o f Tr a c in g— The Ch an o t Scro ll-O ld Neck s— The Bridge— An c ie n t Bri dges— Th e D e sign an d Mate ri a l

- I ts Fun ction s —Settin g to the I n str um en t— O tto

’

s Bridge Regu lato rPosition o n the Be lly— Pu rfling

— I ts Com position— Fitting— The Pegs

— The ir r a i son d’

é'

tr e— O r nam en ta tio n - O‘

rn am en ta l Purfling— I n laying

— Ca rved Heads— Pa in ting— Bran di ng— l n la id Fittings 155—167

C H A P T E R X .

T I I E VARNI SH .

Ch ar les Reade on th e O ld Va rn ishes - O ld Rec ipe s— Alexis the Pi edm on tese,

l 5b0— Fio ra van ti o f Bo logn a , 1564— An da , l 663— Zahn,1685— 0. Mo r

ley , 1692— Bon a n n i o f Rom e , 1713 —Qua l ities requi red by Vio l in Var n ish

—Am be r Va rn ish es—Spirit Va rn ish es— Appl ica tio n

— Siz in g— Te sts for

Pu ri ty of I ngred ien ts— Co lo r ation of Varn ish— Co mposition— Tim e fo r

mak ing Varn ishes— Rec ipes 168— 186

CHAPTER XI .

FI TTINGS AND APPLIANCES.

The Pegs— Mate r ia l— Fitting— Ma ch in e Heads— Pate n t Pegs— The Nut

The Finge r-Board— Cutti ng— Mater ia l— Spoh r

’

s Finge r-Boa rd— O ther

Vagar ie s— Th e Ta i l -Piece— Ma te ria l— Spoh r’

s Ta i l -Pi ece— Vu i llaum e ’

s

Sou rd in e Peda le— Zebrow sk i’

S—Th e Ta i l -Pin— The Re st— Ch in -Rests

Hi ll’

s— Chan ot’S‘ Th e Mute— Hi l l

’

s —Ro sin— I ts Prepara tion— GaugesT un in g Fo rk s— Stri n g Boxes— Min o r Accesso ri es Fidd le Ca ses 187 - 2 -2

xiv CONTENT S .

C H A P TE R X I I .

THE STRI NGS.

PAGE

Cho ice of Strings—Theory of Vibratio n— Relation s to O n e An other

“Tru e a n d “ Fa lse Str ings— True a n d Harm o n ic O cta v e a n d Fifth

Tests— Appearan ce of a Good String— Preserva tion o f S tr in gs

— D if

fere n t So rts o f Str ings— Thei r Com po sition— Meth od o f Prepa ratio n

and Man ufacture— Cov ered Str in gs— Si lk a nd Acr ibc l le 203— 215

PART I I I — 19mmtil l.

CHAPTER X I I I .THE TO O LS.

O rd in ary Too ls— Spec ial To o ls— To oth ed Plan e— Scrapers

— Kn ives— Mark

ing Po in t— Ben d ing I ro ns— O va l Pla n es— Spr ing Com pa sses— f f Ho lePierce rs— Gauging Ca l lipers— Screw s— C lips— Cram ps— Com pa sse sPu rfling To ol s 219— 225

CHAPTER XIV.

THE O UTS I D E e MO ULD .

Co pjing the O utlin e— Mak ing th e Mo u ld— I ts D iam ete rs— Th e O utl in e

Mod e ls- The Arch ing-Gu id cs— The Cram ping Block s 226— 229

CHAPTER XV.

THE SI D ES,o n R I B S

,B LO CKS AND S I D E -LININGS.

Selection o fWood— The Sides— Ben d in g the Sid es—Fittin g th e S ides— Th eTop an d Bottom Blo cks— The Co rn e r B locks— The Side - l in in gs

Be nd ing the Side - l in ings— Fitting

— Fixing the Lin ings— Le ve l l ing

Fin ish in g th e Sides , Lin ings, and B lo ck s, I n side a n d O utside 230— 239

CHAPTER XVI .THE TAB LES : B ACK AND B ELLY.

Joi n ing the Tables— Pla n in g the Fla t Su rfa ce— Ma rk in g the O utl in e

Cu ttin g- out— Fi rst Gouging— Co rrecting th e O utlin e

— Seco n d Go uging—First Plan i ng— Th e Sun k Edge

— Secon d P1a n ing~ ~ Scraping

—Ma rk

i ng th e Pla n e S urfa ces fo r Gougi ng o u t Ba ck an d Be lly 240— 246

CHAPTER XVI I .THE B ACK .

Gouging-out— Plan in g— Scr aping

—~ Be ve l ling the Edge— Fittin g on the Ribs—Si z in g the B lock s— Peg-ho le S— Fix ing the Ribs Fin ish ing

— The

Labe l— Co rre ctin g the Bo tto m J o in— The Ta i l -pin Ho le 247— 252

CONTENTS. XV

CHAPTER XVI I I.THE B ELLY.

PAG I

Mark ing th e f f Ho les—Cutting out the f f Ho les— Gougin g out th e B ellyPla n ing— Scraping an d Fin ishi n g

— F itting th e B ar— Fixi ng th e B a r

Fitting ou th e S ides—Fixing— Correcting—Fin i shin 253- 261

CHAPTER X IX.

PURFLING AND FINI SH ING THE B O D Y.Mark ing the Pu rflin g— Th e Pegs— Th e Purfling— Fitting

— Fixing— Raising

the Edge s a n d Co rn e rs— Fin a l Scrapi ng— Sa n d -

paper ing— The Rest

Fitting— Fix ing

— Fi n ish ing— Roun d ing th e Edges

— Fin ishi ngth e Body“in the White

no o o o o o o o 0 262- 268

CHAPTER XX.

THE NECK AND SCROLL.

The Wo od— Preparation—Ma rk ing O utl in e —Cu ttin g~ out - Mark ing an d

Shapin g out the Neck an d Scro ll— Rough i ng o ut th e Vo lu te— Fin ish in g

th e Vo lute— Hollow ing the Back of th e Head— Th e Peg-box— Fin i sh

in g the Hea d— The Neck— Fittin g th e Ne ck to th e Body o f th e F idd le

-Cutting out the Cham ber— Sha pin g th e Shou ld er—~ Testing the Fit

Fixin g— The Fa lse Finger

-boa rd— The Button— The Shou ld er— Fin i sh .

ing th e Neck an d Shoulder— Fin a l O pe ration s 269— 281

CHAPTER XXI .

THE GUARNERI US MO D EL, WI TH WHOLE TAB LES ON AN I NSI D E

M OULD .

The I n side Mou ld a nd its Acce sso r ies— The Ha lt outl in e— Th e Rib-outl in e

— The Wh o le Ba ck— Th e Who le Be l ly— The oB lo ck s— Fitting the Blo cks—Ma rk in g th e Block s— Sh aping

— Fi ttin g th e O’s— Fixing— Fin ishing

the Blo ck s— Fittin g the Uppe r a nd Lo w e r B ou i s— Fixing— Regu la ting

th e D epth—Th e Low e r Li n in gs

— The I n sid es o f th e B lock s—The Back— Gougin g

- out an d Pro ceedin gs to Com ple tio n— The Be l ly— Gougingo ut— Ma rk ing f f h o les— Fixing B a r

— Pro ceed ings to Com pletionFix ing Back to Ribs— Tak ing o utMou ld— The Upper Lin ings— Fin ish.

ing th e Lin ings a n d Block s— Fittin g an d F ix i ng the Be l ly— The He ad

an d Ncck— Fin ish ing th e Fidd le in th e w h ite 282—293

CHAPTER XX I I.VARNI SH I NG AND F I TTING UP.

Sta in ing— Va rn i sh in g— Po li sh in g— Fitti ng the Finge r -bo ard— F ixing the

Nut— Fin i shin g th e Nut a n d Finge r -bo a rd w i th th e Ne ck —Fittin g the

Pegs —Fin ish in g the Pegs— Fittin g a n d Fixin g the Ta il -pin— F itti ng

the Ta i l -pie ce and Loo p— Setti ng up the So un d -po st

— The Str in gs

Cu ttin g a n d Fitting th e Br idge— Fin is l 29i — 305

m CONTENTS .

CHAPTER XXI I I .B EPAI RS.

I 'Afl l

Rem o ving the Belly of th e Fiddle— Crack s in the Ba ck or Be lly— Cr a ck sin Win gs of f f Ho les— Cra ck ed Co rn ers— Cra ck at the J o in t

, or Un

glu in g of the Tab les— Cra ck ed Edges an d B its Split OR the O utl in eCra ck fr om th e Pr e ssu re o f th e Soun d -

post— Ven e ering

‘

New Wood in to

a Fi dd le— Lo ose n in g o f th e Be lly from th e Hea t o f the Chin or Ha n d

Spl it Block —Splic in g the Head on to a Neck , an d Fitting it on a

Fiddl e— Va rn ishing Repair s— CONCLUSI ON 306— 320

3 1111211011 1255.

A. MATERI ALS USED IN VARNI SH ING THE VI OLIN

B. THE PRESERVAT I ON O F THE INSTRUMENT

C. THE B I B LI O GRAPHY O F THE VI O LIN

D . A CATALOGUE 01" VI O LIN SCH O OLS AND I NSTRUCT I ON

BO OKSE. AN HI STO RI C VI O L IN SCHO OL

19021115.

J )

(u ) fi rho z s

(i ii) 25: J ibibu s

(ib) J ihblr anb I

(b)‘a a QIhilb fl ir tuou

sta g g um .

3i . 3

Qt. 6 .

J rrbz rirk Q . m u mm y

‘Eh. g ra n -3 11m .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

XVI I I LI ST O F WO O D - CUTS .

'16 .

22. D ise an tu s, l 6th ce n tu ry (M . Agr i co la ) .23. Pe ra. o r Po ch e ,

164-301. Me i se i i i i us).24 . D e u ce O f J oh n O po r i n u s (B i le ). 1530.

‘25. Vi o la d a Gam ba , 1667 (C. S im pso n )..28. An c i e n t H eb r ew Ly ra ,

B C. 1700

27 . K i ssa i (An c i e n t a n d Mo de r n Afr i can ).28. An c i e n t Gree k Ly rss m tn B r idge s.29 B a rb i to s (fro m He r cu la n e um ) .30. Ro tta o f th e 7th ce n tury (MS . Psa lte r in

B ri ti sh Muse um ).81. Ro tta b o rn th e St. B lasius MS . (9th

ce n tu ry).32. Crw th O ! th e 9th ce n tu ry (Wi llem i i i ).83. Ci n tl i ti om MS . fr om St. Ma rti a l d o

Lim oges (11th ce n tu ry) .34 . Crw th o f 12th ce n tu ry (ltu l i lm a n i i ) .35. Crw th f rom Wo rceste r Ca th ed ra l (13th

ce n tu ry) .36. 13th ce n tu ry Crw th fr om Am ie n s Cath e

d i a l (d e Co u ssem a k e r ).37 . Fig ure o f Crw th gi ve n by D a iri es B a rr i n g

to n,Féti s , Sa n d y s a n d Fo rs te r , e tc .

38. Ci w tli in So u th Ke n sm gto n Museu m .

39. D ia g i am exp la i n i n g Te ch n i ca l'

l‘

e i i i i s u sed

to d e n o te th e va rio us pa rts o f th e

Vi o l i n .

40. f ho le o f Ga spa ro d a Sa lo . Te n o r

41 f l i o le o f And r e a s

42. [ ho le o f An to n i us a n d H i e ro n ym u s Am a ti

43. f h o le o f J aco b Ste in e r (1650)44. f l i o le o f Fra n c isco Ruggi e r i (1720)45. f l i o le o f An to n i u s S ti a d i r a r i i i s46. ho le o f Sa n ctu s S e r a ph i n o

47 . [ h o le o f Ca r lo B e rgo n z 1

48 1'

ho le o f Jo se ph Gu a r n e r i u s d e l J e sh49 . B o w o f th e I n d i a n Ra v a n as ti o n

50 B o w o f th e MO O i i sh Re ha b .

51. B o w 0! th e 8th ce n tu i y (He i h c ).52. B o w 0! th e 9th ce n tu i y (Ge i he i t).53. B o w o f th e 10th ce n tu ry (Co tto n54 B o w s o f th e 11th ce n tu ry55. B o w s o f th e 12th ce n tu ry.

56. B o w s o f th e 13th ce n tu ry .

57 . B ow s O ! th e 14th ce n tu ry .

58 B o w s o f th e 15th c e n tury .

59 B o w s o f th e 16th ce n tu ry .

60. B o w s o f th e 17th c e n tu iy .

B o w o f th e 18th c e n tu i y u ith Ci ém a i l lere .

62. B o w by'

l‘

o u i te (th e e l i le i ), Wi th Nu t a n d

Scr e w .

63. Mod e rn B o w (a fi e i To u rte , ju n64 Nu t a n d S e i e w o f Mo d e r n B o w ,

sh ow in gm e tho d o f fixi ng th e Ha i r .

65. He a d o f Mo r l e i n B o w,Sh o w in g m e th od o f

fixm g the Ha i r .

66 . Wedge -bo x 111 Head sn d Nut o f Mode rn

B o w (e n hu ged )67 Kn o t a t En d s o f ”a n

68. S e lf l l n l l l l lg B o w (Vi i i i i a r m e) .69. Nage lge i ge o r Eise n v io l i i i e (Wi ld e )70. l i e u e l l

'

s Pa te n t Vio l i n (1835. NO .

71. M. I I . Co l l i n s’

Ec l i o l i n i n Pla n a n d

Se cti o n

72 M 11. Co ll i n s’

Pate n t Peg73 Lo d e lge ige o r S po o n

-fidd le .

74. Th e C l i a i i o t Vi o l i n .

75. Th e Ch a n o t Vi o l i n w ith Re v e rsed Scro lla n d Gu i ta r e ti i ng a tta chm e n t.

76 Th e Sa va nt Tra pe z m d Vi o l i n .

77 . D n igm m e xp la i n i n g Me th od s o f cu ttingWo o d fo r Vi o l i n -m a k i n g

78. P la n k fo r ti a c i n g th e O u tl i n e o f a Fi dd le .

'9. Me th o d o f D ra w m g a n O u tl i n e i n a th e

in a t ica l ly o n a gi ve n g1a i lu a tu l st i a igli t

li n e

’ 10

80. D i agr a m o f n w e l l - : e am n m l B a c k. tr ite

th i ck n e sses in fr a ct i o n s o f a n 1n ch .

81. D i agr am o f a w e l l - se a s o n e d B e l ly ,W i th

th i c k n e sse s in fr a ct i o n s o f an in ch .

82. Th e l n te i i o r o f th e Vi o l i n .

83. S e ct i o n o f th e Vi o l i n a c ro ss tho f f ho les .

84. Meth o do f tra cm g a pa i r o f f f h o le s .

85. Th e Neck a n d Scxo l l, Fro n t a n d S i deVi e w s .

88. B ridge o f Seven -str in ged Vi o l (F. J Fét i s }87 . An tiqu e Vi o l i n B u dge . An to n i u s Am a ti

(F J . Fetis).88. An tiqu e Vi o l i n B ri dge . Ni co la us Am a ti

(F. J . Féti s) .89. B r idge o f Fi v e - str i n ged Vio l (W. E. 11111)90. Th e Mod e rn Vi o l i n B u dge91. O r i i am e n ta lly i n la id Pu i fl in g.

92. Strad i va i i’

s m e th o d o f fixm g th e Pegs o rPa i n ts (actu a l S i z e ) .

93. O rn am e n ta l Pu i fl i n g o f St i ad i va r iu a .

94 . Vi o l i i i Wi th in la id B a ck a nd cm ved [ l e ad95 Vio l i n Pegs .

96. Ma ch in e h e a d fo r Vi o l in .

97 .Wa ll i s

'

s Pa te n t Peg .

98. Pa te n t Peg to e n su re fi rm n ess.

99. Th e Fi i ige r- bo a i d .

100. O i d i n a ry fo rm o f Ta i l -p i ece .

1111. Spo h r s Pa te n t Ta i l-

pi ece .

102.Vi i i l la u i i i e

'

s S o u rd i i i e Ped a ls .

103. Zeb ro w s k i's B r i dge a nd Mu te .

104 . Se cti o n o f Ta i l- l i i n Wi th S id es , S l i lol i n i ngs , a n d B lo c k .

105. View o f Ta i l -p i n w i th Re st,a t base 0!

F idd l e .

106. Ch i n - rest (L Spoh r).107 . Ne w fo rm o f Ch i n - re st.

108. Ta il -p i ec e a n d Ch in - rest com b in ed .

109. Ne w est im pro v em e n t o f Ch in - rest.

110. H i ll'

s Vu lc an i te Mute .

111. S i ngle Vio l i n - ca se .

112. D o u ble Vi o l i n - c ase .

1124 Pate n t Vio l i n B ag (G. A. Ch a ri o t).113. D i ag i a n i i l lu st i a ti ug th e i n flu e n ce o f

le ngth o n th e No te p i od u ced by a S t i m g.

114. Th e Ha rm o n ic O c ta ve .

115. Th e Ha rm o n ic D o u b le -O cta ve .

116. Com m o n l i o n Cr am ps .

117 . S e c ti o n s o f Fi le s req u i red.

118. Summe r ,

119. S l i a i pe n in g Ste e l fO i Scrape rs .

120. Vi o l i n -m a k e i'

s Kn i fe .

121. B e n d i n g I ro n .

122. An o th e r (a nd bette r) fo rm o f Re a d i ngI ro n .

123 Lin i n g Ch ise l .124 O va l

,l’ la n e

,uppe r a nd low e r sid es (actua l

s i z e )125. O v a l P la n e (sm a lle r si z e ) .126. Ma i k i ng a nd Me asu i i i ug Com pa sses .

127 . f l i o le l’i e i ce i

128 Ga ug i ng Ca ll ipe rs .

129. Vi o l i n S c re w .

130. S ou n d -ba r Cl ips .

131. S o um h ba r Cra m p.

I 32. B o w Co m pass

133. Pu i il i n g Gauge o r Ma rk ‘ .

134 l ’ i i i ilm g Com pa s se s .

1 55. l’i i i fl i ng Ch i se l

O b lo n g S tee l Pla n s .

137 . l .i i i l n g C l i p .

138. Wa vy fo rm o fte n ta k en by e xtra h a n u o

so m e w ood .

139. D ifl’

e re i i t Stages 0! B e n d i n g th e Ce n treB o u ts .

140. D i lie i r i i t S ta ge s o f B e n d i n g th e Uppe r

a n d lm w m Bo u ts .

LI ST O F

'10 .

141. Top an d B o ttom B lock s (in th e rou gh ).142. Se tti ng o f th e S id es . Co rn e r B lock s , a n d

S id e - l in in gs in th e Mo u ld .

I 4S . Method of Sh ap i n g th e Co rn e r B lo ck s .

I 44 . Method o f Setti ng Li n in gs o f Ce n treB o uts in to sl i ts cut in Co r n e r B lock s .

145. Fin a l Sh a pe o f the Li n i n gs (Secti o n ) .140. Wo o d fo r Table s Jo in e d, a n d w ith ste axly in g

Wedges fo r p la n i n g th e fla t sur fac e147. Cur v e o f Cuttin g Go uge fo r sin k i ng th e

E dges .

148. Stages of th e Cu tting, in sink ing th eE dges .

I 49. D ia gram fo r Regu la tin g the th ick n esseso f th e B ack .

150. Fin a l th i ck n ess of th e B ack .

151. I n n e r Ed ge o f th e Pla te s (sectio n ) fin ish ed .

152. Ta ble fitted on to R ibs a n d fixed Wi thScre w s .

153. f ho le o f Strad ivari . Mod e l (actu a l si z e ) .154 . D i agram expla in ing th e th i ck n ess o f th e

B e l ly a n d th e settin g o f th e B a r .

155. Me th od o f rai s in g th e Win g o f the ho le .

156. Fin al sh apin g o f th e B ass- ba r .

157. Ar ra n gem en t o f Scre w s in fixin g B e lly(to a vo id th e com e rs).

158. Method o f Pu rflin g in the co rn e rs , a n d

ou tl in e fo r ma i k i i ig the Pu rfl in g u n d e r

th e B u tto n .

159. P u rfl i i ig . Th e th re e Str ips cu t to a B e ve l.160. Th e O pe ra tio n s o f Cu tti n g, Fix i n g, a n d

Fi n i sh i ng th e Rest.

161. P la n k O u tlin e o f Neck a nd Scro ll (o nb lo ck ).

162. O u tl i n e s fo r m a k ing Fron t a nd B a ck 0!Sc r o ll (a ctu a l S i z e ).

163. Neck B lo ck m a rk ed fo r cu ttin g o u t (Fron ta n d B ac k v iews).

164 . Com m e n cem en t o f cu tti n g o ut Neck a nd

Sc ro ll .165 Fro n t a n d B ack o f Vo lu te (Geom etr i ca l).166 . Mo de l fo r Ch i n o f Scro ll .167 . Cu ttm g o f th e Co u lu ses o r Groo ves ro und

th e 11e ad .

168. Ne c k o u tl i n e (actua l sine }

WO O D - CUTS . XIX

n o .

169.

170.

171.

172.

173.

174 .

175.

176.

177 .

178.

179.

I SO .

181.

182.

183.

181.

185.

186

187 .

188.

B ase o f Sh ou lder (actu a l si z e ) .We dge fo r testi ng se tti n g o f Hem a n dNeck .

Fi n ge r -bo a rd Ho ld e r .

Gu i d e fo r th i ck n esses o f th e Neck an d

Cu r ves o f th e Fin ge r bo a rd .

Ha lf o u tlin e o f Ta bles (B ack an d B e l ly) .Ha lf o utl i n e o f S id es .

I n sid e Mo u ld w ith ro ugh B lock s fitted .

Th e Cram pi n g B lock s o f Pl ato V. in

po s i tio n aga in st th e Mould (b lock sfi n i sh ed ).

Wedge cu t fo r w h o le B ack .

Sec ti o n o f B lock fixed to Mo u ldD i agram e xpla in i ng th e Cutti n g o f th eCo rn e r B lock s .

F in ish in g th e Co rn er B lock s an d jo in ingth e R i bs .

Strad iu a r ia n B lock .

S ec tio n o f B lock u sed fo r Cram pin g on

th e Fi nge r -bo a rd .

Gu id e fO I m a r k in g Str in g-groo ves on th eNu t.

Peg- h o le B o rer .

Peg- h o le Fin i she r .Peg Fi tte r .

Setti n g o f the Pegs in the Ch e ek s o f th eScro l l .

So u n d -

po st Sette r .

188AGu id e fo r Cutti n g th e Ar ch in g o f th e

189.

190.

191.

192.

193.

194 .

195.

196.

B r idge .

Crack s in th e Wings of th e f f ho les an d

spl i t co r n e r .Me thods o f re -se ttin g p ieces split fromth e o utlin e o f th e Fiddl e .

Appa ra tus fo r stre ngth e n i n g a n o ld Tab levv i th a ven ee r o f n e w w ood .

O pe rati o n o f spl icing Head o n to Ne ck(s id e Vi ew ).

O pe ra t i o n o f spl icin g Head on to Neck

(fro n t v i e w ).B aas o f Peg-box prepa red to spl ice o n to

Kec k .

To p o f Nec k prepa red to rece i v e Head .

O pera ti on of sp l i c i ng Head o n to Neck .

The I n strum ent on w hich he played

Wa s in Crem on a ’s w o rk shops m ade.

B y a grea t m a ste r o f th e pa st,

Ere yet w a s lost th e a rt d iv in e .

Fa sh ion ed O f m aple a n d o f pine ,

That in Tyr o lea n fo re sts vast

Had rock ed a n d w re stled w ith th e blast

Exqu isite w a s it in de sign ,Pe rfe ct in e a ch m in u test pa rt,

A m a rvel O f th e lutist'

s a rt ;

An d in th e h o llow cham be r , thus

Th e m ak e r from w hose ha nds it cam e

Had w r itten h is un r iv a lled n ame,“ANTONI US STRAD I UARI US .

"

O O

H. W. LONGFELLOW,

Ta les of a Way side I n n.

M aw/ \ ”if?

J im/ CM a m f r d’ow’

VIOLIN-MAKING : AS IT WAS AND IS.

Hei d idu lum l atqu e ite ru rn d idu lum l Fe l isq ue l Fidesquo lVa cca supe r Lun a: co r n ua pro si lu it

c cta tum adm issus risit sin e fin e Cate llus,Et subito rapu it la nx coch lea re fuga I

INTRO D UCTI ON.

THERE a re but fe w o f us w ho ca n lo ok upon the above de lightfu l draw ing o f Mr . Ra n do lph Ca lde cott’s

,

lan d de ny tha t the

Vio lin w a s on e o f the first im pre ssion s o f o u r childhood. To

m e it ha s a lw ays bee n a m o st sign ifica n t fa c t, tha t so m any o f

the Nurse ry Rhym e s w ith w hich w e am use ou r children a re in

I ha v e to than k Mr . Ca ldecott for th e abo ve red uctio n fr om the fr o n tispieceof h i s w e l l - k n ow n w o rk

,B ye Baby Bun tin g (Lo n do n , w h i ch he has

kin dly ada pted an d su bscribed in hi s autograph fo r m e.

2 VI O LIN-MAKING a s IT wa s AND I s.

som e w ay con n ected w ith the fiddle . The on e tra it o f O ld KingCo le ’s cha ra cte r w hich to m y juven ile m in d proved he w a s n otw ho lly vile (a s his pipe an d bow l w ould in dicate w a s his loveo f m usic an d pen cha n t fo r the vio lin

,

1and I rem em be r a

dogge re l fo r w hich I a lw ays had a grea t a ffection , w a s tha t on ebegin n ing

C ook a dood le d oo , m y D am e ha s lost h er sh o e ,My Ma ster

’

s lost hi s fiddl ing stick , a n d d on’

t k n ow w h at to do ICock a d ood le d oo , w hat i s m y D am e to doTil l Master fin ds h is fidd l ing stick

, she’

l l da n ce w ithout he r sh oe 1

Tha t m an w a s a lw ays my idea l o f blan k de spa ir. No r is therhym e I have quo ted above the on ly on e in w hich a cat figure sas a vio lin ist Ha lliw e ll (s ide n ote ) give s tw o rhym e s in w hichthis phen om en on o ccu rs

,v 1z

A ca t c am e fidd ling o ut of a barn ,

With a pa ir of bag-

pipes under her arm ,

a w ondrous pe rfo rm an ce truly,w hich m ade up fo r he r w an t o f

vo ca l a tta inm en ts,fo r

Sh e cou ld sing n oth in g but Fiddle cum fee ,The m ou se ha s m a rr ied th e h um ble -bee

a nd he a lso quote s on e o f still grea te r an tiquity, w he re the

O ld Kin g Co le w as a m erry o ld sou l,a n d a m e rry o ld sou l w a s be

,

He ca lled fo r h is pipe an d h e ca lled fo r his bow l , a nd he ca l led for h isfidd le rs th ree ,

Every fidd le r h e had a fidd le , a n d a v e ry fin e fidd le had he

(Tw e e , tw eed lede e , tw eed ledee w e n t the fidd le rs) .O h l the re

’

s n on e so ra re a s ca n com pa re

With King Co le a n d h is fidd lers three .

The trad itiona l n u rse ry rhym es o f Great Brita in comm en ce w ith a legen darysatire on Kin g Co le . w ho r e ign ed in Br ita in , as the o ld ch ron ic le s in fo rm us

,in

th e th ird cen tu ry a fte r Ch ri st. Acco rd in g to Ro bert of Glou ceste r , he w a s the

fa ther of St. He len a , a n d if so , Butle r m u st be w ro ng in a scr ibing a n obscu re

o r igin to th e ce lebr ated m oth er o f Co n stan tin e . K in g Co le w as a bra ve a nd

popu la r m a n in his d ay , a nd a scen ded the thron e o f Br ita in o n the dea th o f

Asc lepiod am id st th e a c c lam a tion s o f the people , o r , as Ro be r t o f Glou ce ste r

expre sses h im se lf,“ the fo lc w a s tho o f th is lon d y . pa id w e l y

-n ow .

”At

Co lche ste r th e re is a la rge e a r th -w e tk,supposed to hav e be en a Rom a n am phi

the a tre , w h ich go es po pu la r ly by th e n am e o f King Co le '

s K i tch en .

”Accord

in g to J eff rey o f Monm o uth , Kin g Co le ’

s d augh te r w as w e l l sk il led in m u sic,

but w e u n fortun ate ly h av e n o ev id en ce to sh ow th at her fath er w as atta ched

to tha t sc ien ce furth e r tha n w ha t is co n ta in ed in the forego in g l in es , w h ich are

of d oubtfu l an tiqu ity . Vi d e J . O . Ha l liw e l l , The Nu rse ry Rhym e s o f

Englan d (Lo n d o n , 1844 : J . R. Sm ith ) .

I n Lew is’ “Histo ry o f Grea t Br ita in (Lo n don , 1729) three m ona rchs

re jo ic in g in the n am e of King Co le ar e m en tione d .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

VI O LIN- MAKING e a s 11' WAS AM ) I s .

by m any paren ts an d gua rdian s o f ou r ow n days. I t se em s

to have be en ra ther a m a n ia w ith Lo rd Che ste rfie ld to con side rfiddling disreputable , an d the w o rd a syn o nym fo r disreputa

bility fo r he say s in an o the r pla ce 1 “And I he a rd som e

pe rson s a ssert tha t Kin g J am e s w a s sung an d fiddled out o f

the kingdom by the Pro te sta n t tun e O f ‘ Lillybu lle r o,

’an d

tha t SOMEB O D Y e lse w ould have be en fiddled in to it aga in ,’

etc . This abuse o f “ fiddle rs”ha s n ot

,how eve r

,be en co n

fin ed to any on e pe riod,a s the fo llow ing in sta n ce s w ill show .

Pa rke te ll s a sto ry o f Miss Bren t,

w h o a s D r . Arn e ’ sfavourite pupil w as a source o f co n side rable reven ue to him tillshe m arried Pin to

,the grea t vio lin - playe r o f the tim e . O n

som e o n e m en tion ing he r , D r . Arn e is sa id to have exc la im ed,

Oh,sir

, p r ay do n’t n am e he r , she ’ s m a rried a fidd ler 9

An thony aWo od te lls us tha t be fo re the Re sto ra tio n , gen

tlem e n played three,four

,a n d fiv e pa rts w ith vio ls. They

e ste em ed a vio lin to be an in strum en t on ly be lon gin g to

a comm on fidle r,an d cou ld n ot e n dure tha t it should com e

am on g them fo r fea re o f m aking the ir m e e tin gs to be va in eand frivo lous, but be fo re the Re sto ra tion o f King Cha rle s I L,an d e spe c ia lly a fte r

,vio l s bega n to be ou t o f fa shion

,an d

on ly vio lin s used a s treble vio lin,ten o r

,o r ba ss vio lin

,

an d the King, a cco rding to the Fren ch m ode,w ould have

tw en ty- four vio lin s playing befo re him w hilst he w a s at m e a ls,

a s be in m o re a ir ie an d brisk than vio ls.’ ’ 3 The e n em ie s of

Roge r T} ’Estran ge used to ven t the ir spleen by ca lling himRgoge r the Fidle r, an d published n o tably a ce lebra ted squib

,

e n titled “The Loya l Obse rva to r : o r H isto rica l Mem o irs o f theLife a n d Ac tio n s of Roge r the Fidle r a lia s the Obse rva to r ”

(Lon don , 1683 : 4to, 12 The fo llow ing in te re stin g n o teis appended The subje ct o f this libe llous pa squin ade w a s

Sir Roge r L’

Estrange , w ho w a s n ickn am ed “Crom w e ll’sFidle r

,

”from his having be e n he a rd playm g in a con ce rt w he re

the Usurpe r w a s pre sen t. O f this affa ir he speaks l n his Trutha nd Loya lty Vindica ted ” ‘ thus — “Con ce rn ing the sto ry of

l M1sce llan eou s Work s of the late Ph i l ip D orm er Stan hope , Earl of Ch este rfie ld (D ublin , vo l . i i . p. 97 . Misc e l la n e o us Piece s, NO . XVI I I .

be i ng a letter in Co mmon Sen se or the Engl ishm a n’

s J our n a l , O c tobe r 14th,

1738 (Lo ndon , v ol . i i . , p. 213.

Pa rk e ’

s Mu sica l Mem o irs (Lo ndon ,vo l . i . , p . 150.

A. Wo od’s Life

,in MS. i n the Ashm o le an Libra ry, O xfo rd w r itte n 1653.

an d published a t O xfo rd in 17 72.

Reprin ted l n th e“Har le ian Misce l lan y A Co ll ection o f Scarce

, Cu ri o u s, an dEn t rta in i ng Pamphlets an d Tra cts

,e tc .

”

(Lo n do n : Wh ite St 1810) v o l .

65.MBTmth an d Loya lty Vin dicated from th e Reproa ches a nd Clam ou ra on

Mr E B a gshaw e , etc . (Lon don , 1662, Mo ) .

INTRO D UCTI O b . 5

the fiddle,this

,I suppo se , m ight be the rise o f it ; be ing in

S t. J am e s’s Pa rk,I hea rd an o rga n touched in a l ittle low ro om

o f on e Mr . Hen ck son’

s I w e n t in,a nd fo und a priva te com pa ny

o f som e five o r six pe rson s . They de sired m e to take a vio l an dbe a r a pa rt. I did so

,a nd tha t pa rt

,to o

,n ot m uch adva n ce to

the reputa tion o f m y cun n ing. B y- a nd by

,w ithout the lea st

co lour o f de sign o r e xpe ctation,in c om e s Crom w e ll. He foun d

us playing, a n d so he left us.” The Obse rva to r w a s a pape rse t up by S ir Roge r a fte r the disso lution o f Cha rle s I I .

’

Pa rliam e n t i n 1679 , the de sign o f w hich w a s to vindica tethe m e a sure s o f the Court

,a n d the cha ra cte r o f the King from

the charge o f be ing popishly a ffec ted. To the above pa squin adea n d o the rs he w ro te in reply

,

“The Obse rva to r de fe nded bythe autho r o f the Obse rva to rs in a full An sw e r to seve ra lSca n da ls ca st upo n him ,

”etc . , e tc . (Lon don ,

Thu s it w ill be se e n tha t to be a vio l in ist required in th e dayso f o u r fo re fa the rs som e courage o n the pa rt o f a n am a teur

,j u st

a s a few ye a rs ago it required co n side rable n e rve fo r a lady toplay the vio lin in pu blic . P a rke

,the gen ia l an d d iscursive , w a s

n o tfre e from this fo ible ; for he says (unde r da te Fe brua ry 19th,w hilst d iscussing the pe rfo rm an ce O f o ra to rio s (n o tably the

fifessiah) atCove n t Ga rde n The Con ce rto s w e re by Clem en tio n the pian ofo rte

,a n d Ma dam e Gau the r o t on the vio lin . I t is

sa id by fabulous w rite rs tha t Min e rva , happen ing to lo ok in tothe stre am w hilst playing he r favourite in strum e n t (the flute),a nd pe rce ivi ng the di sto rtio n o f coun ten an ce tha t it o cca sion ed

,

w a s so m uch disgusted tha t she ca st it aw ay a n d dashed it inpie ce s . Although I w ould n ot re com m en d any lady playingo n a va luable Crem on a fiddle to fo llow the exam ple o f the

godde ss, yet it strike s m e tha t,if she is de sirous O f en rapturing

he r audien ce , she should display he r ta len t in a situa tionw he re the re is on ly just light e n ough ‘

to m ake darkn e ssvisible .

1 I t o ccurs to m e tha t i f the so c ie ty o f the pre sen tday en te rta in ed a ny such ho rrible idea s, a ve ry la rge am oun t o fw o rldly ple a sure w ould be lo st to the devo te e s o f m usic in

ge n e ra l, a n d o f the vio lin in pa rticula r.D ubourg 9 te lls us that Que e n E liz abe th w a s a vio lin ist

,and

his sta tem e n t se em s to be ca rried ou t by the w on de rful fiddle,

n ow exhibited l n the South Ken singto n Museum ,w hich is m ade

o f boxw o od,beautifully ca rved “

w ith w oodla n d sce n e s,

’’

a n d

w hich is sa id to have be en given by Que en Eliz abe th to the

W. Pa rk e , Mu sica l Mem o irs (Lon do n ,v o l . i . , p . 129.

f G. D ubo urg,The Vio lin ,

”etc . (Lon d on , l st Ed ition ,

1836 ; 2nd Ed i tion , n .d .

3rd Ed itio n , n .d . 4th Ed itio n,1852 ; 5th Ed ition , en larged

by John Bishop, 1878) l st Edi tion, p . 224 ; 5tli Ed ition , 254.

6 VI O LIN- MAK ING : AS IT WAs AND 13.

Ea rl of Le ice ste r. 1 The be st kn own in sta n ce o f a ladyam a teur of the la st cen tury is tha t o f Sign o ra Madda le naLomba rdin i, to w hom Ta rtin i w ro te his ce lebra ted “ Le tteraa lla Sign o ra Madda le n a Lom ba rdin i

,in se rvie n te ad u n a im

po rta n te le z ion e pe r 1 suon a to ri di Vio lin o ,” w hich wa s published a few m on ths a fte r his dea th in Euro pa Litte ra r ia ”

(tom e v .

,1770

,pt. ii .

,p. As Hu llah justly rem a rks 3

“The blan k a n d stupid a ston ishm e n t w ith w hich the appa rition— n ay the ve ry m en tion— o f a fem a le vio lin ist w a s on ce re ce ivedam ongst us, is happily a thing o f the pa st

,an d the in strum en t

w hich Fis so le ha s so o ften put in to the han ds o f his ange ls, an dRaphae l o f his sa in ts

,is n o lon ge r rega rded a s un becom ing to

the sex n o r in a ny ha n ds ungra ce ful . But eve rything in thisw o rld,

’ sa id Me ta sta sio,is habit ; eve n virtue itse lf 1 The re is

an Oxfo rd traditio n tha t at an am ateur con c e rt about the ye a r1827 the pe rfo rm a n ce o f the first m a le pian ist tha t had bee nse e n tha t un ive rsity w a s rew a rded w ith a sto rm o f hisse s.The pian o fo rte w a s the n regarded a s e sse n tia lly a w om a n

’sin strum en t I Fo rtun a te ly n ou s a von s cha nge

’

tout ce la ; butthe fa ct rem a in s tha t till com parative ly re cen tly the “fiddlew a s e ssen tia lly the in strum en t o f w ha t D em o critus J un io r(R. Burton ) ca lls cir cu n l fo rean rogue s a n d vagabo nds a nd

Fran cis Ba con w a s on ly using the language o f his e ra w henhe te lls us tha t Them isto cle s

,de sired a t a fea st to touch a lute

,

he sa id he ‘could n ot fidd le, but ye the could m ake a sm a ll tow n

a grea t c ity an d he go e s on to say,‘An d certa in ly tho se

This in strum en t 1s i llu stra ted and fu lly d e sc ribed in S ir Joh n Haw k in s’

H isto ry of Mu sic (Lon d on ,vo l . iv . , p . 342, an d a lso in Ca rl Enge l ’s

D e scr iptive Ca ta logue of the Mu sica l I n strum en ts in the South Ken sin gto nMu seum (Lon d o n , p. 287 , i n w h ich la tte r place its fu l l h isto ry m ay be

fou n d . I t is a lso m e n ti o n ed in D r . B urn ey’

s Gen e ra l History o f Music”

(Lon d on , Vi da p . 109.

2 Thi s le tter w a s publ i sh ed sepa r ate ly w ith a tran sla tion on the Oppo site pages

by D r . Bu rn ey th u s in titu led Lette ra d e l d e fo n to S ign o r Giu seppe Ta rtin i

a l la Sign o ra Madd a len a Lom ba rd in i , etc . (Lon d ra , a nd th e tran sla ted

title page (oppo site ) ru n s, A l etter from the late S ign o r Tartin i to S ign o ra

Madda lena Lom ba rd in i (n ow Sign o r a Sirm en ), pub lish ed as a n im po rtan t

le sson to pe rfo rm ers o n th e v io l in ,tra n slated by D r . Bu rn ey (Lon d on ,

A secon d editio n a ppea red in 1779. a n d a Ge rm a n tra n sla tion en titled Briefan Magda len Lom ba rd in i

,enth a lten d e in e w ichtige Lectio n fii r di e Vio l in

spie le r”

(Han o ver , Th is tr an slation had before appea red in Hiller’

s“ Lebensbesch re ibu ngen ber iihm ter Mus ikge lehrten un d Tonk iin stler ,

”etc.

p. 278. An En gl ish tran slation appea rs at p. 257 of D ubourg’s w ork

(s ide n ote2, p. 5th ed ition .

J . Hu l lah ,Mu sic in the Hou se (Lon don , p. 30.

Th e Wo rk s of Fran c is Ba con ,

”by J . Spedd ing a n d others (Lon d on , 1858)

vo l . v ., p. 79. Th e passage h e re fe rs to abou t Them isto cles i s that on e fou n d in

PLUTARCH :— IIATTAPXOT BI O I : GEMI ETOKAHZ I I tic -

r epay év r a ts

ék evdepla u Ka i do r ela us dca '

r ptfia is {me 7 631! r ewa cfiet’

ia da e doxoéw wr xhevafép evor

fiva '

y xdg‘

cr o (pop'

n xu'

rr epov Mer ca do : M7 0», (in Mlpav uév dpuéo‘

a a fia c Kat p er c

INTRO D UCTI ON. 7

degen e ra te a rts an d shifts,

w he reby m a ny coun c illo rs an d

gove rn o rs ga in bo th favour w ith the ir m a ste rs an d e stim a tionw ith the vulga r, de se rve n o be tte r n am e tha n fidd ling !N0w

,how eve r

,the vio lin finds its vo ta rie s, a s I ha ve sa id, a like

am ong prin ce s a n d pea sa n ts. Engla n d ha s been peculia rlyfo rtun a te in n um be ring m em be rs o f its Roya l fam ilie s am ongam a teur playe rs . l I n Pa rke ’s “Musica lMem o irs

,

”above quo ted

,

w e fin d,un de r da te Ja n uary 14th

,1787

,an a ccoun t o f a Sunday

con cert at Lo rd Hampden’

s,co n ce rn ing w hich he says I n

o n e o f the ove rture s the P rin ce o f Wa le s an d the D uke so f Glo uce ster a n d Cum be rla n d pe rfo rm ed ; the tw o fo rm e ro n the Vio lon ce llo

,an d the la tte r ou the vio lin .

” KingCha rle s I . ,

w e a re to ld by Me ssrs . Sa ndys an d Fo rste r (s iden o te 1

,p. w a s n ot o n ly a grea t patron o f m usic

,bu t a lso

a fin e playe r on the ba ss-Vio l o r vio l da gam ba him se lf,

e spec ia lly in “ tho se in com pa rable phan ta sie s o f Mr . Cope rar ioto the o rgan , w hich had an a ccom pan im en t fo r on e vio lin and

a ba ss -Vio l .2 An d to com e dow n to to - day , the bro the rho od of

am a teur vio lin ists is led by His Roya l Highn e ss Alfred D ukeo f Edin burgh ; so tha t the a n c ien t stigm a a tta ching to the

in strum en t w e m ay n ow co n side r to be a thin g o f the pa st,and

w hen it crops up w e can lo ok upon it a s a re lic of ba rba rism iWhilst on the subje ct o f am a teurs

,it m ust be n o ted tha t the

te rm am a teur is n ot the highe st com plim en t tha t a playe r canbe pa id

,fo r it is

,a n d a lw ays ha s bee n , a lm o st equiva le n t to an

a ccusa tion o fm edio crity w hen on e is a sked,

“How doe s SO - an d- so

play ? ”to reply

,Oh

,en am a teur .

”I n the la st ce n tury it

w a s the custom to distinguish am a teurs from profe ssion a ls byca lling the fo rm e r “

gen tlem e n playe rs ; an d a sto ry is to ld,

dating from 1791 (Pa rke’s Musica l Mem o irs

,v o l . i .

,p. 142)

O f a gen tlem a n who,be ing a sked how Lo rd C (who w a s a

ve ry in diffe ren t vio lin ist) played, replied His Lo rdship,I

can a ssure yo u , sir, plays in a ve ry gen tlem a n - l ike m an n e r.Pe rhaps o n e o f the m o st gen ia l an d e cce n tric o f am a teur violinists w a s Fra n z An to n Webe r (fathe r o f the ce lebra ted com

po se r), w ho w a s ou this a ccoun t a grea t favourite at the courtxetpla a o da e wah rfipw u 015K éw la r a r a c, «61w 6%

,umpdw Ka t w apa haficbv

€V60£ov Ka t us‘

ydh'

qv dwep‘

yda a o da e. Ba con tra n sla tes k épa v ,uév dpnda a a da e Ka t

W axetplo a a fla t wa h '

n jptou by fiddle l

O th ers im port yet n obler a rts from Fra n ce ,Teach k i n gs tofid d le a nd m ak e sen ate s da n ce 1

A. PO PE ,“The D unc iad ,

” Book IV., l in e 598.

COpe rar io w as th e I ta l ia n i z ed n am e o f on e J oh n Cooper , a com pose rfor , an d pe rfo rm e r o n , the lu te an d vio l da gam ba . He w a s the m a ster of thechi ldre n of King Jam es I .

,a n d d ied d u rin g th e Protecto rate of Crom w e l l , leaving

behi n d h im m any com po sition s ev iden tly d on e“ to order .

”

8 v I O LIN-MAKINO As IT WAS AND I S .

of Karl Theodor,Electo r of the Pa la tin a te

,about the m iddle of

the e ighteen th cen tury. He played the vio lin rem a rkablyw e ll, a nd used to a ston ish the go od people o f Hilde she im duringhis w a lks in the n e ighbourho od by w o n de rful flights o f fan cy on

his favourite in strum en t. He a fte rw a rds dege n era ted in toStadt Musik an t,’ o r fiddle r at ba ll s, w eddings, an d the like .

” 1

Cha rle s IX. o f Fran ce w a s an am a teur vio lin ist,

2a fa ct

,how

eve r,w hich did n otpreven tGo udim el (in structo r o f Pa le strin a)

from be ing killed in the m a ssacre of St. Ba rtho lom ew’s day .

Po isot says he ha s se en the in strum en t this m on a rch played o n in

the Biblio theque de Cluny (SaOn e etL0ire).3 I n e ed n ot quo te thetim e- hon oured but idio tic lege nd tha t Ne ro fiddled w hilst Rom e

burn ed,but the above an ecdo te rem in ds m e o f it. Cyprien

D e sm a ra is ‘ te lls us that Cha rle s IV.

,D uke of Lorra in e an d

B a r,w a s a gre a t pa tron o f vio lin -m aking, an d tha t it w a s unde r

his auspice tha t on e o f Am a ti ’s w o rkm en,n am ed Meda r, w a s

e stablished in Fran ce,an d comm an ded to m ake a se t o f how

in strum e n ts fo r the Sta te con ce rts tha t the se in strum en ts w e reillum in a ted (like tho se o f Am a ti

,s ide n o te 2) w ith the duca l a rm s .‘

Som e o f the be st am a teurs w ho have left the ir m arkso n the ro lls of fam e have be en cle rgym en

,from the m on ks

o f the m iddle age s to the m usica l “cle r icos o f to - day .

‘

The Great Mu sic ian s,”ed ited by Fran cis Huetfer.

“Weber , by Sir

Ju liu s Ben edict (Lo nd o n ,3 I t w a s for Cha r le s IX . that An d rea s Am ati m ade th e celebrated in stru

m en ts k n ow n a s Cha rles IX . Am atis.

”Th e se w e re tw en ty -fou r v io l in s (tw e lve

large a nd tw e lve sm a l l pa ttern ) , six vio las an d e ight v io lon ce l lo s. The w ork

m an sh ip w a s exqu isite , a n d th e co lou r a r ich red -brow n . They w e re i l lum in a tedw ith the a rm s of Fr an ce , and th e m otto Pieta te et Ju stitia .

”O n e of them is

represen ted in the Photograph s, Plates I I . a n d I I I . (vi d e pageC. E. Po isot, Hi sto ire d e la Mu sique en Fra n ce d epui s 1es tem ps lea

plus recu lés jusqu’

a n o s jou rs (Par i s, 1860 D en tu ).Cypri en D esm ara is, Arch éo logie du Vio lon . D escription d’

un Vio lonHisto rique et Mon um en ta l . (Pa r is, 1836 s i de n ote p .

The sam e w r iter go es o n to say :“ Lou is X IV. fut ls prem ier prin ce qui

adopta pou r se ch ape l le et po ur ls serv ice d iv in , l’

usage d es in strum en ts :1

cord es et a a rch et, te ls que v io lon s, a ltos , ba sses, et con tre basses. Ce futLul ly ,surin te n dan t de la m u siqu e du ro i

, qu i fut ch arge d e s’

en pro cur er . I ls furen t

fabriqu és et fou rm s par Meda r , luth ie r a Nan cy : les v io lons furen t pe in ts d’

un e

cou leur rouge , m o in s fon cée cepe nd a n t qu e c e l le d es vio lon s de Str a d iva r ius.I ls furen t a rm o ri és au x a rm es de F ran ce et d e Na v a rre

,a vec c ette d e v ise du

grand ro i : Nee p lu r ibu s imp a r . To us les ro is de 1’

Eur 0pe s’

em presseren t d e

sui vre l’

exem ple d e Lou i s X IV. e n ad optan t po ur leu r m u siqu e l’

u sage d es

in strum en ts 9. cord es et a archet.

As I w rite th e abov e m y thoughts n atu ral ly w an d e r to that eccen tr ic

en thusia st an d exqu isite w r ite r on a l l sub jects c on n ected w ith m u sic a n d th e

violin , the Re v . H . R. Haw e is , of w hom , a n d o f w ho se w o n d e rful execu tion in.

the o ld days at Cambri dge , w on de rfu l sto r ies a re sti ll to l d by eye-w itn e sses a n d

hea rers. To a ll w h o are in te re sted in th e v io l in ,w h at ca n be m ore fas cin ating

than th e la rge section o f h is recen t w o rk ,“My Musica l Life (Lon don ,

Book iii., pp. 215-388,“The Vio lin .

”

INTRO D UCTI ON. 9

Sandys an d Fo rste r (s ide n o te 1

,p . 3) re la te tha t the em in en t

prea che r B ou rdelo t w a s a pe rfo rm e r on the vio lin,a nd quo te

the fo llow ing a n ecdo te “He w a s appo in ted to prea ch o n

Good Friday,

an d the proper office r to a tte nd h im to

church ha ving a rrived at his house,w as di rected to go to the

study fo r h im . As he approa ched he hea rd the soun d o f a

vio lin,an d

,the do o r be ing open a l ittle w ay, he saw B o u rde lot

stripped to his ca sso ck,playing a brisk tun e on the in strum en t

,

an d dan c ing about the ro om . He w a s m uch surprised,a n d

kn o cked at the doo r, w hen the distinguished divin e la id dow n

his in strum en t,an d putting o n his gow n , to ld the o ffice r w ith

his usua l com po sed lo ok tha t he w a s ready to a tte n d h im . O nthe ir w ay his com pan io n expre ssed his surprise a t w ha t he hadsee n to B ou rde lo t, w ho replied, tha t he m ight be, un le ss m ade

acqua in ted w ith his pra ctice on the se o cca sio n s. O n thin kingove r the in ten ded subject of his discourse , he fo un d tha t he w a s

too depre ssed to trea t it a s he ought, a n d, the re fo re , had re c ourseto his usua l m e thod— som e m usic an d a little bodily exe rc ise

,

a n d thus put him se lf in to a prope r fram e o f m in d to e n able h imto go w ith plea sure to w ha t w ould o the rw ise have been a w orkof pa in an d labour to him .

”Truly

,a n in sta n ce o f a

“dan cingparson ,

”w hich rem inds us of the gay young c lergym an o f the

tim e of Edwa rd I I ., of w hom w e a re to ld tha t w he n he go eo ut

He putteth in h is paw ten er a k er ch ief a n d a comb,

A sk ew er a n d a coyf to bin d w ith h ijs lo ck sAn d ra tyl in th e row byble ,

‘an d in n on oth er book s.

Ne m os l

So m uch fo r the am ateurs w ho have gon e be fore us. I t isto be pre sum ed tha t the te rm am ateur m ust co n tin ue to bein som e w ay a te rm o f co n tem pt un til the sex

,w hich is by a

stran ge m isn om e r te rm ed the w eake r,

” sha ll have w iped aw aythis reproa ch. I n con clusio n

,I can on ly say tha t m a ny is the

tim e w hen I have devoutly w ished tha t am a teurs w ould hea r inm in d the w o rds o f Stephen s

,

2w ho rem a rks w ith m uch dry

hum our a n d sound sen se , A fiddle r is, w hen he plays w e ll, ade light on ly fo r them tha t have the ir hea rin g, but is, w hen heplays ill

,a de light o n ly fo r those w ho have n ot the ir hea ring.

”

Eve n to - day the w o rd “ fiddle ha s m a ny opprobrio us sign ification s

,re lic s o f the days w hen a fiddle r w a s a syn onym fo r a

rogue o r u se le ss fe llow,an d the Fren ch

,a s w e kn ow

,have eve n

now the phra se “m e ttre a n vio lon

,

”m e a n ing “ to im prison o r

Rowbyble , rub ible , rubebe , rebec term s syn on ym ou s, vid e chap. i .J . Stephen s, Essayes a n d Cha racters, I ro n i ca l an d I n structive (London,

The Secon d Impression ,”

10 VI OLIN- MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND I s .

lo ck up. About the o rigin o f this u se o f the w o rd vio lon the rehave be en m any discussion s am o ng philo logists an d e tym o logistsa w rite r in Notes a n d Qu er ies, in te lls us tha t in the

tim e of Louis X I . the “ Sa lle de s Pa s Pe radu s ”Pe rdus)

w a s so m uch frequen ted by spada ssin s,turbule n t c le rks an d

stude n ts, tha t a ba iliff of the pa la ce,to put an end to the ir

disturban ce s,adopted the plan o f shutting them up in a low e r

ro om o f the con cie rge rie w hilst the courts w e re sitting, but, a sthey w e re n ot guilty o f any pun ishable o ffe n ce he a llow ed thema vio lin to am use them se lve s w ith during the ir tem po rary captiv ity . Hen ce the w o rd vio lon cam e to be applied to pla ce sw he re pe rson s un de r provision a l a rre st w e re confin ed.

” How

eve r this m ay be , it is anything but com plim en ta ry to the in str um en t which , a s a w riter in the D a i ly Telegr aph

”justly rem a rks,“ is pr e - em in en tly the in strum en t o f pea ce a n d con ten tm en t

,o f

gen tle sua sion an d ha rm ony am ong m ankin d,

”fo r

,in de ed

,a s

Capta in Ma che ath says in his pre tty com plim en t a like to w om an

a n d the vio lin 4

1f th e heart of a m an is depre ssed w ith care s,

The m i st is d ispe l led w h en a w om an appears

Lik e th e n ote s of a fidd le sh e sw eetly , sw eetlyRa ises the spirits a n d cha rm s our ears,

”

an d Tom Ho od spoke from the bo ttom o f his hea rt w hen bera the r de scriptive ly put it Heaven rew ard the m an who firsthit upon the ve ry o rigin a l n o tion o f saw ing the in side of a cat

Notes a nd Quer i es, th ird ser ies, vo l v1., p. 496 (D ecem ber 17th ,The abov e appeared or igin a l ly in Ga l ign a n i . O n J an ua ry 2l st, 1865, an other

w r ite r in Notes a n d Qu er ies (v01. refer ring to th e abov e rec ited a rticle ,says, ap r op os of th is subject [tr a n sla ti on ] Th e fo l low ing explan ation by th e

em in en t Fren ch philo logist Gen in , is m ore to th e purpose . 1 to ok n ote of it

from a series of pape rs be fur n ish ed som e year s ago to the J ou r na l d’

I l luetra

tion ,but it i s to be foun d w i th m an y o th er cur i ou s th in gs in h is Recreation s

Philo logiqu es ’ METTRE AU VI O LON.— I t is w e l l k n ow n that in the m idd le

ages th ey sa id , in ste ad of m e ttre au v io lon ,

” “ m ettre au psa ltérion .

” Pselter ion , sa ltérion ,

sa utér ion,are a ll iden tica l w ith th e Latin w o rd psalter ium ,

”

th ese be ing Ga ll ic i z ed fo rm s. Th r oughout the m idd le age s the seven pen iten tia l

psa lm s w e r e a s m u ch u sed a s l’

o ra ison dom in icale itse lf. B y d egrees it

becam e a h abit to say casu a l ly“tim e to say a sep t

-

p sea um es,”as n ow w e say

tim e to re cite a p a ter .

” Mettre e u psa ltér ion m e an t, th er efo re , to be set

dow n to o n e’

s psa lter , to be set d ow n to a pen an ce , to m ed itate o ve r on e’

s fo llie s,to repen t o f th em ,

an d to r ecite th e sev en pen iten tia l psa lm s (un e sep t-p sea um es)w i th out fear of in te rruption . B ut th e psa ltér ion w as a lso a m u sica l instru

m en t,a n d th e popu la ce took ad v an tage o f th e equ ivoqu e , an d , seeing th at the

psa lterium w a s an tiqu ated , substituted fo r it the v io lin ,w hi ch h ad a sserted itse lf

as th e k in g o f in strum en ts. I n stead o f saying“m ettre au psa ltér ion w e say

m ettre e u v io lo n ,

”a n d th e play upon w ords is k ept up.

’

Februa ry 13th ,1882.

J . Ga y , The B egga r’

s Op era (Lon don ,17 a ct so. 1.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

l2 v I O LIN-MAKING : As IT WAS AND I s.

fo r the opin ion s of ou r fo re fa the rs con ce rn ing the vio l in , an d them e a n ing, in the ir e stim a tio n

,o f the w o rd fiddle .

” 1

How eve r sm a ll m ay have be en , in days gon e by, the e ste emin w hich the vio lin w a s he ld , the re is n o doubt a bout its highpo sitio n n ow adays

,bo th soc ia lly a n d com m e rc ia lly

,

”n ow tha t

ou r daughte rs a r e be in g taught the vio lin in ste ad o f the pian o,

a n d tha t vio lin s fe tch sum s o f m on ey w hich a re sim ply o u t

o f a ll re a son . As rega rds the fo rm e r o f the se “ sign s o f the

tim e s,

”a w rite r in Ca ssell

’

s Fam i ly Maga z in e justly rem a rkeda sho rt tim e ago

3 The rage fo r tea ching girls the vio l in ,w hich a t pre se n t exists in Englan d, is little m o re than a fa shio n

,

a n d,un le ss it is dire cted w ith m o re kn ow ledge an d ca re o n

the pa rt o f pare n ts tha n m o st o f them n ow show,it w ill die

like o n e . And w e a re n ot quite c lea r tha t,if this ca re is

w ithhe ld,a m o re suitable a n d sa luta ry e n d could ove rtake it.

A n ew terro r w ould be added to so c ie ty w e re eve ry buddingMiss

,n o be tte r in structed in the a rt tha n un de r the pre se n t

r e’

gim e she is like ly to be , w e re pe rm itted o r required to com pe lthe sile n ce o f the draw ing - ro om w hilst she scraped ou t on e o f

Be llin i ’s a irs w ith va ria tion s.” This is quite true en bloc,

but the re is n o doubt tha t w he n the first rage con sequen t o n

the pe rfec t te chn ique o f such lady- playe rs as No rm an n -Nc ruda,

Before I go fu rth er I w ou ld say a w o rd on m y con stan t use of the w ordfidd le

”i n stead o f v io l in it i s a pre judice of m in e . I a lw ays pr e fer to

say“fidd le

,

” “ ten or ,” “ ba ss, a n d d ouble ba ss, rath e r tha n u se the I ta l ian

w o rds v io lin,

”v io l a , v io lo n ce l lo , an d “

v io l on o ,”o r th e Fren ch v io lon ,

"

a lto ,”

basse,

a nd con tre -basse .

” We sh ou ld n ot m u ch lik e it i f w e w e re

m ad e to u se the Po l ish “sk r z pcé ,

” “a ltow ka ,

” “ ba setla ,”an d “ k on tr abas

so w hy can n ot w e u se En gl ish w ords w h en w e have th em to u se ? People ha v eo ften ask ed m e (in abso lute good faith a n d in n ocen ce) , What is th e d iffe ren cebetw e e n a fidd le an d a v io lin ? a qu estion w hich a lw ay s rem in ds m e of a

sto ry to ld by Mr . A. Ch a sem o re, in his

“H isto ry a nd Asso ciati o n s o f the O ldBr idge a t Fu lh am an d Putn ey (Lon don , 1875, 8v0) , o f an o ld w aterm an a t

Putn ey , w h o , in d e scr ibing th e glor ies o f a ce rta in ban d k n o w n as Brook ’

s

Ban d ,” w h ich played on the o cca si on s of th e o ld Fu lham w ate rm e n’

s

Regatta , stated th at it con sisted of a big drum , a cla rion et,tw o fidd les a n d a

vi o l i n2 Wh i lst I w r ite th e above th ere com es in to m y m in d a little bo ok w hich

w a s sen t m e th e oth er d ay , an d w hich by its r e cen t date show s that th e an tique

pr e jud ice aga in st th e fidd le is n ot abso lu te ly extin ct e ve n n ow . Th is l ittlebo o k let

,w h ich i s fo rtun ate ly an on ym ou s

,is en titled,

“Th e singu lar l i fe a n dsu rpr isin g ad ven tu r es o f J o seph Th om pson ,

k n ow n by th e n am e o f Fidd le rTh om pso n of Ha lifax

, w ith an accoun t o f th e va r iou s ha rdsh ips he endur ed ;the w ick ed n ess o f com m o n Fidd le rs a n d F idd lin g h is pra ctice a s a Ho rser id er a n d Juggl e r ; n arrow escape f rom d eath ; h is being a F idd le r o n a c ru isein a Pri va te e r ; h is c ru e lty a s a hu sba n d , fath er , are , a n d hi s subsequen t conve rsio n an d d evote d n ess to God . (Wak efie ld W. Nich o lson , n .d . I tis extra ordi n a ry to m e , how in th ese days of en li ghte nm en t such a ph i lippiccou ld h ave been pu bl ish ed .

Vide T he Mur ie a l Sta nda rd, Augu st 5th , 1882, an d the O r chestra an d( h a i r Septem be r 1882.

INTRO D UCTI ON. 13

Te re sin a Tu a , de Pom m er eu l, an d o the r w e ll - kn own vi olin iste s ,ha s co o led dow n

,the ladie s w ho con tin ue to play the v io lin w il l

ra ise (a s I have sa id be fo re ) the n am e o f “Am a teur Vio lin istfrom the slough o f de spon d in w hich it is at pre sen t sun k fo r

it is obvio us tha t the gre a te r pe rseve ran ce , de lica cy, an d spirit o fem ulatio n

,o f the fa ir sex

,to say n o thing o f the gre a te r tim e a t

the ir dispo sa l, m ust soon ra ise them fa r beyon d the sta n da rda tta in ed by n in e te en o u t o f eve ry tw en ty m a le bipeds w ho

play the fiddle a little, y o u kn ow .

”

The pre se n t is n e ithe r a suitable pla ce n o r a n appropriateo cca sion fo r a n expo sition of the fa ilings o f the o rd in aryam a teur ; but the re a r e tw o prin cipa l on e s w hich de se rvea pa ssing n o tice : the se a r e

,exce ssive tun ing a n d “ show ing

o ff.”

The re seem to be m any am a teur fiddlers who thin k itshow s se lf- confiden ce , skill

,o r n on cha lan ce to tun e w ith

un n ece ssa ry vigour a nd a t un n e ce ssa ry length, n ot reflectingtha t to the expe rien ced m usician such a pro ce eding is a ce rta inin dica tion o f exe cuto ry in eptitude .

” The pa ssion fo r “ show ingo ff

” is appa ren tly an in curable disea se,fo r on e hea rs even

adva n ced playe rs run n ing sca le s up an d dow n the finge r- boa rd

and playing bravura pa ssage s w hen eve r they can get a suitableo r un suita ble opportun ity. I t i s a m adden ingly con tem ptiblehabit. Wha t is m o re distressing to the m usica l ca r than the

disco rdan t qua r t- d’

he ur e tha t precede s the ove rture in m o stof o u r thea tre s ? I f on e listen s ca refully, on e can ofte n dis

ti ngu ish w ho le exe rc ise s by w e ll- kn ow n m a ste rs be ing “ru n

through by individua l fiddle r s. I t is rela ted o f Cram e r,tha t

w he n on his w ay to Englan d he w a s e n gaged to play a con

ce rto on the vio lin a t the Co n ce rt- Spiritue l in Pa ris. O n

en te ring the orche stra he w a s struck w ith am a z em en t a t se e ing

Fran cis Bea um on t, The Kn ight of the B u r n ing P estle ,” Com edy, first

played in 1611.

3 Ph i lip Ma ssin ger w a s a lso im pressed w ith th is idea , w hen fidd les first

cam e o ver to En gla nd , fo r h e says

Wire - str in g an d cat-gut m en , a n d stron g-bre ath ed hoboys,For the c red it o f y ou r ca l li ng ha ve n ot you r in str um en ts

.To tu n e w he n y ou str ik e up.

”

The Gua r d ia n , a com edy (Lon don ,

An d I can a lw ays feel fo r , an d sym path i se w ith , the Cou rt in the o ld sto ry o f the

Ea ste r n pote n tate for w h ose de lecta tio n a ban d w as se n t fo rth to h is dom a in s.

Befo r e the ir first (propo sed ) pe rfo rm an ce th ey bega n to tun e the i r in strum e nts,an opera tio n w h ich prod uced o n th e Cou rt th e sam e k in d o f e ffec t that steppin

g

o n a r ed -hot sho v e l pr od uced o n Ma rk Tw a in’

s con tem pla tive spide r . (Hefirst expre ssed a w il d as to n ishm en t an d th en shr ive l led u p I) O bstup ue r u nt

atete ru ntque com es— an d th e m iserable fidd le rs w e re sent hom e a s fast a s possib le

by th e k ing, w h o r e fused to h ea r a n oth er n o te o f the i r m u sic , tea r ing it m igh t

be up to sam pl e 1”

14 VI OLIN-MAK ING : As IT WAS AND I S .

the se con d,an d in fe rio r vio lin playe rs playing fo r the ir ow n

am usem e n t the m o st difficult bravura pa ssage s at the top o f

the finge r- bo ard.

“ I f,

”thought he , the Fren ch subo rdin a te

fiddle - playe rs po sse ss such un com m o n po w e rs o f exe cution,I

can have little cha n ce o f plea sing a Pa risian audie n ce .

"How

eve r, he w en t through his co n ce rto and w a s a cco rded a w hirlw ind o f applause ; n ext day , o n his m e n tio n ing the m atte r toan em in en t Fren ch m usic ian

,the la tte r replied

,Oh i con foun d

them , they o n ly pra ctise such m o nk ey- tricks,

a n d ca n playn o thing e lse .

”Such a playe r a s this w a s the ce lebra ted Lo lli

,

1

w ho se em s to have bee n a trick- playe r o f m a rve llous fo rce ,et pr cetcr ea n ihi l ! I ndeed P arke in his Musica l Mem o irs(vo l i ., p. 52) says o f him : His exe cutio n w a s a sto n ishing, a ndthe tricks he played in va rious pa rts o f his con ce rto excited therisibility m o re tha n the adm ira tion o f his audito rs.” The o n lype rson o f ou r day (a s fa r a s I kn ow ) w ho has m ade a pra cticeo f this kind o f cha rla tan ry is a ce rta in e cce n tric pro fe ssion a l,w ho has rece n tly m ade his appe a ra n ce at m usic -ha lls an d o the ren te rta inm e n ts o f a sim ila r n a ture un de r the hide ously sug

ge stivo title o f Pagan in i Redivivus .” My re ade rs (w ho haven ot seen h im ) w ill j udge o f h im a n d his m e rits w he n I say

An to n io Lo l l i w as a n a tive o f Bergam o,bo rn in 1730, w hom Sir Geo rge

Grove i n h is “ D ictio n a ry o f Music a n d Mu sic ia n s (Lon don ,1880— 1884)

d escr ibe s a s“a m ost extra o rd in a ry pe rfo rm e r , but a lso the type of an

u nm us ica l , em pty-h ead ed v i ituo so , a n d in ad d i tion a c om plete fo o l a n d th is

opin io n o f h im is un a n im ou sly that o f a l l h is biogra phe rs.

Mr . H. C. Lu n n , in h is “ S ugge sti o n s fo r a Musica l Amph ithea tr e in

Musin gs of a Music ia n (Lon d o n , 2md Ed n .,1849, p . give s a d e l ight

fu l item in a n im agin a ry program m e , be ing a h it a t the sick en ing w ay in w h 1ch

in fe rio r players pa n d e r to the popu la r taste by th ese “exhibitio n s o f

“ m usica l pyro tech n ics . He says Mr . LUCI US GRAHAM WALKER ,the

Mira cu lo u s Vio l in ist(ju stly su rn am ed th e O n e -str i nged P r odigy) w i l l a fte rw a rd s

go th rough the w h o le o f h is m u ch adm ired pe r fo rm an ce s UPON A S INGLE

STRING. I n o rder that the re m ay be n o d ecep tio n i n th is, th e v io l in w i ll be

bro ught befo re th e a ud ien ce a n d three str in gs br oken in th e ir pre sen ce . Afte r

this feat he w i l l exh ibit som e o f h i s n ew e ffects fo r the in strum en t w h ich ha v e

been r ece ived o n each repre sen tation w ith SHO UTS o f LAUGHTER a n d

THUND ERS o f APPLAUSE . Am on gst the m o st pr om in en t of the se w i ll be a

pecu lia r 80’l l ’l ld go t by gen tly tapp ing the stri ng, w h i lst the w o od o f th e bow

l s placed c lose to th e bridge a n d sudd en ly d raw n up a n d d o w n the str ingw ith gr ea t f o r ce . The p or ta men to too , so m u ch u sed by singer s an d la te lyby v io l in ists, w h ich c on sists o f gl id ing o n e n ote in to the o the r in ste a d o f

sepa tating them a s they a r e m a r ked up on the pap er , w i ll , o n th is o ccasio n ,h e

ca r r ied to a n extr eme . He w i l l pe rfo rm a po rtio n o f a w e lLk n ow n co n ce rto ,

in w h ich ,by sim ply us ing the m e a n s a bo ve m e n tion ed , h e w i l l m a k e th e

m o st lo ve ly an da n te a ppea r a se l ie s o f the m ost extr a or d i n a r y w a i l: e ve r

l isten ed to,a n d tta n sfo rm a be au tiful com po sitio n in to a cor r e ct r epresen tatio n

of a con cer t of ca ts . Th is feat ha s a lw ays be en re c e i ved w ith th e u tm o st

LAUGHTER a n d APPLAUSE,— a nd , i n truth , th is ju st d escr ibe s m any o f the

w onderful exh i bition s o f m usica l gym n a stics fo rced u pon w on d erm g ca rs byhun dred s o f Cha r la tan s, am a teu r a n d profe ssio n a l , in th e d ra w ing-room , on the

pla tfon n— and in the c ircus.

INTRO D UCTI ON. 15

he appe a rs, a gha stly obje ct, m ade up to re sem ble the co rpseo f Nico lo Paga n in i a cco rdin g to the w e irde st l iken e sse s o f him ,

o n a da rke n ed stage a nd to slo w m usic,a fte r w h ich he plays

o n e o r tw o o f the “ tours- de - fo ree w hich a re a sso c iated w iththe n am e o f the a rch- cha rla ta n an d virtuo so

,the king o f

vio lin ists, Paga n in i . I simply m u st reproduce an adve rtisem e n ts f his w hich appea red in the Tim es of the 2n d Ma r ch

,1883,

a nd w hich run s thusAGANINI RED IVIVUS begs to m ak e k n o w n ,

in

reply to n um e r o u s i n qu ir ies, th at h e se ld om

pe rfo rm s Beeth ove n ’

s Con ce rto , Men de lssoh n’

s

Co n cer to , Ta rtin i’

s D evi l’

s - So n ata , Bach ’

s Cha

co n n e ,”

o r the o the r ste reotyped pieces o f the

in e v ita ble so -ca l led c la ssica l repe rto ire . Paga n in iRed iv ivus ha s h e a rd them so freque n tly h a c k n eyed

abou t by l ittle co n se r vato i re pu pi ls o n the Co n tin e n t, th at they h a ve lo st th e ir im po rta n ce for h im .

How e ve r , a lthough from a v io lin istic po i n t of view

they a r e w or se tha n tr i via l, sti ll a s m u sica l com

positio n s they a re v e ry a dm irable . The refo re la te r

on Paga n in i Red iv ivus m a y be i nd u ced to gi ve a

SPEC IAL REC I TAL o f the above stated pie ces, in:

o rde r to show the Lo ndon pu bl ic how they shou ld be

p la yed .

No comm en t o f m in e is n eeded to po in t the m o ra l o f theabove edifying pa ragraph . True

,he w a s a m a rve llous exe cuta n t

,

but from a n a rtistic po in t o f view— bah I 1 I t is this te rribletem pta tion to cha rla tan ry w hich spo ils the playing o f so m a nyam a te urs

,fo r in the ir love o f exc iting w on de r a n d applause

,

they lo se sight en tire ly o f the glo rie s o f purity o f to n e a nd

expre ssio n,w hich m ust be the substra tum to w hich a ll o rn a

m en ts o f style a re pure ly in c ide n ta l,so tha t pe ople m ay say in

the w o rds of Edm un d Gro sse,

2

An d w hen I stand

To w atch th e finge rs o f am a ste r’

s ha n d ,And ta ste the rich a rpegg io s, a nd abla z e

With flo r id cho rds, hea r how the fire is fa n n ed ,

I thr ob

.

w ith joy ; a nda s I lobk I lea.

rn .

O f course the gre a t thing w hich stan ds in the w ay o f

am a teurs is w a n t o f practice . Boys ca n n o t o r w ill n ot give therequisite tim e to the in strum en t w hich is the in evitable pa thw ayto profic ie n cy ; they can n o t re a liz e the pow e rs o f the Niebelungen lied Vo lke r

,w ho is de scribed a s w ie lding the fiddle - bow

a s dexte rously as the sw o rd ; they ca n ve ry se ldom e ve n be

pe rsuaded to fo llow the exam ple o f dea r o ld Sam ue l Pepys,w ho

Any on e w h o fe e ls an in te re st in th is n in ete e n th ce n tu ry Lo l li sho uld referto the pages o f the fll usica l Sta n da rd fo r Ma rch l0th a nd 2 i th

,1883.

E. W. Go sse , O n Vio l an d Lute (Lo n d on , Ad a ud i to rem, p. l .

16 VI OLIN-MAK ING . As I T WAS AND I S .

te lls u s (D e cem be r 3rd, 1660) Ro se by can dle,and spen t m

ym o rn ing in fiddling till tim e to go to the o ffice and it I s

urged tha t the pursuits o f boys an d m e n un fit the han ds fo r thede licate touch n ece ssary to a perfe c t in to n atio n . o r the supplen e ssrequisite for a prope r te chn ique upon the finge r

- bo a rd :1 this

is w hy I ha il the tim e w hen w om e n sha ll play the vio lin to

us,w he n the exe crable am a teur fiddle r

,w hom w e have a ll

en dured a n d an a them atiz ed,sha ll be a thing o f the pa st

,and

w hen it w ill be co u n ted a sham e an d a disgra ce to play thevio lin e ithe r like a m a rve llous pie ce o f m e chan ism o r a tra in eda n im a l .2 O f coure it is ou t o f the que stion to suppose tha tam ateurs (eve n ladie s !) w ill ever; em ula te the phen om en a lapplica tion w hich is reported o f P agan in i, o f w hom w e haveha nded dow n to us te rrible sto rie s o f te n and tw e lve hoursa day un in te rrupted pra c tice ,3 or tha t they w ill pra ctice tillthe ir fin ge rs ble ed like the pupils of the ge n ius Fo ssegrin 3‘

No th in g co u l d po ssibly a dd to th e ch a rm an d v ar - e ty o fMu s ic in th e

H o u se l ik e a ge n e r a l in cr e a se o f Sk i ll in v i o lin -

play in g. An d i f th is in cr e a se

18 to be m a d e , it m u st be m ad e fo r th e p r e se n t a t le a st th r o ugh fem a le a id .

An e xclu s iv e d e v o ti o n , th r o ugh th e gr o w in g y e ar s o f bo yh o o d , to c r i ck e t an d

bo a tin g, h o w e v e r di r e ctly c o n d u c iv e to th e pr om o tio n o f p ie ty an d go o d

l ite r a tur e , le a v e s l ittle tim e fo r th e a cqu i s itio n o f sk i ll o n a m u s ica l in stru

m e n t, n e t to say th a t h a n d s sti ff e n e d by th e ba t a n d c a r a r e l ittle lik e ly to

m a k e m u ch o f th e bo w o r fin ge r- bo a rd .

— j . Hu lla h , Mu sic in th e H o u se

(Lo n d o n ,

2 Spe a k in g o f tra in e d an im a ls r em in d s m e o f a m o st in te re stin g n o te w hi ch

I fin d in K n igh t’

s Am e r i ca n Me ch a n ic a l D i ctio n a ry (New Yo rk , 1875,3 v o ls . , a r ti c le s F idd le a n d Vio lin w h ich po in ts o u t th e fa ct th a t

th o ugh gra ssh o ppe r s , cr i ck e ts , an d th e l ik e a r e fr equ en tly spo k en o f as

s in gin g,

”

y e t th e y d o n o t sin g , th e y fiddl e . B y r u bbin g legs a n d w in gs

to ge th e r— e a ch in th e m a n n e r pec u li a r to th e spe c ie s

— th e se in se cts pro du ce

th e so un d s w h i ch ch a r a cte r i z e th em . Lo cu sts a r e fidd l e r s . Th e i r h in d legs

a r e th e bow s , an d th e pr o je ctin g v e in s o f th e ir w in g- c o v e r s th e str in gs. O n

e a ch sid e th e bo dy , in th e fi r st segm e n t o f th e a bd om e n , j u st a bo v e an d a

little beh in d th e th igh s , is a d e ep c a v ity c lo se d by a th in p ie ce o f sk in

str e tch e d tigh tly a cr o ss i t l i k e a ban j o - co v e r . Wh en a lo cu st begin s to pla yh e be n d s th e sh a n k o f o n e h in d leg be n e a th th e th igh , w h e r e it i s lo dge d in

a fur r o w d e s ign ed to r e ce iv e it, a n d th en d r a w s th e leg br isk ly u p a n d d o w n

sev e r a l tim e s aga in st th e pr o je c tin g la te r a l e dge a n d v e in s o f th e w in g - c o v e r .

Sh o rtly a fte r r e a d in g th e a bo v e , I w a s ly in g in th e bla z in g sun o n o n e o f th e

so u th e rn slo pe s o f th e Py re n e e s , an d a n e n o rm o u s fie ld - c r ick e t o r gr as s

h o ppe r , u n aw a r e o f m y p re sen ce , c am e a n d sa t d o w n a few in ch e s fr om m yh e a d , a n d ga v e m e a c o n ce rt. I w a tch e d h im v e ry ca r e fu l ly , an d th e

o pe r a tio n w a s e xa c tly a s a bo v e d e sc r ibe d h is to n e w a s fu l l a n d r o un d , a n d

fo rm ed a ple a sin g c o n tr a st to th a t o f a la dy fie ld - c r ick e t w h o w a s fidd lin gabo u t a y a r d a w a y , w ith w h om m y so lo ist se em e d to be co n v e r sin g. He r

to n e w a s c om pa r a tiv e ly thi n a n d w e a k , a n d pr e se n tly c e a se d al to ge th e r ,wh e r e u po n m y ga lla n t in se ct sk idd e d a w a y to m a k e in qu i r ie s .

F . J . F étis , No ti ce B io gr a ph iqu e su r Ni co lo Pa gan in i , ” e tc . (Pa r is ,tr a n sla te d in to En gl ish by We llin gto n Gu e rn se y B io gr a ph ica l

no ti ce o f Nic o lo Pa gan in i , " e tc . (Lo n d o n Sch o tt, n .d . ) Se co n d e d itio n ,

sn o n ym o u s (Lo n d o n , n .d .

I n No rw a y th e ge n iu s F o ssegr in te a ch e s th e v i o lin o n th e n igh t o f H o lyTh u r sd a y to a n y pe r so n w h o sa c r ifice s to h im a w h ite go a t,a n d th r o w s it in to

a cascad e flo w in g n o r thw a r d , ta k i n g ca re to tu rn aw ay h is h e a d . Th e gen ius

INTRO D UCTI ON .17

but the fo rbea ran ce of the ir re la tion s w ill su re ly a llow them to

give m o re tim e tha n (a s a rule) they do, an d it is ce rta in ly timetha t the people w ho can a ffo rd m o st for tuition should producethe be st re sults. An othe r fault of am ateurs is the ir con sta ncy ;

an am a teur w ill go on playing sn a tche s of tun es, “ som eho wlike this

,

”in w ha t Mr . Co rn ey Gra in ca l ls “ the the re o r there

abouts style,

” till o n e longs to be a fflic ted w ith a thicke n ing o f

the tym pan um . I on ce kn ew an am a teur who w ould go on

w o rrying his fiddle by the hour toge ther fo r my edification , ou t

o f pure van ity of his ow n pow e rs. He rem inded m e o f a Fren chvirtuo so , n am ed Alday, w ho played o n his first appea ran ce inEngland (at Co lem a n

’s The atre in 1792) a co n ce rto on“God

save the King w ith va ria tion s. Afte r som e seven teen o r

e ighte en va ria tio n s som e w ag in the ga lle ry ca lled o ut,

“Are

yo u go ing to play a ll n ight, Mr .All- day ? This sta rted a laugh ,w hich

,turn ing in to a hiss

,drove the diseom fited so lo ist from

the pla tfo rm .

The re is n o doubt about it,that to have lea r n t the vio lin ha s

o ften be e n the first m usica l tra in ing o f the grea te st co m po se rs.We a ll have he a rd the w e ll—kn o w n sto ry o f Mo z a rt

,w ho whe n he

w a s quite a child ta ught him se lf to play the vio lin the sto ry isto ld by Hoga rth 1 a s fo llow s When the fam ily re turn ed toSa lz burg in 1762 Mo z a rt (be in g then six yea rs o ld) broughtw ith h im a sm a l l vio lin w ith w hich be am used him se lf. An ablevio lin - playe r o f the n am e o f Wen z l ca lled o n e day on his fa the rto ask his opin ion o f six tr ie s he had just com po sed. Theypro ceeded to try them ,We n z l him se lf playing the first vio lin ,Mo z a rt’s fa the r the bass

,a nd a pe rfo rm e r of the n am e o f

Schachtn e r ’ the se co nd vio lin . Young Mo z a rt begged ha rd to bea llow ed to play this la st pa rt

,but his fa the r a ngrily refused his

reque st, n a tura lly con ce iving it to be a childish w him . At la st,how ever, on the go od

- hum oured in te rce ssion of Scha chtn e r, the

th en se i z es the right ha nd of h is pupi l, a n d m oves it over the str ings of thefidd le till the blood com es out u nd e r the n ai ls. The appren tice is th en ceforw arda m aster , an d h is e n chan ted v io l in w i l l m ak e tree s dan ce a n d r ivers stay theircou rse l— luue 'ie a nd the D r am a

,March l oth , 1883.

G. Hogarth , Musica l Histo ry , Biogra phy , an d Cr itic ism ,etc . (London,

ch . xii i . , p. 240 (2n d edition , 1838, vo l. i i ., eh . i ., p.

3 Johan n An d rea s Seha chtn er he ld the post of Co urt Trumpeter at Sa lz burg,an d w as an in tim a te fri en d of the Mo z art fam i ly. All these particu lars of thech i ldhood of Mo z a rt (as w e l l a s m a n y others) are tak en from a letter w rittenby Schachtn er , after Mo z a rt’s dea th , to h is (Mo z a rt

’s) sister , un der d ate

April 24th , 1792. The o rigin a l is in the possession of Herr Aloys Fuchs, and isto be found at length in O tto J ahn

’

s“Life of Mo z a rt,

”tran slated from th e

Germa n by Pa u lin e Tow n shen d (London , 1882, Nove l lo) , 3 vo ls., vo l. i ., p. 21.

W. A. Mo z a rt Le ipz ig, 1826-59 ; Bre itk opf, 4 vo ls. 8vo) . I t is also to befoun d in G. R. de Nissen

’

s Biographie W. A. Mo z ar ts "

(Le ipz ig, andin A. H. F. Sch li chtegro ll

’

s Nek ro log d er D eutschen (Gotha , 1790

2

l 8 VIO LIN- MAK ING : As IT WAS AND I s .

child w a s a llow ed to play a lo ng w ith him on his little vio l in,a nd

caution ed by his fa the r to m a ke little n o ise . I n a few m in ute s,

n odding to his com pan io n s, Scha chtn e r la id do w n his in strum en t,

and Mo z a rt w en t o n a lon e,playing his pa rt w ith the utm o st

accuracy an d ste adin e ss,to the adm ira tion a nd a ston ishm en t o f

the pa rty.

” 1

A a in, Seba stian Ba ch (bo rn at Eisen ach

,in Thuringia ,Ma rch

3l st,1685) w as in his youth his fa the r’s pupil on the vio lin

,an d

it w a s his proficien cy on this in strum en t (jo in ed to his fin e treblevo ice ) w hich got him in to the Ma tin cho ir at the MichaelisSchule at Lu en ebe rg a n d w hen his vo ice c ra cked he he ld fo rsom e m o n ths the po st o f vio lin ist in the ban d o f Prin ce J ohan nErn st o f We im a r.3 Schube rt a lso , w e a re to ld

,

‘w a s his fa the r’s

pupil on the vio lin at the age of e ight. I n 1808 he be cam e on e

o f the Im pe ria l Chape l Cho ir, an d a pupil o f the Stadtcon vict,w here he so on be cam e le ade r o f the scho o l o rche stra .

‘

CREMONA ! I t w ould a lm o st se em un n e ce ssa ry to a sk w he the rthe re bre a the s any on e w ho ha s n eve r he ard o f a Crem on a

Vio lin,

" but it is n ot so o ften w hen ta lking o f vio lin s som e o n e

has sa id n aive ly,And the n ,

— w ha t is a Crem on a in de ed,

the n am e w hich is m o re tha n a househo ld w o rd to a l l vio lin istsis by n o m ea n s un de rstood in its full sign ificatio n by o f w ak h a l

even the w e ll- in fo rm ed Pa rke sa y s (v o l. i ., p .

“As theappe lla tion o f Crem on a fiddle s m ay n otbe gen e ra lly un de rsto odI w ill take this oppo rtun ity to e xpla in it. The se in strum en tsw e re m ade by tw o I ta lia n s

,n am ed Am a ti a nd Stradiva rius a t

He w a s fo nd o f play ing o n Scha chtn er’

s vio l in on accoun t of th e sw eetn ess

of its to n e , an d Sch achtn e r used to tun e it an d leav e itw ith h im . O n e day w h en

Schachtn e r cam e to v isit h is fath e r, Mo z art rem ark ed to him that the last tim e

h e tu n ed h i s v io l in he had n o t k ept it at its fo rm er pitch . I t is h a lf a qu a rte r

o f a to n e ,”sa id h e ,

“ low e r tha n th is on e of m in e .

”They at fir st laugh ed a t

th is extrem e exactn ess ; but the fa th er , w h o had often obse rved the extra

o rd in a ry de l ica cy of his son’

s ea r a n d h is m em o ry for sou n d s, d esire d him to

bring Seh a ch tn e r’

s vi o l in,an d it actu a lly prov ed to be ha lf a quarter of a to n e

be low th e o the r .

2 Man y biograph ers sta te th athe w as born on th e twenty-first

,an d they a lso a re

right, for Bach w a s bo rn o n th e 2l st(o ld style) an d 3l st(n ew style ) o fMa rch, 1685.

3 R. L. Poole , “ Sebastia n Bach (Lon don , (“The Gr ea t Musicia n s

,

ed ited by F. Hu efi er .)H . F . Frost, Sch ubert (Lon don , (Sam e ser ies.)As an in stan ce of h is d e l icacy o f ea r , pa ra lle l to that o f Mo z a rt (r ide n ote

w e a re to ld tha t a t h om e , w h en the fam i ly play ed qu arte tts (h e playing the

v io la , h is fath er th e ba ss, a n d h is bro th er s the v io l in s) , h e w ou ld de tect the

sm al lest blu n de r . I n the instan ce of on e o f h is brothe rs h e d id n ot sc ruple to

rebuk e by w o rd or l ook but i f h is fath er played a w ro ng n ote or m a de a fa lse

en try , he w ou ld ign ore th e m istak e on ce , an d if it occur red aga in , h e w ou ld sayw ith h esitation , Fath er , I fea r th ere is a m istak e som ew h e re l The v io la h a s

bee n the favour ite in strum e n t of m o re tha n on e great composer . Besid esSchubert, both

'Mo z art an d Mende lssohn w ere te n or o

players.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

20 VIOLIN-MAKING : As I T WAS AND I S.

o f Stradiva ri,o f Gua rn e ri

,o fAm ati

,o f Rugge r iu s, o f Sta in e r,

o f Be rgon z i, an d a hundred le sse r n am e s. Pe ople hea r m a ste rslike J oa chim ,Wilhe lmj, Sa in to n , o r Sa ra sate play on a gem fromsom e Crem on e se w o rkshop

,a n d m ake u p the ir m inds tha t the

exqui site purity o f ton e com e s from the in strum en t (an d n ot

from the playe r an d n ot so m uch from the in strum e n t a s

from its age ! I t rem inds o n e o f the o ld sto ry about Gia rdin i,

w ho se ta ste and purity o f ton e w e re sim ply exquisite . Pa rkesays o f h im : Giardin i w he n in his z en ith produced on the

vio lin a ton e m o re pow e rful and c lea r than a ny o f his con tempo ra r ie s. This kn ack

,if I m ay be a llow ed the expre ssion

,proved

ve ry profitable to Giardin i,en abling him to se ll his in fe rio r

in strum e n ts fo r a large price to ge n tlem e n w ho in his ha n dsadm ired the ir pow e rful ton e

,though they found a fte rw a rds

, to

the ir grea t surprise, tha t they co u ld draw fo rth ve ry little,

appa ren tly n ot aw a re tha t the ton e cam e from the skill used,

a n d n ot from the fiddle . Pe ople have even w ritten books (o rra the r

,pam phle ts) to im pre ss this o n the devo tee s an d co llec to rs

o f the v io lin,w hich though to o often sim ply w ritte n a s adv e r

tisem en ts o f a pa rticula r m ake,a re rea lly abso lute ly co rrec t

,

a n d if prope rly studied (apa rt from the ir “ puff ” e lem en t)w ould conduce to a m o re libe ra l pa tron age o f con tem po ra ryw o rk

,an d I have , pe rso n ally, n o doubt tha t a hun dred pounds

spen t n o w in bra n n ew in strum en ts w ould m o re than in crea sete n fo ld in the s a ce o f fifty to e ighty yea rs, fo r, a s a w rite rin on e of the above -m en tion ed pam phle ts w ise ly r ema rks

,the

supply of I ta lian m a ste r- vio lin s is n e ce ssa rily lim ited,a n d in a

com pa ra tive ly sho rt tim e playe rs w ill be obliged to turn to

m odern m ake rs fo r the ir in strum e n ts .1 I have played on bra n

The w ork s w h ich I h ave in my m in d a s I w rite th is are pa rticu la rly a de light

fu l ly co n ce ited w ork by Geo rge Gem iin der , the v io lin -m ak er o f Asto ria ,New York , en titled “George Gem iin de r

’

s progre ss in Vio l in -m ak ing,”

etc .

(Asto ria ,N.Y., 1881, 8vc) , w h ich for ca st- iron self-glorification far sur passes

the m o st e loqu en t lu cu bration s of the h isto r ic Pharisee l An oth er Opu scu lum

o f the sam e k in d is Mr . J . B roadhouse’

s Facts about Fidd les, Vio lin s O ldan d New ,

”a broch ure w hich has seen tw o ed ition s (Lo n don , n . d ., [1879 an d

an d i s d e voted en tire ly to the advertising of the in strum en ts of a n

am ate ur m ak er n am ed Mr . John D ay. A th ird , w h ich has recen tly m ade its

appearan ce , i s a w o rk ca l led “Aux Am ateu rs du Vio lon . Histor iqu e , Con

struction , Reparation et Con serva tion d e c et I n str um en t (Bale , and.

w ritten by M. C. Sim outre , of Whose fiddles it i s in fact a grea t advertisin g

puff. An d to go back to th e begin n ing of the cen tu ry , w e have th e w el l

n own w ork by Jacob Augu stus O tto , Ueber den B au d er Bogen - in str u

m en te ,”etc .,

l st ed ition (Ha l le und Le ipsic , 2nd ed ition (Jen a ,w h ich has been tran slated in to Engli sh by T. Fa rd e ly ,

“ Trea tise on the Con

srruction ,etc ., of the Vio lin , etc .

”(Lo n don a n d Le eds, an d by John Bish o p,

o f Che lte nham ,

“A Treatise on the Stru cture,etc ., of the Violin , etc .

”

(Lon don ,

l st ed itio n 1848 2n d ed itio n 1860 3rd edition 1875) a n d th e very scarce if

n ot una tta in able pamphlet of M. Cyprien D esm ara is, D escr iption d’

un Violon .

INTRO D UCTI ON. 21

rew vio lins— vio lin s the va rn ish o f w hich has been abso lutely“ sticky,” an d the ir ton e ha s be en pe rfe c t (tha t is, o f cou rse

,it

ha s given gr ea t prom ise ), a n d n o doubt afte r the tran sition pe riodw ill be quite a s fin e

,if n ot fin e r

,in ton e than the se w on de rful

vio lin s bea ring ta lism an ic n am e s w hich ra ise the ir price s in tethe hundreds o f poun ds. I t is pe rhaps n ot gen era lly kn owntha t it is o n ly in w ha t I have ca lled the tran sition period” tha t aw e ll-m ade vio lin is hideously rough and disco rda n t

,tha t its ton e

is de scribed a s n ew,

a nd tha t playe rs avo id it a s they w ouldthe Evil O n e . When a vio lin is fir st m ade

,a nd the w o od is

so ft an d sappy,a nd the va rn ish sticky a nd e la stic

,the ton e i s

un ifi ed in a m an n e r w hich give s an ide a o f so ftn e ss a n d sw eet»n e ss w hich is very de ceptive to a n in expe rie n ced playe r ; it isw hen the fiddle has been played on fo r a m on th o r tw o

,an d the

fibre s of the w ood a re begin n in g to an sw e r to the sound - w ave s,

tha t the ton e be com e s ha rsh a ndm u sa rd . At this po in t m a ny a

go od fiddle is pe rm a n en tly spo ilt by having the sound- po st and

ba ss-ba r shifted abo ut a n d the w o od sco oped ou t,but a s this

be longs to an o the r pa rt of the w ork, I m ust n ot a ir this grieva n ce in this pla ce . Ofte n w hen I have been playing my o w n

fiddles “ in to con dition friends have sa id “We ll, o ld fe llow ,

it seem s unkin d to say so to you who m ade it,but tha t’s a be a stl

yfiddle .

”I a lw ays reply

,Tout vien t a ce lui qui sa it a ttendre

,

a nd,inde ed

,it is a fte r a m on th o r tw o o f this cra cked- vo ice

c o ndition tha t the in strum en t se ttle s dow n gradua lly in to a full,

sw e e t ton e (o r the reve rse). I have expa tia ted thus at lengthon the subje ct o f age, because it is a m a tte r so little un de rstoodeven by vio lin ists them se lve s, a nd it sim ply reduce s itse lf to thisI f a vio lin is w e ll m ade

,its ton e from the begin n ing w ill e ithe r

be go od in itse lf,o r indica te future sw e e tn e ss

,a nd it w ill

gradua lly im prove w ith u se a nd age ; but if a fiddle is o rigin a llyin fe rio r, n o am oun t o f playing upo n it, and n o le ngth of tim e

,

w ill m ake it m o re than it is, a squeaking cr owde,

” fit on ly fo rthe o rche stra , o r , w o rse still

,fo r the pe ripa te tic fiddle r

,w ho

extra cts ra the r than coaxe s pen n ie s from the pa sse r-by . D r .

Olive r We nde ll Ho lm e s,in his Autocra t at the Breakfa st

Table,

” 1 discusse s this que stion m o st be autifully,saying

Certa in things a re go od fo r n o thing till they have be en kept

Histo rique etMon um en ta l (Par is, w h ich is a d escription of a vio linm ade by the w ife of the late M. Geo rges Chan ot, of Pa r is, a n d a puff of h erhusba nd

’

s w o rk s. Al l these,a s w il l be seen , a re m ere ly w r itten by w ay of

ad ve rtisem en t, but they a re a ll va l uab le add ition s to the l iteratu re o f the v io l in ,beca use they po in t out the possib il ity of exce llen ce in n ew fidd les , w h iche xce ll en ce is, of course , de stin ed to in crease a s th e and use m e llow thein strum e n ts.

Appe ared origin a lly in the Atla ntic Mon thly in Novem ber , 1867.

22 VIO LIN-MAK ING : a s rr w a s AND I s.

a lon while , an d som e are go od fo r n o thing till they have beenlo ng i ept an d used O f tho se w hich m ust be kept lo ngan d u sed I w ill n am e vio l in s the sw e e t o ld Am a ti

,

the divin e Stradiva rius . P layed on by an cien t m a ste rs ti llthe bow - han d lo st its pow e r an d the flying fingers stiffe n ed ;bequea thed to the pa ssion a te youn g e n thusia st

, w ho m ade itwhispe r his hidden love , a nd c ry in in a rticula te longings, and

scream his un to ld agon ie s, an d w a il his m on o ton ous de spa ir ;pa ssed from his dying han d to the co ld virtuo so

,w ho let it

slum be r in its ca se for a ge n era tio n , un til, w hen his he a rd w a s

broken up,it cam e fo rth o n ce m o re an d rode the sto rm y

sym phon ie s of roya l o rche stra s be n e a th the rushing bow o f

the ir lo rd an d leade r ; in to lon e ly prison s w ith im provide n ta rtists in to con ven ts, from which a ro se day a nd n ight the ho lyhym n s w ith w hich its ton e s w e re ble nded and ba ck aga in too rgie s in w hich it le arn ed to how l an d laugh as if a legion o f

devils w e re shut up in it ; then aga in to the gen tle dile ttan te ,w ho calm ed it dow n w ith ea sy m e lodie s un til it a n swe red himsoftly a s in the days o f the o ld m a e stro s

,an d so given in to ou r

ha n ds its po re s a ll full o f m usic,sta in ed through and through

w ith the con ce n tra ted sw e e tn e ss of a ll the ha rm on ie s w hich havekindled an d faded on its strings Now you kn ow ve ry w e lltha t the re a re n o less tha n fifty

- e ight (sic) diffe ren t pie ce s in a

vio lin . The se pie ce s a re stra nge rs to e a ch o the r,a n d it tak

cen tury, m ore o r le ss,to m ake them thor oughly a cqua in ted. At

la st they le a rn to vibra te in ha rm ony,a n d the in strum e n t becom e s

an o rgan ic w ho le,a s if it w e re a grea t seed capsule w hich had

grow n from a ga rde n bed in Crem on a. Beside s, the w o od isjuicy an d full o f sap fo r fifty ye a rs o r so

,but at the e n d of fifty

o r a hundred m o re ge ts to le rably dry a n d com pa ra tive ly r e

son an t.” Wha t m o re beautifu l explan ation o f the m a tte r can

w e w an t ? Wha t I have sa id con ce rn ing this m a tte r o f n ew

vio lin s (o r , a s the w rite r in The O r chestr a a n d Cho ir 1 says,m ode rn exam ple s in troduce s the n ext po rtion o f this subject

,

an d that is the Co llection o f vio lin s.Con ce rn ing Co lle ction s o f Vio lin s m uch has be en sa id in favour

of them a nd m uch aga in st them . The first re co rd I have foundo f such a co lle ction i s in Pa rke ’s “Mu sica l Mem o i rs

,

”w he re

w e find (vo l . i ., p . Mr . E . Stephen son , the ba n ke r, hadpe rhaps the be st an d m o st va luable co lle ctio n o f Crem o n a

v io lin s o f any priva te gen tlem an in Englan d. I am,how eve r

,

in clin ed to think tha t the se a re frequen tly m o re e stim a ted on

accoun t of the ir scarc ity (like straw be rrie s in J an ua ry) than

O r chestr a a nd Cho i r , Jun e , 1882.

INTRO D UCTI ON. 23

the ir va luable qua litie s. (He then goes on w ith the rem a rksquo ted o n p . I do n ot kn ow i f any collection has be enre corded be fo re this da te if so

,I have n eve r com e a cro ss

it. As to the e thic s O f vio lin co lle cting, the re seem to be threeO pin io n s. Fi rst

,tha t vio lin co lle cting is in eve ry w ay to be

deplo red, a s the reby m agn ificen t fiddle s a re shut a w ay ou t o f

sight a nd n eve r hea rd this is the Opin ion O f Mr . J . M. Flem ing,1and he sugge sts tha t the ow n e rs O f co lle ctio n s ought to givethem to playe rs

,o r e lse to trustee s

,to len d to studen ts ; a

practice sim ple en ough to propoun d, but slightly utopian , to

u se n o stronge r expre ssion . Se co nd, tha t vio lin c o lle c ting i sa m o st pra ise w o rthy an d expedie n t pursuit, a s it ten ds topre se rve o ld vio lin s m uch longe r than they could o the rw isela st

,a n d tha t thereby the m a ste rpie ce s O f the O ld m ake rs

be com e han ded do w n from ge n e ra tio n to ge n e ra tio n ,w ith

o cca sion a l pe riods O f re st,w hich preven t the ir dying ou t

a ltoge the r. And third,tha t eve ry m a n ha s a pe rfe ct right to

do w ha t he like s w ith his ow n,a nd tha t it is n obody’ s busin e ss

to say tha t a m an ought n o t to ke ep in strum en ts w hich heha s bo ught an d pa id fo r . The la tte r is prin c ipa lly m y opin ion .

O f course,the re is n o doubt tha t it is a pity tha t the exquisite

ton e s o f the se sto red vio lin s should n eve r be he a rd ;— this is thebasis o f the con trove rsy w hich is got up at in te rva ls about thec e lebra ted Gua rn erius, w hich w a s Paga n in i

’s favourite in strum en t

,w hich he bequea thed to the m un ic ipa lity O f his n a tive

p la ce (Gen oa), an d w hich ha s be e n u n touched eve r sin ce,

excepting o n ce w hen his gre a t pupil Sivo r i w a s suffe red to playon it a t a con ce rt. P e ople sugge st tha t it should be playedupon at con ce rts, tha t it should be so ld to found a Pagan in ischo larship, a n d a hundred o ther use s a re sugge sted to the

Mun icipa lity,but rea lly I ca n n o t se e tha t it is anybody’ s

busin e ss to in te rfe re,an d I thin k it is m o st n a tura l tha t the

m un ic ipa lity of the Grea t Virtuo so ’ s birthpla ce should like to

keep his in strum en t sa c red from a ll o the r touche s.2 Then aga inJ . M. Flem ing , 01d Vio lin s and th e i r Mak ers, in cluding som e r eferen ce to

those of Mod ern Tim e s (Lo nd on , Appe a red o r igin a l ly a s a ser ies o f

artic le s in The B a z a a r , Excha nge a nd Ma r t, 1882, Jan ua ry 27th , et seq.

'

l‘

h is Guarn erius de l J esu,”date d 1743

,w a s len t to Pagan in i in 1820by a

M. Livron , a m erch an t at Legh orn ,to play u pon at a con ce rt in tha t pla ce .

Afte r th e con cert, on Pagan in i ’s re tu rn ing the v io lin to its ow n e r , the latter sa idto h im

,J c m e gard erai bien de profa n er d es co rd e s que vo s d o igts ou tto uch ées

c’cst a vous m a in ten an t qu e m on v io lon appa rtien t, an d from th i s m om en t it

was Pagan in i ’s prin c ipa l a nd fa vo u r i te v ioli n . I llu stratio n s o f th is in strum en t

m ay be foun d in G.Ha rt’

s Th e Vio l in , its Fam ou s Mak ers , an d th e ir Im itato rs

(Lo ndon , M ou thp i ece ; a n d in the se con d ed ition O f Mr. We l lingto nGuern sey

’s tran slation O f F. J . Fétis

’s, No tice B iograph ique sur Nico le

Pagan ini"

(Pa ris, 1851 Tran slation , Lo ndo n . n . d . ; 2n d Ed it’ou , Lon don ,

a d .

24 VI OLIN-MAK ING : AS I T w a s AND I S.

the second opin ion is undoubtedly ve ry w e ll con ce ived,for had

it n ot be en tha t the se m a ste r- violin s have be en sto red up,

un to uched fo r yea rs, from tim e to tim e , they w ould disappea rfrom the fa ce o f the ea rth ve ry rapidly ; but the third opin ionis the on ly rea lly tangible o n e

,a nd the o n ly o n e tha t ca n be

discussed w ith anything like profit, fo r it is m an ife stly absurdto dictate to m en O f m ean s w ha t they sha ll do w ith the ir purchases. I t w ould, o f course

,be O f the m o st fa sc in a ting in te re st

if w e could have periodica l exhibition s like tha t O f the yea r1872 (vide n o te but

,un fo rtun ate ly

,tha t require s a n am oun t

o f philan thro pic se lf-devo tion a nd trouble w hich w e , in the sehard- living la tte r days o f the n in e te en th cen tury

,have n e ither

the tim e , patien ce , n o r in clin ation to give .

1

An d this que stion O f co lle cting brings us n a tura lly to the

price s pa id fo r vio lin s . Although the w onde rful price s w e n ow

hea r O f a s be ing pa id fo r fiddles a re things O f com pa ra tive lyla te yea rs, still, eve ry n ow an d then

,o n e he ars some sto ry O f

fabulous price s pa id fo r fiddles by “ them O f O ld tim e .

”The

Times O f Ma rch 3l st, 1876, con ta in ed a n o te to the effe ct thata t a then - recen t sa le by auc tion at D re sden

,on e o f the O bjects

so ld w a s the fam ous vio lin w hich the Coun t Trautm a n n sdo rf,

Grand Eque rry to the Em pe ro r Cha rle s VI ., bought from the

ce lebra ted m ake r Sta in e r o n singula r condition s. He pa id inca sh sixty- six go lden ca ro luse s

,un de rtaking to supply Sta in e r a s

long a s he lived w ith a go od din n e r eve ry day , 100 flo r in s in

spe cie eve ry m on th,a n ew suit O f clo the s w ith go ld frogs eve ry

ye a r,a s w e ll a s tw o ca sks o f be e r, lodging, firing, an d lighting ;

a nd furthe r if he should m a rry,a s m any ha re s as he should

w an t an n ua lly fo r him se lf, a nd a s m a ny m o re fo r his o ld n urse .

As Sta in e r lived sixte en yea rs a fte rw a rds,the vio lin m ust have

co st the Co un t flo rin s in ca sh. The in strum en t,w hich

w as la st in the han ds O f an Austria n n oblem a n,w a s so ld to a

Russia n fo r thale rs (about The a bo ve sto ry,

w hich purpo rts to have been taken from the Globe, 18 ra the rtoo “ ta ll (a s an Am e rica n w o uld say) to be l ieve , but tha t itcould have been thought po ssible sho w s in w ha t e stim ation O ld

v io lin s have a lw ays be e n he ld . Ea rlie r tha n this the sam e

pape r (Novem be r 4th, 1859) give s an a ccoun t taken from The

Entr'

a cte to the e ffe ct tha t M. de B e r io t had so ld his fam o us

Ap rop os O f su ch exh ibition s, a v o lum e o f th e deepest in terest to vio lin ists

(apar t from i ts great bibl iographica l r a r ity ) is th e m agn ificen t Ed i ti on de luxeof the “ Ca ta logu e o f the Spe c ia l Exh ibitio n O f An c ien t Musica l I n strum e n ts,H D CCCLXXI I (London , Com piled by the late Ca rl Enge l (s id e n o te

p. an d em be l l ish ed w ith fou rtee n pho tographic plates, or w hi ch ten are photo

graphs o f ce lebra ted Crem on ese fidd les.

INTRO D UCTI ON. 25

vio lin to M.Wien iaw sk i fo r fra n cs.1 The Times ha s

O fte n given n o te s o f such price s,n o tably o n Jun e 24th, 1859,

and J un e 28th, 1862, w he n it chro n ic le s sa le s at Me ssrs . Pu ttickand S im pson ’s

,am ong the item s o f w hich w e find

, Stradiva riusvio lin s so ld fo r £249, £80, £56, £135, an d £90 S tradiva rius’ce llo s at £129, an d £210, a n d in strum en ts by o ther ce lebra tedm ake rs at sim ila rly va rying price s .9 W. Pa rke in his Musica lMem o irs (vo l i ., p . 302) recoun ts a n ego tia tion fo r a vio lin

,

w hich reca lls the (to m y m ind) apo crypha l o n e con ce rn ing theSta in e r. Mr . Hay , a fo rm e r exce llen t leader o f the king

’s band,

produced O n his fa vourite vio l in , by Klo tz , a Ge rm an,a ton e so

sw e et a n d pow e rful, tha t he w a s o n o n e o cca sion o ffe red by a

n oble lo rd £300 in ca sh and a n a n n uity dur a n te vita O f £100.

Mr . Hay, how eve r, po sse ssing a handsom e in depen den ce , and n o t

be ing de sirous O f pa rting w ith his in strum e n t,rejected the O ffe r

,

Th is an n oun cem en t a ro se out O f the fo llow in g c ircum sta n ce — The tw o

ce lebra te d v io lin is ts happen ing to m eet (i n 1859) a t Em s,Wien iaw sk i , a fterplay in g o n D e B e r iot

’s vio l in (a Maggin i) i n h is apa rtm en ts, ask ed h im if he fe lt

in c li n ed to se ll it. Ye s,"an sw ered D e B er iot, but n ot fo r less tha n

fran cs. The reo n M. Wi en iaw sk i expressed his d esi re to purcha se it n otw ith

stand i ng its h igh pr ice . M. de B e ri ot ha vin g a ssu red h im that he w ou ld be

m ost h appy to se e th e in strum en t in h is po sse ss ion ,th e young a rtist ask ed per

m iss io n to d e lay h is fin a l an sw e r ti l l the com ing w in te r , a fter h is return from

St. Pe te rsbu rg . Th e n ego tiation n e ve r cam e to a dea l, bu t these a re the facts

co n ce rn in g M. de B e r io t’

s fra n c v io l in .

2 Tho se w ho a re cur i o us con cern i ng th e prices of v io lins w ill fin d ca refu l ly

prepa red tables O f Ce lebrated Co l le c tio n s, Sa les, a nd Pr ices o f Vio lin s in th e

a ppen d ix to Pete r D a vidson '

s The Vio l in , a Co nc i se Expo sition O f the Gen era l

Pr in c iples O f Co n structio n theo re tica l ly a n d pra ctica lly treated (Glasgow , Lon

do n , Ed in burgh , a nd Aberdeen , a n d m o re fully sti ll in th e appen dix to the4th ed ition , 1881, p. 220. Mr . D av id so n , be sides be ing the autho r of the above

little w o rk ,w h ich

’

i s n ot w ith ou t m er it, is a lso the a uthor O f “ Sc in ti llation sfrom the O r ien t,

” “ Ce le stia l a nd . Te r re stri a l Fire ,

”a nd “The Ph ilo sophy O f

Ma n , a n d a lso o f the fo l lo w ing ad ve rtisem en t w h ich I saw in The Lon don

a nd P r ov in c ia l I ll us ic Tra des R ev i ew , J un e 15th , 1883, a n d w h ich , l ik e thead vertisem en ts I h a ve reprod uced on pages 14 a nd 15, I sim ply tran scribe forthe instructio n an d am u sem e n t O f m y re ad e rs

“Ve ry im po rta n t to a l l Music ia n s. A Ten Gu in ea Vio l in Given Aw ayGra tis ! To e ve ry Subscr ibe r to The Ca led on ia n Co llection O f Strath spey

’

s

Ree ls, Gigs , Slow Airs, Songs, Ho rn pipes, Wa ltz es, Po lk as . e tc ., com posed a n d

ar ran ged fo r the Pian o fo rte , o r Vio l in an d Vio lo ncel lo,by PETER D AVI D SON,

Autho r O f ‘ The Vio l in ,

’

e tc ., a n d Ho n o r a ry Mem ber o f the Benga l Academ yof Mu sic

, Ca lcutta , Hon o ra ry Mem be r O f the Poon ah Gayan Sam a j MusicalSo c ie ty ,

‘

e tc ., e tc . Th e Autho r w i ll issu e a bea uti fu l Pho tograph O f Bu rgieCastle , Mo raysh i re— ta k en by h im expressly fo r th is purpose— upon w h ich

a Num ber w i ll be im printed . th is se r ving a s a Coupo n , w hich w i l l en titleea ch subscr ibe r to a pa rtic ipation in the D raw ing fo r the abov e Pr iz e

,v iz

An O ld Ty r o lese (O il Va rn ish ) Vio lin , a copy o f a Joseph Gua rn er iu s, fec it

Crem o n a) , Ann o 1720, be in g of m a g n ificen tWo od,Wo rkm a n ship, Ton e ,

and Bri llian t-y , a n d u n an im ou sly va lu ed by J udges at Ten Gu in eas . TheVio l in w i ll be d e li vered Gratis to th e Ho ld er o f the Win n ing Numbe r. The

D raw ing fo r such to tak e place w ith in the yea r by a Comm ittee se lected byth e Subscr ibe rs, etc

26 VI OLIN-MAK ING : AS I T wa s AND 18.

an d,dy ing som e yea rs a fte r

,th is r a r a a r is at the subsequen t

sa le of his effe cts produced but £40. The re a re but fewam a teurs w ho w ould give £40 fo r a Klo tz n ow adays

,an d Mr .

Hay m ust have been po sse ssed O f a very dull w it to reje ct so

phe n om ena l anSto rie s such a s the se of the e n o rm ou s price s w hich have

be en,a n d still a re be ing, given fo r fiddle s n a tura l ly sugge st

the re c ita l s on e con stan tly com e s a c ro ss O f Stradiva ris,

Gua rn e ris,Am a tis, and so on

,be ing “ picked up fo r a m e re

so ng”in ou t- O f- the -w ay em po ria o f secon d- ha n d goods.

N0W a n d then,in deed

,such a thing happen s, —in de ed a

“ fin d

O f this so rt w a s chron icled in the O r chestr a a nd Cho ir fo r

Octobe r 1882. I n this ca se a ve ry fin e vio lin by An to n iusan d Hie ro nym us Am a ti w a s bought by a ge n tlem an in itsor ig in a l con dition fo r five shillings at a broke r’ s shop in

No ttingham . But the se things a re o f the days gon e by ; thedays o f Luigi Ta r isiO a n d his extrem e ly dishon e st w ay o f

a cquiring va luable fiddle s o n the n ew - lam ps- fo r - O ld princ iple , a r e ove r. A fiddle w ill n ow a lw ays fe tch its va lue

,an d

se con d- hand furn iture de a le rs w ho happen to ge t ho ld o f the

m o st in fe rio r O ld fiddle w ill a lw ays n ow adays a ffix the re to a

price prepo sterously dispropo rtion ate to its va lue fo r fea r O f

le tting a trea sure go fo r n o thing. At the sam e tim e,an exce llen t

fiddle can be bought n ow adays fo r £25,which brings us back

to m y rem arks on page 21 ; but if the am a teur w ishe s toa cquire a co lle ction o f undoubted m a ste rpie ce s

,lethim first turn

to the Tim es O f May 26th, 1876, w hich chron ic le s the sa le O f a

co lle ction O f fifte en Crem on a s the day be fo re atMe ssrs. Fo ste r’ sin Pall Ma l l

,fo r tw o Stradivaris go ing fo r £240

e ach,an d a J o seph Gua rn e riu s de l J e su fo r £630!

I m ean t this I n troducto ry Essay to be but a sho rt O pen ing tothe histo rica l se ction of m y w o rk, but as I have w o rked

,o ld

m em orie s have com e upon m e cu r r en tc ca lam o,un til m y brie f

in troduction ha s deve loped in to a pro lix tre a tise on m a tt ersc on n ected w ith the Vio lin

,w hich should find n o pla ce in a

pra ctica l m an u a l on Fiddle - m aking. The re ade r w ill,I hope

,

fo rgive m e this exte n sion O f a labour o f love,on m y rom ise

n ot to let m y ca lam u s ca rry m e aw ay aga in a n d if he o r She)ha s been in te re sted in m y long go ssip co n ce rn ing the in strum en t

,I can on ly say tha t I lay dow n m y pe n prepa ra to ry to

com m en cing the se rious Histo ry o f the Vio lin,w ith a joyful

conviction tha t my labo ur ha s n ot been w asted.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

D E FI D IBUS.

M aNsos RESONA PR IMUM TESTUD I NE Ns n vos

MERCUR I US FERTUR SO LLI CI TASS E MANU,

CUM B APTAS PECUm s QUE RENTB M CAB MXNE PHO EB UM

MO LLIVIT CREPITANS FI LA CANORA m a s s .

r'

LUMINA RIVO RUM PO TUI T ext r a neous mona ar

THREI CI US VENTO S v ocn POETA SUA ;

QUIN comm as SI LVAS B UKI T SCO PULO SQUE, FERASQUR

I IULCI SONI S D OMUIT CANTI B US I LLE LYRE .

TU GENUS HUMANUM, LACRYMAS , sens, GAUD IA, LUcrvs.

CALLI O PE CI THARA SUB D ITI ONE TENES ;

GAUD IA sI TREMULI S FI D I B US u onum a rs OVAMO S ,

sI va PLACE’I ‘ PLANCTUS corm s D O LORE CEMEN'

r

w MI SERO RUM O CULI s D ULCES a s vocxa s so ro a ss

m or ons TU FI D I BUS w a s“ LEVARE QUEAB

t o N181 sanvoaUM D OMUI STI CO RD A vm onux

m am PUEB I VANA SAGI TTA FUIT.

CHAPTER I .

Tim ANCESTRY O F THE VI OLIN)

D ifficu lties in th e Way of Resea rch— D e stru ction — Er ro rs of D escription an d

Repre sen tation— Men tion of Web in the Bible— B ow I n strum en ts am o ngthe An c ien t Greek s and Rom an s— The Ra va nastron— The Om erti— Th e

Kem angeh a’

go u z — The Rehab esh Sha’

e r— Th e Gon dok— The Re hab— Th e

NOfr e— The Assy r i an Tr igon on— Pea r -sha ped Vio ls— The Rebec an d th e Vio l

— The Gigue an d th e K it— The Vio l -m a k e r s a n d the ir I n strum en ts— Fren ch

Cla im s to I n ven tion— Th e Vio l da Gam ba— Playford—The B aryton ePraeto r ius— Chests of Vio ls.

Tis tru e , th e find ing O f a d ead h o rse head

Wa s the first i nve n tion of str ing in strum en ts,t n ce rose the gitter n s, v ia l, a nd the lute.

” 3

IN n o subj ec t o f re sea rch, pe rhaps, ha s the An tiqua ry so

m any difficultie s to con te nd w ith a s in the con side ra tion O f

the “An ce stry of the Vio lin,

”a nd the study o f the pre

curso rs o f in strum en ts O f m usic played w ith a bow .

The Histo ry o f the Vio l in from the ea rlie st tim e s un til compa rative ly recen tl has be e n o n e exc lusive ly O f picture s a n d

sculpture s. Meta lyand ston e in strum en ts m ay com e dow n to us

pre se rved in tom bs,etc .

,in a lm o st the ir o rigin a l sta te , but the

w ooden in strum en ts of m usic,e spe c ia lly those O f such de l icate

build as tho se m ade to susta in the ten sion o f m usica l strings,even had they been in ten tion a l ly pre se rved by tho se w ho se ca rs

they cha rm ed,m ust long e re this have succum bed to the ravage s

o f tim e an d its a tte nda n t de stroye rs ; be side s this, a ny in str u

Th e follow ing chapter (as a lso chapter 11. on th e Welsh Crw th) is to a

great exte n t the sub sta nce of a Lectu re de l ive red by the Author on Friday,J une 2nd , 1882, at th e Freem ason

’s Tave rn , be fo re

“(Lbs g ottaof (DUI!Volumes,

”

w hich w as subsequen tly pri nted in l im ited ed ition (210COpies for private c irculation ) , and dedicate d to (libs é cltc of (BBB Volumes under the title O f The

An cestry of the Vio lin , be ing a D iscou rse d e live red at the Freem ason’s Tave rn

on Friday, June the secon d, 1882, to (the g em of @ 111!Volumes ; Part 77“

O r igin of the Vio l in ; Pa rt I I ., T he lVe lsh Crw th (Lo n don : pr in te d fo r th e

Auth or by Mitchel l a nd Hugh es, 140, Wa rdour Stre et, 1882, fo rm ing NO . 1

O f a se ri es o f pam ph lets on the Vio l in , en titled D e Fid icu l isL ingua , or the Com ba t of the Tongu e a nd the F i re Sense: f or Sup e r io r i ty ,

a n Al lego rical Play , writte n in 1607 , an d a ttr ibuted to An tho ny Brew er.

30 VI OLIN-MAKING : As IT WAs AND I s.

m en t played w ith a bow o r ple ctrum ,ha s the addition al dis

advan tage tha t this n ece ssa ry appendage m ay e a sily be com e

sepa ra ted from it and lo st, w hilst the in strum e n t itse lf ispre se rved. An d

,indeed, this is proved by the fa c t, tha t though

w e kn ow that m any o f the c la ssic in strum en ts w e re played w ithplectra O f va rious siz e s, a nd O f va rious m a te ria ls

,som e of

them extrem e ly ha rd and durable,in n o in sta n ce ha s an

authe n tica ted spe cim en o f a plectrum be en found,to give

us a ccurate in fo rm a tion of w ha t the se prehisto ric bow sa ctua lly w e re . This be ing so

,w e a re throw n upon descr ip

tion s in pro se an d ve rse by con tem po ran eous w rite rs,

on

sculpture s, fre sco e s, and ca rvings, an d on picture s repre sen ting, o r in c luding in the ir subje cts repre sen ta tio n s of

,stringed

in strum en ts . Undoubtedly o f the se four the first a re the be st,but the in fe rio rity o f a w ritten description to an ac tual repre

F I G. 1. —Grotesque figures from pan e ls in th e roof of Peterbor ough Cathedral.D ate , 1191.

scu ta ti on in ca rving o r draw ing n eeds n o comm en t,a n d we

kn ow from pa in ful expe rien ce how in ten se ly un sa tisfa cto ry a n d

doubtful any su ch repre sen ta tion s m ust be w hen w e refle c t tha tn ot on ly m ay the a rtist fo r his ow n a rtistic purpo se s have“ in ven ted a n in strum en t

,so to speak, to em be llish his de sign ,

rega rdle ss O f the fact tha t he w a s re co rding, fo r the u se of futuregen era tion s, a histo ry o f the dre ss

,m an n e rs

,an d in strum en ts O f

his ow n tim e,but a lso the han d o f the re sto re r m ay have be en

at w o rk ; and I doubt ve ry m uch w he the r the go od- n a turedpeople w ho subscribe heavily in ca sh

,an d get up ba z aa rs,

con ce rts, an d w ha t n ot,to ra ise funds fo r the re sto ra tion ”

(save the m a rk l) o f the parish church, w ith its m on um e n ts,

fre scoes, and o rn am en ts,eve r rea liz e wha t irrepa rable m ischie f

such w ork is apt to do , un le ss ca refully supe rin te nded,and

con scien tiously '

and in te lligen tly ca rried out by the a rtifice rs.

THE ANCESTRY or THE VI O LIN. 31

As an in sta n ce O f the first o f the se con tinge n c ie s, I w ould ca llyour a tten tion to the w e l l-kn own Ho ly Fam ilv

,pa in ted by

Ca rl Mil lle r , w ho is, pe rhaps, o n e O f the grea te st living de lin e a to rs o f sa cred subje c ts . The young Mo the r

,the ca rpen te r

J oseph, the I n fan t Saviour, a re a ll brea thing im age s who se purityO f expre ssio n a n d truth O f co louring w ill re nde r the pictureimm o rta l but, in an a ttitude O f devo tion

,the re kn e e ls upon the

ground a n ange l playing on a so rt O f three - stringed vio lonce llo , m o re like the K em angeh a

’

go u z O f the m ode rn Mohamm edan (Fig. 7) than a nything e lse . I n a few cen turie s som escavan t w ill say I n Ge rm any, in the latte r ha lf O f the n in ete en th cen tury, w a s played a m odifica

tion O f the Mohamm eda n K em angeh : it

w ould appe a r to have be en used exc lusive ly fo r devo tion al purpo se s .

”As an

in sta n ce O f the se con d O f the se ca sua ltie s,in the lo z e nge - shaped pan e ls in the ro o fO f Pe te rbo rough Ca thedra l a re gro te squ efigure s playing vio lin s (Fig. No w

,

this roof is con side red to be O f the da te1194, but the se vio lin s— I u se the w o rdadvisedly— a re a lm o st pe rfe c t ; the f fho le s

,scro lls

,n e cks

,finger

- boa rds,strings,

an d ta il- pie ce s show a pe rfe ction n ot

a tta in ed till the fifteen th cen tury,a n d

the bow s a re practica lly tho se O f the

e ightee n th cen tury. How a ccoun t fo rthis ? Sim ply thus— I quo te the w o rdsO f Me ssrs . Sandys a n d Fo rste r ‘ The

ce iling w a s re touched a little previous to1788, a n d repa ired in 1835

,but the

grea te st ca re w as.

taken to re tain eve ry Fills

8

657 11310$ 33393£

15

pa rt,o r re sto re i t to Its o rigi n a l con

dition , so tha t the figure s, even w he re re touched, a r e in e ffe ctthe sam e a s w hen first pa in ted .

”This is O f course im po ssible

a ccura te tracings O f the o rigin a l de sign s w ould have be en inva luable

,im pe rfe c t though they m ight have be en bu t a s they

a re,though a s o rn am e n ts they m ay be pre tty, a s a n tiquarian

re co rds they a re com para tive ly use le ss .A fin a l in stan ce tha t I w ill c ite

,a s it con ce rn s a frequen tly

reproduced figure , is that O f the so - ca lled “Vio l of Albin us.”This (Fig. 2) is a figure foun d in a MS . O f the fourte en th cen turyin the libra ry O f the Un ive rsity of Ghen t

,e n titled

,D e dive rsis

W. San dys a n d S . A. Forster , Histo ry O f the Violin (Lon don ,

32 v I O LIN- I IAK ING : As IT wa s AND I s.

mo n o chordis, tetra cho rdis, pen ta cho rdis, exta cho rui s

, eptap

cho rdis,o cto cho rdis, etc .

,ex quibus dive rsa fo rm an tu r in stru

m en ta m usicai,cum figu ris in strum e n to rum . The m an uscript

is n o t sign ed, but the vio l purpo rts to be the in ven tion of on e

Albinus,an d un til w e can find o ut w ho this Albin us w as

,and

w hen he live d, the figure , w hich is a ve ry in te re sting o n e,is n ot

m uch u se . Som e have sta ted him to be iden tica l w ith a ce rta inAlcu in , w ho lived in the e ighth cen tury but the vio l is n ot on lyO f a ve ry fourte en th cen tury shape

,bu t its four strings a re

a ctua lly m a rked A,D, G, C,

w hich ren ders it absurd to suppo se it is a fa ithful repre sen ta tion O f an e ighth cen tury vio l .Othe rs

,m o re en thusia stic still (rem inding u s of Rousseau an d

B artolocciu s cited be low ), try to iden tify him w ith the Albin usm e n tion ed by Cassiodo ru s (l) , but the reade r w ho pe ruse s then ext few page s w ill quickly dism iss any idea o f this sort. N0this rem a in s o n e of tho se m yste rie s which w e ca n on ly so lve byan a logy, an d the re fo re, a s w e can n o t ide n tify Albin us

,a nd the

MS. is O bviously fourte en th cen tury,and appea ran ce s favour the

a ssum ption,w e can a lm o st safe ly say tha t w e have he re a fa irly

w e ll-deve loped v iO l o f the fourteen th ce n tury,repre sen ted w ith

its m ode O f tun ing a nd bow com ple te .

The se three in stan ce s out o f coun tle ss exam ple s a re e n ou hto show the difficultie s w ith w hich I en te r upon a n o tice o f t e

e a rlie st fo rm s O f the fiddle . P la to ,1 indeed, te ll s us that am ongthe an c ien t Rom a n s “ it w a s n ot a llow ed to pa in te rs o r o the rim ita tive a rtists to

,

in n ova te,o r in ven t a ny fo rm diffe ren t from

w ha t w e re e stablished, n o r law ful, e ithe r in pa in ting, sta tua ry, o rm usic

,to m ake a ny a lte ra tion .

”This rule w ould, indeed, have

been m o st useful if it had been adhe red to throughout all age s,and w ould re lieve the m usica l an tiqua ry from the n e ce ssityo f m aking m y first com pla in t ; but the ravaging re sto re r w ouldstill rage a round am ong the m on umen ta tempor is a cti

,and n ullify

this fa r- see ing an d providen t law . I t is to such m eagre m ate rials,there fo re

,tha t I turn fo r the in fo rm a tion to be set fo rth at this

pre sen t. Even la te r on in the Middle Age s, as w ill be seen,

the source s o f in fo rm a tion a re equa lly un satisfa cto ry ; an d in

con c luding the se pre lim in ary rem a rks,for the length o f which

I m ust crave your indulgen ce , I m e re ly quo te Bo ttée de Toulm on t

,

2w ho says Si le m oye n age e st l

’

époqu e oh la n om en

clatu re de s in strum en ts e st la plus n om breuse , c ’

e st aussi ce lleO i

‘

i 1es ren se ign em e n ts sur leur n a ture la issen t 1e lus a désirer.”Befo re go ing furthe r I w ill dispo se , on ce an for a ll

,o f the

D e Legibus, lib . i i .

B . de Tou lm on t,“ D isserta tion su r les in strum en ts d e m usiqu e an 1ri on

Age ,”da n s Mém o ires des An tiqua ires de France ,” to m e l 7.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

34 VIOLIN- MAKING : a s I T wa s AND I s .

and w e can the re fo re be quite sure that the vio l o r vio lin w as

n ot in u se am ong the Hebrew s,fo r w e m ay justly pause be fo re

be lieving the sta tem en ts o f J e a n Rousseau,w ho de c la red tha t

Adam used an d un de rsto od the vio l in the ga rde n o f Eden !11

and of Juli us B ar to lo cciu s,’ w ho is c ited by Ge rbe rt,3 a n d w ho

m en tion s am ong the in strum en ts O f the Hebrew s the “ vio la o r

chelys but a s he suppo rts his sta tem e n t by n o eviden ce,a nd

afte rw a rds sta te s tha t they had pian ofo rtes (sp in n cttce l), w e a re

justified in doubting his a ccuracy. So m uch,there fo re

,fo r the

c la im s of the I srae lite s to the po sse ssion o f bo w ed in strum en ts .

I f anyo n e w ould pro se cute the '

e nqu iry, let h im comm e n ce byreading D r . Sta in e r’s Music O f the Bible ”

; a s fo r n a— m on iti

m elior a sequam u r .

The histo ry o f the fiddle is a s a m a tte r O f fa ct sim plythe

histo ry'

o f the bow e stablish the existe n ce o f the how , a n you

have the existen ce o f the fiddle . I t is a question yet un so lvedw he the r the La tin w o rd p lectr um (w hich com e s from p la ngo

I strike ), a n d the Gre ek w o rd n kfim pou (which com e s from“7rMia a ew ,

”to strike), ca n be tran slated “bow ,

”i .e.,

“ in stru

m en t fo r r ubbing the strings.”

The English w o rd “ bow” is

O fte n tran sla ted in to Latin by the w ord plectr um ,but it is a

m a tte r of co n side rable .doubt w he the r this La tin w o rd p lectrumcan be tran sla ted in to English by the w o rd “bow a n d itrem a in s to be found w he the r the how w a s actua lly kn ow n to

the a n cien ts or n ot.5 As a comm e n cem en t to the que stion , I

Et comm e la v iole e st le plu s pa rfa it d e tous, pa rce qu’

elle approche plus

pres du n atu re l qu’

an cun autre , on pent juger qu e si AD AM avo it v o ul u fa ire un

I n strum en t, i l a u ro it fa ict u n e vio le , et s’

i l n’

en a pas fa ict, i l e st fac ile d’

en do n n er

les

3

ra ison s.

”

(l) J . Rou ssea u , Tra ité de la Vio le , etc . (Par is,p.

A m on k O f the o rder of St. Bern a rd , w h o lived in the seven teen th century

(1613 a nd w ho , be ing attached to th e Library of the Vatican , left behi n d

him tw o treatise s o f l ittle va lu e , e n titled (i .) D e Psa lm o rum libro , Psa lm is et

m usic is instrum en tis a n d (i i .) D e Hebraeorum m u sicabrevis di sse rtatio ,"w h ich

a re to be found in the Bibl ioth eca Rabb in ica (Rom e,D e Can tu et Musica Sa cra (St. Blasius,

John Sta in er , The Music O f the Bible ,” etc . (Lon d o n , n .d .

O n e of th e m ost comm o n ly quoted instan ces O f the u se O f th e word p lectrumis the 647th l in e of the sixth book o f Virgil

’

s E n eid

Ne c n on Thre ic ius lon ga cum veste sa cerdos

O bloqu itu r n um eris, septem di sc rim in a vo cum

Jamqu e ead em digitis, jam p ecti ne pu lsat ebu r

Mr . H.Nettleship in h is Abr idgm en tfrom Co n n ington’sVirgi l

”

(Lon don , 1872

on e ofWh ittak er ’s Gramm ar Schoo l Classics) give s the fo l low ing n ote PEO ’

I‘INE

— Though th e Rom a n s adopted i n to th e ir o w n la ngu age the Greek w o rd p lectrum ,

they u sed th e La tin p ecten to den ote the sam e th in g, n ot because the in strum e n t

used in strik ing the lyr e w a s at a ll l ik e a com b in sh ape an d appea rance , butbe cau se it w a s he ld in the r ight han d , an d in serted betw een the stam ina of the

lyre as the comb w as, betw een t h e stam in a o f th e loom .

”

THE ANCESTRY OF THE VI O LIN. 35

w ill sho rtly en um e ra te w ha t M. Vida l l says o n the po in t. He

cite s the e rro n e ous draw in gs a nd le tte rpre ss O f o n e Va le rian o,

”

who,in 1568, in his de scriptio n and repre sen ta tion o f a m eda l

O f the E m iliu s and Scribon iu s fam ilie s, B .C. 204 (Fig.

a lte red the tw o lyre s hanging the reon to a Vio lin (Fig. 4) a

da ring in n ova tion truly,a nd on e carryin

gout my first w a il

about picto ria l histo ry. He then re fe rs to la ise de Vigenere ,3w ho

,in 1605

,reproduced Va le rian o ’s e rro rs

,an d gave a

repre sen tation o f Am phion ra ising the w a lls o f Thebe s byfo rce O f his Vio l playing. I n con c lusio n , Vigen ere c ite sVa le ria n o a s his autho rity, just a s, in 1735, l

’

Abbé de Cha teaun euf 4’ reproduce s the the o rie s o f Va le ria n o an d Vigen ere .

The w o rk w as n eve r by h im in tended fo r publicatio n ,bu t

w a s produced m any years a fte r his dea th fu ll O f un corre ctedfaults . Zaccha r ia Te vo

,in 1706

,a sse rts po sitive ly

,

5 I l

vio lin o fi‘i in ven tato da Orfe o , figlio d’

Apo llO e Sa fo po etcssa

in ve n te l ’a rco de crin i di cava llo , e fi‘

I la prim a che lo su o n a se

com e si co stum a oggidi .”

This is probably in a llusion to a

F I G . 3 Med a l o f th e E m ilin e an d F I G. 4 — S am e m ed a l , err on eou slyS c r i oo n i us fam i l i es . D . C. figur ed by Va ler i an o . 1568.

w e ll- kn ow n gem illustra ted by Ma ffe i,

6 repre sen ting O rpheusplaying to w ild bea sts o n a vio l in

,reproduced a s a fron tispie ce

to his w o rk 7 by M. Ga llay , w hich w a s suppo sed to be a n tique,

but subsequen tly proved to be c om pa ra tive ly m ode rn . This isa n o the r illustra tion O f m isle adin g a rtistic im agin a tion ,

thanw hich n o be tte r spec im en exists tha n the “Pa rn a ssus of

Ra fa e lle in the Va tican at Rom e , w he re Apo llo is repre se n teda s playing a Vio l.8 My reade rs w ill O f course

,all kn ow the ce le

A. Vida l , Les I n strum en ts h, Archet (Pa r is, 3 vo ls.,4to . Ed i tion

dc Lun e .

2 “H ieroglyph ica Comm en ta r ii Joa n n is Fie ri i Va le r ian i pe r Thom am Gua ri

n um3 B . d e Vigen ere , Le s Table aux d e Ph i lo strate , tradu its en Franca is et

comm en tés (Pa r is,L

’

Abbé de Chatea un euf . “D ia logue su r la Mu siqu e d e sAn c ien s (Par is,5 P. B . Za cch ar ia Tevo , Mu sico Te store (Ven ice ,P. A. Mafi e i , Gem m e An tich e figu rate (Rom e ,7 J . Ca l lay , Les Luth iers I ta lien s aux 17° et 18° siec le s (Par is,9 Vid e th e fo ot- n ote to p. 340 O f “Raph ae l , His Li fe , Wo rk s

,a n d Tim es,

from the Fren ch of Eugen e Mun tz , edi ted by Wa lter Arm str ong, B .A. (Lo n d o n ,

w h ich run s“ I t h a s often bee n ask ed w hy Raphae l , in stead O f plac i ng

s6 VI OLIN-MAK ING a s IT wa s AND 18.

bruted picture oy Paul Veron ese in the Louvre, of the Ma rriage

at Can a o f Ga lilee ,”in the fo reground o f w hich is a figu re (a po r

tra it o f Titian ) playing on a pe rfectly- defin ed double- ba ss ! I t isn eedle ss to m ultiply ca se s a ll the suppo sed an tique s tha tM.Vida l lcould get cogn iz an ce of w e re the w o rks of com pa ra tive ly m ode rna rtists

,and he con sequen tly com e s to the con clusion tha t to the

G ree ks and Rom an s bow in strum en ts w e re unkn own . Sir J obnHaw k in s ’I

c ite s a w o rk on stringed in strum en ts,w ritten in

A.D . 60,by on e Nichom achu s Ge ra sen u s

,a Pythago rea n , who

do e s n ot m en tion any m ode of vibra ting strings o the rw ise thanw ith the finge rs o r ple ctrum . Now

,aga in st a ll this Mr . J . M.

Flem ing 3 m ake s som e m o st in te re sting an d va luable (if re liable )sta tem en ts, go ing to prove the existe n ce o f the bow in c la ssictim e s

,qu o ting from an illustra ted ca ta logue of the co lle ction of

Gre ek . a nd Etruscan va se s,m ade by Lucie n Napo leo n

,Prin ce

o f Can in o , published by subscription at Milan in He

m en tion s a ta ll- handled cup on w hich the figure s a re pa in te dred on a bla ck ground. The subject is a m an sea ted reading a

vo lum e to tw o youths,w ho

,lean ing on kn o tted sticks

,a r e

liste n ing a tten tive ly. O n a little table o r box in fron t o f the

prin cipa l figure is in scribed the n am e Chiron e is.

’O n e ach

side o f the reade r is an objec t w hich authoritie s in the se m a tter sth e legendary lyre in th e han ds of Apo llo , represe n ted h im play ing the v io lin .

Acco rd ing to Passavan t Raphae l ,’vo l. i ., p. 119) he w a s led to comm it

a na chron ism e ither by the pope or by som e oth er great person age w ho w as

anxious to have the portra it of som e sk ilfu l play er , possib ly of Gia com o Sa n

secondo , w hom Ca stiglion e , in h is Co urtie r ,’ e u logises as so accomplish ed a

m usician . Th is is v e ry fa r fetched , fo r Pin tu ricchio , in h is frescoe s in theBorgia ro om s, had a lready represen ted Music under th e figure of a yo ung w om a n

playin g the v io lin (Pisto lesi , ‘ I l Vatica n o descr itto ,’vo l . Lo Spagn a , i n

h is Magl ian a frescoe s, n ow in the m useum of the Capito l , a lw ays su bstituted thev io l in for the ly re . Ra phae l w a s a lso guided in h is cho ice of th is in strum en t

by spec ia l con siderations , for the lyre had a lready been placed in the ha nds of

o n e of the Muses in th is fresco , an d he had a lso pa in ted Apo l lo w ith it in The

Schoo l of Athen s an d i n th e D eath of Marsyras.’He cou ld not con tinua l ly

be repeatin the same m otive .

A. Vida “Le s I nstrumen ts 9. Archet (Pa r is ,J . Haw k in s Ge n e ra l Histo ry o f Music (Lon don , p. 73.

J . M. Flem ing,“ O ld Vio lin s an d th e ir Mak e rs (Lon don , This

w o rk first appear ed se ria l ly , in the pages of the B a z a a r . in 1882-3.

Mica li ,“ Sto ria degli Antichi Popo li I ta lia n i " (Mi lan , an d Atlas

th ereto Tav. c i i i .,“Ta z z a a nu alto m a n ico , figur e ro sse in fo ndo n ero d e l la

form a m edesim a n um . 6 Tav . xcix. , Pr . di Can in o .

"The d esc ription run s thu s

Mo lto singo lare , quan to n uovo e grad ito d o vra pa rere a l l’

o sse rvatore i l tem ad i qu esto d ipinto . Vi si vede n u u om o sed en te r a r a ln os ivvo lte ligen o cch ian e l suo m an to che sta leggendo nu vo lum e 0 papir o . D uo giovan n i ud ito ri ,c in to del pa ll io , ed ambo appogia ti a u h n odoso basto n e atten tam ente lo a sco lta n o .

D in an z i a1 leggito re é un o scr ign o a lto a con tene re i vo lum i su l d i cu i cope rch ioleggesi i1 tito lo xiporéu. Gl i arred i appesi in a lto po sson o essere thaw s den ota tive la pro fession e de l m ae stro . A lato d e i d ue Efebi e la so l ita epigrafes aMs n el m ez z o d ello scrign o xaM.

”Th e draw in g o f w h ich th is is a d escrip.

tion is reproduced at p. 250 of Mr. Flem ing’

s w ork , c ited in n ote

rm ; axons'

r av or THE VI O LIN. 37

te rm‘ the cae

,i ndica ting the ro fe ssion o f this pr in c ipal figu re .

O n e of the se ha s a n e ck o r han dle,an ova l disc , o r soun ding

plan e , a nd a ta il- pie ce extending be low this disc ra the r m o rethan ha lf the length of the n eck . From the u ppe r e xtrem ity of

the n eck to the low e r extrem ity of the disc a re stretched strings,an d acro ss the se strings at the cen tre o f the disc is pla ced a bow

o f a s ratio n a l co n struction a s anything tha t ha s com e dow n to

us prio r to the days o f Co re lli. The in strum e n t is in de ed a lm o stiden tica l w ith the Ravan a stron , the o rien ta l precurso r o f theo cc iden ta l fiddle . The bow above m e n tion ed is placed so

clo se to the in strum en t tha t it appea rs to have n o ha ir,a n d it

m ight o n tha t a ccoun t be c la im ed as a specie s o f ple ctrum butwhe n w e rem em be r tha t Pagan in i is reported to have playeddivin e ly upon his vio l in w ith a slen de r rush in a con te st w hichhe had w ith a va in young m an in I ta ly

,w e n eed be at n o lo ss

to suppo se tha t the an cien ts m ay have excited the vibra tion s o fthe ir strings by a sim ila r co n tac t befo re ha ir cam e to be used.

This is a ve ry im po rtan t discove ry, a nd its im po rta n ce w ill bem o re fu lly apprec ia ted w hen w e rem em be r the law I a lluded tojust n ow aga in st a rtists a lte ring e xisting fo rm s in the ir w o rks,and ou r n o t finding frequen t repre sen tation s o f this in strum e n tm ay very po ssibly be a ccoun ted fo r by the rea son given byMr . C. Enge l,1 v iz .

,that the scen e s tran sm itted to u s a re

chiefly tho se o f fun e rea l,trium pha l, o r o the r rite s in w hich

in strum en ts o f such a prim itive de scription a s the fiddle m ustthen have been (if it existed at a ll), w ould have taken n o pa rt.Leaving, the refo re , the con side ra tio n o f the u se o f bow ed

in strum ents am ong the Gre eks a nd Rom an s w ith the se sta tistics

,the earlie st tradition s a n d de scriptio n s o f a po sitive n a ture

com e from the Ea st. M. Fetis has in m ore than on e o f h is

w o rks rem arked,

Rien dau s l’O cciden t qui n e vien n e do

l’

O rient a nd ce rta in ly in the m a tte r o f the an ce stry o f the

vio lin this is appare n tly the ca se ; n o r is it at all un like ly, fo r , a sw e a ll kn ow

, the We st Europe) w a s c iviliz ed long a fte r theEa ste rn co n tin en ts . I n his No tice o f A. Stradiva ri ” 9 he says

,

ve ry truly,I f w e w ould trace a bow - in strum en t to its source

w e m ust assum e the m ost sim ple fo rm in w hich it could appea r,

a nd as such required n o a ssistance from an a rt brought to pe rfe ction , and such a fo rm w e sha l l find in the Ra van a stron

(Fig. m ade o f a cylinder of sycam o re w ood ho llow ed out fromo n e en d to the o the r.”

C. Enge l ,“ Catalogue of Musica l I nstrum en ts in the South Kensington

Museum ”

(London ,3 F. J . Fetis, Notice d

’Antoln e Stradivan (Pa ris, translated in to

En gl ish by John Bishop (of Che lteuham ) , “Notice of An thony Stradivar i, theCe lebrated Viol in -Mak er ,”etc., (London , I 864) .

38 VI OLIN-MAKING : a s i r w a s AND I s.

The first tradition w e have o f this in strum en t is given bySo n n e r a t l w ho m e n tion s the Ravan astro n a s having been inven ted, 5000 yea rs ago , by on e Ravan a

,then King o f Cey lo n .

Mr Enge l 2 says on this subjec t, “How eve r this m ay be , the reis a gre a t probability tha t the fiddle o rigin a ted in Hindustan , fo rSan skrit scho la rs in fo rm u s

3 tha t the re a re n am e s fo r the bow

F I G 5.—Th e Rava n astr on . (An c ien t F I G . 6.

—Th e Om erti . (I n dia )an d Modern I n d ia . )

which can n o t be less than 1500to 2000 ye a rs o ld. The se n am esa re Kén a , Gar ika, and Pa r ivada s. The k én a is de scribed as

the rude st kin d o f bow,con sisting o f a can e , pe rhaps w ithout

any ha ir ; it m ay have been m ade rough e ithe r by sm a ll in cision s

Son n erat,“Voyage s aux I n de s et a la Chin e (Paris,

C. En ge l (s id e n ote p.

F. J . Fetis. Histo ire Gén érale de la Musiqu e (Pa r is,

rn u ANCESTRY o r THE VI OLIN.

or by the applica tio n o f som e kin d o f re sin. How be it,any o n e

m ay con vin ce him se lf tha t a string, e spe c ia lly if it is o f silk, a sthe strings o f Asia tic in strum en ts ge n e ra lly a re , m ay be m ade

to soun d by the frictio n o f a long r od draw n ove r it like a

bow .

”

(This bea rs o u t the suppo sitio n of Mr . Flem ing,1 w henhe a llude s to the ha irle ss bow ,

a n d throw s a n ew light on theple ctrum

,w hen w e rem em be r tha t w e find repre sen ta tio n s o f

ple ctra o f c on side rable length am o ng the w o rks o f the classicautho rs a n d a rtists.) “The n on - o ccurren ce o f a ny in strum en tplayed w ith a bow on the m on um e n ts of the n a tion s o f a n tiqui

tyis by n o m ean s so sure a pro o f, a s ha s be en ge n e ra lly suppo setha t the bow w a s un kn ow n . The fiddle in its prim itive co nditionm ust have been a po or con trivan ce , a n d probably w a s de spisedby playe rs w ho could produce be tte r ton e s w ith grea te r fac ilityby tw a nging the strings w ith the ir finge rs o r a ple ctrum

,a n d

thus it m ay have rem a in ed through m any ce n turie s w ithoute r ien cing any m a te ria l im provem en t I n 2000 yea rs

pe ople w ill po ssibly m a in ta in tha t som e highly-pe rfected in strum en t popula r w ith them w a s en tire ly un kn ow n to us

,beca use it

is at pre se n t in so prim itive a co n dition tha t n o on e ha rdlyn o tice s it.” (I n de ed, w ho sha ll say tha t in days to com e the

J e w’s ha rp m ay n otbe com e a leading in strum en t !) “ Som e

autho rs have suppo sed tha t the Ravan a str on w a s in troducedin to I n dia by the Mohamm edan s ; if this had be e n the ca se it w ouldm o st like ly be a r som e re sem bla n ce to the Ara bia n and Pe rsianin strum e n ts

,an d it w o uld be foun d ra the r i n the ha nds o f the

highe r cla sse s in the tow n s, w he rea s it is prin c ipa lly m et w itham ong the low e r o rde rs of pe ople in iso la ted a n d m oun ta in ousdistricts. Moreove r, it is rem a rkable tha t the m o st sim ple fo rmo f Ra va n a stron (Fig. 5)- .the re a re n ow adays som e va rie tie s o fthis in strum en t— is a lm o st iden tica l w ith the Chin e se fiddleca lled Ur—heen . This spec ies ha s on ly tw o strings, a n d con sistso f a sm a ll blo ck o f w o od ho llow ed ou t a n d cove red w ith the skino f a se rp en t. The Ur - heen has n ot bee n m e n tio n ed am ong them o st an c ien t in strum en ts o f the Chin e se

,sin ce the re is n o

eviden ce of its having been kn ow n in Chin a be fo re the in troduction of the Buddhist re ligio n in to tha t coun try from I ndia .

From in dica tion s, w hich to po in t out w ould lead to o fa r he re, itw ould seem tha t seve ra l in strum en ts foun d in Chin a o rigin a tedin Hindusta n .

”An o the r fo rm o f m odern in strum e n t a lm o st

iden tica l w ith the Ra van astron is the I n dian Om e rti (Fig. 6) and,com ing a step w e stw a rds, a lm o st iden tical w ith the om e rti is the

modern Turkish and Arabian K em angeh a’

gou z (Fig. Now

Vid e note D . 36.

4O VI OLIN-MAKING : a s I T wa s AND I S.

k em angeh is de rived from the Pe rsian w o rd k em angeh, w h ichm ean s pla ce o f the bow ,

”an d a

’

gou z m ean s “an c ien t

,

”so

tha t the e n tire tran sla tion is in fa ct “a n c ien t bow - in strum en t.

" l

Now the Arabs them se lve s say tha t they got the in strum en t fromP e rsia , an d the w o rd be ing Pe rsian suppo rts the ir o w n sta tem e n t.The Pe rsian k em angeh is de scr ibed by S ir William O use ley

2a s

practica lly iden tica l w ith the Turkish va rie ty, an d tha t it ha s n ot

had a change ful existen ce is proved by a trea tise o n Pe rsian m usic,w ritten , in 1418

,by on e Abd - u l - cad ir

,w hich give s an iden tical

de scription o f the in strum e n t.3 An o the r m ode rn Tu rkish and

Arabian in strum en t is the Re bab, of w hich there a re m any

F I G. 7.— K em a n geh a

’

gou z . (Modern Tu rk ish .)

vari etie s,on e of them (the Rebab e sh Sha 'e r) diffe ring from the

K em a ngeh a'

gou z o n ly in tha t it co n sists sim ply o f a four- sidedfram e (Fig. the top a n d bo ttom be ing com po sed of tw o pie ce so f stre tched skin . I n o n e o f his earlie r w o rks M. Fetis 4 derived theorigin of bow in strum en ts from the Gon dok(Fig.9) of the Russian

A. Ch r istian ow itch , Esqu isse Histor ique de la Musique Arabe (Co logn e,2 S ir W. O u se ley , Bart Trav els in Va rious Coun tri es of the East, especia l ly

Persia (Lon don ,

B en Ga ib i Abd -ul - cadir w as a Pe rsian m u sic ia n ,w hose w ork , quoted above,

(a ma nuscript en titled U..2 0m mM a. c ar c ui:

01”v, r

m [Tr eatise

on the r ea son s o f m odulatio n in ch an ts a n d m ea su r es] ) exists in the libra ryof th e Un iver sity of Leyden .

F. J. Fetis, B iographie Un iverselle des Music ian s 1835.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

42 VI OLIN-MAKING : a s I T w a s AND I s.

this fo r m e,to ld m e the se “

o ld vio lin s (vien z —vielles) a re

han ded dow n from fa the r to son,an d a r e extrem e ly sca rce

,and

im po ssible to obta in from the irow n ers. Now the Rebab w a s

,

w ithout doubt, in u se am ong the

Moo rs in the seven th cen tury,an d

,

a s they proce eded a lo ng the Northo f Africa a n d co n que red Spa in in

the e ighth cen tury,tha t a ccoun ts

fo r its pre sen ce a long the ir tra ckfrom tha t tim e to the pre sen t day .

An d a s the Arabs them se lve s asse rttha t they got the Rebab w ith theK em angeh from Pe rsia

,w e thus

re ach the in te llige n ce aga in o f

a n o the r a n c ien t Pe rsia n in stru

m en t,w hich m ake s an o the r lin k

F I G. 9.— Th e Gon d ok . (P r im itive

Ru ssian .) F I G . l o.—Rebab . (No r th Afr i ca ) .

in the cha in w hich trace s the se in strum en ts from I n dia throughPe rsia a n d Arabia in to Turkey, on the n orth of the Medite r

ran e an,a n d a lo ng the n orth o f

Africa into Spa in o n the south .

The re is n o doubt tha t the Egyptian s had a n in strum e n t ca lled“No fre

, (o r Ne fe r , o r Ne fru,

o r Ne f) o f the highe st. a n tiquity,w ith finge r

- boa rd a n d bridge ,a n d fre ts fo r produc ing diffe ren tn o te s on on e string (Fig.

an d it seem s a ston ishing tha t sohighly civiliz ed

,in ven tive , an d

m usica l a people a sthe Egy ptian sshould n ot have m ade the tran sition

,w hich w ou ld be n a tura l

,

w e re they in the habit o f usin ga bridged an d finger

' boa rded ln F I G. l l .— Nofre . or Nefer . (An cien t

strum e n t w ith a ple ctrum,v iz .

,

Egypt‘an ' )

tha t o f rubbing the strings by the sam e m e an s so a s to produceco n tin u ous a n d slurred n o te s in stead o f the sho rt sudde n on e sfo r , be it bo rn e in m in d

,as I have sugge sted befo re, the u se of

THE ANCESTRY O F THE VI O LIN.

ha ir is by n o m ean s e ssen tia l to the existe n ce o f a bow . O f thehigh an tiquity o f the n ofre (sign ifying, w hen used a s a hie roglyphic, go od,

” 1) the re is n o doubt, fo r w e find it am ong the

in strum en ts used at con ce rts o f the e ighte en th dyn a sty (B .C.

1575 a nd it o ccurs a lso in papyri o f the da te B .C. 2000,

a nd even ea rlie r. Mr . Chappe ll sta te s tha t repre se n ta tion s o f i ta re fo un d da ting from the fourth dyn a sty . Som e fragm en tso f a n ofre w e re found in a tom b at Thebe s by Mr . Madoxo n the n eck o f w hich som e o f the se fre ts (w hich w e re fo rm edo f cam e l- gut tied roun d the finge r

- board) w e re stil l rem a in ing.

This m o st in te re sting re l ic is in the British Mu seum,an d is

figured by M. Fétis.

2 Mr . Chappe l l 3 give s m any m o stin te re sting figure s a nd description s o f this in strum en t o n page

F I G. 12 —Tr igon on . (Assy r ian )

320 he reproduce s on e w ith thre e bridge s, an d a ca rved he ad,be ing played w ith a plectrum ; a n d o n p . 62 he give s tw ofigure s o f its u se a s a hie roglyphic , w ith tw o c ro ss ba rs (o rpegs) in the head

,and on e o f them w ith a p erfect bridge a nd

ta il- piece . His illustra tion s a re from the D en km ale r”

o f

Lepsius,and a re o f the fourth dyn a sty

,in the re ign o f Chephren

(o r Suphis w ho e re cted the se co nd grea t pyram id. Thisw ould give the in strum en t an a n tiquity o f 3124 B .C. a cco rdin g to Lepsius

, o r o f 2083 B C. a cco rding to Sir Ga rdn e rWilkin son .

S . B ir ch , An I n troduction to the Study of th e Egyptia n Hieroglyph ics’

i

(Lon don , p. 225.

2 F . J . Fetis , H isto ire Gén éra le d e la Musique Tom e i ., p3 W. Chappe ll , “ Th e Histo ry o f Mu sic ,

”vo l . i . (a ll pu bl ished ) (Lo n do n , n .d .

44 VI O LIN-MAK ING : a s I T w a s AND I s.

Mr . Ruge l l give s a figure from an Assyria n slab in theBriti shMuseum

,o f about 880(Fig. playing an in strum en t

of the trigon on spec ie s, ho lding a plectrum o f co n side ra ble lengthin the right han d, w hilst he stops the strings w ith the le ft

,

which, a s Mr . Enge l justly rem a rks,m ay ve ry probably be a

rude pro to type o f the m ode rn v io lin bow,fo r the se long plectra

co n stan tly o ccur ; a nd, a s they m ust have be en ve ry m uch m o rein con ven ie n t to tw ang the strings w ith tha n a sho rt on e w ouldhave be en

,it is to my m ind a lm o st a ce rta in ty tha t the ple ctrum

,,

w hen it go t beyond a ce rta in le n gth, c ea sed to be an in strum e n to f percu ssion

,a nd becam e o f frictio n . From a ll the se fa cts

,

there fo re,I deduce this on e

,tha t

in age s o f the highest a n tiquitybow - in strum e n ts

,o r at any ra te

stringed in strum e n ts from w hichthe to n e w a s produced by frictio n

,existed am o ng the prim itive

Asia tic s. Tha t w ith the Mo orsa n d Moham m eda n s the se in strum en ts journ eyed w e stw a rd in toSpa in a n d south- ea ste rn Europe .

From the se tw o po in ts they progressed to the n o rth- w e st by theco lon iz a tion o f the British I slesan d Britta ny from Spa in

,a nd

,

w ithout soaring in to the I n do

European o rigin o f the Ce ltictribe s

,w e m ay say tha t the se

grea t w ave s o f popula tion w e reprogre ssing gradua lly in to No rthe rn Europe from the ea st a nd

m . 1

1

3.—

Kid from MS of St. south- e a st

,bringing w ith them

" 1” “ a the ir superio r fidd les (kem an

gebs, rebabs, etc .) to supersede the m o re in fe rio r bow in

strum en ts a lr eady ther e (to w hich I sha ll pre sen tly refe r)The re is n o doubt that from Spa in co lon ists w e re con tin ua lly)ove rrun n ing Europe

,a n d this a ccoun ts fo r the pre sen ce in

n ea rly a ll European language s o f Mo o rish n am e s fo r m usica lin strum en ts

,it be ing n ot at a ll im probable tha t n am e s of crude

and im pe rfe ct in strum e n ts have in a ll language s be com e tra n sfe rred to n ew e r and m o re pe rfe ct in strum en ts a s the fo rm e rw en t out o f

, and the la tte r cam e in to , u se . From Spa inco lon ists settled in Britta ny

,England, Norm andy

,and o the r

C. Engel, The Music of the Most An cien tNation s, etc . (Lon don ,p. 49.

THE ANCESTRY O F THE VI O LIN. 45

pa rts of Eur ope , long be fo re the I ndo -European tribe s hadrea ched so fa r

,and a cco rdingly it is in the se co un trie s tha t w e

fin d re co rds of the fi rst pe ar- shaped vio ls,prope rly so ca lled

,

bea ring strong re sem blan ce to a sm a ll va rie ty o f an c ien t a ndm ode rn Moo rish k em angeh . We do n ot find any a c tua l a n dauthen tic repre sen ta tion s o f pea r- shaped vio ls be fo re the n in thse n tu ry, w hich supplie s us w ith a on e - stringed vio l (Fig. froma MS. from the Mon a ste ry o f St. Bla siu s in the Bla ck Fo re st

,

w hich MS . w a s de stroyed w hen the Mo n a ste ry w a s burn tdow n

,but o f the illustra tio n s O f w hich the Abbo t Ge rbert ha d

tra c ings, w hich he subsequen tly reproduced .

l Repre sen ta tio n so f vio ls o f suppo sed e a rlie r da te s have bee n n ow a nd thenproduced, but they have a lw ays bee n found to be an te - da ted.

I n the e a rlie st repre sen ta tio n s o f how in strum en ts it is ra the rthe exception to find a bridge, ta il- piece , sound ho le s, etc .

,

F I G. l l .

—Vio l from th e Cotton MS . F I G . 15.— Vio l from Ele v en th Cen tury

Ten th ce n tu ry . (Saxon ) P sa lte r . (B r itish Mus eum . )

r epre se n ted but a s they o ccur freque n tly it se em s ce rta in tha tw hen they do n ot it is by the om issio n or ign o ra n ce o f the a rtisto r sculpto r

,o r by subsequen t re sto ra tion o f his w o rk . A ve ry

favourite spe c im e n is fo un d in a MS. in the British Museum 2

(Fig . o f the te n th cen tury, w hich bears a m a rked re sem blan ceto a fo rm o f the an c ie n t Mo o rish k em a ngeh an d rehab

,w hich is

still fo u nd am on g the Bre to n a nd Ba sque pea sa n try unde r then am e rebec ”

(vid c p . This is reproduced by Strutt, toge the rw ith som e o the rs

,from a like source 3 A Psa lte r o f the e leven th

ce n tury,in the British Museum , give s a fiddle ‘ m oun ted w ith

M. Gerbert, D e Ca n tu et Musica Sacra (St. B las ius,2 Cotton MSS ., Tibe rius C. v i .3 J . Strutt, Opba Knge l

-cyn n an [“Man n ers an d Cu stom s of the I nhabitan ts

of En gla n d”

(Lo n do n , a n d a lso “ Th e Spo r ts an d Pa stim es o f th e

Peopl e o f Engla n d, in c lud ing th e Ru ra l a nd D om e stic Recreation s,

"

etc .

(Lo n do n ,

The w ord fiddl e is of imm en se an tiqu ity, be ing deri ved in a ll lan gu ages

46 VIO LIN-MAKING a s I T w a s AND I s.

o n e string (Fig. rem inding us o f the on e from the St. B la srus

MS . befo re re fe rred to . A ha s- re lie f o f the sam e cen tury fromSt. Ge o rge s de Bo sche rville (n ow in the Museum at Rouen ), ha stw o figure s playing vio ls (Figs. 16 a n d o n e o f w hich (Fig. 16)is he ld like the m ode rn vio lin

,and the o the r (Fig. 17) like the

m ode rn vio lon ce llo , in w hich la st w e begin to see the in wa rdcurva tures

,w hich

,from this da te

,a lm o st in va riably distinguish

the Vio l,prope rly so - ca lled, from the m o re prim itive gigue o r

rebe c,about w hich I sha ll pre sen tly say a few w o rds . The

tw e lfth cen tury supplie s M. Po tie r (autho r o f Mon um en tsFran ca is w ith a Vio l o f a sim ila r but m o re o rn ate an d cum ~

brous de scriptio n from the po rch o f No tre D am e de Chartre s(Fig. 18) a nd a n um be r o f sim ila r on e s

,on ly of m ore defin ite

F I G. 16.— Gigue , o r Reb ec , F I G . 17 .

— Vi ol fr om th e sam eB a s -r el ist

‘

a t St. Geo r ges d e B as -re l i ef as F I G. 16.

B o sch erv ille , Rou en . (Eleven thcen tu ry .)

and advan ced fo rm,a re ca rved on the po rch o f a church at

San tiago di Compo ste lla , in Spa in , built in the thirte en thcen tury . At Exe te r Ca thedra l, in the Min stre l ’s Ga lle ry

,a

sculptured o rche stra give s us pe rfe ct repre se n ta tion s of the Vio land rebec of the fou rte e n th ce n tury

,afte r w hich w e rea ch the

fifte en th cen tury, w hich saw the in troduction o f the pe rfe ctvio ls

,the im m edia te prede ce sso rs o f the m ode rn v io lin

,w hich

w e re , inde ed, fo r a long tim e its com pan io n s in ha rm o ny.

About the e leven th cen tury the fiddle w ould se em to havefrom the o ld Gothic . Thu s w e hav e in th e o ld Germ an “

v ide l , a fidd le ;Vide lae re ,

”a fi dd ler ;

“v ide l n ,

”to fidd le in the m od ern “fide l ,

”a n d fied e l .

”

I n th e I ce lan d i c fid la . i n th e D utch v ide l , v ioo l , a n d As an Anglo

Sa xon w ord fyth e le is of imm en se a n tiqu ity . I n the lege n d ary Life of St.

Chr isto phe r , w ri tte n A.D . 1200, w e fin d , Chr istofr e bym sew ed lo nge ; Ye

Ryuge lou ed m e lo dye o f fy the le an d o f son ge (G. D ubourg,“ The Vio l in

Lo n do n ,

THE ANCESTRY O F THE VI O LIN. 47

divided in to tw o c la sse s— on e the Vio l prope r,having inden ta

tion s at the Side s,a n d probably tw o table s con n e c ted by side s

an d the o the r the rebe c o r gigue , w hich kept the m o st e lem en ta ryo r pe a r- shape , (w hich ca rrie s us ba ck to the a n c ie n t Moo rishrebab [Fig. from w hich it w a s undoubtedly de scen ded

,)be ing first ca lled the ruhehe

,

”a m o st prim itive in strum en t l

probably on ly having tw o strings, the n ce to the rebec ”a nd

gigue ,”in w hich fo rm it still exists

a m ong the Bre ton a nd Spa n ishpea san try and the inhabita n ts o f the

n o rthe rn sta te s o fAfrica . A frien d,

recen tly trave lling in Po la nd, ha s se n tm e a m o st in te re sting pho tograph o f a

pea san t rejo ic ing in the n u - in - on e

brea th- utte rable n am e o f Sta rySaba ta K r z ctow sk i r Sgstikan u

Smyc z hiem ,who is playing just

such an in strum en t a s this,excepting

tha t it has a head a fte r the a cceptedform o f vio lin - scro ll

,a nd a bridge

a nd ff ho le s. I t is played w ith a

bow a s long a s the in strum en t itse lf,

resem bling bo th a double -ba ss bow ,

an d w ha t is kn ow n a s a“ Core lli ”

bow,a nd is a ltoge the r a m o st in

te r esting re lic o f the Moo rish rebab .

The Ge rm an s ca lled a ll the ir bowin strum e n ts “

ge ige (w hich is a lsothe m ode rn te rm ), a n d divided themin to “ kle in -

ge ige ,” “

gro s-ge ige ,”

w hich w a s o f a ve ry d istin c t fo rm w ithlo ng inw a rd c u rva ture s

,sound- ho le s

,

a n d ta il- pie ce, o r ra the r string- ho lde r

like the gu ita r, and w as m oun tedw ith from th ree to n in e strings F I G- 18s

—V101 fr0m scu

l

lpr

m e at

Fig. Mo st o f the illustra tion sNW 8 D am e d e cm i 88 °

of this in strum en t w hich have com e do w n to us a re bridge le ss,out this is do ubtle ss in eve ry ca se a n e rro r o f the a rtist, fo rthey w e re ve ry highly pe rfec ted in strum en ts

,a n d w e re used a s

la te a s the sixteen th cen tury . The re w e re four si z e s (as w ithou r bow in strum en ts), the se t of which a re figured by Ma rtin

The rebab had va riou s di fferen t n am es in the d iffe ren t c ou n tries of I ‘iu ropei n w h ich i t w a s fo und — su ch a s r ebebe , ruhehe , rebesbe , rebe l, a rrabe l . rabel.rebe l le, rebe c, a nd so on (s id e n ote p.

48 VI OLIN-MAK ING : a s IT w a s AND I s .

Agrico la in a nd the ir n am e s a re disca n tus (Fig. a ltus,

ten o r, a nd ba ssus..

1 cam e a cro ss a curious illustra tion whichI take to be o f thi s in strum en t

,a short w hile sin ce

,in the

British Museum ,in a l ittle black le tte r pam phle t

, begin n ing,anallusttisaimam isrincipzm fi anuulsum aaalatrstauisam u ra i Dom inant Sloann is fl utrlii fl ugurz lli m im inz nsis carminum liber: animus, an d en d ing,

“amprrssum

2111m m Sauna Dom ini aarcctlrrrr i (1491) his quinto gpm,

to w hi ch it fo rm s the fron tispie ce o r title - page . I t is a repre sen tation of a Vio l an d bow hanging on n a ils ; the Vio l hangs by a

ribbon , an d the how by its ow n head, a s bo w s a re even n ow hung

F I G . 19 —Rebab . (An c ien t F I G. 20. Gr O S o ge ig ,” fr om I llus

a n d Mod ern Moo r ish .) tra ti on of M. Agr ico la .

up in shops. The bow is o f a ve ry advan ced type,having a n ut

button a n d h ead o f a lm o st the de sign o f the m ode rn doubleba ss how . The Vio l i s fan ciful in sha pe , having a long bodyw ith a sho rt n eck an d a pe rfe c t finge r - bo a rd ; the cen tre - bouts(sci licet) a re set low in the body, the head is squa re , ca rved and

provided w ith seven peg- ho le s in fron t, set, thre e o n e ach side

,

and on e in the m iddle,w hilst at the sid e o f the he ad the re

proje cts a peg w ith a pe rfect thum b- pie ce ,” w hich suppo rtstw o strings (just below the thum b- piece ), w hen ce they appea rto go into the head at the top o f the squa re box the re of. The reare five strings on , a nd tw o off

,the finge r

- boa rd to the r ight.The bridge is iden tica l w ith the m ode rn Vio lon ce llo bridge, and

M. Agri cola , Mu si c ? I n strum en ta l is”

(Wittenberg ,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

50 VIO LIN-MAK ING : AS I T w a s AND I S.

a n tique o ffice o f high em o lum e n t in Fran ce . We fin d 1 am ongthe rule s o f the co rpo ratio n o f m usic ian s

,con firm ed by Louis

X IV. in 1658 (la Con frérie de St. J u lien de s Me n e strier s), thefo l lo w ing il éta it défen du au x m u sicien s qui n ’

éta ien t. pa sMa itre s, de joue r a ux caba re ts

,etc .

,a pe in e de prison

,

”and

the autho r appe n ds the fo llo w ing fo o tn o te , 11y ava it cepe n dan tu n e e xceptio n en faveur de ceux quin e joua ie n t qu e du r ebec. Le rebe céta it u n vio lon gro ssie r qui a va itprécédé l’usage de ce lui qu e n ousco n n a isson s. I l ava it la fo rm e d

’

u n

ba tto ir écha n cré pa r le s qua tre s angle s,a u lieu d ’

étr e a rron di com m e le vio lon,

et n’

éta it m o n té qu e de tro is corde sm i

,la,r e

’

. l l pa ra it, pa r u n e se n te n cedu prevOt de Pa ris, du 2 i n a i 1664,qu i l y ava it de s haute s- con tre s

,de s

ta ille s,e t de s ba sse s de r ebec. Cet

in strum e n t s ’e st m a in ten u e n Fra n ceju squ

’

a la fin du dix septiém e sieclee ty fut lo ng- tem ps d’

u n usage genera l.O n con na it ce s ve rs de la 106 sa tire deRegn ie r,O Mu se l je t I n voqu e , emm ie lle -m o i 1e bee

,

Et ban de d e te s m ain s 1es n erfs d e m o n

r ebec .

The la st re lic tha t survived o f thisfo rm o f fiddle w a s the So rdin o(Fren ch, p ochette Ge rm a n , Ta schengeige) o f the dan cing- m a ste rs o f

the seven te e n th an d e a rly e ighteen thcen tury. Me rsen n u s in his “ D e I n

str um en tis Ha rm on icis” 2

give s a

ve ry go od illustra tion o f a pe ra ”

“9 ' Pm 01‘ “ P " ch e o r po che o f the da te 1648(Fig.

1648’ (M Mersen n u s”a n d this shape did n o t a l te r ve ry m uch

till the e ighte en th cen tury, w hen it w a s pra ctica lly aban don ed .

The re is in the South Ken sin gton Museum a grea t be auty o f thisda te

,m ade in ivo ry w ith a w o oden be lly, the head a ca rved,

fem a le bust, the bow ivo ry, a nd the ca se lea the r stam ped an d

gilt

.Bo th th e in strum en t and the bow a re fifteen I n che s long.

F. J . Fe t is, Cu r iosités Histo riqu es de la Mu siqu e (Pa r is, p . .394.

2 Ha rm on icorum Lii xi i , i n qu ibu s agitatu r d e son o rum n a tu ra, etc.,

orbisque totia s harm on ic i s i n strum en tis (Lutetias Pa r isio rum ,

THE ANCESTRY o r THE VI O LIN. 51

From this tim e they w ould seem to have given w ay to the kitof the o rdina ry vio lin sha c . I t is from the w o rd gigue

”

tha t our w o rd “jig

” is derived,as be ing used by da n cing

m a sters and so on . They a re at all even ts m o st in te re sting, as

be ing the la st re lics of, and de scended dire ctly from,the m o st

a n cie n t t pe of fiddle . Som e tw en ty exce llen t spe c im en s w e ree xhibit in the Spe c ia l Exhibition at So uth Ken sington in

1872,an d a re de scribed and illustra ted by pho tographs in the

ca ta logue .

1 This,the refo re , brings us to the end o f w ha t

is,to my m ind

,the right lin e o f re sea rch in to the a n ce stry

o f the Vio lin , w ith this single con clusion I n strum en ts Wi than e longa ted n e ck , finge r

- board,a nd bridge, played w ith the

how,a re clea rly de rived from the Ea ste rn n a tion s o f the

highe st a n tiquity.

”

I t is n ow tha t w e a rrive atthe tim e of the true vio ls, the imm a

dia te fore runn e rs, and, indeed, ea rly com pan io n s o f the vio lin a sit n ow exists. Atthe begin n ing of the fifte en th c en tury

,the side s

of the vio ls be g an to be w e l l in curved ; a s m ake rs w e hea r o f Ott,

and Frey,ofNurem be rg an d

,about the m iddle

,J oan K e r lin o

,

o f Bre scia,the probable foun de r of the Bre scia scho o l . There

w as extan t in 1450,acco rding to Labo rde , a Vi o l o f K e rlin o

,

da ted 1449,and w e a re to ld tha t on e w a s exhibited by Ko like r

atPa ris in 1804,w hich w a s con ve rted in to a vio la by the substi

tution of a n ew head,w hich substitution

,it ha s po sitive ly been

sta ted,w a s K o l ik e r

’

s ow n w o rk . I t is sa id to have been so ftand husky in ton e . I n the first ha lf o f the sixteen th cen turyw e com e acro ss D u iffoprugca r of Bo logn a, Lin a rolli o f Ven ice ,D a rde lli of Man tua

,a n d o the rs, w ho have been cited by som e

a s vio lin -m ak e rs but it is n ow ce rta in tha t they o n ly m ade

the Vio l c lass of in strum en ts,such a s the vio la dfam o re , o r

treble vio l,the vio la ba sta rda

,o r a l to vio l

,the vio la da bra cc ia

,o r

ten o r vio l (hen ce the m ode rn Ge rm an w o rd B r a tsche fo r te n o r),and the vio la da gam ba , o r ba ss- Vio l . O f the se D u iffoprugcar ,though n o t an a ctua l vio lin -m ake r

,w ou ld seem to have been

the m o st ren ow n ed. Acco rding to Mr . J . M. Flem ing (who sese ria l papers on the o ld vio lin -m ake rs in The B az a a r

,befo re

re fe rred to [s ide n o te 3

,p. ra n k am ong the be st w o rks w ritten

on the subject), he w a s a Tyro le se in laye r or m o sa ic w o rke r, andthis w ould seem to be bo rn e ou t by the beautifully w o rked vio lada gam ba , a picture 0 1 w hich hangs upon the w a ll o f the SouthKen sington Museum . His life seem s to have been a m o st

even tfu l on e . We he a r o f him in Bo logn a, Pa ris, a n d Lyon s,be side s the Tyro l. He seem s to have disappea red from Lyon s,

Ca ta logu e o f the Special Exh ibition o f An cien t Musical I n strum ent ,1872 (Lon d on , com piled and w ith an in troduction by Carl Engel.

52 VI OLIN-MAK ING : as IT w a s AND I s.

w hen ce w e find n o tra ce o f him,except a po rtra it of him

,exe

cu ted the re by P ie rre Wociriot,w hich e tching i s reproduced by

M. An to in e Vida l in his w o n de rful w o rk on the Vio lin .

l I t issuppo sed o rigin a lly to have been co pied from a po rtra it o f himse lf on on e o f D u iffoprugca r

’s in strum en ts

,a ccompan ied w ith

the ve rse quo ted on the title of this w o rk,the m ean ing o fwhich

,

it m ay o r m ay n ot be n e ce ssa ry to sta te,is : “ I lived in the

w o ods, un til I w as sla in by the re len tle ss axe . Whilst I w a sa live I w a s si len t, but in dea th my m e lody is exquisite . B ut

this po rtra it and m o tto ha s a lso be en sa id to be tha t o f on e

Ba ndin e lli,a sculpto r in the se rvice o f D uke Co sm o o f Ven ice ,

in 1550. The great J . B . Vu illa um e m ade a quan ti ty o f violin !

a t the begin n ing of this cen tury,w hich w e re ca rved and in ]

afte r the m a n n e r o f D u iffoprugca r , and m any an am a teurfondly im agin ed him se lf the po sse sso r o f a gen uin e a n tique ,in ste ad of a grea t m ake r’ s w e l l- execute d (n ot to put too fin e

a po in t on it) fo rge ry.

”

The vio ls a ll had five or six strings at lea st,an d fre ts to

stop the n ote s w ith. We som e tim e s com e ac ro ss ten o rs a scribedto on e o r o the r o f the se o ld Luthie rs

,

” but they can on lybe thu s de scribed w hen they have n ew heads

,n e cks

,an d finge r

boa rds. The re w e re tw o such in the Exhibition o f 1872,m ade

about 1520by Ve n tura Lin a ro lli, of Ven ice bo th o f the se hadthe old six o r seven - pegged heads replaced by the m ode rn (o rra the r sixte en th cen tury) four- pegged scro ll . As Mr . C. Re ade

justly rem a rks,the im m en se breadth be tw e en the ff ho le s show s

tha t they w e re m ean t for five,six

,o r seven strings. They

w e re played upon the kn ee an d a s the sam e con n o isseur po in tso ut

,o ld ten o rs a n d ba sse s a lw ays appea r m uch o lde r than they

rea lly a re,from the fa c t tha t a t tha t tim e (1550 et seq.) such

in strum e n ts w e re,a s a rule

,hung ,

up aga in st a w a l l w hen n ot

in u se , n ot n ursed in ca se s. Acco rding to Mr . Flem ing, Giovan n iCe llin i, fathe r o f the illustrious Ben ven uto Ce llin i

,w a s by his

son ’s sta tem e n t an accom plished m ake r of vio ls of ra re beauty,

about 1500 but beyo n d this n o tew o rthy refe ren ce by his son ,

Giovan n i Cellin i’s w o rk has n ot rea ched us. Prin ce J ou soupo f,the an onym ous autho r of Luthom on ographie ,

” 9a scribe s the

inven tio n of the vio lin prope r to on e Te sta to r o f Milan,who

reduced the siz e o f the vio la to tha t o f the vio lin co n tem poraucously w ith

,o r be fo re

,Ga spa ro da Sa lo . I can n o t

,ho w eve r

find any n o tice of him e lsew he re,

except in the w ok o f,

“Les I nstrum en ts AArchet (Pa ris, 1877 : J . Claye).“Luthom o n ograph ie h isto rique et raison n ée , pa r an Am ate ur

” '

Fran cforia

I I /.

THE ANCESTRY O F THE VI OLIN. 53

M. An to in e Vida l,

lw ho quo te s the sam e autho r

, and utte rlyde n ie s his sta tem en t

,w hich I a lso cla ss w ith the o the r m istake n

w hich have crept in to the w o rk o f this w ould-be an o nym ousAm ateur. Non n ostr um ta n ta s comp on ere lites . As to w horea l ly did first m ake the vio l in prope r in its pre sen t form (noon e ca n cla im its a ctua l inven tion ) the re se em s to be ve ry littledoubt tha t it w a s the I ta lia n s . Mr . Hu llah $3 pre tty w e llsum s up a ll tha t ha s bee n sa id o n the subje ct w hen he saysThe in ve n tion o f the vio lin has be en cla im ed fo r , o r ra the r by,

the Fren ch on,I be lieve

,on e single ple a , tha t in som e ea rly

I ta lian sco re s Mo n te ve rde’

s O rf eo a re foundthe w o rds ‘ P icco li Vio lin i a lla Fran cese .

’

The re is go odrea so n fo r be lieving tha t the se ‘picco li vio lin i w e re in strum en tsana logous to the kits used to this day by dan cing -m a ste rs . Butgran ting them to have been vio lin s proper, the i r a ppea ran ce inMon teve rde

’

s sco re (published a s la te a s 1615)prove s n o thing. Vin ce n z o Ga lile i a sse rts in hisD ia logue s (prin ted a t Ven ice in 1568) tha t thevio lin o a n d the Vio lo n ce llo w e re bo th in ve n ted bythe Neapo lita n s . Mo n ta ign e h a s re co rded tha t hehe ard vio lin s in th e Grea t Church (St. Zen o ?) a t

Ve ron a in 1578. Co re lli po sse ssed a vio lin w hichhad be e n de co ra ted by the Bo logn e se pain te rAn n iba le Ca ra cci, w ho d ied in 1609

,an d to com

plete the ca se o f the I ta lia n s, th e first grea t p erform er o n the vio lin o f w hom w e have a ny accoun tw a s a n I ta lian n am ed B a ltz a r in i

,w h o w as brought,

o r se n t fo r , in to Fra n ce , by Ca the rin e de Medici, F I G . 24 .

— D evi ce

in 1577 . No spe c im e n o f a Fren ch vio lin , n o re co rdo f a Fren ch vio lin ist, h as com e dow n to us o f a nything like the se ea rly da te s. The in ven tion o f the Vio lon ce lloaga in ha s be en c la im ed o n beha lf o f a ce rta in Abbé Ta rdieu o f

P ro ven ce,w ho lived in the begin n ing o f the la st ce n tury . I t is

ce rta in,how e ve r

,tha t B aptistin i, a Flo ren tin e , had brought the

in strum e n t in to Fra n ce a t the e n d o f the pre ceding ce n tury.

Spe c im en s o f bo th the Vio lo n ce llo a nd o f the con traba sso o f

I ta lian fabrica tion of the begin n ing o f the seven te en th cen turya re n ot ra re .

”

F rom about 1555 w e find the in strum en ts o f Ga spa ro da Salo ,the first m ake r o f Vio la s an d vio l in s

,and a s such h e w ill he

spoke o f in his prope r place in a future chapte r ; bu t he a lsow as a m ake r of vio l s . I n 1530

,J ohn O por in u s, a prin te r a t

Ba sle , had fo r his device a six- stringed in strum ent (Fig.

'5 “ Le s I n str um en ts aArch e t (Pa r is,J . Hu l lah , Th e Histo ry o f Mod e rn Music (London , p. 190.

54 VI OLIN-MAKING : AS IT WAS AND I S.

w hich com es very n ea r the tru e ten or. The vio lin proper isfirst re fe rred to by Za ccon i in 1596

,who de scribe s it w ith

a com pa ss ide n tica l w ith the m ode rn o n e,w ithou t the shift, w hich

w ould im ply tha t the shift w a s then un kn ow n o r little u sed,a nd

it w a s ce rta in ly im po ssible , o r at a ny ra te in effe ctive , w ith thefre ts on the o ld vio ls, w hich w e re used fre tted la te on in to theseven te e n th cen tury, w ith fre ts m ade

,a s a rule

, of piece s o f

glued ca tgut tied ro und the n e ck a t in te rva ls,so a s to form

ridge s on the finge r- boa rd.

O n e of the fin e st vio le da gam ba in existen ce is perhaps tha ton e w hich w a s fo rm e rly in the pos

se ssion o f Mr . S . A. Fo rste r,w ho

figure s it in his “Histo ry of the

Vio lin (Londo n ,but n ow

in the So uth Ken sington Mu seum .

My illustra tio n o f the in strum en t(Fig. 25) is from Christophe r Sim pson ’s “ D ivision Vio l .” 1 At thispe riod the vio l had but six strin gs,but tow a rds the end o f the seve nte en th ce n tury

,a seven th w a s added.

2

The Fren ch gam ba - playe r, Ma ra is,

added thre e ba ss strings of cove redgu t, but it w a s an in n ova tion w hichdid n ot in any w ay be com e gen e ra l.Con n ected w ith the in strum en t

,w e

find the n am e s o f tw o lady pe r

fo rm e rs,Mr s. Sa rah Ottey, in 1723

,

an d Miss Fo rd,in 1760. The se m ust

have been ladie s of grea t courage ,F I G. 25.

— Vio la d a Gam ba . w he n w e con side r the hum our in(0' S im pson " 1667 '

w hich the w o rld the n rega rded suchperfo rm an ce s (vidc p . The la st ce lebra ted pe rfo rm e r o n thevio la da gam ba w a s Ca rl Friedrich Abe l, w ho died in 1784 . A

pa rt w a s w ritte n fo r the in strum en t in Ba ch ’s P a ssion sm us i/c des

Ma tthew,an d M. Ca ix d ’

He rv e lo ix w ro te som e extrem e ly pre tty“ Suite s d ’

O r che stre fo r the in strum en t in 1710. I ts ton e

is n a sal,

3 but extrem e ly expre ssive ; in de ed, the re a re a few

0. Sim pson ,The D iv isio n Vio l or , The Art of Play ing extemp or e upon a

Gro u n d”

(Lo nd on ,1667 ,

‘

1 Just a s o f late yea rs a four th str ing has been added to th e double

ba ss.3 Gostl ing w as a great adm irer of, an d player upon , th e v io l da gam ba , an d

th e ce lebrated Pu rce ll hated it, an d cou ld n ot sta n d Gostl ing’s practi sing on the

i n str um en t. He th e re for e com posed a“catch

”fo r th re e vo ice s in sa rcastic

eu logy t the v io l,w h ich he presen ted to h is fr ien d . Th e m u sic i s publ i sh e

d

m s: ANCESTRY o r THE VI O LIN. 55

am ateurs w ho play this in strum en t n ow, chief am ong w hom I

m a y m e n tio n Mr . Payn e , ove r w ho se in itia l s, E . J . P .,m o st o f the

first- ra te a rtic le s on subje cts co nn ec ted w ith the vio lin in Sir

Ge o rge Grove’s D ictio n a ry ofMusic a n d Music ian s (Lon don ,

1879— 1884) a re to be found . I t w as tun ed from the D

be low the stave in the ba ss c le f thus,— D

, G,C, E,

A,D ;

but Playfo rd 1 give s the fo llow ing w on de rful m e thod of tun ingit When you begin to Tun e , ra ise your Tr eble o r sm a l le stString a s high a s con ven ien tly it w ill bea r w ithout breaking ;then stop o n ly your S econd o r Sm a ll Mea n in F

,a nd the n Tun e

it till it agre e in Un ison w ith your Tr eble open tha t don e,stop

your Thir d in F,a n d m ak e it agree w ith your Second open ;

then stop your Fou rth in E ,a nd

,

m ake it agre e w ith your Thirdopen ; the n st0p your F if th in F ,

a nd m ake it agree w ith yourFou r th ope n la stly

,stop

‘you r S ixth in F,an d m ake it agre e to

your Fifth open . This be ing exactly do n e, y ou w ill fin d your

Vio l in Tu n e a cco rding to the R u le o f the Gam ut.”

I m agin e a

m ode rn vio lon ce llo—playe r tun ing his in strum en t a cco rding to

the se prin c iple s 1A m o st in te re sting con tem po ra ry o f the vio la da gam ba w a s

the vio la di bo rdon e , o r “ ba ryton e,

”w hich w a s m o un ted w ith

six o r seve n gu t strings (tun ed from B be low the ba ss clef,

B,E,A,D,F,B, [E] a nd tw en ty- tw o w ire strings run n ing

from the head be low the finge r- bo ard a nd bridge to a n oblique

row o f pin s un de r the ta il- pie ce . The spec im e n exhibited byMr . Lide l at the So cie ty o f An tiqua rie s in 1840

,is n ow at

South Ken sington , a nd a full a ccoun t an d histo ry of the in strum en t w ill be foun d in Mr . Enge l

’s Ca ta logue , p . 264 (vide n o te 1

,

p . Ma rpu rgg state s tha t it w a s o rigin a lly ca lled “ vio le

de pa rdon,

” be cause it w a s in ve n ted in Engla nd by a prison e rabout to be hanged, who w as pa rdo n ed on a ccoun t of the in strum en t ; but the o rigin o f the n am e is un doubtedly “ bourdon ”

(dron e) from the n o ise m ade by the sym pa the tic strings .I t w a s usua l to have a set o f vio ls ca lled a che st o f vio ls

,

in a co llection ca lled The Catch Cl ub ; or , Th e Merry Com pa n ions.

W. H. Cum m ings “ Pu rce l l ”

(Lon don , p. 31 : “The Grea t Musician s

se r i es.

J . Playfo rd , “An I n troduction to the Sk i ll o f Mu sick (Lon don , 14thEdition , p. 65. Th e first ed itio n w a s publ ish ed in 1654, but of th is

edition on ly o ne copy is k n own it w a s sold at the d ispersion of th e library o f

the late D r . Rim bau lt in 1877 for ten gu in eas. Th is extrem e r a r ity has brought

about the consequen ce that the 2nd edition of 1655 is gen era l ly c ited as the‘irst.

Low n des m ak es th is m istak e , w h ich is probably copied from F. J . Fétis’

s

Biograph ie Uni verse lle des Mu sic ien s (Pa r is, w hich gives 1655 as the

date of th e l st ed ition.

F. W. Ma rpurg, Hi storisch Kr itische B eytrage z u r Aufn ahm e d er

Musik (Be rlin ,

56 VI O LIN-MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND I S .

a n d playe rs played on all indiffe ren tly (ve ry indiffe re n tly 1should I n the yea r 1620

,P raeto riu s 1 give s a list

o f the vio ls then in u se,m e n tion ing the 1. Gro ss con traba ss

ge ig,” lik e ou r m ode rn con treba sse , w ith fi ve strings, S 8 so und

ho le s,n o fre ts

,and m ode rn scro ll and how 2.

“Vio lo n e ,like ou r vio lon ce llo , m ode rn scro ll, six strings, six fre ts, tw o 8 s

sound- ho le s ; 3.

“Vio la da am ba,

”m uch the sam e a s the

vio lo n s,w ith tw o c re sce n t- shaped so un d- ho le s

,ca rved he ad

,

seven fre ts,six strings ; 4 .

“Vio la ba sta rda,

”the sam e shape

,

six strings, m ode rn scro ll, tw o cre scen t a n d on e roun d soundho le

,and seve n fre ts ; 5.

“Kle in po sche (o r kit), a littleova l in strum e n t like a gigue , w ith on e 8 ho le in the cen treunde r the strings ; 6. Rechte D iscan t- ge ig,

”a lm o st iden tica l

w ith the m ode rn vio lin 7 . Ten o r- ge ig, m uch like a

m ode rn sho rt- n e cked vio la ; 8. Ba ss-ge ig de bruc io , like a

c lum sy sho rt- n ecked ’

ce llo . I t is in a llusion to the pra cticeo f having a set o f in strum e n ts tha t B en J o n son in B a r tho lomew

Fayre, a ct iii ., sc . m ake s his cha rac te r Cohes say, A se t o f

the se vio lin e s I w o u ld buy to o,fo r a de l ica te youn g n o ise I

haue in the Co untrey , thatte a r e eu e ry on e a siz e le sse tha nan o the r

,in st like youre fiddle s.

”The fre ts on the vio ls w e re

n eve r m o re than seven , for the shift w as com pa ra tive ly n u

kn ow n ; indeed, ou the first in troduction o f the vio lin,the

production o f a n o te highe r than the uppe r B w a s looked upona s som ething m ost ra sh, an d on ly to be a ttem pted by the be stpe rfo rm e rs. To such a pitch w a s this ca rried, that Ca llay te llsus 3 that in vio lin so lo s

,w he re it w a s kn ow n the high C o ccurred

,

the audie n ce w ould m urm ur, a s the c rucia l po in t w a s approa ched,Ga re l’u t l ” (Mind the C l), and if the fe a t w a s a chieved

sa fe ly, a w hirlw ind o f applause gre e ted the tem e rous playe r

,

w hilst in ca se o f fa ilu re a sto rm o f hisse s rew arded his ra she ffo rts.Having taken my reade rs w e ll in to the pe riod w hen the vio lin

proper w a s in full u se,I m ust leave them

,refe rring them to

othe r and m o re histo rica l w o rks o n the vio lin , if they w ouldkn ow m o re o f the vio ls a n d the ir m usic , this be ing in the m a ina w ork on the ac tua l con struction o f the in strum e n t

,to w hich

the se histo rica l chapte rs a re pra ctica lly subo rdin a te . Thus fa r,

how eve r,I have deem ed it in te re sting a nd n e ce ssa ry to pla ce

befo re them the An ce stry o f the Vio lin , so tha t they m ay have a

cle ar pe rception o f w ha t its proge n ito rs a ctua lly w e re . I t w ill

Praeto riu s, Th ea trum I n str um en to rum (Wo lfien bu tte l ,The Wo rk es of B en Jo n son (Lo n don , vo l. ii. , p. 39.

J

). Ga llay, Le s Luthiers I ta lian s aux xvii° et xv iii ° siecles (M

1 9

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER 11.

THE WELSH CRWTH.

An ci en t Hebrew Lyre— Modern Afr ican Lyre— Greek and Rom an Lyres—Thc

Rotta— Th e Crw th Tr ith an t— Th e Ch rotta , o r Crw th -

prope r— Gr uffydd ap

How e l — D a in es Barrin gton— Wyn n e Fin ch— Gen ea logies o f th e Vi o lin an d

Crw th .

LET us n ow turn to an o the r bra n ch O f the study o f bow

in strum e n ts en tire ly apa rt from w ha t w e have a lready discussed,

v i z .

,the c on side ra tion O f the in strum en t kn ow n a s the We l sh

Crw th . I f w e go back to B .C. 1700,am o ng the reco rds o f the

an cie n t Egyptia n s, w e fin d on a tom b at Ben i Ha ssan (tha t o f

O sirta se n I .,w ho

‘

w a s the probable Phara o h w ho pro te ctedJ o seph) a group (F ig. suppo sed to repre sen t the a rriva l o f

the I srae lite s in Egypt, on e o f

w hom is playing a prim itive lyre,

the shape o f w hich is ve ry in tere sting to the m usica l a n tiqua ria n

,a s

be ing ve ry like the la te We lshcrw th. This is reproduced by SirGa rdn e rWilkin son

,

1w ho co n side rs

it to have been a Hebre w lyre .

Alm o st ide n tica l w ith the true an

c ie n t Egyptia n lyre is th e m ode rnKissa r o f the African n egroe s o f

the n o rth- ea st (F ig. w hich,in

its prim itive ruden e ss,is a ckn ow

Fm ° 26° ledged to riva l the Ravan a stron inits an tiquity. I shal l n ot go in to

the con side ra tion o f the progre ss o f this in strum en t am ongthe an cie n t Egyptian s a n d Assyrian s

,but begin at on ce

w ith the Gre eks a n d Rom an s, to w hom be longs the lyrepa r excellen ce . The i r ly re s w e re o f various so rts an d siz e s

,

da ting from B .C. 700,a n d m a ny o f them had bridge s (Fig.

d istin ct curved bridge s, a s e ffica c io us,an d to m y m ind quite

Si r G. Wi lk in son , Man n ers an d Custom s of the An cien t Egyptian s

(London ,

THE WELSH CRWTH . 59

po ssibly for th e sam e pu rpo se a s ou r m ode rn on e s, and a s a rulethe se lyre s w e re played by m ean s o f a ple ctrum . Th e Rom an

ly re s w e re practica lly iden tica l w ith the Gre ek in fo rm and

F I G. 27 Kissar . (An cien t a n d Modern Afr ican .)

m ode o f playing on e kin d o f c ithara,the ba rbito s (Fig. is

e spe cia l ly in te re sting to u s,as havin g a lm o st exa ctly the shape

o f the in strum en t w hich is n ow the subject o f ou r in quiry .

1 The

F I G. 28.—An c ien t Gr eek Lyr es , w ith B r idges

study O f the lyre a lon e w ould fill a la rge vo lum e, and I dare

n ot e n te r upon it n ow fo r fea r of be ing ca rried fa r from ou r

Th is i llu str ation (from Hercu lan eum ) is tak en from E. Pisto le si’

s w ork,

‘Rea l Mu seo B o rbon ico d e scritto ed i l lustrato (Rom e , 1838 vo l . iv ., pl . 47.

60 VI OLIN-MAKING : AS IT w a s AND I s.

subject ; suffice it to say tha t the Rom an s had an in strum e n tcom po sed o f a fram e

,o n e en d o f w hich w a s a ho llow

,roun ded

Em! 29' B a rb itos (from Her cul an eum .) F I G . 30.—Rotta of th e Sev en th Ce n tu ry .

(MS , Psa lter I n B r i ti sh Mu seum . )

cavity, cove red w ith a be lly,on w hich w a s placed the bridge ,

an d this in strum en t w a s played w ith the ple ctrum (vid c a n te,

p . The Rom an s subsequ en tly co lon iz ing Fran ce , Ge rm any,

F I G. 3l .—Rotta from St. B las ius MS . F I G 32.

- ~ Crw th o f th e Nin th Cen tu ry.(NI n th cen tu ry . ) (Wi l lem m . )

and Brita in,in troduced the ir in strum en ts, w hich becam e

m odified a cco rding to the coun trie s in w hich they w e re adopted ;and in a MS . P sa lte r

,in the British Museum

,o f

’

the seve n th

THE WELSH CRWTH. 61

cen tury,1 w e fin d the ro tta,a prim itive lyre - shaped in strum en t

(Fig. strongly reca l ling the Hebrew spe cim e n befo re a lludedto , a nd sugge sting the la te r crw th, be ing m e re ly a so lid o blo ngfram e

,on e e n d be ing the sound board, a n d the o the r en d be ing

o pe n to adm it the finge rs (o r ple c trum ) w hich tw anged thestrings. I n the n in th cen tury w e find this sam e ro tta (in theMS. o f St. Bla siu s , reproduced by Ge rbe rt

,be fo re refe rred to

(Fig. becom e m o re gra ce fu l in fo rm, a n d having the side s

in cu rved a s w e ll a s furn ished w ith a w e ll- form ed bridge a ndple ctrum . Willem in 3 illustra te sa c rw th from a Biblica l MS. o f

Cha rle s the Ba ld o f the n in thce n tury (Fig. an d the n extfigure w e have O f it is in a MS .

from St. Ma rtia l de Lim oge s(Fig. in the Biblio thequ eRoya le a t Pa ris

,o f the e leven th

ce n tury,w hich give s us a figure

o f a c rw th,w hich

,l ike Wille

m in ’ s exam ple,ha s on ly three

strings, an d i s played w ith therude st kind o f how . The se la sttw o a re probably the first insta n ce s w e have o f the c rw thtr itha n t o r thre e - stringed c rw th .

This w a s n o t so m uch e steem ed

a s the prope r six- stringed c rw th,o f w hich it w ould appea r tohave been on ly a prim itive fo rm .

Edw a rd J on e s,inde ed

,says

,in

his w o rk quo ted be low (p.

The re w a s likew ise the CrwthTr itha n to r three - stringed crw th,w hich w as a so rt o f vio l in

,o r

Fmfiéi gg

'

gsfro

n énf

tfglfit

figfin m

m o re prope rly a rebeck ; the

pe rfo rm e rs o r m in stre l s o n this in strum en t w e re n ot he ld inthe sam e e stim atio n a nd re spe c t a s the ba rds o f the ha rp an d

c rw th ; be cause the three - stringed crw th did n ot adm it o f

equa l skill a nd harm ony, and con sequ en tly its pow e r w a s le ssse n sibly fe lt.” The illustra tion

,how eve r

,w hich he give s O f the

crw th tr ithan t, is pre c ise ly sim ila r to the supe rio r c rw th,excepting tha t it ha s but thre e strings .Co tto n MSS. , Ve spa sia n A 1.

2 M. Ge rbert, D e Ca n tu ct Mu sica Sa cra.

”

(St. B las iu s,

3 N. X . Wi l lem in . Mo n um ents Fra n ca is in éd its et pou r se rv ir a l Histo iredes arts de pu is 1e VI

e Siec le jusqu’

au comm en cem en t du V1118”

(Pa r i s,

62 VI OLIN- MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND I S .

Riihlm an n1give s a m o st in te re sting spe cim en (Fig. 34) from

a sculptu re at Fre iburg o f the tw e lfth ce n tury, w hich is a m o stva luable lin k in the cha in o f eviden ce w hich con n ec ts the crw thw ith the ro tta , fo r it is ide n tica lly the la tte r in strum en t a s illustrated from the St. Blasius MS . by G‘re rbe rt,2 w ith the addition o f

a bow and a finge r- boa rd behind the strings. I t has six strings,

four o n a nd tw o O ff the finger- bo ard

,a s in the m o st pe rfect de

velopm en t of the in strum en t, diffe ring o n ly in tha t the se tw o last,

F I G. 34.— Crwth of the Tw elfth Cen tu ry . (Ru h lm a n n .

in stead o fboth be ing on on e side o f the finge r - boa rd,a re pla ced on e

o n ea ch side the re o f. Now the o n ly diffe re n ce be tw e e n the ea rlie stc rw ths (o r chr otta s) and the la te st ro te s (o r ro tta s) seem s to be(e spe c ia lly in the la st in stan ce re fe rred to) the addition of the bow

a nd finge r- boa rd

,and so it w ould n ot be ou t o f the w ay to a sse rt

tha t the in strum en ts ar e iden tica l, the form e r be ing the la te ra nd im proved fo rm o f the la tte r

,a nd ce rta in ly the sim ila rity O f

J . Riih lma n n , Ge sch ichte d er Bogen in strum en te”

(Bru n swick ,M. Gerbert, D e Can tu et Mu sica Sa cra.

”1774.

THE WELSH CRWTH. 63

n am e s is w o rthy o f rem a rk (though it m ust be bo rn e in m indtha t

,a s I have sa id be fo re , n am e s have n ot un frequen tly be en

tra n sfe rred from on e in strum en t to a n o the r sim ila rity o f n am e sis o f ve ry little practica l va lue to the a n tiqua ry). A crw th o r

c rw d lo f the thirteen th ce n tury from Wo rce ste r Ca thedra l

(Fig. 35) given by Ca rte r ,2 sho w s a ve ry gre at impro vem en t,be ing ado rn ed w ith a ta il- piec e, so und- ho le s

,and bo w o f ve ry

ra tion al an d practica l con struc tion,be side s be ing he ld like a

m ode rn vio lin . An d a som e w ha t sim ila r but m o re cum brousspec im e n from the Ca thedra l a t Am ie n s (Fig. da ting fromthe sam e cen tury, is given by M. de Co ussem ak e r (vidc n o te 1

,

p. The prin c ipa l a utho rity o n the crw th is Ed. J on e s,

3w ho

give s the m o st a ccura te de sc ription s a nd i llustra tion s o f this

F I G. 35.— Crw th fr om Wor ceste r F I G. 36.

— Th ir te en th Cen tur y Crw th

Cath edr a l . (Thi r te en th cen fr om Am i en s Cath edr a l . (D etury .) Cou ssem ak er .)

am ong his o the r n a tion a l in strum en ts . The suppo sition tha t itw a s the n o rth - w e ste rn po rtion o f the co n tin en t w hich, by theapplica tion o f the bow

,first turn ed the ro tta in to the chro tta ,

re ce ive s con firm a tion from the w o rds o f on e Ve n an tiu s Fo r tu

There is n o doubt that from the w ord crw th or c rw d is d erived th e o ld

English w o rd“c row d for fidd le

,an d crow der fo r fidd ler.

I’

th head O f a ll this w ar l ik e rabble

Crow dero m arch ed exper t a nd able .

BUTLER Hudtbr aa

Now the m u sic ian s

Hover w ith n im bl e stick s o’

e r squ eak ing crow d s

Tick l in g th e d ri ed guts of a m ew ing ca t.

”

MARSTON : Wha t You Wi ll .‘5 J . Carte r , An c ien t Scu lpture in En glan d (Lon d o n ,

3 Ed . Jon e s , Musica l a n d Poe tica l Re lics of th e We lsh Bards (London ,p. 114.

64 VI OLIN-MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND I s.

n a tus,Bishop o f Po itie rs

,in the seven th ce n tury

, who

Rom an u squ e lyra , plauda t tibi B arba ru s ha rpa

Graecus Ach i l l iaca , Chr otta B r ita nn a ca n at.

The w ord crw th sign ifie s in the an cien t Saxo n any bulgingcavity

,a n d the in strum en t is thus de scribed in We l sh ve rse of

the fifteen th cen tury by on e Gruffydd ap D avydd ap How e lA fa ir co ffe r w ith a bo w ,

a girdle , a finge r- boa rd, a n d a bridgeits va lue is a poun d it ha s a fro n tle t fo rm ed like a w hee l w ith

F I G. 37.—F igur e of Crw th given F ig . 38.

— Th e We lsh Crwth .

by D a in es B a r r in gto n , Fetis, (South K en sin gton .)San dy s an d For ster , etc .

the sn o rt- n o sed bow a c ro ss. I n its ce n tre a re the c ircled soundho le s, and the bulging of its ba ck is som ew ha t like an O ld m a n

,

but on its brea st ha rm o ny re ign s, and from the sycam orem e lodiou s m usic is O bta in ed. Six pegs, i f w e screw them ,

w illtighte n a ll its cho rds six adva n tage ous strings a re found

,

w hich in a skilful han d produce a hun dred soun ds a string fore a ch finge r is distin ctly see n , a nd a lso tw o strings fo r the thum b .

’

The in fe rio r a n d prim itive crw th tr ithan t, to w hich I havea lready adve rted

,has been e rron eously con founded by Ville

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

66 v i oLIN-MAE ING : AS I T WAS A ND I s.

compa ring it w ith the o rigin a l . Me ssrs . Sa ndys a nd Fo rste r1a lso figure it co rre ctly, but w ithout bridge , strings, o r ta il- piece .

Mr . Wyn n e Fin ch’s spe c im e n is labe lled 1742 in the in side , buta s the con dition o f the w o od be toke n s a m uch grea te r age , this w asprobably in se rted by som e on e w ho repa ired the in strum en t at

tha t da te . I t is fo rm ed o f on e so lid blo ck o f sycam o re w o odexcept the be lly, w hich is o f pin e an d glued on . The bridge isve ry flat an d curiously fo rm ed

,on e fo o t pa ssing through the

left soun d- ho le to the ba ck, and thus se rving a s a sound- po st itis set oblique ly on the be lly. I ts length is 22 in che s, it is 9%w ide

,a n d 2 deep at its de epe st pa rt. I t ha s a finge r

- boa rd 10}long, a nd o f its six strings four a re se t a lo ng the finge r

- boa rda nd vibra ted w ith the bow ,

an d tw o lie o ff it to be played piz z ica to w ith the thum b .

Now this in strum en t is n ot a prim itive e ssay w hich ha s

becom e im proved in to the vio l it is a highly pe rfe cted in strum en t in its own un sa tisfacto ry w ay , an d I a ccoun t fo r its be ing,as fo llow s — The Rom a n s, co lo n i z in g the n orth- w e ste rn pa rt o f

Europe,in troduced the ir lyre s, w he re in course o f tim e the u se

o f the bow supe rseded tha t o f the ple ctrum,the lyr e becom ing

the ro tta , an d subsequen tly the crw th o r chro tta . Meanw hilethe Moors from Spa in

,a n d the I ndo -Europea n tribe s gradua lly

suffused the con tin en t, be aring w i th them the ir m o re con ven ien tbow in strum en ts

,an d w ith them drove the crw th be fo re them

,

til l it had to take refuge am ong the abo rigin e s o r e a rlie rinhabita n ts o f the n o rth- w e st

,linge ring on till it died a

n atura l dea th in the w ilds O f Cam bria (w hich, a s w e kn ow,

has rem a in ed m o re exclusive ly Ce ltic than any o the r pa rtO f the co n tin en t) un til the la st ce n tury. I n de ed the rudeNo rw egian fidla and the I ce lan dic lang- spie l a re the

o n ly existing pro to type s of the crw th. I co n side r, a nd I

say it w ith a ll du e de fe re n ce in the fa ce o f a ll tha t has beenw ritten on the subject, bu t n on e the le ss po sitive ly

,tha t the

crw th had n o thing to do w ith the An ce stry o f the Vio lin sucha thing a s the friction o r a m usica l string w as n o t a thing tha tcould be discove red by any on e na tion a lon e . No the re w e retw o distin ct c la sse s o f m usica i in strum e n ts

,O f w hich

,n otw ith

standing a ll tha t ha s be en w ritten a nd sa id to the co n tra ry,I

say the crw th w a s the youn ge r, w hich, flourishing o n ly so

long a s it had the m on opo ly o f the bow in Europe,suc

cu m bed be fo re the m o re succe ssful a n d co n ve n ie n t riva l,a fte r

trying in va in to ho ld its ow n am ong the We lsh,a prim itive

pe ople w ho se con se rva tism in the m a tte r of the ir n a tion a litie s is

.3 W. Sa ndYS a nd S . A. Fo rste r.“Histo ry of the Vio l in Lo n do n .

THE WELSH O EWTH. 61

proverbia l ; an d so to m y m ind it m ust fo r eve r give up a ll

thought o f be ing con side red pa rt o f the An ce stry o f the Vio lin .

I have a ppen ded he re the gen ea logie s o f the vio lin and o f the

crw th a ccording to the fo rego ing doc trin e s . The se “pedigre e s w ill

,I hope

,e luc ida te any pa rts o f the se tw o chapte rs

w hich have seem ed obscure to the reade r.l

The above e lucidation of the Ancestry of the Vio l in had n ever beensuggested till the Op uscu lum m en tion ed in n ote page 29, appeared in

1882. As th e bro chure w a s prin ted for private c ircu la tion only (as I in ten ded

prefixin g it, as above , to th is w o r k ) I d id n ot pla ce it in the han d s of th e public ,a nd w h en , in th e yea r 1883, a fte r th e de ath o f Mr . Car l En ge l (to w hom I had

prese nted a copy of m y brochure ) , his w o rk Resea rc he s i n to the Ea r ly Histo ryof the Vio l in Fam ily (Lo n don , 1883) w as publ ish ed by Messrs. Nove lloan d Ew er , Mr. A. J . Hipki n s, th e w e l l-k n ow n m usical h istor ian (to w hom w as

c omm itted the task o f preparin g th e M8. fo r publicatio n ) i n troduced the w o rkw ith a sho rt preface , in w hich h e says I ca ll atten tion e spec ia lly to the inte r

e stin g cha in o f re ason ing w h ich d e r ive s the m ed iaeva l rotte from the o ld Greek

ly re.

”I w rote to Mr . Hipk in s on the sub je ct, and h e , w ith a cour te sy an d

gen ero sity w h ich I c an n eve r su fficie ntly e ste em , m ad e m e the fo llow ing

prom pt a ck n ow ledgm e n t in The Mus ica l Rev iew , o f Apri l 21st, 1883. Afterca llin g attention to this obv io us An ce stry o f the Vi o l in ,

”h e says : I t show s

how curiou sly id eas are‘ in the a ir w hen w e find tha t Enge l h as n ot en joyed

this spec ial on e a lo n e . A l ittle pam phlet h as be en brou gh t befo re our notice

con tain ing a lectu re d e live r ed la st J un e tn a so c iety ca lli ng them se lves “ The

Bette o f O dd Vo lum e s.

”Th is O pu scu llum of tw en ty ~ e ight pages has been

pri vate ly c i rcula ted on ly , an d is by Mr . E. He ron -Al len , w ho , by in depen d en t

in ve stigation h as go n e step by step w ith Ca r l En ge l in the evo lution o f the bow

fr om a lon ge r ple ctrum .

”This is a n in stan ce o f litera ry courtesy so m a rk ed that

I fee l a wa rm satisfaction in h av ing this opportuni ty of publ ic ly a ck n o w ledgingmy obliga tion ,

a n d of salutin g the spir it in w h ich this gen erous am end c w as

m ade.

I n to the town w ill I , m y fren des to v ysit th ere,An d h eth er str a ight aga in to see th

‘

e n d o f th is yere ,I n the m e an tim e , fe low e s, pype u p y ou r fidd le s, I say, tak e th em ,

And let your fren de s h e resu ch m irth a s ye can m ak e th em .

T. CO LWELL : Gri mmer t on (Lon don ,

VI O LIN-MAKING : AS IT WAS AND 13

GENEALOGY or r un VI OLIN,

Ra van a stron .

Kem angeh .

Rubebe .

VI O LIN.

GENEALOGY O F THE CRWTH.

Prim itive Lyr e .

Br idged Lyre .

Ro tta .

Crw th Tr ithan t.

CRWTH.

CHAPTER I I I .

B I O GRAPH I CAL.

Ear ly Mak e rs— Ga spa ro da Sa lo— Gio Pa o lo Maggi n i—An drea s Amati -An

to n ius a n d Hie ron ym u s Am a ti— Ni co la u s Am ati—And reas Guarn er ius

Ja cobus Ste in e r— Fran c iscusRuggie r i— An ton i as Stradi ua rius—J oseph Guar

n e rin s— Peter Guarn e rius— La u ren tiu s Guadagn ini — Joh an n e s B apti sti l

Gua dagn in i— D om en icu s Mon tagna n a

— San ctu s Se raphi n o— Ca r lo B e rgon z

— Fra n c iscu s an d Om obon o Str ad iuarius— J oseph An thon y Guarnerius (deaJe su) — Vin ce n z o Pan orm o— Ca ro lu s Fe rdi n an dus Lan dolphi— La ur en tius

Stor ion i— Nicho las Lupo t— J ean Baptiste Vu il la um e — Barak No rma nBe n jam in Ban k s— Th om a s D odd—Wi l li am Fo r ste r— Richa rd D uk e— PeterWam sley

— John Lott—Wi lliam Ebsw o rth Hill—Geo rges Chan ot— Jacobs(Am sterdam )— The Mireco u rt Vio lin Trad e .

THE diffe ren ce s in the m ode ls,style s

,etc ., of the grea te st m ake rs

a re so con side rable,tha t m y w o rk w ou ld

,to say the lea st o f it

be in com ple te w ere I to en te r upo n the pra c tica l pa rt o f itw ithout ske tching, a s brie fly a s po ssible

,the se “pe culia ritie s o f

gre a t m e n,

”fo r the guidan ce an d in struction o f the w ould- be

fiddle -m ake r. TO i mpa rt to the fo llow in g n o te s any m a tte r o f

a biographi ca l de sc ription w ould he obviously outside the O bje ct o fthis w o rk

,so I sha ll con fin e m yse lf abso lute ly a nd brie fly to the

m e cha n ica l cha ra cte ristics o f the gre a t few w ho se n am e s a r ehouseho ld w o rds a like to the am a teur an d the pro fe ssion a l . I

say the few ,fo r though the n am e o f the fiddle -m ake rs is Legion ,

they m o stly fo llow ed the prin ciple s o f the ir c h ie fs,a n d it is on ly

n e ce ssa ry to n o tice the se gre a t o rigin a ls . Fo r c la ssifica tion o f

n am e s a nd biographica l de ta ils I m ust re fe r ou r reade rs to Mr,

Ha rt’s w o rk,

la n d fo r any o n e w ho requ ire s a com ple te l ist of

Vio lin -m ake rs,I re com m e nd the a lphabe tica l list in the Appen dix

to D avidson ’ s w o rk,The Vio lin

,

” 2a nd the Table s o f D iehl3 an d

O I Niede rhe itm an n .

4 Tha t the te chn ica l te rm s used in the fol

G. Ha rt,“ The Vio l in , its fam o us Mak ers an d th e i r Im itators (Lon do n ,

1875 2n d edi tion , 1884 D u lau Sch ott. P op ular/r ed i tion, 8vo ,

2 P. D avidson ,

“Th e Vio l in , its Co n struction Th eoretica lly a n d Pra ctica l lyTrea ted (London , 4th Ed ition ,

1881, p.

N. L. D ieh l ,“ D ie Ge igenm acher d er Alte n I ta l ien ischen Schu le , etc .

(Ham bu rg ,

F. Niederhe itm an n , D ie Me iste r der Ge igen bauk unst in I ta l ien und Tyro l

{Vienn a an d Ham burg, n .d .

B I O GRAPH I CAL 71

low ing chapte rs m ay be fully unde rsto od, I have given in Fig. 39,o n a to le rably large sca le , diagram s o f the fron t an d ba ck o f the

vio lin,show ing its diffe ren t parts, an d the n am e s tha t a re applied

to them . The se diagram s w ill sufficie ntly expla in the ir purpo sewithout fu rthe r de sc ription .

The Vio lin,a s w e have be fo re se en , a ssum ed its pre sen t fo rm

ra the r sudde n ly in th e sixte en th cen tury, a nd ce rta in o ld Lu

thie rs have been c ited a n d the ir m e rits discussed in Cha pte r I .

the se w ere J oan K e rlin o (Bre scia ), 1449 ; P ie tro D a rde lli

(Man tua ), 1500; Ga spa rd D u ifl'

oprugca r (Bo logn a , 1510

Ven tura Lin a rolli (Ven ice) , 1520; Pe regrin o Za n e tto (Bre scia ),1540; Mo rglato Mo re l la (Man tua), 1550— w hich la st da te bri ng:us to the Bre sc ian Scho o l, foun ded in 1555 o r the re abouts .

sha ll n o tice the m akers o f this an d the o the r scho o ls in chron ologica l o rde r a s n e arly a s po ssible .

Ga spa rd da Sa lo (Bre scia), 1555— 1610— so ca lled fromhaving been bo rn at Sa lo in Lom ba rdy— seem s to have be eno rigin a lly a m ake r o f vio ls, but set to m aking vio lin s a n d ten o rs.I t seem s probable tha t the te n o r w a s in ven ted befo re the vio linat any ra te , Ga spa rd da Sa lo

’s te n o rs ar e m uch comm on e r thanhis vio lin s.l His m ode l is exce lle n t in eve ry re spect

,va rying a

As to the o rder in w hich the v io l in ,v io la , bass, an d d ouble -ba ss w ere

in ven ted ,Mr . Reade , in a. letter to the P a l l Ma l l Ga z ette,August 19th , 1872 (vidcn ote

2, p h a s m ad e th e fo l low in g n ote s Etym o logy d ec ides w ith un e r ring

voice that the v io lon ce llo w as in ven ted a fte r the v io lon o o r d ouble -bass, a n d con

n o isseu rsh ip prove s by tw o distin ct m eth od s that it w as in ven ted a fte r the v io lin .

First, the c ri tica l m ethod : it is ca lled a fte r the vio lon , y et is m ade on the plan

of the v io l in , w ith a rch ed back a nd long in n er bout ; secon d , the hi sto ri cal

m eth od— a v io lon ce llo m ade by the i nven tor s of the violin is in com pa rably rare ,

an d th is in strum en t is d ispropo rtiona te ly ra re even up to the year 1610. Vio lin obe ing a d eri vative of vio la , w ou ld se em to in dicate that the vio lin fo ll ow ed the

te n or ; but th is tak en a lon e is dan ge rou s, fo r v io la is n ot onl y a specific term

for the ten or , but a gen eric n am e tha t w as in I ta ly a hun d red ye ars before a

ten or w ith fou r str in gs w as m ade . To go then to con n o isseu rship— I fin d th at

I have fa llen in w ith as m any ten ors a s v io l in s by Gasparo da Sa lo , an d n ot

quite so m a n y by Gio Pa o lo Maggin i , w h o began a few y ears la ter . The vi o lin

be in g the k ing of al l these in strum en ts,I th ink th e re w ou ld n ot be a s m an y

ten ors m ade as vi o l in s, w hen o n ce the vio lin had been in ven ted . Moreove r ,betw een th e tw o d ate s cam e Core l li , a com po ser an d v io lin ist. He w o u ld

n atu ra l ly have create d a crop of v io lin s. E n d ing th e ten ors an d vio li n s of

Gasparo da Sa lo abo ut equ al in n umber, I am d ri v en to the con clu sion that the

ten o r had an un fa ir sta rt—in other w ord s , w as in ven ted first. I add to this

tha t tru e four -stringed te n o rs by Ga spa ro d a Sa lo exist, tho ugh very ra re , m ad ew i th on ly tw o corn e r s, w h ich is a mu ch m ore prim itive fo rm tha n an y v io lrn

by the sam e m ak er appe ars in . Fo r th is a n d som e o ther reason s, I h ave l ittle

doubt the v io la precede l the v io l in by a very few yeara What puz z le s m e

m ost is to tim e th e v io lon,o r , a s w e chi ld ishly ca l l it (afte r its k n ow n d e scen dant) ,

the double bass. I f I w as so pre sum ptuous a s to tru st to m y eye a lon e , I sh ou ld

say it w a s the fir st of th em a l l . I t is a n in strum en t w h ich d oes n ot se em to

m ix w ith these fo ur -str in ged upstarts , but to be lon g to a m uch o lder fam i lyvi z ., the vi o le d

’

am o re , d a gam ba , etc . I n the firs t place , it ha s n ot four str in gs

secon d ly , it ha s n ot an a rched back . bu t a fla t ba ck w ith a p ecu l iar shou lder.

72 VI OLIN-MAK ING : a s I T wa s AND I S

little, .but gen e ra lly high ; the cen tre bouts o ften sho rt andprrm l tlve

,a nd gen e ra lly sha llow the f f ho le s (Fig. 40) run n ing

para lle l, ve ry lo ng an d po in ted, but n ot ou t o f propo rtion to thei n strum en t ; the scro ll pa rticula rly m a rks the prim itive sta te o fthe i n strum en t. He m ade m a ny in strum e n ts o f pea r w o od a s

we ll as of sycam o re , e spe cia lly ba sse s. H is va rn ish is princ ipa lly a

’ light brow n am be r,

ve ry rich a n d deep the gra ino f his be llie s gen era lly ve rystra ight an d even

,but som e tim e s

a trifle w ide . The m o st pe rfectspe c im en I eve r sa w is a te n o rin the po sse ssion o f Mr . Edw a rdWithe rs

,a gran d old prim itive

in strum e n t, from w hich the jho le (Fig. 40) is tra ced . Histen o rs a re u n que stion ably hisbe st in strum en ts ; but the fewkn ow n spec im en s of his vio lin s

,

though un com e ly,have grea t

in dividua l reputa tion from the irve ry ra rity . Mr . W. A. TyssenAmhe rst, an English am a teur o fce lebrity, ha s (o r had) a n ex

c eedingly pe rfe c t spe cim e n butc opi ed from the v io la da gamba th ird ly ,th e spa ce betw een th e uppe r aa d low e rc o rn e r s is i n th e ea r ly spe cim en s ludicr o u sly sho rt. An d it is ha rd to bel ievetha ta n eye w hi ch had obser ved th e gra ceful pro po rtion s o f th e ten or an d v io l inco u ld be gu ilty of su ch a w retch ed l ittlei n n e r bou t a s you fin d in a d ouble -basso f Bresc ia . P er con tr a i t m u st be adm itted that the f f h o le s of a Bresciand ouble -ba ss seem Copied from th e fou r

stringed tr ibe,a n d n ot at a ll fr om the

e lde r fam ily ; secon d ly , tha t the v io lina nd ten o r ar e in str um en ts o f m e lody an d

F 40 h 1 f G dha rm o n y , w h i lst th e d ouble -ba ss is o n e o f

(12221

10 a

ha rm o ny o n ly . Thi s i s d ead aga in st its

be in g in v en ted u n til afte r th e in stru

m en ts to w h ich it is subsidia ry . Ma n i n v en ts o n ly to supply a w an t.'I hus,

then , it i s : first, the la rge ten o r played betw e en the k n e es ; th en the v io lin

played un der the ch in ; then (if n ot th e first o f th em a l l) the sm a l l d ou ble

bass then (yea rs a fter th e v io l in ) th e v io l o n ce l lo th en th e fu ll - siz ed d ouble

ba ss ; then ,longo in te rva l lo , the sm a l l ten or played u n de r th e ch in . Th e

autho r subsequently suggests very pertin en tly th at th e best w ay to so lve these

difficu lties w ou ld be to fin d fo r w hat i n strum en ts the imm ediate prede cesso rs

of Core ll i , an d Co re lli h im se lf a t the begin n ing, sco red the ir m usic , d eta ils

on ly to be obta in ed from the o r ig in a l MSS. o r first ed ition s.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

74 VI O LIN-MAK ING : a s I T w a s AND I S .

(tw e lve la rge and tw e lve sm a l l pa tte rn ) six ten o rs a n d e ightbasse s m ade in 1566 fo r Cha rle s IX .,

w hich w e re kept in theChape l Roya l, Ve rsa il le s, un til 1790. The se w e re probablythe fin e st in strum en ts o f An dre a s Am a ti

,the w o rkm a n ship

be i ng ve ry pe rfe ct. O n the ba cks w e re pa in ted the a rm s o fFra n ce and o the r device s, a nd the m o tto P ie ta te et J u stitia(vide p . The se in strum en ts w e re taken ou t of the chape la nd de stroyed by the m ob in the Fren ch revo lution on the6th a n d 7th Octo be r, 1790. Tw o o f the vio lin s w e re a fte rw a rdsrecove red by M. J . B . Ca r tie r Appendix D , No . O n e

F I G . 41.—f h o le o f An dreas Am ati . F ro . 42 .

—f h o le of An ton ius an dH i eron ym us Am ati . (1570

o f the sm all vio lin s is n ow the prope rty o f Ge o rge Som e s, Esq ,a n d through his courte sy I am en abled to give pho tographs o fthis un ique fiddle a s pla te s to this w o rk . I ts ton e is m e llow and

beautiful in the extrem e , but lacks brillia n cy , an d a s a historica lcurio sity it is pe rhaps w ithout its equa l in th e w orld o f vio lin s.An thony an d J e rom e Am a ti (Crem on a), 1570— 1635, son s

o f Andrew . They w o rked toge the r fo r som e tim e and thensepa ra ted . The ir w ood w as w e ll cho sen

,an d cut on the laye rs

fo r the backs a nd side s, the be llie s o f fin e even gra in , the ire arlie r in strum en ts h igh built in the ce n tre

,but sloping gen tly

to the edge s, the f ho le s (Fig . 42) l ike An drew ’s,but the w o od

B Io m ua r. 75

sco oped out a little roun d them . The ir ea rly va rn i sh w a s

deepe r in tin t than the la te r, and bo th w e re exce llen t ; the iru n ited labe l w a s

“An to n ius Hier onym Fr . Am ati Crem on en

Andreas fil. F . The ir backs a re cu t va riously in the

who le o r slab,o r ha lf fo rm ,

the ir scro lls diffe r a go od dea l ,and the pu rfiing is pe rfect. I n the in strum en ts hea r ing thisjo in t labe l the style s o f th e tw o bro the rs a re quite distin c t.An thony m ade m o st o f his in strum en ts o f An drew ’s sm a llpa tte rn ,

fla tte r in the m ode l though still high, a nd sha l low e rin the side s tha n An drew ’s. The ir ton e i s sw e e t and pure

,

but n ot ve ry in te n se ; his f ho le s a re de c idedly Bre sc ian .

An tho ny d ied in 1635, o r the reabouts, at about the age of

e ighty- five . J e rom e,his bro the r, w ho died in 1630

,is by

som e coun ted in ferio r to his bro the r ; he m ade som e veryla rge vio l in s, sugge stive o f his son Nicho la s Am a ti’s chefd

’

oeuvr e,the Gra n d Am a ti ; his m ode l wa s o rigin a l an d gra ce

fu l,the f f ho le s fo re shadow ing tho se o f his son

, w ho seem sin som e m ea sure to have copied them . The edge s of hisin strum en ts do n ot

,a s a rule , ove rlap the side s m uch

,but a re

round a n d obtuse . His ba cks w e re gen e ra lly w ho le,the

pu rfiing broad, a n d the va rn ish go ld - ye llow,o r light brow n .

Ticke ts of this firm have been c ited bea ring da te 1698, and

the re abouts,by m any lea rn ed autho rs

,but a s this w ould m ake

the bro the rs ave rage on e hundred a ndf o rty- e ight ye a rs of age ,

the sta tem en t ha s been m ade w ithout du e thought, be ingprobably ticke ts used a fte r the ir dea ths by the ir pupils. (I tw i ll

,the refo re

,be se en tha t the pra ctice o f labe lling fiddle s at

ran dom is by n o m ean s a n ew on e ; in fact, for a lo ng tim e

Stradiva ri labe lled his w o rk Nicho la s Am a ti lNicho la s Am a ti (Crem on a), bo rn 1596, died 1684 . Son o f

J e rom e,and the best o f this fam ily o f m ake rs. At first he seem s

to have copied the sm a ll in strum en ts o f An thony a nd J e rom e

w o rking out the idea s o f J e rom e,his fiddle s be ing m o re brillia n t

in ton e than any o the r o f the Am a ti s. His m o st ce lebra tedfiddle s ar e tho se kn ow n a s Gra n d Am atis

,w hich w e re la rge

in strum en ts w ith long co rn e rs he se em s to have m ade but fewof them

,they a re ra the r high in the cen tre

,sloping rathe r

sha rply, so a s to fo rm a sin king- in round the edge s . He

im proved J erom e’ s f f ho le s his la te r sc ro lls a r e be tte r cu t a nd

bo lde r than his e a rlie r o n e s,w hich w e re a trifle stiff. I n a ll his

de sign and de ta il he w a s pe rfec t,his va rn ish supe rb

,be ing

deepe r and riche r than tha t o f the o ther m ake rs o f the fam i lyh is ba cks ar e beautifully figu red, his be llie s have a fin e evengra in , som e o f them be ing m o st be autifully m o ttled. Ticke t

,

Nicolau s Am a tus Crem on en Hie ronym i Fil. ac An ton i) Nepo s,

76 VI OLIN-MAKING : a s IT w as AND I S .

Fe c it 16 His son J e rom e,the la st o f the Am ati

,w as

in fe rio r to the re st o f his fam ily, and his w o rks a re very littlekn ow n . The be st k n ow n m ake rs o f the Am a ti schoo l a r e

J o seph Gua rn e rius,Fran ce sco Ruggie ri, J e an Baptiste

Gra n c in o , Fra n c isco Gran c in o,P e te r Gua rn erius, a nd Sa n ctu s

Se raphin e .

(Pe te r) An drew Guarn e rius (Crem on a) 1630— 1695 (littlekn ow n a s P ie tro ) the first o f the Guarn e ri. P upil w ithStradiva ri of Nicho la s Am a ti

,w hom he copied ; his w o rk w a s

goodbut in fe rio r to tha t o f his grea t m a ste r. La te r on he

struck o u t som ew ha t o f a n ew m ode l,m aking his in strum en ts

fla tte r and a lte ring the fo rm o f his

sc ro l l and f f ho le s . His va rn ishva ried

,but w a s gen e ra lly a light

o ra nge . Ticke t,

“Andre a s Gua rn e rin s fe c it Crem e n ea sub tituloSa n ctae Te re siae

,16

J acob Sta in e r (o r Ste in e r)(Absom ), birth probably abo ut 1620a nd de a th un ce rta in . Mo re pr o

pe rly a Ge rm an m ake r,o f w hom

he w a s the grea te st. Wa s probablyfo r som e tim e a pupil o f Nicho la sAm ati. His m ode l w as highlyo rigin a l at his be st his in strum en tsw e re sm a ll in the pa tte rn

,the f f

ho le s ra the r n a rrow a nd ve ry roun da t the top a nd bo ttom (Fig.

His edge s w e re ve ry stro ng, thepu rfling set rathe r n ea r them

,the

scro ll sho rte r than Am a ti’s butFI G. 43.

— f h010 0f Ja°0b bro ade r in fron t. The gra in o f hisS te in e r .

w ood Wide , an d the va rn i sh deeprose co lour like Nicho la s Am a ti’s. His in strum en ts a re ve ryhigh built, e spe cia lly be tw e en the uppe r bouts, an d o ften alm o st“ tubby

,

”the scro ll o ften fin ished w ith a carved lion ’s o r o the r

an im a l ’s head whe n o f the o rdin a ry shape , he m ade his scro llsbroad an d ra the r sho rt. He has by som e been preferred to thehighe st Crem on e se m a ste rs (I). His m o st ce lebrated in strum en ts w e re the “ Ele cto r Sta in e rs, w hich w e re sixte en fiddle s

m ade by him,it is sa id

, in a m o n a ste ry at the en d o f his life ,an d sen t by h im

,on e to each o f the Ele cto rs

,and the rem a in ing

four to the Em pe ro r o f Ge rm any. The w o od is ve ry han dsom e

,an d the va rn ish a love ly ro se co lour ; they a re de cidedly

Crem on e se , o r at lea st u n -Ge rm an in style . O f the se , three

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

78 VI OLIN-MAKING : a s I T w a s AND I S .

the va rn ish beautiful go lden o r lig t red. I t w a s at the endo f this pe riod tha t he m ade the fiddle s kn ow n a s

“ LongStrads

,

”so ca lled from the i r n arrow n e ss be tw e en the f ho le s,

giving them a lan ky appea ran ce,the a ctua l siz e vary ing, the

va rn ish am be r o r light r ed . The yea r 1700 brings us to hi sbe st period, the m ode l flattish, the w o od cu t o n the qua rte r,an d thicke st in the cen tre unde r the bridge , the curve s gen tleand ha rm on ious, the w ood o f the blocks ve ry light, ofte n fo rm ed

o f w illow ,the scro ll pe rfect in its symm e try. The gra ce ful f f

ho le s (Fig. the tran sce nden tly glo rious am ber—co loured o r

rub var n ish, a re a ll cha racte r stie s of this epo ch of the reatest

m a ke r's grea te st pow e r. His be stin strum en ts have the pu rflingpo in ted acro ss the co rn e r in steado f fo llow ing it roun d, and it isn ot un comm on to find it run n ingcom ple te ly through the co rn e r.His ticke t run s

,

“An ton ius Stradiua riu s Crem on en sis fa e iebat

An n e 17 Betw e e n 1725 a n d1730 the m aste r began to showsign s o f approaching age (Ebenf uga ces labun tu r a n n i) , the arching be com ing m o re ro unded . The

fiddle s m ade a fte r 1730 show a

de c ided fa lling o ff,m an y be ing

m ade partly o r w ho lly by his so n sa n d pupils Om o bo n o and Franc isco Stradiva ri and Cha rle sBergon z i, and sign ed — subdisc iplin e Stradiua r ii .

”I n com

s . 45.— f h o le of An ton ius m e n w ith a ll o ld I ta lian in stru

S‘M dm n ‘m ‘

m en ts,the sound ba r is to o w eak

to' suppo rt the m ode rn high te n sio n of the strings, a nd n ea rly

all have to be r eba r red. Stradiva ri m ade but few ten ors,w ha t

he did m ake be in grand an d glo rious in strum e n ts. He m ade

m a ny vio lo n ce llo acks o f popla r w ood,som e say be cause he

had r un o ut o f m aple , but th e da te o f the se in strum en ts (a llbetw ee n 1698— 1709) re fute s such an a rgum en t. The e lde rCha n o t po sse ssed a vio lin by Stradiva ri w hich w a s guita r- shaped,in fac t like the Chan o t vio lin p. a nd it is sa id tha tfrom this in strum en t Sava rt and Chan o t devo lved the ir attem ptedim provem en ts in shape .

J o seph Gua rn e rius (Crem on a) , 1690— 1730, e lde st son of

An dre w , than w hom he w a s a bette r w o rkm an . At first copied

B IOGRAPHI CAL 79

Stradiva rius and the n his co u sin J o seph de l J e sir. The w a istso f his in strum en ts a re n a rrow

,the low e r a nd uppe r bouts w ide

in propo rtion,the curve s so ve ry gra ce ful a s to have se rved (a s

som e suppo se) a s m ode ls to the grea t J o seph de l J e sir him se lf.The f f ho le s a m ixture o f Andrew Gua rn e rius and the Am atiand ve ry like Ga spa ro da Sa lo ’s , w ho se idea he se em s to havew o rked

,and im proved upo n . They a re ra the r low e r in the

be lly and n ea re r the edge than is usua l. Va rn ish ve ry good,ra the r thickly la id on .

Pete r Gua rn e rius, 1690— 1725, kn ow n a s“ Pe te r of Cre

m o n a”in distin ction to his n ephew Pe te r o f Ven ice , se co nd

son o f An drew . Ve ry broad m ode l, a rching ra ther to o high, f fho le s ve ry ro u nd at the ends a nd ve rtica l (lik e Sta in e r) . I n n e rbo u ts rathe r w eak

,scro ll ve ry o rigin a l, the eye prom in en t.

Pu rfling ve ry n eat, the co rn e rs m uch draw n o u t, va rn ish pe rfe e t

, go lden o r pa le red an d ve ry tra n spa re n t. The be llie s a rege n e ra lly cut from an even w ide -

gra in ed w o od .

La ure n ce Guadagn in i (Crem on a ), 1695— 1735. This m ake r’ sm ode l

,w hich w a s flattish

,w a s broad a nd ve ry bo ld in its con

ception , his f f ho le s va ried in fo rm ,be ing som e tim e s like tho se

o f Guarn e rius de l J e sir his scro ll ve ry go od and o rigina l .His fiddles have a be autifu l m e llow to n e . Ti cke t, Lo ren z oGuadagn in i, Crem on a , Alum n us Stradiu a r ius. Fe c it An n oD om in i 17J ean Baptiste Guadagn in i (P la cen tia), 1710— 1750

,probably

w a s a bro the r o f Lo re n z o , and w ith him pupil of Stradiva rius,

w hom he copied pe rsisten tl pa rticul a rly in the fo rm o f hisscro ll . His ba cks a re ve ha n dsom e

,and gen e ra lly “jo in ed,

"

his be llie s acoustica lly goo his va rn ish bright a nd highly tran spa ren t. Ticke t

,

“J oan n e s Baptista Guadagn in i, Placentin u s,fec it Medio lan i

,17

D om in ic Mon tagna n a (Crem on a and Ven ice), 1700— 1740,pupil o f Stradiva ri. A ve ry exce lle n t m ake r

,in de ed on e o f the

be st,but m a ny o f his fiddle s are labe lled “ J o seph Gua rn e rius de l

J esir”

(w hom he r e sem bled in his f f ho le s), w hich has tendedto e clipse h is ta len t som ew ha t. His m ode l is la rge , and a ll hiscurve s a re ra the r gen tle r than tho se of his m aste r

,the in n e r

on es be ing pa rticula rly draw n o ut. The figure of his w ood isusua l ly la rge , a nd his scro l l is large r a nd m o re pow e rful thantha t of Stradiva ri. His va rn ish is supe rb

,and de se rvedly ra n ked

am ong the best. Ticke t,D om en icu s Mon tagn ana , Sub Sign um

Crem on ae,Ven etiis

,17

Sa ute Se raphin e (Ven ice), 1710— 1748,to m y m ind the

n ea te st and m o st ca re ful m ak e r o f the I ta lian s . I t is a pity hedid n ot strike o ut a nd apply his ca re to a m ode l o f his ow n ,

6U VI O LIN-MAKING : AS I T WAS AND I S.

in stead o f fo llow ing a ra the r ugly Ge rm an o n e,a c ro ss be tw e en

tho se o f Sta in e r an d Am a ti. (Gr a tior et pu lchro c ea ien s in

corpor e vir tue .) His f f ho le s (Fig. 46) and sc ro l l w e l l c u t, buto f a poo r m ode l brillia n t r ed va rn ish o f a pe rfe ct qua l ity

,w hich

,

be ing som e tim e s to o thick, give s hiso

in strum e n ts a n opaqueappea ran ce . His in strum e n ts a r e unm i stakably like on e a n o the rin style , though his m ode l varied, the w ood a lw ays show ing thegra in in c le a r even stripe s . He bra nded his in strum en ts w ithhis in itia ls S . S .,

in va rious pla ce s, pa rticula rly un de r the ta i lpiece . He used a ve ry la rge , w e ll- e ngraved, highly orn am ented

e . 46 .—f h o le of San c F ro . 47.

— f h o le o f Ca rlo F ro . 48.— f h o le of Josepb Gu a r n erius

tus S er aph i n e . B e rgon z i , d el Gesu. Scranton .

labe l,w o rded

,

“ San ctus Se raphin , Utin en sis, Fecit Ve n etrys,An n e . 17

Charle s Be rgo n z i (Crem on a) , 1718— 1755, the be st pupil o fAn tho n y Stradiva ri . At first copied his grea t m a ste r clo se lyan d w e ll

,a n d subsequen tly sta rted a m ode l of his ow n of fin e

siz e and go od thickn e ss o f w o od , flat a nd even,the w o od hand

som e,a n d the w o rk exce llen t. The lo w e r bouts be in g ra the r

broad , the in n e r bouts set rath e r a t an angle , the uppe r boutsla rge r than tho se o f Stradiva ri , the scro l l out rathe r flat, butve ry bo ld

,though n ot so w e l l propo rtion ed and fin ished a s

tha t of Stradiva ri the eye of the scroll be ing ra the r prm

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

82 VI O LIN- MAK ING : a s H w a s AND 1s.

aw ay his h igh idea l a nd w o rked ca re le ssly to sa tisfy pre sen tw an ts, so roughly a nd im pe rfe ctly fin ished a r e his la te r in strum e n ts . I t is sa id tha t m any (kn ow n a s

“ Prison fidd le s,

”

“ D runken J o sephs, etc .) w e re m ade in prison,w ith to o ls,

w o od,

an d va rn ish brought h im by the ga o le r’s daughte r.

They a re high built, the scro ll stiff, the f f ho le s too lo ng an dc lum sy, the w ood and va rn ish a like in fe rio r. I n his be tte rdays it ha s be en sa id tha t he m ade a grea t m any of his be llie sfrom on e piece o f w o od

,from a. co rre spon ding sta in dow n e ach

side o f the finge r- boa rd in a ll of them . I have seen m a ny“ J o sephs,” but n eve r such an o n e . He se em s to have in a

grea t m ea sure va ried his thickn e sse s a cco rding to the a cousticqua litie s o f his w o od. Pagan in i

’s ce lebra ted vio lin (vide n o te 2

,

p . 23) w a s a J o seph Guarn e rius The w ork o f J o sephGua rn e rius m ay be summ ed up in on e o ld Fren ch couple t

Qu e lqu es taches, que lques d éfautsNe dépa ren t poin t un e be l le .

”

His ticke t run sJ o seph Gua rn e rius fe c it

,

Crem on en,An n e 17 l H S

Vin cen z o Pa n o rm o (Pa le rm o ), bo rn 1740, died 1813. Ve rype rfe ct copy ist o f Stradiva ri , fo r w ho se fiddle s his a re o fte nm istaken . His w o rk is ve ry n ea t a nd w ell - exe cuted

,the scro ll

and ff ho le s be ing pa rticula rly w e ll cu t.Cha rle s Fe rdin an d Lan do lfi (Milan ) , 1750. Mode l de cidedly

o rigin a l, w ith a stiff in n e r bout n ot un like J o seph de l Ge su, hisedge s o fte n deeply gro oved, his f f ho le s n ot in keeping w ith there st o f his in strum en t ; his scro ll ra the r m ean ,

the va rn ish at

tim e s exce lle n t . He left a grea t m a ny in strum en ts u npu rfled,and otherw ise in an unfin ished state . His w o od w a s han dsom e

,

a nd his va rn ish ve ry tran sparen t ; he w a s the la st m ake r w housed the glo rious o ld Crem on a va rn ish. His ticke t run s,“Ca rlo Fe rdin an do La n do lphi n e lla co n tradadi san ta Ma rga ritaal segn o de lla Sire n a . Milan o 17Law re n ce Sto rion i (Crem on a), 1780— 1798. The la st o f the

o ld I ta lian m ake rs,a cleve r but in e lega n t w o rkm an

,w a s a s

o rigin a l a nd variable a s Jo seph del Ge su,w hom be copied

,the

o utlin e be ing o ften un sym m e trica l,and the po sitio n o f hisf f ho le s

co n stan tly cha nging . The va rn ish a da rk r ed Ne apo l ita n,the

pu rflin n a rrow an d roughly in la id, the scro ll stiff a nd i n com

plete , t 9 w ood acoustica lly go od, but n ot han dsom e:

This brings us to the en d o f ou r space fo r I ta li an m akers;i t rem a in s

,there fo re

,to glan ce at the be st- kn ow n m akers o f

BIOGRAPHICAL 83

o ther coun trie s, w ho,how eve r, w e re

, and are at be st,bu t

m e re copyists n ot indeed tha t I am,a s to o m any con n o isseurs

a re,a bigo ted lauda tor temp or ie a cti . Fa r from it. I t ha s been

sa id im pa rtia lly (an d a lso,I am so rry to say, fo r u rpo se s o f

adve rtisem en t) , tha t fiddles a re n ow be ing m ade in t is coun tryand on the Con tin en t, w hich in yea rs to com e w ill equa l

,if they

do n ot exce l,the m a ste rpiece s o f the o ld I ta l ian fiddle -m ake rs.

Though I do n ot go so fa r a s the la tte r sta tem en t,I ce rta in ly

agree w ith the fo rm e r,and con side r tha t during the first ha lf

o f this cen tury w e re m ade (and, w e re it n ot fo r the a u r i sa er a

fum es of the pre sen t day, still w ould be m ade ) in strum en ts(m o stly m ade by the fo llow ing m ak e rs), w hich a re

,and w ill be ,

w e ll w o rthy to replace the w o rks of the I ta l ian m a ste rs w henthey

,in the ir turn

,succum b like eve rything e lse to in evitable

age (a ide p .

Nicho la s Lupot (Pa ris), 1784— 1824 . I s cited a s the be st o fthe Fren ch m ake rs. He co pied S tradiva ri a lm ost exc lusive ly,though his copie s of the o the r grea t m a ste rs a re a l so exce lle n t.Used a ve ry go od va rn ish, w hich va ried from light to da rk r ed .

He supplied M. l’

Abbé S ibire w ith the in fo rm a tion fo r La

Chelon om ie,ou ls pa rfa it Luthie r (Pa ris, in w hich his

pra ise s are sung to a n absu rd degree, the autho r ending w iththe fo llow ing ve rse

D u plu s grand des Luthiers im itateur fidélo,Lupo t a r ecréé le vern is précieuxC ’

est de son color is 1e ton h arm on ieux ,

Et la copie e st le m odele .

”

J ea n Baptiste Vu illaum e (Pa ris), bo rn 1799, died 1875, is sa idto have be en o n e o f the m o st pe rfect copyists and im ita to rs tha tever lived. His o rigin a l m ode l foun ded on that of Stradiva rishow s extrao rdin a ry m e rit.B a rak Norm an (London ), 1688— 1740. Origin a lly a vio l

m ake r ; copied Maggin i ve ry m uch,e spe cia lly in his double

pu rfling. High build, f f ho le s de c ided ly Ge rm an in style

,

va rn ish ve ry da rk.

Benjam in Ban ks (Sa lisbury), bo rn 1727 , died 1795. CopiedAm a ti

,an d used a ve ry exce llen t va rn ish . Left his w ood

rathe r thick,so that his in strum e n ts have imm en se ly im proved

w ith age . His on ly w eak po in t w as his scro ll,w hich seem s

w a n ting in chara c te r. Ma ny of his in strum en ts a re bran dedw ith his in itia ls

,B . B .

,in seve ra l place s . Ticket

,

“Benjam inBanks

,fec it Sa lisbury.

”

Thom a s D odd (London ). Be st kn ow n by his very pe rfectv a rn ish

, the secre t of w ho se compo sition he kep t to him self.

84 VI O LIN-MAK ING : a s I T w a s AND i s.

He did n ot m ake fiddle s him se lf,but em ployed Fendt and

Lo tt,w ho se in strum en ts he re ce ived “in the w hite

,an d

va rn ished w ith his ow n hand . The in strum en ts of Fe n dt an dLott a re am ong the be st o f English m an ufa cture

,Lo tt be ing

chiefly fam ed fo r his double - ba sse s.William Fo rste r (Lon don ), bo rn 1739, died 1808, on e of the

be st English m ake rs,copied the Am a ti scho o l. His va rn ish

w as exception a lly fin e .

Richa rd D uke (Lo n don ), 1768. Copied Am a ti,his w o rk

an d va rn ish, w hich w a s ye llow ish,be ing exce l len t

,the pattern

lo ng. Ha s be en m o st copiously an d ruthle ssly copied and

im ita ted. His ten ors w e re sm a ll and ve ry broad ; som e of hisin strum en ts a re poo r

,having m e re ly be en sta in ed deep brow n ,

an d then a coa t o f va rn ish la id on .

Pe te r Wa lm sley (Lo n do n ), about 1720— 1760. O n e of the

be st English m ake rs,fo l low ed the Sta in e r m ode l . He w a s in

the habit o f a rtific ia lly aging his in strum en ts,con sequen tly his

w ood is o ften to o thin to la st w e ll. His varn ish w a s reddish, o rye llow ish

,brow n ; he o ften drew lin e s round his in strum en ts

,

in stead o f in laying pu rfle .

J ohn Lo tt (Lo ndo n ), 1830— 1870. O n e o f ou r m o st talen tedm ake rs

,and pe rhaps ou r be st n a tive copyist. Ma rve llous ta le s

a re to ld o f his cun n ing in the m a tte r of repa irs,w hich ha s been

com pared w ith tha t o f J . B. Vu illaum e him se lf.William Ebsw o rth Hill (London ), 1830. Now l iving. Th e

la st surviving repre sen ta tive of the o ld English scho o l . Wo rksou t a n o rigin a l m ode l from the m a ste rpie ce s o f Stradiva ri andGuarn eri.Ge o rge s Cha n o t (Lon do n ), n ow living. Son o f the ce le

br ated Geo rge s Cha n o t o f Pa ris. Magn ifice n t w o rkm a n,an d

m a rve llo u s copyist. Copie s Stradiva ri, Gua rn e ri, an d Maggin i .Va rn ish light brow n , a n d o f m agn ificen t co n siste n cy . Con

side red by m any to be the fin e st fiddlem ak e r living, sin ce hisfa the r’s de a th.

Edw ard Withe rs (London ), 1860. Now living. On ly pupilo f John Lo tt

,w ho se style and va rn ish he ha s copied a n d

im proved upon at tim es. Copie s Stradiva rius a nd J o seph de lGe su. Va rn ish o f a red go ld co lour.J a cobs (Am ste rdam ), 1690— 1740. So clo se an d pe rfe ct a

cop'

st o f Nicho la s Am ati tha t the tw o a r e often co n founded.

Fo l ow ed the grand pa tte rn . His distinguishing m a rks a re ;

his ra ther in fe rio r scro ll a nd w ha lebon e pu rfling. Va rn ish,ve ry

fin e .

A w o rd be fo re w e leave the co n side ra tion o f the m ode rn fiddletrade, on the m anufacto ries a tMirecourt ; the se turn out m any

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER IV.

THE B OW.

Progressive History of the B ow .— Th e Co re l li B ow .

— Th e Crem a illere .

The Mod em B ow .— D im en sion s.

—Ha ir ing an d Rehair ing.— Ro si n a n d its

Action — Fo ldi n g B ow .— Vu i l laum e

’

s B ow .—Withers.—O ther Paten ts .

— Th e

Great B ow -m ak ers.

I T ha s be en justly rem a rked tha t the Histo ry o f the Vio lin is inpo in t of fa ct the histo ry o f the bow

,and this is inde ed the ca se

,

fo r w ithout the how the fiddle (prope rly so ca lled) ca n n o t exist.Without it the fiddle w ould cea se to expre ss eve ry hum an

em o tion,w ould cea se to produce the con tinuous flow o f m e lody

tha t in strum en ts of this cla ss a lon e of al l stringed in strum en ts a recapable of produc ing, and w ould, in fac t,w ithout this m agic w an d,at w ho se touch its m a rve llous pow e rs a re ca lled in to be ing,becom e a s the sounding gu ita r an d tin kling banjo ,

”an d cea se

to m e rit the cha rm ing com pa rison draw n in Mache ath’

s song inGay’s B egga r

’

s Op er a (vidc n o te 4

,p. At the sam e tim e

,

if it is difficult to trace the progre ssive histo ry o f the Vio lin ,it is infin ite ly m o re so to tra ce tha t o f the B ow ,

an d fo r ve ryo bviou s re a son s, for if in pa in tings an d sculpture s of the pre sen td ay a rtists do n ot pay m uch a tten tion to the exe cution of so

(appa ren tly) subordin a te a part o f the su bject (a s is eviden cedby picture s an d sculpture s of ou r ow n day, in w hich thoughoften the repre sen ta tion of the fiddle is accura te

,yet the fiddle

sti ck is a ve ry diffe ren t con ce rn from the bow o f eve rydayus e), how m uch le ss

,the refo re

,are the repre sen tation s of past

ce n turie s to be depen ded upon .

As to w ho in ve n ted the how this is n ot the lace to discussth e in ven tion o f the bow be ing, in fa ct, the o rigin of the

vio lin , an d a s such a lre ady discussed in Chapte r I . O f coursew e can n o t take a s abso lute go spe l the te stim ony of P . B.

Za ccha r ia Teve,w ho in his Mu sico Testor e,

‘ published at Milani n 1706, a sse rts, S afo p oetessa in ven to l

’

a r co de cr in i di cava llo,e f it la r im a che lo suon a se com e si costum a oggid i .

”I t is m o st

probab 6 , how eve r, tha t the Orien ta ls w e re the first to u se the

THE n ew . 87

how,a s seen in its prim itive fo rm (Figs. 49 and w hich

has con tinued am ong them even to the pre sen t day ; a s theyw ere

,in the opin ion o f M. Fetis se t fo rth furthe r on

,the first to

im prove it by the addition of the n ut. As to w he n an d w he re thea ctual w ord “bow

,o r its fo re ign equiva le n t “

a rche t,

”w as first

used,opin io n s have diffe red, though it se em s to m e abso lute ly

obvious tha t it is iden tica l w ith the La tin a r ou s z bow,but som e

ingen ious e tym o logists have tried to de rive it from the Greekdpxfiz dom m ion , from the dom in ion w hich it exe rcise sove r the vio lin , w hich seem s to m e to be

,at any ra te ,

ve ry fa r - fe tched. As to its a ctua l in ven tion a s the

a cc e sso ry,

a n d in fa ct m o tive pow e r of the vio li n ,

the va lue of picto ria l repre se n ta tio n s m ay be provedby a gla n ce at Figs. 51— 60, w hich repre sen t bow so n ly taken from the m o st re liable source s

,from

picture s, sculpture s, etc ., o f eve ry cen tury,from

the e ighth to the seven te e n th . The first thingtha t w ill strike you w ill be the grea t sim ila rityw hich exists be tw ee n a ll o f them

,from the first

to the la st,and a lso the clo se para lle l w hich m ay

be d raw n be tw e en any on e o f them a nd the a

prim itive m ode rn bow s repre sen ted in Figs. 49a nd 50, w hich show tw o bow s n ow in u se

am ong the Mo o rs an d the p rim itive I ndian s,w hich a re in deed of the m o st sim ple a nd obviousfo rm in w hich the bow co uld exist. The con

e lusion w e a re brought to is con sequen tly thiseither a ll repre sen ta tion s o f bow s which havecom e dow n to us a r e un re liable

, or,the bow

,

in ste ad of deve loping as the fiddle u n doubtedly did,

rem a in ed in a sta te o f prim itive sim plic ity,an d bore

till a com pa ra tive ly re cen t da te the sam e re la tion to

its com pan io n the fiddle,a s do the e arly specim e n s of

D e lft w a re an d the exquisite Sevre s specim e n s,w hich

re c l in e side by side in the cabin e ts o f the de lightfullyin congruous n in e te en th cen tury draw in g- ro om . I f you

a sk m e to w hich o f the se con c lusion s I in cl in e , I thin kthe tw o deduction s a r e to on e an o the r a s thre e tim e s tw o

a re to tw ice thre e , and tha t a com bin a tion o f the tw o w ould pr obably a ccoun t fo r the pre sen t m isty a spec t o f the pa st histo ry o f

the bow . Let us, how eve r, disse ct the se figure s a n d discuss inde ta il the exten t (if a n y ) to w hich they a re re liable .

Fig. 51 is from Riihlm a n n’

s Geschichfe der B ogen in str i m2en te,l

era

0

09

03

qszwom3

J . Riihlm an n, Ge sch ich te der Bogen in strum e n te , etc., m it e in em Atlas von

xiii . Tafe ln (Bru n sw ick ,

88 VI OLIN- MAK ING : a s I T wa s AND I s.

w ho quo te s it from He rbe 5 Costum es F r a nga is Fig. 52 is fromthe Abbo t Ge rbe r t’s D e Ca n tu et t s ica S a cra (St. Bla s ius,

an d is taken from the MS . o f St. Bla sius,of the n in th

cen tury. I t w ill be obse rved tha t thissho w s a ve ry re spectable fo rm

,a s do es

Fro 51*B OW o f th e Ei h th Coma lso Fig. 53

,w hich is reproduced from

tu ry‘

, fr om He rbé s‘gCo stum es St1‘Utt.

l I n Fig. 54,A,B,an d D a re

F r a n i m '

"

c rw th bow s, the tw o fo rm e r from a MS.

atNeube rg, a n d the la tte r from the MS. from St. Martia l deLim oge s, a n d fo rm s pa rt o f Fig. 33. C

,Fig. 54

,is from an

e n amelled pla te,dug up at So isson s, on w hich w e find tw o fem a le s

playing bow in strum e n ts— o n e

o f them having a bow a lm o stiden tica l w ith the rava n a stron

bow,repre sen te d in Fig. 49

,

a n d the o the r having the bow

he re repre sen ted . A,Fig. 55

,

F I G. 52.—B o w of N1n th Cen tu ry ,

fr om MS . o fS t. b la sru s , frp

m Gerbe rt, D e Can tu et

i s from the crw th playe r,r epre

Mu sw a Sw a. 1774

sen ted in Fig. 35 ; B, Fig . 55,from a w in dow in the Cathedra l

o f St. D e n is, a n d C, Fig. 55,from Strutt in his w o rk befo re

refe rred to, ar e,aga in , a ve ry con side rable advan ce in po in t o f

shape . The re is a figure o f Neptun e on a

capita l in a MS . at D oua i o f this cen tury,

ho lding a bow,w hich is abso lute ly an d

F I G. 53.— B ow o f th e T en th

Gemm y , fr om Cotto nmsmib ,iden tica lly the sam e a s tha t repre sen ted

cv 1. , J . S tru tt, Spor ts a n d

Pa stim e s o f th e P eo ple o fa t C

)Flg 54 a D , Fig. 55, 13 3150 from 3

En gla n d .

” sculpture a t St. D en is,a nd its sim ila rity

to a in the sam e figure w ill be at o n ce rem a rked .

Fro . 54.-B ow s of tn e Elev en th Ce n tury . A an d B , from a Pr ayer

-book in th e Li b ra ry of the

Con ven t o f Neub erg , n ea r Vi en n a (Crwth bow ). C , fr om en am e l led p la te d ug u p n ear

So isson s (p r ob ab ly Th i rtee n th Cen tury ) . D , fr om MS . i n Libra ry o f St. Ma rti a l ,Lim oge s (Crw th b ow ).

I n the bow s o f the thirte en th ce n tury (Fig. 56) w e find

J . Strutt, Glig~Gam en a Ange l -leod o r, Sports an d Pa stim es of England

’

(Lond o n .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

90 VI OLIN-MAKING : As IT WAS AND I s.

an o ther stride tow a rds pe rfe ction , A, Fig. 56,from a sculpture

in the Ca thedra l o f Ro’uen,an d D

,Fig. 56

,from a picture by

Cim abue,in the ga lle ry o f the P itti Pa lace at Flo ren ce

,be ing

a lm o st perfe ct. B,Fig. 56

,is aga in ra the r e lem en ta ry by com

pa rison , an d C,Fig. 56, from a figure o f a jongle ur, given by

M. Vida l, rem inds us ve ry m uch o f Fig. 53,Str utt

’

s AngloSaxon bow . I n Fig. 57 w e get m o re im provem en ts and

m o re re trogre ssion s . A is from a MS . reproduced by M. de

Co u ssem ak e r,D from a sculpture in Po tie r’s Monum e n ts

Fra n ca i s,”B from a picture by B a rn aba s do .Moden a

,E a re from

Ely Ca thedra l ; an d in them the re is to o m uch w an t o f de tai l fo rthem to be historica lly va luable to a ny gre at exten t. We a re in

debted to Strutt aga in , in his Libe r Rega lis,”fo r C

,Fig. 57 ,

and to a Ghe n t MS . fo r F the se tw o a re som ewha t sim ila r,and

a re aga in ra the r a reversion to sim plic ity tha n a n im provem en t .I n the fifte e n th cen tury the im provem en ts in bow in strum e n tsdrew w ith them like im provem en ts in the bow

,and though in

Fig. 58 A,C. and D

,w hich a re from picture s

,a re e lem en ta ry

,

F I G . 58.—B ow s of th e F i fte en th Cen tury . A, fr om Min str e l

’s P illar , St. Mary

’s Chur ch ,

B ever ly . B , fr om Wood -car vin g in Ch o ir , Ch ur ch o f St. Go dehar d , Hi ld esh e im

(Trum p et Ma r in e) . C an d D , fr om pa in tin g by Hem l in g . E, from Raph ae l’

s Cr ownin g of th e Virg in , in th e Vatican .

yet E a n d B a r e m o st in te re sting, a s show ing re spec tive ly the

vio lin a n d double - ba ss bow of the epo ch . B,Fig. 58

,the bow

o f a trum pe t m a rin e,is from a MS . in the Mon a ste ry o f

St. Godeha rd , o f Hilde she im ; an d E w e m ay co n side r trustw o rthy, be ing from a picture by Rapha e l, in the Va tican . I n

the sixteen th cen tury, w hich saw the a ctua l in troduction of the

vio lin,and w hen bo oks began to be w ritte n on the in strum en ts

then in u se, ou r eviden ce on the fo rm s o f the bow becom es

THE B OW. 91

practica lly ce rta in,though a rtistic repre se n ta tion s o f bow s o f

the m o st e lem en ta ry de scription con tin ued to be produced, justa s they a re n o w . I n Fig. 59

,C a nd B (the la tte r e spe c ia lly)

m ay be con side red trustw o rthy, be ing from illustra ted w o rkson in strum en ta l m usic . E

,F,a n d G

,the first a nd la st pa r

tic u la r ly, m ay be taken a s a rtistica lly fan c iful . F is froma m u sica l w o rk, but the de signa to r has e viden tly pa id little

F 19 . 69.— B ow s of th e Cen tury . A, fr om St. Cec il ia , by Raph a e l , at

B o logn a . B an d C, fr om M . Agr ico la , Mus ica I n str um en ta l is (Witten b erg) ,1545. D , fr om Ma rr iage at Can a of Ga lilee ,

”Pau l Ver on e se (a t Ver sa i l les) . E,

from en grav mg by Altd o rfer in Ge rm an Museum , Niirn b er g . F . fr om Ga fu r ius ,D e B arm on i a Mu sico rum I n strum en to rum ,

”1518. G, fr om Potier . H , fr om

pa i n ti n g by Ge ra rd D ow , D re sden Gal lery .

a tten tio n to so m in o r a con side ra tion a s the fiddle stick .

Pi s from P aul Ve ro n e se

’

s w e ll- kn o w n picture,the

Ma rri age at Can a o f Ga l i lee,

and a s Paul w a s him se lfa Vl O l playe r, any repre se n ta tion o f a m usica l in strum en tby him w e m ay a ccept a s histo ric . The sam e rem arkappl i e s to H , w hi ch I S from a picture by Ge ra rd D o w ir

the D re sden Ga lle ry ; fo r Ge ra rd D ow ’s m o the r,w e k n OW

,

played the VI O 1da gam ba , from . he r fam ous po rtra it by her son .

A,F ig. w e m ay a lso take a s trustw o rthy, be ing from Rapha e l’s

fam ous pi cture of “St. Ce c il ia at Bo logn aAfte r th i s, the bow a s w e n ow have it

, w a s practica lly in troduced, and ou r furthe r repre sen ta tio n s thereof w ill be m e re ly

92 Vl ULlN-MAK ING : AS IT WAS AND I S .

progre ssive , and n ot in c luding the re sults o f a rtists im agin ings.With the figure s w e have befo re us, it rem a in s

,the re fo re

,o n ly

to sepa ra te fan cy from fa c t a s n ea r a s w e can a nd this division Ithin k you m ay sa fe ly say w ill be a s fo llow s Figs. 51, 52, an d 53w e m ust take a s they stan d, but Fig. 52, it m ust be rem em be red,is the w o rk o f a prie st, reproduced from the w ork of a n o the r prie st,a nd w e m ay, the re fo re , con side r this figure as about right. I n

Fig. 54,C is about the be st fo rm

,and m o st credible

,A be ing a

m o re e lem e n ta ry fo rm,probably a ctua lly in u se am ong the lo w e r

c la ss o f fiddle r s C is from a w e l l de sign ed w o rk o f a rt,and is

,

the refo re,m o st like ly to be copied from existing spec im en s

,but

the re exists som e doubt w he the r it should n o t prope rly be da tedthirte e n th cen tury. I n the sam e w ay Fig. 53 g ive s probably a

co rre ct idea o f the bow used by the pea san ts an d low e r cla sse s.I t is probable tha t up to com pa ra tive ly re ce n tly the bow s usedw ith the rebe c s

,o r low e r bow in strum e n ts

,co n tin ued to be ha rdly

m o re tha n a rc s,a s depicted by Figs. 49 a n d 50

,n o tw ithsta nding

the gre a t im provem en ts in the bow w ith w hich the highe r c la sse so f vio ls w e re played.

I n Fig. 55,A an d D ar e probably a rtistic repre se n ta tio n s

o f a bow,n ea rly re la ted to ou r do uble - ba ss how ; o n e side be ing

probably repre sen ted fiat ; indeed, som e autho rs have figuredD,Fig. 55

,a lm o st iden tica lly o u r con traba ss bow

,but I c an n o t

say fo r ce rta in , a s I have n eve r n o ticed the o rigin a l at St. D e n is .

B and C m ay be taken as approxim a te ly co rre c t de lin ea tion so f the vio l bo w ,

A a n d D be ing probably fo r the grea te rvio ls a nd trum pe t m a rin e . I n Fig. 56, C an d B ar e a rtistica llye lem en ta ry, but A an d D e specia lly m ay be con side red fa ithfu l r eprr se n ta tio n s. I n Fig. 57

,A,B,D , an d E repre sen t the

actua l,

an d c,F,G the fan c iful e lem en t. D an d G a re

,

how eve r,probably n ea r the a ctua l gr oss-

geig bow . I n Fig.

58,A,D a n d 0 repre se n ting fic tio n

,B an d E m ay be sa id to

repre se n t fact, in the fo rm of the double - ba ss a nd v io l bow so f the pe riod. I n Fig . 59 w e re a ch ce rta in eviden ce

,F a nd G

be in g the la st re lics (a s fa r a s w e a re co n ce rn ed) o f tha t a rtisticim agin a tio n w hich a lw ays ha s, and a lw ays w ill sta n d in the w ay o fthe an tiqua ry w ho se arche s a fte r truth. An d so by progre ssivestage s w e a r e brought to Figs. 60

,61

,an d 62

, the la st po in ts in theh isto ry o f the bow . The se a re a ll abso lute ly fa ithful diagram s o fthe existing bo w s take n from co n tem porary a nd re liable autho rs.I t is n ow tha t w e see the n u t m in ute ly de lin ea ted fo r the

first tim e,though it m ust n ot be suppo sed tha t it w as a re ce n t

in troduc tio n . I t is difficult to say w he re the n u t w a s first in trodu ced. M. Fetis is o f opin ion tha t it o w e s its o rigin to the e a st

,

and ci te s a s eviden ce in his An toin e S tr a diva r i (s ide n o te 2, p.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

94 VI O LIN- MAKING : AS I T WAS AND 18.

book fo r the vio l da gamba .

lE,w hich show s the hold ing

o f the bow, is o f the a c tua l siz e o f the pictu re from w hich it

is reduced. G brings us appa ren tly ve ry n ea r the m o de rnhow , but is to o sm a ll to be ve ry usefu l a s a repre sen ta tio n .

H in troduce s us aga in to the con traba ss bow,a n d sho w s us

w

ee re

59

r ight to a ccept as re liable Raphae l ’s represen ta tio n,

A,

1g.

I t w a s in this ce n tury a lso tha t, it be ing foun d n e ce ssa ry tom ode ra te the tightn e ss of the ha ir, the cr ém a i llér e w a s added tothe existing fo rm o f the bow . This is show n by Fig. 61

,a nd

F I G. 61 — B ow of th e Eigh teen th Cen tur y , w ith Crem a i ller e to tighten th e ha ir .

w a s a strip of n o tched m e ta l a s at A, fixed to the ba ck o f the

stick . To the m ovable n ut w a s added a ban d o f m e ta l w hi chcould be hitched ove r a ny o f the se n o tche s, and the ten sion of

the bow the reby regula ted at w ill.We n ow a rrive at the e ighteen th cen tury

,in w hich to the

vio lin s o f Stradiva ri w e re added the bow s o f Tourte . I t is tothis la tte r, w ho lived atthe com m e n cem en t o f the e ighte e n th ce ntury

,w hen

,fo r the first tim e

,Co re lli an d Viva ldi w e re show ing

o f w ha t the vio lin w a s capable , tha t the in ve n tio n o f the n ut

w o rked by a prope lling a nd w ithdraw ing screw is gen era llya ttributed 3 his bo w s w e re a gre a t im provem en t on pre - existingfo rm s

,be ing be tte r prepo rtion ed, an d m ade o f lighte r w o od

,n ot

to m en tion the e legan t m an n e r in w hich he w a s in the habit o f

fluting his bow s, throughout ha lf, o r the w ho le , o f the ir length .

The head w as gen e ra lly long, po in ted, a nd turn ed back , w hichgave the bow a ve ry gracefu l appea ran ce

,a s in Fig. 62.

FiG . 62.— B ow by Tour te a in e (w ith screw an d m ov able n ut) .

The n ut an d head of the screw w ere ge n e ra lly o f ivUry . Mr .

Arthur Hill has pe rhaps the be st co lle ction o f o ld bow s inEngla n d, fo r the bow s o f the o ld vio ls a re m uch m o re sca rce,un fo rtun a te ly

,than the vio ls them se lve s.

Tourte ’s e lde st so n w a s m uch in fe rio r to his fa the r a s a

w o rkm an ; it is his younge r son , Fran cis Tourte , w ho se n am e

con n e cted w ith a bow is like the n am e o f Stradivari con n e ctedw ith a vio lin . M. Fetis in his chapte r o n bow s, at the e n d of

his An toin e Str ad iva r i,has given a m o st in te re sting and va luable

Chri stopher Simpson , The D ivision Vio l (Lo n don,

THE now . 95

accoun t of this k ing o f bow - m ake rs,w hich

,as tran sla ted bv

Mr . J ohn Bishop (o f Che lten ham ), is sho rtly a s fo llow s“Fra n c is To u rte , lo ng kn ow n by the n am e o f Tourte , jun io r,

w a s bo rn in Pa ris in 1747, in St. Ma rga re t’s Stre e t, a nd died in

April, 1835, aged e ighty- e ight ye a rs. I n tended by his fa the r fo rthe busin e ss o f a clo ckm ake r

,he e n te red, w hen ve ry young, in to

a w o rkshop,n eglec ted eve ry o the r study, a nd n eve r kn ew how

to re ad o r w rite . Pe rhaps he w a s in debted to the trade w hichhe at first fo llow ed fo r the skill a nd de lica cy of hand w hich hea fte rw a rds displayed in the m an ufa cture o f bow s . D isgu stedw ith his condition a fte r having pa ssed e ight ye a rs in the

c lockm aking w o rkshops, be cause he did n o t the re m e e t w ithsufficien t rem un e ra tion fo r his n eeds, he to ok to the busin e ss o f

his fa the r a n d bro the r. At this pe riod the distinguished a rtistsre siden t in Pa ris w e re m aking progre ss tow a rds the a rt o f

singing on the ir in strum en ts w ith the shade s of expre ssio n o f

w hich the grea t I ta lian vo ca lists had given the exam ple ; an d

they a ll de sired bow s w hich should a n sw e r be tte r to the effectsw hich they w ished to produce

,and w hich should po sse ss at the

sam e tim e grea te r lightn e ss, spring, a n d e la stic ity. Fran cisTourte m ade his first e ssays w ith w ood from the stave s o f suga rca sks

,w ith a view to de te rm in ing the fo rm s o f the bow and to

a cquire skill in w o rking w ithout m aking u se of expen sivem a te ria ls . He so ld the se ea rly produc ts o f his m an ufa cture fo rtw en ty o r thirty sous e ach (te n o r fifteen pen ce). Be ing an

in defatigable in ve stiga to r an d fully sen sible o f the im po rtan tac tion o f the bow in the production o f ton e , he subseque n tlytried a ll kinds o f w o od w hich appea red to him prope r to rea liz ehis view s but he w as n ot long in discove ring tha t Fe rn am bu cw o od a lon e w ould yie ld the re sults w hich he sought to a tta in

,

a n d tha t it a lon e com bin ed stiffn e ss w ith lightn e ss. The pe riodo f the first an d im po rta n t discove rie s of Tourte exten ds from17 75 to 1780. Un fo rtun a te ly

,the m a ritim e w a rs of Fran ce

a n d Englan d then pre sen ted a se rious obsta cle to the im po rtation o f Fe rn ambu c w o od o n the Co n tin en t

,an d the price o f

this va luable a rticle used fo r dye ing ro se to five shillings thepound . Fe rn am bu c w o od in te n ded fo r dye ing purpo se s isexpo rted in bille ts tha t w hich is richest in co louring m a tte r islikew ise the be st fo r the m an ufa ctu re o f bow s but it is ra re tofind bille ts w hich a r e stra igh t a nd on ly slightly defe ctive , fo rthe w o od i s n ea rly a lw ays kno tty

,cra ck ed in side

,and crooked

in eve ry dire c tion . Som e tim e s e ight o r ten ton s o f Fe rn am bu cw o od sca rce ly pre sen t a ny pie ce s w ith a stra ight gra in , a nd suitable fo r m aking good bow stick s. The ra rity of this w o od at the

pe riod he re m en tion ed expla in s the e n o rm ous price w hich Tou rte

96 VI OLIN- MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND i s .

a sked fo r his bow s he so ld a how,the n ut o f w hich w a s m ade

o f to rto ise - she ll,the head in la id w ith m o the r- o f- pe a rl, an d the

m oun ting o f the n u t an d button o f go ld, fo r n e a rly £12. Hisbe st bow s m oun ted in silve r w ith an ebony n ut w e re so ld at

about £3 a nd the ordin ary un o rn am en ted bow s fe tchedab out thirty shillings .

”

Tourte fin a lly fixed the le ngth o f the vio lin bow be tw e en 291 34and 295 28 in che s

,and fixed a lso the requisite he ight from the

stick o f the head a n d n u t, coun te ra cting the w e ight o f the he ad

by the o rn am en ta tion s in silve r, go ld, e tc .

,w ith w hich the n ut

o f a bo w is lo aded . Tourte be n t his bow s by m ea n s o f hea tto the required sha pe , a n d it is thus tha t a ll bow s a re shaped

,

n ot cu t o u t of a plan k the shape w hich w e se e the m,a s m any

vio lin playe rs suppo se , fo r the la tte r w o uld cu t the fibre s o f thew ood a cro ss in stead o f pre se rving them in ta c t throughout thelength o f the stick

,a s is e sse n tia l to a go od how . I t is m o st

n e ce ssa ry tha t the stick should be hea ted right through the

in n e r fibre s be fo re be in g ben t, o the rw ise the se in n e r fibre s , be ingunhea ted, w ould in tim e cause the oute r an d hea ted fibre s tore sum e the ir n o rm a l po sitio n . I t is in a tten tio n to this po in ttha t cause s the rapid de te rio ration an d stra ighten ing o ut o f

appa ren tly cheap bo w s .To urte pa id a s m uch a tten tion to the ha iring of his bow s a s

to the ir sticks . O n this po in t Fe tis says, i“He pre fe rred theha ir o f Fra n ce be cause it is la rge r a nd stronge r than tha t o fo the r coun trie s.” The prepa ra tion to w hich he subjected itcon sisted in secu r ing it w ith so ap he then put it in to branw a te r

,and la stly

,afte r rem oving the he te roge n e ous pa rtic le s

w h icl had adhered to it,he plunged it in to pure w a te r, lightly

c o loured w i th blue . His daughte r w a s a lm o st con sta n tly em

ployed in so rting the ha irs, reje cting such o f them a s w e re n ot

pe rfectly cylindrica l and equa l throughout the ir le ngth. Thisis a m o st de lica te and n e ce ssa ry ope ra tion , fo r n otm o re than on e

te n th o f a give n n um be r o f ha irs a re fit fo r u se,the grea te r

po rtio n having on e side fla t,an d pre sen ting n um e rous in equa li

tie s. lAt the pe riod w he n Vio tti a rrived in Paris,the ha irs of

the bow n ea rly a lw ays c luste red toge the r in a roun d m a ss,w hich

im pa ired the qua lity o f the to n e . Afte r m aking his obse rva tion so n this po in t Tourte con ce ived the po ssibility o f c om pe llingthe ha irs to pre se rve the appe a ra n ce of a ribbon by pin ching thema t the n u t w ith a fe rrule (C, Fig. w hich he m ade first o f tin ,a nd a fte rw a rds of silve r. He subsequen tly in ve n ted the ‘slide ,

”

i .a., the little pla te o f m other- o f- pea rl w hich co ve rs the ha ir onthe fa ce o f the n u t. He did n ot u se quite a s m a ny ha irs as

a re n ow ge r e ra lly put in to a how ,the num be r n ow be ing, as a

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

THE B OW. 97

rule,be tw een 150 and 200. At the end of Fetis’ An toin e

Str a diva r i is give n a m o st ca re fully a n d sc ie n tifica llyw o rked- o u t de te rm in a tio n of the true w o rking pro

po rtio n s o f the Tourte bow ,a nd how they m ay be

obta in ed.

Fig. 63 repre sen ts the m od e rn fo rm o f how,

a s fin a l ly de te rm in ed by Tourte, ju n .,in its eu

ti re ty , Figs . 64an d 65 reprosen t the heada n d n ut

,a ctua l

siz e , an d Fig.

66 o n e o f the

w e dg e- b o x e s

en larged. Fig .

64 repre sen tsthe n ut a n d

screw a s set o n

the stick o f the

bow . I n the

n u t is a sm a l lbox (re pre se n ted by Fig.

in to w hich th e

k n o t M o f the

ha ir (Fig . 67)is fixed by

m ean s o f the

w edge N. The

ha i r L be ingbrought ou t

an d a lon g the

fron t o f the n u t

E (Fig.

the o rn am en ta lpla te H I J isslid ove r ita longa m o rtised

gro ove ° Th0F I G. 64 .

—Nut a n d S cr ew o f Moder n B ow , sh ow in gba nd K 18 the n m eth o d o f fixin g th e h a i r .

pre ssed in to its place a n d fixed by the pre ssure o f thethin w edge 0

,w hich be ing pre ssed in be tw e en the

to n gu e o f the n u t E an d the ha i r L,ke eps t i e latte r

fia t, firm . a n d fa st. The e n tire n ut E slide s al on g thestick A by the action of the screw B C ; the su rface

98 VI O LIN-MAK ING : As IT WAS AND I s.

w hich lie s aga in st the stick is cut angula rly (a s in G,Fig .

the cutting G be ing o fte n lin ed w ith a thin ben t pla te o f

m e ta l. The ha ir L leaving the n u t E pa sse s in a ribbo nabout ha lf an in ch broad to the head, w he re it is in a likem an n e r fixed in to a sim ila r w edge

- box (Fig. The fa ce

o f the head is gen e ra lly pro te cted by m ean s o f a m e ta l o r ivo rypla te (P, Fig. The length of the bow is ge n e ra lly a s n ea r a spo ssible 29% in che s (from the button to the tip o f P

,Fig.

the diam ete r o f the stick is, at the screw -(B , Fig. g- in ch, andat the back o f the head 1

3

, The diam e te r o f the head a cro ss thepla te (P, Fig. 65) is T7,” a nd the length o f the he ad from top to

bo ttom of P is o n e in ch .

l The ha ir w ith w h’hh the bow s a re fitted

(which is horse , and n ot, a s som e pe ople imagin e , yak) is so ld

FI G. 66.—Wedge

-box in h ead , a n d n ut

of m od er n bo w w n l a rged ) .

F I G . 65.—Head of

B ow , sh ow in g m eth od o f F I G . 67 .—K n o t at en ds

fixin g th e h a ir .

by the po un d, and, a s I n o ticed befo re,in discussing To urte

’sbow

,it m ust be ve ry carefully cho sen an d clean ed. I t is a lso

custom a ry to lap o r cove r the sticks o f bow s fo r a space o f a

few in che s above the n ut w ith go ld o r silve r thread or lea the r .This is doubtle ss a gre at conven ie n ce in ho lding the how ; itw as fo r the sam e purpo se tha t the e lde r Tourte

,and som e of the

o ld bow m ake rs, used to flute the ir stick ove r ha lf o r throughoutthe ir length, ofte n in a m o st exquisite m an ne r.

Mr . W. S. B . Woo lh ou se gave som e in ten se ly scien tific “Notes o n th e

Su itable Propo rtion s a n d D im en sion s of a Vio lin B ow to th e Mon th lyMu si ca l Rec ord fo r Ju ly 1875, w hich a re m o st in te re sting, but I fea r ha rd lyin tel l igible to the m a jor ity of bow -m a k ers . He fo l low s h is rem a rks the n extm on th (Augu st 1875) w ith a

“ Supplem en ta ry No te o n the Bows of Jam es

Tubbs (m'

de p.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

100 VI O LIN- MAK ING : AS IT WAS AND I s.

the w edge- box a s at Fig. 64

,exac tly a s you fixed the o the r

en d in to the head.

Now replace the n ut E on the stick,by m ean s o f the screw B

,

an d if you have n ice ly judged the length o f the ha i r befo rem aking the tie M, the ha ir w ill be quite sla ck w hen D is a s fa r

I o rw a rd in the gro ove a s possible,and pe r co n tra m uch to o taut

w hen it is dra w n a s n e a r a s po ssible to B,the prope r ten sio n

bf the ha ir be ing w hen D is in the cen tre o f the groove a s in

Fig. 64 . How eve r,if the how can be m ade sla ck

,a nd tighte n ed

up by m ea n s o f B,your w o rk has be en w e ll don e . Now fin a lly

com b the ha ir from hea d to n u t,repla ce the slide H I J

,a nd

pull dow n the ban d K (which ha s bee n threaded lo o se ly on the

ha ir befor e pla cing it in the w edge- box in the n u t), an d slip

it ove r J in to its pla ce . No w screw ing the how pre tty tight,take the sm oo th ba ck o f the com b

,an d rub the surfa ce o f the

ribbon o f ha ir ha rd from the he ad to n ut a n d ba ck a few tim e s.The n out a l ittle flat w edge 0, o r if n e ce ssa ry tw o , to slip in , an dfill up the spa ce be tw e en the ebo ny o f the n u t in side

,K,a n d the

unde r side o f the ha ir,w hich w ill keep the ribbon o f ha ir tight

an d fla t aga in st J , a n d the flat side o f K,an d the O pe ra tion o f

ha irin g the bow is com ple te . When the ha ir is quite dry takesom e ve ry fin e ly pow de red ro sin

,and sprinkling it o n a she e t

o f pape r, rub the ha ir on it so a s to get w e ll dusted a n d coveredw ith ro sin ; this, a s it w e re , give s it a start, a fte r w hich it ise a sy to keep the bow ro sin ed.

As I have sa id in the chapte r on fittings a nd applia n ce s (vidcpost, p . it is a s w e ll n o t to m ak e cha nge s in the kin d of r e sinon e use s

,except w hen the bow is reha ired

,from w hich tim e o n e

kin d m ust be kept to,till the n ext re - ha iring, a n d so o n . I t is a

grea t m istake to u se to o m uch ro sin , a s yo ung begin n e rs a r e ofte napt to do ; it is on ly productive o f a lo ud co a rse to n e an d I

prefe r,pe rson a lly

,to e r r on the side o f to o little ro sin

,ra the r

than to bu rden my bow an d ra sp m y fiddle w ith too m uch. I t

is a ston ishing how few vio lin ists kn ow anything about them echan ica l a n d scien tific a ctio n o f pow de red ro sin on to n e production . Ma ny pe ople w he n they see y ou applying ro sin , thin ky ou a re gre a sing your bow to m ake it go fa ste r,

”and m o re

still,in cludin g pe rfo rm e rs them se lve s

,thin k tha t ro sin re n de rs

the surface of the ha ir sm o o the r,in stead of

,a s it rea lly doe s

,

m akin g it rough. They kn ow tha t if n o re sin is used,the ho w

w ill m ake n o sound,but voi la tout. The true fun ctio n o f ro sin

is a s fo llow s : I t w ill have be en n o tice d tha t w hilst a string isv ibra ting, the lea st touch o f the finge r w ill m ake it in sta n tlycea se why , the re fo re , do e s n otthe con tin uous pre ssure of the bowm ilita te aga in st the produc tio n o f sound ? An sw e r : be ca use it

'

l‘

HE B o w . 101

is n ot co n tin uous, ow ing to the pre se n ce o f the ro sin . I f the ho w

w e re qui te fre e from ro sin , so lo ng a s it to uched the string, o rw e re draw n ac ro ss it

,the con ta c t w ould be pe rfe c t a n d co n

tin u ou s,a n d a s a n atura l re sult the existe n ce o f vibra tion s w o u ld

be ren de red im po ssible . When , ho w eve r, the sm oo th surfa ce o f

the ho rseha ir is roughen ed by in fin ite sim a l pa rticle s o f ro sin,the

how do e s n ot touch the str ing w ith a con tin uous pre ssure,but

ow ing to the pre se n ce o f the ro sin,the string re ce ive s a con stan t

,

though infin ite sim a lly in te rm itten t succe ssio n o f shocks,w hich

ren de rs the succe ssion o f vibra tio n s so rapid a s to appea r co ntin uou s . I tw ould take too long to d iscuss the sc ie n tific prin c iple sinvo lved by this sim ple phen om e n o n

,but the above expo sition

w ill show tha t the bow a nd ha ir a re bo th se con dary in im po rta n ce

,the true m agica l pow e r o f them both lying in the obscu re

an d un n o ticed ro sin . Whe reve r bow in strum en ts a r e used,

ro sin is an inva riable adjun ct. O n prim itive bow in strum en ts,

such as the urhe en of the Chin e se,a nd the rava na stro n of the

abo rigin al Hin du, the ro sin is a lw ays found in a little dirtlum p

,stuck on the top o f the cylinde r be a ring the skin

,w hich

se rve s a s the soun d- boa rd o f tho se ha rm on ious in strum e n ts .I n the u rheen e spe c ia lly

,w hich ha s but tw o strings, an d w ho se

bow is w o rked betw een them,the con ven ien ce o f this prim itive

a rra ngem e n t is obvious,fo r w ith a co uple o f rubs the perfo rm e r

ca n ro sin his bow du ring a ha lf- ba r’s,

re st in his perfo rm an ce .

Pagan in i is sa id to have played exquisite ly on his vio lin w ith a

rush,w ith a view to an n ihila ting a se lf- co n fiden t I ta l ian am a teur

,

w ho m a tched him se lf aga in st the “ Imm o rta l Trickste r.” I f

you ga the r a comm on rush, you w il l find tha t its surfa ce is quite

rough en ough to have the m e cha n ica l e ffe ct o f pow de red ro s in ,

w hich a ccoun ts for the po ssibility o f the above pe rfo rm an ce .

Like the v io lin,the bo w ha s been subje c ted to m a n ifo ld im

prov em en ts,and ha s su rvived them a ll in its abso lute sim plic ity

,

a s de te rm in ed by Tourte . Am on gst the m o st striking of the seis the fo lding bow ,

m ade to go w ith the fo lding vio lin , m en tion edin Chapte rV. I t com e s in ha lf w ith a jo in t a n d a fe rrule

,l ike a

fishing- rod

,a n d

, curiously en ough, do e s n ot seem to be a s se riouslya ffe cted by this e ccen tr ic it of con stru ction

,a s it m ight be ex

pe cted to be . The la te B . Vu illa um e in troduced stee l bow s,but I have n eve r com e a cro ss a ny spec im en of so pon de rou sa n eccen tric ity

,o the r than the on e in the So uth Ke n sington

Museum . O n e in troduction , how eve r, o f his w hich ha s survived,is his se lf- ha iring bow ,

w hich is still m an ufa ctured byMr . Ge o rgeWithe rs

,an d is reproduced by his pe rm ission in Fig 68. The

he ad, it w ill be seen , ha s n o face - pla te (P, Fig. and thoughthe n ut a nd sc rew w o rk in the u sua l m an n e r. the n u t is a p la in

102 VI OLIN-MAK ING : A s I T WAS AND I S

piece o f ebony it ha s n o w edge - box,slide

,The ha ir fo r

the se bow s is so ld in the right le ngths, be ing te rm in a ted at e achend by sm a ll cylin drica l piece s

,w hich slip in to tw o ho le s cu t in

the head a n d n ut, (a s in the illustra tion ), to re ce ive them . I t w ill

be obse rved tha t though abso lute ly iden tica l in outw ard a spectw ith the o rdin a ry fo rm s, n ot a pa rtic le o f glue is em ployed at anypo in t o f the bo w ,

an d tho se w ho have eve r taken a fiddle an d bowthrough the Can a l to I n dia w ill fully appre c iate the bo on thu scon fe rred upon them . I n M. Vu illa um e

’

s o rigin a l form the ha irw a s fitted in a pre c ise ly sim ila r m an n e r, bu t the n utw a s glued fa stand im m ovably to the stick the ha ir w as fitted to a sm a lle r bra z enn u t

,w hich by m e an s o f the screw w o rked backw a rds and for

w a rds in side the la rge r ebony on e . The advan tage cla im ed w a s

tha t the distan ce be tw een the n u t an d head (and con sequ en tlv

the length o f the ha ir) n eve r va ried .

Mr . Bishop in his m o st va luable appendix to his tran slation o f“Otto on the Vio lin (v ide n o te 1

,p . 20) (w hich, w ith his n o te s o n

the text, con stitute the gre a t an d so le va lue of the w o rk) a sse rtstha t the va ria tio n s o f the m ovable n u t a re ca lcula ted to a ffe c t theto n e o f the pe rfo rm e r. Mr . Bishop

,o f course , speaks ex ca t/tedr d

F I G . 68,— Se l f-h a ir in g B ow .

but,pe rson a lly, I do n ot con side r the infin ite sim a l adva n ce an d

re trea t o f the n u t,to suit va rious style s o f playing, to be in

any w ay de trim en ta l to exe cution o r just intona tio n on the

in strum en t.Red ho rseha ir ha s been recomm ended in pre fe ren ce to w hite

,

a s“ biting be tte r, co n sequen tly o n the a c tio n o f the dye but

this is a fa lla cy, a s its on ly effect is to produce a coa rsen e ss o fto n e . D r . J . Nicho lso n , w ho in ven ted a huge cum brous fo rmof fiddle

,so heavy in w o od a nd co n structio n tha t it could be

used fo r co rkin g bo ttle s m uch be tte r tha n fo r “ discou rsingdu lce t m e lodye ,

” in trodu ced fo r the purpo se o f evoking its thre eho rse - pow e r ” ton e , a huge bow , w ho se stick w a s ha lf a n in chthick a t the n u t

,and bom be

’

in the ce n tre .w h ich w as fitted w ith

r ed ha ir, a n d m ade o f som e light w o od,w hich m ake s them w on

de r fu lly light in propo rtion to‘

the ir siz e . The se fiddle s a nd bow s\ spe c im en s o f w hich m ay be se e n in M. Ge o rge s Cha n o t

’

s shOpin Wa rdour S tree t) a r e curi o sitie s in the ir w ay, but deadly ino the r re spe c ts.‘ The ce lebrated bo w -m ake rs a r e n ot m any in

A com plete de scr i ption o f th em ,w ith f u ll s i z e d iagram s , w a s pr in ted for the

in ve n tor u n de r the title of D e sign s a nd Plan s fo r the Con stru ction a n d

Arra ngem en t o f the New Mod el Vi o lin (Lo n don , la rge fo lio .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER V.

THE VIO LIN,I TS VAGARIES AND ITS VARI EGATORS.

Perfection o f the Existin g Form — Earth en w are , Me ta l , Lea the r , Papier Mflché

a n d Eccentr ic Vio l in s.— Tr um petVio li n .

— Pea r -sh aped Vio l in .- Hu lskam p

’

s

Vio l in Po lychord Vio l in s.— I soard

’

s.— D ubo i s.

— Vu Il la um e .—Hoen se l .

Haw k i n s. Sin cla ir .— Wylde

’

s Nage lge ige , o r Na i l -Vio l in . Boxw oodVio li n . How e ll . J acqu e

’s.— Be l l . Ro bertson . Co llin s. How e l l .

Mo llen hau er .— Gu itar -shape d Fidd les. —Ga lbuse ra .

- F. Chan ot.—Sava rt

’

s

Trape z o id Vio l in .—Paten t Repa i rs.

I HAVE o ften be en a sked by pe rso n s un a cqua in ted w ith the

con struction o r fu ll pow e rs o f the vio lin,How is it o n e n eve r

hears of improvem en ts to the vio lin ? P ia n o s,a n d inde ed a ll

o the r m usica l in strum e n ts,adva n ce in pe rfe ction w ith the m a rch

o f progress, but the fiddle seem s to stand still.”This is pe rfe ctly

true ; at lea st, it is n e ce ssa ry to se a rch the m o st Obscure source sfo r n otice s o f im provem e n ts to the vio lin

,

”— im provem en ts on lyi n n am e and o n adve rtisem en ts

,w hich live the ir sho rt ex1sten ce s,

kn ow n on ly to the few w ho a re brought in to con tact w ith thein ve n to r, and go ou tw ithout leaving a tra ce behin d. The rea sonfo r this is n ot fa r to se ek. The vio lin

,ca lled a s it justly is the

king of in strum en ts,

” is pe rhaps the o n ly hum an con tr ivan ce ,w hich, taken a s a w ho le

,m ay be pron oun ced to be— perfect.

I f you w il l turn to page 125 you w ill find the fo llow ing pa ragraph : Let us lo ok at the tou t en semble 0a fiddle . Wha t isit ? I t is a ho llow box

,from 13 to 14 in che s in len gth at the

w ide st part, 8% in che s, and at the n arrow e st 4% in che s, broad .

I t is about 2% in che s de ep at the deepe st pa rt,a nd w e ighs about

8% oun ce s . Beyo n d this w e have a n e ck te rm in a tin g in a scro ll,

w hich,w ith pegs, finge r- boa rd

,a nd ta il- pie ce o f ebony

,bring the

w e ight up to about tw en ty oun ce s. The w on dro us capabilitie sa nd w onde rful equilibrium o f a ll the parts m ay be sum m ed upin on e sho rt se n ten ce— it suppo rts a ten sion o n the strin

gs o f

68 lbs., and a ve rtica l pre ssure on the bridge o f 26 pounds.This exquisite m a chin e , stan ding apa rt in its m yste rious

sim plicity from the vulga r he rd o f in strum en ts of m e lody an d

ha rm o ny,is capable o f expre ssing m o re by its un a ided vo ice

tha n a ll the rest put to ge the r ; a nd w hen this has been sa id,

THE VI O LIN,rr s VAGARIES AND ITS vxsm ox'

ro s s. 105

a re w e n ot pe rfe c tly justified in ascribing to it the a ttribute o f

pe rfection an d is it extrao rdin a ry that a ny a ttem pted im provem e n t on ly prove s to be a de te rio ra tion

,an d tha t to this day w e

say to the fiddle in the w o rds o f Ca rdin a l Wo lseyI ch a rge the e , fling a w ay am bition ,

By that sin fe ll the a nge ls

I n the ye a r 1804, Ern st, the ce lebra ted vio lin ist a n d Con ce rtdire c to r to the P rin ce o f Saxe- Coburg- Go tha

,w ho w a s a lso a

pra ctica l fiddle -m ak e r l and experim e n ta list,w ro te a s fo llow s 2

Afte r the n um e rous a nd repea ted e ssays w hich I have m ade

in the con struction o f the vio lin fo r m o re tha n tw e n ty yea rs, Ihave com e to the con clusio n tha t its fo rm an d . m an ufa c ture as

they have com e dow n to us from the be st I ta lia n m a ste rs,a re

n o t susceptible o f a ny im provem e n t,e spe c ia lly a s rega rds the

body o f the in strum en t.” I t ha s ve ry justly be e n rem a rked,

P lum fa cia n t Izom ines e con suetud ine qu am e r a tion e,a n d a s

though to con tradic t this m axim,an d from a fe e ling o f in de

penden ce , m any da rin g in n ova tio n s have be e n m ade (o r ra the ra ttem pted) , m any of them the re sults o f ca re fully- applied sc ien ce

,

a nd o f the labours o f in te lligen t a n d lea rn ed m en a s such,they

becom e m o st in te re sting to the vio l in -m ake r,a nd a s such

,it is

the in te n tion o f the pre se n t chapte r to con side r them . Cr im in e

ab un o d isca om nes. First com e s the l ist o f in strum e n ts w hichhave been m ade of va rious a n d w ildly un suitable m a te ria ls

,

begin n ing w ithEa r thenw a r e Vio lin s .

— The re is a spec im en o f this vaga ry inthe Musée de s An tique s

,at Ro ue n

,and an othe r in D e lft fa '

ien ce

in the Musée of the Con se rva to ire at Pa ris , w hich has beenplayed o n (w ith a re sult e a sily an tic ipa ted) by Mon s . Gr. Choque t,the com pile r of the ca ta logue o f the m useum

,who de scribe s it

as n e ithe r pow e rful n o r plea san t.” 3

Meta l Vio lin s— Coppe r,bra ss

,a n d silve r have a ll been used

for m aking fiddle s,the to n e s o f w h ich m ay e a sily be im agin ed.

A n o tice o f the se m ay be found in the Al lgem ein e Mu sika lische

Z eitu ng, v o l . v11.,1804

,page 50. The silve r vio lin w hich ha s

been on view in Mr . D avis ’ s w indow in Gre en Stre e t, Le ic e ste rSqua re , longe r than any living m a n can rem em be r

,is doubtless

a fam ilia r objec t to m any o f my reade rs.

He w a s th e m aste r in fidd le -m ak ing of J . A. O tto , to w hose “Treatise o n

the Constr uc tion of theVio lin"

re fe re n ce has be en m ade in th ese pages.

3 Al lgem c ine Musi ka l ischo Ze i tu ng,‘

vo l . v ii . , 1804, p. 49.

Man y o f m y read ers pr oba bly k n ow Cham pfleu ry’

s (pseudo n ym of

Jul es Fleu ry th e n ove li st) d e lightfu l story , Le Vio lon d e Fa i‘

e n ce ,"

exqu isite ly

got up in éd ition de lu xe by M. D en tu (Pa r is, w h ich re la te s the

adven tu res o f on e of these ch in a fidd les .

106 VI O LIN-MAK IKG : As I T w a s AND 18.

Lea ther Vio lin s .— The re i s on e such to be seen in the m useum

of the Con se rva to ire de Mu sique,in Pa ris

,o f the da te o f 1776

and in the Gen tlema n’

s hf aga z ine, vol . lxxxiii., fo r the ca r 1813,at page 312, w e fin d m en tion of on e Gavin \Vilson , a bo otm ake rof Edin burgh, w ho , having in ven ted a pro ce ss fo r ha rden inglea the r fo r the con stru ctio n o f a rtific ia l lim bs

,etc .

,m ade the re

from a Ge rm an flute and a violin , w hich a re de scribed as“n ot

in fe rio r to any co n structed of w o od.

”

P ap ier-m dehé Vio lin — M. Ge o rge s Chan o t po sse sse s on e o f

the se am ong the curio sitie s w hich cha racte riz e his shop . I t ispa in ted green an d go ld, and is a s hide ous a nd gha stly a s a nything ca n be w hich bea rs a ny re sem blan ce to a fiddle .

Many of m y re ade rs wi ll doubtle ss be fam ilia r w ith the en te rpr ising m endican t w ho pe ram bula te s the co un try playing on

fiddles m ade of o ld m ea t tin s an d c iga r boxe s, which show a

ve ry con side rable ingen uity in the ir m an ufa cture,but w hich it

w ould he obviously fo re ign to ou r purpo se to de scribe in the sepage s. I n the sam e ca tego ry com e the fiddles on e see s m ade

of broom sticks, and the va rious fo rm s o f so rdin i o r m ute vio lin s,w ho se n o ise - producing capabilitie s a re reduced to a m in imumby va rious reduction s an d con to rtion s of shape an d siz e .

Next i n o rde r com e the va rious e ccen tric itie s o f shape,the

applica tio n o f va rious com plica tion s to the beautiful simplicityo f the vio lin , a nd the va rious in strum en ts which have from tim e

to tim e been in troduced,be a ring ecce n tric a rrangem e n ts an d

n um be rs o f strings.Tr ump et Vio lin

— Th is w a s pate n ted in 1854,in Ge rm any,

by Fe rdin an d He ll,and in Englan d by W. E. New ton (1854,

Jan ua ry 25th No . an d con sisted in adapting a ho rn o r a

trum pe t to a vio lin,the m outhpie ce Open ing in to the body o f

the in strum en t at the po in t w he re the n eck jo in s it,the tube

ru n n ing dow n the n e ck u nde r the finge r- bo a rd, a nd the he ll

,

o r m outh,taking the pla ce of the scro ll. I t i s sa id n ot to have

ve ry m uch dam aged the ton e o f the vio lin , but it w a s ve ryhide ous

,a s m ay be eu po sed.

The P ea r - shap ed iolin,o f A. Engleder , w a s exhibited at

Mun ich in the sam e yea r (1854) The corn e rs w e re abo lished,the upper bouts con tra cte d

,an d the low er bouts expan ded

,to

produce the de sired re sult. They w ere , it n eed ha rdly be sa id.

a fa ilure .

I n 1862,a tthe Lon don I n te rn a tion a lExhibition , on eHu lskam p,

a Ge rm an re siden t in New Yo rk,exhibited a fiddle

,the table s

o f w hich could,by a m e chan ism in side the in strum en t, w o rked

by a k ey, be subm itted to a regula r te n sion to su it tha t of thestr ings. The back a n d be lly w e re quite flat

,w hich w a s con

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

108 VIOLIN-MAK ING : As I T WAS AND I S.

kun st, We im a r

,1869) m en tio n s the Vio lon - ten or , inven ted b

the e lde r D ubo is (a Pa risia n am a teur), the four strings o f w hichw e re tun ed a n o ctave be low tho se o f a vio lin . The r a ison d

’

étr e

o f this in strum e n t it is difii cu lt to im a o in e,but a s a n ide a it

is about a s origin a l as the Vio la lin of Ti err Hillm e r. I t w a s

in te nded to supe rsede the vio la,o r act a s a n in te rm edia ry

be tw e e n it a n d the vio lo n ce llo .

J . B . Vu illaum e in troduced,in 1855, a n e w m ode l fo r the

te n o r, w hich w a s m uch broade r a n d de epe r,a nd co n seque n tly

m o re difficult to play tha n tha t in o rdin a ry u se . The sein strum en ts w e re co n structed on scie n tific prin ciple s

,so tha t the

m a ss o f con ta in ed a ir should give a n o te o f 3413 3 vibra tion s tothe secon d

, giving the n o te F,w hich is the right sc ie n tific

p ropo rtion a cco rdin g to the discove rie s o f Fe lix Sava rt. Theyw e re tried a t the Brusse ls Co n se rva to ire , an d the ir to n e w as

found to be m o re like that o f a vio lin,a n d tw ice as po w e rful a s

tha t o f a n o rdin ary vio la,but they did n o t com e in to un ive rsa l

u se fo r the re a so n s given above .

Vio lin s w ith the upper a n d lower bou ts of the sa m e s iz e,have

been con structed by m o re tha n on e expe rim e n ta list. I n 1808,

w e find a re co rd o f such an o n e,w ith the bridge se t in the

ce n tre ; an d in 1811, on e J ean An to in e Hoe n se l,luthie r a nd

cham be r m usic ian to M. le D u e de Schoen burg, cla im ed a tte n tionfo r a sim ila r o n e

,w hich he a sse rted to have be e n inven ted by

him in 1801.

I n the y e ar 1800 J . J . Haw kin s to ok out a paten t (No . 2446)fo r a vio lin

,w hich had n o side s o r ba ck, but on ly a strong rib

run n ing be n e a th the be lly,on w hich w as set the soun d - po st

,

w hich pre ssed up on the be lly by m e an s o f a spring. We a re

to ld tha t the m e re loudn e ss o f a fiddle w a s little im pa ired bythis ruin ous pro ceedin g, though even this is a m a tte r fo r

co n side rable doubt ; at any ra te , it is a ckn ow ledged tha t thequa lity o f ton e w a s abso lute ly de stroyed. I t is sa id tha t hecomm itted the van da lism o f ruin ing a va luable Stradiu a r ius bythe applicatio n o f his ridiculous con triva n ce . F ia t exp er im en tam

in corp or e vi li, but spa re the m a ste rpiece s o f Crem o n a .

Mr . D avidson re fe rs to the in ve n tion s of on e Sin cla ir, a Sco tchm ake r

,w ho

,at the com m e n cem e n t o f the ce n tury

,produced

various tria ngula r fiddle s w ith a rra n gem en ts o f sym pa the ticstrings fo r in crea sing the son o rity o f the bow ed strings byco n so n a n t vibra tio n

,a n d a lso a struc ture w ith tw o sets o f strings

o n e above the o the r,a n d so fa r dista n t a s to a llo w e ithe r set to

be played upo n by pa ssing the bow be tw e e n them . O f a sim ila rn a ture a re the productio n s of o the r m ake rs

,w ho

,ha ving tim e to

e xpe rim e n ta liz e,have co n struc ted vio lin s w ith double string s

THE VI O LIN, l i'

s VAGA r uES AND 11'

s VAR I EGATO RS . 109

(like a m a n do lin e ) , tun ed e ithe r in un ison or o cta ve s. A few

Vea r s a fte r the above , w as bo rn an o the r Sco ttish vaga ry, whichwa s a double vio lin , having on e ba ck, be lly, an d side s, but tw on e cks, bridge s, ta il - pie ce s, a n d se ts of strings it ha s be e nde scribed as a loud, ha rsh- ton ed in strum en t, o f little o r n o va lue ,excepting a s a curio sity.

I n the yea r 1740 a Ge rm a n m usic ian , n am ed J ohan n Wilde ,living in St. Pe te rsburg, inven ted a cu rious in strum en t ca lleda Na il- vio lin (in Ge rm an

,Nagelgeige, Nagelha r m on i/ca , E isen

v io lm e). I ts in ve n tio n se em s to have be e n a cc ide n ta l, fo r it isthus de scribed by Mr . Ca rl En ge l O n e eve n ing, afte r re turni ng hom e from a con ce rt,Wi lde , in han ging his vio lin bow o n a

n a il a cc iden ta lly produced a to n e by draw in g the ha ir o f the bowove r the m e ta l

,w hereupo n he con ce ived the idea o f co n str u ctin or

a m usica l in strum en t o f n a ils. An d tha t he ha s succe eded in

produc ing a fin e - ton ed,if n ot a pra ctica lly re comm en dable

in strum en t, w ill probably be gran ted by a ll who draw the la rge

F I G . 69.— Nagelge ige o r Eisen v ioh n e (Wilde).

bla ck- ha ired bow ove r the iron pin s. The bow is be st m ade

w ith bla ck ha ir,fo r w hite ha i r is so fte r, a n d do e s n o t

‘ bite ’

so

we ll fo r such an iron fiddle . I t m ust a lso be plen tifully sup) lied w ith ro sin to m ake it bite w e ll .” I t w a s he ld in the le fthand by a ho le unde rn e a th . Mr . Enge l give s a figure o f itw hich I reproduc e , Fig . 69. I n 1780 it w a s im proved byadditio n o f sym pa the tic strings, w hen Sen a l, a n a rtist o f Vien n a ,excelled upo n it. The n a ils dim in ish in le ngth a s the n ote s ge thighe r, an d the chrom a tic n a ils a r e slightly ben t. I n 1791, o n e

Trage r produced a n a rrangem e n t o f it, w o rked by keys, c a lledNagelcla vier . I t is in te re sting a s a curio sity in the w ay o f how

in strum e n ts.I n the South Ke n sington Museum

,and figured a n d fully

de scribed in the ca talogue the re o f, is a m o st curious vio lin ,

m ade o f boxw o od,da ted 1578. I t i s o f a que e r a n d cum brous

shape,be in g i n the fo rm of a w edge , w hich n a rro w s at the thick

é '

ld to a so rt o f n e ck, w hich is fo rm ed by a round ho le to adm i t

VI OLIN-MAKING : As i r w a s AND i s .

the hand,the shift be ing thus rende red im po ssible . I t is car ved

a ll ove r w ith various rura l a nd a llego rica l sce n e s, a nd,a s m ay

be suppo sed,the ton e is ve ry po or. I t is de scribed by Haw kin s

a nd Burn ey in the ir Histo rie s of Music the latte r de sc ribe s ita s having n o m o re ton e "

tha n a m ute o r vio lin w ith a so rdin e .

I t is sa id to have been given to the Ea rl of Le ice ste r byQueen E liz abe th, and has both the ir coa ts of a rm s in silve r onthe finge r

- board. I t is, pe rhaps, o n e of the m o st in te re stingfiddle s (if it can be so ca lled) in existen ce (vid c p.

I n 1835 Thom a s How e l l to ok ou t a

pa ten t (No . 6964) fo r a n ew fo rm o f

vio lin,w hich is repre sen ted at Fig. 70.

I ts obje ct w as,by sho rten ing the uppe r

bouts an d le ngthen ing the finge rbo ard,to fa cilita te playing in the uppe r shifts,and obvia ting “ tha t in e legan ce o factionw hich is so m uch com pla in ed o f

,even

in the m o st expe rt pe rfo rm e rs .” The

back an d be lly w e re flat,the ta il- piece

glued to the in strum e n t, to be “ou t

o f the w ay o f the chin ,

”an d the soun d

ho le s reve rted to the fo rm in vogue inthe fifte e n th ce n tu ry.

I n 1856 a c le rgyman (the Rev .

Ge orge Ja cque ) took ou t a pa ten t (No .

1684) fo r adaptin g to the vio l in and

en c lo sing w ithin it a serie s o f sym pathetic strin s, se t oblique ly a cro ss thein te rio r of t e in strum en t. They couldbe taken out, tun ed, and repla ced byan open ing in the low e r bouts . He

thought in this w ay to in c rea se the

son o rity o f the in strum e n tF I G. 70.

—How e ll’

s P aten tVio l in .I n 1858 0116 He n ry Be ll Paten ted a

(1335' de sign (No . 2823) fo r applying a

fla tte n ed gla ss cylinde r to the in terio r of a vio lin w ith the sam eOb

°

e ct.JI n the sam e yea r (No . 2587) John Robe rtson pa ten ted a

device fo r in cre a sing the ton e o f vio lin s b grooving o u t the

so ft pa rt of the pin e of the be lly, so a s to eave on ly the fibre sstan din g ou t. He thought tha t in this w ay the Vi bra to rysurfa ce w ould be in c re a sed, an d the fiddle the reby im proved .

I n 1866 Hen ry Be ll, the pa te n te e o f the la st con trivan cebut o n e , to ok o u t an o the r pa ten t (No . 2071) fo r in crea sing and

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

112 VI O LIN- MAKING : AS I T WAs AND I S.

in side a dom ed ca se A,w hich had a c ircula r ho le B in the

m iddle to adm it the bridge , w hich re ste d o n the circula r be lly,and w a s fo rm ed like a vio lo n ce llo bridge . Spa ce fo rbids m ygo ing in to the the o ry o f this in strum en t he re ; it is repre

sen ted in pla n a nd in se ction in Fig . 71. The ba ss ba rw a s curved a s at C, a nd the sound- po st w a s repla ced by a

heavy m e chan ism which hung to the left side o f the be lly a s

at D . The n e ck had a pro tube ra n ce E co rre spon ding to the

shoulde r in the o rdina ry fo rm,a n d an o the r O pen ing F fo r the

high shifts. I t w a s he ld by a chin re st G, an d w a s fitte d w ithpa te n t pegs, w hich a r e repre sen ted in Fig. 72. The diagramexpla in s itse lf. The string is tun ed by turn ing A, a n o rdin a rythu m b -pie ce ; w hen the string is tun ed, the screw 0 is turn edby the m illed head B

,pre sse s the pla te D aga in st the cheek o f

the scro ll E,a n d preve n ts the

Tpeg from slippin g.

Tw o ye a r la te r (1879, Lo . 3022) o n e How e ll pa ten ted a

m o st curious in strum e n t,the str ings o f w hich w e re set along

the s ide, the n e ck be ing fo rm ed by a long ho le in the side toadm it the hand in its w ay it w a s in te re sting , an d e spe cia lly so

to a coustic ian s, w ho could thus te st the re sults o f the vibra tion so f the strings be ing tra n sm itted lo ngitudin a lly to the fibre s o f

the w o od , in stead o f ve rtica lly . He paten ted seve ra l m odifica

tion s o f the in strum en t o n the sam e prin ciple .

Still m o re la te ly (1881, No . 621) E. R. Mo llenhaue r, o f New

Yo rk,obta in ed pro te ctio n fo r a de sign fo r dividing the in side

o f the fiddle in to tw o cham be rs , by m ean s o f a fiddle - shapedplan k re sting on a supplem e n ta ry side - lin ing, set roun d the

ce n tre o f the ribs. He c la im ed by this m e a n s to in crea se theson o rity o f the in strum e n t. Com m e n t is n e edle ss.1An o the r in te re sting vaga ry is the Fo lding o r Trave lle r’ s

Vio lin . The n e ck of this in strum e n t,the body o f w hich is long

a n d n a rrow,com e s off w ith the finge r

- boa rd,a s do a lso the

bridge , ta il- pie ce , a n d ta il- pin , a ll o f w hich,w ith a fo ldin g bow ,

fit in to a sm a ll re cta ngula r ca se . As a curio sity, it is go od, an da s a que stion of ton e an d con ven ie n ce , it is n ot bad . At thesam e tim e , it w ill go in to a po rtm an tea u

,an d is am using and

han dy on o cca sion s w he n on e do e s n ot w an t the fuss of ca rryinga full -gro w n fiddle .

I have re ce ived from Han o ve r a m o st in te re sting curi o sity inthe vio lin l in e . I t is ca lled the Lof elgeige (spo on - fiddle ), a n d

Coun t Lu igi Fra n cesco Va ldr igh i devoted on e o f h is Mu surgia n a (No . 9)to th e d iscussion o f these fidd le s, prom pted th e r eto appa re n tly by Mr . A. J .

Hipk in s’

a rtic le in Musi ca l Op i n io n a nd Mus ic Tr a de: Review . I t is en titled ,Gli strum en ti ad a rco rin fo rz ati d e l Sig. E. Mo llenhav er . Cen n i Mon ografici(Mod ena , a nd give s d esc r iption s in br ie f of m a n y vaga r ie s su ch as w e

a re n o w d isc u ssin g

THE VI O LIN, I TS VAGARIES AND I TS VARI EGATORS . n 3

is m o re a joke am o ng m usic ia n s than anything e lse . I t is

fo rm e d o f o n e so lid pie ce o f w o od dxke a soup- ladle , an d isrepre sen ted in fron t and side Vi ew i n Fig. 73. The

bo w l is sco oped ou t

,and de cked, as i t w e re , Wi th a th i n de a l

soun d -boa rd

,pie rced w ith tw o sm a ll ova l sound- ho le s. The

he ad is o f a curious hook shape , a nd can boa st of the sam e

advan tage s tha ti

w e re c la im ed fo r the reve rsed scro ll o f M,

Chan o t, w hich is n o ticed be low . An o rdin a ry Vi o lln bridge ism o un ted o n the be lly, to ra ise the strings j ust c lea r o f the longn eck . I t ha s n o ta i l- pie ce , but the stri ngs a re a tta ched to lo opso f D string, w hich com e from pegs se t un de rn ea th the fiddle ,ove r a so rt o f re st m ade o f tin

,w hich

.

pro te cts the low e r edgeof the bow l . I ts ton e is curious, a s m ight be expected.

The la te st thing o f the so rt I havecom e

‘

a cro ss ha s be en a fiddle o f

Russian m an ufa cture (on Mirecourtprin c iple s o f con struc tion ) , w hichis n ow be ing so ld a t abou t a guin eain the m usic shops. This fiddle diffe rsfrom the o rdin a ry fo rm in tha t it ha sn o proje cting edge s, w hich is a gre a tm istake

,fo r it is pra ctica l ly im

po ssible un de r the se c ircum sta n ce sto take o ff the belly in ca se o f n e ed .

How eve r,like the Se raphin e

,

”

“E c le on,

” “Zephy rophon e , an d

o the r absurdly n am ed e cce n tric itie so f bra n - n ew vio lin m an ufa cture

,the y

a re m ade I pre sum e to find a

m ark e t am on g am ateurs w ho like tohave so m e thing o ut o f the com m on

,F I G . 73 4 1033139 39 0”

a t the expe n se o f the i r o w n con ven ien ce an d o the r pe ople ’ s ea rs .En ough o f the se m in o r vaga rie s . I f n e ce ssa ry

,I could fill a

thick qua rto w ith them . Such a s they a r e,they a re in te re sting

a n d be n eficia l a s w a rn ings i t rem a in s o n ly to n o tice tw o in te ll ige n t a n d sc ien tific expe rim e n ts (I w il l n ot in sult them byc a llin g them vaga r ie s) . I a l lude to the guita r- sha ped vio lin s o f

M. Fra n co is Cha n o t, a n d the trape z o id vio lin o f M. le D o cteurFélix Sava rt, to w hom the w o rld o f vio lin s ow e s so m uch fo r hisva luable a nd devo ted sc ie n tific re se a rche s in to the fo rm s and

an a litie s o f the Crem o n e se an d o the r vio l in s.Gu ita r - shap ed Fiddles have be e n m ade in a ll coun trie s a n d a ll

age s , sin c e the in ve n tio n o f the fiddle prope r in th e sixte en thce n tu r y . M. Ga llay ,

in his “Luthie rs I ta lien s,

”m en tio n s the

in te re sting fa ct tha t M. G. Cha ri o t (bro the r o f the n ava l o ffice r8

114 VlO LlN- MAK lM } : a s 11‘ Wa s AND i s .

m e n tion ed be lo w ) had o n ce in his ha nds a vio lin by Stradiva rius ,w hich w a s guita r- shaped, a nd had a fla t be lly. I ha ve myse lfsee n such— the w o rk o f Pe te r Wa lm sley

,Benjam in Ban ks

, an d

o the r o f ou r n a tive m ake rs. I t is a reve rs io n to m ediaeva lism,

w hich is,to say the lea st o f it, feeble an d un im po rtan t.

I n the ye a r 1832 Carlo An ton io Ga lbu se ra , an I ta lian office r,

exhibited, in the Bre ra Pa la ce at Mila n , a vio lin of a guita rshape , w hich he cla im ed to have in ve n ted, but w hich w a s re a llya reproduction o f M. Chan ot

’

s e ssay. He prepa red his w ood bychem ica l m ea n s

,by w hich he c la im ed to get all the re sin ous

partic le s o u t o f it. They w e re c ritic ised a nd a rgued aga in st byM. An to lin i in a pam phle t en titled

,O sse rva z z io n e su du e

Vio lin i e spo sti n e lle sa le de ll ’ I . R. Pa la z z o di Bre ra (Mila n ,

The m o st c e lebra ted in strum e n ts having this fo rm w e re the

vio lin s o f M. Fran co is Cha n o t, a Fre n ch n ava l o ffice r,an d un c le

o f M. Ge o rge s Chan o t, of Wa rdour Stree t, at w ho se shopseve ra l o f the se in strum en ts of a ll type s m ay be se e n . M.

Cha n o t w ould se em to have com m en ced With the sam e lin eof sc ien tific con side ra tion a s did M. Felix Sava rt in the co n stru c

tion o f his trape z o id vio lin, to w hich I shall pre sen tly a llude .

The se vio l in s w e re ve ry favo urably pron oun ced u pon by a

coun c il o f the Academ y,appo in ted to co n side r the ir m e rits

,and

,

indeed,pre fe rred to a m a ste rpie ce o f Crem on a w ith w hich they

w e re com pa red— the in strum en ts be ing a lte rn a te ly played in an

adjo in ing ro om by M. Bouche r,the em in e n t vio lin ist. M. Fetis,

on the o the r han d, stigm a tiz e s them a s n ot w o rth ten fran c sapiece , excepting a s curio sitie s

,an d a m usica l critic in the

Al lgem ein e Mu sika lische Z eitu ng, v ol . xxxn .,fo r Februa ry

,

1820, fin ds con side rable fa u lt w ith the ir ton e . How eve r,fo r a

few yea rs they foun d a m a rke t, be ing so ld at 300 fran cs ea ch,

a nd in la te ye a rs M. Geo rges Cha n o t te lls m e they have rea liz ed£10 to co llecto rs. I am fo rtun a te e n ough to po sse ss a copy of

the Rapport fa it a l’Académ ie de s BeauxArts dan s la Séan ce du3 Avril 1819 au n om de la Se ction de Musique sur le s n ouveauxin strum en ts de m usique (vio lon s, a lto s

,vio lon ce lle s et co n tre

ba sse s) suivan t la fa c ture breve tée de M Cha ri ot, O ffic ie r an

co rps du Gén ie Maritim e,in séré a u Mo n iteur du 22Ao ii t 1817

(Pa ris, four page s 4to . O n the back of the repo rt,w hich is headed I n stitut de Fran ce , Académ ie Roya le de sBeaux Arts

,

” is prin ted a sta tem e n t tha t these in strum en ts a reso ld a t No . 216

,Ru e St. Hon o ré , Pa ssage de s Ma ii r e s

,at the

fo llow ing price s, v iz .— Vio lin s 300 fr .

,Vio la s 300 fr.

,Vio lon

cello s 500 fr .,fo llow ed by the price s o f bow s a n d ca ses fo r

these in strum en ts . The se vio lin s m ay be se e n , as I have sa id ,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

116 VI O LIN-MAK ING : As l'

l‘ WAS AND I s .

the side s,but en d flush w ith them in a r im o f ivo ry, o r ham

w o od , like a guita r. The soun d-ho le s a r e ope n ings o f the

sam e length a s the f f ho les o f the o rdin a ry fo rm,but

,

‘

following the curva ture o f the side s (to w hich they a re se t ra the r c lo se),they take the fo rm of a segm en t o f a c irc le . The rea so n a ssign edfo r this w as that in cutting the o rdin a ry f fo rm ,

a la rge n um be ro f fibre s had to be cut through, an d w e re the refo re n o lo n ge rafl e cred by the vibra tion s o f the bridge . Th e n ew fo rm c la im e d

the m e rit o f reduc ing the se ou t fibre s to a m in im um,and of thus

producing a m axim um o f long fibre s. I t had been de te rm in e dy experim en t tha t the low n o te s of a fiddle w e re prin cipa llyproduced by the lo ng fibre s

,a nd the high n o te s by the sho rt

fibre s (a n d it is on this prin ciple tha t the sound- po st,by pre ssing

upo n the be lly aga in st the bridge , d ivide s the vio lin in to tw o sets

o f sho rt fibres on the side on w hich the high n o te s a re produced,

w hilst o n the o the r side,on w hich the low n o te s a re produced

,

the fibre s a r e in ta ct throughout the length o f the in strum en t) .Fo r when the fibre s unde r the low strings w e re sim ila rly divided(by shifting the soun d- post to the le ft fo o t o f the bridge), thelow n o te s lo st a ll the ir po w e r. M. Chan o t cla im ed fo r his violinthe m e rit

,there fo re

,o f having m o re long fibre s to produce the

low n o te s,a n d m o re sho rt on e s to produce the high o n e s. Th

ba ss ba r is set a s in Sava rt’s fiddle,dow n the exact c en tre on the

jo in o f the be lly. Clo se to the ta il -pin w ill be seen a screw,

which,pa ssing through the ta il- pie ce a n d pressing on the be lly,

en abled the ta il- pie ce to be ra ised,so a s to le ssen the angle

fo rm ed by the strings passing ove r the bridge , and reduce thepre ssure on the be lly at this po in t. A sim ila r con trivan ce tothis w as pa ten ted in E nglan d by o n e Clagge tt, in 1788. Pa ssingthrough the back o f his fiddle w a s a screw ,

w hich,ac ting on the

soun d- po st, e n abled the pre ssure o f this la tte r,aga in st the be lly.

to be regula ted at w ill . M. Chan o t at first propo sed to pla c efre ts upon the finge r - bo a rd

,but a ba n do n ed this de sign on the

sugge stion o f the Coun c il .Tw o ye a rs la te r (in M. Chan o t disca rded (as in Fig. 75)

the ta il- pie c e a n d ta il- pin , a n d the strings w e re fa ste n ed by pinto tw o pla te s o f w o od

,o n e glued o u tside a nd the o ther in side

the be lly,like the string a tta chm en t o f a guita r. The ba r w a s

rem ove d from the ce n tre jo in , a n d shaped like a n a r c,the ce n tre '

o f

which w a s un de r the le lt fo o t o f the bridge , an d w ho se ends on lyappro ached the c e n tre jo in . The so u n d-

po st w a s se t in fron to f in ste ad o f behin d the bridge . The vo lu te o f the sc ro ll w a sturn ed ba ck in stead o f fo rw a rd

,a s is usua l, to give gre a te r

fa cility in m a n ipula ting the en ds o f the strings, e spe c ia lly tha to f the A strin g in side the peg

- box. l I is m em o ria l on th: 3 )

THE VI O LIN, ITS VAGARI ES AND I TS VARIEGATORS . 117

w as read to the Académ ie des Sc ien ce s,on the 24th of

May ,1817.

'

A fu l l de scription o f it m ay be found in the D e scriptio n desMa chin e s et l ’ ro cédés Spéc ifiés da n s le s Breve ts d

’

I n vention ,”

118 VIO LIN-MAKING : As IT WAs AND

tom e xv .,p . 161 (Pa ris, And a report of its trial before

the Coun c il o f the Academy m ay be found in the “Mon iteurUn ive rse l

,

”22 Aout

,1817 .

S ava r t’

s Tr apez o id Vio lin or B oxy‘idd le w a s on e of the m o st

se lebrated a nd sa tisfa cto ry expe rim en ts eve r tried on the con

stru ction o f the in strum en t. He w a s led to its produ ction bya se rie s o f care fully conduc ted expe rim en ts

,w hich w en t to

prove tha t a plan e surfa ce vibra te s m uch m o re readily thanan arched o r curved on e (2) tha t con sequen tly the re ar e po in tson the surfa ce o f a vio lin o f the o rdin a ry fo rm w he re the vibration s a re reduced to a m in im um

,or cea se a ltoge the r ; (3) tha t

the bouts,co rn e r blocks

,andf f ho le s a re the prin cipa l cause s

and lo ca litie s of this reduced vibra tion . He there fo re con structeda vio lin

,the gen e ra l a spect o f w hich is show n in Fig. 76A and B,

the table s of w hich w e re pra ctica lly plan e,a s show n in B

,

C,and E they w e re plan e on the in n e r surfa ce s, but ve ry

slightly ra ised on the oute r,to suppo rt the in crea sed pressure o f

the strings, caused by the extra he ight w hich it w a s fou nd

n ece ssary to give to the bridge to a l low the play of the how .

The cause of this trape z o id shape w a s n ot founded pa rticula rlyon any scien tific rea son , but tha t it be ing n ece ssa ry to have a

ce rta in con ta in ed m a ss of a ir,this shape w a s be st adapted to

give the in strum en t a n a rrow n e ss at the bridge , w hich w ou lda llow the play of the bow

,and yet have the sam e in te rio r capa city

a s if the side s w e re para lle l but broade r at th is po in t. Arguingtha t the soun d- ho le s o f an o rdin a ry vio lin a r e cutf - shaped on ly

,

so a s to coun te ra ct the re sistan ce the curved surfa ce o ffe rs to thevibra tion s, this n ece ssity be ing absen t in the Savar t fiddle , hecut his soun d- ho le s stra ight, a s show n in A an d D

,Fig. 76, on

the sam e prin ciple a s tho se o f the Cha n o t fiddle— v iz .,tha t it is

expedien t to cu t a s few fibre s o f the w ood a s po ssible and the irexact po sition in the be lly an d distan ce from ea ch o the r, a s

show n in D,Fig. 76

,he de te rm in ed by a se rie s o f practica l

expe rien ce s. The ba r he »

placed dow n the cen tra l jo in t of the

fiddle by a n e rron eous course o f rea son ing, thin king by thism e an s to equa liz e its in fluen ce ove r the en tire surfa ce , w hichw a s

,o f course

,a m istake . He a lso con stru c ted, in som e ca se s,

a bar,a s show n in F

,Fig. 76

,o n ly touching the be lly at a po in t

be low the bridge , w hich he foun d had the sam e effe ct a s the

o the r fo rm (show n in C, D ,a nd E

,Fig. an d w a s m o re durable

but m o re difficult to con struct a nd fix to suit the in strum e n t. He

gave to his side s (w hich w e re m ade o f the sam e w o od a s the

back) 1a thick n e ss o f 11

7 in .

,and

,con side ring tha t the absen ce

o f the curve s w ould suppo rt this substan ce,an d aga in , w ith th is

thickn e ss , he used n o side - lin ings. His soun d- po st,it w ill be

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

120 VI O LIN- MAKING : As 11‘ WAs AND 18.

Le ngth of the body (D , E, a nd F,F ig . 76)

Breadth o f upper en d (D D in D , Fig . 76)Breadth of low e r en d (E E in D , Fig. 76)He ight of br idge (F in C, Fig. 76)Bread th of bridge (F in C, Fig. 76)Length of sound ho les (G G in D , Fig. 76)B readth of soun d ho les 0

D iam eter of ba ck a nd be l ly a t edges 0

D iam ete r of back i n ce n tre 0

D iam ete r of be l ly in cen tre

He ight of blo ck s an d sides 0

D iam ete r o f sides 0

0

0

1.

D iam ete r of block s

Len gth of ba ss ba r (A A in D a n d E,Fig . 76) l

Bre adth of bass ba r at en ds

Bread th o f ba ss ba r in cen tre (A in C, D ,a nd E, Fig. 76)

Breadth of low e r block , n arro w side (H i n D ,Fig. 76)

B readth of low e r block , broad side (I in D , F ig. 76)From nu t to to p of br idge

D epth of bass ba r at en d s (A A in D a n d E, F ig. 76)

m pth of ba ss bar in cen tre (A in C, F ig. 76)D epth of ben t bar th rough out (J J J in F, Fig.

t-o

'

w

mU'

N

w

t-U

lv

O

O:

N

“PM”

I

1

0

1

2

12 °

0

0

0 i t

The se,the re fo re

,a re the prin c ipa l a lte ration s w hich have been

attem pted, a ca reful study o f w hich o n ly de te rm in e s the w ouldbe fiddle m ake r

,sta r e sup er via s a n tiqua s .

P a ten t Rep a ir s have bee n the ruin of m any Splen did fiddle s

in form e r yea rs, though n ow adays pe ople a re m o re c a re ful oftrusting va luable in strum e n ts to the first qua ck who in ven ts som e

pa ten t ope ra tion w hich w ill in cre ase the va lue o f a ny fiddle,

acco rding to his ow n a ccoun t,te n fo ld . O n e Maupe rtuis, in

an a rtic le , “ Su r la Fo rm e de s I n strum e n ts dethe Me

’

m oir es dc l’

Acade’

m ie Roya le des Scien ces, 1724, p.

dec la red tha t the ton e o f a fiddle is to be im proved by breakingit to piece s and havin

git pie ce d toge the r aga in by a good

w o rkm an . He a rgue s us - tha t the vio lin ought to be m ade

up of fibre s o f diffe re n t le ngths, so a s to have som e o f a s iz e tosuit eve ry n o te on the com pa ss of a fiddle . An idea com plim en ta ry to the m usica l pow e rs of glue , but deadly in pra ctice .

Othe r fiddle - de a le rs and ow n e rs a re a lw ays tin ke rin g up the irin strum en ts by gluing in slabs o f w o od he re , gouging o u t laye rsth e re , sho rten ing o r le ngthen ing the ba ss ba r

,a nd shifting the

bridge a nd sound- po st abo ut,till the vio lin

,a s it w e re

,in ve ry

in dign atio n a t such tre a tm e n t, re lapse s in to a sulle n o r con fusedsilen ce , un til prope rly regula ted by a n a rtist o f the trade . I t

Mém o ire su r la Con struction des I n strum en ts a co rde s et a a rchet (Pa r is .

a nd a n exce l len t r esumé of this Mém o ir e ”appea rs a t p. 246 o f No . 400

o f th e P en n y Maga z i n e for J uu e 30th . 1838, en titled , How to m a k e a Chea pVio l in .

THE VI O LIN,ITS VAGARIES AND ITS VARIEGATORS . 121

is,as has be en a lready po in ted out

,a lm o st fa ta l to de stroy, by

thin n ing the w o od in o ld vio lin s, the provisio n the co n scien tiouso ld m ake rs la id up fo r tim e to expend its stre ngth upon . I t isa lm o st equa lly so to pa tch up a fiddle

,w hich has been subjected

to this de struction ,w ith n ew w o od it stands to rea son tha t the

vibra tion s m ust be ve ry se riously im pa ired by a stra tum o f glueand a slab o f n ew w o od, w ho se fibre s do n o t co in c ide w ith there st o f the in strum en t. The a cm e of sho rt- sighted a nd de stru c

tive repa ir is rea ched in a ca se w hich o ccurred,a cco rding to

Mr . D avidson , at the begin n ing o f this cen tu ry . He m e n tio n sthe ca se o f a Sco tch am a teur, who be in g po sse ssed o f a sple ndid Stradiva ri vio lin of the la rge pa tte rn , had it cu t down

sm a lle r,m ir abi le dicta , at the sugge stion o f the ce lebra ted J . P .

Sa lom on . The fiddle subsequen tly so ld fo r £56. Le tte rs pa ten tw ere gra n ted to J . P . Gro sje an , in 1837 No . fo r coa tingthe surfa ce s o f vio lin s w ith glue an d po w e rcd gla ss, to im pro vethe ir ton e

,a pra c tice about a s in te llige n t a s that of on e

We icke rt,of Ha lle

,w ho

,at the begin n ing o f the cen tury,

im agin in g tha t the lo ss of the re sin ous pa rtic le s from the w o od

o f vio lin s by rea so n o f the ir age , (w hich is the grea t adva n tageo f age !) w a s de trim en ta l to the ir qua l ity

,m ade a pra ctice o f

soa king vio lin s in a m ixture o f ro sin d isso lved in pin e o il,to

c lo se the po re s, a n ope ra tion w hich,o f course

,ca used com ple te

a nd i rrem ediable dam age . S im ila r expe rim e n ts have been triedto c lo se the po re s o f the w o od

, (which i t is m o st im po rtan t tohave ope n ,) w ith w hite o f egg a n d o the r such m a tte rs

,a ll o f

w hich O pe ra tion s m ay be c la ssed w ith the re st o f the “pa te n trepa irs I have he re en um e ra ted

,an d on a ll o f which com m en t

is n e edle ss. But they se rve as w a rn ings to the ow n e rs o fva luable in strum en ts, n ot to e n trust the ir fiddle s to the ha nds o f

m usica l quacks . I f yo u thin k your vio lin w a n ts anything do ingto it

, go to o n e o f the heads o f the pro fe ssio n fo r advice ; a

re spe ctable dea le r o r repa ire r w i ll n eve r do a n ything supe rfluousto your fiddle fo r the sake o f the jo b a nd the lo ve o f his a rt

w ill be subse rvie n t to his in te re st in his pro fe ssio n . l can n ot

do be tte r than con clude this chapte r w ith the highly epigram m a ticrem a rk m ade by Mr . J . Pe a rc e in his “Vio lin s a n d Vio linMake rs

,

” Be w a re o f ign o ran ce w hich a ssum e s the m a sk of

kn ow ledge , an d o f de sign ing rogue ry which apes the appea r«a n ce o f in n ocen ce .

I L VI OLINO .

”

Ca nto pop o la r e Tex ans .

Mm i ca di L. Go nm e u s l .

O h qua n te vo lte l’h o desidera ta ,

Un dam o av e r che fo sse son a to re,

Un an ge lo del ciel m e l’

h a m anda te,

l o 10 ringra z io del gen til favore.

Qua ndo i1m ul in o d i gra n o m a n ch era,

Co n i1Vio lin o se n e trovera ,

o h quan te v o lts l’ho de sidera to

Un dam o av e r ch e fosse son ator

Un an ge lo del c ie l m e l’ha ma n dato,

LO rin gra z io del gen til fav o r

Bra vo ! Caro lO h l ch e brav o so n ato r l

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

FO'C’

S'

LE YARNS.

AND Tommy had a fiddle too ,

An d I don ’

t k n o w w h at the re w as h e couldn ’t do

With y onde r fidd le , the w ay it’d m ock

Ev e ryth ing— it

’d crow l ik e a cock ,

I t’d h oot lik e a donk ey , it

’d m oo l ik e a cow

It’

d c ry lik e a baby , it’d grun t lik e a sow ,

O r a th rush , o r a pigeon , o r a lark , o r a l in net,

Yo u’

d rea lly a -th ought th ey w e re l iv in g in it.

B ut th e tun e : he w a s play in’— tha t w a s th e th ing.

—Lik e squ ee z in’hon ey from the str in g

Lik e m ilk in ’a fidd le— n o jerk s, n o squeak s

—An d th e te a rs upon th e m isthre ss'

cheek s.

Sh e’d o ften stop h im an d a sk w ou ld he ch ange

To a n ice slow tu ne,a n d Tomm y w ould range

Up a nd dow n th e strings , a n d slithe r

I n to th e k ey th en h e’d feath er

The how ve ry fin e,a n d a so rt 0

’h um

Lik e a bee ro u nd a flow e r,an d o u t it

’

d com e

L. L C. KO ELLII , Mus ic in So ng”(London ) ,

011AFTER VI .

THE WO O D— THE MO D EL.

Th e Vi ol in—Th e Wo ods u sed— Ch em ica lly prepa r ed Wo ods—The Qua lities o f

th e Wood s Who le ,” Ha lf,”a nd “ Sla b Ba ck s—The Mode l— Method o f

Copy ing an O ld Mod e l— Meth od of D raw in g a Ma th em a tica l O utlin e .

is a m a tte r o f con side rable a ston ishm e n t to m a ny pe rson stha t the fiddle took its pre se n t fam ilia r shape , appa ren tly quitesudden ly in the sixteen th ce n tury

,an d

,in spite o f a ll a ttem pts

to cha nge it, a nd in spite of a ll expe rim e n ts m ade w ith a view o f

in troducing o the r fo rm s,ha s kept it eve r sin ce . I t is the obj ec t

o f the pre sen t an d fo llow in g chapte rs to expla in, (1) Why this

fo rm is the be st ; an d (2) How it is obta in ed . Ma ny expe r i

m e n ta lists,m any o f them m e n of u ndoubted ability (am o n g

w hom a re m o st n o tew orthy Chan o t an d Sava rt), have appliedthe ir skill

,sc ien ce

,a n d labour to the d iscove ry o f a m ode l to

supe rsede tha t w hich ha s preva iled from Ga spa ro da Sa le

(1555) to the pre se n t tim e a nd,a s m any o f the se in n ovatio n s

have be en m o st in te re sting to a ll,an d e spe c ia lly in stru ctive to

the fiddle - m ake r,I have m ade the se sc ie n tific vaga rie s the

subje ct o f a re cen t chapte r (Chapte r V. ,p . At pre sen t,

I sha ll con fin e m yse lf to po in ting o u t the a rra ngem en t o f theseven ty pa rts o f a vio lin 1 in the m a n n e r be st ca lcula te d to cha rmby its re sults the m usica l ea r . An d I sha l l po in t ou t the

advan tage s o f this ge n e ra lly a ccepted a rran gem e n t,m o re from a

theo retico - se ie n tific po in t o f view than from a pure ly m echan ica lo n e , leaving this la tte r to its prope r pla ce , i .e .

,to be set dow n

in Pa rt w hen w e have a cquired sufficien t o f the the o ry and

sc ie n ce o f fiddle—m ak ing to be able to put ou r kn ow ledge i n to

pra ctice .

Let us lo ok first at the tout en sem ble o f a fiddle . Wha t is it ?

Th e seve n ty pa r ts are m ade up as fo l lo w s Back , 2 Be lly , 2 Block s, 6Side s, 6 ; Lin ings , 12 ; Ba ss B a r , 1 ; Pu rfling, 24 ; Ta il -piece re st, 1 ; Ta i l

piece , 1 Ta i ie ce fa sten ing, 1 Ta i l -pin , 1 Pegs, 4 Fi nger -bo ard, l Br idge ,1 ; Nut, 1 ; Strin gs, 4 ; Sou n d Po st, 1 Neck a nd Scro l l

,l . Th e Back an d

Be l ly are often fo rm ed o f o n e piece on ly , a nd the pu rflin gs a re often let in , in

36 instead o f 24 piece s. The Ne ck a lso is frequ en tly sepa ra te from the Scro l l,as w i ll be h e reafte r se en .

‘

126 VI OLIN-MAKING : as rr WAS AND 13.

I t is a ho llow box, from 13 to 14 in che s in length, at the w idestpa rt 8% in che s, an d at the n a rrow e st 4% in che s broad. I t is about2% in che s de ep at the de epe st pa rt

,and w e ighs about 8% oun ces

(av o i rdupo is) .l Beyond this w e have a n eck

,te rm in a ting in a

sc ro ll, w hich, w ith pegs, finge r- bo a rd

,and ta il- piece o f ebony

,

bring the w e ight up to about a poun d. The w ondrous capabilities and w onde rful equilibrium o f a ll the pa rts m ay besumm ed up in on e sho rt sen ten ce— it suppo rts a ten sion on thest

6

r i

pbgs3

of 68 lbs,

”a nd a ve rtica l pre ssure on the

‘

bridge of

2 3.

Le t m e an sw er my ow n que stion , “Why is this fo rm the be st?The only a tte m pt I have eve r se en m ade to an sw e r this que stion

I here appen d the exact m ea su rem en ts o f n oted Stradiua rius instr um en ts as

given by M. Vidal . I give th em m ore a s m er e sta tistics th an as gu ides fo r the

practica l luthier in bu i lding a fidd le

l o—VI O LINf 8.

Mi ll i mm.

m e tr es in . m e tr es. ft in

Let of bod y fr om base o f

bu tton to ta i l -p in

B readth across u pper bou ts 61%low er 206= BT

33

in n er 41% 535g

Len gth o f in n er bo uts , fr om

co rn er to corn er p erpen 8 0915= 3%

e m 17% 220 an?

He i gh t o f s id es , u pper bouts 030:

11%in n er u

se

low er 1}Ne ck fr om ch in o f scro ll to

30_ 5

base o f bu ttonl

Le n gth of fin ger -boa rd =10}tMeasu r em en ts tak en 1Measu re m en ts ta k e n

Mea surem en ts tak en fr om “Th e fr om S tra d iu a r iusVio la ,

from S t r a d i u a r i u s

Vu i llaum e ,”or La Messie ,

”S tradi d ate 1723, in th e pos

'Ce llo , be lo n g i n g to M.

ua r .session o f M . 10Vi com te F ra n ch omm e , the ce le o

d e Jan z é . br ate d v i o lon ce llis t.

First string, 23 1bs. ; secon d strin g, 18; lbs. ; th ird strin g, l 4 lbs . fo u rth

strin g, 12; lbs . I n 1734 Ta rtin i d iscov ered the te n sion of the strings to be 63 lbs .

I t m ust be r em em bered that in h is day str ings w e re th in n er a n d bridges w e re

low er than they are n ow . L’Abbé Sibire , in 1806, e stim ated the te n sion a t

64 lbs. I n 1835 M. Fetis sta ted the ten sion to be 80 lbs., but th is is excessive ,and is an e rror .

fl

3 This w e ight h as, o f cou rse , in crea sed to th is am oun t on ly w ith the rise o f

pitch of th e pre se nt c en tury . L’Abbé Sibire in La Che lon om ie (vid c n ote

p. v i i i. Prefa ce ) e stim ates it (in the yea r 1806) at o n ly 24 lbs. Th is ind eed

w as an in crea se on th e pre ssure o f the tim e o f Stra d iu ari us, a nd in the tim e

of the Abbe Sibire (1806) certa in da r in g“resto rer s

”

(sa ve the m a rk 1) used

to place tr a nsver se ba rs across the be lly to suppor t this in crea se . Th is, of

course , is n ever hea rd o f n ow , be ing on e of those vagaries in vented for the

e n richm en t of w hat M. L’

Abbé ra th er qua in tly ca l ls 1e luthier instrum en

tie ide .

"

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

128 VI O LIN-MAK lNG : a s IT w a s AND i s.

som e tim e s used, and the w o od is ou t e ithe r su r m a ille (on thequa rte r) o r w e couehe (on the laye rs) . As to the se m ode s o f

cutting, w e sha ll spea k fa rthe r on (vidc p . 133) it is the n a tu rea nd qua lity of the w ood, on w hich so m uch depe n ds

,tha t w e m ust

n ow co n side r. The w o od m o st sought a fte r fo r be llies is Sw isso r Tyro le se w hite pin e

,o f a fin e (n o t to o c lo se ), eve n gra in .

1

Bo th the m aple a nd the nin e (savs M. Fetis. s id e n o te 9. n .

should be n ot on ly that o f the tre e s grow ing on the south sideo f the fo re st

,expo sed to the su n

,but a lso o n ly the w o od o f

the south side o f the tr ee should be used. L’

Abbé S ibire 2 go e sso fa r a s to say tha t the w o od m ust be take n at a ce rta indistan ce be tw e en the ba rk an d hea rt o f the tre e , a n d be tw e en theboughs a nd ro o t, an d should be cu t in the m on ths o f D ecem be ro r J a nua ry. Acco rding to M. Fétis, in his n o tice of An thonyStradiva ri, the m aple used by the o ld I ta lia n m ake rs cam e fromCro atia , D a lm atia

,a n d even Turkey ; he go e s on to say tha t

i t w a r se n t to Ven ice prepa red fo r ga lley o ars,an d tha t the

Turk s,a lw ays at w a r w ith the Ve n etia n s

,to ok ca re to se le c t

w o od w ith the grea te st n um be r o f w ave s in it,t.e .

,having the

curlie st gra in ,in o rde r tha t it m ight break the soon e r ; tha t

it w a s from these pa rts o f the w o od,in ten ded fo r the row e rs

,

tha t the I ta lia n m ake rs cho se w ha t suited them fo r the m a n ufa cture o f vio lin s. The m aple a n d pin e from the Can ton s o f

Schwytz an d Luc e rn e a re the be st. M. 1e D o cteur Felix Sava rt.3in de ed

,con side red this pre fe ren ce fo r Sw iss a n d Ty ro le se w ood

to be un foun ded , adding tha t he had m ade be llie s o f pin e fromthe Vo sge s, w hich w a s supe rio r to the o ther so rts o f pin e w henve ry dry, a n d w he n it had n ot be e n rafted .

‘ Sim ou tr e (viden ote p . 20) give s the fo llo w ing a s the o rde r o f supe rio rityam ong pin e -w oods : first

,tha t w hich com e s from Sile sia ;

se con dly, tha t w hich com e s from La Va lte lin e,Le s Grison s

,

Le Sim m e n tha l (in the Be rn e se Obe rla n d), th e Va lley o f the

La c de J e ux, an d Le s Bra ssus (Ca n to n o fVaud) in Sw itz e rlandan d thirdly, tha t w hich com e s from the southe rn slope s of theJura - B e rn o is . The be st m aple to be had fo r ou r purpo se , i stha t w hich grow s on the southe rn slope s o f the Ca rpa thia n » .

L’

Abbé Sibi i e , Pr in ce You ssoupo f, an d Sav a rt m en tion ceda r a s m ateria l fo rthe be l ly , but thi s is an e rr or , or , a t a n y rate , on ly an expe ri m en t.

2 L’

Ab bé S ibi re , La Ch e lon om ie,o u le parfa it Lu th ie r (Par is,

2n d Ed itio n (Bru sse ls, 1823, r ide n o te 2, p . v i i i . Pr e fa ce ) .

3 F . Sa va rt,“ Mém o ire su r la con struction dc : I n strum en ts a cord es et a

arch et (Par is,Th e pi ne , w he n out in the grea t fo rests of th e Con .

‘n e n t

,is gen era l ly floated

dow n the ri ve rs to its de sti na tion in large ra fts, w hi ch process of tran spo rt

w ou l d na tu r a l lv affe ct it a n d reta rd i ts d e siccation f r

pu rpo se s o f vio l in

m ak in g

THE WO O D — THE MO D EL.

and in som e parts O f the Ea ste rn Alps. I t is O f the grea te stim po rtan ce tha t the w o od used in fiddle -m aking should be

tho ro ughly dry a nd w e ll- se a so n ed,a n d fo r this purpo se should

be la id fully expo sed to the su n a nd a ir (bu t n ot to ra in )fo r som e five o r six ye a rs

,a t lea st

,be fo re it is used. I f

the w o od is n ot tho roughly dry be fo re it is used, the chan ce sar e tha t it w ill shrin k o r o the rw ise a lte r afte r the fiddle hasbe en m ade som e tim e

,an d thus thickn e sse s prope rly appo r

tio n ed (a s w ill be see n furthe r o n ), at the tim e the vi o lin leavesthe w o rkshop, w ill , by the fin a l drying o f the w o od

,be com e out

of propo rtio n to the in strum en t,a nd the o rigin a l m ake r w i ll

rece ive unm e rited blam e . Stradiva ri,like m a n o f the o ther

great Crem o n a m ake rs,had a kind o f open shed

yo r aw n ing on

the roo f O f his house in Crem o na, w he re his w o od w a s sto red on

rafte rs a ll ready fo r u se, a n d this shed is still to be see n bytho se visito rs to Crem on a w ho ve n ture to e xplo re the ho u se O fthe grea t lu thie r .

l I t is w e ll n igh e stablished tha t n o adva n tageis de rived from a rtific ia l prepa ra tio n o f the w o od, tho ugh m anyre cipe s fo r such a n ope ra tio n have be en sugge sted, a nd, inde ed ,re comm ended. The re is n o do ubt tha t the e a rlie r in strum en ts

o f Vu illaum e w e re m ade O f w o od, baked an d o the rw ise tam pe redw ith

,opera tio n s w hich ce rta in ly impro ved th e ir im xn ad ia te

appea ra n ce , bu t they co u ld n o t la st, a nd a re n ow his w o rstin strum e n ts. He him se lf ve ry soon disca rded a l l ar tificia l prepa r ation . Mr . B ishop

,in his tra n sla tio n o f Otto ’s “Tre atise

on the Vio lin (a u se fu l little w o rk,w ho se va lu e is quad

rupled by the tran sla to r’s va luable a n d in te lligen t n o te s, vide

n o te p. m e n tio n s a pro ce ss discove red in 1839 by on e

Schlick,

fo r depriving w ood O f w ate r, a c id,re sin

, etc .

, byw hich m ea n s he w as e n abled to m ake vio lin s w ith a ton esca rce ly d istingu ishable from tha t o f the be st o ld I ta lia nin strum en ts A bo ld a sse rtion

,truly ! (Cr eda t J udwus

Apello , n on ego .)Am o ngst o the rs he m en tion s a pro ce ss (n o ticed in the B u lletin :

Pa ris, 1822) in opera tio n a tVien n a fo r prepa ring w ood in te ndedto m a ke m u sica l in strum e n ts O f

,by ste am ing it in a ro om o r

che st 10 ft. by 5 ft., m ade o f stro ng boa rds w e ll jo in ed . He

says,This ste am by pen e tra ting the po re s O f the w o od so fte n s

the vege table pa rts, a nd re n de rs them susceptible o f be ingdisso lved . The steam co nde n sed in the che st fo rm s, in the

low e r part,a liquo r, at first bu t slightly co lo u red , w hich ge ts

deepe r as the O pe ra tio n pro ce eds ; a t le ngth it is quite c lea r, a n dThe Rev . H. R. Haw e is in h is m ost recen t w o rk

,My Musica l Life

(Lo n d on , gives (on 314) a m o st d e l ightfu l accou n t of a v isi t to th eho use o f Strad iva r i in the

'

a z z a Sa n D om en i co at Crem o n a .

130 VI O LIN- MAK ING : a s I T w a s AND [8.

acquire s a v e ry de c ided acid ta ste . This is let o ff by a properpipe. The ope ra tion com m o n ly la sts sixty hours . The w o od isa fte rw a rds ta ken o ut and dried in a stove

,hea ted to 42° o r 48

°

Rea um ur o r 140°Fahrenhe it) . The de sicca tion la sts

tw o o r thre e days w hen the boa rds a re ha lf a n in ch thick bu t

if thicke r severa l w e eks, o r eve n m on ths,a re n e ce ssa ry. This

w ood a cquire s such a degre e o f dryn e ss a s to re sist a ll the

va ria tion s o f the a tm o sphe re its co lour in cre a se s in in te n sity,

pa rticula rly the w oo d o f the w a ln u t,che rry

,o r m aple . I t

becom e s firm e r a n d m ore son o rous,w hich is a grea t adva n ta e

fo r m usica l in strum e n ts . Vio lin s a cquire the qua lity o f thee ste em ed o ld in strum en ts

,of w hich the true m e rit is du e

pe rhaps to the slow de sicca tion w hich the w ood com po sing themhas un de rgon e .

” Mackin tosh,in a pam phle t on the “Co n stru c

tion and Ma te ria ls em ployed in the Man ufa cture of Vio l in s(D ublin , 1837) rem arks : I am bo rn e out by traditio n a ryac coun ts in be lieving tha t the Crem o n a m ake rs a ctua lly putthe ir w o od through som e pro ce ss fo r the purpo se

,n ot o n ly o f

pre se rving, but o f clean sing it, an d m aking it, co n seque n tly,a be tte r con ducto r o f sound .

”The sam e autho r

,a cco rding to

Mr . Bishop , sta te s tha t the w ood m ust be n o t o n ly o f firm a n d

r egula r texture , but have po re s o f a ce rta in siz e a n d fo rm a tio n ;an d, above all

,it is e ssen tia l tha t it sha ll have a tta in ed n ot o n ly

full m a turity o f grow th, but sha ll have rem a in ed fo r som e yea rsa fte r be ing fe lled , in o rde r to m ake it fit to go through a pro ce ss,by w hich the pore s (fo r tha t is the grea t obje c t to he a rrived at)m ay be rende red so perfe ctly dried an d c le a red a s n o t a fte rw a rds to be liable to c lo se o r a lte r the ir n a tura l po sitio n

,o r

becom e c ro oked o r irregula r, a s w ould be the in evitable co n se

qu en ce if ou t up imm edia te ly in to thin pie ce s,a s it is the n lia ble

to shrin k, w hich is a lso obje c tio n able, as be ing injurious to the

po re s. When expe rim en ting I have had re course to

ste am ing, ste eping, stoving, bo iling, a nd baking the timbe r :I have a lso used a ll kinds of spirits

, ca ustics, an d a cids but a ll

the se diso rga n iz ed the po re s an d im pa ired the fibre s of the

tim be r,w hich o ught to be in a sound a nd pe rfec t Mr .

Flem ing (vide n o te 1, p . 23) cla im s an adva n tage from ste epingw ood in the m o the r- liq’uo r of sa lt w o rks, as grea tly in crea singthe e la stic ity o f pin e

,and he po in ts out the fact tha t be n e a th

the pin e fo re sts o f the Tyro l, w hen ce the I ta lian m a ste rs go tthe ir w o od

,the re exte nd con side rable sa lt m in e s, w hich, a s he

j ustly rem a rks,had doubtle ss the n

,a s they have do ubtle ss n o w

,

co n side rable ben efic ia l effe cts upo n the qua lity o f the w ood,w hich they thus n a tu r a lly im pregn a te , but it is a lso hope le ss totry to produce this n a tura l e ffe c t bv a rtific ia l m e a n s.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

132 VI O LIN- MAK ING : As rr wxs AND 18.

first ca se expe rim en t ha s proved to u s tha t the vibra tion s a r e

tra n sm itted a long the fibre s o f w o od quic ke st in this po sitio na n d unde r the se c ircum sta n ce s, a nd in the se co n d it w ill berem a rked tha t the ton e o f the Crem o n e se m a ste rpie ce s isa lw ays m o st brillian t w hen this pe rpe n dicula r se tting o f the

gra in ha s been adhe red to . Ca re m ust be taken to se le c t thepin e n e ithe r to o ha rd n o r to o so ft in texture

,an d w ithout any

de fe ct, kn o t, sta in , o r o the r fault.D e a l o w e s its grea t re com m e n da tio n fo r be llie s to its slight

den sity,e la stic ity, a nd vibra to ry pow e rs . I f a rod o f stee l ,

a n o the r o f gla ss, a n d a n o the r o f de a l be take n o f iden tica ldim en sio n s

,they w ill

,w he n sim ila rly struck

,p roduce the

sam e n o te ; there fore , o f the se thre e bodie s dea l is equa l ine la sticity and imm ea surably supe rio r in lightn e ss. Maple ism uch m o re slow to vibra te tha n dea l

,an d con sequen tly a

fourth r od m ade of m aple w ould give a low e r n o te than tha tm ade o f dea l ; an d con sequen tly the ba ck o f a vio lin (m aple)w hen struck

,o r vibra ted a lon e w ith a bow

,w ould yie ld

low e r n o te than the be lly (de a l), if the pla te s w e re o f thesam e thickn e ss, but be ing m ade o f (lif

'

er en t thickn e sse s,the

back,when fin ished

,is about a to n e HIGHER tha n the be lly

w hen fin ished bythe cutting o f the ff ho le s a nd the a ffixing

o f the ba ss ba r . An d M. Fetis,in his “No tice o f An thony

Stradiva ri ” ’(a bo ok m uch m o re in structive to the pra ctica l

luthie r than its title w ould den o te ), fixe s this diffe re n ce o f

son o rity a t exa ctly on e to n e,a n d M. Sava rt co in cide s in (though

he has som e tim e s be e n m ade to con tradic t) this statem e n t,a nd

his n um e rous expe rim en ts w en t to prove tha t if by a reductio n o f

the thickn e ss o f the ba ck it w e re m ade to co in c ide in in to n ationw ith the be lly

,a fe eble a n d un sa tisfa cto ry to n e w ould cha ra c

te r iz e the fiddle so fo rm ed . I f the d iffe re n ce w e re le ss than a

ton e,the ton e o f the in strum e n t w ould be throbbin g and if

0 ,

m o re tha n a to n e an even m o re un sa ti sfa cto ry re sult w ould be

Nea rly e very author w h o has w ri tten o n th is subject ha s declared that theba ck shou ld be a tone l ow er than th e be lly. I t is u se less (as m an y o f them

probably n e ver a ctu al ly ma de a fidd le ) to persu ade th em tha t exactly the reverse

i s th e cas e . Mr . D av idson is th e on ly a utho r w ho ever reproduced M. Sa va rt’

s

r ight w o rds on this po in t. Al l th e othe rs ha ve m ade h im say that the back

sh ou ld be a ton e low e r the ve rba tim report of h is ow n w ords i s in L’

I nstitu t

(“ Sc ien ces m athém atiqu e s, phy siqu e s . et n a tu re lles,

” No s. 319, 321, 323,w h e re h e rightly states tha t th e ha ck shou ld give a ton e h igher tha n the bel ly.

I t is extrao rd in a ry that su ch an e rr o r shou ld ha ve so long be en an autho rity .

Mr . B ishop, i nd eed , seriou sly cri ticise s a n d reproves th e co rrection of h is ow n

e rro r , o r ra th e r the cor r ect ren de r in g o f h is ow n autho r ity . Let an y on e m ak e

a fidd le , a nd th is w i ll be pro ved to him m or e sa tisfa cto ri ly than by a vo lum e

of prem ed itated pleon asm on th e po in t.3 F. J . Fétis,

“Notice of A. S trad i var i, tran slated by J . B ish op (Lon do n .

Vide n ote p. 37.

r 1111: WO O D— THE MO D EL. 133

obta in ed. To a sce rta in the n o rm a l to n e o f a pla te o f w o od,it

m ust be c lamlped firm lv a t a po in t w he re tw o n oda l lin e s c ro ss

on e a n o the r,

an d vibra ted w ith a bo w dra w n a lo ng the edge .

The n o te it then re n de rs 18 the low e st o f w hich it is capable,

a nd i s ca lled “ its n o rm a l to n e .

”Som e in te re sting expe rim e n ts

o f this kind ha ve bee n m ade w i th som e fragm e n ts o f Strad iva riu s vio lin s o f va rious da te s . Thus — rods w e re m ade 7% in cheslong, g in ch bro ad, a nd ,

1

, in ch thick o f m aple a n d dea l from o n e

O f the se fiddle s w hich had bee n de stroyed . Tw o rods O f m aple,

o n e pla in,the o the r figured, da ted re spective ly 1708 a nd 17 17

,

gave , w he n struck, ide n tica lly the sam e n o te . Thre e rods of

dea l,da ted 1690

,1724, a n d 1730

, ga ve ide n tica lly an o the rhighe r n o te ,2 an d the co in c ide n ce O f ton e w ith the d ispa rity o f

da te s a nd appea ra n ce m ust sure ly in dica te tha t Stradiva ri hada sta nda rd O f a coustic in to n a tion

,a n d re lation be tw e e n ba ck

an d be lly,to w hich he pa id m o re a tten tion tha n the m e re

appe a ra n ce o f his fiddle s . (Vide étis’ No tice o fA. Strad iva ri

[n o te 2

,p . 37] , p.

Let it be n o ted tha t blo cks o r pla nks fo r fiddle - m akingshould n ot be c ut w ith a saw ,

but split w ith the axe,a s the

m a rks o f the saw w ill hide a ny de fe cts in the w o od,w hich w ould

i t o n ce he reve a led o n the shin ing silky su rfa ce o f a pla n k o r

blo ck split O pen by the axe,a n d be side s this splitting w ith the

axe e n sure s the fibre s be ing le ft w ho le a n d stra ight, a n d n o t

cut in to as they a re by the te e th o f the saw . I n Chapte r I I I .

1m ade frequen t u se of the te rm s w ho le,

” ha lf, o r slab

ba cks,re fe rring to the w ay in w hich the w o od fo rm ing tha t pa rt

o f the in strum e n t w a s cu t,a n d I he re give a w o odcut o f a

se ctio n o f a tre e trun k (Fig. 7 7) w ith cuttings to expla in the sete rm s. As be llie s a re a lm o st in va riably jo in ed

,a nd ve ry

~reque n tly (n ay, a lm o st a lw ays) ba cks a re cu t in this m a n n e r,

I w ill sho rtly expla in this figure be fo re pro ce eding. I t r epre

sen ts a trun k cu t at D“on the lave rs ”

(su r couche) fo r thew ho le ba c k

,an d at A “

o n the qua rte r ” (su r m a i l le) fo r thehalf o r jo in ed back . The w edge A is squa red a t the thick en d

I ha ve tried to exclud e such te rm s a s th e se from th is w o rk , a s be ing d ifficu lt

to u n de rsta n d , an d con fu sing. Th is o ne , how e ve r , I ca n n ot avo id . I f a pla te

be strew ed w ith sa n d an d then v ibrated w i th a ho w , th e sa n d a r ra n ges itse lf in

ce rtain l in es, ca lled n od a l l in es. I t i s at a po in t w h e r e two of th ese cro ss

n e a n oth e r th a t th e pla te m u st be c lam ped . As good a w ay a s a n y is to place

.1 piece o f co rk n ea r the edge o f the ben ch . ba la n ce the pla te o n it, an d ho ld

1t firm ly w ith th e fin ge r , pre ssi ng it on to th e co rk . Th e edge overhan gin g the

edge o f the be nch m ay,th en be v ibrated w i th a w e ll rosin ed Lo w .

2 Th e be lly (d ea l ) h e re a lso soun d ed high e r tha n th e back (m aple ) . P a rf a i o

temen t . be ca use the r o d s w e re ide n tica l i n po in t o f si z e a n d vo lum e I n the

m ass the w ho le pla te s) the in to n atio n o f th e ba ck an d be l ly i s foun d to

vary co rrectly , th e fo rm e r be i ng a to n e h ighe r than the latte r .

134 VI OLIN- MAKING : 11s 1r w a s AND I S.

and redivided dow n the m iddle , a s sho w n at B the tw o ha lve sa re then jo in ed at the bro ad e n ds in the m an n e r sho wn a t C. I t

is O fte n a sked w hy ba cks a nd be llie s a re so O fte n jo in ed w he n itw ould be sim ple r to con struc t them a l l in o n e piece . The

rea so n (se tting a side the fa ct tha t this fo rm o f cutting is n ea rlya lways I a r pre ttie r than the w ho le o r slab fo rm ) is, tha tit is ve ry se ldom tha t yo u find a w edge O f dea l o r m ap le goo dfo r fiddle -m aking o f suffic ie n t bre adth to m ake a fiddle back O r

be lly o u t O f it w ithout jo in ing in the who le fo rm ), andit is be tte r to have bo th ha lve s o f your table s a coustica lly good,than to let the un suitability of the w ood o f on e side o f the ba ck

or be lly coun te ra ct the good qua litie s O f the o the r. Slab back s,

FIG . 77 .—D ia gr am expla in in g m

e th ods o f cu ttin g w ood fo r Viol in -m ak in g . A, w edgeou r m a tl le .

1113’the w edge m a r k ed tor cu tti n g . C, th e w edge cut an d jo in ed . D , p lank s

cu t cu r co u c

cu t a s at D Fig . 7 7,a re of cou rse a lw ays a ll in on e pie ce .

The m ode l,o r outlin e

,i s then tra ced on the flat su rface , cut ou t

w ith a fre t- saw an d file,an d the w o rk pro ceeds. At D i s

show n the cutting for slab fo rm ; the planks thus cut a re

w o rked w ithout any furthe r prepara tion . A w ho le ” back isso ca l led w hen it is m ade out o f the breadth o f the w edge in

the m an n e r la id dow n in an o the r pla ce .

'

ide Pa rt I I I ,p. 285, Fig. As m uch depends upon the m ode l y o ucan n o t be to o ca reful to draw a n o utlin e co rre ct in eve rypa rticular

,and fo r this purpo se e ithe r copy som e O ld m a ster,

or tra ce an outlin e for yourse lf m a them atica lly in the m an n erto be he re in afte r la id dow n . A w o rd about sto ring w o od to

ma ture . I t is best to k eep the m aple sto red in w edges, blocksand strips fo r the back

,n eck , scro ll , a n d side s ; th e pin e a lso

in w edge s, fo r the be l ly ; in the se fo rm s they o ccupy but littlespace, and a re re ad v to ha nd w hen w an ted. The m aple for

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

130 VIO LIN-MAK ING a s rr wa s AND rs.

be lly,proce ed a s fo llo w s : Take a pie ce o f w ood

, 2 in che sac ro ss

, s an in ch thick , an d a little lo nge r than the body of the

in strum e n t you w ish to c opy. P la ce th is edgew ays on,an d at

right angle s to , the back o r be lly,ho lding it firm ly, o r w ed ing

it at the e n ds,so tha t it ca n n o t se e - saw o n the rise in the m i dle .

Take a pa ir o f com pa sse s w ith a fin e po in t or lead,an d open ing

them about a n in ch, place o n e po in t sidew ays on the ba ck o r

belly,so that the o the r po in t touche s the piece o f w o od he ld a t

r ight a ngle s to it then draw the po in t touching the surfa ce to becopied, down the ce n tre o f tha t surfa ce

,so tha t the a rm to uching

the pie ce o f w o od w ill, by fo llow ing the m o tio n of the low e ra rm

,exa c tly reproduce on the la th thus he ld fo r the purpo se ,

the co n tour o f the ba ck a nd be lly to be copied. B e ve ry ca re fultha t the w o od is he ld

,a nd the low e r a rm is dra w n dow n the

exa c t cen tre o f the surfa ce be ing repro duced . S im ila r m ode lsshould be take n o f the rise a cro ss (i) the broade st pa rt o f theuppe r bouts, (ii) the n a rro w e st par t o f the in n e r bouts

,and (iii)

the broade st pa rt o f the lo w e r bo u ts.To tra ce a n indepe n de n t outline m athem a tica lly on a give n ,

gradua ted, pe rpen dicula r stra ight lin e , y o u m ust pro ceed a s

fo llow s. An d I beg, be fo re com m e n c ing the explan a tio n o f thisopera tion , which is illustra ted by Fig. 79

,to re co rd my indebted

n e ss to Mr . J o lm B ishop, by w ho se courte sy I am e n abled torepr odu ce this diagram an d de scriptive le tte rpre ss from histran sla tio n o f Otto ’s w o rk o n the con structio n of the vio lin (a id en o te

1

,p . 20)

D raw a perpe ndicu lar lin e dow n the m iddle o f a shee t o f

paper o r o f the flat side o f the pie ce o f w o od in te n ded fo r theback, o f the exa ct le ngth required fo r the body o f the in str u

m en t (w ithou t the butto n I),Fig. a n d d ivide it in to 72

equal parts, a s shown in the figu re . Th is m ust be don e w ith thegre a te st a ccura cy, fo r on it depen ds the co rre ctn e ss o f the who le .

The n in te rsect this pe rpen dicu la r, by 20 ho ri z on ta l lin e s a tthe po in ts n am ed be lo w .

Lin e (1) A at th e po in t 8 at th e poin t

(2 ) B 14

(3) c 16

(4) n 20

(5) E 21t(6) F 22

(7 ) a

(8) H

(9) I

(10) K

This be ing do n e , ope n the com passes to a n exte n t o f 9 pa rtsof the pe rpen d icula r, a n d de scribe the tw o a rc s a a from the

THL WO O D — THE MO D EL. 137

po in t 6. Then place the com pa sse s on the po in t 24, and open ingthem to I)

,draw the curve a b a .

Next set off 2 pa rts 0, on ea ch side of the pe rpen dicula r, o n theho riz o n ta l lin e 0. P la ce the com pa sse s o n the po in t 0, a nd O pe n ingthem to a

,draw the curve s d d, from a to the ho riz on ta l lin e A.

Fm . 79.— Method of d raw in g an outl in e m ath em a tical ly on a given gr ad u ated stra igh t l in e

Now set off on e part 6, on ea ch side o f the pe rpe n dicula r o nthe l in e B . P la ce the com pa sse s o n the se po in ts , and open in gthem to the l in e A, w he re the curve d e n ds

,draw the curve s f

fr om the lin e A to tha t o f D . This com ple te s the draught of

the upper po rtion o f the in strum e n t w ithout the co rn e rs.

138 VIO LIN-MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND I S .

Fo r the m iddle o r n a rrow po rtion pro ce ed thus —O n theho riz o n ta l lin e L set O ff 114

3L pa rts from the pe rpendicula r to the

po in t 9 ; a nd the n 11 o the r pa rts,from g to ll, from which la tte r

po in t draw the curve from the lin e L to tha t of P.

Next set O ff 23% parts on the line K,from the pe rpen dicu la r

to 13 ; open the com pa sse s to the po in t w he re the curve { in terse cts the lin e M

,a nd draw the curve from the l in e M

to tha t o f H . The little a ngle fo rm ed by the curvesbe twe en the lin e s L an d M

,m ust be w o rked off so a s

to bring the side s into prope r shape .

The low e r po rtion is obta in ed a s fo llow s —Open thecompasse s 11 pa rts, a nd de scribe the tw o a rcs v 0 fromthe .po in t r Then place the com pa sse s on the po in t35

,a n d open ing them to r r

,draw the curve 2) w

Next sct O ff 6 parts a: o n each side o f the pe r

pe n dicu la r o n the lin e 8. Place the com passe s on thepo in t x, a nd open ing them to v

,draw the curve s y 3/

from v to the line V.

Now set off 4 parts z on each side of the pe rpen

d icu la r o n the lin e P lace the com passe s on the sepo in ts

,a n d ope n ing them to the lin e V, w he re the curve

y e nds,draw the curve s a a from the lin e V to that O f R.

Fo r the uppe r co rn e rs,set ofi? 24% pa rts on the lin e

G,from the pe rpendicula r to o, a n d plac ing

pa sse s on this po in t,Open them to the lin e D

,w he re

the curve f e nds,and draw the curve from the lin e D

to tha t O f F.

Then on the lin e I set O ff 14% pa rts from the perpen

dicu la r to m . P lace the com pa sse s on th is po in t,an d

if open ing them to lin e H w he re the curve e nds

,draw

the curve from the lin e H to 8.

Now on the lin e E set o ff 22 pa rts from the pe rpen

dicu la r to 9. P lace the com pa sse s on this po in t,and

open ing them to w he re the curve m eets the lin e F,

draw the curve from the lin e F to .9. Aga in placethe com pa sse s on the po in t 20, and open ing them16% pa rts m a rk O ff the length o f the co rn e rs s s.Fo r the low e r co rn e rs set off 24 parts on the lin e Q

from the pe rpendicula r to b b, a n d,pla c ing the com

pa sse s O u this po in t, open them to the lin e B,w here the

a a e n ds,an d draw the curve from the lin e B to d d .

Then on the lin e N set o ff pa rts from the pe rpen dicu la rto t. Pla ce the com passe s o n this po in t, a nd, open ing them to

whe re the curve m e e ts the l in e P,draw the curve from the la st

n am ed lin e to d d.

centre

Fro

.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER VI I .

m a BACK , BELLY, AND S I D ES .

'

l h e Thick n esses of th e Back and Be l ly— Copyi sts— The Sides Mass of Air c onta in ed in a Fidd le— He igh t o f the Sides.

I HAVE de scribed the m ode ls an d the m ode s o f tra cing themit rem a in s

,the re fo re

,to n o tice the re la tive thickn e sse s o f

the diffe ren t pa rts O f the ba ck a nd be lly of a prope rly propo rton ed fiddle . Im po rtan t a s is the se le ction o f w ood a co u s

tica lly go od, it m ust be appre cia ted at on ce,tha t the to n e

of the in strum e n t depen ds quite a s m uch on the w o od be ingprope rly cu t an d appo rtion ed, a s o n the w oo d i tse lf, fo r it sta n dsto rea son ,

tha t how eve r go od the m a te ria l m ay be , its in trin sicm e rit m ust be abso lu te ly n ullified if it fa ll in to the han ds o f a n

un skilful w o rkm an . O f co urse,to lay dow n ha rd a n d fa st rule s

to fix the rope r am oun t o f w o od to be le ft in an in strum e n t,

e ithe r in t e ba ck o r in the be lly,w ould be quite im po ssible

,fo r

it m ust n e ce ssa rily va ry w ith the qua lity o f the w o od thus theclo se r the gra in a nd the ha rde r the m a te ria l

,the thin n e r m ust it

be le ft ; a n d the propo rtion s w hich w ould be pe rfe ct w ith on e pie ceof w o od, m ight produce a ve ry un sa tisfa cto ry re sult w ith a n o the r.I t is a lw ays

,how ever

,be tte r to e rr on the side of exce ss

than o f m ea n n e ss,fo r the be st autho ritie s a llow tha t an in stru

m en t w ith ple n ty o f w o od le ft in it ha s a m uch fin e r ton e tha non e w hich ha s be en chise lled dow n to a m in im um O f thickn e ssan d aga in , in strum en ts w h ich have been spa red the chise l inthe ir in fa n cy (Ha ud in sciu s a c n on inca u ta s fu tum

' have a

m uch bette r chan ce O f m a turing to pe rfe ction than w eake r on e s.The gre a t thing is to avo id extrem e s. I f to o thin , the ton e o f

the fiddle w ill be w eak a n d fe eble if too thick,the re sult w ill be

a sluggish , dull ton e in fa c t,the e lastic ity O f the dea l

,and the

rapidity w ith w hich it tran sm its soun d , w ill be n eutra liz ed bythe quan tity O f it w hich ha s to be put in to vibra tion . I t is inthe adjustm en t an d regula tio n o f the se thickn e sse s tha t the trueta len t of the fiddle -m ake r a sse rts itse lf, o r is co n spicuous by itsabsen ce . I n high brea sted m ode ls (like the Ge rm an , fo r

THE BACK,BELLY, AND S I D ES . 141

in stan ce ) the n sequ en tly n e ce ssa ry thin n ing out o f the w o od

u n de r the finge r- boa rd cause s such a w eakn e ss a t . this po in t

,

tha t the n e ck is ve ry apt to be dragged fo rwa rd by the strings,the w o od o f the be lly n o t be ing strong en ough to re sist the

p re ssure at this po in t, an d go od to n e i s rende red an im po ssibility.

Fm . 80.—D iagram of a w e l l -sea son ed ba ck , w ith th ick n esses in fra ction s of an in ch .

To obvia te the difficulty o f the se va ria tion s in the qu a lity o f thew o od

,an d the O bscu rity w hich w ould be invo lved in a long

ve rba l de sc ription,an d to se rve a s a guide for the am a teur

fiddle - m ak e r I have O bta in ed a ba ck an d be lly from w e ll-m ade

vio lin s, w hich I have ve ry ca refully gauged all ove r, and m ade

142 VI OLIN-MAKING : AS IT WAS AND i s.

m aps o f (reproduced in Figs . 80and w ith im agina ry lines onthem

,to den o te w he re the thickn e sse s m erge in to on e an othe r

,

as fa r a s it is po ssible to de te rm in e tho se bounda ries ; and ]

l6

F 10 . Bi c—D ia gr am o f a w e l l seaso n ed be lly , Wi th th ick n esses in fractions of an in ch .

pre sen t the se tw o diagram s to m y re ade rs w ith eve ry co nfide nc e in the ir pra ctica l va lue . The thickn e sse s

,a s they m e rge

in to o n e a n o the r,are ind ica ted in fraction s o f a n in ch

, and m ay

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

144 VI O LIN- MAK ING : As I T WAS AND I S.

in flu en ce on the ton e,an d co n sequen tly se rve n o o the r purpo se

tha n to k e ep the w ho le structure toge the r. I t is true they don o t vibra te them se lve s, but they he lp in a grea t m ea sure totran sm it the vibra tion s o f the be lly to the ba ck ; a nd on the irprope r m e a surem e n t an d he ight depen ds the vo lum e o f a ir

con ta in ed in the in te rio r o f the in strum en t ; an d the im portan ce o f this po in t ca n n o t be be tte r expre ssed tha n in the w ordsof M. Fetis, w ho says 1 “The in te n sity of the sounds r e n

de red by the vio lin depen ds upon the m a ss of a ir con ta in eda 1thm i t, w hich ought to be I n a ce rta in re la tion w ith the o the re lem en ts

,a re la tion

t’

w h ich it is here the que stion to de term in e .

By a se rie s o f I nge n ious expe rim en ts, m ade w ith an appa ra tusw hich pe rm itted the m a ss o f a i r i n a v io l in to be augm en ted o r

dim in ished atple a sure,

”w e a re a ssured that if the strings a r e put

in to vibra tio n w hile the m a ss o f a ir is at a m edium,w e obta in

sounds at on ce m e llow a n d pow e r lu l if the vo lum e o f a ir be too

grea t, the low n o te s a re w e ak a n d dull,and the high o n e s sha rp

an d thin if it be too little , the low n o te s a re coa rse,a n d tho se

o f the first strin g lo se the ir brillia n cy. I f w e e xam in e th e soun dproduced by the a ir in the body o f the in strum en t

,w hen the

ton e re n de red by the strings is m o st beautiful a nd in te n se , w efind tha t it ke eps w ith in ce rta in lim its, w hich depen d o n the

fo rm a nd the o the r e lem en ts o f the in strum en t. I n trying them a ss o f a i r con ta in ed in seve ra l in strum en ts of Stradiva rius bym ean s o f a w in d conducto r fo rm ed o f a sim ple brass tube slightlycon ica l

,a n d flat at its la rge r e nd, so as to leave on ly a little slit

fo r the e scape o f the a ir,it w a s found by pla c ing the flat end o f

this appa ra tus ove r o n e o f the f ho le s, a nd blow ing through theo the r e n d

,tha t the a ir a lw ays produced a soun d co rre spo n ding

to 512 vibra tio n s in a se co n d,w hich w a s tha t o f the Middle C

in the tim e o f Stradiva rius,but which in 1838 (w he n Sava rt

m ade his expe rim e n ts) a n sw e red to B n a tura l (a sem i to n ebe low ) . Through the exce ssive rise in the pitch fo r abou t thela st e ighte en ye a rs the soun d pro duced by 512 v ibra tion s isn ow n ea rly i n u n ison w ith B fla t. All the exce lle n t vio lin s o fStradiva riu s a n d Gua rn e rius have yie lded the sam e re sult. Thisthen i s a n o the r fa c t a cquired fo r scie n ce . the a ir con ta in ed ina vio lin should produce a soun d equa l to 512 vibra tion s in a

secon d, when set in m o tion by the appa ra tus of w hich w e haveSp .oken I f the in to n a tio n of the a ir be highe r, the low n o te s o f

Notice of An thon y Stradivari ,”

p. 84 (s id e n ote p. 37) .3 Th is w a s a flat, squa re v io l in , w ith a ch am ber a tta ch ed to it at right

angles, in w h ich w o rk ed a piston , w h ich pe rm itted th e m ass o f a ir con ta in ed

in the in strum e n t to be in cr ea sed or d im in ished at plea sure . Th e str ings w e re

v ibrate d w hi lst th e piston w a s w o rk ed , a nd w h en th ey so un d ed be st th e m a ss

o f a ir w as foun d to prod uc e a n ote co n espo n d in g to 512 v ibra tio n s in a ’scco nd.

THE BACK,B ELLY

,AND S I D ES . 145

the in strum en t a re dry ; if low e r, the n o te s o f the first stringa re sluggish and dull, a nd tho se o f the fourth re semble the

n o te s o f a ten o r.” M. Fetis goe s on to say tha t though it isn ot probable that Stradiva ri m ade such expe rim e n ts a s this

, yet

his skilful han d, guided by his kn ow ledge o f his ow n w o rk,

a lw ays e n abled h im,by the m ode l o r a rching o f his vio lin

,the

outlin e,a nd the he ight o f the side s

,to produce an ide n tica l

in te rio r capa city.

I n the sam e w ay the body o f a i r in side a vio lon ce llo m ustbe equa lly sc ien tifica l ly propo rtion ed to the depth o f the to n eit is de stin ed to produce

,a n d a s the co rre c t capa c ity w ould

to o gre a tly e n large the outlin e if m ade in the propo rtio n o f a

vio lin,the difficulty is obvia ted by giv ing to the in strum e n t an

in crea sed de pth . The refo re it is a grea t pity tha t m any w rite rshave lo o se ly sta ted (doubtle ss w ith the be st in te n tion s) tha t“the propo rtion s o f the fiddle

,the te n o r

,the ba ss

,a n d the

double - ba ss should be a ll ide n tica l w ith on e an o the r.” The

la te J . B . Vu illa um e co n struc ted som e te n o rs the d im en sion so f w hich w e re a rranged so a s to produce the qu a lity o f ton eo f the

‘ vio lin,bu t they w e re foun d to be to o cum brous to be

o f m uch p ra ctica l va lu e (vidc p. The m ea surem en ts o f

the side s o f a vio lin, a s n e a rly a s it is po ssible to set them

dow n,a re a s fo llow s : they should have a un ifo rm thickn e ss

o f o f a n in ch at the m o st. M. Sava rt ha s rem a rked tha tthe low e r the side s a r e

,the thin n e r they m ust be

,a nd he has

obse rved tha t w he n they a re fa irly stro ng they len d a ce rta inso ftn e ss to the ton e o f the fiddle . I n the low e r bouts theyshould be 1% in che s de ep , dim in ishing gradua lly r

l

a' to the u ppe r

bouts,w he re they should be 1357 bro ad . With a n o rdin a ry

e leva tion o f the m ode l a nd outlin e , the abo ve dim e n sio n s w illproduce the de sired capac ity of a ir in side the in strum en t

,e spe

cia lly w ith the fla tte r m ode ls l ike tho se o f Stradiva rius an d

J o seph de l J e su. When the ou tlin e i s la rge , a n d the a rchinghigh, the side s should be ra the r sha llow e r, a s in the in strum en tso f Paul Maggin i. L

’

Abbé Sibire , in“La Che lo n om ie

,

” saystha t if a vio lin be to o sm a l l in m ode l- d im e n sion s the first stringw ill be brillian t

,the se con d fa ir

,the third to le rable

,out the

fout dull a nd ha rsh but tha t if,on th e con tra ry

,the m ode l be

to o vo lum in ous,the first string w ill be w eak

,the se cond n a sal

,

the third ve ry full but un ce rta in,the fourth so ft an d ho llow ,

like a vio la . The se fa ults a re m o re like ly to be produced bythe rise o r a rch ing o f the ba ck a n d be lly than the ac tua l si z e o f

the outlin e the m o st typica l 3 e c im en s o f the se tw o e rro rs a rethe a lm o st fla t in strum e n ts o f un i

,a l ittle - kn ow n m ake r of the

e ighte e n th cen tury,an d the gre a t tubby in strum en ts o f som e o f

10

146 VI O LIN- MAK ING : AS r r WAS AND 13.

the Klo tz fam ily , a n d o f the Ge rm a n scho o l ge n e ra lly. Som e

of the o ld fiddle - m ake rs lin ed the side s o f the ir fiddles w ithpape r o r clo th. Sitr adiva r i him se lf is sa id to have do n e thissom e tlm e s, but the pra ctice is e n tire ly aban do n ed

,a s it doe s

n ot im prove the stability of the side s, a nd ce rta in ly inj uresthe to n e .

Vissi n e l bo sco un d i poi caddi stemPe r dura scu re m a . se ta cqu i tan toua divi n e. de ll

'

uom o a rte m’

ba reso

Ia v ita ! e o r ca nto l !”

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

148 VI OLIN-MAK ING : AS IT WAS AND i s.

la id dow n . I n olden days the n e ck w a s o fte n fixed to the backw ith a n a il o r scre w

,an expedie n t extrem e ly de le te rious to the

fiddle,a nd I have se en in strum e n ts in w hich the top blo ck w as

dispensed w ith a ltogethe r, the shoulde r be ing exte nded in to the

F 10 82 .— Th e I n te r i o r o f th e Vio l in

body of the in strum en t suffic ien tly fa r to a ct a s the top blockof the vio lin .

The S ide Lin ings .

-The se ar e the tw e lve strips o f w o od w hi chrun roun d the top

ga n d bo ttom o f the side s (D D

,Figs. 82 and

a nd conn ect the blo ck s w ith o n e an othe r. They a re m ade of the

THE INTER IO R o r THE VI O LIN. 149

sam e w o od a s the blo cks,

1w hich they touch

,but do n ot ru n

in to them (except in the ca se s o f Stradiva ri an d Gua rn e r i, w ho

used to pro long the l in ings o f the cen tr e bouts in to the co rn e rblocks

,a s show n in Fig. 82

,a n d he re in afte r la id dow n

, r ideF ig . I t is n e edle ss to say they r u n in the directio n o f the

gra in o f the w o od o f w hich they a re m ade . As show n in these ction (Fi they a r e w edge

- shaped,be in ~

13; in ch in

d iam e te r, Wi e re they jo in the ba ck o r be lly

,and slan t down

(o r up) to a fin e po in t. They a re T5

,,of a n in ch deep

,a nd se rve

the purpo se o f strengthen ing the side s w hen the back a nd be llya re glued o n to them

,fo r o the rw ise the extrem e thin n e ss o f the

side s w ould n ot be en ough to en sure the stability o f the

jun cture . The sam e rem a rk applie s a s to fitting them ve ryclo se ly an d even ly to the side s

,a s to the fitting o f the blocks.

The S ound P ost,w ith the B a ss B a r

,

’

co n stitute s the e n tiren e rvo us system of the fiddle, an d o n the ir prope r co n struction an d

po sitio n depends the ton e of the instrum en t. By a w ro ng a rrangem e n t of the so und po st o r ba ss ba r ,w ha t a r e te rm ed w o lf- n o te s a r e

produced, an d w hen pre sen t,they

m ay ge n e ra l ly be cured by the pI‘O F I G. 83 .—S ecti on o f th e Vio lin m e ss

pe r adjustm e n t o f the ba r o r po st.The so und po st is a l ittle round stick o f fin e

,eve n -

gra in ed pin e ,va rying, o f course , in length w ith the distan ce from ea ch o the ro f the ba ck an d be lly o f the fiddle , bo th o f w hich it m ustjust fi rm ly touch . I t m ust n ot be long e n ough to force theback a nd be lly apa rt eve r so slightly, an d m ust n o t be so

sho rt a s to fa ll dow n w hen the in strum e n t rece ive s a je rk,o r when the strings a re let dow n . The vio lin

,a s I have sa id

befo re,m ust be so co n structed a s to be able to susta in the

pre ssure o f the strings w ithout giving w ay . I f the soun d po st,in addition to its m o st im po rtan t du tie s (set out be low ), ha s tobea r a pa rt in susta ining the be lly, o r if o rigin a lly it is ou t to o

long, the re sult w ill be a fe eble ton e fo r the sou n d po st w ill inthis case che ck the vibra tio n s o f the be lly, in ste ad o f comm un icat

ing them to the ba ck . I t ha s a diam e te r o f 9; in ch, an d itsfibre s m ust fo rm a right an gle w ith

,tha t is

,m ust be set a cr oss,

the fibre s o f the be lly. I ts diam e te r m ust be , to a ce rta in exten t,adapted to the fiddle in w hich it is se t, fo r i f it i s to o slight theton e w ill be thin , and if it is to o thick the ton e w ill be ren de reddu ll . I ts exa c t po sition depen ds en tire ly upo n the qua lity a n d

J . A. O tto says th at th e side l in in gs a re m ade of m aple , but th is is an erro r

They ’ a re a lw ays pin e , u n less th e blo ck s a re m ad e of w i llow ,in w h ich ca se the

l in in gs a re m ad e o f th e sam e w ood .

150 VI O LIN-MAKING : As IT WAS AND 18.

pe culia ritie s of the fiddle,an d m ust be ca re fully regu la ted by

an expe rien ced w o rkm an,but it is a lm o st in va riably w ithin

1 in ch behin d the right foo t o f the bridge , a s in dica ted a t B,in

Figs. 82 an d 83. A high- built in strum en t w ill require th e soundpo st n ea re r the bridge tha n a fla tte r m ode l . I t is the m o reim po rtan t to trust this w o rk o n ly to a skilled han d

,fo r the on ly

a cce ss to it be ing through the ri htha ndf ho le , a n in expe rien cedope ra to r is ve ry apt to de stroy t e appea ran ce o f this f ho le , n otto m en tion injurie s to the in te rn a l surfa ce s o f the fiddle . A poorvio lin is o fte n im proved by pla c ing the po st n ea re r the bridge ,but a v io lin thus a rranged require s ve ry ca reful play ing to

ren de r the ton e eve n . Whe n,though even

,the to n e is rough

an d ha rsh, the po st m ust be m oved ba ck a little if the highstrings a re w eak a nd the low e r o n e s harsh

,the po st m ust be

m oved a little outw a rds tow a rds the f ho le i f the lo w n o te s a rew eak an d the high o n e s shrill

,it m ust be m o ved ve ry slightly

tow a rds the ce n tre . Expe rim en ts have be e n tried , pla cin g it

behin d the left fo o t, but the pre ssure o f the tw o le ft- ha n d stringsbe in g lighte r than tha t of the tw o high on e s

,it w ould n ot be so

m uch a cted upon in this po sition,an d aga in , fo llow ing a n

argum en t set ou t a little fur the r on , it w ould cause the production o f sho rt fibre vibra tion s w he re long on e s a re required

,an d

vice ver sd . So im po rta n t, in deed, is the action of this little po ston the ton e o f the in strum en t

,tha t the Fren ch te rm fo r it is

t’

dm e (the sou l) w ithout it the ton e o f a fiddle is ha rsh a n d

fe eble,bu t With it the e ffect a ga in be com e s good. M. Sava rt

ha s m ade m any m o st in te re sting expe rim en ts on the fun ctio n sand action o f the sound po st

,am ongst w hich w e re the fo llow ing .

He rem oved the soun d po st from a vio lin,an d applied it ou tside

,

an d on the top o f the be lly by m ean s o f tw o uprights on the

co rn e r blo cks, an d a cro ssba r, be tw e en w hich and the be lly thesound po st w a s set up. Aga in , fixing this a rch to the back o f

the in strum ent by cutting a ho le in the ba ck,he set the po st

up aga in st the be lly, w ithout tou ching the ba ck a t a ll. Aga in ,rem oving the soun d po st a ltoge the r, he applied a w e ight to the

be lly, an d in all the se three experim en ts the sam e re sults w e reproduced, a s if the sound po st w e re the re in its n orm a l po sitio n .

I n fact, the sam e effe ct is produced w he the r the po st pre sse saga in st the be lly outside by m ea n s o f the a rch, o r the be lly ispre ssed aga in st it by m ean s o f a clam p. I t w a s ba sed upon thispeculia rity tha t Haw kin s in 1800 pa te n ted his vio lin , in whichthe ba ck a nd side s w e re repla ced by a ba r

,a nd a spring in pla ce

o f the - soun d po st,w hich produced the sam e effe ct (a s fa r a s

m e re n oise w a s co n c e rn ed) a s if the po st had bee n still the re .

This and sim i la r vaga rie s have be e n m en tion ed in a p re v io us

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

152 vi oLIN-MAE ING : As IT WAS AND 18.

on e m ust be put in,fulfilling the prope r co ndition s. A few

yea rs ago , M. Pe tiz e au a n n oun ced to the Academy o f Sc ien ce sin Paris tha t con side rable advan tage s w e re to be derived fromthe u se o f a ho llow gla ss sound po st, an d in the Allgem ein eM i sika lische Z eitung , fo r 1881 (p. . on e J ohn An thonyHan se l, a lu thie r an d m usic ia n

,pron oun ce s in favo u r o f a

broad, fla t, and thin sound po st, though difficult to adj u st,a n d

requiring grea t a ccuracy to e n sure succe ss. Mr . P . D avidsoncla Im s e specia l m e rit fo r a so un d po st, w h ich he ca l ls “

a n

a n cien t form la te ly r e - adopted,

”w hich is m ade a s fo llo w s

“ D rill a longitudin a l ho le through a square,c lean pie ce o f

ceda r w o od, abo u t 5. o f a n in ch in d iam e te r ; n ew drill a

n um be r o f ho le s c ro ssw ays through tw o oppo site side s,so a s

to have a space of about an in ch be tw e e n e ach the n in the

o the r tw o side s o f the squa re drill a n um be r o f ho le s o f thesam e siz e a s the preced i ng, so a s to pa ss through the m iddleo f the fo rm e r spa ce s

,in a directio n thus c ro ssw ays to the

o the rs ; n ow reduce a n d cu t the post to its prope r roun deddim en sion s, a nd fit it to the vio lin in the usu al m a n n e r.” Thisope ra tion is

,o f course

,supe rfluous an d ridiculous

,but is

in te re sting a s show ing how com plica ted m ay bec om e even so

simple a pie ce o f m echa n ism a s the soun d po st o f a fiddle .

The B ass B a r o r Soun d B ar,w hich is the o the r gre a t n e rvous

regula to r o f a fiddle,is the ba r o f fin e so ft eve n -

gra in ed pin e ,about 10% in che s long, w hich exten ds a long the be lly o f the fiddlein a sli htly oblique dire ction

,unde rn ea th the le ft foo t o f the

brid e A,Figs. 82 an d This obliquity o f po sition is o ften

m u exagge rate d, on pape r, in diagram s, a n d in the fiddle itse lf.The right devia tion , m ea sured from the ce n tre jo in of the be lly, isa s fo llow s at the top it is é—f, o r in ch from the ce n tre jo in in

the cen tre,unde r the bridge it in crea se s to i f; o r in ch ; at the

bo ttom en d it ha s in crea sed the d ista n ce to o r g ; a to ta ldevia tion o f .36 o f an in ch throughout its e n tire length.

The se dista n c e s in clude the w hich is the diam e te r o f the ba r ,i.a.

,they a re take n from the oute r side o f the ba r to the ce n tre ,

an d they a re subje ct to Slight a lte ra tio n s acco rdin g to the m ode lo f the vio lin . Thus on a n a rro w fidd le they w ould be slightlyless, a n d on a bro ad o n e a trifle m o re . I ts w idth at the edge

glued to the be lly is 1% in ch bro ad, the o the r edge is Slightlyrounded. This la st roun ded edge is slightly un dulated, an d

the edge glu ed to the be lly throughout its e n tire le ngth take s a

con cavity regu la ted by the lo ngitudin a l a rching of the be lly.

I ts depth is a lso,o f course , sim ila rly regula ted, but is ge n e ra lly

in the be st fiddle s ,3 in ch in the c en tre o r deepe st part. I t is set

quite ata right a n gle w ith the be lly (vidc Fig. The w ould

THE INTERI O R O F THE n e w s. 153

be an onym ous autho r o f Luth om on ographie (vidc n o te

p.viii. Pre fa ce), c iting Felix Sava rt a n d his trape z o id vio l in ,

says tha t the ba ss bar sho u ld be pla ced do w n the ce n tre jo in o f

the be lly, a sta tem en t ba sed pure ly upo n a n a rgumen tum a d

ign or a ntia m ,w hich give s a fa ir n o tion of the practica l va lue

o f P rin ce Yo usoupof’

s o the rw ise We ll-m ean ing Essay.

”The

pure ly m echan ica l influen ce o f the ba ss ba r is in te re stingly illu strated by the fo llow in expe rim en t take n from Mr . D avidson ’ sw o rk o n the vio lin . Il av ing pro cured a pie ce o f w e ll - sea son eda nd son or ous pin e , a be lly w a s fo rm ed ou t o f it in the usua lm an n e r, adopting the plan o f thickn e ss a cco rding to the m e thodused by Stradiva rius. This pla te

,w hen thus fin ished (the f ho le s

n o t a s yet cut) , gave the n o te 0. Subsequen tly the f ho le s w e recut o f the usua l siz e a n d pa tte rn

,w hen the sound w a s fo un d to

be low e red ha lf a ton e , n ow be ing B . A ba ss ba r having a fte rw ards been glued on

,o f a som ew ha t large r siz e than com m on ly

em ployed,the

fi plate gave the n o te D ,but the ba r having be en

reduced to its prope r dim en sio n s the soun d w a s aga in low e red,and n ow the be lly gave the sam e ton e a s o rigin a lly, C. We

can n ow ea sily pe rce ive tha t the ba r pe rfectly com pen sa te s fo rthe diffe ren ce o f ton e

,a rising from the cutting o f the f ho le s,

but at the sam e tim e We can ra ise o r low e r the ton e ve rycon side rably by a lte ring the dim ension s o f the ba r fo r the

stro nge r the ba r the highe r the ton e , the sound low e ring a s the

ba r is de crea sed in dim en sion s.An d this brings us to the fac t tha t the o r IgI n al ba ss ba rs put in

by the I ta lia n m a ste rs have a ll be com e to o w eak fo r the mode rnhigh pitch, an d con sequen tly a ba r o f the dim en sion s give n a bove(about 10; in che s) m ust n ow be substituted fo r the o rigin a l o n ebut this ope ra tion

,if your fiddle is w o rth a n y thing at a ll

,m ust

on ly be pe rfo rm ed by a first- cla ss w o rkm a n . The fun c tio n s o f theba ss ba r a re to tran sm it to the en tire be lly the vibra tion s comm u n icated to it by the le ft fo o t o f the bridge , a n d to preven t itfrom en te ring in to a se rie s o f segm en ta l vibra tion s

,an d n ot

,a s

ha s so o ften been la id do w n,to stre n gthen the be lly. As Otto

justly rem a rks,

“A prope rly con structed fiddle o ught to beable to sta n d screw in g up to pitch w itho ut giving w ay , in the

abse n ce o f e ithe r ba ss ba r o r sound po st.” Ca re m ust betake n n o t to m ake the ba ss ba r to o lo ng in propo rtio n to thein strum e n t

,o r

,in stea d o f prom o ting ,

it w ill check the vibra tion,

a nd ren de r the to n e o f the fiddle dull. The sam e ca re ought tobe taken in the se le ction o f the w o od o f w hich the ba r is m ade

as w ith the m a te ria l fo r the be lly, a n d fo r the sam e re a son itshould be m ade o f the pin e , w hich yie lds the highe st n o te w henstruck o r vibra te d w ith a bow

,o r by rubbing w ith the finge rs.

154 VI O LIN- MAKING : As IT WAS AND 18.

Pe rhaps n o pa rt o f the vio lin ha s be en m o re a ssa i led by thein ven to rs o f vaga ri e s applied to the vio lin tha n the ba ss ba r.

Eve rything that could be don e to a lte r it ha s bee n do n e,an d

ca lled a n im provem e n t,

” begin n ing w ith o n e Baud,a m ake r at

Ve rsa ille s,in 1810

,w ho in troduced a vio lin w itho ut a ba ss ba r

at a ll,be cause he co n side red tha t it “ in te rfe red w ith the

vibra tion s.‘ He the re fo re le ft the be lly m uch thicke r tha nusua l to com pen sa te fo r the abse n ce o f the ba r

,bu t (a s m ight

be expe c ted) the ton e w a s se riously im pa ired. I n .1852,a n

Am e rica n (Wi lliam B . Tilton ) pa te n ted a de sign by w hich a

se con d ba r w a s fixed to the in side o f a fiddle,exten ding be tw e e n

the top an d bo ttom blo cks,w hich w e re cu t sloping, so a s n ot

to che ck the vibra tio n s at the se po in ts . I n 1867 , Mirem on treproduced the sam e vaga ry, but w ithout o bta in ing for i t a nysucce ssful re cogn ition . M. Fetis 2 m en tion s the a rran gem en to f a vio lin in 1855, w ith tw o ba rs, by M. Ra m ba ux

,o f Pa ris

on e in the usua l pla ce,the o the r glued to the ba ck, on which

w a s set the soun d po st. I n his n o tice o f it,M. Fetis says

tha t,though supe rfluous in the c a se o f a fir st- ra te fiddle

,

in fe ri o r in strum en ts w e re de cidedly im proved, e spe c ia lly o n

the fourth string, by this a rra ngem e n t. D r . Ston e an d Mr .

Me e so n’

s e lliptica l te n sion ba rs,which w e re exhibited to the

Musica l Asso c ia tion in 1874 , a re de scribed a s“ four strips o f

w hite de a l,curved to a n e l liptica l figure , pa ssing pa ra lle l from

e n d to en d o n the in s ide o f the be lly. Thus they in te rceptthe ff ho le s, a nd rem ove a w e ll -kn ow n cause o f w eakn e ss

,an d

a brea k in the vibra ting body. The highe st e ulogia w e rehe aped o n this co n triva n ce by the in ve n to rs

,but it is ce rta in

tha t,w hilst spo iling a go od fiddle

,they w ould n ot im prove a bad

o n e . A Mr . Wa lk er in troduced, a few yea rs back, a n ew fo rmo f ba ss ba r

,w hich w a s

“cut on the slab

,an d had the gra in

con seque n tly run n ing on the edge .

”I t m ea sured 10 in che s

lo ng, 3 br e ad, a nd ,1

; thick . I t w as be n t to the a rching an d

glued o n the fla t side in the usua l pla ce . This w ould pro bablya ugm e n t the qua n tity O f soun d produced, but the qu a lity w ouldbe se rio u sly de te ri o ra ted. Som e have sugge sted that n o bassba r ought to be n e ce ssary

,but tha t the be ll ought to be m ade

thicke r,so a s to suppo rt the strings a n d vi ra te a s w e ll. This

w a s the prin c iple o f D r . Nicho lson ’ s vio lin (vidc p. 102) a n d

o f M. Baud’s vio lin , m e n tio n ed above , bo th o f w hich dem o n

strated the fa lla cy o f the sugge stio n ,fo r the in cre a se o f the

thic k n e ss e ffe c tua lly che cked a ll po ssibility o f vibra tion .

A fu l l d e sc r iptio n o f th is in ven tio n ,o r rath e r vaga ry , w i ll be fo und in B iblio

gr aphic Musica le d e Fra n ce et d e l’Etra nge r ,

”etc . (Pa r is, 1822 Niogrct), p. 348.

Ra ppo rt sur les Instrum e n ts d e Mu siqu e d a n s l’

Exposition Un iverse l le deParis en

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

156 VI O L IN- MAKING : As I T WAS AND I s.

in the be lly o f a ny particular pa i r o f ff ho le s, a s in F ig. 84 (o rP la te the fo llow ing exce lle n t m e thod is given by MM.

Man gin e tMa ign e . Havingde tached the be lly o f the in strum en tw ho se ff ho le s you w ish to reproduce in fa csim ile

,take a pie ce

o f strong pa rchm e n t la rge en ough to cove r the po rtio n o f thebe l ly indica ted in Fig. 84 . Ta ke a ny la rge pie ce of c lo th

,a n d

fo lding it seve ra l tim e s pla ce it o n the table . Stretch the parchm e n t ove r this cushio n , a nd pre ss the be lly upside dow n in to thecu shh 11 c ove red w ith pa rchm en t

,a n d w ith a fin e ly

- po in ted pe n c ildraw the in te rio r outlin e s O f the f f ho le s an d the exte rio r outlin eo f the be lly, a s show n in the figure , an d the re you have Fig . 84

com ple te . This pa rchm e n t outlin e m ay e ithe r be kept in a

po rtfo lio fo r future u se,o r tran sfe rred to a thin lea f o f w o od

(T1

3 o r do o f a n in ch thick), w hich is m o re durable an d m o recon ven ie n t to w o rk w ith . The in te rio r o f the f f ho le s and theexte rio r o f the outlin e a re to be ve ry ca refully cut ou t

,a n d

the ce n tre lin e o f the be lly should be drawn dow n the m ode le xactly a s in the o rigin a l . A pa ir of

f f ho le s taken like th is m ay be se en inthe ir a ctua l siz e in P la te VI .

Now a s rega rds the f f ho le s Withrespe c t to the i r in fluen ce o n the e n tirefiddle a n d its to n e . O f course

,n o thing

n e ed be sa id about the exa ct po sitio no f the f f ho le s in con tra - fa csim ile too n e an o the r ; if they w e re ’

n o t set in

F I G. 84 .— Meth od o f tra c in g a the be l ly so a s to exa ctly ba lan ce on e

1mm " f 110195”a n o the r

,the se tting o f the bridge a n d

soun d po st w ould be reduced a lm o st to an im po ssibility,

‘

let a lo n ethe gha stly e ffe ct on the appea ran ce o f the fiddle ! '

As M. Fetisjustly rem a rks

,it w ould be a grea t m istake to suppo se tha t the

po sitio n a nd fo rm o f the f f ho le s ar e a rbitra ry . The f shape o f

the soun d ho le is rende red n ec e ssa ry by the a rching o f the be lly.

I f this la tte r w e re plan e the sou n d ho le s n e ed o n ly be stra ight an dpa ra lle l (a s in the Sava rt trape z o id vio lin , v ide Fig. Theyinfluen ce the e n tire system o f vibra tion s o f the be lly, an d thusgove rn the vibratio n s o f the w ho le in strum e n t. This ha s be e nproved by expe rim en t ; i .e .

,if the f f ho le s w e re cut in the ba ck

o f the fiddle it w ould be imm edia te ly m uted,fo r the be lly w ould

n ot have suffic ien t e la stic ity w ithout them to vibra te a n d com

m u n icate its vibra tio n s to the re st o f the in strum en t} The

po sition o f the se ff ho le s, the ir fo rm ,a nd the m in ute st deta ils o f

the ir cutting, a re such e ssen tia l po in ts that n o a lte ra tio n w ha teve r can be m ade in them w ithout injuring the quality o f the

tone, and fo r this reason , tha t the f f ho le s in fluen ce to a

T I I E EXTERI O R o r T II E v I O LIN. 157

pow e rful degree the soun d o f the m a ss o f a ir co n ta i n ed Withinthe body o f the in strum e n t. I f they a re to o sm a ll, o r if o n e becove red up

,the sound o f the co n ta in ed a ir becom e s lo w e r, if

they a re ou t too la rge it rise s. The f f ho le s m ust, the re fo re , beregula ted by the siz e o f the fiddle

,a nd the proportion o f the f f

ho le s m ust be so adj usted tha t the con ta in ed m a ss o f a i r rende rsthe requisite 512 vibra tio n s. I f they be to o large , o r se t too

n ea r to o n e a n o the r,the to n e o f the vio lin becom e s ha rsh a nd

shrill,and w hen to o sm all

,o r set to o fa r apart

,they m ake it

m o re w o o lly o r vio la - like . Sava rt ha s obse rved tha t the f fho le s in som e o f the la rge r vio lin s of Maggin i a re to o la rge ,con sequen tly tha t the n o te give n by the m a ss o f a ir in the

in te rio r is he ighte n ed, an d the ton e i s the reby im pa ired ; buttim e ha s in a gre a t m e a sure repa ired this de fe c t, at a ny ra te itis on e tha t I have n eve r n o ticed . Afte r a ll

,w ha t can be m o re

c on summ a te ly graceful tha n the ff ho le s o f Stradiva ri o r San toSe raphin ,

an d w hy should w e try to im prove upo n themThe Neck (or Ha ndle), a n d the Scr o ll (or Hea d).— O u the

prope r propo rtio n o f this part o f the in strum e n t depen ds its e n tirepe rso n a l appe a ra n ce ,

” quite a s m uch a s o n an e lega n t ou t

lin e how eve r gra ce ful m ay be your fiddle , a w e ak o r un couthscro ll w ill utte rly m a r its symm e try

,a nd be side s this

,it ha s

con side rable in fluen ce o n the to n e o f.

a fiddle,a c co rdin g to the

n a ture an d qu a lity o f the w ood,w hich m ust be n e ithe r too ha rd

n o r to o so ft, be cause it is on e o f the chan n e ls by w hich the

vibra tion s o f the strings a re co n veyed to the body O f the in strum e n t (the bridge be ing the o the r). This i s proved by the

fo llow ing expe rim en t. I f the body o n ly o f a vio lin,w ithout the

n e ck, be he ld in a vice,a nd the strings, in stea d o f be ing co n

n e cted w ith it by the n e ck an d scro ll, a r e stre tched up to pitchby pegs having n o co n n e ction the rew ith

,the to n e w ill n ot be so

po w e rfu l as if they w e re sc rew ed up in a peg box comm u n ica t

in g w ith the body. The diffe ren ce is on ly Slight, but e n ough to

prove tha t the n e ck doe s som e o f this pa rt o f the w o rk . An d

aga in , it ha s to bea r the e n tire stra in O f the four strings un ited ,

an d if n ot o f go od sea son ed w o od,a nd prope rly propo rtion ed

,

this com pa ra tive ly giga n tic pull w ould tw ist it o u t o f shape .

Gre a t ca re m ust, the re to r e , be take n to m ake it in prope r propo rtion s

,angle s, a n d curve s

,a n d above a ll to set it u po n the vio lin

properly tha t is,tha t it be in a lin e w ith the ce n tre jo in o f the

in strum en t,tha t i t be so fixed tha t the finge r

- boa rd sha ll havethe prope r rise pro portion ed to the in strum en t

,an d tha t w he n

you look at the fiddle edgew ays, ho lding it pe rfe ctly upright,the eye o f the scro ll is in a lin e w ith the edge of the ba ck . I f it

is set to o fa r back,the bridge ha s to be m ade high to a cc om m o

158 VI O LIN- MAK ING : a s IT WAS AND 18.

date it, and as a n a tura l co n seque n ce the ton e o f the fiddle isw ea k and po o r on the o the r han d, i f it is set too fa r fo rw a rd

,

the bridge ha s to be propo rtio n a te ly low ,a nd the ton e bec om e s

a cute and m e ta llic . Ca re m ust a lso be take n n ot to m ake it toostro ng an d m a ssive at the pla ce w he re it jo in s the body of the

in strum en t,o r

,a c ting a s a clam p

,it w ill deaden the ton e . The

prope r propo rtion s, a s show n in Fig. 85, a re given be low ,as

take n from a ve ry pe rfe ct n e ck and sc ro ll kindly placed at m yse rvice by Mr .

’W. E. Hill. I t m ust be pre fa ced this is an

exce lle n t a ver age head, but,o f course , the m e a surem e n tsw ill va ry slightly in differe n tstyle s, a nd seco n dly, the n e cka s n ow m ade is quite in chlonge r tha n the o ld m ake rsused to m ake it

,a nd i t is fo r

this rea son tha t so m a ny (infa ct

,n early a ll) o ld vio lin s

have bee n re - n ecked. The

n e ck and scro ll a re cut froma block o f m aple 9% to 10 in .

long by 2 in . de ep by 1% in .

w ide (all the fo llo w ingm e asurem e n ts a re in in che sa n d fr a ction s of a n inch),a nd w hen fin ished ought so

to touch a ll the se dim e n sion sa t its m o st prom in e n t pa rts(fro n t a nd ba ck of scro ll,fro n t a nd back o f shoulder)a s to lie pe rfe ctly flat on a

sm o o th surface,if placed o n

its fa ce , ba ck, o r side s . The

fo llow ing a re the m ea sureF ro . 85.

— Th e Neck an d Scro ll . Fron t an dm en ts r

A B,C D

,E

,

F:2

sxde n ew s . R s, 9% l n . e H,1% ln . L K

,

1% ia . ; I J , g m ; R L, L S, g in . ; R T, o N

,.g. in

Q r , 31

% in . The peg- box is }g. in . deep on the lin e 0 N ; g . in .

deep on the lin e Q P ; and S in . long o n the lin e P N. Lo okingat the n eck a nd scro ll a s in the fron t view , the m ea surem e n tsare : V W

,1% in . X Y

, i§- in . T U

,1% in . The peg

- box is it in .

broad at A’. The cheeks o f the peg

- box a re T3

; in . thick. The

summ it o f the scro ll B ' is T7U in . broad. The base o f the vo luteC c

’

,'5' in . broad. The eye s o f the scro ll , T, are i in . in diam e te r.

From the se exa ct m ea surem en ts. and the figure , if ca refully

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

l GC VI OLIN-MAK ING : a s I T w a s AND I s .

histo ry o f bow ed in strum en ts,though, a s I have sa id befdr e , the

re co rds from w hich w e have to co lle c t the histo ry o f the vio lin—n am e ly, pic ture s a nd sculpture s— leave s m uch to be de sired inthe m a tte r o f c om ple te n e ss o f de ta il . The e a rly bridge s w ould,ho w eve r, appea r to have be e n ve ry rude

,a s w ill be see n by

turn ing to Figs. 18 and 22, an d in the tim e o f the vio l s n otm uch progre ss had be e n m ade . M. Fetis give s thre e figures o fbridge s Figs . an d 88. Fig . 86 is a vi o l bridge to sup o r t

seven strings , a nd, a s w ill be see n,is ve ry e lem e n ta ry. igs

r m . m — B r idge of 7 Str inged Vi o l (F . J . Fétis).

F I G . 88.— An tique Vio l in B r idge . Nicolau s F IG. 89.

— B r i (%ge o f 5- Str i nged Vio l

Am ati (F . J . Fé ti s ) . E . H i ll ) .

87 an d 88 a re tw o o ld vio lin bridge s o f the tim e o f the Am a tis,distin c tly approxim ating the m ode rn fo rm

,w hich de sign w as

se ttled upo n by Stradiva rius, a n d ha s n eve r sin ce be e n a lte red.

Fig . 89 is from a curio u s o ld five - string treble vio l, in the

po sse ssio n o f Mr . W. E . Hill .I t m ust n ot be im agin ed th a t the de sign (Fig . 90) thus fixed

upo n by the grea te st fiddle - m ake r the w o rld ha s se e n w a s

m e re ly his idea o f w h a t w a s m o st pre tty, though to this daythe re a re a grea t m any v io lin ists w ho a r e firm ly u n de r the 1m

pre ssion tha t the o rn am en ta l cutting of the bridge is m e re ly a

THE EXTERI O R O F THE VI O L IN.

m atte r o f ta ste . Ve ry fa r from it fo r coun tle ss expe rim en ts

havebee n m ade w ith a view to a lte ring the a ccepted de sign ,

a n y devia tio n from w hich ha s pro ved o n ely to a ffec tthe to n e o f a ny

in strum e n t to w hich it' is app lied . I t is

difficult to im agin e the rea son o f this ; how it is tha t a littlepiece o f m aple , w hich m e re ly se rve s to keep the strings off

the finge r- boa rd, should have such a pow e rful e ffect on the

ton e o f the in strum en t to . w hich it is n o t fasten ed in any

w ay, being m e re ly kept in its pla ce by the pre ssure of the

four strings . The first expla n a tion o f this in flu en ce m ust besought fo r in the fac t tha t it is the prin cipa l cha n n e l by w hichthe vibration s o f the strings pa ss, to the be lly by w a o f the

ba ss ba r , a n d to the ba ck by w ay (in a le sse r degre e) o f thesound po st . I n con sequen ce of the se its im po rtan t fun ction s,itstr opo r tio n s, an d

po sitio n on the be lly m u st be ve ry n ice lyadj u sted to the qual ity o f the vio l in to w hich it is a ffixed. Fo r

in sta n ce,if it be top thick , the vibra tion s o f the strings w ill n ot

pa ss w ith suffic ie n t rapidity to the be lly. I ts he ight m ust a lsobe m o st ca re fully adjusted to the

qua l ity o f the in strum en t, fo r if it isto o high , the ton e w ill be dull an dsluggish, a n d i f it is too low ,

a ha rsh,pie rc ing: to n e w ill be the re sult. As

it is o f the grea te st im po rtan ce (asw il l be discussed fu rthe r o n ) tha t thesti ings be suppo rted a t a prope rhe ight from the e n d o f the finge r Fl a m — Th e Mod ern Violin B r idge .

be a r : an d a s it is of equ a l imp or ta n ce tha t the bridge be n ot

ra ised or lo w e red to m a in ta in this dista n ce,the he ight o f the

finge r e o o a rd m ust be suited to tha t o f the bridge , n ot the he ighto f the bridge to tha t o f the finge r

- boa rd. Aga in ; it w as

n o ticed by M . Sibi re in 1806 tha t a t tha t tim e the a ugm en ta tiono f the he ight o f the bridge -

2o f a n in ch ra ised the pre ssure on

the strings by seven poun ds, a nd this propo rtion has,o f course ,

in crea sed w ith the sin c e - ra ise d pitch.

Acco rding to Otto , a go od vio lin ,w ho se w o od ha s n ot been

wo rked to o thin,w ill require a highe r bridge , a s the vibra tion s

a re e a sie r to produce,though the highe r the bridge the m o re

pe rceptible be com e the faults o f the fiddle an d, o n the o the rhan d , ce rta in faults m ay , in som e m ea sure

,be glo ssed ove r by a

low bridge , at the e xpe n se ,how eve r

,o f the pow e r o f the in stru

m en t. I n a n ea rlie r e dition o f the sam e w o rk,the autho r con

tends tha t the suitability o f a bridge de pe n ds m o re u po n itsw e ight tha n its he ight ; a n d m e n tio n s a som ew ha t inge n io usmode o f discove ring the pre c ise w e ight o f bridge w hich any

11

162 VIOLIN- MAK ING : a s IT w a s AND I s.

in strum en t require s . He m ade six little w o ode n cl ips,like on e

pro nged m ute s, w e ighing re spe c tive ly 2,4,6, 8, 10, a nd 12

gra in s . Having found tha t any bridge w as un suitable to the

in strum en t to w hich it w a s applied,he tried o n it succe ssive ly

the se little w o ode n w e ights, c lipping them be tw e en the D and A

strings. Having found thus w ith w hich clip the re sult w a s be st,be w e ighed the clip an d the bridge toge the r a n d pro ce eded tom ake a n ew bridge , the w e ight o f the o ld o n e p lu s the satisfacto ry c lip. O fc ourse the c lips m u st o n ly a ct a s w e ights, a ndnot ho ld the bridge so a s to a ct a s m ute s a nd I do n o t se e how

the la tte r con tinge n cy ca n po ssibly be obvia ted.

The bridge m ust be m ade o f spo tted m aple,

n e ithe r to oha rd n o r to o so ft

,the gra in ho riz o n ta l, a n d its propo rtion s

should be , just ha lf a s thick a t the top as a t the fe e t. Ca rem ust be taken to se le c t a bridge m ade o f w o od w hich a cco rdsw ith tha t o f the fiddle in its con sisten cy, gra in , e tc . The

grea te st ca re m ust be taken tha t the fe e t o f the bridge fit thea rching o f the be lly

,w he re they re st, so a s to leave n o in te r

val ben ea th them ,a s such w ill ren de r the ton e ho llow an d

dull . The top of the bridge m ust o n ly so fa r be rounded a s to

preven t the bow touching tw o strings at on ce,un le ss required

to do so by the pe rfo rm e r ; a nd,la stly

,the four little gro ove s

m ade to re ce ive the strings m ust be a s sha llow a s po ssible co n

sisten t w ith e ffe c tive n e ss. I t has probably be fa llen a ll myreade rs

,a t o n e tim e o r a n o the r

,to be w o rried by the ir strings

sticking w hen the peg is turn ed, the string, in stead o f

rising in ton e a t on ce,

“ha ngs fir e ,

”so to spe ak

,an d then

tighten s (o r loo se n s) w ith a j erk an d a creak. This is in co n se

que n ce o f the n icks on the bridge be ing to o deep , a n d w he n itoccurs they m ust be m ade sha llow e r by fil ing the side s o f the

n ick. The fi rst string is pa rticula rly lia ble to be thus a ffe c ted,by rea son o f the extra w o rk it has to do

,a nd o f its gre a te r

ten sion a n d con sequen t pre ssure on the n ick . I t is go od to

have a little sha llow “extra n ick at the side o f the prin cipa l

on e,in w hich a n ew string is pla ced to be screw ed up to pitch

befo re tra n sfe rring it to the prin c ipa l n ick. This ke eps theprin c ipa l n ick sha llow

,a nd the n o isy squeaking o f the string, as

it is screw ed up to pitch , is obvia ted .

As rega rds its po sitio n o n the be lly o f the fiddle , its exa ctpo sition is just be tw ee n the tw o n icks in the f f ho le s (un le ss thepo sition o f such n icks

,o r the f f ho le s them se lve s be e cc en tric),

at an exa ctly equa l dista n ce from ea ch,a n d the le ft fo o t m ust sta nd

exac tly ove r the cen tre o f the ba ss ba r . The m o st exte n siveand in structive expe rim e n ts o n the bridge a r e tho se o f M. Sava rt.As dete rm in ing the n ece ssity o f the Str adiva r ia n cutting, he

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

164 VI O LIN-MAK ING : a s I T w a s AND I S .

in Fig. but this has been sa id to injure the ton e o f a fiddlean d ce rta in ly, to m y m ind, w hilst it can do n o go od, it do e s netim prove the appea ra n ce o f an in strum e n t. The usua l diam e te rfo r the pu r thng is abo ut T13 in ch, a n d it is set a t a d ista n ce o f

T3

3 o f an in ch from the edge o f the fiddle . I ts on ly rea l u se

(w hich ha s pre se rved it a fte r the re lin quishm en t o f pro fuseorn am e n tatio n ) is, tha t it se rve s to pre se rve the edge s o f thein strum e n t from splin te ring, by, a s i t w e re

,bin ding the fibre s

toge the r a s w ith a bo rde r.The P egs, or P o ints .

— The se a r e the little roun d do ts o f w o odtha t a r e n o t un u sua lly see n a t the top an d a t the bo ttom o f thebacks an d be ll i e s o f o ld a nd n e w vio lin s. As m any vio lin ists a r e

w ho lly a t a lo ss to a c coun t fo rthe r a ison d

’

etr e o f the i r pre sen cethe re a t a ll

,it m ay be w e ll he re

to go in to the origin an d m o tiveo f the ir existe n ce . I n the firstpla ce

,they a r e n o t abso lute ly

n e ce ssa ry at all (a s is proved bythe la rge m a ss o f vio lin s bea ringn o tra ce o f this su pe rfluity),but m a ny o f the Crem o n e sem a ste rs u sed them ,

a n d,w he n

pre se n t,they a r e a ccoun ted fo r

a s fo llow s — When the back (o rbe lly) is re ady to fix o n to the

side s o r ribs,it w a s n otu nusua l to

comm en ce by se tting it o n thema n d m aking it fa st by thrustinga bradaw l through the ba ck (o rbe lly) a t top o r bo ttom (o r inbo th pla ce s), in to the e nd blo cks

,

so a s to keep it fast at the seF IG- 91 — 0m am en ta l ly m la id Pu rfling . po in ts w hil st y ou proce ed to fitthe side s to the table a ll round and set o n the scre w s. When thisis don e . a nd the bradaw l is rem oved

,it le ave s a ho le

,w hich is

then filled up w ith a peg, m ade an d fixed in m an n e r se t do w nin Pa rt I I I . The pegs o f Stradiva ri, a s w e sha ll se e in a futurechapte r, w e re a lw ays pla ced a s show n at A in Fig. 92, a nd a s in

m aking copie s of grea t m a ste rs it is n e ce ssa ry to a ttend to this,

pa rticula r in struction s fo r the ir applica tion w ill be give n in du ecourse though , a s w ill be se e n ,

the m o re sc ien tific u se o f c ram psto secure the table s at the se po in ts is the in va riable prac tice o f

the best m ode rn m ake rs .Ornam en ta tion .

— The o rn am en ta tion O f fiddle s is practica llv

THE EXTERI O R o r THE VI O LIN. 165

O bso le te , as I have just rem a rked , but in fo rm e r tim e s the ve rybe st m a ke rs o rn am e n ted the ir fiddle s o cca siona lly. Befo re thedays o f the vio l in , o f course n ea rly a ll vio l s w e re o rn am en ted insom e w ay, a n d a fte r the ir extin ction vio lin s could n o t quite getr id o f this supe rfluous cha rm ,

w hich ha s com e dow n to us in theshape o f e c cen tric pu rflin gs. Maggin i w a s e spec ia lly fond o f a

fan ta stic a rra n gem en t a nd reduplicatio n o f the pu rfling, o f w hichFig. 91 is a specim en

,an d n e a re r hom e itw a s a favo urite peculia

F I O . 92.—Strad iva r i

’

s m eth od o f fixi ng th e p egs o r p o in ts (a ctu a l s i z e ) .

rity o f Ba rakNo rm an,o u r la st n a tiv e Vio l- m ake r. The pra ctice

O f usin g a sim ple o rn am e n ta l pu rfiin g (o r ra the r tw o row s w itha de sign w o rked be tw e e n them ) ha s be e n fo llo w ed bv the highe stm em be rs O f the fra te rn ity o f fidd le - m ake rs. Fig. 93 is a n o rn am en ta l purfl in g copied from a vio lin o f Stradiva riu s , the o n e tha tis figured by Mr . Ha rt from the P low de n co lle ctio n .

1 An o the rm ode O f o rn am e n ta tion o n ce ve ry m uch in vogue , but n ow

e n tire ly O bso le te , is the pra ctic e o f in laying. The in strum e n tsw e re in la id w ith view s , m eda ll io n s

,cre sts

,o r fa n cy de sign s.

Fig. 94 is a fiddle o f the Maggin im ode l , ve ry fin e ly in la id

,w hich a lso

pre se n ts an o the r fo rm o f o rn am e n tatio n

,n am e ly , the sculptu red sc ro l l

or' he ad. This w a s a n o the r re l ique

o f the vio ls,w hich n ea rly a lw ays Fm 93 — 0m am en t“1 p urflm g 0f

S r (11 r i

had sculptured he ads. Ja cob Ste i n e rt a W “S

the m o st frequen t ade pte r o f this fo rm o f o rn am en t ; andhis fo llo w e rs o f the Ge rm a n scho o l have ve ry fre e ly reproducedthis pe culiarity o f the ir grea t m a ste r

,his favo urite fo rm be ing

the lio n ’s he ad,but he n ot u n frequen tly seem s to have executed

hum a n a n d o the r heads , probably reproduction s o f the c re sts 01th e pa tron s fo r w hom the in strum en ts w e re m ade . The re existalso in strum e n ts w ith ca rved heads by S tradiva ri ; they a re

Ha rt,“The Vio li n

,its Fam ou s Mak ers an d the ir Im itators (Lon don

4to a n d 8vo Plate 18, p . 230. (Popula r Ed ition . 1880. 8V0. an u

(En larged ) Ed ition of the or igin a l.

166 v i oLIN-ma xm u : a s I T w a s AND I s .

beautifully exe cuted,but a re in e stim ably Appa r en t r am

n a n tes in gu rgite va sto ! I have befo re n o ticed the prin cipa lm ake rs o f vio lin s abro ad a n d at hom e

,an d have a lluded to the

pe culia ritie s o f fo rm ,etc .

, by w hich the in strum en ts o f the sem ake rs a r e distinguished, but Ihave sa id but little about the iro rn am e n ta tio n w ith pa in ting,bran ding, e tc . With rega rd to

the fo rm e r m ode o f o rn am en tation , I have a l re ady n o ticed thetw e n ty- four vio lin s o f Andre a sAm a ti, o n e o f w hich ha s furn ishedus w ith the pla te s I I . an d I I I

a n d w hich a re de scribed o n page73. An o the r spe c im en

,m ade in

1620by Nicho la s Am a ti,w a s show n

in the spe c ia l Exhibition o f An cie n tMusica l I n strum en ts

,he ld at South

Ke n singto n in the y e a r 1872. I t

w as a vio la (No . len t by Mr .

W. L . Adyo,ve ry beautifully

illum in a ted o n the ba ck,a n d r e

produced in the illu stra ted ca talogue o f tha t exh ibition . (Viden ote

,p . I t is n o t un com m on

to find ve ry o ld v io l in s pa in tedw ith m eda llio n s a nd o the r sim ila ro rn am e n ta tion . Som e m ake rs

,

n o tably Be njam in Banks,

of

Sa lisbury, an d San to Se raphin,

have em be llished the ir in strum en tsby branding them w ith the irin itia l s o r o the r device s . The

favourite spo ts fo r this kind o f

in itialling se em to have be en un de rthe ta il- pie ce , o n the rib clo se to

the ta il- pin ,an d u n de r the finge r

bo a rd . La stly,the m o st (and

’ 1“-M - Viofi ncgggg

n

gfg

gfw k

on ly) m ode rn fo rm o f em be llishm en t is the pra ctice of fitting up

in strum en ts w ith in la id acce sso rie s , such a s ta il- pie ce,pegs, an d

finge r- bo a rd— the first m o st usu a l ly, the se cond som e tim e s

,the

third se ldom . The first a re so fam iliar in the show - ca se s o f anyvio lin -dea le r tha t they n eed n o de scriptio n the se cond a re n ot so

m u ch used ; but undoubtedly a sm a ll go ld stud o r sm a l l plate let

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER X.

THE VARNI SH.

Charles Reade on the O ld Varn i shes— O ld Recipes—Alexis th e Piedm on tese , 1550-Fio rava n ti of Bo logna , l 564— Anda , 1663— Zah n , 1685

— 0. Mor ley, 1692— Bon a n n i of Rom e , 17 l it— Qua litie s requ ired by Vio l in Varn ish—Am berVarnishes— Spiri t Varn ishes—Application— Si z ing

— Tests fo r Purity ofI n gredi en ts— Co loration of Varn ish— Composition

—Tim e fo r m ak ing Varn ishes— Recipes.

WE have n ow reached the po in t at w hich ou r fiddle I s c om ple ted“in the w hite : there on ly rem a i n s

,the re fo re

,be fo re pro ce ed

ing to fit it up an d string it, to discuss the que stio n o f Varn ish.So m uch ha s been w ritte n o n the subje ct of the Lo st Crem o n a

Va I n ish,

w ith such in fin ite sim a l re sult,tha t it w ould be w o rse

than use le ss to sta rt a n ew the o ry to so lve an appa ren tly in so lubledifficulty. Mr . C. Reade , i n a le tte r in the P a ll [Ma ll Ga z ette

,

o f August 3l at, l 872,l ha s sho rtly epitom ised a ll tha t is kn ow nO f this lo st but glo rious com poun d

,an d hi s rem a rks on the

subjec t a re,in the abstra ct

,a s fo llo w s

I t com e s to this,then

,

” says he,

“ tha t the va rn ish of

Crem on a,a s ac ted on by tim e an d usage , ha s an in im itable

beauty an d w e pay a high price fo r it i n se con d- cla ss m ake rs,

a n d an en o rm ous price fo r i t in a fin e Str adiu a riu s o r J o sephGua rn e rius. No w on de r

,the n

,tha t m a ny vio lin - m a ke rs have

tried ha rd to discove r the sec re t o f this va rn ish,m any chem ists

have given days a nd n ights o f a n xious study to it. Mo re thanon ce

,eve n i n m y tim e

,

c’

hope s have ru n h igh, but on ly to fa llaga i n . Som e have even cried

,Eu reka l

’

to the public ; butthe m om en t O the rs lo oked at the ir discove ry, a nd com pa red itw ith the rea l thin g, ‘ in extin guishable laughte r sho ok the skie s .

’

At la st, de spair ha s su cce eded to a ll tha t en e rge tic study, an dTh ea, m o st inte resting a n d v a lu able letters w e re (ow in g to the m ed ium of

the ir publi cation ) n ot n ear ly so w id e ly spread am on gst the m u sica l w o r ld as theyought to have be en . I n th e yea r 1873, Mr . G. H. M. Mu n tz , of B i rchfie ld ,reprinted them I n the fo rm of a n o rna te little pam phlet, e n titled ,

“A Lo st Art

Rev ived ; Crem ona Vio l in s and Va rn ish , by Cha r le s Read e it was prin ted byJ . Bel low s, at the Steam PI e ss, Eas tga te , Glo u ceste r but on ly a sm a ll n um ber

w ere prin ttd, and the c ircu la tio n w a s n e cessar i lv lim ited

TEE va RNI s I I . 169

the va rn ish O f Crem on a is sullen ly give n up a s a lo st a rt. I

have hea rd an d read a gre at dea l about it, a nd I thin k I cansta te the prin c ipa l theo rie s briefly but in te lligibly.

1. I t used to be stoutly m a in ta in ed tha t the ba sis w a s am be r ;tha t the se o ld I ta lian s had the a rt o f fusing am ber w ithoutim pa iring its tran spa ren cy : on ce fused by dry hea t, it couldbe bo iled in to a va rn ish w ith o il and spirit of turpen tin e , andcom bin ed w ith tran spa ren t yet la sting co lours. To con vin cem e , they used to rub the w o rn pa rt of a Crem on a w ith the i rsleeve s

,and then put the fiddle to the ir n o se s

,an d sm e ll

am be r. Then I,burn ing w ith the love of kn ow ledge , used to

rub the fiddle ve ry ha rd,a nd w hip it to m y n o se

,a nd n ot sm e ll

am be r. But tha t m ight a rise, in som e m ea sure,from the re n ot

be ing a ny am be r the re to sm e ll. l (N.B . The se am be r- se ekingw o rthie s n eve r rubbed the co lour ed va rn ish o n an o ld vio lin .

Yet the ir the o ry had pla ced am be r the re .)2. Tha t tim e doe s it a ll ; tha t the Vio lin s o f Stradiva ri w e re

raw, crude things at starting, an d the va rn ish ra ther opaque .

“3. Tw o or three had the courage to say it w a s spirit- va rn ish,a nd a lleged I n pro of tha t if yo u drop a drop of a lcoho l on a

Stradiva ri, it tea rs the varn ish off a s it run s.“ 4 . The fa r m ore preva le n t n o tion w a s

,tha t it is an o il

va rn ish,in suppo rt o fw hich they po in ted to the rich appea ra n ce

o f w ha t they ca ll the ba re w o od,an d con tra sted the m ise rable

,

hungry appea ran ce o f the w o od in a ll o ld vio lin s kn ow n to be

spirit va rn ished (fo r in stan ce , Nicho la s Gaglian o o f Naple s,a n d

J ea n Baptiste Guadagn in i o f P ia cen z a , I ta lian m ake rs con

tem po ra ry w ith J o seph de l Ge su).5. Tha t the secre t ha s bee n lo st by adu lte ra tion . The o ld

Crem on e se an d Ve n e tian s got pure a nd so ve re ign gum s tha thave re tired from comm e rce .

Now a s to theo ry NO . I . Sure ly am be r is too de a r a gum

a n d too im pra cticable fo r tw o hun dred fiddle - m ake rs to haveused it in I ta ly.

2 Till fused by dry hea t, it is n o m o re so luble invarn ish than qu artz i s a nd w ho can fuse it ? Copa l is in c lin edto m e lt, but am be r to burn

,ca tch fire

,do a nything but m e lt.

Put the tw o gum s to a lighted ca n dle, you w ill the n apprec ia te

the diffe ren ce . I have tried m o re than on e chem ist in the fc s in go f am ber ; it cam e ou t o f the ir han ds a da rk brow n , opaque

Th is rubbing test has been in gr eat fa vou r w ith m an y experim en ta lists.

A fidd le by the broth ers Am ati is sa id to have given o ff a sm e l l o f m astic

an d lin se ed o i l an d instrum en ts by Joseph Gua rn er iu s (fi li us An d re as), a n d byJoseph de l Gesu,

”

subm i tted to the sam e test, suggested to the se ek e rs a fte rthe m yste ry the presen ce of be n z o in , as w e ll as of m a stic and linseed o i l 1

I t must be bo rn e in m i nd that am be r is m u ch ch eape r a n d com m on er inI ta ly and the Tyro l tha n in the n orthern cou ntr ies o f Europe .

170 VI O LIN MAK ING : a s IT w a s AND I s .

substa n ce,ra the r burn t than fused. Whe n rea lly fu sed

,it is a

da r k o live-

gr een , a s clea r a s crysta l. Yet I n eve r kn ew bu t on e

m a n w ho could bring it to this, a n d he had spe c ia l m a chin e ryin ven ted by him se lf fo r it ; in spite o f w hich he n e a rly burn tdo w n his house at it o n e day .

1 I be lieve the w ho le am be r theo rycom e s ou t o f a ve rba l equivoque . The va rn ish o f the Am a ti w a sca lled am be r to m a rk its rich co lour

,and your a pr io r i rea son e rs

w en t o ff o n tha t, fo rge ttin g tha t am be r m ust be a n in ch thickto exhibit the co lour am be r. By such rea so n ing a s this

,Mr .

D avidson,in a bo ok o f grea t gen e ra l m e rit

,is m isled so fa r a s

to pu t dow n ow dered gla ss fo r an ingredien t in Crem on a

va rn ish. Ma r the logic . Gla ss in a she e t is tran spa re n t ; soif you reduce it to pow de r, it w ill add tran spa re n cy to va rn ish .

Im po sed on by this chim e ra,he a ctua lly puts pow de red gla ss, an

O paque a n d in so luble sedim e n t, in to four re cipe s fo r Crem on a

va rn ish.

2 But the theo rie s,2, 3, 4 , 5, have a ll a go od dea l o f

truth in them the ir fault is that they a r e to o n a rrow,a nd to o

blin d to the truth o f ea ch o the r. I n this,a s in eve ry sc ien tific

in quiry, the true so lution is tha t w hich recon cile s a ll the truthstha t se em a t va rian ce .

“The w ay to discove r a lo st a rt, on ce pra ctised w ith va riatio n sby a hundred pe ople , is to exam in e ve ry c lo se ly the m o st brillian tspe c im en

,the m o st cha ra cte ristic spec im en

,and

,inde ed, the m o st

extravaga n t spe c im e n— if you ca n find on e . I to ok tha t w ay, a n dI foun d in the chippie st va rn ish o f Stradiua r iu s, v iz .

,his da rk

red va rn ish, the k ey to a ll the va rn ish o f Crem on a,r ed or

ye llow . (N.B .— The ye llow va rn ish a lw ays bea t m e de ad, till I

go t to it by this d e’

tour .) Lo ok at this dark red va rn ish,an d

u se your e y e s . Wha t do you see ? A red varn ish,w hich chips

ve ry re adily off w ha t pe ople ca ll the ba r e w ood . But n eve rm ind w ha t the se e cho e s o f e cho e s ca ll it. What is it ? I t isn ot ba re w ood . Ba re w ood turn s a dirty brow n w ith age thisis a rich and love ly ye llow . By its co lour

,and by i ts glassy

glo ss, an d by disbe lieving w ha t e choe s say, and trusting on ly to

This w a s the late John Lott (v idc Chapter p.

The u se of pow dered glass has by m a ny a uthors been he ld up to derision ,and r ightly to o , if it is to be un der sto o d a s an i ngr ed ient of the varn ish butthough som e short-sighted plagia ri sts m ay have copied in to th eir w o rk s rec ipesin cludi ng pow dered gla ss a s a p a r t of the va r n ish , if you c ou ld find theorigina ls from w h ich they d e r ived the ir in fo rm ation , you w ou ld probably findthat they in c luded pow dered gla ss w i th good in te n t, expecting fr om it m ere lya mecha n ic a l action in the prepa ratio n of the varn ish , n ot a chem ic a l in fluen ce onthe n atu re of the completed a rticle . Thus M. Eugen e Ma ilan d (s ide n ote p. 186)recomm en d s the use of a stratum of coa rse ly powde red glass at the bo ttomo f the ph ia l in w hich the resin s, etc .,

a re m ixed , to p r even t the r a i n: f r omadhe r i ng to the bottom of the r esce l , n ever dr eam ing that an y on e w oul d tak eh im to be recomm en di ng the glass as

“add ing tran sparen cy to the varn ish .

”

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

172 VI O LIN- MAKING : a s IT w a s AND 18.

un adulte ra ted gum in spirit ; the spirit evapo ra ted, and le ft puregum lying o n a rich o il va rn ish

,from w hich it chips by its dry

n a ture a nd i ts utte r w an t o f chem ica l a ffin ity to the substra tum .

This so lu tion o f the pro ce ss w ill apply to a lm o st eve ry Crem o n a

va rn ish . The beauty, the re fore , o f va rn ish lie s in the fa ct tha tit is a pure glo ssy o il varn ish

,w hich se rve s a s a fo il to a d ivin e

un adu lte ra ted gum ,w hich is le ft as a pure film .o n it by the

evapo ra tio n o f the spirit in w hich it w a s disso lved. The firstis a co lourle ss o il va rn ish

,w hich sinks in to and sho w s up the

figu re o f the w o od ; the se co n d is a he te rogen eous Spirit va rn ish,w hich se rve s to give the glo ry o f co lour, w ith its light a nd

shade,w hich is the grea t an d tra n sc e n den t beauty o f a Crem on a

vio lin . Gum - la c,w hich fo r fo rty yea rs ha s bee n the m a in sta y

o f vio lin -m ake rs,m ust n eve r be used

,n ot o n e a tom o f it. Tha t

vile flin ty gum killed va rn ish a tNaple s and P iace n z a a hundreda nd fo rty ye a rs ago , a s it kills va rn ish n o w . O ld Crem o n a

shun n ed it, a n d w ho ever em ploys a gra in o f it comm its w ilfulsuic ide as a Crem on e se va rn ishe r. I t w ill n ot w e a r ; it w ill n otchip it is in eve ry re spect the oppo site o f the Crem o n a gum s.Avo id it utte rly

,o r fa il hope le ssly

,a s a ll va rn ishe rs ha ve fa iled

sin ce tha t fa ta l gum cam e in . The de ep red va rn ish o f Crem o n a

is pur e drago n’s blo od n o t the ca ke

,the stick, the fi lthy tra sh

,

w hich,in this sin ful an d adulte ra ting gen e ra tio n , is re ta iled

un de r tha t n am e,but the te ar o f dragon

’s blo od,little lum ps

,

de epe r in c o lour tha n a ca rbun cle,cle a r a s crysta l, a nd fie ry a s

a ruby. The ye llow va rn ish is the un adulte ra ted te a r o f ano the rgum [Gam boge], re ta iled in a cake like dragon

’s blo od,a n d a s

grea t a fraud, a s pre se n ted to yo u in com m e rce fo r the ye llowa n d fo r the r ed gum , grope the c ity fa r e a stw a rds. The o rangeva rn ish o f Pe te r Gua rn e r ius a n d Stradiva rius is on ly a m ixtureo f the se tw o ge n uin e gum s.

”

Fo r this long extra c t from Mr . C. B eade’s le tte r

,copied prao

tica lly ve rba tim,I m ust crave the reade r’ s pa rdon but a s it is

pe rhaps (to m y m in d ,ce rta in ly) the m o st in te l lige n t, p ra ctica l,a nd sc ie n tific so lu tio n o f the fiddle -builde r’ s gre a te st d ifficulty,pre se n ted to a lim ited num be r o f pe ople by a gre a t co n n o isseur,a nd by o n e emin e n tly qua lified to give a n opin ion

,it is fa r m o re

ho n e st a n d sa tisfa cto ry to give the w rite r’s ow n w o rds,than to

adapt it (a s so m any f ‘ bo okm ake rs un blushingly do) to m yo w n phra seo logy, a n d ca ll it o rigin a l obse rva tion . (

“P a lwr a m

qui m er u it,

So m uch, the re fo re , fo r the m odus Op er a ndi o f the o ld Crem on a

va rn ishe rs a s fa r a s w e ca n say . Wha t w e re the com pon en tpa rts o f the ir va rn ish, it w e re ve ry difficult, n ay, im po ssible , tode te rm in e , fo r it m ust be .bo rn e in m ind tha t a pe riod o f clo se

THE VARNI SH. 173

upon tw o hundred yea rs ha s e lapsed sin ce it w a s last appl ied a s

w e see it— a tim e quite lo ng e n o ugh to oxidiz e the gum s,re sin s, a n d the ir d iluen ts beyo n d the rea ch o f the m o st ca refulquan tita tive o r qua lita tive an a ly sis, be side s w hich , the co stlinessof the ope ra tio n o f depriving a Crem o n a m aste rpie ce o f itsgr ea te st bea uty, w ould place i t fo r beyo nd the reach o f the

m o st en thusia stic expe rim en ta list. This va rn ish had a n existenceexte n ding o n ly from a bout 1550 to about 1750

,a t the end o f

which tim e it w o uld seem to have va n ished a s com ple te ly a nd

myste rio usly a s it appe a red,supe rseded by the n ew spirit an d

la c va rn ishe s w hich po ssibly se em e d be tte r the n,but a s they have

turn ed o ut,w e re ve ry m uch w o rse , fo r the p u rpo se s o f the vio lin

va rn ishe r. All the da ta w e have to go upo n a re the prin ted w o rkso f som e few in dividua ls

,w ho have w ritte n pam phle ts o n the

various va rn ishe s in comm on u se fo r va rio us purpo se s, an d itis n ot un re a son able to suppo se tha t the va rn ish used by theluthie rs o r fiddle - m ake rs

,w a s

,to a ce rta in exte n t

,fam ilia r to

them ; aga in , the reading a nd prope "

con struction o f the sefo rm ula is ren de red m o re difficult by the fac t that m any o f the

gum s, re sin s, an d so lven ts m en tio n ed,n o lo nge r exist un de r the

n am e s by w hich they w e re the n kn o w n .

1a n d som e w ould se em

a lm o st en tirely to have disappea red. I w ill n ow recapitula te a

few o f the m o st like ly fo rm ulae en um e ra ted in the se a n c ie n tbro chure s.2 The first I have been able to o bta in i s a trea ti seca lled “ Se c re ts o f the Arts

,

” first published in 1550, by on e

Alexis, a Piedm o n te se .

3 He give s the fo llow ing recipes1. P la ce som e pow de red be n z o in (a ) in a phia l a n d cove r it

w ith tw o o r three finge rs’depth o f pure spirits o f w in e

,and

leave it thus fo r tw o o r thre e days. I n to this 4, i

ihia l o f spiri ts,

pu t five o r six threads o f saffro n (5) w ho le , o r ro ughly broke nup . With th is yo u m ay va rn ish a nything a go lde n co lour

,

w hich w ill glitte r a nd la st fo r ye a rs .2. Take w hite re sin (vide n o te

1

) 1 1h ., plum tre e gum 2 o z s.

,

Ve n e tia n turpe n tin e (c) 1 o z . , lin se ed o il 2 o z s. ; break up there sin and m e lt it. D isso lve the gum i n comm on o il an d pourit in to the re sin , then add the turpe n tin e an d o il

,a nd p la c ing it

o n a light fire , let it tho roughly m ix ; rem ove and ke ep fo ru se ; apply slightly w arm ed. Th is is a good picture va rn ish.

Und er th is h ead w ou ld com e a k in d o f copa l , k n ow n va ri o usly as I n d iancopa l, damm ar

,

”an d gum an im i

,

"

w h ic h flow s from a Sum a tra n tree ca l led'

a ter ia I n d ica , w hi ch w a s, in fo rm e r tim es, k n o w n a s w hite am be r ,

"

or

wh ite re sin,

”or w hi te in cen se ,

”w hich n am e s w e re al so gi ven to a m ixtu re

of o i l an d Grec ia n w ax, som etim es used as a va rn ish .

3 As th e n am es o f m an y o f th ese gum s, etc ., m ay be un fam i l ia r to my read ers, Ihave pla ced a n Appen d ix , d escriptive of them . a t the e n d of th e bo ok (Appendix a n d the r e fe re n ce lette rs in th e text re fe r the reto .

D . Alexi i Pedem o n ta n i de Sec retis Lib ri Septem . (Basle ,

174 VI OLIN-MAKING a s I T w as AND 18.

3. A quickly drying va rn ish . Take fran kin cen se (d) andjun ipe r gum , pow de r them a nd m ix them fin e ly. Take som eVe n e tia n turpe n tine , m e lt it in a little ve sse l

,a nd add gradua lly,

m ixing tho roughly, the a fo re sa id po wde rs. Filte r through clo tha nd pre se rve apply w a rm

,an d it w ill dry ve ry rapidly.

4 . Take gum -m a stic (e) 2 o z s .

,Ve n e tia n turpe n tin e 1

m e lt the m a stic o n a light fire , adding the turpe n tin e , let itbo il fo r som e tim e

,m ixing them con tin uously

,but n o t lo ng

e n ough fo r the va rn ish to be com e to o thick. Put it aw ay o u t

o f the dust. To u se it,w a rm it in the sun and lay it on w ith

the ha n d.

5. Bo il 3 lbs . o f l in seed o il till it sco rche s a fe a the r put in toit,the n add 8 o z s. jun ipe r gum and 4 o z s . a loe s hepatica (f), a n d

tho roughly m ix them ; filte r through c loth, an d befo re using,

w a rm in the su n .

6. Gum -m a stic 2 o z s. , gum-jun ipe r 2 o z s.

,l in se ed o il 3 o z s.

,

spirits o f w in e 3 o z s.,bo il in a c lo sed ve sse l fo r a n hour.

The autho r c ite s a s co louring m a tte rs,san da l w ood

dragon’ s blo od (It) . m adde r (i) ste eped in ta rta ric a cid

,log

- w o od

(j ), Bra z il w ood (Is), a ll disso lved in po ta ssa lye , an d a lum,a n d

bo iled . Also saffro n (b), c in n aba r (l), a n d o rpim en t (m ) . He

says,

“Lin se ed o il w ill disso lve m i n e ra l a nd vege table co lours,

but kills o the rs .”Fio rava n ti in a bro chure ca lled “The Un ive rsa l Mirro r o f

Arts a nd Sc ien ce s,published at Bo logn a in 1564, give s the

four fo llow ing fo rm ulae1. Lin seed o i l 4 pa rts

,spi r its of turpe n tin e 2 pts .

,a lo e s 1 pt.,

)u n ipe r gum 1 pt.2. Po wde r, ben z o in , jun ipe r gum ,

a nd gum- m a stic

,and dis

so lve in spirits of w in e . This va rn ish drie s a t o n ce .

3. Lin se ed o il 1 pt., w hite re sin (vidc n o te 1

,p . 173) 3 pts .,

bo il toge the r, an d co lour a s you w ill.4 . Lin se ed o il 1 pt., re sin 2 pts., pin e re sin pt., bo il till it

thicke n s. J un ipe r gum m ust n eve r be added to the lin se ed o il

till it bo ils,o r e lse it w ill be burn t. The o il should be bo iled

ti ll it sco rche s a fea ther dipped in to it.He give s the sam e d ire ction s as Alexis

,as to co lours

,a n d

the so lve n t pow e rs o f lin se ed o il.

Bey o n d the se tw o autho rs,fo rm ula becom e ra the r scarce

,

be ing chie fly brought from Chin a . All the se la st,a nd the

com ing. fo rm ulae a r e n ot to be taken a s in ven ted at the da te sgive n , fo r they a re from w o rks in the n a ture of En cyc lopaadias,an d con sequen tly po st- da ted .

A prie st o f the n am e o fAn da,in a pam phle t en titled Re cue il

abrégé de s Se cre ts Me rve illeux,” published in 1663, give s the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

176 VI O LIN-MAKING : a s rr w a s a s s 18.

pu rp sts . He give s m any fo rm ula , the ba se s o f w hich a re prin cipa lly m a stic

,jun ipe r gum ,

co pa l,lin se ed o il

,an d o il of la ve n der.

I t w ould be ea sy to m ultiply the se o ld fo rm ula,but Space

fo rbids it ; the fo rego ing a re doubtle ss the m o st im portan ta nd use ful of them ,

a s giving us a go od ide a of w ha t m a teria lsthe o ld Crem on a va rn ishe rs had a t han d ; the ir va rn ishe s, of

course,had to be m o st carefully suited to the ir pe culia r require

m en ts. a n d prope rly to a sce rta in this it is n e ce ssa ry to fin c.

(a ) w ha t pa rt it plays in the con struction of a fiddle,a n d (b

wha t qua litie s it m ust con sequen tly n ece ssa rily po sse ss. L’

AbbéSibire in “La Che lo n om ie

” thus sum s up its r a ison d ’

é‘

tr e

I I faut qu e ce s pate s,pa rfa item en t délayée s

,plus legere s qu e

m a ssive s, n ourrissen t le s m a tériaux san s m a sque r leur ve rtu,et

adouc issen t 1e s son s san s 1e s obstrue r. Ce n e se ra it pas la pe in ed

’

av o ir pris tan t de preca u tio n s ave c le com pa s [d a vio lon ], pou rle s an n ule r ave c les drogue s . Em a ille z ta n t qu ’il vous pla ira

,

m a is n ’a ssou rdisse z pa s. Quan d je vous comm a n de n u vio lon

,

je souh '

i ite qu ’il so it jo li,m a is j

’

e n ten ds qu ’il so i t bo n et m on

o rei lle , indign ée et ja louse,n e vous pa rdon n era it pa s d

’

avo ir,a

se s dépen s, trava illé pour m e s yeux .

Be fo re begin n ing to co n side r the m a tte r w e m ust get rid

o f a ll n o tio n o f co louring the w o od befor e va rn ishing, o r sta in ingit w ith a c ids an d o the r co rro sive s to give the appe a ran ce o f

age a n d a ll such in ven tion s of the Evil on e , w hich acids sin kright in to the un pro te cted w o od a s in to blo tting- pape r

,a nd

in vading the in n e rm o st hea rt of the fiddle,w he re they have n o

busin e ss to be,de stroy its m o st sove re ign qua litie s w ithout

pe rfo rm ing a ny o f the prope r fun ction s o f varn ish . I ts firstan d grea t fun ction is, o f course

,the pre se rva tion o f the w ood

w ithout it n o fiddle could a tta in a n age o f m o re tha n a ve ry fewyea rs

,an d the ton e w ould lo se sw e etn e ss an d pow e r a fte r a ve ry

short existen ce o f ha rm ony. O n its n a ture a lso a grea t de a ldepen ds : it m ust be ten de r

,in a m an n e r so ft ; that i s, it

m ust yie ld to the m ovem en ts o f the w ood, an d n ot e n ca se thefiddle like a film o f rigid gla ss. I t is w e l l kn o w n tha t in ho tw ea the r the w o od expands

,a n d in co ld w ea the r co n tra cts o n a

vio lin ,im pe rceptibly pe rhaps

,but n on e the le ss a ctua lly, a nd

the n a ture a n d qua lity o f the va rn ish m ust be such a s to a llowo f its fo llow in g the se m ovem e n ts o f the w ood to w hich it isapplied, w ithout che cking them in a ny w ay, a s it ce rta in ly w ouldif it w e re to o ha rd. I t is this tha t give s the o il varn ishe s such a

va st supe rio rity ove r spirit va rn ishe s,though the fo rm e r a re m o re

d ifficult to com po u n d an d apply,an d take w e eks, m on ths (n ay ,

yea rs), to dry prope rly. Gum - la c ha s this sam e ha rde n ing effe ctupon va rn ishe s, tho u gh it has bee n m o st fre e lv and disa strously

m s va nm sn . 177

used. I n the recipe s give n be low I have special ly excluded all

su ch,a nd a ll spirit va rn ishe s. To obta in this sr pplen e ss, the

gum s m ust be disso lved in som e liquid n ot highly vo la tile likespirit

,bu t o n e w hich m ixe s w ith them in substa n ce pe rma n e n tly,

to co un te rac t the ir o w n extrem e friability. Such a re the e ssen ce so f lave n de r, ro sem a ry

,a nd turpe n tin e

,com bin ed w ith lin se ed

o il.

I f the se con ditio n s a re bo rn e in m ind, a glan ce at the

fo rm ula w ill show tha t they a re a ll adapted fo r applica tion to

m us ica l in strum e n ts in a gre a te r o r le sse r degree , though m o st o fthem w ould require

,a t a ny ra te , diluting. Fo r in stan ce , am ong

tho se o f Alexis,the P iedm on te se , No . 1 is ha rdly m o re than a

sta in , a nd w ould require the addition o f gum m a stic and jun ipe rto give it con sisten cy. No . 2 w ould be te n de r

,but to o heavy

the sam e rem a rk applie s to No s. 3 and 4 they a ll requirediluting w ith e ssen ce o f turpe n tin e

,a nd so on throughout. A

m om e n t’ s co n side ra tion o f e ach w ill sugge st the dilutio n o r

alte ra tion required to m ake it use ful fo r the purpo se s o f the

fiddle- m ake r. Aga in , by a loo sen e ss o f diction the o ld m a ste rshave been c ited a s cove ring the ir fiddle s w ith an o i l- va rn ish

,

”

w ithout sta ting w he the r the o il em ployed w e re an o il prope rlyso ca lled (a s lin s eed o il a n d the like ) o r an e ssen tia l o il (such a s

o il o f turpen tin e ). I t ha s appea red in the fo rego ing rem arkstha t the o ld va rn ishe rs used to begin by bo ilin o the ir o il s to an

exte n t sufficie n t to rende r them sicca tive , an d then afte r coo lingthey m ixed in the n e ce ssa ry powde rs

,having r e - hea ted the o il to

a le sse r degre e , o the rw ise the high tem pe ra ture n e ce ssa ry to bo ilthe o il w ould burn the de lica te re sin s a nd gum s w hich the

em ployed. An d in this they diffe red from the m a n n e r in w hiothe ha rd gla ssy spirit va rn ishe s o f to - day a re m ade .

M. Sava rt ha s m ade the extrao rdin a ry m istake o f pre fe r ringa ha rd spirit va rn ish o f gum

- la c, but it i s difficult to im agin e bywha t c ircuitous route he ca n have a rrived at such a n e rron eouscon clusion . I t has be en sa id tha t Stradiva rius and his predecesso rs va rn ished w ith am be r

,but stro ng eviden ce aga in st this is

brought by the fact, tha t the se cre t o f disso lving am be r and

ha rd CO pa l w as n ot kn ow n un til 1744, w hen le tte rs pa ten t fo rthe discove ry w e re gran ted to on e Ma rtin . His ope ra tion w as

to fuse am be r and ha rd COpa l by dry he a t, and disso lve it inbo iling o il

,w hich w a s diluted w ith an e sse n ce ra ised to the sam e

he a t be fo re it w a s added . This ope ra tio n w as,in de ed

,inven ted

in 1737,bu t a s this w a s the yea r in w hich Stradiva riu s died

,he

could n eve r have used it,m uch le ss his prede ce sso rs

,a s sta ted

by O tto,a nd be side s

,a va rn ish so com pounded w ould be m u ch

too ha rd to use on violin s fo r the rea son s before sta ted.

178 Vi r u s - MAKING : a s w a s AND I S .

I t w a s tow a rds the de c lin e o f the Crem on a vio lin m an ufa cturetha t gum

- la c w a s in troduced,a nd w ith it J . B . Guadagn in i

spo ilt the to n e o f m any o f his in strum en ts . I t is im po ssible toim pre ss the fa ct to o strongly, tha t the vehicle in w hich the

re sin s a re disso lved m ust be,an d rem a in so ft

,so a s to keep soft

re sin s, w hich by them se lve s a re n a turally ha rd an d cou sequen tly any va rn ish from w hich the diluen t ha s com ple te ly driedo ut m ust o f n ece ssity be com e ha rd a n d gla ssy, a n d chip o ff. O nthe o ther han d

,if the va rn ish be too so ft

,a n d . in fact

,rem a in

ta cky,it w ill in tim e cake

,an d de stroy the ton e o f the fiddle .

The ha rd spirit va rn ishe s m ight be im proved by o il of turpe ntin e , ca sto r- se ed

,laven de r

,e tc . ; but sure ly it is be tte r to u se

the se a t o n ce than u se them m e re ly to coun te ract faults in an

in fe rio r com po sition . I t is im po ssible to say how the o ld

luthie rs disso lved the highly- co loured re sin s w hich tin t thei rde epe r co loured va rn ishe s ; but the m ean s o f disso lving the

m o st de lica te gum s has a lready been discussed, an d ce rta in it istha t n ow adays va rn ishe s o f the highe st co lour can be prepa redw ithout a

'

ve stige of c loud o r sedim en t ; an d such re c ipe s a re

given be low .

The autho r o f How to Cho o se a Vio lin (s ide n o te p. 127)m ake s the fo llow ing m o st pe rtin en t rem a rk I t is ce rta intha t the va rn ish u sed by the o ld Crem on a m ake rs w a s superio rto any n ow existing : it w a s m o re plia n t

,o r it w ould have

im pa ired the ton e : it w a s adhe sive , o r long u se w ould havepa rted it from the w o od. Yet w r iter s er r who a ssign to the

va r n ish the ca u se of the won derfu l ton e of Cr em on a vio lin s . The irbeauty a n d va lue a re in the ir con structio n . No va rn ish couldm ake a n in fe rio r in strum en t so un d w e ll w hile a supe rio r o n e

w ould still be good, even if ill va rn ished . This is o n e of the

w ise st rem a rks of this m a rve llously w ise little book, an d I quo teit tha t m y reade rs m ay bea r it in m in d w hilst they read thischa te r .

It)

ha s been a m uch- deba ted que stio n w he the r w ood ought tobe siz ed, and to m y m in d the re ca n be n o que stion about it. I t

se em s to m e ce rta in tha t the o ld I ta lia n m akers siz ed the ir w o odin som e w ay befo re applying the varn ish , a n d this accoun ts fo rthe ye llow substra tum n o ticed w he re the va rn ish ha s w o rn o ff

,

a lluded to by Mr . C. Reade,in the extra c t quo ted at the

begin n in g o f this chapte r,w he re he distin ctly de scribe s this

ope ra tion o f siz ing w ith on e kind o f va rn ish,an d the n va rn ish

ing, in the o rdin a ry a cceptation o f the te rm,w ith a n o the r

,ra the r

diffe ren t in its n a ture— in fa ct, a s he says, he te rogen e ous . The

u se , o r ra the r n ece ssit

fy, o f this opera tio n is at on ce appa ren t

when w e co n side r the o llow ing fa cts . The n atu re o f the w ood

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

180 v iN-Ma e o : as i r w a s AND 18.

to te st a lcoho l w ith a reom e ters o r hydrom e ters,fo r by a ca reful

addition o f suga r the fe lon iously dispo sed ca n a lw ays in cre a seits spe cific gravity at w ill . How eve r

,w hen pure it ought to

registe r 76 on the gove rnm e n t sca le,at a tem pe ra ture of

60° Fahr. (o r 16

°Cen t.) The e sse n tia l o ils m ust a lso be quite

free from adulte ra tion if they are m ixed w ith turpen tin e , thisla tte r m ay be discove red by rubbing the o il sm a rtly in the pa lm) f the ha nd, w hich w ill expo se the turpe n tin e by its sm e ll. I f

the e sse n tia l o il ha s be en adulte ra ted by a ny fixed o il it m ay be

discove red by le tting fa ll a drop on a pie ce o f pape r a nd w a rming it, w he n , in ste ad o f en tire ly evapo rating, it w ill leave a

tra n spa re n t spo t o n the pape r. I f it is adulte ra ted w ith a lcoho l,

pla ce a little in a gradua ted tube w ith a little w a te r. The tw o

w ill ke ep sepa ra te an d the bulk o f the o i l m ay still be registe red,but o n shaking it up, the w ate r disso lve s the a lcoho l o ut o f the

e sse n tia l o il,an d the la tte r becom e s sm a lle r in bulk tha n be fo re .

I f o n shaking up the o il sm a rtly in a bo ttle it be com e s

m ilky o r O pa le sce n t, it in dica te s the pre sen ce of w a te r a s a n

adulte ran t. I f the e sse n ce be distilled in a sm al l re to rt,any

re sin o r fixed o il w hich m ay have bee n m ixed w ith it w ill besepa ra ted. By a ll the se m e thods

,the refo re , you m ay te st the

purity o f your m a te ria ls be fo re comm e n cing O pe ration s. An d

this brings us to the co louring of va rn ishe s, w hich is a m u chm o re difficult m a tte r than on e w ould suppo se

,fo r m an y e ssen ce s,

such a s e ssen ce of turpe n tin e,laven de r, ro sem a ry

,etc .

,w ill n ot

(o r o n ly ve ry slightly) act a s so lven ts o f co loured re sin s,o r w ill

on ly ho ld them in suspen sion,w hich w o uld be fa ta l to the tran s

pa re n cy o f the va rn ish. Such re sin s (which in c lude gam boge,drago n

’s blo od,etc .) a re , ho w eve r, so luble in spirits o f w in e

an d in the fo llo w ing m an n e r they m ay be used to co lour theesse n ce s be fo re - m e n tio n edLe t the co lo ur- re sin be disso lv ed in a lcoho l

,and the so lution

m ay be poured in to the e ssen ce w ithout lo sing its clea rn e ss .

Now ,the bo iling o r evapo ra ting po in t o f a lcoho l be ing m uch

n w e r than tha t o f the e sse n ce,the m ixture m ay be kept above

the bo i ling po in t o f the a lcoho l an d be low tha t of the e ssen ce,

an d thus the a lcoho l w ill evapo ra te,and le ave behin d it the

co louring m a tte r sta tion a ry in the e ssen ce,w hich is thus, a s it.

w e re,de ce ived in to ho lding the co lour in clea r so lutio n . Any

co lo ur re sin m ay thus be in co rpo ra ted w ith any e sse n ce (except.tha t o f turpe n tin e ), w hich m ay the n be used in the com po sitiono f a I a r n ish ; but it m ust be bo rn e in m in d tha t a ll the

m ate r ia ls em ployed m ust be abso lutely pure ; and the ir puritym u st be a sce rta in ed by the m e an s give n above . As the be ste ssen ce w he rew ith to inco rporate the co lou r is tha t o f turpen ~

THE va RNi su . 181

tine , and e ssen ce o f turpe n tin e in its clea r,pu re , recently

distilled sta te w ill n ot m ix w ith a lcoho l,a slightly diffe ren t

mode o f pro cedure m ust be fo llo w ed— n am e ly,the e sse n ce m ust

be expo sed to the a ir in a n un co rked phia l,a nd pe riodica lly

stirred be fo re adding the a lcoho lic so lutio n,so a s to m ix it w ith

the oxygen of the a ir . I t m ust rem a in expo sed un til a few

drops ta ken from the expo sed e ssen ce m ix readily w ith a sim ilarquan tity o f a lcoho l ; the expo sure required to oxidiz e the e ssen cew i ll se ldom exce ed tw o m o n ths. The re sin s em ployed fo r givinga r ed tin t to va rn ishe s a re tho se o f the P ter oca rpus indicu s

w hich im pa rts a n o range co lour ; the P ter oca rpu s sa n ta lin us,

which give s a da rke r r ed ; a n d dragon’s blood, w hich give s

the deepe st sca rle t. The w o ods o r the re sin s m ust be po w deredfin e

,a n d ste eped in a lcoho l fo r som e e ight o r ten days, an d then

fi lte red o ff fo r u se . The be st e ssen ce is tha t o f turpe n tin e ,com bin ing, a s it do e s, prope rtie s a t o n ce ten de r a n d sicca tive .

Afte r it com e in o rde r,ro sem a ry an d lave n de r

,o f w hich the

fo rm e r is the be tte r.All ope ra tio n s requiring hea t should be pe rfo rm ed on a w a te r

ba th,the n a ture o f w hich is too w e ll kn o w n to require explan a

tio n he re , a nd the com po sito r o f va rn ishe s should a lw ays havec lo se at ha nd a w et c lo th and a pa il o f w a te r

,in ca se the

com pound should ca tch fire ; but t his con tinge n cy se ldomhappe n s if the in n e r ve sse l be n ot filled to m o re tha n ha lfits capac ity. The a lcoho lic so lution o f the co lourin g re sinshould first be evapo ra ted to ha lf its bulk

,to obvia te the

e ssen ce be ing to o fre e ly diluted by its addition . Whe n co ld,

this sa tura ted so lutio n m ay be added to the e ssen ce o f turpentin e

,w hich has be e n oxidiz ed a s be fo re de scribed

,a nd the

tw o bo iled toge the r, being m ost ca r efu l to keep it below the

bo i ling p oi n t of the essen ce ; in this w ay the a lcoho l w ill bee n tire ly dissipa ted. I t m ay be o cca sio n a lly stirred w ith a

w ooden stick to ha ste n it, an d in ste ad o f le tting the alcohou c

so lution co o l,it w ill have the sam e e ffe ct if the e ssen ce be hea ted

to a like tem pe ra ture be fo re the a lcoho lic so lutio n is added.

When a ll the a lcoho l ha s pa ssed off,w hich w ill be se en w hen

bubble s cea se to be evo lved,let the m ixture rem a in o n the

w a te r ba th fo r a few m in ute s,to drive off a ny w a te r w hich m ay

be left the re by the a lcoho l,but it m ust n o t be le ft lo ng en ough

fo r the e sse n c e to com m e n ce to evapo ra te,o r the co louring

m a tte r w ill /be pre c ipita ted in propo rtion a s the liquid dim in ishe s.O f course

,the above d irectio n s a re given fo r the prepa ra tion o f

sm a ll pl an titie s o f va rn ish if la rge quan titie s w e re con sta n tlybe ing made , it w ould be w orth w hile to rega in the a lcoho lhereby dissipa ted by m ea n s o f spec ia l appa ra tus, w hich it is

182 vI OLIN—Maxm e : a s I T w a s AND I S.

n eedle ss he re to de scribe . I t is a lw ays be tte r to pe rfo rm the seopera tion s in the summ e r

,fo r in w in te r o ils and e ssen ce s ha ve a

tenden cy to a lte r in the ir n a ture and con siste n cy from e ithe rco ld o r absorption .

From the begin n ing o f J uly to the end o f Septem be r is thebe st tim e to prepare va rn ishe s. The three r ed re sin s m en tion edabove , pa ss through m any shade s o f co lour

,and m ay be lighten ed

w ith gam boge , a n d da rke n ed w ith a spha lte o r dragon’s blood

but the se ton e -m odifie rs m ust n ot be used in sufficien t quan tityto a lte r the n a ture o f the varn ish. Fo r in stan ce

, gam bogedisso lve s m ore readily in e ssen tia l o il (e spe c ia lly tha t o f

turpen tin e) than the san da l w oods w hich have to be added

by m ean s o f the a lcoho lic so lution so to lighten a n e ssen ceco loured w ith sanda l w ood the gam boge m ust n ot be added

dir ect to the so lution , o r,by rea son o f its grea te r affin ity

,

the e ssen ce m ight prec ipita te the san da l w ood in favour o f

the gam boge . This la tte r,the re fo re

,m ust be added by m ea n s

o f an a lc oho lic so lution , an d the a lcoho l evapo ra ted off as

de scribed above . D ragon’s blood, how eve r, is n ot so readily

prec ipita ted from the e ssen ce the re fo re this m ay m ore sa felybe added dir e ctly to the e ssen ce w ithout the in te rven tion o f

the a lcoho lic so lution . I t is be st to fin ish the co louring o f

the e ssen ce be fo re comm e n c ing to compound the r e st f the

va rn ish. Fin a lly,it is n e ce ssa ry to sta te tha t the e sse n ce o f

turpen tin e ha s been dea lt w ith hithe rto a s be ing the be st,

fo r rea son s give n above ; e ssen ce o f ro sem a ry m ay a lso be

used,an d is e a sie r to dea l w ith

,but n ot so go od in the fin a l

re sult. The a lcoho lic so lution o f sa nda l w o od is apt to oxidiz eand deepen in tin t on expo sure to the a ir

,though an e sse n tia l

so lution do e s n ot pre sen t this pe culia rity to so m a rked a degree ,a ll its so lution s, how eve r, a re pow e rfully a cted upo n by a lka lieso f a ll kinds.I n con c lusion of this som ew ha t le ngthy subje c t, the re rem a in s

on ly to fo rm ula te the fin a l ope ra tion s n e ce ssa ry fo r the com pletion of the va rn ish. The re sin s appropria te to o u r u se d ividein to tw o c la sse s

,the hard an d the so ft. The hard com prise

coPa l, am be r,a n d gum

- lac,a nd the so ft a re subdivided in to

tw o o the r cla sse s,v iz .

,dry, such a s jun ipe r gum , gum

-m a stic ,a nd damm a r an d e la stic, such a s ben z o in

,e lem i, a n im e , a n d

turpe n tin e . The first,o r ha rd kin ds, w ould be un suita ble used

a lon e,fo r they w ould che ck the vibra tion s of the in strum en t a n d

chip o ff on the slighte st pro vo ca tion ; the se cc n d, o r dry kin d,coun te ra ct this chipping te n den cy o f the ha rd kin ds, but useda lon e w ould pow de r o ff the third

,o r e la stic kinds

,a re n ot so lid

e n ough to u se a lon e,be side s

,by the ir he avy glutin ous characte r,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

184 VI O LIN- MAK ING : a s IT w a s aND 1s.

is on ly a m a tte r o f tim e , an d the la tte r is liable to ca rbon iz e orothe rw ise a lte r the co n stituen ts a nd

,se con dly, the re is n o

denying tha t a ll the substan ce s used a re highly in flam m able,and

w itho ut exceedingly ca re ful ha n dling, con side rable da nge r tolife an d prope rty en sue s if he at is used in a labo ra to ry n ot

specia lly con struc ted for the purpo se . I t w ill be se en tha t them a te ria ls ready to ou r ha nd n ow

, a re the sam e (w ith the exception o f som e use le ss on e s, such a s frankin cen se ; e tc .) a s w e ree num e ra ted in the o ld re c ipe s. I n o ur favour w e ca n c ite

,tha t

,

when un adulte ra ted,re sin s a re to be had pure r than they w e re

then , an d the ope ratio n s o f con cen tra ting e sse n ce s, a n d fusingthe ha rd gum s, then unkn ow n , a re n o w fully un dersto od. I t

ha s bee n expla in ed tha t w e m ust re linquish the u se o f the fourha rd re sin s, a n d a lso ben z o in

,be cause by sw e lling it ren de rs the

va rn ish gummy a nd Jun ipe r-gum ,because it require s so m uch

he a t, and ten de r copa l (o r damm a r) i s just a s go od, an d m uche a sie r to w o rk w ith.

We a re reduced,the re fo re , to l , m astic (in tea rs), w hich is

the m o st ten de r an d w ea rable o f a ll re sin s ; 2, te n de r copa lbrittle damm a

r)w hich by its dryn e ss coun te ra cts the m o re

e la stic re sm s,

a n ren de rs the va rn ish m o re sicca tive 3,

Ve n e tian turpen tin e,w hich w e avo id, as rende ring the varn ish

ta cky ; 4,e lem i

,an d 5, an im e

,bo th ve ry soft and e la stic

gum s. Cam pho r 18 som e tim e s m en tion ed as having be en used,but it ha s a te nden cy to kill co lour. The fo rm ula le ft us a s

the be st,becom e s the re fo re

,m a stic 10gr .

,te nde r copa l 5 gr .

,

e sse n ce (co loured a t w ill a s de scribed) 100 cc . To this is addedfin a lly 5 cc . o f lin seed o il

,n o t bo iled

,but the o lde r the be tte r .

Mo re than this quan tity m ight be used, but w ith the e ffe ct o f

le sse n ing the sicca tive prope rtie s o f the varn ish. The abovefo rm ula m ay be prepa red a s fo llow s — P la ce the 100 cc . of

co lo ured e ssen ce in a gla ss ve sse l , an d in to it put the m a stic,

which w ill take from tw en ty- four to thirt - six hours to disso lve .

When quite d lsso lved add the copa,l w hio w el take a like tim e .

Pe riodica lly sna k e the bo ttle . The n fin a lly m ix in the o il.

Put this fl u id aw ay in a da rk, coo l pla ce , in a stoppe red bo ttle

,

fo r te n days o r a fo rtn ight, to let it settle then filte r (throufilte r pape r for cho ice ), a n d ke ep the va rn ish six o r e ight

(m on IIS

be fo re using it I n this varn ish e lem i, a n im e , a nd turpe n tin ea re le ft o u t

,the lin seed o il ta king the ir place in co n tributing

the te n de rn e ss to the va rn ish. The re sin s appea r to be a r a

sm a ll propo rtion to the e sse n ce , but it m ust be rem em be red tha tIt h as be e n sugge sted that in these ve ry ad u lte rations , the n atu res o f w h ich

we ca n n o t n o w ascerta in , lay the se c re t o f the Crem on a va rn ish ,"a hypothesis

w hi ch, to say th e le ast o f it, is exceed i ng ly im proba ble .

THE va RNI SH. 185

the co louring m a tte r w ill hav e a l re ady, to a ce rta in e xte n t,

cha rged it, a nd it is be tte r to have the va rn ish thin , a n d va rn isho ften , than to have it thick a n d lay it o n blo tchy . Whe n the

e ssen ce i s tin ted w ith drago n’ s blo od, it is be tte r even to reduce

the w e ight o f re sin s proportio n a te ly to 12 gr . in stead o f 15,a s

‘

above . Such a con siste n cy w ill n ot re quire w a rm ing be fo re use,

a s is n e ce ssa ry i f the va rn ish be to o thick .

Whe n va rn ishing, you w ill discove r the abso lute n e ce ssityo f having your wood tho roughly dry a n d w e ll se a so n ed. I f

it is n o t,the varn ish

,in stead o f pre se rving the w ood

,w ill

ha ste n its decay by preve n ting it from drying prope rly. I t

m ust be bo rn e in m in d,tha t to lay o n va rn ish eve n ly is ve ry

difficult,fo r eve ry stroke of the brush te l ls on the po rous

surface o f the w ood. O f a rea lly w e ll com pounded , thin ,a nd tran sparen t va rn ish, the requisite depth o f co lour a n d

thickn e ss o f va rn ish is n ot ge n e ra lly rea ched till th e tw e lfthto the fifte e n th co a t

,an d ea ch coa t m ust be tho roughly

dry be fo re a n o the r is applied, or e lse the va rn ish w ill chipand po w de r o ff ; it save s a go od dea l o f trouble to w a it aw e ek o r m o re be tw een ea ch co a t

,on the prin c iple o f “

m o reha ste w o rse Speed .

”I f afte r a few coa ts yo u find the co lour

is de ep en ough, in stead o f con tinuing yo u m ay fin ish w ithon e co a t o f th e fo llo w ing tra n spa re n t va rn ish— m a stic 20

gr .,copa l brittle dam m a r) 10 gr .,

e ssen ce (n ew an d pure)100 cc .

,lin se ed o il 12 cc. The e ssen ce m ust be the sam e a s

tha t used in the first o r co loured va rn ish . I t is po ssible to

va rn ish w ith on e o r tw o thick coa ts,but it is n e ithe r so satisfa c

to ry n o r so go od. Va rn ishing sho u ld a lw ays be don e on a dry ,w a rm day , in som e pla ce o u t o f a draught, o r the ope ra tio n w illbe com e m uch m o re difficult the full pa rticula rs o f the Ope ra tio nbe ing e lse w he re la id do w n (s ide p.

To re capitula te the fo rego ing ra the r pro tracted de ta ils, theope ra tio n s to be pe rfo rm ed a re

,in brie f

,a s fo llo w s : Steep

100 gr . o f san da l- w o od (o r 80 o f dragon’s blo od) pow de red, in

1 litre o f a lcoho l,se t it in the su n o r som e w a rm pla ce fo r te n

days, shaking it pe riodica lly. Then filte r through a c lo th,a n d

repe a t the pro ce ss w ith a n o the r 100 (o r 80) gr .,in the sam e

litre o f a lcoho l . To lighten the co lour,u se an a lcoho lic so lutio n

o f gam boge ; to da rke n it, u se sim ila rly a spha lte o r drago n’s

blood Alw ays u se de ep,la rge ve sse ls, a n d n eve r fill them

m o re th an ha lf full at a tim e . (2) Now take 300 cc . o f thisco loured a lcoho l in a gradua ted ve sse l , a nd reduce it

,by

evapo ra tio n o n a w a te r- ba th,to ha lf its bulk. Then pour in to

it 200 cc . o f e ssen ce a n d vo la tiliz e the a lcoho l a s be fo re de sc ribed,a fte r w hich you w il l find you have 200 cc . o f co loured e ssen ce .

186 v i oL1N- MAKING : a s IT w a s AND I S.

(3) When this is co ld add your re sin s, shaking peri odica lly as

be fo re de scribed. Le ave the liquid to se ttle fo r a fo rtn ight, thenfilte r through paper a n d pre se rveThus far it ha s se em ed n e ce ssary to en te r in to the m i n utia o f

the rathe r distin ct a rt o f va rn ishing, an d I hOpe tha t the se n o te s,

ga the red from the m o st re liable so urce s and from pe rso n a lexpe rie n ce s, m ay , at a ny ra te , se rve a s guide s fo r the expe r i

m en ts an d practice o f the w ould- be Crem on a va rn ishe r. To

any on e m o re particula rly in te re sted in the subject, I beg to

recomm end the w o rk o f M. Eugen e Ma ila n d, to w ho se D écou

ve rte de s An cie n s Ve rn is I ta lien s I am indebted fo r m uchva luable in fo rm a tion con ta in ed in the fo rego ing page s.lThe v io lin is n o w the o re tica lly fin ished , i .e .

,w e have sc ien ti

fica lly d iscussed a ll its pa r ts,and have o n ly to add the fittings

and strings (which w ill be the subject o f the n ext tw o chapte rs),befo re playing on ou r fiddle . The reade r w ill by this tim e

have fully appre cia ted the ho st of tr ifie s to w hich de fe re n cem ust be pa id

,fo r if n o t

,ha i zq in ser ia du cen t m a la . Their

im po rta n ce m ust n ot be judged by the ir num be r (w hich a lon eis ca lculated to im pre ss the u n le a rn ed), but by the im m en sein fluen ce eve ry trivia l pa rt ha s on the com bin ed w ho le ; n on

n um er o htec j udica n tur , sed p onder s.

E. Ma ilan d , D écouverte d es An c ien s Ve rn is I ta l ien s, Em ployés pourI nstrum en ts 9. Cordes ct a Arch et (Par is, Secon d Ed ition . 1874.

Ne lle selve ia vivea c ipres so m um01, m orto , ho voce , pol che m e fer hm

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

188 Vi oLiN- MAKING : a s I T w a s AND I S .

in the ir m o st o rdin ary de sign at C in the sam e figure . O f th ethre e com po n e n ts n am ed boxw o od is the m o st in fe rio r

,be ing

ha rd a n d unyie lding, w hich cau se s the pegs to Stick the m o stcon ve n ie n t a r e m ade o f ro sew o od

,w hich, be ing springy a nd so ft

,

a re ea sily fitted,a n d turn in the ho le s fo r tun ing purpose s w ith

an ea se a n d firm n e ss w hich comm en ds itse lf a t on ce to am a te urs,

a nd e spe c ia lly to ladie s, w ho should a lvsays u se them,a s they

reduce the ope ra tion o f tun ing from a tire som e a nd le ngthyto a n e a sy a nd in stan tan e ous o n e . The ir o n ly d isadva n tageis tha t they w ea r o u t soon e r than ebo ny pegs, w hich, if re a llytho roughly w e ll fitted

,e clipse a ll o the rs bo th fo r e ase in

tun ing, w ea r,a nd appe a ra n ce . But the fitting m ust be don e by

som e o n e tho roughly expe rien ced in v io lin fitting, fo r a badlyfitted peg is an abom in a tion . I t is a lso m o st im po rta n t a nd

e ssen tia l to the con ve n ie n ce o f the . playe r tha t the pegs shouldbe so se t in the head

,tha t ea ch string ca n pa ss from the peg to

the n ut,quite c lea r o f the o the r thre e pegs . Othe rw ise on e

string w ill rub ove r the peg o f a n o the r,a nd each tim e o n e is

F I G . 95.—Vio l in Pegs . F 10. 96.

—Ma ch in e -He ad for Vio l in .

tun ed the o ther w ill be throw n out,w hich im m e n se ly in crea se s

the difficul ty o f tun ing the in strum en t. Su ch a de fe c t in an'

in strum e n t ca n,how eve r, be rem edied by ha v ing the o ld ho le s

filled up and n ew on e s bo red by an in te lligen t w o rkm a n,but

this ope ratio n ce rta in ly do e s n ot im prove the appea ra n ce o f the

he ad . Full in struction s w ill be given fo r fitting pegs in a futurechapte r. The be st siz e is ,

1

; in ch lo ng , the stem tape ring from.g. o f a n in ch to {11; o f an in ch . P egs have be en m ade a lso o f

rhin o ce ro s ho rn,ivory

,an d o the r fan cy substan ce s

,but a fte r

a sho rt tria l they have been pron oun ced u tte rly un sa tisfa cto ry,

an d rejected. Fig . 96 repre sen ts a m a chin e head the se ce rta in lyca rry the pa lm

,so fa r a s ea se in tun in g is con ce rn ed, but they

so o n w ea r out, a n d i f they be com e lo o se anyw he re a ja r isproduced

, ca lculated to qu a l ify the po sse sso r fo r e lectio n to the

first va can t po st o f coun ty luna tic . Pa te n t pegs a r e a ll m ucho f a m uchn e ss. F ig. 97 repre se n ts o n e of the se

,the inven tion

of Mr . J o seph Wa llis, a nd ha s,at any ra te

,the m e rit o f

com plica ted ingen uity to recom m en d it. a is a m e ta l stem Ba m eta l screw ,

pa ssing through an o rdin ary peg- head C,and

F I TTINGS AND APPLIANCES . 189

fitting o n to the e nd o f A ; D D a re tw o m e ta l disc s ly ingagam st the che e k o f the scro ll. Whe n the peg has be e n

adjusted in the o rdina ry m a n n e r, it m ay be re nde re d im m o vable,

by turn ing the sc re w B by m e a n s o f the k ey E. It is n 0t,ho weve r

,

by a ny m ea n s a n ew idea , thesam e prin c iple having be e n inve n ted an d pa te n ted be fo re ,bo th fo r guita rs and vio lin s .The prin ciple is in itse lf w ron g,the ac tio n o f the sc re w be ingto com pre ss the che eks o f thesc ro ll

,w hich is high ly n u

de sira ble fo r in the fi r st pla ceo ld a n d d ry w o od w il l n o t

sta n d it, a n d in the se co ndpla ce it is n e ce ssa ry

,in a pply

i ng them,to fill up the o ld

ho le s a n d bo re n ew o n e s, a

pro ce ss a bso lute ly scouted byo w n e rs o f va luable fiddle s w iththe ir head s in the o rigin a lcon ditio n . Ow n e rs o f suchw ill o fte n ra the r put up w iththe in co n ve n ie n ce o f o n e

string rubbing ove r the o the rpegs in side the box, ra the rtha n have the head a lte red .

I n 1876 a pate n t w a s take n ou t (No . 4525) by Wm . H. Cooke,fo r a pplying the ra tche t system to o rdin a ry pegs in a m a n n e r

w hich, in fact,w a s m e re ly a com plica ted m achin e he ad. the

m achin e screw pegs turn ing o rdin ary on e s. An othe r very fa irlygo od peg pa ten te d in 1876 byM. H . Co llin s (No 2118) w as

in trodu ced by him in c o n n e c tionw ith his pa ten t a n d e cce n tric

c vio lin . I t w ill be found figured(Fig . 72) an d desc ribed unde r thehead o f vaga rie s in Chapte r V.,

page 111. The be st pa ten tpeg yetin troduc ed is (to m ake u se o f an

I rishism n ot a pa ten t a t a ll ;it Sim ply co n sists in having the peg ho le s m ade a l ittle la rge r, asin Fig . 98

,and having them fitted w ith a n ebony co lla r A, w h1cn

so m uch in c rea se s the surface o f re sista n ce offe re d to tne

shaft o f the peg (by projecting bey o n d the che cks o f the sc r olll

F 10 . 97 .—Wa l lie

’

s Pa te n t Peg .

Fm . 98.— Paten t Peg to e n su re F i rm n ess .

VI OLIN-MAKING : AS IT WAS AND 18.

tha t slipping becom e s pra ctica l ly un kn own . Mr . Stutta fo rd hasin troduced a peg fo r the A string to obvia te the difficulty a lwaysexpe rien ced in getting at this string con sequen t on its be ingcove red by the vo lute o f the scro ll (vidc M. Chan ot

'

s vio lin,

p. A screw run s dow n the stem of the peg from ' the end

of the thum b pie ce , w hich pre sse s upon the string as so on a s

it is put through the ho le in the peg, an d ho lds it tight, so

tha t the peg can be turn ed at on ce w ithout the trouble of

pulling o ut the end w ith tw e e z e rs, and doubling it unde r the

string to fix it. A good idea , bu t like ly to w eaken the peg,and get ou t of o rde r.The Nu t (8, Fig. 39) i s the sm a ll piece o f ebony in ch high,

3% in diam e te r, lo ng, w hich in te rven e s be tw een the peg- box

an d the finge r- boa rd, a n d ove r the ha rd c ro ss-gra in o f w hich the

strings pass (on sm a ll gro o ve s cu t in it), to the bridge c lea r o fthe finge r

- bo a rd,its e leva tion above w hich is on ly unde r the

first,a n d "

312

' un de r the fourth string .

The F inger- boa r d (E, Fig. 39) is the m o st im po rta n t o f the

fittings o f the vio lin ; its m o st o rdin a ry and co rrect m ea surem en t be ing 10% in che s long, the breadth tape ring from 1% in cha t the bridge , to 3 in ch at the n u t. I ts thickn e ss so lo ng as itis glued to the n e ck

,is —5

3 in ch, from w hich po in t i t tape rs toT“,in ch. At its broad en d it is in che s (just under in che s)

from the bridge . I ts dista nce be low the strings at its bro ad e nd

m ust be ve ry n ice ly adjusted , the co rre c t distan ce s be ing aboutbe low the E

,in ch ; be low the A, i

f in ch ; be low the D ,

f ir in ch be low the G,

in ch. The cutting o f the bridge m ustfo llow the co n tour of the finge r- boa rd, but n ot its he ight, fo r thelinge r- bo a rd m ust be ra ised o r low e red by cutting a w ay the

w o od o f the n eck at e ithe r e nd, ra the r tha n tha t the bridge bem ade to suit the finge r

- boa rd . (See o n this po in t Chapte r IX.,

pa r . The Bridge ,” p.

O f course the finge r- boa rd m ust be rounded to co in c ide w ith

the o rdin a ry cutting o f a bridge . I f the finge r- boa rd be n ot

rounded en ough, the E and G strings w ill be to o c lo se to it, a ndthe A a n d D too far a w ay

,if the br idge b e prope rly cut if it be

to o round, the Oppo site w ill be the re sult, a nd in high Shifts thebow w ill be apt to strike thre e strings at o n ce . At the sam e tim ea t the broad en d o f the fi nge r- boa rd the G string is furthe st fromit,an d the E is the c lo se st about in ch), fo r the vibration s

o f the G string be ing the la rge st they m ust have m o st ro om,o n

which prin c iple the distan ce be tw e en the strings an d the fin ge r

boa rd de crea se s,as the ope n n o te is pitched higher, till the

m in im um is rea ched unde r the E string. The bridge and

huger- boa rd m u st ea ch oblige on e an othe r, a nd n ot each try to

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

Q92 v I O LIN-MAK ING : a s I T w a s AND 18.

w h ich w a s sim ila r— v iz .

,a d ouble finge r

- boa rd,be tw ee n the tw o

surfa ce s o f w hich the strings ra n,and w e re a cted upo n

i

‘

bym e an s o f studs pa ssing through the u ppe r on e

,and kept above

the strings by a Spring, w hich could be pre ssed dow n at theright spo t like the keys o f a pian o fo rte . I n 1852, R. A.

Bro om a n pa ten ted (No . 567

2)a Sim ila r, but n o t so complica ted

a co n triva n ce . I n 1876,

an ie l Sem ple to ok out a pa ten t(No . 3723) fo r a finge r

- boa rd , which had be tw ee n the stringsro w s o f ra ised po in ts on flexible w ire s to guide the finge rs.(P le a sa n t to slide up a n d dow n I)The Ta i l piece (P , Fig. 39) is m ade

,a s a rule

,o f ebon v,

tho ugh use le ss, fan cy things a r e som etim e s to be fou nd be n e aththe gla ss ca se s in a fidd le de a le r ’s sho p, m ade o f ivo ry, gla ss, ando the r such utte rly un su itable m a te ria ls. En ough ha s be en s a id

in an o the r pla ce o f o rn am e n ta l ta il - piece s ; thea re ge n e ra lly a de lusio n an d a Sna re , a s rega rdsthe ir supe rio rity ove r the sim ple r fo rm s (a s inFig. The ta il- piece is a tta ched to the

ta il - pin o f the fiddle by a lo op m ade o f a D

ten o r string (a s at B in Fig. suffic ien tlylo ng fo r the ebo n y to be suppo rted by the

ten sion of the strings , just c le a r o f the edge o f

the fiddle (pro te cted by the “ re st The

o rthodox dim e n sion s a r e 43 in che s lo ng, a in chthick

,1% in ch in diam e te r at the broade st, and

3 in ch at the n a rro w e st pa rt. The ho le s tore ce ive the strings should be a t equa l distan ce sfrom o n e a n o the r (a s in the figu re ) , the slits

Fm 100,—O rd in ary

in to w hich they r u n dive rging tow a rds the edge ,F orm in such a m a n n e r tha t the strings ru n to the

bridge pa ral le l w ith o n e an o the r, a n d n ot fan w ise , a s in thisla tte r ca se. the bridge ge ts dragged fo rw a rd by the ope ra tion o f

tun ing. The strings pa ss from the ta il- pie ce to the bridgeove r a kind o f n u t (A A

,Fig. 100) fo rm ed o f ebo ny or ivo ry,

an d let in to the ta il- pie ce a t in ch from its broad edge .

The dista n ce fr om the bridge to the edge of the ta il- pie ce shouldbe 1% in che s.I n Mr .

Bishop’ s tran slation o f Otto ’ s w o rk , a m o st lu01dde scription is given by the tran slato r o

o f a ta i l- p l e ce m v ented

by L. Spo

hr,by m e an s o f which the po rtl o n s O f the strm gs ly i ng

be tw e e n it and the bridge co uld be so regula ted a s to pr oducece rta in in te rva ls, w hich m ight te n d, pe rhaps, to m odify littlein equ a litie s o f ton e in som e in strum e n ts, 01

' prove adva n tage ou sin o the r respe c ts . Fig. 101 repre sen ts th l s co n tr l va n ce a , B,a nd C be ing draw n ha lf the ir a ctua l siz e , an d D ,

E . F full or

FI TTINGS AND APPLIANCES. 193

ac tua l siz e . A con sists O f a fo re pa r t e,and a bin d pa rt f, an d

is fo rm ed out o f on e pie ce o f w o od (o r m e ta l). The fo re pa rt ispe rfe c tly flat on the top, but is w o rked ou t un de rn ea th, to the

exte n t a n d in the m a n n e r sho w n in the se c tion o f the ta il- pie ceC,an d in the view o f the fron t en d o f i t B . This fo re pa rt has

fo ur lo ng open ings a a a a,pla ced at a suita ble distan ce from

e ach o the r,and m ade to re ce ive the like n um be r O f little pegs

fo rm ed a s at E . The hind pa rt f o f a,

w hich is sem icircula r, stan ds a li ttlelow e r tha n the fo re pa rt c, an d has itsuppe r edge rounded o ff

,as show n at C

I t is chie fly rem a rkable fo r fo ur little slits,b b b b

,m ade to rece ive

the kn o ts o f the strings,a nd fo r a little nu t c 0

,

fo rm ed o f bon e o r b ra ss,

w hich is le t in to the

m iddle o f the sem ic n

'

cu la r pa rt f The reare al so tw o sm a llho le s

,d d , through

w hich the gu tL-lo op is

pa ssed w h ich con n e ctsthe ta il- pie ce w ith the

ta il- pin . Four o the rsm a ll ho le s pa ss ob

liqu e ly from the uppe rto the un de r side o f the

ta il- pie ce,a s show n by

the do tted l in e s 9 in C.

E an d F a r e fro n t an d

S lde v1ews o f the l i ttleF I G . 102.

—Vn illa um e’s

pegs w hi ch a re pla ced S ou rdin e Pedals.

in the ope n ings a a a a o f a,an d pre ss

o n the strings be n ea th the fo re pa rt of

the ta il- pie ce , a s Show n at C. Bym oving them to and fr o in the ir re spe ctive o pe n ings, thosepo rtion s o f the strin gs be tw e e n them an d the bridge a re lengthen edo r sho rte n ed

,a n d thus the diffe re n t in te rva ls a re obta in ed . The se

pegs co n sist o f tw o pa rts , a s at D , w he re h repre se n ts the kn ob o rcap, an d i the pin ,

w hich is firm ly glued in to a ho le in the m iddleof it

,afte r having first be en pa ssed through on e o f the ope n ings

a from the u n de r si le ; the little furrow k at the bo ttom o f the

peg is in te nded to re ce ive the string. From the sectio n C the m ode

13

06.

pie

Spohr

’s

FIG

.

01

.

194 VI OLIN-MAKING : As IT WAS AND I S.

o f a ttaching the string m ay be se en . Afte r tying a kn ot in thestring I, it is ’ draw n in to o n e o f the slits b, the n ca rried ove r then u t c, and pa ssed through on e o f the ho le s 9. I t then pa sse sin to the furro w k of the peg E

,a n d ove r the bridge in the usua l

w ay . This co n triva n ce is ve ry sc ie n tific an d inge n ious, but ha sbee n but ve ry little used.

Vu i llaum e’

s Sourdin e peda le (Fig. 102) is an in gen iou s combin a tion o f m ute an d ta il- pie ce , w hich e n able s an in strum en t to

be im m edia te ly m ute d o r unm uted by a playe r during a pe rforman ce ; it is ve ry use ful fo r e ffe cts

,such a s sudden e cho e s o r

sho rt m uted pa ssage s, but it is to o grea t a stra in fo r the chin tokeep it in a ctio n lo ng. I ts prin c iple is a s fo llo w s the pla te A

stan ds up in the cen tre o f the ta il - piece,a s show n in the figure ;

this a cts upon a be n t spring be low the ta il- piece, to the e nd of

w hich is a tta ched the a rm B,bea ring the m ute C on a sliding

fitting D . By the pre ssure o f the chin u pon A this spring isstra ighte n ed, a nd the re fo re le ngthen ed , w hich pushe s the m ute Cby m e an s o f the r od B aga in st the bridge . I ts distan ce from

Fro . 103.— Zebr ow sk i

’s B r idge an d Mu te .

the bridge is regula ted by the te le scope fitting D,w hich carrie s

the m ute C,an d fixe s it on the r od by the sc rew E. I ts grea t

disadva n tage is tha t it deaden s the ton e o f the fiddle , a n d isve ry apt to com e lo o se a nd ja r .

A som ew ha t sim ila r co n trivan ce,o r , ra the r, com bin atio n o f

brid e,m ute

,a nd ta il- piece , w a s pa ten ted in 1881 (No . 3915)

by Fe lix v on Zebrow ski . This bridge , w hich is figured at A,

Fig. 103,w as

,a s w ill be se en , com po sed m e re ly o f four uprights,

w ith a ba se o f the o rdin ary so rt a n d a top co n n e cting pie ce .

This ta il- pie ce w a s in appe ara n ce m uch lik e Vu illa um e’

s, but

Zebrow sk i’

s stud A (Fig. 102) w a s fitted in to a slo t, in to w hich(A be ing a screw ) it could be fixed. The a rm B

,in stead o f ca rry

ing a m e ta l m ute 0,ca rried a pla te show n at B

,Fig. 103, be a ring

three cushion s o f lea the r 0 C C,w hich fitted in to the thre e open

ings n D D o f the bridge A. To apply the m ute,the stud A bad to

be un sc rew ed,pushed fo rwa rd in the slo t till the pla te B em bra ced

the bridge , a nd the re re fa ste n ed. I t w a s very inge n ious, but n otn ea rly so sim ple in application a s the o rdin a ry m ute , w hich it didnot exceed in effica cy, whilst. the to n e of the fiddle w as se riously

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

196 VI OLIN- MAKING : As I T WAS AND I s.

in strum en t . the re rem a in s on ly to str ing the fiddle to have itready to play u po n . I n the n e x t chapte r I sha ll sho rtly de sc ribethe ope ra tio n s through w hich the guts in the n a tura l sta te pa ssbe fo re they rea ch u s a s strings but in the m e a n tim e w e m ustcon side r, be fo re leaving o u r fiddle

,the va rious applia n ce s w hich

a re to be foun d in eve ry fiddle - ca se,a n d w hich in clude chin

re sts, m ute s, gauge s, string- box

,ro sin

,

tun ing- fo rks,e tc . The first a n d m ost im

po rtan t o f the se isThe Chin - r est

,w hich in its m o st prim i

tive fo rm (repre se n ted in Fi 106) is sa idto have be en in ve n ted by Spohr

,a nd

is,w ithout doubt

,a grea t con ve n ie n ce to

vio lin ists, as the ho ld w hich it give s thechin , w hich could n o t o the rw ise be obta in edbut by grea t pre ssure , im pa rts a freedom (L SPOm

‘

h

a nd ea se to the le ft han d in shifting, w h ich com e s o f its be in gre nde red abso lute ly irre spon sible a s fa r a s the re ta in ing o f the

fiddle in its prope r po sitio n is con ce rn ed,beyond m e re ly sup

po rting it a t its prope r angle . Som e pe ople prefe r to pla ce a

pad to fi ll the ho llow be n e a th th e co lla r bon e , bu t it is n ot

so ce rta in ; o the rs aga in a ve r tha t it che cks the v ibration s o f

the be lly,but the fie ld

o f con ta c t at an a lm o stquie scen t po in t be ingso sm a ll

,a nd in the

n ew e r fo rm s be ing t e

du ced abso lute ly to a

m in im um , I think w e

m ay dism iss this com

plain t a s pra c tica llyw ithout foun datio n . I t

w a s foun ded on thissuppo sed

F ro . 101 —New form of Ch in -rest. fo r seve rand cum bro u s a rrangem en ts o f rest,a lm o st the e n tire ba se o f the fiddle

,a nd a tta ched to the ta i‘-pin or

bo ttom blo ck o f the fiddle . Fo llow ing the sam e lin e o f thought,Zebrow sk i, at the sam e tim e tha t be pa ten ted his ta il - pie ce a n d

bridge -m ute (Fig. proje cted a ho lde r o f the o rdin a ry shape ,which in ste ad o f c lipping the fiddle , w a s a tta ched to a strapexten ding by a book from the low e r le tt ha nd co rn e r o f the

FI TTINGS AND APPLIANCES. 197

fiddle to the ta il- pin , to w hich it w a s firm ly a tta ched. His

pr in c iple se e m s to have be e n,w ith a vie w to pre ve n t the

im agin a ry che cking o f the vibra tio n by a tiny c lam p,to c la sp

the e n tire le ft han d low e r bout w ith a thick strap 1 Comm e n tis n e ed le ss . The n am e o f the fidd le - ho lde rs is legio n in the i rim pro ved fo rm . A go od ty pica l spec im en

,a nd o n e w hich is

beyo nd the rea ch of the “v ibra tion ists,

” is the la te st in troductio n (from Am e rica ) o f Mr . W. E . Hill (Fig. w hich isfo rm ed o f vulca n ite '

a nd n icke l. I ts com po sitio n g ives itasce i i de n cy ove r its riva ls

,than w hich in o the r respe cts it is

n e ithe r be tte r n o r w o‘rse . A chin - re st fo rm ing o n e pie ce w ith

the ta i l- pie ce , a nd w ith it affixed to the ta il-pin , is repre sen ted

F I G. 108.—Tai1-piece an d Chi n -rest F IG. 109.

—New est Im pr ov em en t o f Ch in - rest.c om bin ed .

by Fig. 108. I t ha s this disadvan tage , tha t the chin pre ssingu po n it

,tw ists the ta il- piece

,an d throw s the strin gs ou t o f tun e .

Mr . G. A. Cha ri o t,

o f Man che ste r,ha s m ade m e a m o st

exce llen t chin - re st,to m y m in d the be st I have seen . I t is

.o sed simply, o f on e pie ce o f ebo n y, an d is show n at Fig . 109

i n plan,elevation , an d sec tion , A rep re sen ts the Side s a n d table s

,o f the fiddle. The chin -re st.

D is furn ished w ith tw o en ds o rtohgu e s E E

’

at right a ngle s to on e a n o the r,so tha t they can he

slipped unde r the loop (B , Fig. w hich con n ects the ta il- pieceB w ith the ta il- pin C. I n this w ay the po in t o f con ta ct is reducedto a m in im um ,

the re st be ing he ld on to the fiddle by m ea n s ofthe lo op- a ttachm en t o f the ta il- piece . I ts g rea t cha rm is itssim plic ity ; its on ly faul t, i f any, is tha t a go od ha rd pull, such as

is som e tim e s in d ifficult pa ssage s m ade o n the chin - re st,is liable

to give the ta il- piece a tw ist. sm a l l in itse lf bu t quite en ough to

198 VI OLIN-MAKING : As IT WAS AND 18

throw the str ings out o f tun e . I t is a sim plified fo rm of a

chin - re st,w hich I sa w on ce o n a fiddle yea rs ago . I n this

in sta n ce , the ebony chin - re st prope r w as m o un ted o n a pla te o f

bra ss which extended som e in che s o n ea ch side o f the ta il - pie ce,

in co n seque n ce o f w hich n ot on ly w a s the chin - re st extrem e lyheavy, but the fiddle had to be en tire ly unm oun ted to put it o n .

The re ha s la te ly be en in troduced in I ta ly a re st,the prin c iple of

w hich is tha t it is atta ched r oun d the n eck by a ba nd fixed to theta i l- pin , w hich is peculia rly co n struc ted to adm it o f its applicatio n . I n theo ry it is doubtle ss good, fo r it leave s the n e ck a nd

head fre e , n o pre ssure o f the chin be ing n e ce ssary,but in prac

tice a trifle o utrage ous, fo r it ta ke s a co n sidera ble tim e unde rthe se c ircum stan ce s to disemba rra ss on e se lf o f o n e

’ s fiddle,

w hich w ould be a trifle a w kwa rd, n ot to say ludicrous, a lte r aso lo in a co n ce rt ro om .

The .Mute is tha t appl ian ce fo rm ed o f m e ta l or o the r m a te ria lw hich, be ing clipped o n to the bridge , che cks its vibra tion s, a ndthus deade n s the ton e o f the e n tire in strum e n t. The comm on

an d m o st fam ilia r fo rm is e xe cuted in

m e ta l , a n d a ve ry effi ca c ious o n e is tha to n e kn o w n as the Myste rio u s Mu te

,w hich

is com po sed of ho rn a nd bra ss. Afte rtrying a ll so rts I have disca rded a ll o the rsin favo u r o f the o n e repre se n ted full siz ein Fig. 110, in troduced a sho rt tim e sin ce

Fm . 110.— H i11

’

s Vu lca n i te by Mr .W. E. Hill, w hich is fo rm ed o f vulmu te ‘

c an ite , m oulded a l l in o n e pie ce,w hich pre

clude s the po ssibility o fja r , an d, be ing fo rm ed o f an e la stic,though

re sisting m a te ria l, clips tightly, w ithout inj u r ing the bridge .

O n the a ctio n o f the m ute e n ough ha s be e n sa id whe n discussingbridge s (page The Vu i lla um e an d Zebrow ski m ute s havebe e n a lready de scribed un de r the heading o f ta il- pie ce s. As

e ffe ctive a m ute a s any m ay be extem poriz ed by placing a pe n nyo r ha l f- crow n behind a n d aga in st the bridge , se tting it unde rthe A strin g w ith its edge s re sting on the E a nd D .

A w o rd a bout ro sin , w hich , w ithout doubt, is the m o st e sse n -r

tia l n ece ssity o f th e fiddle r,fo r a s Wilkin s sa id in My

fiddle stick can n o t play w itho ut ro sin ,

”a n d

,i n truth, how eve r

go od the playe r, the fiddle o r the how ,a ll i s dumb a nd u se le ss

w ithout the hum ble,n ec e ssa r y colopha n e .

”The re a re an imm en se

n um be r o f diffe ren t kinds o f ro sin , o r ra the r diffe ren t a rra ngemen ts o f ro sin Many so lo ists o f ce lebrity u se a com m o n lum pof kitchen ro sin , in spite o f w ha t a ll th e bo oks eve r w ritte n in

Wi lk i ns, The M ise r i es of Enf or ca i Ma r r iage Act V. Vid e "

t he

Anci en t Br itish D ram a ”(Londo n ,

vo l . ii ., p. 180

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

290 VI O L IN-MAK ING : AS IT WAS AND I s.

is to get a gauge o f the o rdin a ry fo rm a nd effa ce the m a rkingsthen , w hen by chan ce yo u happen to have on your fiddle a set

of strings true to o n e an o the r,a nd w e ll! suited to your in stru

m en t,pa ss the gauge o n to them (be low the bridge n o t above ,

whe re they a re thicke n ed w ith ro sin ), and m a rk your gauge fo ryourse lf

,in w hich w ay yo u get a guide m o re re liable than the

com m on bra ss fo rk w hich is u sua lly supplied fo r the purpo se .

Mr . G. A. Cha ri o t ha s in troduced a ra the r com ple te gauge ca lledthe Qua rte tt Ga uge ,

”which ha s round its side s in c ision s o f

the va ry ing diam e te rs o f a ll the strings o f a ll thre e in strum e n ts,

vio l in,vio la

,an d vio lon ce llo . I t w ill be prin c ipa lly use ful to

trade sm e n laying in a sto ck o f all kinds o f strings at the sam e

tim e,an d fo r leade rs o f qua rte tte pa rtie s

,fo r fe w playe rs require

to be co n sta n tly buying strin gs fo r a ll thre e in strum e n ts a t o n ce .

Mr . Ha rt ha s show n m e a ve ry sen sible a nd ingen ious, i fra the r cum brous

,applian ce

,te rm ed a cho rdom e te r

,w ith w hich,

by m e an s o f a leve r a rm(

an d m ic rom e te r sca le,the exa ct diam e te r

o f a ny string from a double bass C,eve n ' to on e n o la rge r than

the fin e st ha ir, ca n be a ccura te ly a sce rta in ed and reco rded.

Tu n ing-f or ks a re toys a lw ays con ve n ien t

,an d som e tim e s

use ful in se ttling d ispute s a s to pitch o r fo r pie c es in w hich thevio lin ha s to be tun ed to un comm on in te rva ls

,and n o te s to

w hich the ea r is un accustom ed. I have foun d m o st useful atun ing- fo rk w hich

,by m e an s o f sliding w e ights em bra cing the

pro ngs, can be a lte red atw ill to give a ny required n o te . Othe rw ise an A tun ing- fo rk is a lw ay s ha ndy.

Str ing- boxes a r e a n o the r requirem en t o f the fiddle r. I have

seen it re comm ended to w rap up spa re strings in a piece o f o iledbladde r

,but a m o re m e ssy

,ho rrid pe rfo rm a n ce it is to my m in d

difficult to im agin e . I t is a lso sugge sted tha t a piece o f o iledflan n e l be kept in the strin g - box

,but the e ffec t is equa lly n a sty.

Un le ss yo u live fa r aw ay,it is n eve r n ece ssa ry o r co nven ie n t to

ke ep m o re than o n e o r tw o spa re se ts o f strings by yo u , and ifyo u a re a long w ay o ff

,a n o te to a Lon don de a le r w il l a lw ays

bring them dow n by po st. The be st re cepta cle to co n ta in thestrings is an o rdin a ry j apan n ed box w ith tw o o pen ings o n oppo siteside s

,in on e o f w hich the gu t strings, an d in the o the r the cove red

strings, a re kept. Mr . Hil l ha s in troduced a ve ry n ea t and

sen sible strin g- bo x,w hich is a japa n n ed tin box w ith a hinged

lid,w hich just fits in to the sem i- Circula r division at the head of

a fiddle - ca se,and is divided in to four com pa rtm en ts, to ke ep

the diffe re n t strings sepa rate . But be tte r on e still ha sfo llow ed it, con sisting o f a round box w ith three m ovable tray s,which lift out a nd kee p the strings sepa ra te .

Eve ry case should conta in a sm a ll strong pa ir o f scisso rs, and

FITTINGS AND APPLIANCES . 2tu

a pa ir of long - po in ted tw ee z e rs f “r m an ipulating the strings

in side the peg box. An ingen ious applian ce , lo n g in u se in the

fidd le - dea le r’s w o rkshop, but on ly j ust la te ly o ffe red to the

public by Mr .Ge o rge Withe rs, is the peg- turn e r, tha t is, a la rge

peg- head

,w hich is a tta ched to a so rt of ova l box o r he ll

,w hich,

Cla sping the peg, turn s it w ith irre sisti ble fo rce . I t i s r e com

F I G . 111.

— Sm g le Vi o l in Case .

m en ded fo r the u se of ladie s a n d pe rson s w ith w eak finge rs , buti s com pa ra tive ly use le ss to the am a teur

,w ho can a lw ays have

h is pegs refitted to m ake them turn quite e a sily. How eve r, itis ve ry use ful fo r de a le rs

,m ake rs

,a nd repa ire rs, w ho co n sta n tly

have m a ny a n d ve ry ha rd- set pegs to turn . They a re so ldn ea tly m ade in ebony a n d silv e r

,but the pra ctica l am a teur ca n

e a sily m ake on e fo r him se lf o ut o f any pie ce of ha rd w ood .

F IG. 112.— D ouble Vio l in Case .

The fiddle,on be ing put aw ay in its ca se , should be w rapped in

an old silk handke rchie f,an d m any pe ople u se a fiddle - blanke t,

tha t is,a thin pad o f flan n e l o r quilted sa tin , shaped to the in side

o f the ca se an d cove ring up the fiddle . A comm o n a cce sso ry o f

the am a te ur is a pad o r cushio n used fo r ho lding the fiddle .

This is n ot, to my m in d, so e fficac ious o r c on ven ien t as a chinre st, but this ha s been discussed befo re in the pa ragraph on

202 VI OLIN-MAKING : As IT WAS AND I S.

chin - re sts. And, la stlv, a w o rd on the ca se in w hich the fiddleis kept the se a re e i the r single , a s a t Fig. 111, o r double , a s atFig. 112. The se la st a re ve ry ha ndsom e , but w o fully m a ssivea nd heavy. I f you ca rry your fiddle about m uch

,n o thing can

be a t the Am e rica n c lo th oblong ca se s,w hich ho ld m usic

,a nd

a re ve ry light, but ar e bad a s pe rm an e n cie s, a s people have a.

kn a ck o f sitting upon them ,ve ry co n side rably ad dam n um o f the

con ta in ed fiddle (and its ow n e r). The papie r-m ache o r Am e ricanc lo th ca se s w hich fo llow the shape o f the fiddle (comm on lykn ow n a s

“ baby a lligato rs a re ve ry con ven ie n t, but they don ot ho ld m usic

,and

,if the fiddle is high built, it run s a chan ce

o f be ing cracked by the bow s in the lid . Som e am a teurs havesuch an obje ction to be ing see n carrying a fiddle about

,tha t

they have ca se s m ade on ly ju st the length of the fiddle,rou nded

sim ila rly at bo th e n ds . The se a re,to m y m ind

,a s w icked a s

they a re co wa rdly, fo r they n ece ssita te the bow be ing cut in two

F I G. 1I ZA.— Paten tViolin B ag (G. A. Ch ari ot).

above the lapp ing, a nd jo in ted w ith a plug a n dfer r u le. Ye gods 1Wha t a sa crifice to appe a ran ce s Afte r try ing a ll so rts

,I have

com e to the co n c lusion tha t n o thing is be tte r than Fig. 111 of

Fren ch , o r light English m ake .

Fig. 112A repre sen ts the late st im provem en t in fiddle ca se s ,re cen tly pa te n ted by Mr . G. A. Cha ri o t, o f Ma n che ste r. l t con

sists o f a strong fram e , w hich ho lds the body of the fiddle,the he ad

be ing cove red by a lin ed w a terpro o f bag. The la rge ope n ing(w he reby the fiddle is pu t in ) is sim ila rly c lo sed w ith w ate rproof and the how goe s in to a box sim ila rly cove red a nd c lo sed,w hich can be de ta ched from the ca se itse lf. This is ve ry lightand strong, and w il l

, I think , com e in to ve ry u n ive rsa l u se .

The n ext chapte r (on strings) w ill bring us to the en d o f the

theo re tica l discussion o f the vio lin a fte r w hich I sha ll proceedto the de ta iled ex o sition o f the prac tica l m an u a l pro ce sse srequired to so lve the problem

,Given

,a log o f w ood m ake a

fiddle .

”

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

204 VI O LIN- MAK ING : As IT WAs AND I s .

m u st have be en bliste red by the n e ce ssa ry pre ssure he gavethem . The re is a gre a t dea l in w ha t the biographe r he re says,w hich stren gthen s the stre ss w hich I lay upo n cho ic e o f strings.Whe n

,how e ve r, you have foun d a d iam e te r o f strings, w hich

su its your fiddle,ke ep to tha t an d do n o t expe rim e n ta liz e w ith

n ew thickn e sse s,fo r it is a s de lete rious to change o ne

’ s style o f

strings a s to be co n sta n tly shifting about the so un d- po st. Thestrings m ust be in pro pe r re la tive propo rtion to on e a n o the r I

m ean you m ust n ot u se a thick E,a thin A

,a nd a m edium D

they m ust a ll be re lative ly thick, thin , o r m ed ium . This ca re incho o sing pa rticula rly applie s to the first string, o r cha n te re lle

,

an d propo rtion a te ly to the o the rs .The applia n ce kn o w n a s a string-

gauge i s w e l l kn ow n,and ha s

be fo re be e n re fe rred to (p. 199) but ea ch vio lin ist ought to haveon e to his ow n fiddle he should get on e quite pla in , an d a s

he ge ts good, sw e e t, and true strings on to his fiddle , w hich suitthe in strum e n t

,he should m a rk it fo r him se lf by them

,and a s

n e a rly as po ssible a lw ays cho o se strings the sam e si z e by itsa id. P rope rly to unde rsta n d the re la tive du tie s o f

,a nd the

co rre spon de n ce be tw e en , the strings a n d the body o f the vio lin,

let u s turn fo r a m om en t to the sc ien tific prin ciple s w hichregula te an d de te rm in e the se re la tion s . A string, a s is o f courseWe ll kn ow n , on ly becom e s capable o f em itting a m usica l n o teunde r the influen ce of ten sion . Aga in , if w e be gifted w ith thestren gth o f He rcule s an d stre tch a gut o r o the r stri ng be tw e enou r finge rs, in the open a i r

,the soun d produced by tha t string

unde r the influen ce o f the bow,o r upon tw a nging it

,is

pra c tica lly im pe rceptible , but if at o n e o r bo th en ds w e a ttacha slab o f thin w ood

,the soun d in cre a se s in in te n sity as the

m o lecule s o f the w ood vibra te in sym pathy w ith the string. I n

the co n struction o f a vio lin an d the cho ice o f its strings w ehave to a im a t a s n ea r as po ssible a pe rfection in the se re la tion s

,

w ith this diffe ren ce,tha t n ot on ly is it the m o le cule s o f the

w ood fo rm ing the in strum en t thatvibra te sym pa the tica lly w iththestrings, but the m ass o f a ir con ta in ed in side the fiddle a sw e ll. Theton e

,the re fo re

,depen ds on the thickn e ss o f the strings, the fo rce

w ith w hich they a re vibra ted,a n d the qua lity of the m agn ifying

body she fiddle). The a ctua l n ote produced depen ds,of

course,m e re ly on the diam e ter o f the strings, the ir substan ce ,

the ir le ngth, and the am oun t of ten sion applied to them . The

m o re the vibra tio n s en te red in to by a string, the highe r w ill bethe n o te produced, a nd the n umber of vibr a tions p r oduced by a

str ing a r e in the inver se r a tio of its length the sho rte r thestring the grea te r the n umbe r o f its vibra tio n s , an d co n seque n tlythe highe r the n o te .

'

i hus,in Fig. 113, if the who le string A B

THE STRINGS . 205

produ ce o n e hundred v ibratio n s, an d con se quen tly give s (say)the n o te D w he n stopped at C , the pa rts a ' o r b

’ vibra ted a lo n ew ould produce tw o hun dred v ibra tio n s

,a nd co n seque n tly the

n o te D a n o cta ve highe r. D r . Arbuthn o t rem a rked this m o retha n a cen tury a nd a ha lf ago ,1 say ing I have foun d tha t thesingle fibre s

,bo th o f a n ima l a n d vege table substan ce s, a r e

lengthen ed by w a te r o r by m o ist a ir ; a fiddle - stringm o iste n ed w ith w ate r w ill sin k a n o te in a little tim e ,a n d con seque n tly it m ust be i t is) re laxed o r

lengthen ed on e- sixteen th. The ste am o f ho t w a te r w illsin k it a n o te in fiv e o r six m in utes .” I t is in con

seque n ce of this n a tura l phen om en o n tha t w he n on e isplay ing, on e

’s brea th w ill o ften m ake the strings 0 0

flat,

”a n d that in a con ce rt ro om ,

if the hea t o f thero om is a m o is t hea t

,o n e

’s fiddle ge ts flat, w he rea s, ifthe hea t is dry a nd burn ing, the strings lo se the i rn a tura l m o isture an d ge t sha rp, a c ircum stan ce o ftenve ry disa strous to singe rs a ccom pan ied by an o rche stratow a rds the e nd o f a con ce rt

,un le ss ca re fully gua rded

aga in st.Aga in , the th icke r the string the few e r its vibra tion s,

an d con sequen tly the low e r its n o te ; the re fo re , then umber of v ibr a tion s p r oduced by a str ing a r e in the

in ver se r a tio of its d iam eter . Thus o n e string, havinga diam e te r repre sen ted by 2

, give s a n o te (sa y ) D ;

an o the r o f the sam e length, a n d subje cted to the sam ete n sion , having a diam e te r repre sen ted by 1 (justha l f), the n o te produced w o uld be D an o ctave highe r.Aga in ,

the den se r an d he avie r the substa n ce w hichcom po se s the string, the low e r w ill be the n o te pr oduced . I t is from this tha t

,to obvia te the u se of an

im m en sely thick string fo r the fourth string o f the

fiddle,w e in cr ea se the w eight o f a string thin n e r than

the third, by cove ring it w ith w ire . Again ,the he avie r

the te n sio n applied to a string, the highe r the n o teprodu ced ; the refo re the n umber of vibr a tion s p r odu ced

by a str ing a r e in the dir ect r a tio of the ten sion app lied to

it. Thus : if a string draw n by a w e ight o f fifty poun dsgave a n o te

, (say) D ,in crea se the w e ight to o n e hun dred pounds,

an d the n ote produced w ould be D a n o ctave highe r. The a ctionof the se w e ights is, in the vio lin . re pla ced by the pegs. This, the refo re , is the the o ry o f vibratio n s o f a m u sica l string as fa r a s theya re like ly to in te re st us . Fo r any furthe r pa rticula rs o n this

D r . J . Arbuthn ot,

“An Essay con ce rn in g the Effects of Air on HumanB odi es (Lo n don , p . 61, ch . ii i ., pa r . 20.

206 VI O LIN-MAKI NG : a s IT WAS AND 13.

m o st in te re sting subje c t, the re ade r is refe rred to any o f thestan da rd w o rks on sound (such a s P ro fe sso r Tyn da ll

’

sl) . The

above n o te s m ay, how eve r, a s fa r a s they go , be o f co n side rableu se a n d in te re st to the vio lin ist. The sc ie n tific a n d m echan ica lac tio n o f tha t ve ry n e ce ssa ry acce sso ry, the ro sin , in vibra ting a

string co n tinuously by m ea n s o f a how,ha s been set

fo rth in a previous chapte r (p .

As to the strings them se lve s, be side s be ing su itedto the fiddle to w hich they a r e fixed

,they m ust a lso

po sse ss ce rta in qua litie s w hich a re abso lute ly indispe n sable to to n e , a nd w hich a re te chn ica lly summ edup in four w o rds Theg m u st be tr u e. True

,n o t

o n ly individua lly, but true to o n e an o the r a nd thistruth is on ly to be obta in ed

,in the first ca se

,by

be ing prope rly co n structed a nd cho sen,and in the

se co nd ca se , by be ing a ccura te ly propo rtion ed o r

gauged to ea ch o the r. I t is abso lute ly n e ce ssa ry tha ta string be o f eve n thickn e ss thro ughout, o n e

e n d m ust n ot be thin n e r than a n o the r,o r e lse the

production o f pe rfe ct fifths an d ha rm on ic o ctave s w illbe re n de red im po ssible . As the sounding o f the setw o ha rm on ie s is the be st

,and m o st abso lute ly ce rta in

te st for fa lse n e ss in a string, it m ay be advisablehe re to con side r the con dition s n e ce ssa ry fo r the irpe rfect production . Whe n a string is divided in totw o equ a l ha lve s by a light pre ssure o f the littlefinge r (C, Fig. in the fourth po sition (o r byexten sion in the third) , the w e ll ~ kn ow n soun d o f

the ha rm o n ic o cta ve is produced by the tw o ha lve so f the string vibra ting sim ultan e ously a nd co n

son a n tly , a s in Fig. 114 . I f r‘

edivided a t a qua rte ro f its le ngth from the n ut by the first finge r (D ,Fig. in the third po sition

,a second o ctave

(highe r) is produced by the four qu arte rs c, d , e, j ,o f the string vibrating sim ulta n e ously an d co n

son an tly , a s in Fig. 115, an d it is imm a te ria l w he the rthe little finge r C be rem oved o r n ot (tho ugh in

m an y in sta n ce s it is advisable that it be kept inposition a s in the figure ) ; n ow if the th ickn e ss o f the stringbe n ot u n ifo rm ,

an d the string be divided by a firm pre ssure , asin Fig. 113, an d the tw o ha lv e s thus iso la ted be separa te ly struck

Octave.

FIG.

114

.

—The

Vid e A. Gu il lem in ,The Appl i cation s o f Ph ysical Fo rces, translateu and

ed ited by Mr . an d Mrs. No rm an Lo ck ye r (London , pp. 138— 152 ; an d

J . Ram bo sso n ,

“ Le s Ha rm on ie s du Son , et l’

Histo ire des I n strum en ts :16

Musique (Par is, p. 374, an d oth er sim i lar Work s.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

208 VI O LIN-MAKING : AS I T wa s AND I s.

tran spa ren t, a nd w ithout spo ts o r blo tche s throughout its en ti rele ngth . I t should be plia n t a n d e la stic

,re turn in g to its fo rm e r

shape (like a w a tch Spring), w ithout bre aking w hen pressed o r

pulled o ut ; it should n o t be to o w hite , fo r this be token s im prope rm a te ria ls o r exce ssive blea ching, bo th o f w hich ren de r a stringbrittle a nd fa l se . A go od string m ust n ot lo se its tran spa ren cy,a n d becom e cloudy an d ye llow w hen ben t. Secon ds an d thirdsm ay be w ithout ha rm m uch w hite r than firsts

,but o the rw ise the

sam e rule s apply. I t is o ften la id do w n tha t the truth o f

a string m ay be de te rm in ed by vibra ting it be tw e en the finge rs,an d tha t if it pre sen t on ly tw o even lin e s it is true

,and if m ore

,

fa lse . I t is ce rta in tha t if it produce an irregula r o r m ultipliedfigure it is fa lse , bu t it do e s n o t fo llow tha t if the lin e s be c lea ra n d distin ct it is true an d aga in , a string w hich m ay se em trueat a slight te n sio n , m ay quite po ssibly be fa l se at the highe rte n sio n to w hich it is subje cted w he n applied to a fiddle

,though

a s a rule a string w ill be fa lse a t a low te n sion w hilst it is tru ea t a highe r. The reade r w ill appre cia te this if he has eve r be e nfo rced a s a p ie a ller to m oun t an E string as an A

,o r vice ver sd

I t rem a in s,the refo re

,tha t the o n ly w ay to en sure choo sing go o d

strings is to go a s fa r a s po ssible by the appea ran ce s be fo rem en tion ed, an d

,above all, to dea l on ly w ith the be st goods o f

the be st dea le rs . I t is a m istake,to my m in d, for am a teurs to

thin k they ca n save m o n ey by buy ing a bundle of fifte e n o r

thirty strings at on ce ; som e o f them a r e a lm o st sure to go w rongbe fore they a re a ll used

,un le ss the grea te st ca re i s ta ken o f

them . Som e people w rap the ir spa re strings in bladde r o r

fla n n e l m o iste n ed w ith o il, a pro ce ss w hich, even if the o il doe sn ot go ra n cid (a s it ge n e ra lly do e s), can on ly be cha ra cte riz ed a s

“ho rrid .

”The m e ss invo lved in putting on a n ew grea sy string

is en ough, if yo u a re n o t o f a se raphic dispo sition (I am n ot), tom ake yo u touchy fo r the re st o f the pe rfo rm an ce . I n eve r buym o re than tw o strings a t a tim e

,and , a lw ay s ke ep just on e

double set ha n dy. I t ha s been re com m en ded by va rious autho rs,

fo llow ing J . A. Otto (vidc n o te,p . to keep in on e

’s ca se a

pie ce o f silk m o isten ed w ith a lm on d o il,w hich m ust be passed

dow n the strings, from n ut to bridge , eve ry time the fiddle isput aw ay

,an d tha t be fo re playing the strings should be rubbed

fre e from the e ffe c ts o f this un ction w ith a lin en rag. I do

n ot kn ow w he the r this ha s eve r be e n don e it w ould ce rta in lybe quite im po ssible to play on strings so trea ted.

The diffe re n t strings n ow in the m a rke t a r e de scribed byMr . Ha rt in his w ork, The Vio lin its Make rs an d Im itators,

”

a s fo llow s Musica l strings a r e m an ufa c tured in I ta ly,Ge rm an y , Fran ce , a nd Englan d. The I ta lia n s ra nk first in

TEE STRINGS. 209

this m an ufa cture,the ir proficien cy be ing ev iden t in the three

chief requisite s fo r strings— v iz .

,high fin ish, grea t durability,

and pu rity o f sound. There a re m an ufa c to rie s at Rom e,Naples

,

Padua,a nd Ve ron a

,the sepa ra te cha ra cte ristics o f w hich a re

defin ite ly m a rked in the ir produce . Tho se strings w hich a r e

m a n ufactured at Rom e a re exceedingly ha rd a nd brillian t, andexhibit a slight ro ughn e ss of fin ish . The Neapo l itan sam ple sa re sm o o th

,and softe r than the Rom an

,an d a lso w hite r in

appe ara n ce . Tho se o f Padua a re highly po lished a nd durable,

but frequen tly fa lse . The Ge rm an strings n ow ran k n ext tothe I ta lian ,

Saxony be ing the sea t o f m an ufa cture . They m aybe de scribed a s ve ry white a nd sm o o th

,the be tte r kinds be ing

ve ry durable . The ir chief faul t a rises from the ir be ing ove rbleached, and hen ce faulty in soun d. The Fre n ch take the

third place in the m an ufacture . The ir strings a re ca re fullym ade

,an d tho se o f the la rge r siz e s an sw e r w e ll, but the sm a lle r

strings a re w an ting in du rability. The Engl ish m a n ufa c tureall qua litie s, but chiefly the che ape r kinds ; they a r e durable ,but un even ly m ade

,a n d have a da rk appea ran ce .

”

The cause o f va ria tion in qua lity of the severa l kinds a rise sSim ply from the diffe ren ce of c lim a te . I n I ta ly an im porta n tpa rt o f the proce ss o f m an ufacture is ca rried on in the open a ir

,

an d the beautiful c l im a te is m ade to effe ct tha t w hich ha s to bedon e a rtific ia lly in o the r coun trie s . Hen ce the I ta lian super io r ity . Southe rn Ge rm any adopts

,to som e exte n t

,sim ila r

m ean s in m aking strings Fra n ce to a le ss degree w hileEnglan d is obliged to re ly so le ly on a rtific ia l pro cesse s. I t

the refo re am oun ts to this re sult,the furthe r from I ta ly the m o re

in fe rio r the string. The be st strings in the m a rke t to- day a re

im po rted from Sign o r An drea Ru ffin i, o f Naple s, w hich a re so ldby a ll the le ading vio lin - de a le rs in Lon don .

I t is a m a tte r o f eve ry day o ccurre n ce to hear people ta lk o f

fiddle strings a s ca tgut indeed,o n e grea t w rite r has a lluded

to a vio l in ist as a m an who stre tche s the bow e ls o f a cat ove r aw ooden box an d rubs them w ith the ta il o f a ho rse .

” How eve rthis m ay be , it is o n e o f tho se careful] - pe rsisted- in e rro rs m ade

on the lucu s a n on lucendo prin ciple . glue , Baptista Po rta , se em sto have m ade som e m o st in te lligen t expe rim en ts in the sixte en thce n tury on the m a te ria ls o f w hich Strings w e re m ade

, the

a stoun ding re sults ofw hich w e re , tha t strings m ade o f com bin edw o lf a n d sheep gut produced n o m usic, but on ly ja r and disco rd.

The pa in ful effe ct o f playing on strings m ade from the in te stin eso f se rpen ts w a s to m ake w om en m isca rry

, e spec ia lly w henvipe rs supplied the m a te ria l. Po rta

,probably

, got his in fo rm ati o n from Pythago ra s. w ho te ll s a sim ila r “ sto ry

”at any

210 VI O LIN- MAK ING : AS I T w a s AND I s.

rate , Kirche r , the w e ll-m ean in g, but o ften sadly m isguidedautho r of “Mu su rgia Un ive rsa lis

,

” l strung tw o in strum en ts,

on e w ith w o lf gu t strings, a nd the o the r w ith she ep gut strings,an d Sitting in a fo ld

,played to the a ssem bled Sheep , who, how

eve r, fa iled to expre ss any obje ction o r a la rm at e ither fo rm o fton e production !Se tting a side fo r future con sidera tion the silk

,m e tal

,a nd

a c r ibe lle strings, w e w ill turn o u r a tte n tion to the m an ufa ctureo f the o rdin a ry strings, w hich a re a ll sim ilarly com po sed

,the

o n ly diffe ren ce be ing that the fourth (o r G) string is cove redw ith a laye r o f fin e w ire

,w ho se com po sition an d objec t w ill

be he rea fte r n o ticed. Strings fo r the vio lin,a n d n ea rly a ll

o the r string in strum en ts,a re com po sed o f the sm a ll in te stin e s

o f sheep,a nd have been so com po sed

,as Me rsen n u s ve ry

justly rem a rks,

2eve r sin ce the tim e o f the a n c ie n t Egyptian s .

Mr . Chappe ll 3 give s an in te re sting n o te o n the an cie n t Egyptianstrings, in his “Histo ry of Music "

(v ol i ., p . quo ting the

rem a rk of the sim ple -m inded M. Fetis,‘ w ho w o nde red a t the

Egyptian s m aking this u se of the in te stin e s o f ca ts,se e ing tha t

w ith them the cat w a s a sacred an im a l .” (1) The be st in testin e sa re tho se o f lam bs w hich have lived o n dry m oun ta in ous pa sture sa nd it is sa id tha t the be st lam bs a re those from the provin ce o f

Be rry, an d from som e pa rts o f Ge rm any,an d tha t they a r e atthe ir

be st for the purpo se of string-m aking in the m on th o f Septem be r,

w hich is, con sequen tly, the string-m aking m on th in each yea r.The in te stin e used is tha t on e w hich is com po sed of the

duoden um ,the jejun um

,an d the ilion ; it is com po sed o f three

m em bran es, the exte rn a l (o r pe riton ea l), and the m ucous m em

bran e s,bo th o f which a re rem oved a s use le ss

,but w hich en c lo se

be tw een them a third, the m uscula r o r fibrous m em bran e,which

is used in the m a n ufa cture o f fiddle strings. The in te stin e s a r efetched dire ct from the butche r’s

,w h ilst the ca rca sses a re s till

w a rm,a nd they a re de ta ched by w o rkm en

,w ho a re specia lly

em ployed fo r the purpo se , by w hom they a re at on ce stre tchedupon a n in c lin ed pla n e a n d scraped w ith a kn ife blade

,to c lean

and em pty them o f a ll fo re ign substan ce s, grea se , etc . Thism ust be don e quickly

,a nd w hilst the in te stin e s a r e yet w a rm ,

o r the co o ling m a tte rs w ould hope le ssly co lo u r the in te stin e s ;A. Kircher , Musu rgia Un iv e rsa l is, sive a rs m agn a con so n i et d isson i

(Rom e , Con den sed a n d tra nslated in to Germ an by And reas Hirsch

(Ha ll [Sw abia ],M . Mersen n u s, Tra ité de l ’Harm on ie Un iverse l le .W. Chappe ll , “Th e Histo ry of Mu sic (Ar t a nd Sc i en ce) . From the

l arl iest Reco rd s to the Fa ll o f the Rom an Em pi re .

”fo l . i . (Al l ever pub

!bhed .) (London , n .d .

F. J . Feti s, Histo ire gén éra le de la Musique (Pa r is, 1869 5 vo ls .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

212 VI OLIN-maxm e : a s IT wa s am) :8.

fo llow s : fo r the first, o r E string, 3- 4 fin e threads fo r thesecond

,o r A

,3- 4 stro ng on e s fo r the third

,o r D , 6- 7 stro ng

on e s. Beyon d this, double ba ss strings re ach as m any a s 85

fibre s,but this is a bran ch of the m a n ufa cture w hich do e s n ot

con ce rn us.At on e end o f the fram e is a little w heel, the cen tre o r

axle of w hich bea rs tw o bo ok s at the o the r en d o f the fram e

a r e l ittle fixed pegs. The guts se lected a r e fixed to a pegw hich is set in on e ho ok o f the w he e l

, and ca rried to the

o the r e nd o f the fram e, tw isted roun d a fixed peg, brought back

to the o the r en d an d fixed to the o the r ho o k o f the w hee lby an o the r peg ; this w he e l is rapidly revo lved by a m ultiplying fly

—w hee l, and the guts a re tw isted up in to a fiddle

string, the finge rs be ing pa ssed a lo ng it m ean while to preven tthe fo rm a tion o f in equa lities in its le ngth . The pegs a r e thenrem oved from the hooks a n d set in to ho le s oppo site the fixedpegs at the o the r en d o f the fram e (in the sam e w ay a s the

pegs are set in to the he ad o f a fidd le), a nd the w o rk pro ce edsin ‘ the sam e w ay w ith a n ew bun dle o f guts from a n o the r fixedpeg to the ho oked w hee l

,un til the fram e is fu ll. The strings

a re then sulphured to w hiten them in a sulphuring cham be r,

in to w hich the fram e s a re pla ced,an d flow e rs o f sulphur ign ited

in the cen tre . The cham be r is then he rm e tica lly sea led a n d leftfo r the n ight, during w hich tim e the strings be com e ble a chedby the a c tion of the sulphurous acid gas evo lved by the combu s

tion o f the sulphur. They a re n ext m o rn ing expo sed to a ir (butn ot ra in ) ti ll n ea rly dry, w hen they a re aga in m o iste n ed

,tw isted

on the fram e,an d replaced in the sulphur ba th . This ope ra tion

la sts from tw o to e ight days a cco rding to the siz e o f the stringbe ing m ade . The strings a re then tho roughly po lished an d

rubbed to et r id o f a ll in equa litie s, grea se , o r o the r fo re ign

particle s. his is don e w hilst they a re still on the fram e bym e an s of a set of ha ir cushion s

,w hich, enve loping the strings,

by a la te ra l m ovem en t subm it them to a rapid a nd fo rc iblefric tion ,

they be ing from tim e to tim e during the ope rationm o isten ed w ith a sponge soaked in an a lka lin e so lutio n o f

po ta ssa . The strings a r e then w iped to get rid of a ll im puritie s,

m o isten ed w ith pure w a te r,an d replaced fo r the n ight in the

sulphur ba th, a fte r w hich they a re aga in tw isted a nd dried.

When dry they a re po lished, a n Ope ra tion w hich first o r E

strings a re frequ en tly a llow ed to go w ithout,but w hich fo r the

o the rs take s pla ce as fo llow s — The fram e s a re la id flat upontre stle s o r o the r suppo rts, a n d the strings a r e po lished by ha n do r m achin e ry by m ean s of little gutta - pe rcha cushion s

,o live o il

and poun ce , o r w hiten ing, be ing used fo r the purpo se . These

Tan STRINGS. 213

po lishe rs a re ru n from end to end o f the strings till the requ isite po lish has been obta in ed. The strings a re then ca re fu llyw iped an d lightly m o isten ed w ith o live o il

,a fte r w hich they are

tho ro ughly dried, w hich is accom plished w hen , on loo sen ing thepegs,they do n otcon tra c t. The str ings a re n ow cu tfrom the fram e sc lo se to the pegs, and ro lled in to co ils a s w e see them in com m er ce ,

afte r w hich they a re m ade up in to bundle s o f fifteen o r thirty.

With a ll the se ope ra tion s it is n ot to be w on de red at tha t it isexceedingly difficult to obta in absolute cylindrica lity throughoutthe en tire length of a string, a nd a s a m atter o f fac t the extrem e

e nds of a string ge n e ra lly ta pe r slightly, an d a re the re fo re u se

le ss, produc ing fa lse, a n d w o lf ”n o te s. To getove r the effects

o f th is c ircum sta n ce it is be st w hen putting on a n ew string toun co il its en tir e length, put the tw o e nds toge the r, a nd cu t it intw o exactly in the m iddle , tie the kn o ts in the tw o strings thusm ade a t the cut en ds in the m iddle of the string) you thushave tw o strings (it is fa lse econ omy to try and m ake a stringrun to three lengths), w hich are pre tty sure to be true from the

ta ilpiece to the n ut,w hilst the defec tive four o r five in che s at

the ends se rve to co il roun d the pegs, a nd the supe rabun dan ceis cu t off. I t is fo llow ing thi s lin e o f a c tion tha t it is the customw hen a string is f a l se to “ turn it

,roun d on the fiddle

,w hich

o ften rem edie s the defe ct.I t rem a in s to us n ow (befo re n o ticing pa ten t strings) to turn to

the con side ra tion o f cove red strings. O n the vio lin on ly on e

such is used,the fo urth

,or G string but go ing a step fa rthe r

to the ten o r (o r vio la), w e get an o the r cove red str ing, the C,w hich ba lan ce s the absen ce of the vio lin E. I t is doubtful whofirst inven ted cove red strings, but J . Rousse au l a ttribute s theinven tion to Sa in te - Co lom be

,the ce lebra ted vio lin ist o f his epoch

Fo r vio lin s it is gen e ra lly gut w hich is cove red w ithcoppe r (pla ted o r pure), o r w ith silve r. Silk is a lso used, but itis difficult to tun e a ccura te ly, a n d w ill n ot rem a in in tun e w henon ce screw ed up undoubtedly the be st a re the coppe r- pla tedgu t on e s. I a lw a s obta in my cove red strings fo r vio lin o r

vio la from Mr . G. a rt,w ho cove r s them w ith a lte rn a te spira ls

of gu n-m e ta l an d pla ted coppe r. The be st (re comm en ded by

He rr Strauss) a re w rapped ove r c lo se to the kn o t w ith red silk.

The gu t of w hich cove red strings a re fo rm ed is n ot su lphured,

n o r is it o iled . The string is fixed at on e end to a ho ok set on

a w hee l,and at the o the r to a turn ing sw ive l, w hich holds the

string stre tched by m ean s of a w e ight. The turn ing o f the

whee l turn s the strings and the sw ive l, a nd the w o rkm an ca refully w raps the w ire on to the string a s it revo lves, taking the

Tra ité de la Viole (Par is, a ide note p. 34.

814 VI OLIN-MAKING : a s I T w a s am 18.

grea te st ca re to pre se rve its regula rity a n d clo se w in ding, and

checking the vibra tion s of the rotating string w ith a co rk. The

gut used m ust be pe rfe ctly un ifo rm in diam e te r throughout itslength, a nd in capable of furthe r stre tching. Con sequen tly it isstrongly str e tched befo re the w ire is Woun d on

,o r e lse by sub

sequen t stre tching the co re w ould re cede from the he lix, a n d theeffe ct can on ly be de scribed by tho se w ho have suffe red from it.All vio lin playe rs a re fam ilia r w ith the n ow - comm on a cr ibelle

,

o r silk, strings, w hich a r e com po sed of an infin ity o f filam en ts o f

silk so tw isted toge ther an d po lished a s to exceed in un ifo rm ityan d tran spa ren cy the fin e st gut strings. Fo r playe rs troubledw ith perspiring han ds, an d fo r hot o r dam p clim a te s

,they ar e

,

w ithout doubt, in va luable , fo r they a re but little a ffected bydam p

,an d they m ake up in conven ien ce in the se re spects w ha t

they ce rta in ly lack in ton e . They a re apt a lso to fray an d get

ragged, an d though it has been recomm e nded w hen this is theca se to draw th e strin g quickly through the flam e of a spiritlam p

,to rem ove the frayed fibre s

,an ac ribelle string on ce gon e

w rong, is gha stly w ith a gha stlin e ss m o re ea sily im agin edthan de scribed. The sam e rem a rk applie s to the tw isted o r

pla ited strings, som e tim e s kn ow n a s Ch in e se w a te r- co rd . The sea r e quite the best fo r playe rs w ith hat han ds, an d a re a lm o stexc lusive ly used by violin ists in I ndia an d o the r hot coun trie s

,

w he re the o rdin a ry strings n ot on ly bre ak ve ry ea sily,but a r e

ve ry difficult to keep. But,of cou rse

,the ir ton e is in ferio r to

u t.g.I n con clusion ,

by- the -bye , a w o rd on kn ots. I t seem s a sim ple

thing to tie a kn o t in the en d o f a str ing so tha t it sha ll n ot slipthrough the slit of the ta ilpiece , but the comm on bo oby kn o tis ve ry apt to break off

,and in so do ing th e kn o t fl ie s aga in st

the be lly a n d produce s tho se four little chipped ho le s so o fte n seenben ea th the ta ilpiece o f a fiddle . I f in tying the kn o t you don ot pull the sho rt en d right through, but m ake a slip- kn o t o f it

,

you w ill fin d tha t the long e nd com ing out o f the slit is muchsecure r and le ss like ly to “fly than if the dea r old bo oby ”

- kn oto f ou r childhood is m ade . I t should be rem arked tha t in the

kn o t of the fir st string the long end should be tw isted roundthe slip- k n o t o n ce aga in to m ake it la rge r, an d, the re fo re , m o rese cure So sha ll your strings ho ld w e ll, and n ot fly ou t o f“ pure cussedn e ss . In putting o n a string n ever (a s so m anyam a teurs do) put the end through the peg, an d then draw itdow n to the ta il- piece a n d fix it the re w ith a kn o t; This is ce rta in to bruise the strin g a ll a long, an d utte rly spo il it. Makeyou r kn o t a s above dire cted, a nd fix it to the ta il- piece thenca rry the string up to the head, cut off w ha t you do n ot wa n t

,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

FI D D LE AND I .

B! FRED ER I C E. Ws a r n aa bY.

B Y road and r iv e r,

Co un try -s ide an d town,

I ro am fo r e ve r

Vt'

ith m y fiddle bro w n .

Cre epin g un de r ba rn s so gladly

Wh en o u ts ide th e w in te r h ow ls,

Pla yi ng sad ly , play in g m ad ly ,

Wa k ing u p the rats a nd o w ls .

Ah ! it w a s gay , n ight a nd dayFa ir a n d c lo udy w e a th e r,

Fiddle a nd I w a n de r in g by,

O ve r th e w o rld together !

D ow n by the w i l low

Summ e r n ights I lie,

Flow e rs fo r m y pil low ,

An d fo r roo f th e sk y .

Play ing a ll my hea rt rem embe rs,O ld , o ld so n gs from far aw ay ,

Golde n J un e s a n d bleak D e cembe r!

Rise a roun d m e as I play .

)9 , on , fo r e v e r l

Til l the jou rn ey e nds,

Who sh a ll d issev e r

Us tw o tr usty fr ien ds 7

Wh o can b rin g the pa st be fo re me.

Mak e th e futu re ga ily glow ,

Lift th e clou ds th a t da rk en o’e r m e,

B ut my tru sty fidd le bow

Ah I it w a s gay , n ight a n d dayFa i r a n d c lou dy w eath e r,

Fi dd le a n d I w a n de r in g by ,

O ver th e w o r ld toge the r’

l ow at I n . A 0001m m. 8y permission cf w pa nd a" , M a ra M

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

220 VI O LIN-MAKING : a s IT w a s a rm 18.

required a long, o r “ trying plan e,a sm all

, o r sm oo thingplan e

,a n d a se t o f ca rving gouge s and chise ls. The w o rkshop

m ust be fitted w ith a n o rdin a ry ben ch,w ith a vice affixed to it

,

she lve s fo r reception o f w ood a nd o the r m a ssive m isce llan ea,and

ra cks fo r to o ls an d sm a ll objec ts,bo ttle s

,a nd o the r paraphe rna lia

,

w hich in We ll a rranged co n fusion furn ish the fiddle- m ake r’sw o rkshop. Rule s a n d T - squa re s o f o rdin a ry dim en sion s ar e

a lso required, an d I a lw ays ca rry in a lea the r ca se in m y pocke ta sm a ll thre e - in ch rule

,divided to .3

16 , a nd s

11 : o f an in ch, w ith

a pa ir o f sm a ll sprin g bow s fo r fin e m ea su rem e n ts an d ca lculation s. Th is w a s be autifu lly m ade fo r m e by Me ssrs . Aston an dMan de r

,o f Soho . O n e rule should have a pe rfe c tly true edge

o f ste e l o r som e o the r ha rd substan ce,fo r the purpose o f trying

edge s a n d surfa ce s.You w ill w an t a pa ir o r so of comm on iron cram ps (Fig.

fo r fixing w o od,e tc .

,to the be n ch w he n in u se . A sm a ll ben ch

vice,such a s can be quickly screw ed o n a n d off the ben ch

,is

freque n tly n eeded,a s a lso is a m edium - siz ed han d- vice . The

o rdin a ry w he tsto n e s and sharpen ing m edia m ust be provided .

F IG. 116.-Com m on I r on Cr am p . F IG 117 .

— S e ction s of F IG. 118.— S crape rs .

F i le s r equ i r ed .

A glue pot o f the comm on so rt w ill do , but I like on e m ade of

c oppe r en am e l,as be ing c lean e r. Many vio lin - m ake rs u se the

be st Sa lisbury glue , but to m y m ind n on e is be tte r fo r ou r

purpo se than tha t w hich com e s ove r in thin light brow n leave sfrom Co logn e . An o rdin a ry cutting and m a rking gauge w il l berequired, an d a lso a set o f file s o f the section s show n at Fig. 117

The o n ly hamm e r yo u w ill w an t is on e o f the l ight sm a l lhamm e rs used in jo in ing fre tw o rk o r ca rvings, such a s is usedby w a tchm ake rs fo r rough w ork.

We n ow a rrive at the con side ra tion of the to o ls peculia r toou r a rt w h ich it is n ece ssa ry to have re ady to o n e

’s han d beforecomm en c ing to w o rk

,a nd the se I sha l l en um e ra te an d de scri be

in the o rde r in w hich they ar e m en tion ed and required in the

fo llow ing chapte rs o n the actua l m an ua l labour required in

fiddle - m akin g.

l . The Toothed P la n e — This is a sm a ll iron plan e , like w ha ta re kn ow n a s the o rdin a ry Am e rican plan e s, w ho se edge , in ste adof be in g sm oo th like an o rdin a ry plan e , is too thed o r se rra ted

.

2. Scr aper s.— The se a re sm a ll piece s of stee l pla te , shown In

THE TO OLS . 221

Fig. 118, three in che s broad, w ho se uppe r side is roun ded a t

the co rn e rs, and w ho se low e r side is kept quite stra ight an d fla t.

Seve ra l should be prepa red, a nd they m ust be kept ve ry Sha rp,

be ing he ld in a hand -vice w hilst be ing ground . They a r e

sha rpen ed by beve lling on e edge , a s at a , a lo ng the flat side,an d

roun d the curved side a s at B B,fo r ge tting a t pla ce s in a cce ssible

to the flat side . I f prefe rred, an d to obvia te the dange r O f cuttingthe finge rs w ith th e side n o t in u se

,in stead o f sha rpe n ing

the flat and curved side o f ea ch sc rape r,som e m ay be sha rpe n ed

on o n e side and som e on the o the r if yo u have ple n ty. D uring

F IG . 119.— Sharpen in g Stee l (for S crapers). F IG 120.

—Vio lin -m ak er’

s K n i fe .

u se they a re kept ke en by m e an s o f a sha rpen ing ste e l (Fig.

w hich is a roun d pla in ba r o f ste e l , in ch in diam e te r, se t in toa n o rdin a ry ha ndle . TO r e - se t the edge s it is dra w n stro ng lydow n the flat side a n d then dow n the beve l, repea ting the

proce ss on ce,w hen

,un le ss the ste e l w an ts r e -

grin ding, it w ill befound to have rem edied a ny slight blun tn e ss O f the sc rape r.3. Kn ives — Tw o o r thre e O f the se m ust be at ha n d

,fixed in

go od stro ng ha n dle s . The i r blade s Should be fin e an d We lltem pe red, a n d they m u st be kept tho roughly keen (Fig .

The se kn ive s a re m ade by se tting a stro n g ste e lblade down through an ebony (o r o the r ha rd w o od)han dle (like the lead in a ceda rpen cil) ; the n ,

a s the kn ife w ea rsou t o r ge ts ground dow n at the

po in t an d so sho rte n ed,m o re O f the

w ood is cu t away an d a furthe rpiece O f the blade sha rpen ed .

Pho togra phe rs u se kn ive s w i thSliding blade s, fixed in a gro oved F IG . 122.

— An oth er~ha n dle by m e a n s o f a sc rew ,w hi ch (an d be tte r ) fo rm o f

A gi g do ve ry w e ll fo r ou r purpo se . IB e n di ng Ir on '

have bought them at Me ssrs. Shew ’s in Wa rdourStree t

,bu t‘ I suppo se they a re to be had from any

pu rveyo r O f pho tographic appa ra tus a nd a cce sso rie s.4 . Ma r k ing P oi n t.— This is m e re ly a n O ld brada w l sha rpen ed

to a fin e po in t fo r m a rking exa c t o utlin e s w ith,w hich w ould be

difficult w ith a so ft pen c il .5. The B ending I r on

— This is used fo r bending the side s, andthough ca lled a bending ir on ,

” like a so lde ring ir on ,” it is

be st m ade o f coppe r. I t is fo rm ed (Fig. 121) O f a ba r,hea r ing

at on e e nd the ova l m a ss a,at the e n d O f w hich is the n a rrow e r

roun d n iece B. The Object O f thi s shape w ill appea r la te r on .

220 VI O LIN-MAK ING : a s IT w a s aND I S .

required a long, o r “ trying plan e,a sm all

, o r sm oo thin gplan e

,a n d a se t O f carving gouge s a nd chise ls. The w o rkshop

m ust be fitted w ith a n o rdin a ry ben ch,w ith a vice affixed to it

,

she lve s fo r reception o f w ood a nd o the r m a ssive m isce llan ea,and

ra cks fo r to o ls an d sm all Objec ts,bo ttle s

,a nd o the r paraphe rna lia

,

w hich in We ll a rranged co n fusion furn ish the fiddle -m ake r’sw o rkshop . Rule s a nd T - squa re s O f o rdin a ry dim en sio n s ar e

a lso required,an d I a lw ays ca rry in a lea the r ca se in m y pocke t

a sm a ll thre e - in ch rule,divided to

316, a nd o f an in ch

,w ith

a pa ir O f sm a ll spring bow s fo r fin e m ea surem en ts an d ca lculation s. This w a s be autifu lly m ade fo r m e by Me ssrs. Aston an dMan de r

,o f Soho . O n e rule should have a pe rfectly true edge

O f ste e l o r som e o the r ha rd substan ce,fo r the purpo se O f trying

edge s a n d surfa ce s.You w ill w an t a pa ir o r so O f comm o n iron cram ps (Fig.

fo r fixing w o od,e tc .

,to the be n ch w he n in u se . A sm a ll ben ch

vice,such a s can be quickly screw ed o n a n d off the ben ch, is

freque n tly n eeded,a s a lso is a m edium - Siz ed han d- vice . The

o rdin a ry w he tsto ne s and sha rpen ing m edia m ust be provided .

F IG. 116,— Com m on I ron Cram p . F I G . 117 .

— S e ction s of F I G. 118.— S crapers .

F i le s r equ ir ed .

A glue pot o f the comm o n so rt w ill do , but I like on e m ade of

O oppe r en am e l,a s be ing c lea n e r. Many vio lin - m ake rs u se the

be st Sa lisbury glue , but to m y m ind n on e is be tte r fo r o u r

purpo se than tha t w hich com e s ove r in thin light brow n leave sfrom Co logn e . An o rdin a ry cutting and m a rking gauge w il l berequired, and a lso a set o f file s O f the sectio n s show n at Fig. 117 .

The o n ly hamm e r you w ill w an t is on e O f the l ight.

sm a l lhamm e rs used in jo in ing fre tw o rk o r ca rvings, such a s 13 usedby w a tchm ake rs fo r rough w ork.

We n ow arrive at the con side ra tion o f the too ls pe culi a r toou r a rt w h ich it is n ece ssa ry to have re ady to on e

’s han d beforecomm en c ing to w o rk

,a nd the se I sha ll e n um e ra te an d descri be

in the o rde r in w hich they ar e m en tion ed an d requ iredo

m the

fo llow ing chapte rs o n the actua l m an ual labour requ i red I n

fiddle - m akin g.

1. The Toothed P la n e — This is a sm a ll iron plan e , like w ha ta re kn ow n a s the o rdin a ry Am e rican plan e s, w ho se edge , I n steadof be in g sm oo th like an o rdin a ry plan e , is too thed o r se rra ted

.

2. Scr aper s— The se a re sm a l l pie ce s O f stee l pla te , shown In

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

222 VI OLIN-MAKING : a s I T w a s AND I S .

An o ther, and pe rhaps be tte r, fo rm is repre sen ted at Fig. 122, and

is c rutch- shaped. I t is fixed in a ho le in the ben ch o r in the

vice when in u se .

6.

“Lin ing”Chisel. —This is used in le tting the lin ings in to

the blo cks, a n d is a n o rdin ary chise l, on ly 1o f a n in ch broad

,

a s in Fig. 123,sha rpen ed to a long edge , a s at a .

7 . O va l P la n es.

” —A set o f the se w ill be required fo r fin ishing the m ode l or a rching, an d the sco oping ou t O f the ba ck a nd

F I G 121.— O va l P lan e , upper an d low er sides (actu a l si z e).

be lly. They m ust be in three siz e s, the la rge st a n d sma lle st O f

w hich a re repre sen ted a ctua l si z e by Figs. 124 a nd 125, the re be inga lso an in te rm edia te Siz e . The un de r surface s a re cu rved

,a s

they a re used fo r plan ing dow n the a rching, an d fo r plan ingsm oo th the gouging o u t of the table s . The ed e s O f the iron s

,

a s w ill be seen in the figure , m ust be toothed, t e brittle n a tureO f the m aple and the tende rn ess O f the pin e rende ring. thisn e ce ssa ry.

F IG 125 O va l P lan e (sm a ller S i z e ). F IG . 126 .—Ma rk in g (a ) an d F IG . l 27 .

—f h o leMeasur in g (a ) Com passe s . P i er ce r .

8. Spr ing Comp a sses— You w ill w an t tw o pa irs O f the se , as

at Fig. 126,o n e pa ir having on e leg ju st longe r than the o the r,

as at a,for u se a s a m a rking gauge . The o ther o rdin ary, a s at

B, fo r m ea suring an d dividing.

9. f Ho le P ier cing Tools or P u n ches.—These a re tw o pu n che s,

r e re sen ted at Fig. 127,used fo r pie rcing the round ho le s at

c i er end O f the f f ho le s, an d are , the refo re, O f tw o diam e te rs.

THE TO OLS . 223

in dica te d at B and C in the figure , the sm a lle r on e be ing fo rthe uppe r, an d the la rge r fo r the low e r ho le of the f . They a reho llow cylinde rs o f ste e l, having the open en d groun d to a fin e

c ircu la r edge , an d having (about an in ch up the bo re) a roundho le in the side A, w hen ce to pick out any chips o f w o od, w hichw ould o the rw ise, by filling them up

,choke the pun che s. They

a re a lso m ade w ith the “ bo re exten ding right through theha ndle

,so tha t a thin rod m ay be pushed dow n the cylindrica l

cham be r thus fo rm ed fo r the purpo se of pushing ou t the plugo f w ood cu t ou t by, and the re fo re stickin g in , the pun ch . Thisis the be tte r fo rm ,

fo r the picke r is apt to injure the cuttingedge of the pun ch w hen rem oving the cu t- out plug o f w ood.

10. Ga uging Ca llip er s— Fig. 128— a r e w ha t a re used fo r

de te rm in ing the thickn e sse s o f the ba ck an d be lly. They con sistof a fram e A

,som ew ha t like tha t o f a fre t- saw , an d a m ovable

a rm B,w hich is a tta ched to A by a hinge C . This a rm ca rrie s a

m e ta l o r ivo ry plate D m a rked w ith sixteen ths of a n in ch dow n the

F IG. 128.—Gaug in g Cal lipers . F IG. 129.

—Viol in -screw . F I G . 130.- Soun a

ba r Cli ps .

stra ight side , w hich pa sse s through, a nd w o rks in,a slo t cu t in

the uppe r a rm o f the fram e A, a n d w hich is o f such a lengththa t w hen the a rm B is shut clo se dow n on to A

,the tip of the

pla te D j ust touche s the ivo ry stud E,set o n the low e r a rm of A.

The tip of D can be set and m a in ta in ed at any required distan cefrom E (as m arked by its own sca le), by screw ing the screw F

,

w hich pe rm its any distan ce to be adjusted ve ry exactly and

accura te ly. The re a re m any fo rm s of the se,but this o n e is,

I tll

l

l

ink,the be st

,a s be ing the m o st steady a nd ce rta in to w o rk

w it

11. Vio lin Scr ew s.— Fig. 129. The se a re used fo r fixing the

back to the side s and the be l ly sim ila rly. They a re m ade ofw o od

,a nd about three do z e n

,va rying a little in siz e

,w ill be

required.

12. Sound B a r Clip a— Fig . 130. The se w o oden con trivan ce s,

strongly re sem bling clo the s- pegs, a re used to kee p the bar inpo sition in the be l ly w hen be ing fitted. A pa ir m ust beprovided.

224 VI OLIN-MAKING : As I T WAs AND I s.

13. S o un d B a r Cr amp s a re w o ode n screw cram ps,Fig. 131

,

w hich a r e used to fix the sound ba r in po sition w hen glued in tothe be lly. Thre e o r five a re used in c ram ping a ba r in to its place .

14 . B ow Compa sses .

— Fig. 132— a re required fo r copying andregiste rin g diam e te rs w he n w o rking from a m ode l. They a re

prin cipa lly used w he n chise lling the head.

FI G. l 3l .- S ou n d -bar Cram ps.

F I G. l32.— B ow Compass. F IG. l 33.

— Purfli n g Ga u ge o r Mark er (frontan d s id e Vi ew s) .

15. P urfling Ga uge.— This (Fig. 133) is an ebony gauge

com po sed o f an o rdin a ry stem A,rounded at on e side a s at B

,

w hich bea rs a sliding beam 0,on e en d of w hich, bea ring the

cutte r E,an d its w edge F

,is rounded as at D . The cutte r E is

m ade fa st at any distan ce from the stem A by kn ocking the

F I G. 134.—Purfling Compas ses . F IG. 135. Pur fl ing Ch ise l .

w edge G in to the ope n ing cu t to rece ive it. I t is u sed for tracingthe lin e s o f the pu rfling round the edge .

An o the r fo rm o f pu rfiing to o l show n m e,and recom m en ded

by Mr . Hill,is repre sen ted a t Fig. 134

,a n d its object an d co n

struc tio n w ill be readily un de rsto od by lo oking at the figure .

D oubtle ss it is ve ry ce rta in , but it la cks the sym pathy (if Im ay be a llow ed the e xpre ssio n ) o f the ebony on e , Fig. 133, as it

goe s round the edge s o f the fiddle.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER XIV.

THE OUTSI D E MO ULD .

Copying the O utl in e—Mak ing the Mou ld— I ts D iam ete rs - Th e O utl in e ModelsThe Ar ch ing-Guides— The Cram ping Blocks.

THE first thing to be don e is to de cide upon the m ode l of yourin strum en t

,an d m ake you r Mould. Moulds a re o f tw o so rts

“the in side m ould,

”w hich is so lid

,an d r ound w hich the fiddle is

m ade a n d the outside m ould,

”w hich is cut o ut like a fram e

,

an d in side w hich the fiddle is m ade . O f the fo rm e r I sha ll

speak la te r on (Chapte r XXI .) at pre sen t w e a re go ing to m akethis fiddle on the la tte r o r outside m ould. The first step is todec ide upon your m ode l and outlin e ; if y o u w ish to copy a ny

given m a ste r, o r if you w ish to produce your ow n o rigin a lm ode l

, you w ill find dire ction s fo r this on page 135. (I m ay saytha t un less you w ish pa rticu la rly to copy a ny particula r fiddle ,you can n o t do be tte r than adopt the m ode l

,outlin e

,m ould

,etc .,

given in P la te IV.,w hich is tha t o f a Stradivar ius o f the m o st

fin ished e legan ce .) The first thing is to take an outlin e,a s exa ct

a s po ssible,o f the fiddle to be copied

,the n tra n sfe r this to

a shee t o f w ood 1, in ch thick, ra the r la rge r tha n the outlin e .

Then wi th thefin est fre t o r bow - saw cut this o u t a s even ly a s

you possibly ca n , spa ring n o pa in s to keep your cutting free froma ll irregula ritie s. Ma rk

,on the fiddle - shaped pie ce thus cut o u t

,

and on the fram e from w hich yo u have cut it,the exact cen tre

o f the outlin e,draw ing a l in e dow n the c en tre

,a s at A B in the

plate .

’‘Having a sce rta in ed tha t your outlin e is co rre ct

,take

a slab Of ha rd w o od, the siz e and shape o f the m ould figured inthe plate , 1% in che s thick, a nd m ark the exa ct ce n tre o f it bydraw ing from top to bo ttom the lin e A B. Take your plan ko u tlin e (dow n the ce n tre O f w hich a lin e is d raw n ), and pla ce ito n this slab w hich is to fo rm the m ould, so tha t the lin e dow nthe cen tre o f your outlin e co in c ide s exa ctly w ith the lin e A B

dow n the cen tre of the m ould. Ho lding the outlin e ve r firm lyin this po sition , so tha t the cen tre can n o t m ove at e ithe r e nd

from the lin e A B (if n ece ssa ry, fixing it thus w ith cram ps), draw

Tn n O UTSI D E MOULD . 227

w ith a fin e po in t the exa ct outlin e o f your plan k on the boa rd,

and m ake it in de lible by scra tching it in to the surfa ce o f the

w o od . Yo u w ill then have the outlin e o, o, 0 (P la te IV.)

draw n o n your m ould .

To m ea sure the breadth from the extrem e edge to the sides,a llow ing fo r w e a r

,a nd be ing guided by the eye , draw a lin e

right ro und in side the l in e 0,a bout in ch from it

,pre se rv ing

the sam e distan ce be tw ee n them a ll round ; you w ill thenhave tra ced on the plan k the lin e D

,D,D . Then cu t ou t ve ry

gradua lly, and w ith the sam e am oun t o f ca re a s you devo ted tocutting your outlin e

,a ll the w o od in side the l in e D (le ft w hite

in the pla te) . Your m ould is n ow cut ou t,having a thickn e ss

a ll ove r o f 1% in che s. But w e have seen (p. 145) tha t theside s o f a fiddle a re sha llow er in the uppe r than in the low e rbouts, an d in the ca se o f the fiddle from w hich w e a re n ow

w o rking, the devia tio n is from in the low e r bouts to 135; inthe uppe r your m o u ld m ust the re fo re have the sam e devia tion

,

which is a rrived a t by turn ing it o ve r (so as n ot to plan e aw aythe lin e s 0 an d A B), and plan ing roun d it ve ry ca re fully

,con

stan tly m ea suring the depths til l the gradua l de crea se in diam e te ris obta in ed.

You have n ow got (i) a ho llow m ould of the prope r thickn e ss

,on the top o f w hich a r e draw n w ith pe rfe ct sym m e try the

lin e s A, B,an d C

,a n d (ii) a thin plan k outlin e exa ctly co rre

spon ding w ith the lin e 0,dow n the exa ct ce n tre o f w hich run s

a lin e co rre spon ding w ith the lin e A B o n the m ould. Ma rkthe w o rd fron t ”

on the fro n t o f this la tte r thin pla nk o utlin e,

so tha t yo u m ay a lw ays kn ow w hich surface to have uppe rm ost(fo r the tw o side s o f this outlin e a re n ot in exa c t contr a -f a csim ile— Stradiva rl s outlin e s se ldom

,o r n eve r

,w e re pe rfe ctly true) .

Befo re w e go furthe r, it m ay be w e ll to expla in fully the

n a ture o f this pla te . Fo r pu rpo se s o f w o rking it m ay be a s

w e ll to take tw o trac ings o f it,So a s to sepa ra te the va rious

things it illustra te s. All the shaded pa rt repre sen ts a vio linm ould, round the cutting o f w hich is tra ced C

,C,c, the actua l

o n lin e o f the fiddle from w hich it ha s bee n m ade . Make tra c ingn um be r o n e

,O f a ll the shaded parts (in cluding the lin e C, c , C),

and show ing at top and bo ttom the e n ds of the cen tre lin eA B . Then m ake tra cing No . 2 o f the outlin e c

,C,C a s exa ctly

a s po ssible,bea ring the lin e A B dow n its ce n tre (an d the soun d

post E,a n d the f ho le F, so tha t you m ay kn o w w hich is the fron t

o f the m ode l) . Glue this tra cing to a lea f o f w o od, suffic ien tlyla rge , and cut it out m o st ca re fully, a s it is your plan k o utlin eto w hich I have refe rr ed be fo re . I t w ill be n o ticed tha t at thebottom of the m ould (or shaded pa rt) the w o rds ba ck an d

228 VI O LIN-MAKING : As IT WAS AND I s.

“be lly ar e prin ted this m ean s tha t to save room,and a s the

outlin e on bo th side s o f a ba ck and be lly a re n ea rly (if n ot

quite ) iden tica l, I have m ade the right- hand ha lf repre sen t thebe lly, and the le ft- hand ha lf the ba ck . The f ho le and soundpo st in the right-hand (o r

“ be lly ha lf a re m e re ly put the reto distinguish it still furthe r from the left-hand (o r “backha lf.D raw right a cro ss the tra ced outlin e O f the back

,the lin es

1,2,3,4,5, 8(which trave rse the left- hand o r “ ba ck ”

- ha lf o f theoutlin e 0, c, D raw a cro ss the tra ced outlin e of the be llythe lin e s 7 , 9, 10, 11 12 (w hich trave rse the right- ha nd or be lly ”

ha lf o f the outlin e C, C, C). Yo u have , the re fo re, n ow a trac ingfrom w hich to m ake your m ould, and a trac ing of the outli n eO , C, 0 w ith f ho le , an d sound- po st from w hich to m ake yourplan k outlin e . Next, m ake o f thin ha rd w o od the e leven“guide s

”

(figured a ctua l siz e). The se a re re spe ctive ly (1, 2,3,4,a nd 5 in the pla te), the m ode l o r e leva tion o f the a rching

of the back, taken from the edge to the jo in (A B on the pla te ),a long the lin e s 1, 2, 3, 4, a nd 5 re spe ctive ly 8 show s the a rching o f the ba ck betw e en the cen tre bouts (o r C

’

s), a long the lin e8 an d 9

,10, 11, a n d 12 Sho w the a rching o f the be lly

,ta ken

a long the lin e s 9, 10, 11, an d 12 7 show s the en tire a rching of

the be lly be tw een the cen tre bouts (or C’

s) a long the lin e 7 , inthe sam e w ay tha t 8 give s the en tire a rching a cro ss the ba ck .

A sim ila r guide to the en tire a rching a long the lin e A B,is

m ade by cutting a sim ila r piece o f w ood I ) the curve o f the lin eG,G,G on the pla te . I t w ill be obse rve n tha t the guide No . 8

is m e re ly a doubled fo rm o fNo . 3,a nd sho w s the a rching o f the

cen tre o f the ba ck.

The la st a cce ssorie s o f the m ould a re the c ram ping- blo cks,

w hich a re repre sen ted in the ir a ctua l siz e at H,I,J,K,L,M.

The se a re pie ce s o f w ood cu t the sam e depth a s the m ould,to fit

its curve s at the po in ts H,I,J,K, L, an d M re spective ly m a rked

on the shad ed pa rt represe n ting the m ould. The o ute r edge sw hich touch the side s) , a re lin ed w ith a thin shee t o f co rkse n ted in the figure s o f the cram ping blo cks by the ShadThe se pie ce s a re used to cram p the side s in to the ir fina l

shape in the m ould,in m an n e r he re in afte r appea ring.

So m uch fo r the con struction an d a cce sso rie s o f w ha t is ca lledthe outside m ould .

”The o the r fo rm ,

o r“ in side m ould

,

”w ill

be de scribed in an o the r pla ce,am ong the in struction s fo r m aking

a fiddle o f the Gua rn e rius pa tte rn,on an in side m ould

,a nd

o the rw ise diffe ring in m any pa rticula rs from the fiddle w e a re

now go ing to con struct. Outlin e s a nd m ode ls fo r the n eck a nd

scr o ll o f ou r pre sen t fiddle , an d taken from the sam e in strum en t

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER XV.

THE S I D ES,O R RIBS

,BLO CK S AND S I D E- LININGS.

Selection o f Wo od— The Sid es— Ben ding th e S id e s— Fittin g the S ides The To pan d Bottom Block s— The Co rn e r Blo ck s— The Sid e - lin ings— Ben ding the

S ide - lin in gs— Fittin g— Fixi ng th e Lin in gs— Leve l l ing

— Fin i sh ing the Sides,Lin ings, an d B lo ck s, I n side an d O utside .

THE first step to be taken tow a rds the m aking of a fiddle is these le c tion o f the w o od. I have a l ready po in ted ou t the adv isabi

lity o f ke eping w o ods sto red in ce rta in dim en sio n s (p. 134 ) it

w ill the refo re be sim ply a m a tter o f Sea rch a n d ta ste to se le c t a

“set of w o od a w edge fo r the ba ck , a blo ck fo r the n e ck

,

six strips fo r the side s,an d a w edge fo r the be lly), ha n dsom e ly

figured an d acoustica lly go od a s rega rds the m aple,a n d fin e ly an d

eve n ly gra in ed a s rega rds the pin e . Ha v ing dec ided this , w epro ce ed to “ prepa re ”

the w o od fo r the va rio u s ope ra tion s tow hich it is to be subm itted —begin n ing w ith the Side s . I f the

w o od ha s be en sto red in strips in che s long, by 1% broad,thre e such strips w ill be required but I recomm end the se le ctio n o f six

,to provide for a cc ide n ts o f all so rts, w hich wi ll com e

about w he n an am a teur is w o rking w ith a brittle strip of

w o od 113 th o f a n in ch thick . Be fo re pro ce edin g furthe r, let m e

N W give a w o rd of w a rn ing about the se le ctionW

o f the se strips . I t is this : bew are of. 133.

— w fF ‘

fia k en by extra - ha n dsom e w o od tha t w rth the fin e stW°°d °

a n d bo lde st curls is exce ssive ly difficult tow o rk w ith

,chipping away u n de r the kn ife

,plan e

,an d scrape r

to an a la rm ing degre e an d,w o rse than a ll this

,w hen the w o rk

is fin ished,an d your side s a r e set

,an d your fiddle va rn ished,

han dsom e w o od w ill o fte n take the w a v y surface show n in these ction

,Fig. 138

,a phen om e n on o fte n obse rvable on fiddle s

w ith extra - han dsom e side s . The be st slips a r e tho se w ith a fa irlyclo se curl

,n o t to o strongly m arked . Al l things be in g thus con

side red, you m ay n ow set to w o rk .

Take an o rdin a ry c ram p,a s at Fig. 116

,an d by m ean s of it

,

an d w ith a sm a ll pie ce o f pro te cting w o od,fa ste n the strip on the

ben ch at right a ngle s to the edge (of the be n ch) then take a

THE SI D ES, O R RIBS,BLO CKS AND S I D E- LININGS .

sm a ll ste e l plan e,w ho se cutti ng edge , in stead o f be ing pla in , is

ve ry fin e ly to o thed, and w ith a fe w sw e eps just rem ove the

excessive roughn e ss o f the strip, then firm ly sm oo th it thro ughou t its e n tire le ngth w ith a scrape r (Fig. an d the firstO pe ra tio n is fin ished. Above a ll things, be m o st ca re ful tha tthe edge o f the plan e proje ct o n ly the ve ry sm a lle st po ssible

,

fo r,in additio n to the thin n e ss o f the w o od yo u a r e w o rking

w ith,the w o od is in itse lf pe rhaps the m o st brittle o f a ll to

w o rk w ith,an d the han dsom e r the curls in the w ood, the

m o re brittle it is. The sc rape r should be used aga in st the

dire ctio n o f the curls ; tha t is, if the curls (o r figure o f the

w o od) in clin e tow a rds the right, the cutting edge o f the scrape rsho uld be sla n ted tow a rds the le ft. Afte r e ach sw e ep of the

sc rape r,r a ise it w e ll to bring it ba ck fo r the n ext sw eep, o r ,

ca tching the edge , it w i ll sn ap the strip in tw o . Mind and

le t n e ithe r o f the se pro ce sse s go to o fa r ; m in d n ot to thinyour strip to o m uch

,fo r rem em be r tha t thi s is by n o m ean s

the fin a l sm o o thing, a n d if w o rked to o thin at the com m en ce

m e n t o f the w o rk,the a fte r re sults w ill be disa strous there

fo re leave the strip ra the r rough an d stout than o the rw ise .

The n take three o f the strips thus prepa red, an d w ith a pen cildraw lin e s ac ro ss them , a s fo llow s Acro ss tw o of them

,at a

distan ce o f in che s from o n e end,a nd a cro ss the thi rd, at a

distan ce o f 71; in che s from o n e e nd. Then,w i th a firm stroke

o f a sm a ll fin e kn ife (Fig. cu t the strips a c ro ss at tho sel in e s

,a n d it w ill be foun d tha t you have tw o pie ce s 7 4% long fo r

the uppe r bouts,tw o piece s lo ng for the ce n tre bouts

,and

tw o pie ce s 9% long fo r the low e r bouts . The se lengths a re in

e xce ss o f w ha t is abso lute ly n ece ssa ry but it is be tte r to allowfo r a cc iden t than to sta rt w ith your w ood too sho rt. Now cu t

e ight strips of lin en (n ot ca lico) 31 in che s long by 1% broad,Spread glue on bo th side s o f o n e e n d o f e a ch strip o f m aple thuscut, about 1% in che s do w n e ach side

,a n d fo lding the strips o f

l in en in the m iddle,cove r on e e nd o f ea ch strip w ith lin e n , so a s

to pro tec t the edge s ; the sho rte st (o r 532% in ch) strips m ust thusbe cove red at bo th e n ds ; for the o the rs

,o n e en d w ill be

suffic ie n t. The rea son o f this Ope ra tion w ill be dem on stra tedfurthe r o n .

The n ext ope ra tion w hich m ust o ccupy us w ill be the ben dingo f the side s that is to say, to ben d them so fa r like the pa rt o fthe m ould on w hich they a re to be fixed, tha t they w ill n ot splitw hen cram ped in to it.l First tho roughly hea t your bending- iron

I t has been sugge ste d (Ama teu r Wor k , vo l . i ., p. 528, an d v o l. p. 48)that th e r ibs m ay be be n t by ste am in g the str ips o f m apl e , an d th en cram pingth em betw e e n block s o f th e r equi re d sh ape . Th is is th e p lan r ec om m en ded in

232 VI OLIN-MAKING : AS IT WAS AND I S .

(Figs. 121 and 122) w hen hea ted, c ram p it on to the ben chho riz on ta lly, so tha t the hot broad pa rt a nd end (A an d B ) lie sove r the edge sit dow n oppo site to it

,a n d proce ed to this m o st

ticklish pa rt of your w o rk w ith a coo l he ad. The iron, w hen

you comm en ce to ben d, m ust o n ly be just hot e n ough ve ryslightly to singe a slip of w ood w hen pre ssed aga in st it (the tim e

w hen this con dition is rea ched m ust be te sted by pe riodica llytrying to ben d ove r it a thin slip o f w a ste w o od

,kept fo r the

purpo se ) . First,be n d the C

’

s,o r in n e r bou ts

,

begin n ing at the tw o en ds cove red w ith lin enset the en d on the pa rt B O f the iron

,ho ld it there

firm ly w ith a block of w ood,at the sam e tim e

applying very gen tle pressure to the o the r end.

c o o o o

I t w 111 n ot begin to be nd ti ll It I S tho roughlye n t stages o f hot through, so do n ot hurry it by he avyggfi flfifi pre ssure , o r it w ill Split (the tyro en e ra lly

splits seve ra l to begin w ith). Bend it t us ve ryca refully rou n d B (B , Fig. and then bend the o the r en d

sim ila rly (C, Fig. then give it the fin a l shape on the bro adpa rt, A (D , Fig. Fig. 139 show s the various stage s o f theben ding o f the cen tre bouts. (The lin en is, o f course , unde rstoodto be the re , though it doe s n ot appe ar in the figure .

The u ppe r and low e r b outs m ust n ow be sim ila rly ben t,though, o f course , it w ill be appre c ia ted tha t o n ly the lin encove red e nds (w hich jo in the co rn e r- blocks) w ill require the

A B C Dde c ided ben d given by the pa rt B o f the

iron . Fig. 140 show s the succe ssive stage so f the ben ding o f the u ppe r a n d low e r bouts,w hich a re o f course sim ila r

,except in po in t

o f actua l siz e . This don e, you m ust ca re

fully rem ove w ith a Sha rp kn ife all the

proje cting lin en from the ends. The hea to f the iron having sco rched the glue , thisw ill be a com pa ra tive ly e a sy ope ration

,but

F IG. Lia — D ifferen t stages

of ben d in g th e u pperI n pla c e s the l l n en w i ll sti ll adhe re clo se ly

,

I an d low er bouts . an d he re you m ust be m o st ca re ful n ot tobring aw ay little piece s O f the curls o f the w ood, w hich w ouldi rre trievably dam age the beauty o f your side s. The lea stve stige s o f glue an d lin en m u st be fin a lly scraped aw ay frombo th the in side an d outside surfa ce s o f the strip w ith a file

,w hich

should be flat on on e Side and round on the o the r (Fig.

H. P. Sm ith’s

“The Con struction of th e Vio lin (Syracu se , 187 bu t n o

good w orkman w ou ld d r eam o f such an exped ien t, fo r , in th e firstplace , it tak es

te n tim es as long as the legitim ate w ay , an d , in the secon d , th e ribs n earlyalwayf warp and tw ist (as in Fig. 138) after they have been set to the fiddle.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

234 VI OLIN-MAKING : As IT WAS AND I S.

o f glue or o the r m e ss. When fixed, the re m ust be a slight r imabove a n d be low the m ould

,caused by the supe rfluous bre adth

o f the slips from w hich yo u have m ade your side s. Now takesom e slips o f pape r

,about 1% in che s bro ad, a nd slip o n e through

at the bo ttom jo in o f the Side s, be tw e e n the springy low e r en dso f the bouts a nd the ba se o f the m ould glue lightly boI h side so f the slip, above the pla ce w he re it is he ld be tw een the side s an dthe m ould, a n d pull it through from the o the r side

,

'

so tha t infact the low e r e nds of the low e r bouts (at the jo in ) ar e glued tothe pape r, an d the pape r to the side o f the m ould

,so tha t by

the se se con da ry m ean s the side s a re fa st in the m ould putsim ila rly glued slips o f pape r be tw een the side s an d the m ould,at the po in ts S a n d '

1‘

(P la te IV.) in a sim ila r m an n e r,an d

proceed as be fo re to shape,set

,an d cram p the uppe r bouts

,se tting

the pape rs at the top jo in t a n d at U an d v (P late Nowproce ed to the fixing (in the rough) O f the top a nd bo ttomblo cks . Take tw o piece s o f fin e

,even -

gra in ed pin e,

1 plan edround the side s an d edge s till they a r e bo th 2 in . long by

g in . broad,1% deep, the gra in se tting a s in

Fig. 141. Now,w ith a Sharp kn ife a n d file

,

shape the side B o f the blo ck (Fig. to the

ve ry slight curve o f the bo ttom o f the Side s at

the jo in,m a rk a cro ss the top, by m ean s o f the

lin e A on the m ould,the exa ct cen tre of the

F I G - 14l o— T0P 0r 3 0tt0m block A Fi 141 n ow lu e this on to

m m (m m m ugh ) ’

the side s,

(ex§ctly iii the ce n

gtre o f the ba se

o f the m ou ld so tha t the lin e A on the block exa ctly co in cide sw ith the lin e A— pa rt o f the lin e A B , Plate a n d fix itsecure ly w ith a c lam Cut, shape , an d fix an exa ctly Sim ila rblock at the top o f t e fiddle in the sam e w ay . Afte r e a ch of

the se ope ra tion s, take a fin e brush,an d w ith a little hot w a te r

ou t o f the glue -

pot, w a sh aw ay from your w o rk a ll tra ce so f superfluous glue . NOW pro ce ed to fix the in n e r bouts, o r,a s they a r e te chn ica lly te rm ed

, C’

s ; the se m u st be m o stca refully ben t to the exact shape o f the m ould

,cutting

the e nds squ a r e, an d to exactly the right le ngth . The en dsm u st then be cut to a beve l

,so a s to fit in to the corn e rs

,

aga in st the u ppe r e n ds o f the low e r bouts,in the m a n n e r

show n at C,in Fig . 142

,w hich is draw n the a ctua l siz e o f

the m ould (Pla te When you have got them thus tofit

,an d cle anbd an d scraped them tho roughly in side an d

ou t,cover the beve l o f the e n ds o f the C

’

s w ith glue, slip

Som e m ak ers (Strad iva ri am on gst th em ) frequ en tly u sed sa l low w ood for

th e block s a n d l in ings, as be in g l ighter than d ea l . Th er e i s little , if a n y ,d iffer e n c e betw een them , and th e W

W I ? o f w o rk ing i s th e sam e . ( Vide p.

THE S I D ES, UR R I B S , BLO CKS AND S I D E- LININGS. 235

them in so tha t the glued e n ds fit aga in st the low e r boutsin the co rn e rs, a s at C in Fig. 142, an d cram p them in w ith thec ram ping- blo cks

,J a n d K (P la te Now take a fin e

slip o f w o od,an d dipping i t in to the glue , just ru n it in to

the co rn e rs so a s to com ple te th ejo in

,rem ove the supe rfluo us glue ,

a nd set the m ould to dry . Bea rin m ind throughout the ope ra tio n o f

se tting the side s a nd blo cks , tha tyo um ust le a v e a l ittle r im o f w ood abovea n d be low the surfa ce s o f the m o uld

,

to be shaved aw ay w hen leve llingthe side s to the diam e te r o f the

m ould,o the rw ise (if the side s do

n o t rea ch the surfa c e s o f the

m ould). they w il l be found to beto o sha llow w he n you com e to fixo n the back an d be lly. The

n ext ope ra tion i s the cutting a n d

fixing of the co rn e r blo cks . Taketw o squa re - sided pilla rs o f w o od F I G . 142.

— S ettin g of th e sid es , cor n er

2% in . lo ng, the on e fo r the lo w e r b lock s , a n d s i d e l in in gs in th e m ou ld .

co rn e rs having the en ds 1 in . by gin ,the o the r fo r the uppe r

co rn e rs having the e n ds gin . by g- in . This length is justdouble w ha t is required

,an d fo r this rea son

,tha t the co rn e rs

be ing a lm o st a lw ays in con tr a -fa csim i le, they m ay be cu t to

the right Shape throu ghout the ir length ,an d saw n in ha lf

,w hich w ill be a great

saving in po in t o f tim e a nd w o rk.

The blo cks m ust be shaped from the

square in the m a n n e r show n in Fig. 143,the do tted lin e s show ing the tw o side sbe fo re they a r e cu t aw a y w ith the gouge .

The gr ea te st ca re m ust be tak en to m akethem fit pe rfec tly throughout the ir he igh tto the side s, a s in Fig. 142, be fo re theya r e cu t in ha lf

,a n d fitted in to the ir re

spe ctive co rn e rs. The low e r co rn e r blo cks(C, C

'

,F ig. 143) w ill be cut from the first

M a r,an d the uppe r o n e s (D , D

’

,Fig. 143) from the se con d .

TVhen glued, they m ust be stron gly pre ssed in to the co rn e rs,bo th o utw a rds an d upw a rds, so a s to fix them c lo se ly bo thto the uppe r (o r low e r) bout an d to the ce n tre bout (o r C) .I t i s this ope ra tion w hich re n de rs it o f so m uch im po rtan cetha t the e n ds o f the bouts should fit clo se ly in to th e co rn e rs O f

F I G . 143 .—Meth od o f sh ap in g

th e Corn er B lo ck s .

236 VI OLIN-MAKING : As I T WAS AND I s.

the m ould a n d aga in st on e a n o the r, a s atFig. 142. I f they do n ot,this “pre ssing hom e

”of the co rn e r blo cks w ill fo rce them apart.

When this is do n e , a n d the blo cks a re firm ly cram ped in to the irpla ce s, the supe rfluous glue m ust be w a shed o ff w ith a brusha n d hot w a te r

,an d the w ho le m ould

,w ith the sides an d blo cks

thus fitted in to it, put aw ay to dry tho roughly. Whilst it isdrying, you m ay proceed to prepa re your side - lin ings the

pin e - w ood fo r the se should be cu t in to lo ng slips, —5in ch broada n d 3

3

% thick an d o f the se slips you w ill require for on e fiddlefour 9% in che s long (for the low e r bouts), four 5% in che s long(fo r the in n e r bouts), an d four 7% in che s lo ng (fo r the uppe rbouts). To gua rd aga in st a cc ide n ts, it is w e ll to ha ve thre e o r

four extra slips,to take the pla ce o f any tha t m ay sn ap in the

ben ding. Be fo re comm en c ing to bend them ,having cut them

roughly to the se len gths (w hich a re a ll in exce ss o f w ha t isrequired), le t them soak fo r at lea st a n hour in co ld w a te r.Now

,having hea ted your iron to a fierce hea t

,ben d them to the

shape s they a re required to take in the sam e m an n e r a s you

ben d your side s, n ot hurriedly, but quickly, a n d w ith de c isio n ,havin g previously w e ll fixed in your m in d the exac t be n d w hichis n ece ssa ry. The w et w o od m ust re st aga in st the flat side o f

the thick part o f the iron (A, Figs . 121 an d 122) long en oughto be w e ll hea ted through be fo re comm en cing to be nd

,but n ot

so as to sco rch it too m u ch (a little scorching w ill n ot m a tte rto the lin ings) .By this tim e

,the co rn e r blo cks be ing thoroughly firm

, you

can pro ce ed to ren de r the side s an d blo cks very n ea r ly leve l w iththe surfa ce s o f the m ould. Whe re there is but little o f the side sabove the surfa ce , it m ay be filed aw ay w ith the flat side of a

file but fo r the bl ocks,a n d w hen the re is a go od de a l o f the

sides to file aw ay, you m ust u se the to o thed plan e . Befo re

comm en c ing to plan e the blocks, the tops an d bo ttom s m ust beWe ll w e tted w ith w a rm w a te r, w hich w ill preven t the ir splittinga w ay, to furthe r guard aga in st w hich, the iron te e th o f the

plan e m ust o n ly proje c t to an infin ite sim a l degree . I f the re ism uch o f the blo ck to be cut aw ay, you m ay begin to rem ove itw ith a kn ife

,fin ishing up w ith the plan e . I f the ope ra tion o f

w e ttin g the tops of the blocks ha s lo o sen ed the glue by w hichthe side s a re fixed (w ith pape rs) to the m ould

, you m ust se curethe blo ck w ith a c ram p befo re reducing it.’ Throughout thisope ra tion you m ust n ot reduce e ithe r the side s o r the blocksqu ite to the leve l of the surfa ce of the m ould. This fin ishingtouch w ill n ot be put un til the side lin ings a re fixed, w hich youm ay n ow pro ceed to do , begin n ing w ith ,

the in n e r bouts in the

fo llowing m an n e r —First cut out the little slit,a s atG,Fig. 142

,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

23o VI OLIN-MAKING : As I T WAS AND I s .

supe rfluous glu e be ing w a shed aw a y at on ce an d the m ould setto dry . I f

,how eve r

, you distrust your cutting, yo u m ay c ram pyour lin ings to the side s in the sam e w ay a s y ou c ram ped theside s to the m o u ld

,in te rpo sing (as w ith the in n e r bouts) slips o f

pape r be tw e en the lin ings an d the c ram ping blo cks. Whenthe se a r e quite dry , pro ce ed to ren de r the edges of the side s

,

blocks,an d lin ings exac tly leve l w ith the surface s o f the m ould

by m ea n s o f the to o thed pla n e . Whe n this is don e,take a

sharp kn ife a nd cut the in n e r edge s o f the lin ings to a beve l,

beve lling O ff a little m o re than ha lf the depth o f the lin ings, a sat B

,Fig. 145 w hen this is don e

,fin ish them w ith a file

,r em o v

ing an y pape r, etc .,w hich m ay be sticking to the lin ings a n d

n o t rem o ved by the kn ife . Next shape the blo cks to bring thema s a t F

,Fig. 82. The co rn e r blo cks w ill be cu t w ith the gouge

till they take the shape in the figure (Fig. cutting a w ay a ll

outside the lin e H (Fig. The top a n d bo ttom blo cks m ustn ext be cu t to the siz e se t dow n at page 147 . Fig. 181, p . 290

,

repre sen ts the a c tua l siz e a n d shape o f the blo cks fo r the m ould(P la te I f the re is a ny diffe ren ce be tw e en the top a nd

bottom blo cks, the to p o n e w ill be just a shade sm a lle r tha n theo the r. The Gua rn e rius blo ck is m o re a segm en t of ac ircle (a s at Fig. but a s the m ould (P la te IV.)is o f the m ode l o f Stradiva rius

,I give a Stradiva r ian

A blo ck (Fig. 181,p . The grea te st ca re m ust be

taken in cutting bo th the co rn e r a n d e nd blo cksrm . 145 - F in a l qu ite pa ra lle l w ith the side s tha t the outlin e o f

$323822? the blo ck m ay be ide n tica l at bo th top an d bo ttom :

ti on ) . They m ust be fin ished O ff w ith the file,a fte r w hich

the w ho le o f the in side the side s,the lin ings, a n d the blo cks,

m u st be tho roughly san d- pape red a n d clea n ed,a fte r w hich the

in side o f the m ould w ill pre sen t the appea ra n ce o f Fig. 82,p. 148.

The n ext ope ra tion is tha t o f taking the n ow com ple ted side s(o r ribs) o f the fiddle out o f the m ould to c lean a n d fin ish theoute r surfa ce s. You w ill rem em be r tha t the ribs ar e fixed in tothe m ould w ith slips o f glued pape r (p . 233) the se m u st n owbe loo se n ed in the fo llow ing m an n e r. Take a n o rdin a ry sm a lltable - kn ife w ith a fa irly n a rrow blade

,a n d thrust it ca re fully

through be tw e e n the side s a nd the m ould c lo se to the po in tswhe re the pape r is fixed

,passing it a long w he reve r the pape r

exte n ds . This ope ra tio n w il l be a ccom pan ied by a se rie s of

the m o st om in ous c racking sounds, w hich a re , how eve r, m e re lyfa lse a la rm s, though yo u m ust ca re fully gu a rd aga in st shavingo r splittin g O ff little sn ips o f the side s a s y ou pa ss the kn ifea long. Having thus cut the fixings at a ll the po in ts w he re lu ed

pape r w a s put be tween the side s and the m ould, proceef veru

THE S I D ES, O R RIBS, BLO CKS AND S I D E- LININGS.

eare it an d gradua lly to poke the ribs through, and o ut of the

m ould,pre ssing o n a ll the blo c k s an d bouts ca re fully in su c

ce ssion,having first m a rked w hich is the top o f the blo cks

, to

se rve a s a guide, w hen y ou com e to fixing on the table s. Nowpro ceed to clean ing the outside s and gen e ra lly fin ishing up.

Begin by rem oving (by m ea n s o f hot w a te r and a bru sh) anyve stige s o f the pape rs w hich rem a in glued at the po in ts w he rethe ribs have been fixed in the m ould. D O n ot be too libe ra lw ith the w ate r, and dry the ribs imm edia te ly, o r they w illw a rp ho rribly (a s per Fig. I f any little sn ips o f the

curl have be en cut o ut in taking the ribs o ut of the m ould,

if po ssible the se ve ry sn ips, a nd if n ot,sim ila r chips

,m ust be

glued in aga in . I f the jo in t of the co rn e rs (a t C, Fig. 142) is n otclo se a n d tight, the in te rstice m ust be filled w ith glue m ixedw ith cha lk

,but it is to be hoped tha t this w ill n ot be required.

The en ds o f the co rn e rs m ust n ow be cu t flat a n d squa re to the

sides (as at C,Fig. 142) by m ean s of a kn ife an d flat file

,te sting

the w o rk w ith the sm a ll squa re , and, be ing ve ry ca reful n ot tochip off the edge s in cutting aw ay the pa rts tha t a re imm edia te lyadjacen t to the co rn e rs

,cut a lw ay s from the e nds to the cen tre ,

n ot from the cen tre to the e nds. The pa rts in side the C’s m ust

n ow be c lea red o f a ll tra ce s o f burn ing o r glue w ith a sm a llchise l a n d ro und file

,a ny ve stige s of glue a ll round the outside

o f the ribs be ing rem oved w ith a flat chise l,afte r w hich go

ca re fully and com ple te ly roun d the e n tire outside w ith a sha rpscrape r

,a nd fin e gla ss pape r, till they a re pe rfectly c lean a nd

sm oo th a s sa tin . The side s o r ribs o f your fiddle a re n ow

fin ished, an d you m ust put them aw ay in to the m o uld (in tow hich they w ill n ow slip quite ea sily), o ut o f ha rm 's w ay, tillyou a re ready fo r them . Fo r future purpo se s you m ust m a rkwhich is the top (o r be lly side) o f the ribs, a n d w hich is thebottom ; w rite the refo re , “ top

”o n the top o f the blocks

,so

tha t w hen you take them ou t of the m ould the re m ay be n o

con fusion on this po int.

I see Calliope speed her to the place , w here m y goddess shin cl ,An d a fter her the o the r Muses tra ce , w ith th e ir v io lin es.

”

(E. SPENSEB . The Sh epheaI d’

s Calenda r . April

CHAPTER XVI .

THE TABLES : BACK AND BELLY.

Join i ng the Tables— Plan ing th e Flat Su rfa ce— Ma rk in g the Ou tlin e— Cutting.

o u t— Fi r st Gouging— Corr ecti ng the O u tlin e— Secon d Gougi n g

— F i rst

Plan ing— The Sun k Edge— Secon d Pla n in g— Scraping— Mark in g the Plan e

Su rfaces fo r Gougin g ou t Ba ck an d ! Be l ly .

YO U m ay n ow'

pr o ceed to prepare the w ood fo r the ba ck and

be lly in the m an n e r set fo rth in page 133. You w ill find them aple in te n se ly difficult to jo in prope rly

,fo r w hen squa red an d

the tw o ha lve s placed toge the r a t the thick side s a re he ldup to the light, n o cra ck sho w ing the light m ust appe a rat the jo in ,

n o r m ust a fin e lin e o f glue appea r w hen the j o in isfin ally plan ed ove r ; an d to produce this pe rfe ct fit in curlyw o od like m aple is a ve ry d ifficult m a tte r to an un pra ctisedhan d

,a n d m ay the refo re be re lega ted to the pro fe ssio n a l jo in er

fo r it m ust be n o ticed tha t the re is on ly a ve ry sm a ll m a rgin toplan e aw ay in tw o ha lve s

,e a ch o n ly five in che s broad . The

be lly o f soft pin e w ill be foun d to be ea sier to jo in . Whe njo in ed (a s a t C, Fig. the un de r o r flat side of the slabsm ust be so pe rfe ctly truly plan ed tha t a stra ight - edge la id

A a cro ss them in a ny dire c tion w ill n otH Show a n y ho llow s o r in equa litie s o n

Bthe ir surfa ce . Fo r the purpo se o f

F I G. 146.—Wood for tab les jo in ed ,

pr oducmg thl S re sul.t’ glue on to the

a n d.

w ith stead y mg w ed ges for slopi ng S lde s tw o stri ps o f w o od a s atplm g fla t su rmce '

A,Fig. 146

,a nd plan e the ir surfa ce s

(A, A) even ,so tha t the slab m ay Stand on its po in ted surfa ce (so

to speak), w ithout w obbling ; w hen bo th surface s ar e plan ed takeyour thin pla n k outlin e (C, C, C) w ith the lin e (A, B) dow n the

cen tre (P la te and ho ld it firm ly on the plan e side o f the slabw ith the lin e (A, B) co in c iding w ith the jo in (B, Fig. whichrun s dow n the ce n tre o f the slab . The n w ith a sha rp pen cil o rpoin t m a rk the outlin e exactly on the slab w hen this is do n e on

bo th dea l and m aple,cu t aw ay a ll the exte rn a l w o od w ith the

bow saw,leaving an edge a little beyond the m arked outlin e to

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

242 VI OLIN-MAK ING : a s 5: «H i s AND 13.

in a w ho le outlin e taken from a Stradiva rius, the WW ha lvesw ill n ot be foun d to be in con tr a fa c- sim i le to on e a n o the r ;the diffe ren ce m ay be in fin ite sim a l

,but n on e the le ss appre ciable

in so fin e a w o rk a s a fiddle .

I t is on e o f the first w o rrie s o f the begin n e r tha t he splits offpiece s o f the curve s o f the bouts whilst do ing this cutting, ow ingto the brittle curls o f the w o od . When this happen s th e pie cem ust a t on ce be glued on aga in (an d if n ea tly do n e

,w ill n ot

show w hen the w ork is fin ished) in the m an n e r la id dow n inChapte r XXI I I . (Repa irs : page When this is fin ishedthe edge s m ust aga in be gauged, this tim e in ch from the pla n eside of the slab

,a nd then w ith a kn ife cu t a 3

1 in ch beve l fromthis lin e to the roughly a rched side

,leaving the co rn e rs and

button thick . Whe n this ha s been don e , a nd the edge s a ll roundbo th back an d bel ly pre sen t a un ifo rm thickn e ss o f ,

1

, in ch(except the co rn e rs a n d button ), take a bro ad flat gouge a nd

slope the rough a rching to the gauge lin e,exten ding your slopeabout an in ch from the edge a ll round, a cco rding to the

in ten ded m ode l o f your fiddle . D o this ca re fully round ba ckand be lly

,a lw ays leaving the co rn e rs a n d button thick e st.

For this purpo se the ba ck o r be lly m ust be cram ped on to

the edge o f the ben ch,so tha t ha lf o f it ove rhangs the

edge . When you have gouged roun d on e ha lf,turn it round

a n d gouge rou n d the o the r,be ing ca re ful to have your gouges

ve ry sha rp,so a s n o t to have to lean heavily on the w o rk, for

fea r of sepa ra ting the cen tre jo in,o r o the r ca lam ity. This do n e

,

go a ll ove r the ba ck a n d be lly w ith the bro ad gouge , guidingyour w o rk a s c lo se ly as po ssible w ith the a rching guide s, butn ot go ing to o fa r tow a rds sm oo thing the surfa ce ; a ll gougem a rks m ay be le ft to the pla n e to e radica te w hen the m ode l o ra rching ha s been roughly gouged ou t.

Yo u have n ow fin ished w ith the gouge , an d m ay turn youra tten tion to the first pla n ing . This is don e w ith the to o thedova l pla n e s (Figs. 124 a nd ho lding the slab w ith the ha ndaga in st your body o r the ben ch

, go ing ove r the go uge m a rks.

ve ry ca re fully,ho lding the plan e so tha t it cuts in a slan ting

dire ction o n a ccoun t of the extrem e ly ten de r n a ture o f the

w ood,e spe c ia lly so if it is o f a ha n dsom e gra in o r curl. Go on

thus till the a rchin g guide s (Pla te IV.) exa ctly fit the pla ce son the back an d be lly indica ted on the pla te

,a n d the w o od is

roughly leve lled ove r. B e e spe cia lly care ful in pla n ing to fitthe a rching guide s No s. 7 a n d 8 (the e n tire a rching a cro ss thecen tre o f the ba ck a n d be lly) to le ave plen ty o f w o od

,fo r a

bo ld brea st” is a grea t beauty in a fiddle .

Thr oughout the ope ra tio n s o f gouging the a rching o f the

THE TABLES : BACK AND BELLY. 243

ba ck a nd be lly, you w ill find it a gre a t adva n tage if you can

com pa re your w o rk w ith a true spec im e n o f the grea t m a ste r’sw ork

,for the n yo u can che ck the a ccura cy o f your guide slips,

a nd co rre c t any e rrors w hich m ay c reep in in tra c ing them fromthe pla te . When you have roughly plan ed the back an d be llya ll over take a sm a lle r plan e an d pla n e them pre tty sm oo th (bu tw ithout a lte ring the shape) fo r the distan ce o f a n in ch from the

edge . Then take the spring com pa sse s (A, Fig . having on e

leg just longe r than the o the r, a nd open ing them to in ch,set

the longe r leg aga in st the edge, so tha t the shorte r on e justtouche s the surfa ce of the back o r be lly g in ch from the edge

like a gauge . D raw in this m an n e r a lin e a ll roun d back an d

be lly o f an in ch from the edge , be ing ca re ful to m ak e itste ady a n d eve n . Now open the com pa sse s to 5 o f an in ch

,and

draw a se con d lin e in side the first,in a sim ila r m an n e r

,from

the edge . Now take an o rdin a ry cutting gouge, having a

curve repre sen ted by Fig. 147,an d ve ry ca re fully cut a little

trough o r groove right roun d the ba ck a n d be lly be tw ee n the setw o lin e s

,n ot m o re than 7

1

0 in ch o r so de ep, an d be ing m ost

ca utiou s n ot to cut beyon d the ou ter on e,w hich m ust be le ft

c lea n a n d cle a r. I f h a n m ischa n ce o n cu t

through it, an d the {hicghe ss o f yo u); edge

Va llow s it

,r e - m a rk the 3} lin e a n d g g o a little l

gggfigg-

gfig gog‘

de epe r to save it. Whe n this is do n e,take a S i n k in g th e e dges

fla tte r gouge an d ca re fully m e lt the ridge fo rm ed by the

in n er lin e in to the a rching o f the back or be lly. Fig. 148 show s

the tw o stage s o f this gro oving, w hich is m ean t to begin the

grac e ful ra ised edge s w hich cha racte riz e a w e ll-m ade fiddle,A

repre sen ting the gro ove cut,and B the gro ove “

m e lted in tothe rise o f the be lly o r ba ck. Now go ca re fully roun d the sen ew gouge m a rks w ith the sm a ll ova l pla n e

,a n d bring the en tire

surfa ce a s sm o o th a s you c on ve n ie n tly ca n w ith the too thed edge .

You m ust take ca re in the se gouging an d pla n in g ope ra tion sn o t to a lte r the rise or a rching o f your table s a s de te rm in ed bythe a rching guide s to a ny se rious exte n t. To a ce rta in exte n t itis o f course im po ssible to avo id a lte ring them ,

so yo u m ust n owgo a ll o ve r them aga in w ith the guide s, ge tting them a s sm o o tha nd true a s you ca n w ith the fin est- to o thed ova l plan e . Yo u w illm o st probably fin d it la id dow n in any w o rks w hich go in to thesubject

,tha t n o w is the tim e to pa rfle the in strum en t

,an d w ithout

doubt this is freque n tly don e at this stage but w e sha ll n otpa rfie till the ba ck a n d be lly a re glued to the side s fo r thoughit is ea sier to do it n ow

,by do ing it late r on w e ca n m ake it

co in c ide w ith the side s, and co rrect any little irregula ritie s o f outlin e . w hich w e co uld n otdo afte r the pu rfling is don e (vid e p.

244 VI OLIN- MAK ING : AS 1T WAS AND I S.

When the la st o f your pla n ing is do n e you w ill be ready toscrape . This is the m o st difficult a n d im po rta n t o f the ope ratio n s n e ce ssa ry to be gon e through, for on it depe nds the e n tirecha ra cte r an d beauty o f your in strum en t 3 if it is don e ca re le sslyo r la z ily the m a rks o f the pla n e s a n d scrape r w ill be le ft" on thetable s

,visible be n ea th the va rn ish 3 the rising edge , which youhave cultiva ted so ca re fully (a s in Fig. w ill be sc raped

a w ay and de stroyed, a n d in fa ct,your fiddle w ill hav e the

appe a ra n ce o f a rough Guarn e rius in strum en t, in stead o f the

w o rk be ing in ke eping w ith the beautiful Stradiva rius pa tte rn sw e have be en w o rking on up to n ow . How eve r

,rem em be r

Labor ip se vo lupta s om n ia vin cit. Let all your scrape rs he ve ryke e n a ll roun d the edge s, an d w o rking bo ldly an d strongly, an dve ry ca re fully, scrape the who le ba ck an d be lly a ll ove r

,u sing

the roun d side a n d co rn e rs of the , scrape rs a ll rou n d the o utlin ea n d w he reve r n e ce ssa ry

, so tha t the re a re n o pla n e m a rk s,

gouge m arks, bum ps, o r scratche s anyw he re v isible o n ho ldingthe slab S ldew ays to the light. Ma rk : tha t it i s im po rta n t to

sit in a go od light during this ope ration w he re the light strikingthe edge o f the back a n d be lly w illca st a shadow

,an d “ throw up any

bum ps,ho llow s

,o r pla n e -m ark s.

I n this ope ration yo u w ill fin a lly. as.

—.

S tage s o f th e cu ttin g in adjust a ll the curv e s o f the table s,so

S i n k i n g th e edges“

tha t the ho llow s m e lt in to the bum ps o fthe m ode l

,an d a sm o o th ha rm o n iou s w ho le is the re sult. The gre at

da nge r o f this pro ce ss i s tha t a ( a re le ss o r u n n o ticed svxcep o f

the scraper w ill scrape dow n a pie ce o f your ca refully- le ft edge sa n d co rn e rs. Whe n by a ccide n t you do this

, you m u st r e - m arkthe fi- in ch gauge lin e a s set fo rth above

,a n d try to rec la im

your e rro r but this m ust n ot be do n e u n less y ou have su ffic ien tthickn ess le ft roun d the edge s by the first a n d se con d gougings .

Whe n this ope ra tion is comple ted to your o w n en tire satisfa c~

tion (o r , be tte r still, to the e n tire sa tisfa ction o f som e disin

te r e sted party) , take a w e t spo nge o r brush,an d w et the table s

a ll ove r,ha ck a nd fron t

,a n d dry them aga in at on ce w ith a

c lo th . Yo u w ill n ow se e fo r the first tim e the true m agn ificen ce(if it exist) o f your w o od . The obje c t o f this pro ce eding is toshow up a ny slight de fe ct in your w o rk

,w hich m ust then be

co rre cted aga in w ith the sc rape r an d the pro ce ss m u st berepe ated till the w e tting n o lo n ge r show s a ny de fe cts on the

surfa ce s o f the table . This take s ve ry little tim e to say , w rite ,an ] re ad

,but you w ill find it is the m o st difficult and impo rtan t

D a rt o f your w ho le w o rk.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

246 VI OLIN-MAK ING : AS IT WAs AND I S .

an d be lly. For this purpo se yo u m ust sc rew 3 long squa redbeam of w o od on to the ben ch, about ten in che s from its edge,an d in fron t o f it spread a fo lded c lo th . The la tte r is to placethe a rched surface s o f the table s upon

,se tting them aga in st

the be am ,so a s to affo rd re sista n ce to your gouge . Your

w ork n ow divide s itse lf in to tw o section s,the sco oping of the

back and the be lly - begin n ing w ith

“Magn an im as Mu lcetModulando Mu sica Men tes.

Virgini bu s Vin clum ,Vitae Ven eran da V

'

o lupta s,

Solam en Sen i i , Servatrix Sacra Str iden tum ,

In citat I psa I uven tutem ,I uvat I psa I ocosum ,

Carm in e Con ci liat Coele stia Ca str a Co len tem ,

Autorem Auto r Am ans Al it (swag) Artie Aman in i

CHAPTER XVI I .

THE BACK.

Go uging-out— P]an ing— Scraping— Beve l l ing the Edge— Fittin g on th e Ri bs

— Si z ing th e B lock s— Peg-h o le s— F ixin g th e Ribs

— Fin ish ing— The Labe l

Co rre c tin g the Bo ttom J o in— Th e Ta i l -pin Ho le .

BEGIN by cutting gouge m a rks roughly right a cro ss the in sideo f the ba ck, about in ch de ep at the c en tre lin e . When thisis don e

,find by m ea n s o f the com pa sse s the exa ct cen tre po in t

be tw e e n the four co rn e rs A, A, A,A,in Fig. 149, w hich w ill be

foun d to be A'.I At A'

,the re fo re

,d ig in the po in t o f the com

pa sse s de ep e n ough to pre se rve the pun cture w hen yo u gougeove r it (but n ot de ep e n ough to m a rk upon the fin a l thickn e ss),a n d open ing the com pa sse s 2% in che s

,draw the c irc le 0 C

,a n d.

then reduc ing them to l n in che s,draw the m n e r c irc le B B . The

first rough thickn e sse s w ill be at A' —

g in ch, an d at D D 7 2: in ch.

The se m ust be gouged ca re fully,co n stan tly con sulting the

gauging ca llipe rs (Fig . till this gradua tion 18 registe red tythe sca le D (Fig. 128) a s the ca ll ipe 1s trave l a c ro ss from D to D

(Fig. Yo u had be tte r gouge a single sco op right a c rc sstill the se thickn e sse s a re obta in ed

,a n d this gouged lin e w i ll

se rve a s a guide . The thickn e ss at pre sen t at D D w ill be,in

fa ct,the thickn e ss o f the gauged lin e w hich

,n e ithe r n ow n o r in

the e n suing pro ce sse s, m ust be tre spa ssed upon in the slighte stdegre e . Sim ila r guide lin e s m ust n ow be gouged a cro ss the

e

uppe ran d low e r bo uts

,acro ss E E

,de epen ing gradua l ly from the gauge

l in e till the thickn e ss o f the table at the cen tre i3 81L in ch. You

n ow have th ree ban ds (o r guide lin e s) of the (fo r8

the prese n t)prope r thic kn e sse s a cro ss the fiddle n ow usin g your eye a n d

han d toge the r, gouge aw ay be tw e en the guide lin e s till theyon ly fo rm pa rt o f the en tire ho llow ing ou t. B e ca re ful n ot toget deep er tha n them anyw he re in the ir vicin ity

,a n d n ot to cu t

in to the edge outside the gauge lin e), o r in to the parts yo uTh e o ute r c i1e le c o n n e cting th e fo u r co rn e rs in th e figu re is m ere ly draw n

topro ve to th e read e r tha t the po in ts A are rea lly equ id istan t from A'

; w ith .

ou t it, by a n O ptica l d e lu sio n , the tw o low er co rn e rs seem furthe r from A’tha n

the tw o uppe r .

248 VI O LIN-MAK ING : AS I T WAs AND I S.

have m arked fo r the blo cks . All the w o od in side the c ircle B Bm ust be T

3

, in ch thick 3 a ll w ithin the c irc le 0 C {1 , a nd a ll e lsew he re the thicke st pa rt be ing in the c e n tre 3 the edge s w illn a tura lly get cu t a sha de thin n e r

,ow ing to the le sse r qua n tity o f

w o od ; but to preve n t the ir ge ttin g to o thin , le t the slope fromthe gauge lin e to the ce n tre be quite ge n tle , n o t a n a brupt

,do w n

w a rd curve . When this is do n e fa irly sm oo thly,cut dow n

the ridge s le ftby the de ep go uge m a rks,

a s fa r a s it is safe to do so . B u t do n ot

go to o fa r w ith the go uge , it is a bo ldw eapo n 3 the plan e is n o t so rapid, butm uch sa fe r. Take a fa irly co arseto o thed plan e w ith a co n vex pla te(Fig. a n d go ove r the en tire ihside o f the back, sm oo thing do w n the

ridge s le ft by the go uge , till ho ldingthe pla te sidew ays to the light, the

o n ly gro ove s a n d ridge s visible a re the

l ittle o n e s le ft by the pla n e,a n d the

thickn e sse s, in this the ir first stage , a r epre tty w e l l adjusted. Now take a ve rysha rp roun d- edged scrape r, an d proce edstro ngly to scrape the in side o f the

back a ll ove r,ke eping in side the lin e

you gauged roun d i t a n d the place s0‘

yo u m arked fo r the blo cks,un til the

m a rks o f the plan e a r e n o lo nge rvisible a nyw he re

,and the in side o f the ba ck n ea rly appro ache s

the sm o o thn e ss o f the outside . I n this ope ra tio n yo u w illcon sult the ca llipe rs eve ry m om e n t

,fin a lly adjusting the

thickn esse s till they a re a s fo llow s : a cco rding to Fig. 150, a t

the po in t A'

, I7

6 in ch just ove r 3 at the po in t B, % 3 a t

the po in t 0,just a sha de thin n e r than a t A 3 at the po in ts

D,D, 3

9

1 just ove r The thickn e sse s m ust m e rge in to on e a n o the r w itho u t any bum ps, the w o od be ing a shade A

stro nge r in the uppe r than in the low e r — I nn er ed e s o f the

bouts, a nd Sim ila rly a shade stro nge ra e s (secti o n ) D i sh ed .

just w he re the soun d- po st w ill be set ; the edge s a n d pa rtstouching the blo cks m ust be le ft quite flat (in fa ct

,n o t touched

sm ce the exte rio r arching w a s m ode lle d). The se , the n , a r e

e xactly the co rre ct thickn e sse s fo r a n ew fiddle - ba ck . Whe nthey a r e prope rly adjusted

,take a go od fin e biting file , a n d beve l

ve ry shghtly round the w ho le in side o f the edge , using a roundfile w he re the sho rt curve s ren de r it n e ce ssa ry , an d a flat on e

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

250 VI OLIN- MAK ING ; AS IT WAS AND I S.

an d fit an d fix the oppo site co rn e r in the sam e m an n e r. Get

the four co rn e rs o f the ribs thus fitted o n to the ba ck by placingtw o screw s at e a ch co rn e r

,o n e on e a ch side o f the cor n e r.

N.B . Neve r fix a screw on to the corn er itse lf,fo r it w ill in fa lli

bly sn ap it off. Now fix the top an d bo ttom o f the ribs,so a s

to have a m a rgin equa l w ith tha t a t the co rn e rs,by m ean s o f

iron c ram ps fixed to the blo cks 3 the surfa ce o f the ba ck a n d thebe lly- e n d o f the blo ck m ust be p1ote cted in the o rdin ary m an n e r

,

by m ean s o f little pie ce s o f w o od,from the ha rd pre ssure o f the

i ro n .

Many,inde ed m o st

,o f th e o ld m ake rs w e re in the habit of

securing the table to begin w ith,at top a n d bo ttom

,by thrusting

a bradaw l right through the w o od o f the ba ck in to the blo ck,

the ho le m ade by w hich had subsequen tly to be filled w ith a

peg. Som e m ode rn m ake rs a lso pu rsue this pra ctice,but it is

u n doubtedly be tte r to se cure it at the se po in ts w ith a c ram p,a s

above de sc ribed,a n d then

,a s to putting in pegs , it m ay be

do n e (a s w ill be de scribed furthe r o n ), o r n ot,a s the fa n cy take s

you . The n pro ce ed to fix the ribssim ila rly a ll roun d by m ean s o f a s

m a ny screw s a s can be set roun dthem , a s in Fig . 152. Yo u w ill findtw e n ty- six a re required

,fo ur fo r ea ch

u ppe r bout,thre e fo r each in n e r

be n t,an d six fo r ea ch low e r bout

Exe . 152.— Tab1e fitted on to R ib s an d

but the se n um be rs m ay vary Withfixed w ith scr ew s . the s1z e o f the screw s . I n the

figure , fo r the sake o f clea rn e ss, the screw s a re repre se n ted to ofe w an d to o fa r a p a rt. The obje ct to be a tta in ed is the ke epingo f a n ove rla pping edge o f even w idth a ll the w ay rou n d, a ndyou m ust scre w a n d un scre w ,

fit an d refit,till this is a tta in ed.

The ribs be ing thus fitted to the ba ck w ithout glue , the n extthing is to glue a n d fa ste n them . Fo r this purpo se it w ill n otben e ce ssa ry to e n tire ly unfix them

,but tw o o r thre e screw s m ay

be taken off a t a tim e,a n d tha t bit glued an d r e - fa sten ed be fo re

go ing o n . Begin by taking o ff the t0p cram p a n d thre e screw so n e ach side 3 take a n o ld table kn ife

,a nd dipping it quickly in

the glue, in se rt it be tw e e n the back a n d ribs, a n d r u n it rou nd a s

fa r a s it w ill go , repe a ting the ope ra tio n till a ll y o u can get a t istho roughly glued 3 the n , se e ing tha t the ribs a re rightly se t 011

the edge , cram p a n d screw them u p aga in tight. Take o ff threeo r four adjacen t screw s

, glue tha t bit a n d r efix it,an d so o n 3go

a ll round the fiddle a“ bout ”

a t a tim e,taking ca re to re se t the

ribs,so a s to leave a n even edge . The n take a brush

,an d w ith

hot w a te r (ou t of the glue po t) tho roughly w a sh aw a v a ll trace s

‘I B E B ACK . 251

of lu e clinging outside , in side , o r on the edge s O f the r ibs or

bac Set the w ho le a rra ngem en t to dry fo r a day Yo urprin cipa l difficulty w ill be tha t the ho ld taken by the screw sbe ing ra the r pre ca rious, w hilst yo u fix on e

,a n o the r w ill drop O ff

,

an d so on,an d this is dam aging bo th to the tem pe r a n d the succe ss

o f the O pe ra tion . The re fo re fix your glued ribs quickly, bu tca refully and sure ly. Whe n sufficie n t tim e ha s e lapsed fo r theglue to have dried tho roughly, rem ove the screw s, take threequal itie s O f sand- pape r (the la st be ing ve ry fin e in deed) a n d

tho roughly san d- pape r an d sm o o th the en tire in side o f the

ribs a n d ba ck : r em em be r it w ill n ot be ple a san t to thin k tha tin som e ce n turie s to com e the repa i re r w ill find tha t the w o rkyou have be e n so care ful ove r outside is slo ve n ly in side . Yo u

ca n n ow put in your ticke t o r labe l . Eve ry vio lin m ade ought,to my m ind, to be ticke ted w ith the n am e o f its right m ake r 3fo r prefe ren ce in Latin

,but O f course this is Option a l . The

pla ce fo r the labe l is discove red by te m pora rily putting a

be l ly o n,a n d looking through the le ft- han d f ho le 3 in this w ay

the m o st visible pla ce fo r the labe l is a sce rta in ed,a n d o n this

spo t it m ay be glued firm ly at o n ce .

Whilst con side ring the con struc tion O f the ribs O f the fiddle ,I po in ted ou t tha t if the jo in at the bo ttom is n ot a ll tha t m ightbe de sired, any deficien cy m ay be hidde n by m ea n s o f a ro w (o rm o re ) o f pu rfiing. I f the jo in is perfect clo se

,stra ight,

an d co in ciding w ith the jo in dow n the ba ck,so m uch the be tte r ;

but if a lin e O f glue m a rks it,o r if it is cro oked

,or if it is

o n on e side o f the jo in of the ba ck,the se faults m ay be r e c

tified (w ithout be ing a sham ed o f the expedien t) in th e fo llow ingm an n e r : Take a few in che s O f re ady-m ade purflin g (such a s

ca n be bought at a pen ny a fo o t at any fiddle - m ake r’s) an d cu t,w ith a sha rp kn ife a n d the lin ing chise l

,a squa re cu t gro ove , at

e xa ctly right an gle s w ith the ba ck, on the site o f,a n d broad

en ough to cove r, a ny fault tha t m ay the re be foun d. Cut it alittle sha llow e r than the depth of you r ready-m ade purfling, a n da cco rding to the d iam e te r o f the la tte r

,a n d glue in to this gro ove ,

on e,tw o

,o r thre e strips O f purfling, a cco rding a s the fault you

w ish to hide m ay require . The se ready-m ade strips m ay a lw ays,

if n ece ssa ry,be thin n ed by ham m e r ing the side s lightly, o r

bro ade n ed by hamm e ring the top.

This o rn am en ta tion , w ithout im pa i ring the fiddle : w ill effectua lly hide a ny fault w hich is apt to be found at this po in t. Cuto ff the en ds flush w ith the be lly side O f the ribs

,w a sh off a ll

supe rfluous glue , an d w hen this in laying is dry, leve l it dow nflush w ith the ribs w ith a kn ife 01 scrape r . Now

,a shade be low

the exa ct cen tre o f this lin e bo re a sm a l l ho le (,1r in ch in d iam e te r)

252 VI O LIN-MAK ING : AS IT WAs AND 18.

which w ill se rve as the comm en cem en t o f the ho le fo r the ta ilpin . This is n otfin a lly ou t till the va rn ishing is fin ished, but it isbe st to begin it n ow ,

a s the be lly be ing o ff yo u can gua rd aga in stthe drill Splitting aw ay bits O f the low e r blo ck

,w hich ca n n o t be

obvia ted o r co rre cted w hen the be lly is on . I t m ust n ot befin ished n ow

,or the va rn ish run n ing in to it w ill m ake it m e ss

and in con ve n ien t to w o rk w ith . This ho le m ay be m ade w itthe peg

- ho le cutte r,Fig. 184 , de scribed on page 300. Your

ba ck an d side s a re n ow fin ished, a nd it rem a in s,the re fo re

,o n ly

to glue on the be lly,fo r the bo O f your vio lin to be fin ished

in the w hite.

“Arte m ater na rapid o s m o ra n tem

Flum in um lapsus, ce leresqu e ven tos,

B landum et auritas , fid ibus can or is

D ucere quercus.

”

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

254 VI O LIN- MAKING : AS IT WAS AND I S .

A B,draw n on the a rching of the be lly. The m ode l 18 on such

thiri w o od, tha t on pre ssing it, it w ill bend an d lie c lo se on the

archin g o f the table . Take a very fin e p oin ted pen c il , and ho l

d

ing the m ode l firm ly on the be l ly w ith on e hand, trace the in side

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

256 VI O LIN-MAK ING : AS IT WAS AND I S .

an d then re - m a rk your f f ho les, w hich w ill have got pa rtia lloblite ra ted by the ha ndling o f the be lly sin ce they w e re tra ced.Whe n th ey a re r e - m a rked

,pun ch o ut the ir roun d ho le s in the

fo llo w ing m a n n e rTake the tw o pie rce rs (o rfho le pun che s, Fig. a n d se tting

the bigge r O f the tw o exactly in the cen tre O f the lower c ircle o f

the f ho le (w hich it w il l n otquite fill), an d ho lding exa c tly unde rD eath it a sm a ll blo ck o f w o od to pre ss aga in st, pre ss the pun chfirm ly in to the w ood, tw istin g it at the sam e tim e

,so a s to cut

ou t a little disc O f w ood. You n eed n o t pun ch right th rough,but n o ha rm is do n e if ye u do in de ed

,the ho le go in g through

to the flat side se rve s a s a guide w hen you begin to scoop o ut

the be lly . Repea t the pro ce ss w ith the sm a lle r pun ch fo r theuppe r circle o f the f, a n d a s w ith the la rge r pie rce r pun ch o u t

the uppe r ho le s in the sam e m an n e r w ith the sm a lle r. Yo u

m ust be ve ry ca reful to pla ce it exa ctly be fo re begin n ing to cut,

fo r you w il l find tha t the sm a lle r pun ch (C, Fig. 127) ha s e xac tlythe diam e te r o f the uppe r circle s o f the f ho le , Fig. 153. (Thebig pun ch is ju st sm a l .e r than the low e r c irc le s .) Afte r (a n dpo ssibly during) this ope ra tion you m ust pick the pie ce s o r discso f w o od c u t o f the bo re o f the pun che s by m ea n s o f a sharppo in t (such a s the m arking po in t), be ing ve ry ca re ful in so

do ing n o t to in jure the cutting edge O f the pie rce r o r pun ch.

(Vide pageNow com m en ce to scoop o ut the be lly

,w hich is begun in the

sam e w ay a s the ba ck,pla cing the a rched side dow n w a rds o n the

c lo th, a n d the edge aga in st the be am ; an d y o u w ill gouge i t in a

m a n n e r sim ila r to the back , SO a s to have it% in ch thick a ll over .

B e ve ry careful how you cu t, fo r this be lly pin e is a s ten de r a s

chee se unde r the chise l,a n d be fo re y ou kn ow w he re yo u a re

,

yo u w ill find yourse lf through the pla te a n d a n irrem ediableinjury don e . I f in a n ungua rded o r abse n t m om e n t you cut it

to o thin , you m ust take on e o f the thick shavings w hich fits thegouge m a rk w hich ha s gon e to o de ep, glue it in n e a tly

,clo se ly.

an d firm ly,by m ea n s of the appa ra tus figured on p. 310

(Fig. an d in the m an n er the re de scribed, an d w hen it isdry go o n w ith the ope ra tion . Whe n this ha s go n e a s fa r a s itis sa fe to go w ith the gouge , take the sharpe st a n d fin e st curvedova l plan e , a n d plan e ove r the en tire in side o f the be lly m o stcare fully , til l all the gouge m a rks have faded in to the plan efurro w s. You m ay then cu t yo u r f f ho les, w hich at pre sen ta re on ly pun ched o u t a s above de sc ribed. They a re cut out

w ith a ve ry fin e - O laded k n ife,w hich is in troduced from unde r

n eath, ho lding the be lly w ith your hand aga in st your body fo rthe purpo se . Begin by cutting roun d the low e r c ircle

,so a n

THE BELLY. 237

exa ctly to con fo rm to the pe n c il m arking w hich w ill be j ustcu t aw ay : the n cu t the low er curve o f the f , a lwags cuttingaga in st the gr a in a n d inwa rds towa rds

.

the cen tr e jam

0 the p la te ; o the rw ise , you w ill infa llibly spll t O ff the co rn e ro f the

“w ing (H in Fig. a n d such a m isha p is

a lm o st irrem ediable . I f yo u do have a n a cc iden t, an d can

pre serve the tiny bit chipped O ff, glue it o n a t on ce,

O

Wedging itin its pla ce by m e a n s O f shavings se t in the low e r Ci rc le o f the

f. When yo u get to the low e r po in t(I , F1g. pre ss the k m festro ngly, a nd w o rk it through the n a rrow chan n e l In to the lo ngpa rt o f the f, a n d pro ce ed a s fo llow s -Cut a gro ove right dow nthe cen tre o f the j w ith tw o ca refu lly gu ided bu t stro ng c u tso f the kn ife , an d pick o u t the splin te r thus loo se n ed. Con tln ue

this gro ove till yo u go through to theo the r side , a n d the n , w o rking ca re fullyfrom unde rn ea th a s be fo re

,cut o u t a ll

the w ood in the long pa rt o f the fke eping m o st ca re fully to the pe n c i llin e s

,a n d be ing e spe c ia lly cautious w he n

you a re cutting in the chan n e l I . The

top curve an d c irc le a re cut ou t, the

sam e a s the low e r o n e,the cra n n ie s G

a re n e a tly cut o u t,a n d the oppo site f

ho le is c ut ou t in the sa e m an n e r.I f you chip o ff a co rn e r (H) beyo n dhope o f repa i r

,o r lo se the pie ce v o u

m ust rem edy it by cutting the angle a t

I sha rpe r a n d tha t at H m o re obtuse,

a n d m aking the oppo site f Sim ila r.B u t it w ill be a thousa n d pitie s if yo u F re . 154«.— D iagram em a im g th e

m a r the sym m e try o f y our be lly by thi ck n e sse s o r m e be l ly a n d

such a m ishap, so gua rd aga in st it byth e settm g “ th e b a r ‘

a lw ays cu tting aga in st the gr a in in the d ir ection H to I,a nd n ever

I to H . (FigThe f f ho le s be ing cu t ou t

,they w ill se rve a s a furthe r guide in

de te rm in ing the thickn e sse s ; so w ith the fin e st plan e a nd the

scrape r pro ce ed fin a lly to adjust them in side the gauged bo rde r«lin e a n d blo ck- bounda rie s

,till they a re le ft a s fo llow s

,a cco rding to

Fig . 154,which repre se n ts the in side view o f the be lly — At the

c e n tre,A A

,it m ust have a substan ce O f

39

: (just o ve r in ch) 3it m ust o n ly just thin O ff (say 17

1

5 le ss) a t the edge s m a rked0,C,C, C, an d m ust be a Shade thicke r j u st ove r the sound- po st

B,w hich

,it w ill be n o ticed

,is pla ced o n the left in the figure

w hich re pre sen ts the u nder n ea th surfa ce O f the be lly . F in a lly,adiust the se thickne sse s by m e a n s O f san d- pape r

,an d then17

258 Vi oLIN-MAK ING : AS IT WAS AND I S .

co rre c t any little faults o r roughn e sse s w hich m ay be foundround the ff ho le s, be ing, O f course , cautious n o t to a lte r the irshape in a n y w ay .

Yo u ca n n ow shape your ba r,and affix it to the be lly

,first O f

a ll m a rking the pla ce w he re it is to go , as fo llow s — I t w ill beplaced o n the right- han d side o f the be lly (a s you w ork at the

in side) . Make three sm a ll m arks a t the exa ct ce n tre o f the be lly.

1,at the broade st pa rt o f the uppe r bouts

,D 3 2, exac tly m idw ay

be tw e en the cran n ie s o f the tw o f f ho le s, E ; an d, 3, at the

bro ade st pa rts of the low e r bouts, F . I f your jo in is exa ctly inthe ce n tre

,the se m a rks w il l be on the jo in ; but it som e tim e s

happen s tha t it is n ot qu ite so,in w hich ca se the true ce n tre s

m ust be m a rk ed be tw e e n the outside edge s w ith compa sse s, a nd

a lin e draw n to con n ect the thre e m a rks. NOW on the right o fthe se thre e m a rk s

,m ake three o the r m a rks

,G,H,I ; the top

m a rk G be ing in ch from the exac t ce n tre,D ; the m iddle on e

,

H,be ing in ch from the ce n tre m a rk E 3 a n d the lo w e r on e

,I,

be ing 5. in ch from the ce n tre m a rk F,a n d

co n n e c t them w ith a pe n c il lin e . Now fromtw o po in ts ra the r to the right o f the top and

bo ttom blo cks draw the tw o sho rt lin e s J,K,

I O f an in ch from the uppe r a nd lo w e redge s, an d lengthen the lin e G H I till it touche sthem . This lin e

,the re fo re

,m arks the exa ct

loca le O f the ba r w hich w ill be glued, w ith itsoute r edge just touching it. Take a strip of

fin e eve n -

gra in ed pin e , about 11 in che s lo ng,a n d pla n e it till it is just T33 in ch thick throughou t its le ngth, a n d pe rfe ctly stra ight a n d pa ra lle l.

F l ai‘a ll

sfigfigth

vfin g"

: Cu t it about 1 in ch bro ad, a n d slope O ff the tw oof th e f h o le . en ds on on e side , so tha t it ro ughly take s the

shape o f the in side O f the be lly, an d cu t it SO tha t its tw o en dstouch the po in ts J a n d K . NOW m ake a m a rk on

,a nd draw a

l in e a cro ss, this rough ba r at the po in t H (Fig. an d m arkthe top a n d bo ttom o f the ba r to distinguish them . Be fo recomm e n cing to fit the bar

,take a slip O f w ood a bout 4

in che s lo ng, a n d about 713 thick, and br e ad ; in se rt this in tothe m iddle o f the f ho le n ea re st the ba r the le ft- ha n d o n e

,

lo oking at the fro n t O f the be lly), an d unde r the corn e r, a s inFig. 155, w hich repre sen ts the ope ra tio n view ed from the ou t

side o f the be lly. I ts obje c t a nd re sult w ill be to pre ss up.

the

“w ing, a

,and pre ss dow n the low e r w ing, b. The strings

w il l co rrec t this discrepan cy by the ir pre ssure ; if this pr ecaution w e re n ot taken , the pre ssure o f the strings w ould fo rcethe w ing (1

,below the w ing b, w hich w ould be hideous to the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

260 VIOLIN- MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND I S.

by m e an s o f a file a n d san d - pape r. When the bar is thusfin ished, take thre e squa re s o f gla ss- pape r o f progre ssive fin e

n e ss (the la st be ing very fin e), an d ca re fully sm o o th the w ho lein side o f the be lly till it is pe rfe ctly so ft to the to uch. Then takea flat an d roun d file a n d beve l off the in side edge o f the be llyin the sam e w ay a s de scribed fo r the in side edge o f the ba ck (asrepre sen ted a t Fig. then in a m an n e r sim ila r to tha t the rede sc ribed

,c lea n an d sm o oth the edge you have le ft ro und the

scooping o f the be l ly ,an d this havin g been do n e , your be lly is

ready to glue on . Fo r this ope ra tio n y o u m ust in crea se the

gluc in the pot to tw ice its bulk by the addition o f w a te r,so a s

to dilute the glue , and re n de r it m uch w e ake r than tha t w ithw hich you “siz ed ”

the blo cks a n d fixed o n the back . The obje c to f this is tha t the be lly m ay have to com e o ff som e day fo r repa irs,etc .

,and if it w e re fixed on w ith the o rdin a rily strong glue , this

w ould be an im po ssibility. Som e pe ople,be fo re gluing o n the i r

be llie s,put curious, histo rica l, o r sen tim en ta l in scriptio n s o u t o f

sight up in the uppe r bouts o f the fiddle . The o ld luthie r s

F I G. l 56.— F in a1 sh ap in g o f th e B a ss-b ar .

w e re ve ry grea t at this,a nd n ow in taking the be llie s o ff

o ld fiddle s,qua in t couple ts a nd m o tto e s a r e o ften brought to

light . Be fo re applying the glue (which is n o t do n e a fte r thebe lly is fitted, as in the ca se o f the ba ck) , set the be lly o n the

ribs w ith a couple o f sc rew s . an d lo o k roun d it to n o te the

po in ts w he re the side s w il l require pre ssing o r stre tching to shape ,fo r the longe r the tim e tha t e lapse s be tw e en the gluing o n o r

the ba ck a n d o f the be lly,the m o re w ill the ribs tw ist a n d w a rp

ou t o f shape . Whe n,by this m ea n s, yo u have a rrived a t a n

approxim a te n o tion o f w ha t difficultie s you w il l have to con ten dw ith

,spre ad the glue quickly a ll over the top edge s o f the

blo cks,side s

,an d lin ings , be in g ve ry ca re ful n o t to le t any ru n

dow n in side, fo r though any tha t run s dow n o utside m ay be

w ashed off,any tha t tre spa sse s in side ca n n o t be rem o ved after

the be lly is o n . Having got a butte ring o f glue spread a ll

round, set the be lly o n , a n d screw it fa st a ll roun d . begin n ingw ith the C’

s,o r in n e r bouts

,be ing m o st pa rticula r to avo id the

co rn e rs1 (a s in Fig. the n fitting the ribs a n d putting o n

the o the r screw s and cram ps the sam e as w ith the ba ck. Thi :

If you d o by any ch an ce spl it a co rn er , m en d it at once acco r d ing to the

d irecti ons given for“Repai rs

”

(p.

THE BELLY. 261

must be d on e quickly, but n o t w ithout ca re in adjusting thedge s, fo r the glue so o n se ts ; an d particula rly do n ot a ttem ptthis pe rfo rm an ce un til yo u have pre cluded a ll po ssibility o f

draughts o r curren ts o f a ir,w hich w o uld se riou sly in cre a se y our

diffi cultie s ; bu t to coun te ra ct any evilw hich m ay a rise from the prem a ture se ttingo f the glue , the applica tion o f the ho t w a te r

,

w hen yo u w a sh the supe rfluous glue fromthe side s

,w ill rem e lt it a l ittle a n d a id the

ope ra tion o f fixing the be lly . Whe n the

scre w s a re applied,set a slip o f w o od in

the f ho le fr om on e o f the sc rew s,to ke ep

do w n the lo w e r w ing a nd ra ise the u ppe ro n e (just a s a w hile ago y ou se t a sim i la rslip from the co rn e r), a s show n in Fig. 157 .

This be ing don e , take a brush a nd som e

hot w a te r an d w a sh all roun d the side s,

to rem ove a ny supe rfluou s glue , a n d to

r e - w a rm an d set tha t w hich is spre ad to

ke ep the bel ly on . I n a pply ing the

screw s to bo th ba ck an d be lly, w he n fixin g F ‘G

géggg fifia

fi lfige

figthem

,the he ad o f the screw (A, Fig. 129) (to a vo id th e co rn er s):

m ust be o n the side o f the table w hich is be in g glued(n ot the m oving co lla r B ), o the rw ise w he n yo u w a sh aw ay thesupe rfluous glue it w ill ge t w a shed in to the co lla r B

,a n d fix

it to the sc rew . Set the be lly a side in a w a rm pla ce to d ry,a nd w he n quite fa st, rem ove the screw s . Yo u w ill n ow lo okroun d the edge s, an d w he reve r they appea r to be to o broad inpropo rtio n , to o fa r from the side s), they can be reducedan d m ade equa l by m ean s o f a sha rp kn ife an d file

,the cor rec4

tio n s be ing n ea tly fin ished w ith gla ss- pape r.

The trembl in g lute som e touch . som e str a in th e v io l be st,I n sets w h ich th e re w e re seen , the m u sic w on d rou s ch o ice ,Som e l ik ew ise there afi e c t th e gam ba w ith th e v o ice .

(M. D rayton ,Po lyo lbion ,

” So ng iv .

CHAPTER XIX.

PURFLING AND FINI SH ING THE BO DY.

Mark ing th e Purflin g— Th e Pegs— The Purflin g- Fittin g

—F ixi n g —Ra isin g theEdges a n d Co rn er s— Fin a l Scraping

— Sa n d . pape r in g— The Rest— Fitting

Fixin g— Fin ishing

— Round in g th e Edge s— Fin ish ing the Body “ in th e

Wh ite

I T is n ow tha t you w ill see the advan tage o f n ot having pu rfi edbefo re sco oping ou t the back a nd be lly . I f yo u had do n e so ,

your edge s m ust have rem a in ed a s o rigin a lly cut,w he the r quite

co in c ide n ta l w ith the ribs o r n ot ; but a s it is,w he re fo r the

sake of un ifo rm ity you n ow slightly reduce the edge s, thepu rfling m ay be m ade to fo llow the co rre ction w hich it w illn ow hide

,in stead o f show ing it up, a s it w ould have don e if

a lready in la id . Take the pu rfling gauge (Fig. an d settingthe cutte r (w hich m ust be tho roughly sha rp) in ch from the

roun ded pa rt o f the stem A,tra ce a lin e (n ot le tting the cutte r

sin k de ep) all round the table s (ba ck a n d be lly) . Then reducethe dista n ce from the cutte r to the stem to tra ce an o the rlin e roun d ba ck and be lly

,w hich w ill thus be o utside the first.

This seem s sim ple en ough to say, but you w ill find it m o std ifficult to pre se rve a un ifo rm distan ce from the edge , the

stem requiring to be pre ssed very strongly aga in st the edge ,a s it trave ls round

,e spe cia lly on the te nde r pin e o f the be lly

,

an d it w ill be m o st difficult to pre se rve the se co n d lin e at

a n exact d istan ce o f 13; from the first ; how eve r, festin a len te,

an d pa tien ce , and ca refu l perseve ran ce w ill ove rcom e a ll thisdifficulty. Min d an d n ot out the se m arks too de ep ; they a re

on ly to se rve a s guide s fo r the kn ife in cutting the gro ove inwhich the pu rfling is la id.

’The curve o f the m a rking w i llhave bee n in te rrupted at th e top o f the back by the button ,

and the co rn e rs m ust be re -m a rked to have the purfling po in teda cro ss them in true Str adiuar iu s style . I f yo u lo ok at anyStradiu a r iu s you w ill se e tha t at the co rn ers the purfling is no tfin ished o ff in the m iddle at A

,Fig. bu t

po in ted up (o r do po in t B,a s at

C, Fig . 158. This is a sm a ll pa rticula r,but it is a gre a t po in t in

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

264 VI O LIN- MAK ING ; As IT WAS AND 18.

Fig. 92. Although the se a re n o t abso lute ly n e ce ssa ry to thefiddle

, yet, as yo u a re w o rking o n the Strad . m ode l,they

im pa rt a fin ish to your fiddle a s a copy. Take a roun d,sha rp

po in ted to o l (such a s the m a rkin g- po in t), an d pre ss a ho le justw he re the cen tre jo in o f the fiddle m e e ts the gro ove cu t fo r

the pu rfling (a s in Fig. so tha t ha lf the ho le is in the

gro ove . Make a sim ila r ho le a t the bo ttom to c o rre spon d, a n d

a lso sim ila r on e s in the be lly a t top an d bo ttom ,a n d then cu t

your fo ur pegs to fit. The se a re m ade o u t o f a rod o f m aple,

n ot highly figured, but o f a co lour o r ton e w hich con tra sts w iththe m aple o f the ba ck. Cu t the r od to a long, roun d po in t, likea pen c il

, cut off the extrem e e nd, a n d fin ish it w ith a file,so tha t

it exactly sticks in to the ho le yo u have m ade cu t o ff the po in tabout T33 in ch long, an d ta p it in to the ho le , so a s to stick w hilstyou fit the re st o f the pegs. When a ll a r e cu t

,dip e a ch o n e

in to glue , and fix it in to its ho le w ith a go od sm art tap, a ndle ave them to dry tho roughly. Whe n this is a ccom plished

,cut

o ff the projecting e n ds,so a s to m ake them flu sh w ith the ba ck

,

and cu t o ff a s m uch from the side s o f the pegs as projects in tothe gro ove cu t fo r the pu rfling ha lf the diam e te r), w hichw ill reduce it

,a s in Fig. 92. No w take a brush full o f w a te r

and w et a ll roun d the g I o o ve s on ba ck an d be lly, w iping o ff

supe rfluo us m o isture w ith a c lo th. This w ill throw any de fe ctsin the un ifo rm ity o f the gro ove s in to prom in e n ce , a n d this w il len able y o u the be tte r to co rre ct a ny such irregula ritie s. Whenthis ha s be e n do n e

, yo u w ill be re ady to put in your pu rflin g.

Pu rfling, a s I have sa id be fo re (page is com po sed o f a

strip o f pla n e w ood be tw een tw o strips o f the sam e w o od

sta in ed bla ck (n ot, a s som e have suppo sed,a strip o f ro sew o od

be tw e en tw o o f ebony). The exce e dingly de lica te diam e te r o f

the se strips m ay be im agin ed w he n w e refle ct tha t the thre elu ed toge the r a nd in la id o n ly pre se n t a diam e te r o f T

1, in ch.

u rfling m ay be bought o f any fiddle- m ake r ; an d I shouldadvise the am a teur to purcha se his pu rfl in g re ady ou t, thoughI sha ll te ll h im how to prepa re it fo r him se lf. I t is so ld intw o form s in sepa ra te strips o f pla in black a n d w hite

,a nd a lso

a s a san dw ich, re ady glued toge the r the la tte r isClpe

rha

psthe

e asier to w o rk w ith, but is te rribly liable to split, a n in puttingit in it w ill be n e ce ssa ry to dip the ends in the hot w a te r o f theglue—pot fo r an in sta n t (n o t long e n ough to unglue it) befo regiving the ends the stro ng ben d n e ce ssa ry at the co rn e rs a nd

ce n tr e bouts . An expe rien ced fiddle- m ake r w ill a lw ays pre fe rto in lay three sepa rated strips toge the r ra the r than chan ce a

split w ith the ready-m ade u rfling. I f you u se the disin tegratedpurfling of the thor ough u thie r , it is prepa red a s fo l lo w s Get

rUB FLING AND FINI SH ING THE BO D Y. 265

som e long strips o f plan e ven e e r in the n a tura l sta te,a n d som e

a lso sta in ed black, a s thin a s yo u ca n ; cu t it, fo r co n ven ie n ce ’

sake , in to leave s four in che s by tw o fee t, a n d reduce it by m ea n so f sc raping a s n e arly a s po ssible to a un ifo rm thickn e ss o f

in ch a t the m ost. Now m ake o n e edge abso lu tely stra ight a n d

true (by m e an s o f a ste e l rule an d kn ife) , an d the n cu t it up, bythe sam e m e an s , in to strips T

1

? in ch b road . Whe n yo u ha ve go tdouble a s m uch bla ck a s w hite , yo u can pro ce ed to fit it to thegro ove s

,com m e n c in g, a s usua l, w ith the

.

C’

s , o r in n e r bouts .Ta ke three strips (tw o black a n d on e w hi te ), o r a pie ce o f

san dw ich w hich you j udge to be long en ough to fit the boutyo u a r e w o rkin g o n ; m ake the en ds (a t o n e end) eve n , a n d

w ith a sharp kn ife beve l o ff the thre e toge the r, a s in F ig 159.

Fi t this po in t c lo se up in to the co rn e r show n in Fig. 158,a n d

ca rrying the strips ro un d th e cen tre bout to the o the r co rn e r,fit them in to the o the r co rn e r w ith a n o the r beve l, w hich yo um ust be ca reful n ot to m ake to o sho rt, fitting it, in po in t o f fa c t,m uch the sam e a s yo u fitted your ribs in to the m ould, a s

de sc ribed at page 232. Next pro ce ed to fit ina n o the r thre e from the co rn e r e ithe r to the ce n trejo in

,o r

,right round the uppe r (o r low e r) bouts

to the oppo site co rn e r . I f y o u cu t them to the

cen tr e jo in, yo u m ustm ake the po in t o f un io n ve ry

clo se , squa re , an d, if po ssible , impe rceptible ,

e spe c ia lly in the ba ck. I n the be lly yo u n e ed n ot

ca re about m akin g so exquisite a job, fo r the fob

:3

52321135 0“

pu rflin g w ill be cu t aw ay a t the top in the fo rm a

tion o f the cham be r cu t to re ce ive the n e ck, a n d w ill be h idde nby the finge r

- bo ard,a n d at the bo ttom by the cham be r cu t

to re ce ive the re st, a n d w ill be hidden by the ta il- pie ce . Fo r

the sam e rea son s it is o fte n om itted to put the pegs (Fig. 92)in to the be lly. When you have go t the pu rflin g fitted a ll

roun d bo th back an d be lly, you can pro ce ed to glue it. Fo r

this purpo s e the purflings m ust be taken o u t a san dw ich (o r a

set) at a tim e,the gro ove s filled w ith glue , a n d the san dw ich

(o r three strips) r epla ced,be ing m o st ca re ful to m ak e them fit

accura te ly at the co rn e rs,and a rticula rly a t the jo in ts at the

top' a n d bo ttom o f the ba ck

,whe re the thre e strips m ust jo in

tho se oppo site so exa ctly a s to rende r the jo in im pe rce ptible(un le ss o f course you have pu rfled in on e lo ng strip from co rn e rto co rn e r). This is be st e ffected by cutting off the ends at

the jo in,slan ting dow nw a rds from the top edge , just a s the

l in ings o f the in n e r bouts w e re fitted in to the co rn e r blo ck s , assho w n in Fig. 144. Mind and u se ple n ty o f glue be fo re se ttingthe strip s in to the groove s ; fo r rem em be r

,it has n ot on ly to fix

266 VI O LIN-MAK ING : As IT WAs AND 13.

the pu rflin gs in to the gro ove , but a lso,if you u se thre e strips

,

to pe rm e a te be tw e en the com pon en t strips them se lve s,to ke ep

them toge the r. I t a lso fills up a n d disguise s a ny e rro rs o r faultsin the cutting o f the groove , w hich it is im po ssible (e spe cia llyfo r an am a teur) to obvia te the refo re w hen the pu rflings a re

set in the groove , it is w e l l to ru n a l I ttle glue a ll round themw ith a little slip o f w ood to fill up anyw he re w he re the re w a sn ot su ffic ien t.The pu rflings a re tapped in to the groove all round w ith

a little hamm e r to in sure the ir sinkin g w e ll in to it. The

supe rfluous glue is then w iped off w ith a c lo th,an d the w ho le

thing is le ft to dry tho roughly. t e n this is e ffe c ted,cu t the

pu rflings do w n leve l w ith the surfa ce s o f the ba ck a nd be lly bym ean s o f a sha rp

,fla t gouge . The de fe cts (if a ny) w ill n ow be

brought in to prom in en ce , but can n o t be rem edied. How eve r,

w e con so le ourse lve s tha t if slight de fe cts exist in ou r pu rfling,they exist a lso , if ca refully looked fo r, in the w o rks o f the fin e stCrem on e se m a ste rs . Now take a flat file

,an d rub right round

the tops o f the edge s (le ft as in Fig . w ith a view to c lea n ingthem an d rem oving a ny sl ight in equa litie s w hich m ay ha vei n vaded them sin ce they w e re la st co rre cted. Now open the

spring com pa ss (A, Fig. 126) 33

g o f a n in ch,a n d draw a lin e a ll

roun d the edge s o f the in strum e n t, open them aga in 3 in ch, an d

draw a se co n d lin e round the edge in side , the first,from w hich

it is con sequen tly dista n t (I t w il l be obse rved tha t thisope ra tion re sem bie s

,in a ll re spe cts

,excepting its m e asurem en ts

,

the pro ce sse s by w hich w e o rigin a lly sunk the edge , a s show nby Fig . Now take a gouge an d sin k a tr ough a ll roun d

,

cutting ou t the w o od (an d w ith it the top o f the pu rfling) abou t,1

;in ch de ep

,be ing m o st ca re ful to ke ep exa ctly be tw e en the

lin e s,an d m ake the ho llow quite sm o o th a n d even . Low e r the

w o od a lso at the co rn e rs by gouging dow n be tw een the po in tso f the pu rfling,

so'

that the sinking ro u nd the edge fo llow s theguita r outlin e o f the in side o f the fiddle

,an d throw s the co rn e rs

a n d edge s in to tha t bo ld re lief w hich is such a beauty in a w e llfin ished fiddle .

Whe n you have gon e a ll roun d, go a ll ove r the groun d, bring

ing the outside an d in side edge s o f the trough exa ctly true tothe m ark ed lin e s all roun d . Then take the sm a lle st ova l too thedplan e (Fig. w ith the fin e st a nd sharpe st to o thed iron ,

an d

plan e a ll rou n d the in side o f the gro ove , so a s to m e lt thistrou h in to the rise o f the be lly o r ba ck (it is, o f course , un de rsto c that the se opera tion s m ust be repe a ted o n bo th table s), a ndbring the edge on ce m o re to the curve repre se n ted atB, Fig. 148.

Now take a sha rp scrape r an d scrape a ll roun d w he re the re a re

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

268 VIO LIN- MAKING : As I T WAS AND 18.

surfa ce just through the pu rfimg, a s in Fig. 160,A,A'. Now

w ith a stra ight- edge a n d kn ife co n n e ct the se tw o w ith a stra ightlin e

,B,B’

,w hich w ill cove r pa rt o f the pu rfling. D raw the

kn ife a long this till it is a s de ep a s the o the r tw o (A, a nd

then the w o od com prised by the se lin e s m ay be cu t a n d pickedou t w ith a kn ife

,leaving a little right- a ngled cham be r (fo rm ed

by the thickn e ss O f the be lly an d th e tops o f the lo w e r bouts a n dbo ttom blo ck) to re ce ive the re st, w hich m ay n ow be out. I f bym isadve n ture in m aking the cuts

,A,A

'

,the edge ge ts a l ittle Split

on e ithe r side,it m ust be cut a w ay

,a n d a co rre spo nding slip o u t

dow n o n the o the r side , so a s to m ake the cutting, though w ide r,

still true to the cen tre jo in O f the ribs a n d the ta il- pin . I n e ed n o t

rem a rk tha t the cutting m ust be quite squa re a n d pe rpe n dicula rto the top surfa ce o f the bo ttom blo ck. Now take a l ittle slip O f

ebo ny, 13 in ch lo ng by in ch bro ad, a n d =3 in ch de ep . Maketw o side s quite squa re a n d true to o n e a n o the r, an d adjust thele n gth w ith pla n e , file , a n d kn ife , so tha t it just fits tightly in tothe cham be r cu t

,a s in F ig . 160. Neve r m ind about cutting it

flu sh w ith the edge o f the fiddle , this w ill do w he n it is fixedroun d the uppe r surfa ce , a s a t D , Fig. 160

,a nd shape O ff the e nds

roughly, a s a t C,Fig. 160. Put p le n ty O f go od glue in to the

cham be r,set the roughly fin ished re st in it

,tap it in fa st w ith a

little ham m e r, so a s to fix it,a n d w ipe O ff the supe rfluo us glue

w ith the brush a n d w a rm w a te r,a nd leave the fiddle to dry .

When dry fin ish it o ff ca re fully by cutting it even w ith the low e redge , a n d flush w ith the be l ly at the beve lled e nds

,w hich last

m ust be exa c t an d equa l to o n e an o the r. Roun d o f the top, so

tha t it is about é in ch above the edge O f the be lly. The seO pe ration s a re do n e w ith a sha rp kn ife and flat file ; the Rest a sfin ished m ust then be scraped quite sm o o th. Now take a set o f

file s,a nd go right roun d the edge o f bo th ba ck a nd be lly

,

m aking them qu ite ’

r ou n d by filing bo th co rn e rs of the edge ,till the lin e from the un de r to the uppe r side s o f the edge is a

pe rfe ctly even curve . When this is don e, go round the edge sthus roun ded a n d sm oo th off a ll file m a rks w ith sa nd- pape r of am edium fin en e ss

, give the ribs a fin a l tho rough sa nd - pape ring,and the body o f your fiddle is fin ished

“ in the w hite,

”and ca n

be put aw ay ou t of dust, etc .

,un til the n e ck a nd scro ll a re ready

to go on.

CHAPTER XX.

THE NECK AND SCRO LL.

I‘

heWood— Preparation— Mar k ing O utlin e— Cu tti ng- o utr—Mark ing an d Sh apin g

out th e Neck an d Scro l l— Rough in g out th e Vo lute— Fin ish ing th e Vo lute—Ho l low in g th e Ba ck o f the Head— The Peg-box— Fi n i sh i ng th e He ad

Th e Neck— Fittin g the Ne ck to th e B ody o f the F idd le— Cu ttin g o ut th e

Ch am be r— Sh api ng th e Shou ld e r— Te sting th e Fit— Fix ing— The Fa lse

Fin ge r -bo a rd— The Butto n— Th e ’

Sh ou lde r— F in ish in g the Neck an d

Shou lder— F ina l O pe ratio n s .

F I RST proceed to prepa re the m aple fo r the n e ck a n d scro ll .This is stored in blocks slightly w edge

- shaped 10% in che s lo ng,

2% in che s broad, the depth O f the w edge , thin n ing from 2 to 1%in che s. Pla n e o n e side perfe ctly sm o o th an d even

,like the

slabs fo r the ba ck a n d be lly, then w ith a sm a l l pla n e an d

T - squa re , squa re to the plan ed side the 2- in ch (o r thicke r) edgeo f the blo ck . When this is do n e , a n d the squa re is quite true ,take a n o rdin a ry cutting o r m a rking ga uge , a n d m a rk a lin ea long the thick edge 1% in che s from the pla n ed side . The nm ake the o the r side sm o oth a n d squa re to the pla n ed thick edge

by pla n ing do w n to the gauged lin e . This don e, yo u w ill have

a blo ck 10% in che s lon g,a bout 2; bro ad, o n e edge 1% deep ,

squa red a nd pla n ed,the o the r edge le ft rough, a n d y our n e ck

blo ck is prepa red fo r w o rk.

Yo u m ay n ow pro ce ed to m a rk an d cut out the n e ck an d

sc ro ll. I n Pla te IV. is give n the outlin e o f a Strad iu ar iu s scro llco rre spondin g w ith the outlin e o f the m ode l on which w e a r e

w o rking. I n page 159 a r e given d ire ctio n s fo r hopy ing anysc ro ll o n to pape r. Let a tra c ing O f the scro ll give n in P la te IV.

,

o r your ow n scro l l outlin e,be glued on to a thin pla n k o r le a f

o f w o od (like the pla n k outlin e O f the w ho le fiddle), a n d cu t it

o ut in the sam e w ay ve ry exa c tly,so tha t you have , in fac t,

Fig . 161 in thin w o od . Now a ll a lo ng, o r ra the r roun d the lin ea,a,a o f the vo lute

,pie rce w ith a sm a ll drill sm a ll ho le s

,so tua t

the fo rm o f the sc ro ll is m a rked o n the plan k by a pe rfo ra tedvo lute

,a s in P la te IV. Now o n the fro n t o f this outlin e m ake

thre e little n o tche s at the po in ts A,B,C, Fi 161

,a nd yo u have

the com ple te m ode l fo r m a rking the n e ck'

angscro ll,a s at Fig . 85

270 VI OLIN-MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND I S.

Yo u w ill rem em be r tha t o n e side o f the blo ck prepa red fo r

the n e ck is sm o o th a n d squa red, a nd the o the r side is le ft rough .

Now fa ste n the plan k outlin e o f the n eck a nd scro ll o n to o n e

sm o o th fa ce o f the blo ck aga in st the squa red a nd pla n ed side o f

the block,a s in Fig. 161

,taking the squa re D

,E,F, G to repre se n t

the blo ck,an d G F i ts squared side

,the outlin e just tou ching the

edge a t the po in ts H,A,B,a s in the figure . I t is im po rtan t tha t

it be flush w ith the edge at A and B, but a t H it m a y be ju st a

shade lo w e r, a s in the figure , to a llow fo r the cuttin g:No w w ith the m arking- po in t m a rk the exa ct o utlin e

,m a rking

a roughe r on e outside it w ith a pe n c il n ow by m ean s o f a

squa re , m a rk a cr oss the sm o o th edge , G F,o f the block thre e

lin e s a t the po in ts A,B,C . Fig . 161

,exa ctly at the n otche s, A, B , C.

The se w i ll se rve a s a guide w here to fix th e ou t

lin e on the o the r side , w hich is do n e by un fa stening it, an d fa sten ing it to exa ctly the sam e po sitionby m akin g the n o tche s A

,B,C exa ctly co in c ide

w ith the lin e s m a rked a cro ss the edge , a nd m a rkthe outlin e in the sam e w ay w ith po in t an d

pe n cil,a n d thus y ou have tw o outlin e s m a rked

a exa ctly on e ithe r side oppo site o n e an othe r.Befo re rem ovin g the plan k outlin e from e ithe rside

,m ark the vo lute O f the scro l l by thrusting

a po in t through ea ch o f the drilled ho le s,a,a,a,

w hich in dica te i t on the outlin e,by w hich the

vo lute o f pe rfo ra tion s in the o u tlin e m ode l w illbe m a rked by little den ts on the ou tlin e draw non e ithe r side o f the blo ck .

Now pro ce ed to cu t o u t the blo ck,fo llow ing

the oute r (o r pen c il) lin e o f your m a rk ings w iththe bow - saw

,w hich m ust be he ld ve rv upright to

F I G 16! —P1an k ou tv

l in e o f Ne ck a n d preven t I t exce edm g o r gom g In side the m a rki ngS cr ou l‘m

o n the un de r- side the m a rk ing o the r than theon e you a re fo llow ing w ith the saw ) . I n m a rking the outlin e , yo um ust tra ce rou n d the lin e b, c, d , e,f, g, h, Fig. 161

,but n ot a long

the lin e i k,i f the pla n k outlin e do e s n o t exa ctly fo llo w the

sm uoth edge .

Fin a lly, yo u have n ow

,in stead O f the n eck - blo ck , an outlin e

O f the n e ck a n d scro ll show n by the lin e b, c,

d, e,f, y ,

k,exa ctly

like the plan k outl in e you have be en m a rk ing from but in steadO f be ing T

1

,in ch thick

,it ha s the thickn e ss O f the w ho le blo ck,

a nd in stead o f hav ing the vo lute m a rked by pe rfo ra ted hole s,ea ch side bea rs the curl m a rked by sm all inden ta tion s , a , a , a ,in the w o od. The re w il l be a slight m a rgin O f w ood just ou tside the lin e m ade by the m a rking- po in t. This m ust n ow be

E H F

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

272 VI OLIN- MAKING : A3 I T WAS AND I S.

Squa red and plan ed the tw o o the r surfa ce s. With the a id of

this cen tre lin e pro ceed to m ark your scro ll by m ean s o f a se t o fthre e m ode ls, m ade o f pliable z in c o r so ft bra ss

,taken from

som e a ckn ow le dged m a ste r- vio lin . The outlin e s,Fig. 162

,a r e

tak en from the Stradiu ar iu s fiddle from w hich I have take n a llthe m ode ls w ith w hich I have pre sen ted m y re ade rs, A be in gtne fro n t, B the ba ck of the head

,and C the fron t O f the vo lut e .

F i r st se t the fin e en d o f the m ode l,A,Fig. 162

,up unde r the

r a

F I G . 163.—Ne ck B lo ck m a rk ed for cu ttin g F I G . 164. Com m e i i cem en t o f cu ttin g o ut

ou t (bac k a n d fr on t Vi ew Neck a n d S cr o ll .

vo lute on the fro n t o f the scro ll,so tha t, a s in A

,it exa ctly

co in c ide s w ith the cen tre lin e draw n roun d the blo ck , a s show nby the lin e dra w n dow n the fron t o f the m ode l A (Fig.

a nd the open ing in the cen tre the reo f. At pre sen t o n ly the

lin e s A, . R (Figs. 163 a n d 164) a r e m a rked o n the blo ck i t

w ill n ow be found tha t the bo ttom O f A, Fig . 162, just rea che sthe lin e A, F ig . 163

,so by the m ode l A

,Fig. 162, yo u ca n m ark

the lin e s D,D

'

,Fig. 163. Ne xt set the top o f

.

the m ode l,B

(Fig. at the top o f the sc ro ll blo ck, a nd S im i la rly m ark

THE NECK AND SCRO LL. 273

the back o f the scro ll w ith the lin e s E, E’

,a s in . Fig . 163. Now

m a rk the fro n t O f the scro ll, se tting the m ode l C (Fig . 162) o n

the cen tre lin e,co in c iding w ith the tops O f the l in e s E

,E,

Fig. 162,a n d m a rk the lin e s F

,F

'

. The se be ing do n e , yo u m ayroughly e lo nga te the lin e s D

,D'an d E

,E'to G

,G'

o n back a nd

fron t,a s in Fig. 163. B e ca re ful, how eve r, to le ave ple n ty o f

bre adth be tw e en G an d G'

,w hich Should be at le a st l ii‘ in ch apa rt.

Me an w hile,the Side s O f your n e ck- blo ck a r e m a rked a s in

Fig. 161,w hich is en la rged at Fig. 164

,the vo lute (a a a

,

Fig. 161) be ing m a rked by pun cture s in the w o od,a s the re

de scribed ; n ow draw the lin e C C’ in the po sition in dic ated in

Fig. 164,o n bo th Side s

,a n d w ith a fin e ten o n saw cut dow n to

the lin e s D,D

'

an d E,E

’ be ca re ful n ot to go beyon d e ithe r o fthem on e ithe r side

,fo r they a r e n ot oppo site on e a n o the r o n ba ck

a n d fron t F,F

’

a re m uch n ea rer the sides o f the blo ckthan D

,D ) .

Now set the blo ckupside - dow n in the viceso tha t about thre ein che s a re above the E~

ben ch, an d saw dow n

the lin e s G,G

’to the

he ad,only saw ing tw o

o r thre e in che s at a

tim e,fo r the lea st

stra in on the he ad w ill FRONT B ACK

Split O ff the vo lute atF I G . 165.

- Fr on t a n d ba ck of Vo lu te (Geom etr ica l ).

the lin e C C’

, turn ing the head dow n a s y o u rea ch the lin e C C’, so a sto fin ish off the re n e a tly . The w o od w i ll the re fo re have be e n re

m oved a lo ng the lin e s G, G'to C 0' SO a s to pre se n t the appea ra n ceO f F ig. 164 . Now prithee be a s ca re ful a s if you w e r e catchingthe spa rks o f a squib in a pla te ove r a pow de r m aga z in e , a n dpro ce ed a s fo llow s —Make from the Side s to the lin e s F

,F

’

a n dE , E

’

,o n ba ck an d fro n t

,the thre e cuts H H

,I

‘

I,a n d J J ,

Fig . 164, rem ove the pie ce s o utside the se cuts,an d the co rn e rs

le ft round the o u te r vo lute by them,an d take ca re n ot to out

beyond a ny p a r t o f the lin e s F, F ’a n d E

,E

’on e ithe r side .

You m ust, a t this po in t, get h o ld o f a go od scro ll, and copythe obvious shape un til

,in the rough, y ou have got the Spira l

from the che ek o f the peg- box to the eye of the sc ro ll M

(Fig. 164) pe rfe c t, pro ce edin g gin ge rly w ith saw an d gouge sI ca n n o t de sc ribe it

,w o rds fa il m e to expre ss the a ctua l cuttings,

suffice it to say the m ode l (w ithout w hich, a s a guide , you can n o tget o n ) m ust be ca re fully if roughly copied . Whe n the spira lis roughly hew ed out

, proce ed to m ake the tw o Side s exa c tly

274; VI O LIN- MAKING : AS I T WAS AND I S.

sim ila r to on e a n o the r, an d pe rfe c tly true to the cen tre lin e,by

m ea n s O f the sp r ing c om pa sse s . Fig. 165 repre sen ts the geo e

m e trica l prin c iple s O f the back a n d fro n t O f a p rope rly cu t

v o lute ; if yo u can n o t copy by eye a n d han d,le ave O ff fiddle

m a k ing, fo r a s a luthie r y o u a re a fa ilure . Ha v ing m ade thelin e s o f the vo lu te , a s view ed back a nd fr o n t in F ig . 165

, pe r

fe c tly stra ight a n d pa ra lle l to o n e a n o the r,w ith Chise ls

, gouge s,a n d fi le s

,pro ce ed w ith a flat ova l

,o r O blo ng p la n e (Fig. 125 o r

to plan e the che eks o f the peg- box sm o o th

,m a king them

tru e to the’

cen tre lin e,by m ea n s O f the spring com pa ss

,an d

a dj u sting the breadth from your m ode l— copy by the bow

compa ss (Fig. Now,from the m ode l B (Fig . cu t

o u t a thin S lip O f w o od, like Fig . 166

,by w hi ch to regula te

the c uttin g o f the chin o f the scro ll,K (Figs. 163 a n d

w hich m ust n ow be don e w ith a Sharp kn i fe a n d file,

so

tha t when v ie w ed Sidew ays it is pron oun ced a n d w e ll- angled,a s in Fig. 164

,a n d n ice ly rounded in to the lin e s E E

’

, a s in

Fig. 163,a nd a t B

,Fig. 162. Next

,w ith a fin e—bladed kn ife

,

cu t o uta n d n e a tly fo rm the corn e r un de rthe vo lute , L (Fig. so that it follow sthe m ode l o n P la te IV. Now open the

Spring com pa sse sT1

3in ch

,a nd gauge

a lin e roun d the side s o f the vo lutefrom the eye o f the scro ll M (Fig. 164)to the oute r po in t C o f the lin e C C' in

F I G . 166.—Mo d e1 for ch in o f the sam e figure . This “

edge”

(a s itS °r°11°

w e re ) m ust be le ft in the subsequen tchise lling o f the scroll . Taking this lin e a s an outside m arginto be le ft flat

,pro ce ed to chise l the scro ll

,le tting the lin e s

w hich appea r pe rpen dicula r in Fig. 165 (ba ck) , A, A, an d B, B,S in k in a little tow a rds the hea rt O f the scro ll

,but ke eping

the hor i z on ta l lin e s 0,C,D,D,E,E,abso lu te ly stra ight an d

at right a ngle s to the cen tre lin e , an d exa ctly pa ra lle l w itha n d oppo site o n e a n o the r

,fo r the se a r e the grea t be autie s of

the Stradiu a r iu s sc ro ll a ny deviation from ,o r ca re le ss trea t

m en t O f,the se pa rticu la rs w ould re n de r the scro ll m o re

Gua rn e rius- like,a n d un w o rthy the m ode l w e a re w o rking

o n . Now pro ce ed to cut out the groove s dow n the ba ck of the

scro ll an d a roun d the vo lute (N, N, Figs . 163 a n d 164) this m ustbe do n e by fa ste n in g the head fa ce dow nw a rds in to the vice , a n dgro oving it o ut ca refully, taking the depth, etc .

,from the m ode l

you a re fo llow ing. Befo re com m en c ing to do SO,open the

spring com pa ss 71

3in ch

,an d m a rk a gauge lin e roun d the

ba ck a n d ove r to the fron t O f the scro ll,sim ila r to the o n e you

drew r ound the side s an d vo lute ; the groove s, N, N, m ust be

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

276 VI OLIN m m e : AS IT WAS AND I S.

of the ridge . To san d- pape r the gro ove s yo u w ill find it a go odplan to ro ll a pie ce o f san d- pape r roun d the e n d o f a pen ho lde r

,

an d w o rk thus w ith a cylinde r of sa n d- pape r. Whe n tho roughlysa n d- pape red

,w et the head a ll ove r w ith a brush a n d co ld

w a te r ; this (a s in the ca se o f the ba ck an d be lly) w ill throwup an y faults, de fe cts of scraping, e tc .

,a fte r w hich it m ust be

tho roughly r e - sc raped,if n e ce ssa ry

,a n d r e - san d - pape red, w hich

ope ratio n s m ust be gon e through som e tw o o r thre e tim e s. B e

m o st cautious n ot to a lte r the cha ra cte r o f the he ad,o r spo il

its lin e s by to o vic ious san d- pape rin g. When this is don e ,pro ce ed to beve l ofi" the edge s o f the head, a ll roun d the headan d vo lute (but n ot in side the peg - box), exte ndin g the beve lto lin e s

,w hich should be ve ry c a re fu lly an d exa c tly gauged

roun d the co rn e rs six in ch from the edge s. Begin thisbeve llin g w ith the kn ife , a n d fin ish it w ith a file to m ake iteven

,rem oving the file m a rks w ith fin e sa n d- pape r (but ke ep

the edge s o f the beve l sha rp). This don e,dip the he ad in w a te r

for the la st tim e,

a n d w hen tho roughly dry po lish it upw e ll w ith fin e st glass- pape r, in cluding the eye o f the scro ll

,

w hich m ust be pe rfe ctly flat. As san d- pape ring the eye in the

o rdin a ry w ay w ould a lm o st in evitably re sult in roun d in g off

its edge s, you w ill fin d it be st to place a pie ce o f san d- pa pe ron the ben ch

,and rub the eye o f the scro ll flat upon it. Your

head is n ow fin ished,an d it rem a in s on ly the re fo re fin a lly to

shape the n eck a n d shoulde r befo re se tting it upon the body o f

the vio lin . Fo r this purpo se yo u w ill require a n e ck outlin e,

w hich, though prope rly used fo r Splic in g heads (a n ope ra tionde sc ribed furthe r o n ), is use ful he re a s w e ll

,a nd so m ay n ow

be m ade . I t is repre sen ted by F ig. 168 (o n P late VI .) a ctua lsiz e

,an d m ay the refo re be copied in fa csim ile on a thin le a f o f

w o od. From the lin e B (Figs . 163 an d 164) m e a sure dow n thecen tre lin e

,a n d m ake a m a rk at a dista n ce o f 5r

7

s‘ in che s from

B . New w ith a square draw a lin e a cro ss the fa ce of the n e ck(a s a t G G

'

,Figs . 163 a n d a n d laying the n eck outlin e

(Fig. 168, Plate VI .) o n the side of the n eck a nd scro ll , so

tha t its low e r po in t A is o n the lin e draw n a cro ss the n e ck, asabove

,an d its stra ight edge c o rre spon ds thro ughout its length

w ith the flat side o f the n e ck,m ark on the rough shoulde r o f

the n e ck, a s it is a t pre sen t (N, Fig. the sla n t ~ a n d outlin eo f the true shoulde r (a s at 0 0

,F ig. a s de te rm in ed by the

n e ck outlin e (Fig. 168, P late VI .) rem ove a ll w o od w e ll o u tside the se l in e s w ith a fin e ten on saw

,an d w ith a flat chise l an d

pla n e,an d slope o ff the side s o f the shoulde r til l the un de r

surfa ce pre sen ts the appea ra n ce show n in F ig. 169. This is don eas fo llow s : No te the po in t on the lin e D D

’

,Fig. 169 (the low e r

THE NECK AND SCROLL. 277

e dge of the fa ce o f the n eck) , w he re the cen tre lin e,w hich

e xten ds from the n u t throughout its length , en ds (at the po in t A).F rom the po in t A

,by m e an s O f a square la id on D D

’

,draw a

(ce n tre lin e A A’

. Open the Sprin g com pa sse s $7 7, in ch, a n d

m a rk on e a ch side o f A’

the po in ts B,B ’

,an d fin ish the slope s

D B,D

’ B ’

,w hich m ust be quite stra ight, true , a n d

,above a ll

thin gs, pla n e .

Yo u c an n ow pro ceed to fix your n e ck a n d scro ll on the bodyO f the fiddle . With the spring com pa sse s asce rta in the exactcen tre O f the be lly be tw een the cra n n ie s o f the tw o f f ho le s,a n d m ake a sm a ll m a rk ; in like m a n n e r fin d a n d m a rk the

exac t ce n tre be tw e en the edge s o f the uppe r bouts ;

at the irbroade st pa rt. A flat edge la id a lo ng the be lly co in ciding w

the se tw o po in ts,w ill n a tura lly divide the be lly throughout its

length in to tw o pa rts, dow n its exa ctc en tre by this m e an s m a rk the

exa ctly cen tra l po in t o f the top edge .

Now ope n the spring compa sses aboutthe distan ce 0 C ’

(Fig. an d m a rktw o po in ts at equa l distan ce s o n the

top edge , from the po in t y ou havem a rked in the cen tre of the top edge,in the sam e m an n e r a s when you

w e re m a rkin g the pla ce on the low e re dge in w hich to fix the re st . At

the se po in ts m ake tw o outs,exten d

ing ve rtica lly an d ho riz on ta l ly,

thro ugh the edge a s fa r dow n wa rdsa n d in w a rds a s the top an d surfa ce F I G . 169.

— B a se o f Sh o uld e r an d Sh ape

O f the r ibs . I n the ho llow thus out, O f Ch am befl a cma l w e"

set the shou lde r cu t a s at Fig . 169,so tha t the en d B B ’

go e saga in st the butto n le ft o n the ba ck . I f the cuts a r e n ot w idee n ough to a llow the en d B B ’

to touch the butto n , r e - cu t them a l ittlew ide r B e ca re ful

,how eve r

,n o t to cu t them to o w ide though,

i f by a cc ide n t it should be so,by plan ing dow n the en d B B’

,the

n e ck w ill go fa rthe r ba ck an d fi ll up the spac e be tw e e n the cuts .The n e ck an d shoulde r be ing thus he ld on to the top o f the

fiddle, se e tha t it is quite stra ight, an d m a rk on the tap of the r ibs

the l in e s D B a n d D’B

’

,w ith a fin e m a rk ing- po in t O r the po in t o f

a kn ife . Ho lding the kn ife fi rm ly,de epen th ism ark by d raw ing

the k n ife do w n it (be ing ca re ful n ot to le t it slip on to the be llya t th e e n d O f the ou t) till yo u have out quite through the ribs .No w rem ove the w o od be tw ee n the lin e s

,cutting aw ay equa l ly

be lly,ribs

,a n d blo ck , till you have ho llow ed ou t the cham be r

(in the sam e m a n n e r a s for the re st quite squa re an d Cle an

278 VI O LIN-MAKING : As I T WAS AND I s.

out,

in ch deep a ll ove r,be ing so exa ctly the shape o f the

shoulde r (Fig. that the la tte r fits quite tightly in to it.The un de r surfa ce o f the shoulde r m ust be plan ed un ti l fromthe n u t (lin e B, Fig. 164) to the e n d o f the n e ck (G G’

,Fig.

is a distan ce o f exa ctly 515% in che s . The plan in g m ust,how eve r

,

n ot a lte r the sla n t de te rm in ed by the m ode l (Fig. Thedep th o f the sho u lde r w ill of course va ry w ith the he ight of theside s . The ba ck o f the shoulde r (0, Fig . 164) m ust be cu t so

a s to fit exa ctly aga in st the button , an d, w hen thus fitted,the

fron t o f the shoulde r Fig. 164) m ust proj ect exa ctly i ofan in ch above the be lly. Be side s fitting exac tly

,the n eck m ust

be set exa ctly stra ight to the axis o f the in strum en t. This iste sted in thre e in dependen t w ays to e n sure perfe ction

,w hich is

ve ry ha rd to get. The n e ck be ing fixed in w ithout glue : l st,Ho ld the back o f the fiddle

,ho riz on ta lly an d le ngthw ays, leve l

w ith the eye , so tha t you see the ba ck jo in quite stra ight from therise o f the a rchm g to the button if the n e ck is on stra ight, thece n tre ridge o f the back o f the scro ll w ill co in c ide w ith a n dfo rm a co n tin ua tion O f this lin e . 2n d

, Ho ld the be lly sim ilarly,

80 tha t the m a rk you m ade be tw e en the cran n ie s o f the f f ho le sco in c ide s an d fo rm s a lin e w ith the

W fi fif i po in t A

,Fig. 169

,at the bo ttom of

F 1M17o.—

ge fo r testm g set.the n e ck . I f the n e ck is stra ight,

“113 0133 9“ an d Neck . the cen tre ridge on the fron t o f the

vo lute o f the head w ill co in cide w ith an d con tin ue this lin e .

3rd, P repa re a w edge 6 in che s lon g, 1 broad, a n d 2% in che s

high at the broad e n d (Fig. Now set the fiddle on its

edge s, an d slipping the w edge unde rn ea th the scro ll,n o te

th e po in t (on the side o f the w edge ) w he re the eye O f the sc rollfir st touche s it. Now turn the fiddle ove r a n d se t it on the edge sO f its o the r Side repea t the pro ce ss, an d if the scro l l touche s atthe sam e po in t

,it stan ds to re a son , tha t, if your m ode l is regula r,

the head a n d n e ck m ust be exactly true to the axis o f the

in strum en t. This is the be st, be cause the m o st certa in te st forthe fiddle - m ake r. Whe n a fiddle is ve ry o ld a n d k n o cked about,the outlin e ha s be com e un true

,a n d the n it fa ils but fo r the pre sen t

it is the be st fo r O u r purpo se . Hav ing a sce rta in ed, the re fo re , bythe se m e an s tha t your fitting is true , pro ce ed to glue in the n e ck .

Fill the cham be r,and sm ea r the butto n w ith go od stro ng glue ,

pre ss the n e ck in a s ha rd a s you ca n w ith the han d,an d

just rapidly repe at your te sts, to m ake a ssura n ce doubly sure ;then

,w ith a strong iro n c ram p

,c ram p the shoulde r to the

button,pro te cting the la tte r w ith a slip O f w o od

,se e ing tha t

the shoulde r is w e ll pre ssed to the bo ttom o f the cham be r.Apply the screw button o f the cram p to the fa ce of the n e ck,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

280 VI OLIN-MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND I S .

When this is quite dry , pro ce ed fin a l ly to shape the n e ck w itha sha rp k n ife . First cu t the butto n to the pre sen t rough shapeof the shoulde r, be ing ca re ful to slan t the kn ife upw ards

,a n d n ot

cut do w n in to the ba ck tow a rds the j o in t,w hich is a ve ry ugly

n a tur e in badly-m ade fiddles .

board

.

Finger

knesses

0

Now prepa re a guide , w hich isrepre sen ted in a ctua l si z e at

Fig . 172 (from w hich it m ay be

prepa r ed by tra cin g off the o ut

lin e , an d cutting it ou t o n a Slipo f w o od about :1

1 in ch thick) ;the roughly- hew n n e ck m u st be

cu t an ay w ith the kn ife,be ing

m o st cautious n o t to le tthe kn ifeSlip an d injure the head

,till the

e n d A O f F ig. 172 fits ove r itjust be low the chin o f the sc ro ll

,

an d the en d B fits ove r it justabove the shoulde r. I t is be sttha t at the se po in ts the fo rkso f the m ode l (Fig . 172) should,in the first stage o f the cutting,bare ly go ove r the w o od ; it w illbe suffic ie n t to ge t the se diam e ters approxim a te ly right, a n dleave the pe rfe ction o f them tillthe n e ck appro ache s the fin ishbe side s, the filing an d po lishingw ill stil l furthe r reduce them .

Be fo re beginn ing to shape theshoulde r

,cu t the top O f the

butto n,till the distan ce be tw e en

the chin o f the scro ll a n d the

top o f the button is just 417

3

in ch.

Co n tin ue to cu t dow n the

n e ck a n d shoulder till the g uide(Fig. 172) just g o e s ove r bothn e ck an d fa lse fin ge r

- boa rd at

the tw o po in ts above expla in ed .

Now w ith the sm a lle st flat ste e l pla n e sm o o th the side s O f the

fa lse fin ge r- bo ard

,till the lin e w he re it jo in s the n e ck is on ly

a s visible as the jo in o f the ba ck o r be lly. Having do n e this,fin ish O ff the button ,

m aking it a s even a n d circular a s po ssible ,an d rising w e ll at a right a n gle (n e ithe r m o re n o r le ss) fromthe edge O f the back . Whe n you have shaped the n e ck a s

THE NECK AND SCROLL 281

fa r a s po ssible w ith the kn ife , take a go od ra sp an d oblite ra te,

a s far a s po ssible , the m arks o f the kn ife,but n o m o re ; then

w ith a pa ir O f file s oblite ra te the ra sp m a rks,using a fin e flat

o n e fo r the n eck, a n d a fin e ova l o n e fo r the shoulde r a n d

chin of the scro ll . Beve l O ff the oute r edge o f the buttonjust a s m uch as (in fa ct

,to m a tch) the beve l o f the edge s

o f the fiddle . Now,w ith a sc rape r

,scrape the n e ck an d

shoulde r a s sm o o th a s po ssible,a fte r w hich give it a good

po lishing w ith coa rse san d- pape r,an d the n an o the r w ith fin e .

Now 0 a ll ove r the fiddle (e spec ia lly the side s a n d edge s),w ith n o san d - pape r

,to c le an O ff an y dirt w hich m ay have

a ccum ulated sin ce the la st rubbing, a n d having sa tisfied yourse lftha t the fiddle is a s c le an an d sm o o th a s you ca n m ake it

,your

in strum en t is fin ished “ in the w hite,

an d can at on ce be va r

n ished prepara to ry to fitting it up a n d playin g on it . I f it isin the summ e r tim e this ca n be pro ce eded w ith at on ce , a s

de scribed in Chapte r I I . but if it is in autum n o r w in te r,hang

up your fiddle,if po ssible

,in a dry gla ss ca se , o r in a w a rm room

till the re turn of the hot w ea the r, a n d it w ill be gre a tly ben efitedby this sea son ing

“ in the w hite .

”I t rem a in s

,the re fo re

,o n ly

to give in stru ctio n s fo r va rn ishing and bringing up to m e lodypo in t.

CHAPTER XXI .

THE GUARNERIUS MO D EL,WI TH WHO LE TAB LES ON AN INSI D E

MOULD .

The I n sid e Mou ld an d its Acce ssorie s— The Cram pin g B lo ck s—Th e O utlin eTh e Cen tr e -Mon te o r S id es O utlin e— Tra c in g th e Mod e l— Pr epa r in g theWoo d— Th e B lock s— Fixi ng— Sh aping

— The O’

s— The Lo w er Bo uts— TheUpper Bouts— Th e D epth of the Ribs— The Side Lin ings

— Th e Back a n d

Bel ly— The ff Ho les— Tak ing o ut th e Mo u ld— Fin ish ing th e Ribs, Lin in gs,an d Block s— Fixing on th e Be l ly— The Neck a n d Scro l l .

The I n side Mou ld a nd its Accessor ies — The first thing, a s

befo re,to dec ide upon is the m ode l

,a n d, con sequen tly, the m ould

on w hich you are go in g to build your fiddle . As I gave a m ouldof Stradiu a r iu s before

,I ha ve n ow pre sen ted m y reade rs in

P la te V. w ith a m ould of Gua rn e rius.1 I t w ill be se e n tha t thecon struction o f this m ould is quite d iffe re n t to tha t o f the on e

repre sen ted by P la te IV. I n w o rking w ith this on e w e sha ll fixo n the ribs outside the m ould

,an d the cram ping blo cks w ill be

fixed on ou tside the ribs w ith cram ps fixed in the ho le s A,B,C,D,

E,F . To m ake a m ould of this sort from a ny fiddle

,pro ce ed

,a s

be fo re,to take the outlin e on the outlin e bo a rd (Fig. o r

o the rw ise , an d having tra n sfe rred it to pape r, a nd draw n a ce n trelin e dow n the exa ct m iddle

, yo u w ill have the o utlin e O 0 0

(Fig. 17 (I t w ill be obse rved tha t on the P la te V. O 0 O

is o n ly a ha lf outlin e,but this do e s n ot m atte r

,a s w i ll be se e n

furthe r o n,fo r the tw o side s O f the fiddle w e a re c opying a re in

exa ct co n tra - facsim ile .) Now ,ata distan ce o f about in ch in side

this lin e,draw ve ry ca refully a se con d lin e

,an d you w ill ha ve the

(w ho le ) outlin e P P P (Fig. Let this se con d o r in n e routlin e be tra c ed O ff an d pa sted o n to a plan k o f ha rd w e llse a so ne d w o od :3in ch thick . Tra ce in side it the six pla c e s forthe blo cks to gO— vi z .

,I,J,K,L,M,N,a s show n in the pla te an d in

Fig. 175,a n d then cu t it o ut m o st ca re fully, a n d yo u w ill have

a m ould a s repre se n ted by Fig. 175 (w hich, how eve r, show s theThe m odels an d o utl in es of this ch apter an d of Plate V. a re tak en in the

m in ute st fac sim i le fr om a m agn ifice n t Jo seph Guarn e r iu s d e l Gesu of the date

1734. the property o f M. S a i n ton . I t is on e of th e m ost c e lebrated an d

ch ara cter istic in strum en ts o f th is g rea t m aster’

s m ak e w h ich exists.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

284 VI O LIN-MAK ING : As I T WAS AND I S .

from w hich yo u tra ce o n th e slabs the outlin e s o f you r back an dbe lly As be fo re , a ha lf outlin e (Fig . 173) ca n be taken ,

an d w illse rve the sam e purpo se , on ly it m ust be turn ed. ove r o n thecen tre lin e to tra ce the o the r ha lf o f the table . Your m oulda n d plan k outlin e s be ing n ow com ple te

, the n ext thing to do isto m ake your cram pin g blo cks, w hich a r e the sam e as de sc ribedin Chapte r X IV.

, p . 228,o n ly tha t they a re in this in stan ce m ade

to go outside the m ould in stea d O f in side,a s w a s the ca se w he n w e

w e re w o rk in g w ith an outside m ould,a n d a r e repre se n ted in

a ctua l Siz e to go w ith ou r pre sen t m ould on P la te V. by the pie ce s1 to 8. As be fo re , they a re 1% in che s de ep , a nd fit aga in st the

side s, so tha t the n um be rsw hich a r e in scribed on e a chcram ping blo ck co in cide w iththo se dra w n o n the m ould at

the po in ts oppo site which theygo , a s in Fig. 176 (w hichw ill be fully expla in ed furthe ron ). The se

,the re fo re

,ar e the

opera tio n s by w hich a m ould,

etc .,ca n be take n from

,a nd

fo r the purpo se o f Copy in ga n y fiddle

,a n d by w hich tho se

o n P la te V. w e re produced ;so tha t if m y re ade r s a r e c on

te n t to m ake a Gua rn e riusfiddle

,they have o n ly to m ake

the i r tra cin gs a n d pla n k ou t

lin e s a s de sc ribe d,from the

pla te . Fr om this po in t I sha lla ssum e that w e a r e w o rkin g

8'

o n this n ould, an d w rite a c.

F I G. 176 —Th e Cr am p in g B lo ck s of P late v . in co rdingly though , as w il l be£33123)

”gm “; th e m ou ld se en ,the pro ce sse s can be

applied to a n y m ode l,an d to av o id repea ting m y first chapte rs,

w he re (a s is gen e ra lly the ca se) the w o rk is iden tica l,I sha ll

m e re ly re fe r m y reade rs to the page s w he re they w ill find then e c e ssa ry in fo rm a tion

,should t’ have fo rgo tten the w o rk they

did be fo re . I m ay a l so repe at th at a ny o f the pro ce sse s in thefo llow ing ch npte r s, w hich diffe r from the m e thods be fo re described

,m ay be pursued w ith a ny m ode l o r outlin e

,an d any m ou ld,

w he the r in side o r outside . The m a in po in ts in w hich ou r w or k

w ill diffe r (be y o nd the m a tte r o f m ould) w ill be in the slabba ck an d the spliced he ad.

As befo re,the first thing afte r de ciding on the patte rn is the

THE GUARNERIUS MO D EL. 285

cho ice o f the w o od. As w e j o in ed o u r ba c k a n d be lly be fo re,w e

w ill n o w m ake them in o n e pie ce , an d a table in o n e pie ce m aybe e ithe r “

w ho le o r slab .

”I f yo u turn to Fig . 7 7

,p . 134 ,

the se cuttin gs a re expla in ed fo r a w ho le table a n exceptio n a lljbro ad

,fin e trun k is required

,from w hich is cu t a w edge , a s a t

Fig. 7 7,o n ly tw ice a s bro ad a s tha t the re de scribed, a n d va rying

from 2 in che s on the thick side to g on the thin side . Thisis r e -m a rked o n the e n d

,a s in Fig . 177 , by the lin e A B

,

w hich is then saw n dow n,a n d the w edge 0 thus cu t o ff i s sa w n

up in to a s m any thin strips, 112 11

—15 in ch thick, a s ca n be

cut,from w he n ce a r e cu t the ribs, w hich thus m a tch the ba ck

in gra in , e tc .,w hich is a gre a t beauty in a fiddle w ith a w ho le

ba ck . Fo r a slab ba ck the pla n ks a r e cu t ou t o f the trun k,a s

at Fig. 77 , w hich style o f cutting show s the gr a in o f the w o od

run n in g r ound the ba ck in se rpen tin e ova ls,w hich fo llow the

o utlin e o f the fiddle,w ith the cu r ls o r figu r e o f the w o od run n ing

a c ro ss from right to le ft in gre a te r qua n tity, but n a rrow e r, tha nthey appe a r o n ba cks ou t “

o n the qua rte r, Whe the rO

Who le o r

jo in ed. I have cho se n the slab ba c k be cause I t I S Sim ple r tow o rk an d ha s a ve ry‘ pre tty e ffe ct.The str i s fo r the ribs cu t an d c

sto red,a s

[bu page 135

,a n d the

blo ck fo r the n e ck,m ust be se le cted

Fm 177 ._Wedge ou t fo r w h o le

o f a sm a ll, c lo se curl, to m atch B a ck .

an d co n tra st w ith the ba ck . I sha ll a lso a ssum e tha t y o uhave go t a pie ce o f be lly pin e of suffic ie n t siz e a n d qua l ity(a ttribute s ve ry difficult to fin d together ) to m ake a be lly o f

go od a coustic prope rtie s . I f y o u ca n n o t fin d this,an d y o u

c an n o t get supplied by a go o d fiddle - m a ke r,m ake yo ur be lly

jo in ed a s de scribed o n page 133, w hich is m uch be tte r than touse a single pie ce w ho se gra in is m uch w ide r at o n e edge of thebe lly than at the oppo site o n e . (Be fo re reje cting a slab a s to on a rro w vide the expedien t fo r in c re a sin g the bre adth set dow n on

page The se pre lim in a rie s having be e n se ttled an d a rran ged,let us, gen tle read e r, sta rt fo rth aga in toge the r to m ake o u r

secon d fiddle , a n d m ay the succe ss which I trust a tte n ded ou r

first effo rts a tten d us aga in n ow .

The B locks — The se a r e the com m en cem en t of a fiddle o n an

in side m ould. Fo r them y ou m ust take six little re cta n gula r pie ce sof fin e -

gra in ed pin e , a s in F ig. 141,w hich w h e n set up on edge

With the gra in perpe ndicula r to the ben ch) have a ll equa l lya depth o f 1% in che s w ith the top surfa c e s, a s fo llow s : Tw ofo r the top a nd bottom blo cks

,2% in che s by 1 tw o fo r the uppe r

co rn e rs,1 by 1 ; an d tw o fo r the low e r co rn e rs, 1 by The bo ttomedge of e ach m ust be squa re to on e side , an d bo th e n ds of the

286 VI OLIN-MAKING : AS I T WAS AND i s.

top an d bo ttom blo cks m ust be squared to the side s thus squared.

Tw o side s of ea ch co rn e r blo ck m ust be squared to on e an o the r.Cu t dow n the top an d bo ttom blo cks till they just fit n ice ly (n otto o tight o r too loo se ) in to the cuts K an d N

,P la te V.

, an dFig. 175

,m ade to rece ive them . When fitted

,rough the low e r

ha lf o f the side tha t goe s aga in st the m ould,a n d glue it to the

low e r pla te o f the m ould (gluing the side on ly , n ot the en ds) soa s to pre sen t in section the appea ran ce o f Fig . 178

,B repre sen ting

the m ould,a n d C the blo ck . The top a n d

bo ttom blo ck s,w hen glued, m ust be cram ped

to the m ould by iron c ram ps from the ho le sA a n d H

,Pla te V. The c o rn e r blo cks a r e

m e re ly fitted to the cuttin gs I , J , L, a n d M,

P late V.,an d Fig. 175, the low e r ha lf o f

Fm 178.

— S e cti on of blockon e side o f ea ch roughed a n d glued, an d set

fixed m m ou ld . in the cuttings w ithout c ram ps, in the sam e

m a n n e r a s the top a n d bottom blocks , an d the w ho le is then set

to dry , pre sen ting the appea ran ce of Fig. 175. I t w ill be se entha t all proje ct just be low the m ould (a s be low the do tted lin eA,Fig. 178) this is so to gua rd aga in st the ir n ot be ing se t

quite flush w ith the low e r surfa ce o f the m ould . All be low the

low e r surfa c e o f the m ould m ust n ow be rem oved by turn ing thew ho le con ce rn ove r

,w e tting the thus pre sen ted bo ttom s of the

blo cks,an d pla n ing them dow n w ith a to o thed plan e till they a re

e ve n,an d plan e a n d true to the low e r

surfa ce o f the m ould,so tha t a stra ight

e dge m oved a ll ove r the surfa c e show sn o light a n d catche s on n o thing. Noww ith the m ould (o r ribs outlin e

,Fig.

174,P P P

,P la te V.) m a rk o n the top

an d bo ttom o f the top an d bo ttomblo cks w ha t w o od ha s to be rem ovedto m ake the outlin e con tin uous a t topan d bo ttom

,an d by this m ean s m ake

the top an d bo ttom blo cks eve n w ith,

a n d part of,the outlin e

,as at K ,

P la te Fm . 179.- D iagram expla in in g th e

V.

,be in g ca re ful

,how eve r

,to ke ep cu tti ng o f th e cor n e r b lock s .

them quite true an d squa re to the bo ttom o r flushed edge s and

low e r surfa ce o f the m ould . Now laying the outlin e aga in ove rthe blocks

,so tha t

,a s befo re , it co in c ide s exactly w ith the outlin e

o f the m ould,m a rk w ith a sharp po in t the exa ct shape o r outlin e

of the co rn ers . Cut aw ay m o st o f the supe rfluous w o od by(carefully) rem oving the w ood represen ted by the shaded pa rt ofFig. 179, outside the blo ck , an d by cutting dow n the lin e s A

,B

and B, 0. Next,w ith a gouge , cu t aw ay the rem a in ing w o od D

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 88 VI OLIN-MAKING : As I T WAs AND 18.

set in the ho le s D a n d E. The e n ds o f the 0’

s m ust be pre ssedtight up aga in st the glued blo cks, by pushing in betw e en theman d the c ram ping blo cks, at the t0p a n d bo ttom o f the la tte r

,

little w edge s a n d chips o f w ood,so a s to e n sure a c lo se an d firm

co n ta c t be tw e en the e n ds o f the 0’s an d the in n e r o r glued

surfa c e s o f the corn e r blo cks. The edge s o f the 0’s jutting just

be low the low e r su rfa c e o f the m ould (in the sam e w ay a s didthe blo cks be low the lin e A

, Fig. 178) m ust, w he n the glue isdry, be fi led do w n flush a n d plan e w ith the low e r surfa ce s ofthe m ould an d blo cks . La stly

,reduce to m a n ageable length

the e n ds o f the C ’s w hich proje ct beyo n d the c orn e rs . The n extope ra tio n is th e cuttin g to outlin e o f the ou te r face s o f the

blo ck s E ,Fig. 179

,which m ust be don e in the sam e w ay a s the

in n e r face s, ke eping them quite squa re to the plan e surfa ce o f themould, blocks, an d 0

’ s . I n cutting this fa ce y ou w ill m ake the0

’s w o rk in to the outlin e by cuttingthem to a po in t

,a s a t A in Fig. 180.

When this is sa fe ly an d corre ctly a ecomplished,yo u c an pro ce ed to ben d a n d fitthe uppe r an d low e r bouts

,begin n ing

w ith the la tte r. First ben d a n d fitthe e nds w hich fit aga in st the co rn e rblo cks an d w hich a re pro te cted w ithlin e n

,an d then the re st o f the strips

,

a fte r w hich you m ust m ake the jo inat the bo ttom . This is don e by takinge ach low e r bout (a s fitted) sepa ra te ly,a n d

,se tting it on the m ould

,m a rk

o n the ed e the o in t w he re it isF I

gioilg

g.

a

—

I lgl

fdis

nh

figgtfigi ifig

n er

to uched bygthe ce n tiie lin e draw n dow n

the m ould from this m a rk,by m ean s o f a square

,draw a lin e

ac ro ss the strip, a s de sc ribed o n page 233, fit the o the r low e rbout sim i la rly , a nd if your m a rking an d cutting have be en trueto the c en tre lin e o f the m ould

,a perfe ct jo in w ill be the re sult.

The jo in be ing thus m ade,an d the en ds of the low e r bouts fre ed

an d cle a n ed from glue , lin e n , e tc .

,soap the side s of the m ould

(carefully avo iding the blo cks), an d coa ting the bo ttom blo ckan d the still expo sed surfa ce s o f the low e r co rn e r blo cks a nd thebeve l at the e n ds o f the C’s w ith glue , fix the low e r bouts to them ould by m e an s of cram ps w ith the c ram ping blo cks 6, 7, a n d8 P la te V.

,in the sam e m an n er an d po sition a s you fixed the

C s. The uppe r bouts a r e n ext fitted in a prec i se ly sim i larm an n e r, o n ly tha t yo u n e ed n ot tro uble to m ake a c lo se j om at

the top. Now cu t do wn the proje cting pie ce s o f the co rn e rs,and m ake them square to the m ould

,a s in Fig. 180, by m ean s

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

290 VI OLIN-MAKING : AS I T WAS AND I S .

(a s cu t) w ith a file and San d- pape r,to sm o o th a n d so fte n the ir

in n e r surfa ce s,a n d

,a s fa r a s you can go at pre se n t

,the in side

o f the fiddle i s fin ished . F in a lly, go right roun d the outside

o f the ribs w ith a Sha rp sc rape r,so a s to rem ove a ll dirt an d

in equa l itie s,a n d m ake the exte rio r tho roughly sm o o th w ith tw o

degre e s o f san d - pape r,a fte r w hich

,the ribs be ing,

a s fa r a s you

can go fo r the pre sen t, fin ished, they ca n be put aw ay in a draw e ro r e lsew he re ou t o f ha rm ’s w ay till the ba ck is re ady to go on .

B a ck a n d B elly— The slabs prepared fo r the se be ing a ll in

o n e pie ce, you w ill n ot have to j o in them . I t is

,how eve r

,ve ry

im po rtan t tha t the e n tire slab have a fin e even gra in a l l ove r,

n ot c lo se at on e edge an d w ide at the o the r,a s is the ca se

i f the slab ha s be en cu t from a sm a ll tre e . I t co n sequen tlysom e tim e s happe n s that a pie ce o f w o od m ay be exce lle n t a c ro ssall its breadth, excepti ng fo r the la st in ch o r so

,w hich is cou se

que n tly cu t o ff. I n this ca se,the outlin e m ode l be ing pla ced

upo n it, the low e r bout w ill ove rhan g o n e edge (o r , in o the r

w o rds,the w o od w ill be to o n a rrow fo r th e m ode l) . This m ay

be rem edied a s fo llow s Roughly tra ce the o utlin e on the w o od,

F I G. 181.— S tra d i v a r i an B lo ck .

m a rking o n the edge the pa rt w hich is to o n a rrow ; you can

n o w,w ith a bow - saw

, cu t o u t a little strip from in side on e of

the 0’s , a n d m aking bo th fa ce s plan e , glue it edgew ise to the

e dge w here the n a rrow n e ss is appa ren t. I f n e ce ssa ry you can

do this on bo th side s o f the slab ; the piece s thus added m atchinge xactly in gra in , a n d be ing w e ll jo in ed

,the ir pre se n ce w il l be

un disce rn ible un de r the va rn ish,e spe c ia lly w he n fu rthe r hidden

oy the purfling, a n d by this m e an s yo u w ill be able to utiliz e a

slab o f w ood a coustica l ly a n d o the rw ise de sirable,tha t w ithout

this expedien t yo u could o n ly u se fo r a sm a lle r in strum en t,if

at a ll. Your pla te s be ing of the prope r Siz e,m ake o n e side

quite pla n e , a s de scribed o n page 240. I f y ou a r e w o rk ing a

slab (a s I am pre sum ing y o u a r e ), the ba ck pla te w ill be of a

n ea rly eve n thickn e ss throughout, so ca n be m arked at o n ce ;bu t if it is to be a

“w ho le ” ba ck

,it w il l be a lo ng, thin

w edge , as in Fig . 177,an d m ust be cut aw ay o n o n e side a s

the r e show n (saving the slips thus got, a s I have sa id befo re , fo rthe ribs), an d the table s prepa red fo r m a rking, a s o n page 240(Fig. Yo u ca n n ow m a rk the outlin e s by m ean s of the

THE GUARNERIUS MO D EL. 291

m ode l,Fig. 173 (0, 0, 0,

P la te m a rking on e - half o f th e

outlin e,a n d then turnn ove r the m ode l a n d m a rking the o the r

(un le ss yo u ha ve a w ho le outl in e m ode l) . This be ing don e , outit o ut a s ca re fully a s you po ssibly ca n ,

a s be fo re se t dow n (pageThe n shape the m ode l o r a rching o f the ba ck a n d be lly

w ith gouge , ova l pla n e s, a n d sc rape rs exa c tly a s be fo re,usin g

the a rching m ode ls 1A,2A

,3A

,4A

, 5A,P la te V.

,w hich a r e the

a rchin g m ode ls o f the cha ra c te ristic Gua rn erius pa tte rn w e a r e

w o rking a t,a n d a r e the sam e fo r bo th ba ck a n d be lly. (I t w ill

be rem em be red tha t fo r Stradiu a r iu s w e used d iffe ren t a rchingm ode ls fo r the ba ck a n d be lly.) The po in ts a tw hich the a rchingm ode l s m ust fit the table s a r e Show n by the n um be rs o n the sho r tlin e s a cro ss the ce n tre lin e dow n the m ould. Whe n the ro u ghgougin g is do n e , gauge a lin e roun d the edge o f the pla te spe rpen dicula r to the plan e su rfa c e ), a s de scribed o n page 241,1% from the fla t side

,a n d w ith the gouge a n d ova l pla n e s fin e

dow n the roun ded surfa ce w ith the m ode ls. Then gauge aga i nan othe r lin e in ch from the flat side

,a n d w ith a kn ife pa re

dow n the edge (so a s to fo rm a beve l o n the a rched s ide ) tothis un ifo rm thickn e ss a l l roun d ; the n w ith an ova l pla n e

,pla n e

roun d the edge o f the a rched surfa ce s so a s to m e lt this beve lin to the a rchin g y ou have a lready got, still w o rk ing a n d co r

r e cting w ith the m ode ls . Now w ith a file,sm o o th ro un d this

oute r m a rgin o f the a rched side,a n d m ake a gro ove a n d m e lt

it in to the a rching, a s de scribed on page 243. This don e,fin a lly

ge t the a rching o n bo th pla te s exa ctly to co in c ide w ith the

m ode ls,a n d your pla te s w ill be ready to scrape . This is do n e

a s befo re de scribed, p . 243,sc raping, w e tting, a n d r e - sc raping

un til the requisite degree o f sm o othn e ss a n d equa lity ha s be ena tta in ed . Now m a rk the f f ho le s a cco rding to the patte rnshow n in P la te VI .

,w hich repre sen ts the pa ir o f f f ho les

be longing to the Gua rn e rius fiddle w e a re n ow m a king . Bo thf f ho le s, a n d the ir po sition in the be lly a r e. show n

,a s the

pe culia r cha ra cte r o f the fiddle in que stion is tha t they a re

slightly diffe re n t, a n d on e is highe r than the o the r,all ve ry

ugly, doubtle ss, but ve ry cha ra cte ristic a n d in te re sting. Fin dthe exa ct ce n tre s betw e en the uppe r

,m iddle

,a n d low e r bouts

,

an d con n e ct them w ith a lin e as set fo rth o n p . 253. Ca ll thislin e (on the be lly) A B . Mak e an f ho le m ode l by pa sting a

tra c ing o f the uppe r figure o f P late VI . on to a lea f o f ve n e e r,

an d cutting ou t the tw o ff ho le s . Now set this m ode l on thebe lly w ith the lin e A B on the m ode l co in c iding w ith the lin e on

the be lly,an d tra ce the tw o f f

’

s as you did be fore (p .

Next pun ch ou t the uppe r an d low e r ho le s o f the f f’

S,a s pre

scr ibed o u p . 256,an d pro ceed to gouge out the back and belly

292 VI O LIN- MAK ING : AS IT WAS AND I s .

to the requisi te thickn e sse s a s set do w n on pp . 248 an d 256,plan ing, sc raping, a n d fin ishing the edge s as be fo re (p .

a fte r w h ich the ba ck w ill be ready to be glu ed on . Tak e

the m ould (roun d w hich the side s a re se t a s they w e re le ft o np. a n d se tting it o n the back, se e i f the side s fit the backn ice ly ; if they do , you can clean off the low e r edge s of the

side s,lin ings, a n d blo cks, an d prepa re them fo r the glue a s set

dow n o n p . 249, a n d im m ediate ly fit on the ba ck a n d glu e it a s

befo re de scribed (p. I t is n ot, how eve r, im po ssible thatthe side s or the ba ck m ay have Shrun k a little

,so tha t the edge s

do n ot appe a r even when the ribs (on the m ould) a r e set on the

ba ck in this ca se take the ribs o ff the m ould by fo rc in g a

table - kn ife be tw e en the glu ed side s of the blo ck s an d the m ould,

a n d care fully ea sing O ff the Side s. B e sure tha t the ribs a r e

w e ll separated from the m ou ld befo re you slip them off. Som e

tim e s, in spite of the m o st careful soapin g (v idc p. a

drop o f glue w ill adhe re to the m ould,a n d the ribs w ill stick to

the m ould a t that po in t in this ca se the rib m ust be ca re fullyprised o ff w ith the table - kn ife be fo re a ttem pting to slip themo ff the m ould . When Sl ipped off

,the ribs m ust be fitted to the

back an d glued a s de scribed on p . 249. This don e,the n ext

thing w ill be to cut the rem a in in g o r uppe r ha lve s o f the topa n d bo ttom blo cks on ly to shape in the sam e w ay a s the low erha lve s w e re

,shaping them exa ctly so a s to be qu ite pe rpen dicula r

to the plan e o f the fiddle then pro ce ed to put in the uppe r sidelin ings. This is don e exa ctly a s the low e r o n e s w e re

,o n ly that

at the co rn e r- blo cks having on ly ha lf a blo ck to cut in to youm ust be ve ry cautious

,a n d guide the kn ife ve ry ca re fully

,to

avo id splittin g them right do w n in m aking the gro ove s in theco rn er- blocks to re ce ive the lin in gs o f the C’s o r in n e r bouts.When the se a r e set, the co rn e r- blo cks m ay be cu t to shape likethe o the rs

,an d the lin ings a ll roun d beve lled off, and pla n ed an d

filed dow n leve l w ith the tops o f the ribs ; the in side s of theribs a re then tho roughly c le an ed w ith w a ter and san d- pape r,a ll w hich Ope ra tio n s have be e n de scribed be fo re fully, and don ot require repe tition . The be lly duly fin ished

,a s de scribed on

p . 260,is then set on the ribs in the m a n n e r the re de scr ibed

,

and the body o f the fiddle is then com ple ted by the additio n o f

the pu rfling, a s de sc ribed o n p . 262,so tha t yo u have n ow on ly

to carve the scro ll,fit it o n a n e ck

,a n d pla ce it on the fiddle in

the m a n n er set dow n be low .

Neck a n d Scr o ll.— As the he ad w ill first be fin ished a n d then'

s liced on to the n eck, w e a re a t pre sen t co n ce rn ed on ly w i th

0 head o r scro ll, the outlin e m ode l o f w hich (w hich should betraced o ff

,pa sted o n a le a f of w o od

,a nd ou t ou t) w ill he foun d

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER XXI I .

VARNI SH ING AND FI TTING U I ‘.

Sta in ir.g— Vam ishin g

— Po li sh in g— Fittin g the Fi nge rb oa rd— Fixin g th e Nu tFin ishin g th e Nut a n d Fin ge r

- bo a rd w ith th e Nec k— F ittin g the PegsFin ish in g th e Pegs— F i ttin g a n d F ix in g th e Ta i l

-

pi n— Fittin g th e Ta i l

-

pi e ce

an d Loop— Settin g up the Sou n d

-

po st— Th e Str i ngs

—Cutting a n d Fittin gth e Br idge— F in is l

ENF IN O’

Esr UN VI O LON.— Our fiddle is fin ished “ in the

w hite,

”o ur va rn ish ha s been ca re fully prepa red , a n d w e a r e

re ady to lay it on . This ope ra tio n m ust n ot be com m e n ced tillthe e n d o f May , o r the begin n in g o f Jun e at the la te st

,w he n w e

can be sure o f a spe ll o f fin e ho t w ea the r in w hich to do o u r

w o rk . The fiddle m ust be ca re fully w a shed w ith c lea n w a te rall ove r

,SO a s to rem ove a n y dirt w hich m ay have a ccum ula ted

the la st touche s m ust be put (if required) w ith sa n d- pape r a n d file ,an d the w o rk ca n pro ce ed a t o n ce . Begin by siz ing o r sta in ingthe fiddle a ll ove r

,bright ye llow w hen I say a ll ove r

,I m ea n

the w ho le o f the body a nd the sho ulde r,an d the head the n e ck

w ill be le ft, be in g subsequen tly va rn ished a s he re a fte r set

dow n . The be st sta in m ay be m ade a s fo llow s : Ge t som e

gam boge , a s pure a n d un adulte rated a s po ssible,a n d som e pure

spirits o f w in e ; poun d up the gam boge a n d put it in to the

Spirit in a phia l fo r tw o o r thre e days,shakin g it up w hen eve r

you thin k o f it a s O fte n a s po ssible . The abso lute ly puregu m w ill be disso lved

,leaving a ll the im puritie s an d in so luble

pa rts a t the bo ttom o f the phia l,in the fo rm o f sedim en t ; the

so lution thus fo rm ed w i ll be qu ite tr a n sp a r en t, o f a m agn ifice n tr ed c o lou r. Te st it by brush in g a drop o r tw o o n to a pie ce o f

w o od, w he n ,if it appe a rs a fin e ye llow co lour

,it is right, a n d

w ill do . This so lutio n o f gam boge , this co loured siz ing, thispre lim in ary sta in (ca ll it w ha t yo u w ill), m ust n ow

,be ca re fully

la id on,begin n in g w ith the he ad . Fo r this purpo se u se a cam e l

ha ir bru sh of thefin est qu a lity , having a diam e te r o f about ha lfan in ch at a fir st- c la ss a r tists’ co lourm a n

’s it w ill co st yo u fromsix to e ight shillin gs. Let the brush be w e ll filled with sta in(but n ot ove r- filled a n d sopped) , an d lay it o n qu ickly a n d

care fully a ll ove r,m issing n o spot w hich it w ill be n e ce ssa ry to

VARNI SHING AND FITTING UP . 295

go back to : w o rk a s qu ickly a s p ossible, n ever go in g ove r th esam e groun d tw ice , n o r putting o n e co a t ove r a n o the r

,fo r this

dye sin ks in at o n ce,an d if you touch a surfa ce w ith I t tw ice

,o r

re touch it a fte r it i s la id o n,it w ill infa llihlg turn o u t streaky

an d blo tchy . P ractise,be fo re touching your fiddle , o n a pla n ed

plan k of dea l,fo r on ce the harm is don e it ca n n o t be 11 .n don e

Afte r do ing the scro ll, go roun d the ribs, the n a ll ove r the ba ck,

then a ll ove r the be l ly (n o t fo rge tting the in side o f the f f ho le s),a nd fin a lly roun d the edges, be ing ca l

O

e fu l l n brushing roun d theedge s n ot to re touch the ba ck, be lly, o r side s . This w a sh w ill dryve ry quickly

,an d a s so on a s it is dry lay on your first coa t o f

va rn ish,pro ce edin g l n exa c tly the sam e w ay, exceptin g tha t a s

it do e s n o t dry I n at on ce you n e ed n otbe I n a hurry,but ca n go

ca re ful ly,ba ckw a rds a n d fo rw a rds

, ge ttin g o n an even c oa t. a s

thin a n d sm o o th a s po ssible,n ot c logged un de r the edge s o r in

the angle s o f the scro ll . Whe n this co a t is la id on,ha n g up the

fiddle to dry in the lighte st, ho tte st, drye st, sun n ie st pla ce youcan ; in the ho tte st w e a the r it w ill take at lea st tw e n ty- fourhours ; in po o r w eathe r

,o r i f y o u have la id the varn ish on to o

thick,it w ill take lon ge r . When it is qu ite dry , go ove r the

fiddle care fully w ith a fin e kn ife , rem ovin g a ny bla cks, dust,ha irs

,flie s

,e tc .

,etc .

,w hich m ay have stuck to it, an d lay on

an o the r coa t in the sam e m an n e r'

a s at first,the n e ck be in g

a lw ay s le ftba re (by w h ich it m ay be he ld), a n d a spike , stick, o rbrush ha n dle be ing pushed in to the ho le m ade to re ce ive the

ta il- pin (w hen it is fin ished), a lso to ho ld it by in this w ay the

va rn ished fiddle m ay be fre e ly ha n dled w ithout fea r o f touching the va rn ish a n d le aving m a rks

,w hich is a fa ta lity m o st

stren uou sly to be gua rded aga in st. The fiddle should be hungup by a strin g tied tightly roun d the un va rn ished n eck

,w ith

a lo op in fron t to ha n g o n a n a il it m ust han g quite fre e , a n d

so a s n o t to touch a nything. Whe n the se co nd coa t is quitedry, pro ce ed a s be fo re to rem ove eve ry tra ce o f bla cks o r o the rim puritie s

,an d a fte r tha t go ove r the en tire fiddle w ith a pie ce

of the ve ry fin e st san d - pape r,n ot ha rd en ough to brin g off the

varn ish ,but just so a s to po lish the su rface the re o f, a n d rem ove

the fin e laye r o f dust w hich a lm o st in fa llibly w ill a dhe re to the

va rn ish in dry ing. This do n e,pro ceed to lay o n tw o m ore

c o at'} (the third an d fourth) in a pre c ise ly sim ila r m an n e r.The Se tw o should co n sist o f a ra the r deepe r- co loured va rn ishthan the first tw o

,an d it w ill be a lre ady n o tic ed tha t the fla ring

ye llow o f the pre lim in a ry w a sh is be com ing tem pe red an d

m odified by the v a rn isL,o f w hich it is n ot n e ce ssa ry to say

anythin g furthe r l n this pla ce . Go on varn ishin g in this w ay ,

u si ng a de epe r—co loured va rn ish fo r e ach tw o co a tsb

till the fiddle

CHAPTER XX I I .

VARNI SH ING AND F I TTING UP.

Sta in in g— Va rn ishin g

— Po li sh in g— Fittin g th e Finge r-board— Fixin g th e Nu t

F in ishin g th e Nut a n d Fin ge r-boa rd w ith th e Nec k— Fittin g the Pegs

Fin ish in g th e Pegs— Fittin g a n d F ix in g th e Ta i l

-

pi n— Fittin g the Ta i l

-

pi ece

an d Loop— Settin g u p the Sou n d

-

po st— Th e Str ings

— Cutting a n d Fittin gth e Br idge— Fin is l

ENF IN O’

EST UN VI O LON.— Our fiddle is fin ished “ in the

w hite ,” o ur va rn ish ha s be e n ca re fully prepa red , a n d w e a r e

re ady to lay it on . This ope ra tio n m ust n ot be com m e n ced tillthe e n d o f May , o r the begin n ing o f Jun e at the la te st

,w he n w e

can be sure o f a spe ll o f fin e ho t w ea the r in w hich to do ou r

w o rk . The fiddle m ust be ca re fully w a shed w ith c lea n w a te ra ll ove r

,so a s to rem ove a n y dirt w hich m ay have a ccum ula ted

the la st touche s m ust be put (if required) w ith san d- pape r a n d file ,an d the w o rk ca n pro ce ed a t on ce . B egin by siz ing o r sta in ingthe fiddle a ll ove r

,bright ye llow w hen I say a ll ove r

,I m ean

the w ho le o f the body a n d the sho ulde r,an d the head the n e ck

w ill be le ft,be in g subsequen tly va rn ished a s he re afte r set

do w n . The be st sta in m ay be m ade a s fo l low s Ge t som egam boge , a s pure a n d un adulte rated a s po ssible

,a n d som e pure

spirits o f w in e ; poun d up the gam boge a n d put it in to the

Spirit in a phia l fo r tw o o r thre e days,Shaking it up w hen eve r

yo u thin k o f it a s o fte n a s po ssible . The abso lute ly puregum w ill be disso lved

,leaving a ll the im purities an d in so luble

pa rts a t the bo ttom o f the phia l,in the fo rm of Sedim en t ; the

so lution thus fo rm ed w ill be qu ite tr a n sp a r en t, o f a m agn ifice n tr ed co lour. Te st it by brush in g a drop o r tw o o n to a pie ce o f

w o od, w he n ,if it appe a rs a fin e ye llow co lour

,it is right, a n d

w ill do . This so lutio n o f gam boge , this co loured siz ing, thispre lim in ary sta in (ca ll it w ha t y o u w ill) , m ust n ow

,be ca re ful ly

la id on,begin n in g w ith the he ad . Fo r this purpo se u se a cam e l

ha ir brush o f thefin est qua lity , having a diam e te r of about ha lfan in ch at a fir st- cla ss a r tists’

co lourm a n’s it w ill co st yo u from

six to e ight shillin gs. Let the brush be w e ll filled with sta in(but n ot ove r- filled a n d sopped) , an d lay it o n qu ickly a n d

carefully a ll ove r,m issing n o spo t w hich it w ill be n e ce ssa ryr to

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

296 VIOLIN-MAK ING : a s I T WAS AND 18.

ha s seven or e ight coats, a lw ays be ing care fu l to rem ove anydust

,bla cks

,fl ie s

,o r o ther im puritie s which m ay have stuck to

the fiddle be fore laying on a co at,an d be tw e en e a ch tw o coa ts

leve lling any lum ps o r ridge s w ith a pie ce of the fin est sandpaper. Afte r the seven th o r e ighth coa t

,take a kn ife an d scrape

the va rn ish off down to the wood roun d the beve lled outlin e o f thescro ll

,a n d a long the edges o f the ribs w he re they m e e t at the

co rn e rs,at right angle s to the pla n e o f the in strum e n t. The se

lin e s m ust n ow be cove red w ith black,so tha t w hen fin ished the

outlin e o f the scr o ll (ba ck, fron t, an d vo lute ) a n d the en ds o f thebouts (at the corn e rs) w il l be a cce n tua ted by a bla ck lin e ; theprope r bla ck w ith w hich to do this is the o rdin ary stick I ndianin k

,w hich is to be had of an y a rtists’ co lour m e rchan t. Afte r

this,fin ish the va rn ishing by con tin uin g to lay on coa t a fte r

co at,a s thin a s po ssible

,a n d a lw ays takin g ca re tha t on e coa t

i s dry , c lea n,an d sm o o th befo re layin g o n an o ther

,un til the

requisite ton e a n d substa n ce a re obta in ed. This w ill requirefrom tw e lve to fiftee n c oa ts

,a cco rding to the n a ture an d qua lity

o f the w o od an d va rn ish .

The fiddle is n ow fin ished an d va rn ished it m u st be hun g upfo r at lea st a m on th

,if n ot tw o o r three

,to dry thor oughly

befo re fitting it up . P e rson a lly,I pre fe r the cre am y

appe a ran ce o f the va r n ish in its pre sen t sta te to th e un n a tura lm irror- like po lish w hich is gen e ra lly se e n on a n ew fiddle

,but

if this is de sired the va rn ish m ust be a l low ed to dry tho roughly,a n d after som e m on ths ca re fully po l ished a s be low de scribed, tillit is sm oo th a s gla ss . Othe rw ise

,a fte r a m on th o r so the fiddle

m ay be fitted up a s is he re a fte r set dow n ; be fo re do ing so,how

eve r,it is w e ll to rem ove the extrem e roughn e ss o r cakin e ss w hich

w ill be pre sen t un le ss the va rn ish is o f a pa rticula rly pe rfectde sc ription , by dipping a slip o f the fin e st san d - pape r in w a tera n d rubbing it quickly ove r the surfa ce o f the be lly ; the backm ay r em a in a s it is un le ss it is particula rly lum py. When the

va rn ish is ve ry tho roughly dry , you can po lish it to produce tha tgla ssy sm oo thn e ss w hich is by som e co n side red a great beauty .

d egin by rubbing the surfa ce of the va rn ish ca re fully w ith a

rag dipped in fin e ly- pow de red pum ice - ston e

,having first dropped

a few drops of o il on the surface o f the fiddle ; this m ust be don eca refully a ll ove r the fiddle w he re va rn ished till the surfa ce isquite sm oo th . But be m ost ca reful n ot to bring off the va rn ish.

Then repea t the pro ce ss w ith o il an d fin ely- pulve riz ed Tripo li

till the surface s a r e quit po lished ; n ow rub the fiddlesm a rtly all ove r w ith an old silk han dkerchie f till the surfa ceis quite gla ssy ; fin a lly go ove r the po l ished surfa ce s w ith a fin elin en r ag and dry Tripo li, by w hich tim e the po lish w ill be

VARNI SHING AND FITTING UP . 297

pe rfect, a n d n eeds on ly a n occa sion a l rub w ith an old silk han dke rchief to pre se rve its m irro r- l ike appe a ra n ce .

F itting tip— Now fo llow s the adapta tio n to yo ur fiddle o f

tho se fittings of w hich I have exha u stive ly tre a ted in a fo rm e rchapte r ; an d the first ope ra tio n is the fi tting of the finge r

- boa rd.

At o n e tim e it w a s n e ce ssa ry fo r vio lin - m ake rs to m ake the iro w n finge r

- bo a rds ou t o f the so lid e bo ny,w hich w a s a grea t

labour,but n ow they m ay be bo ught ready- m ade o f fir st- ra te

qua lity,and o n ly re quire fitting to the fiddle in han d. The ir

d im en sion s a s thus so ld a r e 10% in che s long, 1 in ch bro ad at the

top, in ch at the bro ad en d , an d having an un i fo rm thickn e ssdow n the side s of fi in ch . They a re so ld prope rly c u rved on

the uppe r surface,but the ir co rre ctn e ss m ay be checked by

m e an s of the n e ck-

guide , Fig. 172 ; the sca llops, o a n d D,at the

side s o f the guide repre se n ting the top a n d bo ttom o f the

finge r- boa rd prope rly curved. I f you a r e fitting a finge r

boa rd to a n ew fiddle,it is a s yo u le ft it 011 page 281, w ith

a fa lse fingen boa rd o n it : this must be prised o ff w ith a n

o ld table - kn ife ; if you a r e fitting a finge r- bo a rd to a n ew

n e ck on ly,a s set fo rth in Chapter XXI I I .

,this w ill n o t be

required. Com m en ce by pla n ing the fron t o f the n e ck quitec lea r o f all glue , pen cil m a rks

,o r in den ta tion s fo rm ed by the

pre ssure o f the cram p by w hich it has be e n fixed to the fiddle .

The n at a he ight o f exa c tly 5—1-3-5 in che s from the ribs (n otfrom the edge o f the fiddle ) m a rk a lin e a cro ss the n e ck

,

w hich w ill be the uppe r boun da ry of the finge r- bo ard

,a n d

con sequ en tl the low e r boun da ry o f the n u t. Now take yourfinge r

- bo ardyan d m ake the top (o r n a rrow e n d) exa ctly squa re,

by m ean s of the “ fa lse squa re in the o rdin a ry m an n e r thisdon e

,set the finge r

- bo ard,curved side dow n w a rds

,in the ho lde r

,

Fig. 17 1,in w hich w e m ade ou r fa lse finge r

- bo a rd,a n d w ith a

fin e plan e m ake the un de r surfa ce quite pla n e a n d sm o o th .

Now place the uppe r e n d on the n ut lin e , an d se e how

w e a re ge tting on ; a stra ight- edge la id a lo ng the finge r‘

bo ard ought to exten d 131,- in ch above the be lly in the cen trebe tw e e n the n icks o f the ff ho le s . I f it do e s n ot do so

,the

low e r e n d o f the fa ce o f the n eck a n d the un de r surfa ce of the

finge r- bo a rd m ust be plan ed aw ay un til this re quired he ight is

a tta in ed. Now fin d the exact cen tre be tw e en the n icks o f the

ff ho le s in the usua l w ay w ith com pa sse s,an d prick a sm a ll

m a rk . Assum ing tha t the lo w e r e n d o f the finge r- boa rd is

truly squa re to the le ngth (a s a sce rta in ed by the fa lse square),the tw o low e r co rn e rs o f the finge r

- bo ard w ill be at an equa ldistan ce from this m a rk a com pa ss open ed from this po in tto one co rn e r of the finge r

- boa rd, exa ctly rea che s the o the r a lso

298 VI O LIN- MAK ING : AS IT WAS AND I S .

from the po in t, a n d the finge r- bo a rd m ust be shifted till this

true se ttin g is obta in ed . O n a full- siz ed fiddle the le ngth fromthe n ut lin e to this po in t (the bridge ) is j ust 13 in che s ; o f

c ourse in a la rge o r sm a ll m ode l this len gth w ill va ry, so do

n ot m in d i f yo u have n o t go t it. The curved low e r e n d o f

the finge r- boa rd is a lw ays ho llow ed ou t

,a n d the edge thus

pre se n ted should be a shade thin n e r than the thickn e ss dow nthe side s.O n the r eadyu m ade finge r

- bo ards o f com m erce,this e n d is

gen e ra lly thick, so it m ust be reduced to prope r propo rtio n s bygauging roun d this low e r e n d to the thickn e ss o f the side s w iththe gaugin g com pa sse s A

,Fig. 126

,an d cutting o u t a n d fin ishin g

the ho llo w ing o u t o f the u n de r surfa ce j ust beyo nd the lin e thusgauged ; th is ho l low in g is begun w ith the kn i fe an d a sm a llgouge , a n d fin ished off n ea tly a n d sm o o thly w ith a roun d file

,

(Fig. a scrape r,a n d san d - pape r o f va rious degre e s. Now

w ith the to o thed pla n e just pla n e ove r,so a s slightly to rough the

un de r side o f th e finge r- bo a rd w he re it is to touch the fa ce o f

the n e ck itse lf. Wa rm the un de r side o f the fin ge r- bo ard w e ll

ove r a lam p,so tha t it sha ll n o t chill the glue dire c tly it is pu t

o n (fo r ebo ny is ve ry co ld w o od), co a t the

I I fa ce o f the n e ck w ith glue, a n d quickly r ub

F I G . 182_S e ctl cn 0f b lo ckon the finge r

- boa rd,so tha t the top j u st

u sed fo r cr am p i n g o n touche s the n u t lm e yo u dre w o n the n e ck,

th e Fm ge r' boa r d ‘

an d cram p it in its pla ce by m ea n s o f

a c ram ping iro n , a n d a blo ck repre sen ted in se ction a t F ig.

182,w hich fo llow s a n d cram ps the curve o f the uppe r surfa c e

o f the fin ge r- boa rd . Befo re putting o n the o the r tw o c ram ps

,

see fo r the la st tim e tha t the top o f the finge r- bo a rd is lev e l

w ith the n u t lin e,a n d tha t the low e r co rn e rs a r e eve n to th e

po in t in the ce n tre of the be lly. The n set it a side to dr v,c ram ped firm ly in its place by three stro ng cram pThe Nu t is the n ext fittin g to be applied

,a n d fills up the

in te rva l be tw e en the top o f the finge r- bo a rd an d the bo ttom o f

the peg- box. I t is m ade a n d fitted a s fo llo w s : Take a l ittle

slip o f ebony about 1% in che s lo ng, in ch w ide,an d fi in ch

de ep,an d m ake o n e side an d o n e edge squ a re to on e a n o the r

an d sm o o th,so a s to fit exa c tly aga in st the fa ce o f the n e ck an d

top o f the finge r- boa rd ; the n w ith a chise l a n d file ge t it to the

exa ct thickn e ss required the thickn e ss o f the spa c e be tw e enthe top o f the finge r

- bo a rd a n d the edge o f the peg- box

,w hich

spa ce it m ust exa c tly fill this do n e,se t it in its pla ce a nd m a rk

the len gth required the top o f the finge r- bo a rd

,a n d cut it

w ith a fin e te n on saw ju st ove r the right length so a s just toproj e ct at the e nds . When it exa ctly fits

,set it in its pla ce , and

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

300 VI O LIN- MAKING : AS IT WAS AND I S .

the con cluding chapte r on Repa irs (Pa n : Varn ishing Repa irsWhe n this is don e , a n d the va rn ish is dry , po lish it w ith o il an d

pum ice pow de r,a n d the n w ith o il a n d Tripo li in the sam e w ay

a s the re st o f the fiddle w a s va rn ished (vide sup r a ). No w scrapeo ff a ll tra ce s o f va rn ish from the edge s o f the fin ge r

- boa rd (be ingc a re ful in do in g so n ot to r em ove the va rn ish o f the n e ck ), a n dpo lish it a n d th e n u t w ith pum ice an d Tripo li a s be fo re , butrubbin g it ove r first w ith a slip

e o f the fin e st sa n dpape r an d a few dropso f o il . The la st tou ch tobe give n to the n u t is them akin g o f the four littlegroove s w hich take the

F I G . 183 — Gm de fo r m a rk m g strin S . The o sition 0fStr i n g gro ov e s o n th e Nut'

thesegcan be mSa su r ed o ut

from a fin ished finge r- bo a rd w ith com pa sse s

,but

Fm 184 Psom e tim e s a guide is used (repre sen ted a ctua l Si z e hole B t-

r

—

er

i g'

in Fig. w hich is m ade o f ha rd w o od o r ste e l,a n d by

w hich the four po in ts a r e m a rked. When they a r e m a rked,

the se little gro ove s a r e m ade w ith a ve ry sm a l l m ouse - ta il file .

Next fit the pegs .Fitting the P egs

— The first thin gs required fo r this a r e a

bo re r a n d fin ishe r fo r the ho le s in the peg- box

,in w hich the

pegs a r e to fit. The fo rm e r is repre se n ted at Fig. 184, an d

con sists o f a ste e l r od,w ith a c ro ss ha nd le like a gim le t o r

tun in g k ey , A, hea r ing a tapered cutte r,lik e a

chee se - ta ste r,B . The fin ishe r is repre sen ted at

A,Fig. 185

,an d con sists

Sim ila rly o f a ste e l r od,

be a ring a tape red pie ce ,B,w hich is fluted so a s

to pre sen t a ll roun d itsc ircum fe ren ce a se rie s o f Asharp edge s. With the seyou w ill pro ceed to m ake the peg- fitte r

,Fig. 186.

Fm 185*Pegmo l eThis is don e a s fo llo w s : Take a piece of so lid

Fuhsh er . ha rd m aple,2% in che s squa re , an d 5 o r 6 in che s

long, a n d cut o u t of it the pie ce A A’

,w hich is in the fo rm

o f a so lid block A,having at o n e en d the high roun ded piece

A'

. I n this part (A’

) at the po in t B,m ake a ho le just la rge

e n ough fo r the thin en d o f the pa rt B o f the peg- ho le bo rer

(Fig. 184) to fit in an d,by turn ing the bo re r, m ake a tape red

hole through the blo ck A A’

,a t th e po in t B

,just large en ough

to re ce ive the fin ishe r (Fig. up to the top o f B, an d n o

furthe r, so

that you ha v e a tape red ho le B through A', Fig . 186.

B

F I G. 186.— Peg F itter .

VARNI SHING AND FI TTING UP.

0 18 an o rdin a ry ste e l plan e - iron,w hich m ust lie along A,

so as just to proje ct in to B by m e a n s of a n a rrow pa ssagecu t in to B at D

,o n the prin c iple o f the pe n cil- Sharpen e rs

in to w hich y ou put the en d o f a pen cil a n d turn aga in sta blade . 0 is kept fa st in i ts pla ce by a n o the r slab o f m aple

,

E,w hich ho lds it fa st aga in st A by m ean s o f a screw F

,which

pa sse s through the Slab E,a n d the oblong hole o r slo t in the

plan e iron C,in to the blo ck A. A m om en t’s thought w ill m a ke it

c lea r tha t i f a rough peg be put in to B, a n d turn ed (aga in st 0)till it exa ctly fits in to the ho le B

,it w ill a lso exa ctly fit in to

any ho le m ade by B,the fluted bore r o f the bo ring too l, Fi 185.

You can n ow,the re fo re

,m ake the four ho le s in the pegi ox to

rece ive the pegs, tw o on e a ch side,by begin n in g them w ith

a drill,an d fin i shing them w ith the bo rin g to o l a n d fin ishe r.

B e ca re ful ove r this,o r you w il l split aw ay the w o od in side

the peg- box

,o r Split the head to pie ce s ; the po sition s o f the

ho le s m ust be , of co urse,regula ted by the m ode l o f the scro l l

,

the on ly things to be rega rded be ing, tha t the ho le s on

e ithe r side m ust be exa ctly in the m iddle,a n d ve ry exa ctly

oppo site on e a n o the r,an d so set re la tive ly to on e an o the r

tha t the pegs ca n be turn ed ea sily w ith the finge rs w ithoutin terfe rin g w ith o n e a n o the r. B e ca re ful to begin the ho le s onthe prope r side s the G a n d D on the le ft

,a n d the E

an d A o n the right) ; it is n ot un comm on fo r a thoughtle ssbegin n e r to sta rt w rong. (I did this on ce : it m ade m e

extr em ely angry .) The G an d E ho le s,a n d the D a n d A ho le s

,

it w ill be n o ticed,a r e clo se r toge the r tha n the E a n d D

,so be

ca re ful n ot to comm it the e rro r o f m aking the spa ce s an equa ldistan ce a ll the w ay up. When the ho le s ar e m ade

,rem ove

any roughn e sse s le ft roun d the edge s by the fin i she r w ith a fin e

kn ife,an d fin ish the in sides o f the ho le s w ith a pie ce of fin e

san d- pape r ro lled up Sm a ll . A gla n ce at a n y w e ll- a rrangedpeg

- box w ill en able you to m ea sure the place s o f the ho le s a n dthe ir re la tive dista n ce s be tte r than page s of explan a tion ; butFig. 187 repre se n ts the m o st usua l se tting, a ctua l siz e

,the

le tte rs repre sen ting th e re spective pegs. Now fit the pegson e by on e in to the peg

- fitte r,Fig. 186

,til l they fit exa c tly

in to the ho le s in the peg- box m ade by the bo re r a n d fin ishe r,

Figs 184 a n d 185. By fitting exa ctly,I m ea n tha t they

m ust turn stiflly, but w ithout je rking, in the ho le s thusm ade

,a nd the thum b- pie ce s o f the pegs m ust be even w ith

on e an o the r w he n the scro ll is he ld up befo re the eye , id est,

on e peg m ust n ot go in furthe r than a n o the r. The e n ds o f thethum b - pie ce s m ust be just T7U o f an in ch from the che ek o f the

scro ll . The en ds o f the pegs proje c ting beyon d the oute r face

302 VI O LIN- MAKING : AS I T WAS AND 18.

o f the O ppo site che ek o f the peg- box m ust n ow be cu t off about

§1—0o f a n in ch beyo n d the oute r fa c e

,a n d this proj e c tin g €

1

5 ofan in ch m ust be n ice ly roun ded w ith a file

,san d- pape red

,a n d

m ay be po lished by licking it a n d rubb ing it ha rd up a n d dow nthe apron stre tched a c ro ss o n e ’s leg . Th e w ho le Sha ft o f the pegm u st the n be n ice ly sm o o thed w ith fin e sa n d - pape r

,a n d a ho le

drilled through it ra the r n e a r the . che ek o f the peg- box

,o n the

side o f the “ thum b - pie ce,

”o r head o f the peg. The se opera

tio n s be in g repea ted four tim e s,your se t o f pegs is fitted.

Som etim e s is foun d tha t the peg—box is to o sha l lo w to a llowthe pegs, w ith the str ings

co i led on them ,to turn e a sily ;

this ha s a ten de n cy to sm a shthe head . I n this ca se the

peg-box m ust im m edia te ly

be de epe n ed w ith a chise lit is a lw ays a s w e ll befo releavin g the pegs to te st ea chthus

,by w in din g a pie ce o f

thick D strin g roun d it inside the box

,a n d rem edyin g

a n y de fe ct so foun d. I f the

pegs w e re put in j ust a s theya r e

,they w ould

,o f c ourse

,

stick,an d be v e ry stiff to

turn ; you m ust,the re fo re

,

put them in a n d turn themroun d a few tim e s so a s to

m a rk them a little w herethey turn in the che eks o f

the peg- box. The n at the se

po in ts rub them w ith a pie ceo f so ap, an d then w ith

in This w ill m akeF I G . 187 — S etti n g o f th e pegs in th e ch eek s of th e

Wbl te n gdscr o ll . them turn e a s1ly , but ho l

fa st w hen screw ed up to pitch . Clean aw ay a ll tra c e o f th1so pe ra tion in side an d o u tside the peg

- box— fir st w1th a d ry

brush,an d the n w ith on e slightly m o isten ed . Fm ally, give

the thum b - pie c e s an d sha fts o f the pegs a go od r ubbm g w itha Slightly- o iled r ag,

an d your pegs a r e fitted ready to r e c e 1v e

the str in gs .I

Fitting the Ta i l-

pin .

— Ta il- pin s a r e so ld eve rywhe re fo r a few

pen c e , an d a re ve ry e a sily fitted in to the lo w e r blo ck by en

la rgin g th eho le a lready the re w ith the bo re r, F1g. 184 , an d

fitting the Sho rt shaft o f the ta il- pin in to the ho le thus m ade by

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

V I OLIN- MAKING : AS I T WAS AND I S .

a r e putting the po st in , fo r in expe r l en ced hands n early alw ays

do this .Now put on the strings, se le cting them to your in strum en

t(vid e p . 204) but, o f c o urse , do n ot a ttem pt to screw them uptill the fin a l ope ra tion is pe rfo rm ed

,n am e ly

F itting the B r idge— This is the la st ope ra tion o f a ll

, an dm ust be ca r r I ed ou t w ith ca reful rega rd to the rem a rks c o n ta in edon page 161. First ca re fully se le ct yo ur bridge the first thi

ng18 to shave o ff the surfac e s o f the little “ in ve rted T,

”w hich

give s the “ kidn ey o r“ hea rt shape to the ho le cut in the

ce n tre . Thl s m ust be sha ved dow n w ith a fin e kn ife,so a s to be

gu st be low the leve ls o f the back a n d fron t of the bridge , o the rw ise its de lica te po in ts ca tch in things the han dke rchiefw h1ch

.

w 1pe s the fiddle), a n d it ge ts sn ipped off. Now take a no ld br ldge a n d prop up the strings w ith it, se tting it aga in st thebo ttom o f the finge r

- board, an d pro te cting the va rn ish from itsfe e t WIth a Si lp o f pape r ; this en able s you to fit the n ew bridgeea SI e r . The strm gs a re on ly just tighten ed e n ough to ho ld

the brid e up,w ithout pre ssing

on it. T‘

ir st reduce an d shapethe fe e t

,So tha t w hen put upo n

the fiddle,an d he ld in a lin e w ith

the eye , the fe e t fit c lo se ly a n d

abso lute ly to the a rching o f the

1G . I BBA.—Gu id e for cu ttm g th e ar ch in g of

be lly 3.

th i s I S a 77208? 1m po rta n t'th e B ri d ge . e ssen tl a l 1n the fitti ng o f the

bridge . When they fit abso lu te ly , they should be about1% in ch (o r le ss) in the ir thick e st pa rts ; but they m ll

,o f

course,be thin n e r tow a rds the cen tre o f the fiddle

,be cause

they have to be cu t aw ay to suit the a rching . When they a r e

fitted,m a rk the ir exa c t outlin e s on the varn ish w ith a po in t

,an d

scr ape a w ay a ll the va r n ish exa c tly ben e a th them,so tha t the

fee t touch the ba re w o od o f the be lly . B y this a be tte r to n e isobta in ed an d if it is n ot don e the fe e t w ill Slip on the v a rn ish .

tea ring it o ff a s they shi ft about w ith the c o n sta n t vibra tion .

Now take the m ode l o f the a rchin g o f the br idge , Fig . 188A,a n d

m a rk the prope r curve o f the br idge a t the right he ight. This.is de te rm in ed by ho ldin g the fiddle (scro ll tow a rds y o u ) o n

a lin e w ith the eye , an d lo oking a lon g th e finge r- boa rd . The

top of the bridge (w he n fin ished) Should appe a r to the ey e to

be about i in ch above the en d o f the fin ge r- boa rd at the G

,

a little le ss at the E . (O f c ou rse it m ust be u n de rsto od throughout the fittin g o f the bridge tha t the o ld dum my br idge a lw ayssuppo rts the strings w he n the rea l o n e is be ing m an ipu la tedan d w hen the latte r is put up fo r a m om en t the fo rm e r com e s

VARNI SHING AND F ITT ING UP . 305

dow n .) When the a rchin g is prope rly adj usted,round o ff w ith

a file a ll the co rn e rs an d edge s of the bridge , m aking the topquite roun d, an d thin n in g it gradua lly to the top from the

w a ist (so to spe ak) o f the bridge the w ho le is fin ished w ithfin e sand—pape r ti ll it is pe rfe ctly sm oo th . The n iche s for thestrin gs a re then m ade w ith the m ouse - ta il file you used fo rthe n icks in the n u t

,the dumm y bridge is taken dow n

,the n ew

on e is put up, the A is screw ed up to pitch, the o ther str ingstun ed to the A,

an d y our fiddle is fin ished.

Hie fid ibus,acriptis claris, hie m agn is a lum n ls,

Un i pa r n em o fu it forte , n e c ul lu s er it.”

(Fr . Tartin i’

s Tratta to di Musica , etc .

”

[Padua,

CHAPTER XXI I I .

REPAI RS .Rem oving the B e l ly of th e Fidd le— Cra ck s in th e Ba ck or Bel ly— Crack s i nWin gs o fff Ho les— Cra ck ed Co rn e rs— Cra ck at the Jo in t o r Um-

glu in g of th e

Tab les— Cr ack ed Edge s, an d Bits Split o ff the O utl in e— Cr ack from the

Pre ssu re of th e Sou n d -

po st— Ven eerin gNew Wood in to a Fidd le— Loo seni ng

o f th e Bel ly from the Heat of th e Chin o r Han d— Spl it Block — Spl icing th e

Head on to a Neck , an d Fittin g it o n a Fidd le— Varn ishin g Repai rsCONCLUSI ON.

I T w ould ha rdly be right to com ple te a practica l trea tise on the

fiddle - m ake rs’ a rt w ithout turn ing for a few m om en ts to the

con side ra tion of on e o f its m o st im po rtan t bra n che s— v iz .,

Repa irs . Un lim ited though the ca re you take o f yo ur fiddlem ay be , a s ye a rs o f hard w o rk the reon go by

, you w ill beexception a lly fo rtun ate if your in strum e n t

,de lica te a nd n e rvous

in tem pe ram en t a s it is,e scape s e n tire ly the ravage s o f tim e an d

m isfo rtun e,w hich in a thousan d a n d o n e fo rm s a ssa il the existen ce

o f the production s o f Crem on a an d Mirecourt a like,just a s

pe rseve ringly a s they do that of the ir m a sters an d m akers . I f

your fiddle is w ha t Gem ii nde r w ould ca ll “ a m a ste r- vio lin,its

repa irs should on ly be trusted to a gre a t high- prie st o f the fiddle

m aking fa culty, just a s to ou r do cto r- prin ce s w e con fide thew e ll- be ing o f a de a r child o r re la tion but if your vio lin is n ota n histo rica l in strum en t

,a n d you are yourse lf a fiddle - m ake r,

am a teur o r o therw ise , you w ill fin d yourse lf quite capable o f

fo llow ing the be low -

give n dire ction s fo r m in iste ring to the m in orvicissitude s o f your in strum e n t. Alw ays repa ir an injury, o r

have the injury,w ha teve r it be

,repa ired

,w ithout a m om en t’s

de lay ; eve ry m om en t be tw e en the a cciden t an d the repa rationin crea se s the dam age

Pr in c ipn s obsta sero m ed ic in a pa ratur ,Cum ma la pe r longas con va lu ere m ora s.

As a first step tow ards a diagn o sis you m ust be ableTo Rem ove the B elly of a Vio lin .

— The ba ck is n eve r rem oveda s I ha ve po in ted o ut on p. 260, the be lly is put o n w ith m uchthin n e r glue , a nd there fo re m ay be ea sily taken o ff w ith a

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

308 VI OLIN- MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND I S .

an d brittle portion of the in strum e n t . The w ing m ust be lightlypre ssed dow n so a s to open the cra ck

,a little glue strea k ed in to

it, a n d the cra ck pre ssed toge the r by slipping in a little strip o f

thin w o od, fixing it un de r a screw put o n the Side, o r un de r

the finge r- boa rd a s in the figure .

Cr a cked Cor n er s — The c o rn e rs o f the fiddle frequen tly ge tSplit, a s Sho w n in Fig. 189

,e ithe r (1) by the pre ssure o f som e

heavy w e ight, o r (2) w hilst gluing the table s to the Side s,if in

putting o n the scre w s the co rn e rs a r e n ot care fully avo ided the yw ill Split in this m an n e r. To rem edy the de fe ct the extrem e en d

o f the co rn e r m ust be pre ssedso a s to open the cra ck

,a little

glue m ust be stre aked in , a n d a

vio lin screw applied j ust so a s to

ho ld it toge the r a s in Fig . 189.

A little po st just the len gth o f

the depth o f the side s be ing set

be tw e en the u ppe r a n d low e rco rn e rs to a id a n d coun te ra c tthe pre ssure o f the vio lin screw .

Cr a ck a t J o in t,or Unglu ing 0f

the Tables — This is a n a cc ide n tw hich som e tim es o ccurs, a n d isthe re sult gen e ra lly o f a seve reja r o r fa ll the ba ck (o r be lly)com ing apa rt

, often throughoutits len gth,a longthe ce n tre jo in o f

the table . I t n ot un frequen tlyhappen s that the bo ttom blo ckis a lso split ha lf through by thesam e m ishap but this is n ot disc ove red till the be lly is rem oved

,

Fm . 189.—Cr a ck s in th e “

w in gs”of th e w hich is the first step tow a rds

f f h d es ’ a n d Sph t com er ‘

a repa ir O f this kin d. The be llybe ing r em oved

,the lo o sen ed jo in t is pre ssed Ope n

,a streak o f

glue applied throughout its len gth (an d to the split c ran ny inthe blo ck

,w he re this ha s a lso suffe red), an d the tw o ha lve s o f

the table s a re pre ssed toge the r by m ea n s o f c ram ps a n d the

edge- ho lde rs de scribed in the n ext pa ragraph . Whe n the

w o od is ve ry o ld a n d ten de r,it w ill o ften be n e ce ssa ry to

stre ngthen the table a fte r such a repa ir a s this by gluin g littlestuds o f strong n ew w o od (e ach about :1 in ch squa re ) a ll a longthe c ra ck at in te rva ls at about 1 in ch o r 2% in ch . They a r e

m ade o f m aple,an d the oute r surfa ce s Should be n ice ly beve lled

off, the Side s glued to the table be ing quite flat. I thin k it

REPAI RS. 309

be tte r to dispe n se w ith the se i f po ssible , but o ften the age o f

the w o od re nde rs the ir applic a tion im pe ra tive .

Cr a cked Edges, o r B its Splitfi'

om the O u tlin e — The edge w hichproj e c ts beyo n d the Side s o f a fiddle

,though a grea t beauty to

the in strum e n t,a n d o f the highe st im po rtan ce to pre se rve the

sym m e try o f the o utlin e , is o ften dam aged by the fiddle fa llingdo w n

,o r be ing fo rced in to o r o ut o f a ca se to o sm a ll fo r it,

little slips o f it ge ttin g Split o ff just at the oute r curve s o f theuppe r a n d low e r bouts, w he re the e dge s o f the gra in a re o n bo thSide s expo sed

,a s at a in B , F ig . 190. The begin n e r w ill a lso

be ve ry liable to be troubled by this m ishap, w he n in fin a llyadjusting the outlin e a n d arching o f the ba ck a n d be l ly ; thekn ife

,c hise l

,o r pla n e Slipping o ff little chips , a s at a

’

in C,F ig. 190 0 repre sen ting a slab o f m aple o r pl n e a rched an d out

o u t,but n o t yet sco oped . (Bo th in B an d C the pi e ce s a a

’a re

n o t show n,the pie ce s rea lly chipped o ff be ing ge n e ra l ly ve ry

sm a ll .) This chip m ust bimm edia te ly sea rched fo r

a n d se cured, o r if it c an n o tbe foun d, the edge m ust beshaved stra ight a n d fla t ,a n d a n o the r sm a ll slip o f

w o od glued o n . B o th theo rigin a l chip

,o r the n ew

Slip havin g be en glued , i tm ust be fixed to the Side

, M5

a n d he ld the re by a nA

edge - ho lde r (01‘ po ssibly F I G. 190. r e -

ie

t

t

r

t

l

m

gdgleces split from

tw o ). This appa ra tus,

e o n m o 6 e '

w hich ca n be cu t out of a n y strip o f in ch de a l in a few

m om e n ts, is repre se n ted a lon e at A,F ig . 190, applied to a n

u n sc o oped slab a t C,a n d applied to the edge o f a com ple ted

fiddle at B in the sam e figure . The ho lde r itse lf is in e ach ca selette red I) ; on e e n d o f it is pla ced o n the glued chip, a n d theo the r en d be in g just sho rte r than the bre adth o f the fiddle

,it is

draw n dow n the curved edge o f the o ther side till it is firm lyset

,the outlin e o f the fiddle be in g thus w edged fa st in to the

ho lde r by its ow n curva ture . When the glue is dry a n d the

ho lde r is rem oved, the pla ce w he re the split w a s w ill be in ~

visible . I f,ho w eve r

, yo u had lo st the chip a n d had to apply a

n ew Slip o f w o od , the oute r surfa ce o f the la tte r m ust be cu t

a n d shaped to con fo rm to the outlin e o f the table .

Cr a ck in B o ok or B elly r esu lting f rom P r essu r e of S ou nd -

post.-This i s a dam age o fte n fo u n d o n o ld vio lin s

,e spe c ia lly o n on es

of n ot ve ry exce lle n t m ake,o r w hich have be en ign o ra n tly fitted

310 VIO LIN-MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND I S .

w ith too long a soun d- po st. The cra cks in the se ca se s gen e ra l lyo ccur n ea rly the w ho le length o f the pla te

,a n d to repa ir them

yo u m ust proce ed a s fo llow s : Having taken o ff the be lly,th e

full exten t o f the cra ck w ill be com e visible , an d it w il l be foundthat the w o od at the po in t from w hich the cra ck seem s to sta rtaw ay o n e ithe r side ha s w o rked thin

,so that be side s m ending the

c rack, the w o od m ust here be repla ced by ca re ful ven eering.

The cra ck m ust first be m en ded by pre ssing it slightly Ope n,a n d

run n ing a streak o f c lear glue dow n it in the o rdin ary m an n e r,

w ith an old kn ife o r thin strip o f w o od ; w he n yo u a r e sure

F I G. 191.—Appar atus for strength en in g an o ld table w ith a v en eer of n ew w ood .

tha t the glue ha s run w e ll through a ll a long the crack,w ipe

aw ay supe rfluous glue an d set the fiddle a side to dry .

Whe n the glue is pe rfe ctly dry , you m ay proce ed to ve n ee r ina plate o f w o od in the fo llow ing m an n er. Fo r this purpo se yo uw ill require a m ould- pla te a n d pre ss

,repre sen ted by Fig. 191.

I n this figure A repre sen ts a m ould- pla te pla te of ha rd w ooda n in ch a n d a ha lf or so thick

,in to which is sun k , o r ra the r out of

w hich is scooped,the approxim ate a rchin g o f a ba ck o r be lly

B the re fo re repre sen ts a sectio n dow n the cen tre of the m ouldpla te . You w ill find tha t if you cu t it roun d a s show n by thedo tted lin e on A

,it w ill be much e a sie r to w o rk w ith but m ind

a nd cut it w e ll clea r o f the s000ped part. 0 represen ts the pre ssi tse lf. which con sists o f a lo w e r pla te

,i,con n e cted by the tw o

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

312 VI O LIN-MAKING : AS I T WAS AND I s.

at the place w he re the pre ssure o f the chin is applied,an d at

the pa rt on the side O f the .n e ck w he re the han d re sts, w hen

playing in the th ird po sition . The first o f the se con tingen ciesse ldom o ccur to playe rs w ho u se the applian ce kn own a s a

chin - r e st,a s this con trivan ce se rve s in a m an n e r to ho ld the

be lly fa st an d preve n t its be com ing unglu ed. I n e ithe r ca se thedam age is re ctified a s fo llow s : Take an o rdin a ry o ld tablekn ife

,an d thrusting it in as if about to take the be l ly o ff the

in strum en t,a sce rta in the exac t exten t o f the ha rm don e , but be

ca re ful n ot by this m ean s to in crea se it. I f yo u turn to the

directio n s w hich have be e n given for gluin g o n the be lly, you

w ill fin d how , the be lly be in g he ld in po sition by screw s, thethin glue is applied w ith the blade o f a table - kn ife

, gluing a

pie ce at a tim e . Pro ceed here prec ise ly sim ila rly, thin n ingdow n the glue w ith w a rm w a te r

,a nd using plen ty O f it. The

glue w hich ho lds the be l ly on eve ryw he re e lse,in this O pe ra tio n

ta ke s the pla ce o f the screw s, but som e repa ire rs put o n a coupleo f sc re w s

,o n e o n e a ch side o f the loo sen ed pa rt

,to preven t the

Ope ra tio n of applying the glue from exten ding the injury.

Wipe o ff the supe rfluous glue as usua l, an d apply three o r fou rsc rew s to the pa rt glued, w hich a re taken O ff w hen the glue isdry a n d your repa ir is com ple te .

Sp lit B loch— I t som e tim e s o ccurs

,from a cc ide n t o r care le ss

n e ss,tha t w hen the ribs o f a fiddle a re be ing w o rked upon

w ithout e ithe r the back or be lly a tta ched (as, fo r in stan ce , n ewm ade ribs be fo re the table s have been fixed o n ), the uppe r o rlow e r blo ck w i l l split pe rpen dicula rly throughout its depth in

this ca se the split be ing open ed,a n d a suffic ien cy O f go od glue

be ing ru n in,the tw o Split ha lve s m ust be sque e z ed toge the r

w ith the finge rs, a n d cram ped in to tha t po sitio n w ith a n ironcramp a n d tw o slips . O f pin e

,the cram p be ing fixed at right

an gle s to the ribs.How to Splice a H ead up on a Neck a n dfit sam e to a F idd le .

— I n m aking a fiddle on a given m ode l,it is ge n e ra l ly .

the

custom n ot to m ake the he ad in o n e pie ce w ith the n e ck,

“

bu t

sepa ra te from it,an d spliced ”

on to it,as is he re in afte r

de scribed. An d aga in , this de lica te Ope ration is O ften requiredto be pe rfo rm ed on O ld vio lin s ; fo r it m ust be rem em be red tha t(a s I ha ve sa id befo re ) o n O ld in strum en ts the o rigin a l n e ck isa lw ays to o sho rt

,c on sequen t on the a lte ra tion in the pre se n t

pitch, and require s to be repla ced by a n ew n eck suited to

m odern requirem en ts An d aga in , a s a sim ple repair,it is on e

of the m o st frequen tly required a n d im po rta n t ; fo r it con sta n tlyhappe n s tha t from bad cho ice o f w o od

,o r in fe rio r fitting, the n eck

sin ks fo rw a rd (so a s to m ake the e n d O f the finge r- boa rd to o

REPAI RS . 313

low ) , o r tw ists, o r in clin e s to on e side,in a ll O f w hich ca se s a

n ew n e ck m ust be adjusted ra the r than re so rt to th e c lum syexpedien ts o f ven e e ring an d refi tting the o rigin a l n e ck . And

this repa ir o r ope ra tio n i s pe rfo rm ed a s fo llo w s I f you a re

fitting a n ew n e ck to an o ld fiddle,begin by prising off the

finge r- boa rd a n d n u t w ith a n O ld table - kn ife

,the n cu t the head

off the O ld n e ck c lo se u p un de r the chin,an d cu t the o ld n e ck

O ff the fiddle a s c lo se a s po ssible above theshoulde r. Thus, w he the r your he ad is O ld

o r n ew, y o u ha v e the head a s at A

, Figs.192 a n d 193

,or a s on Plate V

NOW take a blo ck fo rthe n e ck

,a nd prepa re a n d

squ a re it a s de scribed inpage 269. Tak e the n e ck

a n d cram pin g it to the

pla in surfa ce o f the blo ck,a s de sc r ibed in page 277 ,w ith a m a rk in g po in t.m a rk this outlin e o n th .

blo ck a n d cu t it o u t. The

m ate ria ls you have the r efo r e to han d a r e the

scro l l,a n d (i i .) the ro ugh

n e ck, u hich is about 72in che s lo n g, 1-32 in ch de epat the shoulde r

,an d

in ch w ide on th e fa ce

dow n the exa ct cen tre O f

the su r fa ce 0f W.

h10h you

F IG . 193.— O p e ra tion o f

m ustdraw a Stra ight ll u e , Spl l cm g h e a d on to

w hich w il l be the lin e a a' m ew ).

Figs . 193, 195, an d 196. F irst prepa re the

1.

1he ad to re ce ive the splice

,a s fo llow s : Fig ,

'I G 92 - O pe r ati o n O f

sp l i c in g h e a d on to 1941C repre sen ts the ba se o f the fro n t O f then e cmmd e m w ) ‘

peg- box (b, Fig . With a fin e ten on

saw m ake the tw o cuts a b,a

’ b’

,Fig. 194 ,

a s de ep a s the

bo ttom o f the peg- box

,pe rhaps a trifle de epe r, a s at a a

Fig. 192 (the shaded pa rt, Fig . 192, repre sen tin g the peg- box) ,an d c ut o u t w ith th e saw

,kn ife

,a n d chise l a ll the pa rt c

,

Fig . 194,un til the cham be r thus fo rm ed is qu ite c le an a n d. squa re ,

the lin e s a l),a

’

a r e quite stra ight, an d the po in t s I) , l) , a reSha rp a n d fin e a s the edge O f a kn ife . The distan ce O f the sepo in ts (6, b

’

) from on e an o the r Should be a s n e a rly a s po ssible

314 VI OLIN-MAKING : AS I T WAS AND I S .

1 in ch, but O f course this depen ds on the bre adth o f the m ode lO f the scro ll . Whe n this cham be r is fin ished sm o o th an d c le an

,

y ou can pro ce ed to prepa re the n e ck (B ,Figs . 192

,193

,a n d 196)

w ith the con ica l plug, Fig. 195,to fit in to this cham be r . Take

the breadth be tw e e n the side s o f the peg- box at a

,a'

,Fig. 194

,

w ith a pa ir O f com pa sse s,m ea sure this bre adth on a rule

,an d

divide it exactly by ha lf (so tha t if the breadth w a s a in ch, youhave your com passe s ope n 3

1

; in ch) . Mark o ff this dista n ceI) b’

,Fig . 195

,on e ach side O f the lin e a a

'

,Fig. 195

,w hich repre

sen ts the fa ce O f the n e ck blo ck be fo re the plug is cu t. Nowtake the bre adth a t b Fig. 194

,a n d m a rk O ff ha lf o f it

,c c

’

,

Fig. 195,on each side o f the lin e a a

'

,Fig. 195

,an d taking the

po in ts I) c,an d b

’

c'

,Fig. 195

,a s guide s, draw o n the surfa ce o f

Fig. 195 the lin e s d e an d d’e’. Now cu t aw ay w ith a chise l an d

pla n e a ll the pa rts f f’outside the lin e s d e

,d ’

e'

,Fig. 195

,a n d

go on shavin g an d fittin g till the plug (Fig. 195) exa c tly fits in tothe cham be r (Fig. 194) fa stan d c lo se a ll roun d

,a s in F igs.

at a 193 a n d 196. AND N.B .

,the

distan ce from b to c,Fig . 192

,

is a s n ea rly a s po ssible 4%in che s

,the shoulde r be ing in

the rough sta te . Espec ia l ca rem ust be taken throughou t thisfitting tha t the lin e a a

’

,Figs .

193 a nd 196,is in a n exa ctly

5 stra ight lin e w ith the cen treF I G. 194 —B a se of peg

b ox pr epar ed to r Idge d O f th e fron t O f theSph ce on to n B Ck ‘ sc ro ll A

,Fig. 193 (o the rw ise , h ea d

o f c ourse,the he ad w ill n ot be stra ight o n the n e ck). When th is

ha s be en do n e,the n ext thin g is to glue the plug in to the cham be r

,

w hich is don e a s fo llow s : Mark on the side,o f B

,Fig . 192

,a lin e

w he re the po in t 6,Figs . 194 an d 196

,re ache s on it a s a t c

,Fig.

193. This is to kn ow how fa r to push the plug in to the cham be r ;fo r w he n it is glued the glue a cts a s a lubrican t

,a n d the re is

grea t da nge r O f pushing it too fa r , a n d thus Splitting off the

che eks o f the scro l l . Now glue the side s an d bo ttom of the plugan d the in side O f the cham be r

,an d push the plug in to its place ,

w iping O ff supe rfluo u s glu e and c ram ping it tight in to its placeby m e an s o f tw o cram pin g iron s an d cram ping blo cks f f,

’

Fig. 193,w hich m ust be pro te cted by cork surfa ce s g g' ; and

be tw e e n the co rk surfa ce s a n d the side s o f the scro ll m ust a lsobe put slips of pape r to pro te ct the va rn ish of the scro ll .Sim ila rly pla ce an o the r cram pin g iro n w ith cram ping blo cks atr ight a ngle s to the first pa ir, the blo cks be ing shaped a nd set

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

316 VI O LIN-MAK ING : As I T WAS AND 13.

lin e i,Fig. 192

,w hich give s yo u the prope r set of the shoulder

ba se . Repe a t this lin e on the o the r side,a n d then ca refully

w ith a fin e te n o n saw a n d to othed plan e cut aw ay a ll the w o od

be low the se lin e s. Now Open ing the com pa sse s in ch,from the

po in t h (o n the n ut lin e), Fig . 196,on the lin e a a

'

(whe re it iscro ssed by b set O ff in ch o n e a ch side o f h o n the lin e b b’,w hich w ill give us the po in ts f f

’

. Aga in open in g the com

pa sse s in .

,set o ff

,an d in a sim ila r m a n n e r m a rk tw o po in ts

,

g g'

,from the po in t e on the lin e h h’

,an d con n ect by m ean s

o f a fin e lin e the po in ts f an d g, an d f’

a n d g’

,Fig. 196.

The se la st tw o lin e s give the correc t propo rtio n s o f the n eckready to fin ish. This is don e by cutting aw ay a ll the w o od

repre sen ted by the shaded pa rts i i ', Fig . 196, w ith a kn ife and

chise l,an d then w ith a kn ife r oughly roun ding the n e ck an d

sho ulde r to the approxim a te shape O f the fin ished n e ck a nd

shoulde r, but leaving plen ty of w ood to cu t aw ay an d fin ishw hen the n e ck is set on the fiddle ; a lso

,be ve ry ca reful in

cutting a lo ng clo se to the lin e s f g,f ’

g’

,n ot to bring o ut the

curls o f the w o od w ith the kn ife . I f this doe s un fo rtun a te lyhappen

, you m ust at on ce glue back the chip thus pulled ou t,

an d w he n dry , com plete the O pe ration .

Now fin ish the peg- box by cutting out w ith kn ife an d sm a llchise l a ll the pa rt o f the plug j (Fig. 196) which fills it up. Thisis to a gre a t exten t a lready do n e by the drill ho le s abovem e n tio n ed, but the thus ho n ey- com bed w o od m ust be ca re fu llychise lled a n d picked ou t so a s to m ake a pe rfe ct an d c lea n lyproportio n ed peg- box

,a s show n at d

,Fig. 194 (a n d de scribed in

page The little w ings, j , F ig. 192, le ft above the curveo f the peg

- box by this ope ra tion m ust be ca re fully chise lleddow n to the O ld w o od c

,Fig. 194

,a n d the w ho le O f the in te rio r

an d fron t of the n ew ba se o f the peg- box thus m ade be in g

n ea tly fin ished w ith a file,the he ad an d n e ck a re fin ished ready

to set o n the fiddle . D uring the w ho le O f the o pe ra tion o f

fin ishing the peg- box

,the ba ck o f the scro ll Shou ld be he ld

firm ly aga in st the edge o f the ben ch, pro te cted w ith m any fo ldsO f c lo th to preve n t injury to the varn ish if it is an O ld fiddle , o rto the c arving if it is a n ew o n e .

How to set the Head a n d Neck up on the B ody of the Fidd le .

I f the fiddle is a n ew on e,the cham be r to re ce ive the n e ck m ust

be cu t as de scribed in p . 277 ; if, how eve r, it is a n o ld fiddleto w hich you a re fittin g a n ew n e ck

,the rem a in s O f the O ld

shoulde r m ust be cu t aw ay to re ce ive the n ew . Begin by takinga fin e ten on saw

,an d cut dow n the shoulde r c lo se to the butto n ,

a lm o st a s fa r a s the side s ; the n m ake an o the r cu t at right angle sto this on e from the fron t o f the shoulde r

,SO a s to le ave o n ly

REPAI RS . 317

the ba se o f the o rigin a l shoulde r sticking in the cham be r inw hich it w a s fitted . This ro o t

,

”so to speak

,m ust be cu t ou t

in sm a ll chips,ho ldin g the fiddle by the w a ist be tw e en your

kn e e s, w ith its ba ck to w a rds yourse lf, a n d ca re fully chippingout the ro o t o f the O ld Shoulde r w ith a sm a ll chise l

,tapping it

w ith a hamm e r till the w ho le o f the cham be r is c le a red o u t,am

is in the c o ndition o f the cham be r fin ished in p . 278. Grea tca re m ust be taken n ot to chip aw ay pie ce s O f the be lly of

the fiddle w ith the first few chips O f this ope ra tio n , an a c c ide n tw hich m ay be obvia ted by m aking tw o little cuts be tw e e n the

ro o t o f the O ld shoulde r a nd the e dge s o f the be lly in to w hi ch itha s been let.When the cham be r ha s be e n cut

,a s de sc ribed in p . 278

,o r

has be e n clean ed ou t a s above,the base o f the shoulde r m ust be

ca refully cu t to fit clo se ly in to it, regula ting the cutting, w hichis do n e w ith a pla n e a n d chise l, by the cham be r

,a n d m akin g

the slope equa l on bo th side s by m ea n s o f the fa l se squa re . The

ba se O f the shoulde r m ust be cu t aw ay w hen fitted,till from the

r ibs (n ot the edge of the fiddle ) to the n u t to the lin e b b’,Fig. 196) the dista n ce is exa ctly 51

3

1? o f an in ch. I n cutting aw aythe ba se

, grea t ca re m ust be taken n ot to split pie ce s o f the

side s the re of a n d this is obvia ted by a lways w e ttin g the en ds o fthe gra in be fo re cutting it, a n d w o rking aga in st the bro ad edge

o f the be n ch. The ba ck o f the shoulde r m ust be cu t to fit c lo se lyaga in st the butto n , a n d the ba se m ust be so cu t to fit thecham be r

,tha t ho lding the fidd le ho riz on ta lly to the eye , the

fr on t o f the shoulde r proje cts just O f a n in ch above th e be lly,

an d be exa ctly eve n a ll a cro ss i o f a n in ch above,bo th a t

h a nd h’

,Fig. 196. The prope r se t ba ck o f the n e ck is a tta in ed

w hen a stra ight- edge pe rpe ndic u larly la id a long the lin e a a'

,

Figs. 123 an d 196, is just 71% o f a n in ch above the be lly be tw e en then icks o f the ff ho le s . Now fin d the exac t ce n tre be tw e en the

ff ho le s in the o rd in a ry w ay , w ith com pa sse s,a n d m ake a sm a ll

po in t. A. stra ight- edge m u st c o in c ide,w ith this po in t, w ith the

ba se o f th e lin e a a’a t c

,Fig. 196

,a nd w ith the cen tre ridge o f the

scro ll d, Fig. 193 if it do e s this,the n eck is set stra ight a lso ,

pla ce a w edge o n a fla t su rfa ce,a n d put the fiddle w ith the n e ck

in po sition (it should fit tight e n ough to be able to ca rry the

fiddl e about by it,w ithout sh ifting o r com ing o u t) sidew ays o n

the table,pu shing it to the w edge till the “

eye ) f the scro llto uche s the in c lin ed surfa ce o f the w edge , a t w hich po in t on thein c lin ed surfa ce m ake a m a rk. No w tu rn the fiddle ove r

,so a s

to repe a t the pro ce ss,a n d if the o the r eye touche s the in c lin ed

surfa ce at the sam e m a rk,the n e ck is set stra ight O n the fiddle .

This supplem en ta l te st is n ot so ce rta in a s the first,a s som e tim e s

518 VI O LIN- MAK ING : As I T WAS AND I s.

a scro ll m ay have on e eye sho rte r than the o ther. Be tw ee n thechin

,b,Fig.

,

l 92,a n d the top O f the button

,the distan ce should

be j ust 411’;r O f an in ch, though this w ill som e tim e s va ry slightlyw ith the m ode l.All these condition s having bee n obse rved

,fin ish the jo in t w ith

a fin e file, glue bo th shoulde r, cham be r, an d button quickly and

ple n tifully, an d cram p the n eck in its pla ce w ith a n‘ iron

,

pro te cting the button w ith cram ping blo ck s, a s usua l . Be fo rethe glue sets, an d befo re the cram p is fixed

,se e fin a ll y tha t the

n e ck is set stra ight b the above te sts,a n d set a side the w ho le

w hen fixed to dry when,the Ope ra tion be ing com ple ted, w e are

ready to put on the finge r - boa rd,a s de sc ribed in page 297 .

Va r n ishing Rep a ir s.— I t stand s to rea son tha t the gre at a rt

a nd se c re t of succe ssful repa iring is to con cea l the fa c t of

a repa ir having taken place at all ; and the w ay in w hich a ll

tra ce m ay be effectua lly hidden is by sc ie n tific an d a rtisticv a rn ishing.

We w ill suppo se tha t a n e w n e ck ha s be en fitted to an o rigin a lhe ad an d set in the fiddle , a s de scribed above ; the O bje c t to be at

ta in ed is to con ce a l the fa ct o f its be ing a n ew n e ck by so va rn ishing an d Co louring the n e w w o od a s to render it indistinguishablefrom the O ld

,to w hich it is a tta ched

,a n d to repla ce the o rigin a l

va rn ish,which m ust n e ce ssa rily have be e n sand- pape red o ff the

O ld w o od im m edia te ly , con tiguous to the jo in . I n the ca se of a

n ew n e ck, this w ill be a t the bu tton,the top o f the ribs, a n d ro un d

the chin of the sc ro ll. The n ewn e ck be ing fin ished a nd fitted inthe m an n e r tha t I have de scribed, com m e n ce by just w a shin g overthe n ew w o od w ith a slight sta in to da rken it a little befo re va r

h ishing. This sta in m ay be com po sed o f sa ffro n o r burn t um be rd isso lved in w a te r, o r o f saffron a n d burn t um be r m ixed (whichis be tte r) but it m ust be con co c ted a nd applied so a s n o t to

m ake the fiddle n eck lo ok e ithe r to o ye llow o r to o brow n . The n

take an o rdin a ry Spirit va rn ish, com po sed o f she lla c disso lved inspirits o f w in e , an d va rn ish a ll ove r the n ew w o od an d w he rethe o rigin a l va rn ish ha s be en rem oved ; tw o light co a ts o f thisw ill be sufficien t . Now take a da rke r spirit va rn ish (tha t so ldready m ade by Me ssrs . J . Rea an d Co o fWa rdour Stre e t, un de rthe n am e o f Vio lin Va rn ish

,

”

an d w hich is a w e ll- co n structedshe llac va rn ish, c o loured w ith a vege table pigm en t

,an d tem pe red

w ith a te n de re r gum ,w ill do ve ry w e ll) a n d va rn ish w e ll, so a s to

de epe n in co lour the shoulde r O f the n e w n e ck an d the chin o f

the O ld scro ll w ith the n ew w o od adja cen t to it Yo u w ill n oww an t a little powde red drago n

’s blo od a nd a little burn t um ber,

m ixin the se a cco rding to the shade required by the r e St o f

.the fi dle, w ith the she lla c va rn ish. I f the fiddle is red in ton e ,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

c oncluston .

My ta sk is fin ished .

I t is w ith a ge n uin e regre t that I lay dow n my pen , fo r a s lhave gon e through in my m in d the va rious pro ce sse s o f fiddle

making, an d “m ade m y fiddle s o

’

e r aga in ,”the de ep a n d

abso rbing in te re st w hich fo r m e a ttache s itse lf to all things

con n e cted w ithThis sm al l

, sw eet thing,D evised in love an d fa shion ed cunn inglyO f w ood a n d strings,

”

ha s m ade m e lin ge r lovingly ove r the m in u tim of the ope rat ion sw hich ca ll its w o n drous pow e rs in to be ing.

Un til he ha s pursued the a rt n o on e can im agin e the fa scin ation O f v io lin - m aking,— the thousan d pa in s the playe r n eve rdream s O f

,the thousa nd touche s the un in itia ted eye n eve r

appre c ia te s, the exquisite w o rk O f the in te rio r w hich n o eye s,

save tho se o f the m ake r an d repa ire r,eve r w ill be privileged

to see . The se a r e the things w hich m ake the Luthie r love thew ork o f his han ds, a s if it w e re his ow n child.

Ye a rs ago (it is sa id) the re lived in Brem en a w a tchm aker,

w ho se fam e w a s un ive rsa l, fo r his w a tche s w e r e the m o st pe rfe ctin the w orld. NO o n e could discove r the secre t o f his proem in en ce . At la st he sicken ed an d died

,an d the secre t w a s

reve a led, fo r a ll his w a tche s stepped o n e by on e — he had

w rought a little O f his ow n Soul in to ea ch tim epie ce,a n d w he n

he died— they died a lso !SO it is w ith the Fiddle -m ake r : his w ho le soul is put in to

his w o rk bu t his w o rk do e s n ot die w ith him it live s,divin e ly

sw e e t, til l she e r O ld age c rum ble s it aw ay,— till long afte r h is

gr an dchildren’

s gran dchildren have lived out the ir a llo ttedthree sco re ye ars a n d ten , in blissful ign o ran ce o f the ir a n ce sto rw ho “

m ade fiddles .

”

Gen tle Reade r,a u p la isir de vous r evo ir : give m e re st n ow .

Let m e lay dow n the go o se - quill to take up the gouge , a nd fo r aspa ce le t m e re sum e aga in the so lutio n O f the problem

Given : a {Lee of Mi not: -Ma ke : a f ibula

Quantz Iran burr la term , 2 i1 ti tle , z Vanna,

Quaint m enu i1 ba lm , la gi oia , r l'

ira ,

Wa tts r m m utate legno in g umbo m alls.

TO A CHILD VIRTUOSL.

(Reprinted from The Lute, Septembe r

L

CHI LD , w hen to-n ight a lo n e upon th e stage

With tiny han ds you w ok e th e fev’rish ch ords

I n stream s o f harm on y w hich m ight a ssuage

Pa ssion, pain , longin g, out of reach of w o rds ;

Wh en (ev’n as Am ph ion in the o ld tim e played,

D raw in g dead shi ps wh ich fraught w ith be in g seemed )

You w ie lded th e deft how my l ife w as stayed ,

And I sat tran ced, and, a s I li sten ed , dream ed .

I see you n ow a s then , ch ild-lik e and fair,

Lost in th e clouds of harm ony you made,

Wh ilst th e li ght stream in g from your sun ny ha i r

Revea led the dimple by its lurk ing shad e

An d th e soft caden ce o f the th em e you b reath ed

Wel l m ight h ave m ade th e tortured sou l fo rget !

Ra is in g sw e et liv in g m em o ries w h ich w reath ed

With gar lan ds n ew the ash es of Regret.

I saw you w h en som e oth er stron ger h an d

I mpri son s th at w h ich lately sped th e bow ;

And th is e re yet th e run n in g of life’s sand

Had m a rk ed a de cade by its sile n t flow )And th en— w h en bow an d crou de a re la id a side,And ch ildr en

’s h an ds w ak e fresh th ose ech o e s br igh t,

Wil l you rem embe r y ou r l if e’s m o rn in g

-tide,

Wi ll m em ory bear you back , dea r, to to-n ight f

En vor

Ch ild , thus I dream ed ; and sudden ly I w ok e,Roused by the thunde rs o f app lause w h ich brok e

From a ll w h o h ea rd you .— Ah l in th e To -be

Will pra ise de light you ev'n as n ow ,

m’am z

‘

e .

ED . HERON-ALLEN .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

324 VI O LIN-MAK ING : AS IT w a s AND I S.

sm ell in g like ben z o in w h en bu rn ed it is so luble in a lcoho l a n d m osto il s an d turpen tin e .

(i ) Ma dder is a colour obta in ed from the pee led ro ots o f th e Ru biatin ctorum , a sh rub grow n prin cipa lly in Ho llan d . The ro o ts a r e

l ifted in October o r Novem ber, th e brow n epiderm is is rem oved by a

process ca lled “r obage,

”a n d th e in n er part is cu t in to sm a ll piece s

a n d pa ck ed o ff to the coun tries w h ere it is gr oun d in to a fin e pow derfo r u se .

(j ) Logw ood 1s th e dark r ed h ea r t-w ood of th e m a toxylon

camp eck i a n um ,a tree w h ich grow s in Mexico an d Cen tra l Am erica .

Th e sapw o od a n d bark a r e pe eled o ff,an d the h ea r t - w ood is im ported

in bille ts . The co lo ur di sso lves readily in bo iling w a ter.(70) B r az i l w ood is obta in ed from va riou s spec ies of O cesahain a

grow in g in B ra z il . Th e best is that o f the Coesa lp i n a ecli in a ta o r

Pern am bu co w ood , w hich is m uch used for m ak ing vio lin bow s .

Th e da rk ye llow ish - r ed hea rt -w ood is th e va luable pa rt.(I) Ci n n a ba r (o r Verm i lion ). An or e o f m ercu ry ,

fo u n d in

crystal s, m a sses,an d pow der. Chem ica lly it I S bisulphu ret o f m ercu ry .

(m ) 07' im en t, a com bin ation o f a rsen i c w ith su lphu r, of a brillian t

ye llow co u r k n ow n a s k in g’

s ye llow .

(n ) E lem i is a fragra n t resin obta in ed ch iefly from the Amyr is

elem ifer a o f Egypt (w h en ce it a rrives w rapped in ca n e o r pa lmleaves), an d fr om th e Elaphr ium elem ifer um of Mexico . I t is

co llected on ce a day from in cision s m ade in th e ba rk in w a rmw ea ther

,an d put in to ca sk s . I t is at first soft a n d sticky, bu t

becom es in tim e ha rd an d brittle . I t is usua lly in gr een ish -

ye llow ,

sem i - tra n spa ren t m a sses w ith da rk streak s in th em ,w h ich soften

w h en h e ld in th e han d .

(a) An imé, o r ha rd copa l , is th e resin w h ich exudes from the

Hym enwa cou rba r i l, a n a tive of South Am erica . A gum obtain ed fromth e Va ter ia I n d ica , k n own as gum a n im é, is very lik e true copal (on lym or e so luble in a lcoh ol), w ith w h ich it is frequen tly con fused incomm erce .

(p ) Capa l i s a n am e given r a th er in discrim in a te ly to van ous gum s,

e specia lly tha t kn ow n a s an im é (o). The best, or Mexi can copal ,is obta in ed from a species o f Hym en aea , bu t it is a lso obta in edfrom Africa , I n dia , Madagasca r, an d B ra z il . I t a rrives in roun d,tasteless , odourless, lem on -ye llow m a sses it is readily fusible an d

inflamm able,an d though only sligh tly so luble in a lcoh o l a n d o il of

turpen tin e n a tura lly, it is readily so w hen it ha s been fused . I n

hardn ess, as a gum ,it ran k s n ext to am ber. I t is ea sily so luble in

o ils of spike a n d rosem ary, an d the a ddition o f e ither of these toal coho l prom otes its so lubility . I t is a lso so luble in o il o f turpen tin ew hi ch has been expo sed to th e a ir (s ide p.

«a (q) Gu m tr aga can th l s yie lded by the sh rub Astr aga lus tr aga ca n t/oit occur s in Opaque w h itish flakes, o n ly pa rtia lly so luble 1n w a ter itgrow s ch iefly in Persia a n d Asia M in or, an d com es to u s fromSm yrn a a n d Con stan tin ople .

APPEND IX. 325

(r ) O il of la ven der is obta in ed by di stilling flow ers of laven der

w ith w a ter ; the va riety used ch iefly for varn ishes is ca lled O il of

spik e,a n d is obta in ed from th e La va n du la la tifolia ,

o r sp i ca .

(s) Cyp r ia n tu rp en tin e is tha t va riety yie lded by the P ista ci a

len tiscu s . I t is in ferio r to the Ven ice turpen tin e .

(t) Gum la c i s the product of an in sect (the Coccu s la cca ) w h ichlives on the tw igs of various tre es (such as B u tea , F i cu s, Cr oton , etc

wh ich it gradu a lly covers w ith a resin ous coa ting w h ich con ta in stheir dead bodies, eggs, an d a purple co lour in g m a tter whi ch theysecrete . The eggs germ in a te in side th e resin ous covering draw n fromthe tre es by th e par en t in sect, an d th e in sects eat the ir w ay throughan d con tin ue to build up the coa ting of resin (o r gum lac ), w hicho ften becom es as thick a s half a n in ch , be in g hon eycom bed by thedead bodies of succeeding gen era tion s . Wh en w e ll co vered, the tw igsa r e gathered by n atl v es an d soaked an d k n eaded in h ot w a ter, w h ichopera tion disso lves th e co louring m a tter

,an d purifies th e m ass from

th e dead bodi es of the in sects . I t is th en pu t in to coarse bags a n dm e lted befo re a fir e till it o o z es ou t over sticks on w hich it dries an dfo rm s sh e ll - lac w ha t fa lls through th e stick s is ca lled te ar- lac , a n dpla te o r tablet- la c . Stick - la c is the tw igs just a s they a r e ga thered ,sh ipped w ith a ll im purities. Tha t w h ich is shak en to th e gr oun dfrom

’ th e trees by w in d, etc .,is co lle cted, a n d ca lled seed - la c . I t is

O f va rious shades of co lour,from clea r o ra n ge to Opaque liver- co lour.

I t com es prin cipa lly from Sou th -Ea stern Asia,a n d is im ported at

th e ra te o f about ton s an n ua lly.(u ) Sa n da r a ch (so - ca lled) is a brittle

, ye llow 1sh , tra n sparen t resin1m ported from North Afr ica , w h ere it exu des from th e bark of th e

Ca lli tr i s qu a dr iva lv is . I t i s m o r e so luble in O i l of tu rpen tin e thana lcoho l, a n d in excess ren de r s the va r n ish so ft a n d brittle . Tru e

sa n da ra ch is got from th e comm on jun iper, a n d is the sam e a s jun ipergum (a id e p. 175, No te(v) Am ber is the fossil gum , probably of a n extin ct con iferous tre e ,

foun d gen era lly in co n jun ction w ith coa l, in lum ps or tea rs O f a

ye llow o r Opaque co lour . I t burn s brigh tly, a n d is ra ther brittle .

I t m e lts at 550° Fah r I t is foun d pr in cipa lly on th e sho res o f theB a ltic, cast up by th e sea

, ga th ered in n e ts,a n d dug up . I t . is a lso

som etim es foun d o n the ea st coa st O f En glan d . I t is partia lly so lublein alcoh o l

,a n d to ta lly in ch lo r o fo rm .

(w ) Aspha lt is a k in d o f bitum in o u s pitch , O bta in ed ch iefly fromTr in idad, th ough it is a lso foun d in m a n y o ther parts of th e w o r ld .

An a r tificia l a spha lt is obta in ed from the residue left in the reto rta fter th e evo lution o f coa l -ga s . I t resem bles pitch , bu t do e s n ot

so i l th e fin gers ; it is spa r in gly so luble in a lcoh o l,but m ore so in

O il of turpen tin e , e th e r , an d n aphtha .

(as) C—u m a ra bic is O bta in ed fr om the Aca cia a r a bica an d cam ,

bo th n a tives O f No rth Af rica an d Easte r n Asia , w h en ce it is importedto us from B a rba ry a n d Turk ey . I t va ries in co lour from strawyellow to deep r ed .

326 VI OLIN-MAKING : a s I T w a s AND 1s.

Cam bogc is th e gum resin O f the Cam bogi a gu ttifer a o f the

Ea st I n dies. I t is a th ick ye llow Ju ice , wh ich rea ches u s in pipes,cylin ders, a n d m a sses

,o f w h ich th e tw o fo rm er a re th e purest. The

best com es from Siam .

(z ) Myr rh is the re sin o f th e B a lsa m oden dr on m yr rha ,a n a tive

of Ar abia a n d Abyssin ia . I t ex udes from th e tre e in th ick ye llowdrops, w h ich h a rden a n d da rken on expo su r e to th e a ir . I t rea ch es

in tea rs an d lum ps, va ry in g from ye llow to reddish - br ow n . I t

is brittle a n d w axy,w ith a ba lsam ic sm e ll, an d a n ar om a tic a n d

bitter ta ste .

(a a ) 0p 0p on a a: is Obta in ed by pu n ctu r in g th e ro o ts of th e P a stim a ca op op on a x,

a k in d o f parsn ip, in digen o u s to Sou th ern Eu r ope .

Except as a pe rfum e,th is gum is n ot n ow m u ch u sed .

(b b) Cop a'

i ba (o r Cop am a ) 1s th e vo la tile O il flow in g fr om trees ofth e spec i es Copa ifer a gr ow in g in tropica l South Am e r ica. I t is

prin cipa lly used as a m edicin e .

APPENDIX B

THE PRESER‘ A‘r I UN O F THE INSTRUMENT.

MANY an d va riou s a r e the suggestion s m ade to, a n d th e duties

im po sed u pon ,am a teurs

,w ith a view to

t

k e epin g th e ir fiddles in go od

con dition a n d playin g order. Al th ough it is certa in th a t a v io lin istw ho do es n ot tak e ca re O f

,an d do eve ryth in g con du cive to the

w e lfa re o f,his vio lin

,can n ever expect to m ak e a go od per fo rm er,

m a ny O f the opera tio n s set dow n in th e book s a r e ridicu lou s a n d

u n n e cessa ry, su ch,fo r in stan ce , a s th e practice r ecom m en ded by

Otto,O f ru bbin g th e strin gs fr om n u t to bridge , w ith a piece O f

silk m o isten ed w ith a lm on d O il,before puttin g the in strum en t aw ay,

a fte r playi n g o n it,a n d ru bbin g th em dry aga in w ith a l in en r ag

be fo re aga in usin g it. I t is a lw ays h ope le ss to expect ow n ers o f n ewfiddle s to pay tha t a tten tion to bra n n ew in strum en ts tha t theybestow upon th e ir a lready di lapidated a n d tim e -w orn m a ste rpieces of

Crem o n a , pa rtly be ca u se th ey do n ot con sider th em w o r th it, a n dpa rtly because th ey lik e to see them lo ok in g O ld a n d service -m ark ed .

I t w o u ld be a grea t boon to fu tu r e gen e r ation s if am ateurs w ouldpreserve th e ir n ew fiddles in a ll th e ir pristin e spick a n d spa n

beau ty, a n d th is Object m ay be Obta in ed by fo llow ing an d adherin gto the fo llow in g ru le s .

The vi o lin sh ould,al te r be in g played on

,be dusted free from a ll

impuri ties a n d a ccum u la ted rosin du st,w ith a soft sil k ha n d

k erchief,fo r ro sin dust, if a llow ed to rem a in in a w hite layer,

is apt to ch eck the vibra tion s O f th e bel ly , to say n oth in g of its

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

328 VI OLIN-MAKING : As 11: WAS AND I S .

the soun d-

po st is also qu ite str a ight up, an d that the n eck ha s

not sun k forw ar d a little, as it som etim es w ill w h en a n ew n eck

has been set on th e in str um en t, o r th e fiddle has n ot lon g left the

m ak er’s hands . Th is w ill a lso som etim es happen w hen a fidd le is

su dden ly ca rr ied from a w a rm in to a co ld tem pera ture , the gluebe in g by thi s m ean s loosen ed

,as a bove m en tion ed . Th is becom es

appa r en t by th e strin gs appea rin g too h igh abo ve th e fin ger- boa rd,

an d con sequ en tly an aw kw ar dn ess be ing experien ced w hen playin gin the h igh sh ifts. When this happen s, th e on ly th in g to do is toha ve a n ew n eck put on by a good w o r km an som e players get overth e difficulty by low e rin g the bridge , bu t th is is a lw ays a da n gero u sa n d un sa tisfacto ry expedien t (v ide p . See that th e be lly ha sn ot becom e un glu ed on th e left of th e ta il -piece , a s is som etim es th e

case con sequen t upon th e h ea t O f the ch in , o r on the r ight o f th e

shoulde r, w h ich som e tim es resu lts from a hot h an d playin g in th ethird an d h igh er position s. B y tappin g the fiddl e lightly roun d theedges, a ny con tin gen cy o f this description becom es im m edia te lyappa ren t by the soun d . I f by a ny m isch an ce th e soun d -

post fa lls

dow n,o r the fiddle gets un glu ed at a n y of the block s, re lax a ll the

strin gs at on ce ; it is better to pu t up w ith th e tem porary disturba n ceO f the in strum en t thu s o cca sion ed

,than to risk th e deleter iou s stra in

o therw i se pu t upon the be lly .

I h a v e sa id,n ever let a w an t of repa ir go too lon g, but, on th e

o ther ha n d, do n ot be too a n xiou s to have your fiddle tin k e r ed a‘

bout ;rem em be r that a s w ith the hum a n subject am puta tion is th e very lastre sort to be tr ied w hen a ll o th er r em edies ar e hope less, so w ith th efiddle . TO tak e off th e be lly is a m ost se r iou s thin g, an d to m eddlew ith the ba r , or sco op ou t th e w ood

,w orse stil l ; therefo re , n eve r

su ffer your fiddle to u n de rgo th ese opera tion s u n less every oth erm ean s has fa iled, n ever h av e the be l ly tak en off except in the case ofa bad cr ack

,a lo o se n in g o f a blo ck (a n d e ven th en it m ay be dispen sed

w ith som etim es [v ide, p. 307] o r un less the obstin a te ghastlin ess ofthe ton e tells you th e r e is som e ser iou s in te r n a l com pla in t to rtur in gyour da rlin g. O n the sam e prin ciple , n ever sh ift about the bridgea n d sou n d -

post you rself (irresistible a s is th e ten de n cy to do so w h en

the ton e go es w r ong) con fide a ll such m a tte rs to som e h igh -

priest o fthe ar t of lu ther i e, w hom yo u ca n trust w ith th e w e ll -be in g O f yo u rin strum en t.

B y a tten din g to th ese th in gs a good fiddle can be k ept in perfecto rder fo r a n in defin ite len gth o f tim e . The above di r ection s m ayse em to the r eader to be u n n ece ssa r ily m in u te an d faddy ,

”bu t a s a

m a tter O f fa ct, th e po in ts I have set dow n to be atten ded to oughtn ot to require settin g dow n at a ll

,bu t a r e in stin ctive ly Observed by

any fiddl er w ho rea l ly w ar ship s his fiddle a s (a la s I) a fiddler a lw ays

does soon er or la te r. B y a tten tion to the above -m en tion ed particu la rs, your in strum en t is k ept in good tem per an d ton e, an d yo ua re saved the a wfu l expen se O f first- class fiddle repa ir in g.

APPENO Ix 329

APPENDIX C.

THE B I B LI OGRAPHY O F THE VI O LIN.

THE follow ing ca ta logu e o f w o rk s on th e vio lin ca n n ot, I k n ow ,

preten d to anyth in g l ik e comp leten ess, but I th in k I am justified insayin g tha t it is the la rge st l ist h ith erto publish ed, of w ork sexclu sive ly devo ted to th e h isto ry , th eo ry , con struction O f

,a n d

m isce lla n ea con n ected w ith,th e Vio lin . I t a im s at be in g n o m o re

tha n a tra n script O f th e ca ta logue o f m y v io l in - libra ry,a libra ry

w h ich,fo r som e yea rs pa st, I h a ve gr u dged n e ith er tim e n o r expen se

to m ake a s com plete a s po ssible , a n d I sh a ll e ste em it a gr ea t favourif a n y O f m y rea der s, w ho kn ow o f a ny w ork s n ot i n clu ded in th efo llow in g list, w ill sen d m e a n o te o f th e ir title

, etc .,s o tha t I m ay ,

w ith this va luable h e lp, still furth er complete th is bibl iography . I

have a rra n ged the titles in chron o logica l order in preferen ce to

a lph abetica l, for I thi n k th e form er is th e m o re in tere stin g a rr a n gem en t fo r studen ts of the liter a ture of th e v io lin

,a n d I h av e pla ced

the authors’

n am es in a n in dex of the n am es con ta in ed in th is a n d thefo llow ing appen dices in fron t of the in dex to th is vo lum e , so that a n yauth o r’s w o r k m ay be foun d at on ce

,w ithout n ecessa rily k n ow in g th e

da te th ereo f, o r sea rch in g through the w ho le lis t. SO a s furth er toa id my reader s in th e ir search , I h ave divided the prin cipa l co u n trie sfrom on e a n oth e r

,a plan w h ich un fo rtun a te ly show s m e m y

poverty a s rega r ds th e vio lin - litera ture o f som e O f the n ation s . I

have been obliged, by w a n t O f spa ce , to exclude m aga zin e a rtI Oles

,

extra cts fr om o th er w o rk s, pa ten t specifica tion s, a n d m a n y oth er

m a tte r s con n ected w ith the v io lin w h ich m ust n ecessa r i ly havein tere sted those w hom su ch th in gs con cern : a t som e fu tu re da te ,how ever

,I propo se to em body a ll th e se in a com plete a n a lytica l

bibliography o f the vio lin in th e form o f a sepa ra te volum e . I n th e

m e an tim e , I pr e sen t m y reader s w ith th e fo llow in g ca ta logue , w h ichha s be en h ith erto jea lou sly gua rded from pryi n g eyes

,a n d w h ich

com prises the title s o f m any w o rk s n ever before re ferred to in an yw ork on th e in strum en t .

ENGLI SH WORKS

I . HAMI LTON, J . A. Ham ilton ’

s Ca tech ism fo r the Vio lin . Lon don ,n .d . R . Cocks (fl Co . 12m o . The fifth edi tion appea r ed in

1848. Th e fifteen th edition h a s a n appen d ix by JohnB ishop, an d appear ed abou t 1883.

‘2 Ffi'

r l s,F r amgois J oseph . B iograph ica lNo tice of Nico lo Pagan in i .

Fo llow ed by a n an a lysis o f his com position s, a n d precededby a sk etch O f th e h isto ry o f the violin . Tran sla ted byWe ll in gton Guern sey . Lon don , n .d . : Schott do Co . 8vo .

(Vid e No .

330 VI OLIN-MAK ING : As I T WAS AND I S .

3. MOYEI KH- IATPEIA ; o r a Fiddle the best D octor. Lon don,

1775 K ea r sley .

4 . J O USSE, J Th eo ry an d Pra ctice O f th e Vio lin . Lo n don ,

1811.

5. MACD ONALD , J ohn . A Tr eatise Explan a tory O f the Prin ciplesco n stitutin g th e Practic e a n d Th eo ry O f the Vio lo n ce ll o .

Lon don,1811. App en dix 1815. Fo lio .

6. ANONYMO US . Th e Lay O f th e Poo r Fiddler, a Pa rody on the Layof th e La st M in stre l. With n o te s a n d illu stra tion s : by a n

a dm ir er O f Wa lter Sco tt. Lon do n,1814 Cr osby . 8vo .

7 . MACD ONALD , J ohn . A Tr ea tise on th e Harm on ic System ,

a risin g fr om th e vibration s O f th e a liqu ot division s of strin gs,etc ., etc . Giv in g a n ea sy a n d fam ili a r a dapta tion of th e w ho le

to th e pu rpo ses o f com po sitio n a n d of in strum en tal m usic,a n d

m o r e particu la rly to th e practice of th e vio l in,ten or, vio lon

ce llo , a n d do u ble -ba ss, on a ll th e str in gs in every com pass O f

th ese in str um en ts by every pra ctica l m ode O f execution , etc .

Lo n don,1822. P r in ted f or the Au thor . F o li o .

8. I MB ERT D E LAPHALI‘

zQUE, G. Som e Accoun t O f the Ce lebratedVio l in ist Nico lo Pagan in i. Tr an sla ted from th e Fr en ch o f

G. I . de L.,w ith addition a l n otes . Lo n don ,

1830 Chapp ell,etc . Large 8VO . (a tr a n slation o f NO .

9. ANONYMO US . Pr a ctica l Ru le s fo r pr o du c in g Ha rm o n ic No tes onth e Vio l in

,etc . B u ry St. Edm un d ’

s a n d Lo n don,1831

Cr am er .

10. OTTO,J a cobAugu stu s . Tr ea tise o n th e Con str u ctio n

,Pr e se rva

tion,Repa ir s, an d I m pr ov em en t o f th e Vio l1n a n d a ll how

in str um en ts,togeth e r w ith a D isserta tion on th e m o st

Em in en t Makers, po in tin g ou t th e su rest m a r k s by w h ich a

gen u in e in strum en t m ay be distin gui sh ed . Tr a n sla ted fromth e Germ a n

,w ith n otes a n d a ddition s by Th om a s Fa rde ley ,

professor O f la n gu ages, Leeds . Lo n do n : Lo n gm a n s . Le eds

J . Cr oss , 1833. Large 8v o . (Vide No . 16, to w hich it is

gr ea tly in ferior). (Tr a n slation O f NO .

l l . D UB O URG, George. Th e Vio l in . B e in g a n a cco u n t O f th atlea din g in strum en t a n d its m o st em in en t pr o fe sso r s, from its

e a r l ie st da te to th e pr esen t tim e, in clu din g h in ts to am a teu rs,

an ecdotes, etc . Lon don ,1836 : Hy . Co lbu r n . Sm a ll 8vo .

Secon d Ed i ti on . Lo n do n,1837 : Hy . Co lbu r n . Sm a ll 8vo .

Thi rd Edi ti on . Lo n don,n .d. R . Cocks . Sm a ll 8vo .

Fou r th Ed i tion . Revi sed a n d con side r ably en la rged, 1852

Fifth Edi tion . New ly rev ised a n d en la rged by J ohn B ishop, ofCh elten h am ,

1878 : R. Cocks . 8VO .

12. MACKI NTO SH , Rem a rk s on the Con struction o f, a n d

Mate r ia ls em ployed in , the Ma n u fa ctur e of Vio lin s. D ublin ,

1837 : 8vo Pam ph let.

l 3. ANONYMO US . The Han dbook O f th e Vio lin,its Th eo ry an d

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

332 VI O LIN-MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND I s .

Viol in ists and th e Vio lin . I I I . Th e Vio lin a n d its Histo ry.

Lon don , 1869 : R . B en tley . 8vo .

23. D AVI D SON, P eter . Th e Vio lin . A con cise expositio n of the ge n eral

pr in ciples of con struction , th eoretica lly a n d practica lly trea ted,in cluding th e im porta n t re sea r ches o f Sava rt a n d a n epitom e

o f the lives of the m ost em in en t Artists, an d an a lphabetica llist of v iol in -m akers . I llustra ted w ith lith ogr aph ic vign ette ,an d n um erous w oodcuts. Gla sgow P or teou s . Lon don

P i tm a n . Edin burgh , Aberdeen ,etc .

,1871. Sm a ll 8vc .

S econ d Edition

Thi rd Edi tion

F ou r th Edi tion . Th e Vio lin . I ts con struction theo retica lly an d

prac tica lly tr ea ted, etc .,etc . Lo n don : E . P i tm a n . Edin bu rgh ,

Glasgow , D u n dee , 1881. Sm a ll 8vo .

24 . READ E, Cha r les . A Lost Art Revived. Crem o n a Vio lin s a n d

Va rn ish . Four letters descriptive o f tho se exhibited in

1873 (sic, Shou ld be 1872) at th e So u th K en sin gto n Mu seum ,

a lso givin g th e da ta fo r produ cin g th e tr u e va rn ish e s usedby th e gr ea t Cr em on a m ak ers . Repr in ted from th e P a ll

Ma ll Ga z ette by George H .M . Mu n tz,B ir chfie ld . Glouceste r,

1873 : J olm B ellow s . La rge 8VO Pam ph le t.

25. B ARNARD , Cha r les . Cam illa , a Ta le o f a Vio l in . B e in g th e a rtistlife o f Cam il laU r so . Lor in g. 8vo .

26. FETI S, F r a n go is J oseph . B iogr aph ica l No tice o f N10010 Pagan in i.With a n a n a lysis of his com po sitio n s a n d a Sk etch of the

h istory O f th e vio lin by F . J . Fetis . \Vith po r tr a it a n d

w o od en gr avin gs . Lon do n , S econ d Ed ition o f No . 2, n .d .

S chott (ECo . 8vo (tra n sla tion o fNO .

27 . CO FFEI E, Cha r les . Th e Vio lin . A con den sed h isto ry o f the

v io lin ,its perfection a n d

.

its fam ous m ak er s . I m po r tan ce of

bridge a n d sou n d -

post a rra n gem en t . Ph ilade lphia ,1876 : C. An dr é (is Co . 8vo Pam ph let .

27a . SMI TH ,H . P . Th e Con stru ction of the Violin . Gives fu ll

an d com ple te D irection s, by th e a id O f w h ich a n y Am a teu rM ech an ic ca n co n struct a perfect Violin . Syracu se ,n .d . (1877) J . Roblee.

28. SCHEB EK , D r . Edm u n d . Th e Vio lin Man ufa cture in I ta ly a n d .

its Germ a n Origin . An h istorica l sk e tch . Tra n sla ted fromth e Ge rm a n by Wa lte r E . Law son . Reprin ted from The

Mu si ca l Sta n da rd . Lon don ,1877 : W. Reeves . La rge 8vo

Pam ph let (tran sla tion o f NO .

29. PHI PSON, .D r . Thom a s Lam b. B iogr aph ical Sk etches an d An ecdo tes of Celebra ted Vio li n ists. Lon don , 1877 : R. B en tley .

8vo .

30. [FOTHERGI LL, J essi e.] The First Vio lin . A n ove l. Lo n don ,

1878 : B . B en tley . 3 vo ls ., 8vo .

31. FRED ERI C, Hen r i etta . Th e En chan ted Vio lin . A com edy in

tw o acts, for mal e char a cters. Lon don,1879 Wa shbou/rn e.

APPEND IX. 333

B RO AD HO USE,J ohn . Fa cts about Fiddles. Violin s o ld an d n ew .

Reprin ted from The Mus ica l Sta n da rd . Lon don , n .d. (1879)W. Reeves . 8vo Pam ph let .

Secon d Edi ti on , en la rged, n .d . ib.

PO RTER,Thom a s . H OW to Choo se a Vio lin . With directions

fo r k eepin g the in strum en t in order a n d fo r repa iring a n d

im prov in g faulty in strum en ts. Lon don,m.d . F .

P itm a n . 8vo Pam ph let.

CO URVO I SI ER, Ka r l. Th e Techn ics o f Vio lin -

playin g. Edi ted

an d tra n sla ted by H . E . K r ehbie l,O f the Cin cin n a ti Co llege .

Lon don,n .d . W. Reeves . 8VO (tra n sla tion of No .

149 3vi de a lso No .

ANONYMO US . Th e Sin gu la r Life a n d Surprisin g Adven tures o f

J o seph Th om pson ,k n own by th e n am e of Fiddle r Th om pson ,

of Ha lifax ,etc . Wak efie ld, n .d . W. Ni cho lson .

16m O (vide n o te 2, p.

ANONYMO US . The B lin d Fiddler. B y the author of Wee

Hun ch ie , etc . Edin burgh , n .d . Religi ou s Tr a ct

Soci ety of S cotlan d . 12m o .

THOMAS, B er tha . The Vio lin P layer. A Nove l . Lon don,1880

R. B en tley . 3 vo ls.,8vo .

[NI CHO LSON, J ] D esign s a n d P lan s for the Con struction an d

Ar ran gem en t of th e New Mode l Vio lin . Lon don,1880:

H . K . Lew i s, imp . La rge folio .

HART, George. Th e Vio lin , its Fam ous Mak ers an d the irI m itato rs. With n um erous w o od engravin gs from pho tograph s of th e w o rks O f Stra diva r ius, Gua rn erius, Am a ti

, a n d

o thers . Lon don,1875 : D u la u (E Schott. La rge post 4to ,

sma ll po st 8vo , pp. xxiv. an d 352.

Secon d Edi tion , grea tly enl a rged, 1884.

P op u la r Ed ition ,1880

, pp. vi . a n d 310.

GEMUND ER, George. Geo rge Gem ii n der’

s Pr ogress in ViolinMak ing. With in teresting fa cts con cern in g the a rt a n d its

critics in gen era l . Astoria , New Yo rk , 1881. Pu bli shed bythe Au tho r . 8vo .

[HONEYMAN,

Th e Vio lin : H OW to Ma ster it. B y a pro

fessio n a l playe r . Edito r o f K '

o’

hler’

s Rep osi tory Edi n burgh :E .K6hler . Lo n don , J a r ro ld, n .d . 8v0. Six o r

seven ed ition s a lr ea dy publish ed.

HART; George . Th e Vio lin an d its Music . With severa lengraved portra its on stee l O f em in en t v io lin ists, w h ose stylebo th in playing an d in com po sition m ay be rega rded as

repr esen ta tive . Lon don, 1881 D u la u cf: Schott. La rge

po st 4to , sm a l l po st 8vo .

M I TCHELL, C H HOW to H o ld a Vio lin a n d B o w

With in stru ctio n s in bow in g . Lon do n , F i r st Ed itio n , 18

S econ d Ed iti on ,1882 : F . P i tm a n . 8v o Pam ph le t.

READ E , Cha r les . J ack O f a ll Trade s . A m a tte r O f fact rom a nce .

334 VIOLIN- MAKING : AS I T WAS AND I S .

Lon don , 1882 : Cha tto do Win du s. (Th e biography of J . F.

Lo tt ; vide page

HERON-ALLEN,Edw a rd . Opuscula Fidicu la r um . No . l . The

An ce stry O f th e Vio lin . B e in g a discou rse del iv ered at the

Freem a son s’

Tavern,on Fr iday, J u n e 2n d

,1882, to the

Sette O f O dd Vo lum e s. Pa rt I . Th e Or igin o f the Vio lin .

Pa rt I I . Th e We lsh Crw th . Lon don,1882. Prin ted fo r the

Au thor by Mi tchell d: I I ughes . 8v0 Pam phlet (vi de n o te 1,

p. 29, an d n ote p .

CHANO T, Georges . H odge s v . Cli a n ot. Cr iticism s a n d Rem a rk son th e Grea t Vio lin Ca se , M a r ch 1882. Lon don

,1882

M i tchell (EHughes . La rge 8v o Pam ph let .ENGEL, Ca r l . Resea rches in to th e Ea r ly H isto ry O f th e Vio l in

Fam ily . Lon don,1883 : Novella, Ew er , (it Co . 8vo (vide

n o te 1, p.

FLEMING,J a m es 111 O ld Vio lin s a n d the ir Maker s.

I n clu din g som e refe r en ces to th o se o f m odern tim es, WI th

fa csim iles o f tick ets,

sou n d - h o le s,

etc . Lo n don , 1883 .

L. Up cott Gi ll.

HERON-ALLEN,Edw a rd . D e Fidicu lis Opu scu lum I I . H odges

aga in st Cli a n ot. B e in g th e h istory o f a celebr a ted ca se,

co llected fr om the n ew spape r s a n d from perso n a l Obse rva tiona n d a n n o ta ted . Pa rt I . B iogr aph ica l . P a rt I I . Th e Cau se

of Actio n . Pa r t I I I . Th e Tr ia l . Pa r t I V. Th e Opin ion so f the P r e ss . Lon don

,1883. P r in ted fo r th e Au th or by

M i tchell d: Hughes . 8vo Pam ph let.

FERRI S,George J . Sk etch e s O f Gr eat Pia n ists a n d Grea t

Vio lin ists,B iogr aph ica l a n d An ecdota l

,w ith a cco u n t of th e

Vio lin an d Ea r ly Vio lin i sts . Lon don , 1884 : W. Reeves . 8vor

Nata — I have h eaded th e abov e l ist w ith tw o w ork s (Nos. 1 a n d 2) w h osedates of publication I ha v e n ot been able to a scerta in . NO S. 3

,6,30

,31

,35

,36

,

37 , an d 44 I have in serted (th ough un con n ected w ith th e h istory , th eo ry , or

pra ctice of the vi ol in ) , a s l ik e ly to be of in ter e st to th ose sufl‘ic ien tly c on cern ed

w ith th e in strum en t to m ak e th em tak e an in te re st in an y l iteratu re O f th e v io lin .

I n exclud ing a l l m e r e in stru ction book s I d oubted fo r som e tim e w h eth er to

i n sert th e w ork s of Ch r istopher Sim pson : (i)“The D iv ision Vio l ist ; or , an

I n trodu ction to th e Play in g upon a Groun d (Lon don , 1659 : IV. Godbid ,fo lio ) ,

an d (ii)“Th e D iv ision Vio l ; or , th e Art of Playin g extemp or e u pon a Grou n d

(Lon do n ,1667 H . B r om e

,fo lio) so I h a v e com prom ised by n otin g th em h er e .

Having m en tion ed Cha r les B ead e ’

s“ Ja ck O f a ll Tra d es (No . 44) I ought,

perh aps, to have n oted th e a n on ym ou s n ove l Ch ar les Au ch este r (Lon d on ,

1879 : Chapma n 4‘ Ha l l) , w h i ch is sa id to be a biogra phy of He rr J oa ch im ,

a l l the characters in the book be ing i n ten ded to repre sen t w e ll-k n ow n m u sica l

celebri tie s (Men d e lssohn , Sternd a le -Ben n ett,Sa in ton , Mosche les, Ferd. D av id ,

th ough th e portra its a re som ew hat in distin ct.

I TALIAN WORKS .

50A. ZANNE'IT I,Ga spar o . I l Sco la ro , di G. Z . per imperare a suonar e

di vio lin o ed a ltri str om en ti . M ilan, 1645.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

336 VI OLIN-MAKING AS I T WAS AND I S .

62. LOMBARD INI , P a o lo . Cen n i su lla celebre scuo la Crem on ese degli

strom en ti ad a rco,n on che su i lavo ri e sulla fam iglia de l

somm o An ton io Stradivar i. Crem on a , 1872 : Tipogr afiada lla Noce. Large 8vo .

63. RINALD I , B en edetto -Giofl’

r edo . Classica Fabbrica z ion e di Vio lin iin P iem on te . Turin , 1873 : Rin a ldi . Large 8vo Pam ph let.

64 . VALD RI GH I ,Lu igi Fr an cesco . D’

un arpa e di u n Vio lin o e Vio loncello in taglia ti da D . Ga lli . (Museo Esten se .) Moden a

,

18783Tip Mon eti e Mam ias . 8vo .

65. VALD RIGH I ,Lu igi F r a/n cesco . Liuteria Moden ese an tica e m odern acon Ca ta logo di Liu ta r i . Moden a , 1878 : Toschi . 8vo .

66. CONS I LI , D 11 Poggia-Vio lin o , in ven z ion e m eccan ica

brevettata applicata a1 Vio lin o : brevi cen n i sulla utili tata

di e ssa so tto i l rappo rto de l ar te in I talian o e Tedesco .

B o logn a , 1879 : Tip . soc . Az z oqu id i . Large 8vo . Three

pamph lets Of 12 pp. ea ch , boun d together, on e in I ta lian ,on e in Fren ch , an d on e in Ge rm an .

67. VALD RI GH I , Lu igi Fr a n cesco . Mu su rgian a No . 4. [ 1Vio loncellista Ton e lli e suo r’ Ma ria I llum in a ta corista ed organ istadelle clar isse di ca rpi n el Seco lo XVI I I . Moden a

,1880:

G. T. Vin cen z i e Nep . La rge 8vo Pamph let.68. VALD RIGH I , Lu igi Fr a n cesco . Mu surgian a No . 9. Strum en ti

ad a rco Rin forz a ti. Moden a , 1881 : Tip ogr afia Lega le,Large 8vo Pamphle t.

69. WALD EN, E . D w or z a k von . 11 Vio lin o ossia An a lisi de l su o

Mecca n ism o . Naples, 1883 : F . Fu r cheim .

69A. VALD RI GH I , Lu igi Fr an cesco . Nom och e liu rgografia, an tica e

m odern a o ssia clen co di Fabbr ica to ri di Strum en ti arm on ici,etc . Modena , 1884 : Soci eta Tip ogr afia .

Nata— I t is a fa ct n ot w ith out a certa in sign ifican ce that so few books shou ldhave reached th is coun try from tha t to w hi ch the in strum ent ow es its in ven tionand high est d eve lopm en t. I t m ay be that I am particularly poor in th eI tal ian literature of the subject.

FRENCH WO RKS .

ROUSSEAU, J ean . Tra ité de la Vio le qu i con tien t, Un e D isse rta tion ‘

Cu r i eu se su r son o r igin e , Un e D em on stration gén éra lede son Man ch e

,etc . Pa ris

,1687 Chr . B a lla rd . 8vo .

LEB LANC, Hu ber t. D éfen se de la ba sse de Vio le con tre lesEn treprises du Vio lon et les preten sion s du Vio lon ce lle .

Am sterdam ,1740 : P . Mor ti er . 16m o .

TI B RASSON, A D isserta tion H istor ique sur la Vie lle .

Pa ris, 1741.

D OMENJ O UD , J ea n B aptiste . D e la préféren ce des v is a ux chevillespou r les in strum en ts de m u sique ; et u n essa i su r la m a n ierede cha n ger l’A-mi - la en ten dan t ou déten dan t toutes lescorde s a la fo i l sa n s détr u ire l ’ha rm on ie ce qu i don n e lieu t

APPEND IX. 33?

des m a n ches d’

un e fo rm e n ouv e lle , beaucoup plus comm ode:

qu e les a n cien s. Pa ris,1757 Th ibo ust. 8vo .

B RI JON, E R Réflexion s su r la m u siqu e e t la

vra ie m an iere de l ’exécu te r sur le Vio lon . Pa r is,1763. 4to

LECLAI R J ea n Ma r ie. Tabla ture idéa le du Vio lon , jugée pa rfeu M . le Cla ir l ’a in é etre la ver itable . Paris, 1766. 8vo .

EYMAR, A M An ecdote s sur Viotti 3 pr écédéde quelques r éflexion s sur l ’expr ession en m usique . Mila n

,

n .d . Z en o . 8vo .

B AUD , et GO SSEC, F r a n go is J oseph . Observa tio n s su r

les co rdes a in strum en ts de m usique ta n t de B oyau qu e deSo ie

,suiv i d ’un e lettre du c itoyen Go ssec a u c itoye n B aud, da

r apport du citoyen Go ssec a l ’I n stitu tNa tion a l su r le s co rdesde so ie du c itoyen B aud, et de 1

’

extra it du pr o ces- verba l do

i’

I n stitu t Na tion a l re la tif 3. cc rapport. Versa illes,1803

P . D . P i er r es . 8vo .

SI B I RE, L’

Abbé. La Che lon om ie,ou lo Pa rfa it Luth ie r. Pa ris

,

1806. chez l’

Au teu r et M i llet. 8vo .

Secon d Edi ti on . B russe ls, 1823 : Wei ssen bru ch . 8vo .

FAYO LLE, F r a n go is . No tices su r Core lli, Ta rtin i, Pugn an i ,Gav in ies

, et Viotti. Pa ris,1810. E . D en tu . 12m o (v ide

No .

CHANOT, F r a n gois . I n stitut de Fra n ce . Academie Roya le desB eaux Arts . Rapport fa it a 1

’

Académ ie des B eaux Artsdan s la Séa n ce du 3 Avr il 1819 a u n om de la Section deMusique su r les n ouveaux in strum en ts de m usique (vio lo n s,a ltos, vio lon ce lle s et con tre -ba sses), suiva n t la fa ctu re brevetéede M. Cha n ot

,O fli cier au Corps du Gén ie m a ritim e , in séré

au M on iteu r . Pa ris,1819. 4tq, 4 pp .

SAVART, Felix . Mém o ir e su r la Con struction des I n strum en ts aCordes et a Ar ch et . Su ivi du Ra pport qu i en a été fa ita ux deux Academ ies des Scien ce s et des B eaux Ar ts. Pa ris,n .d . Ror et. 8vo .

B AI LLOT, P i er r e Fr a n gote Ma r i e de Sa les . Notice sur J . B .Vio tti,

n é en 1775 a Fo n ta n etto en Pi ém on t,m ort a Lon dres ls

3 Ma rs,1824 . Pa ris

,1825. 8v0.

I MB ERT D E LAPHALEQUE, G Notice sur le celebreVio lon iste N. Paga n in i . Pa ri s, 1830: Gu yot. 8vo (vi deNO .

FAYO LLE , F r a n gois . Paga n in i et B e r iot ; ou Avis aux J eu n es

Ar tiste s qu i se destin en t a l’

en se ign em en t du Vio lon . Paris,

1831 M . Legou est. 8vo Pamph let.

AND ERS,G E Nico lo Paga n in i, sa Vie

,sa

Perso n n e 3 et quelques m o ts sur son secre t. Pa ris,1831 :

D ela u n ay . 12m o .

MAUGIN, J C Man ue l du Luth ier, con ten an t 1°la con stru ction in térieure et extérieure des I n strum en ts 3a rch et, te ls qu e Vio lon s, Altos, B a sses et Con trebasses ; 2° 13con struction de la gu ita rre 35° (si c) la con fec tion de l ’Archet.O uvrage orn é de figures . Pa ris, 1834 : Ror et. l 2m o.

22

338 VI OLIN- MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND I S .

D ESMARAI S, Cyp r i en . Ar ch éo logie du Vio lo n . D escr iption d’

u n

Vio lo n Hi sto r iqu e et Mo n um en ta l. Pa r is,1836 : D en tu d

S ap ia . La rge 8vo Pam ph let.ST. GEO RGE a n d LEUVEN

,I I Le Luth ie r de Vien n e

,opera

com iqu e e n 1 a cte . Pa r is,1836.

D ELHASSE,Felix J oseph . H en r i Vieu xtem ps . Er r atum de la

B iogr aph ie Un iver se lle des Mu sic ien s pa r M . Fetis.

B r u sse ls,1844 : Wou ter s . La rge 8v o Pam ph le t.

FETI S , F r a ngo i s J oseph . Notice B iogr aphiqu e su r Nico lo Pagan in i

,sui v i de l

’

An a lyse de ses Ou vrages ct pr écédé d ’

u n e

e squ isse de l ’histo ir e du Vio lon . Pa ris,1851 : S chaen en berger .

Large 8v o (vide Nos . 2 an d

B ENED I T,G C. Sivo r i . Extr a it du Sem aphor e du 7

Ma r s,1854 . Ma r seil les

,1854 : B a r la ti er -F ei ssa t. La rge

8v o Pam ph le t .M I EL

, Edm d . F r a n co is An toin e Ma r i e. No tice H isto ri qu e su r

J . B . Viotti . (Extr a it de la B iogr aphie Un iver se lle de

M . F . J . Fetis, T. I L, p . Pa r is

,1856 : Ever a t.

FO URGEAUD,Alexa n dr e. Les Vio lon s de D a layr a c . Pa ris

, 1856

J . Lecler c . Large 8vo Pam ph le t.

[YO USSO UPOW (o r J O USO UPO F), P r in ce ] Lu thom o n ograph ie

H isto r iqu e et Ra ison n ée . Essa i su r l ’Histo ir e du Vio lon et

su r le s o u v rage s des An cien s Luth iers Célebr e s du tem ps dela Ren a issa n ce , pa r n u Am ateu r. Fr a n k fo r t S/M .

,1856

Ch . J ugel. La rge 8VO .

FETI S,F r a n go is J oseph . An to in e Stradiva r i . Lu th ier Célébr e ,

co n n u so u s le n om de Stra diva r iu s, pr écédé de Rech e r ches

H isto r iqu e s e t Cr i tiqu e s su r 1’

o r igin e e t les tra n sfo rm a tio n s

des I n str um en ts a a r ch et, et su iv i d’

An a lyseS Th éo r iqu es su r

l’

Ar c lI et e t su r Fr a n go is Tou r te , Au te u r de ses de r n iersperfection n em en ts. Pa r is, 18563 Vu i lla um e . La rge 8vo

(v ide NO .

D ESFO SSEZ,A H en r i VViemaW s k i . 1. Edu ca tion .

I I . P r em ier es tou r n ée s a r tistiqu e s en Ru ssie,e n Al lem agn e ,

en B e lgiqu e , et e n Ho lla n de . I I I . Pa r a l lele en tr e Paga n in i et

Wien iaw sk i . IV. Con clu sio n ,1e Pa sse, le P rese n t, et l

’

Av en ir .

Esqu isse . La Haye , 1856 : B eli nf a n te . La rge 8v o Pam phlet .MAI LAND ,

Eu gen e . B iblio thequ e de s Pr o fession s I n du strie l le s etAgr ico les. Sér ie G. ,No . 17 . D écouverte des An cien s Ve rn isI ta lien s, em ployés pou r le s in str um en ts a Co r des et a Ar chet.

Pa r is,1859 : E . La cr o ix . 8vo .

S econ d Edi tion . Pa r is, 1874 : E . La croix . 8vo .

SAUZAY,Eugen e . A Mon sieur I n gres . Haydn , Mo z a rt

, B eeth o v en

,Etu de su r le Qua tuo r . Pa ris

,1861 : chez t

’

Au teu r .

La rge 8vo .

BURB URE, Léon de . Recherch es su r le s Factu res de Clavecin s etles Lu thie r s d ’

An v ers depuis le XVI " siecle ju squ’

au XIX‘.

Pa ris, 1863. 8vo .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

340 VI OLIN-MAK ING : As IT WAS AND I S.

114. FLEURY, J u les (CHAMPFLEURY). Le Vio lon de Fa i en ce . D essin s

en coul eur pa r M . Em ile Ren ard de la m a n u ta ctu r e da

Sevres, eaux- fo rtes, pa r M . J . Ade lin e . Paris,1877 : E .

D en tu . 8vo . Edition de Gran d Luxe .

S Ra pport In a l ’Académ ie Naticm a le

de Re im s dan s sa séan ce publique du 3 Ao ut, 1876, su r les

Vio lon s de M . Em ile Men esso n , Luth ier a Re im s . Re im s,

1877 , S econ d Ed ition , Gepy .

116. VI D AL, An to in e. Les Vie lles Corpora tion s de Pa r is . La

Chape lle St. J u lien des Men estr iers et les Men estr ie rs de

Pa ris. Par is, 1878 : Qua/n tin . 4to . (A r eprin t o f Cha ps .

I -VI . o f Pa l t I I . o f No . 113, i . ,e. Vo l . I ., p. 289 to en d,

a n d Vo l . I I . pp. 1 51, w ith Pla tes 47, 52,53.

117. TH O INAN, E rn est (vide No . Lou is Con sta n tin ,Ro i des

Vio lon s,avec n u fac sim ile de brevet de m a itre jo u eu r

d’

in strum en ts de la Ville de Pa ris . Pa ris,1878 B a um

118. PLASSI ARD , J A D es Cordes Ha rm on iques e n

gén éra l et spécia lem en t de ce lles des in strum en ts a Ar ch et.Par is, 1880: Thibou vi lle

—La/my . M irecourt, 1880: Cha ssel .8vc .

119. HUET, Felix. Etude sur les difi‘

ér en tes Ecoles de Vio lon depuisCore lli ju squ

’

a B a illo t. Pr écédée d’u n exam en su r l ’a rt de

jouer des in strum en ts a a rch et au XVI I ° siecle . Cha lon s

sur-Ma rn e,1880: F . Thou i lle. La rge 8vc .

120. GREVI LLE, Hen ry . U I1 Vio lon Russe . 2 vols. Pa ris,1880,

Ten th Edi ti on : E . P lan . 8vo .

l 21. CO B MON, an d GRANGE, E Le Violon de Pére

D im an ch e . P iece en tro is actes, etc . Représen tée po u r laprem iere fois aPa ris su r le Theatre de s Fo l ies D ram a tiqueslo 31 Octobre , 1854 . Pa ris, 1881 Tr esse. La rge 8vo .

122. CO PPEE, F r a n coi s . Le Luth ie r de Crem on e . With explan a to ryNotes, H istorica l, B iograph ica l, etc .,

by Alphon se Marie tte .

Lon don ,1880: D u la u (f: 00. 12m 0.

123. SIMOUTB E, N E Aux Am a teurs du Vio lon .

H istorique , Con stru ction , Répa ra tion et Con serva tion de

cet I n strum en t. 3 316,1883 : G. A. B onf a n tin i . 8vo .

Note.— No . 7O 18 th e oldest w ork on bow in strum en ts k n ow n,an d l ik e No . 7 1

is of very great rar ity Nos. an d 122 be in g dram atic w ork s, and Nos . 93,111, 114, an d 120 be in g r om an ce s have , perh aps, t o ser iou s pla ce in th is

bibl iography, but I ins ert them a s lik e ly to be of m Ierest to my readers.

GERMAN WORKS.

124. REI CHARD T, J oha nn F r i edr ich . Ueber die Pflichten des RipienVio lin isten . B erlin un d Le ipz ig, 1776 G. J . D ecker .

125. [TAUB ER, Ca r l c om ] Ueber m e in e Violin e (a poem ). Vien n a,1780 : J . Edl/i/n .

APPEND IX. 341

126. TARTINI , Giu sepp e. B rief a n Magda len Lom bar din i . Han over ,1786. (Vide No .

127. I I I LLER, J oha n n Adam . An w e isun g z um Vio lin Sp1elen fu r

Schulen u n d z um Se lbstun te r r ichte,etc. Le ipz ig, n .d .

(1792) B r eitkopf u n d Har tel .

128. BAGATELLA, An ton i o . Ueber den B au de r Vio lin e , B ra tsch e ,Vio lon ce ll

,u n d Vio lon s. Tran sla tion o f No , 53 by J . O . H .

Schaum . Le ipz ig, n .d . Ku hn el . 8vo .

129. OTTO , J a cob Augu stu s . Ueber den B au u n d die Erha ltun gder Ge ige u n d a ller B ogen in strum en te . Nebst e in er Uebersicht de r v o r z iiglichsten K ii n stler u n d der sich erstenK en n z e ich en ihrerArbe iten . Ha lle u n d Leipz ig, 1817. 8vo .

130. O'

r'

ro,J a cob Augustus . Ueber den B au der B ogen in strum en te

un d iiber die Ar be iten der vo r z iigl ich sten I n strum en tenm ach er

,z u r B e leh ru n g fu r Musiker. Nebst An deu tun g z u r

Erha ltun g der Vio lin e in gu tem Zustan de . J en a , 1828

B r a n . S econd Ed iti on of No . 129.

131. WETTENGEL,Gu sta v Ado lph . Neuer Schaupla tz der K u u ste u n d

Ha n dw erke : B an d 37. Vo llst'

an dige s th eore tisch -

pr akti

sch es, au f dem Gru n dsa tz e de r Ak ustik begr iin detes, etc .;Lehrbuch der An fertigu n g u n d R epara tur a ller n och jetz tgebr

'

alu chlich en Ga ttun gen von ita lien isch en u n d deu tschenGe igen ,

etc . M it sech z eh n lithogr aph irten Ta fchi . I lm en au,

1828 : B . F . Voigt. (Vi de No .

132. I I ARRYS, Georg. Paga n in i in se in em Re isew agen u n d Z im m er,in se in en redse ligen Stun den ,

in ge sellsch a ftlich en Z irk eln ,

u n d se in en Co n ce r ten . Au s dem Re ise jou rn a l von 0. H .

B run sw ick , 1830 : F . Vi ew eg. l 2m o .

133. SCHUTZ, F r i edr ich Ca r l J u liu s . Leben,Cha rak ter, u n d K un st

N. Pagan in i’

s,e in e Sk iz z e . I lm en au

,1830 : Vo igt. 8vo .

134 . SCHOTTKY, J u liu s Max . Pagan in i’

s Leben a n d Tr e iben a ls

K ii n stler u n d a ls Men sch , m it u n pa rthen sch er B er ii ck sich

tigu n g der Me in un gen se in er An hanger u n d Gegn e r .

P r ag, 1830 : J . G. Ca lve . 8vo .

135. VINELA, Lu dolf. Paga n in i’

s Leben u n d Cha r ak ter n a ch Scho ttkyda rgeste llt. Ham bu rg, n .d . 8vo . (A con den sa tion of No .

134 .

136. B ACHMAIZN, O tto . Theore tisch prak tisch es H an dbuch des

Ge ige n bau es, oder An w e isu n g ita lien isch e,u n d de u tsch e

Vio lin en , B ra tsch en ,Vio lon ce llo s, Vio lon s z u verfertigen ,

etc.,fii r Ge igenm ach er u n d a lle diejen igen , w elche da s

Gesch'

aft derse lben erlern en w o llen . M it 4 Ta fe ln Abbildungen . Qu edlin burg u n d Le ipz ig, 1835 G. B a sse.

137. B I OW,Hen ri . O le B u ll, e in e biogr aph isch e Skiz z e . H amburg,

1838 : J . 0. S . Wi tt.138. SPOHR

,Lo u i s . Louis Spoh r’s Se lbstbiograph ie . Cassel an d

Gottin gen ,1860 : H . Wi egan d dc 00. 8v o .

AB ELE, Hya ci n th . D ie Vio lin e . I hr e Ge sch ichte u n d ihr B an .

342 VI OLIN-MAK ING : AS I T WAS AND I S .

Na ch Qu e llen da rgeste llt (M it lithogr aph irten Abbildu ngenu n d e in er m usik a lisch en B e ilage ). Neuberg, A/D .,

1864

A. P r echter . Sm a ll 8v0.

Zw e ite ve rm ehrte u n d ve rbe sse rte Auflage . I b. 1874 : ib. 8vo .

140. SCHUB ERT,F L D ie Vio lin e . I h r Wesen ,

ihreB edeu tu ng u n d B ehan dlu n g a ls So lo u n d Orch esterI n strum en t. Le ipz ig, 1865 : JlI er sebu rger . 8vo .

141. D I EHL, Ni cola u s Lou i s . D ie Ge igenm a ch er de r Alten I ta l ienisch en Sch u le . Ein e U ebe r sich t a ller bek a n n ten ita l ien ischenGe igenm ach e r der a lten Schule

,Cha r ak ter istic ihrer

Arbe iten , getr eu e Abbildun gen v on den h e r vor ragen dstenun ter ihn en gebrau ch ten Z ette ln in den I n str um en ten

,n ebst

e in er vora u sgeh en den Abh a n dlu n g iibe r den Ursprun g de rGe ige . H am bu rg, Fi r st Ed i ti on 3 S econ d Edi ti on , 1866

Thi rd Ed i ti on,1877 . J . F . Ri chter , 12m o .

142. WETTENGEL,Gu sta v Adolph . G. A . W.

’

s, w e il Vio lin bogenm a ch e r s z u Ma rk n eu k ir ch en

,Lehrbu ch der Ge igen u n d

B ogen m ach e rk u n st ode r th eo r e tisch -

pr ak tische An w e isu n gz u r An fertigu n g u n d Repa r a tu r de r v ersch iede n en Ar tenGe igen u n d B ogen , etc . M it e in em Atla s en tha lten d 10

Fo lio Tafe ln . We im ar,1869 : E . F . Vo igt. (New Edition

o f No .

143. WAS I ELEWSKI,J oseph Wi lhelm 'von . D ie Vio li n e u n d ih r e

Me ister . Le ipz ig, 1869 : B r eit/copf u n d Har tel. La rge8vo . S econ d Edi ti on ,

ib.,1883.

144. CO URVO I SI ER, Ca r l . D ie Grun dlage de r Vio lin -Te chn ik . Fr a nkfo rt, s/M.,

1873. 8vo (v ide No .

145. SCHEB EK,D r . Edm u n d . D er Ge igen bau in I ta lie n u n d se in

deutsch er Ur sprun g. Ein e h isto risch e Sk iz z e . Pr ag, 1874

B ohem i a -Acti en -Gesellschaf t. La rge 8vo (vi de No .

146. WAS I ELEWSK I , J oseph Wi lhelm c on . D ie Vio lin e im XVI I .

J a h rhu n de rt u n d die An f'

an ge de r I n str um en ta lcom po si

tio n . B o n n,1874 : M . Cohen . 8vo .

147. B I TTER, Herm a n n . D ie Vio la Alta . I hre Gesch ichte , ih reB edeu tu n g u n d die Prin cipien ih r es B a u es . H e ide lberg,1876 : G. Wei ss . 4to .

S econ d Edi ti on . D ie Gesch ich te de r Vio la Alta u n d die Grun dsatz e ih r es B au es . Zw e ite verm eh r te u n d ve rbesserteAu flage . M it 5 in den Text gedr u ck ten u n d 2 Ta fe ln Ah

bildun ge n . Le ipz ig, 1877 J . J . Weber . 8v o (vide No .

147a . NI ED ERHEI TMANN,F r iedr i ch . D ie Me iste r der Ge igen bau kun st

in I ta lien u n d Tyro l . Vien n a, : F . S chr eiber . Ham bu rg

Aug. Cr a n z .,1876. 12m 0 .

148. NI ED ERHEI TMANN,F r i edr i ch . Crem on a . Ein e Ch arak teristik der

I ta lien isch en Ge igen ba u er un d ih rer I n stru m en te . Le ipz ig, 1877 : Car l Mer sebu/rger . 8vo .

149. OO UEVO I S I ER, Ca/r l. D ie Vio lin - techn ik . Co ln , 1878 : P . J .

Tong sr . 8vo (vide No .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

344 VI OLIN-MAK ING : As IT WAs AND I s

u se am ong v io lin ists,an d of th ose sufli cien tly w e ll kn own to ha ve

had the ir existen ces r eco rded in a n y o f th e be st m usical book s of

referen ce . An oth er gr ea t difficu lty w h ich I ha v e h ad to encoun te rhas been th e c ir cum stan ce th at hardly an y m u sic is eve r da ted

, so

that in a m a jority o f cases it is im po ssible to giv e the da te o f publi cation o f a vio lin scho o l u n less it is to be fou n d in som e ca ta logue

r a ison n é, o r in som e r efe r en ce w o rk , su ch a s the B iograph ie

Un iver se lle des Mu sicien s et B ibl iograph ie Gén éra le de la m u sique ”

o f M . Fétis (Pa r is, 1860 to 1865, 2n d Edu . Supplem en t et Com

plem en t,Pa ris

,o r th e B ibliographi c Mu sica le de la Fra n ce

et de l’

Etr a n ge r (Pa r is, 1822, Ni ogr et). Wh er e by referen ce tosu ch bo ok s, I h a v e be en able to da te a m éthode, I h a v e don e so , a n d a ll

such a s I have be en able to da te I have placed in ch ron o logica lo rder in th e fir st se ction o f th is ca ta logu e ; a ll su ch a s I h ave been

un able to da te I have placed a lph abetica lly in th e secon d sectionth e re of. Fin a lly I have in clu ded n o bo ok s, o r sets

,o f studies o r

exer cises (for th ey a r e,o f cou rse , in n um erable ), tha t is to say, I h ave

o n ly n am ed’ vio lin sch o o ls in w h ich th e exam ples a r e in terspersed

w ith lette r -

pr e ss a n d illu str a tion s,be in g, in po in t of fac t

,com plete

direction s fo r the a cqu isition o f techn iqu e upon th e v io lin, (pr e

sum ably ) w ithout a m a ster. Th u s th is list O f m éthodes becom es

pr a ctica lly a supplem en t to Appen dix C.,a n d m ight be headed “A

B ibliogr aphy o f Wo rk s on th e Tech n iqu e o f th e Vio lin,

”an d a s

su ch it m igh t be sa id th at No s. 1, 4 , 5, 7, 9, 13, 14, 18, 34, 41, 43,50A

,52

,69

,70

,74, 75, 124, 144, 149, in Appen dix sh ould be

h er e in clu ded 3 bu t I pla ced them th ere becau se th ey a r e pr in cipa llypr in ted in str u ction s, w ith very few m usica l exam ples, w herea s h erew e have w o rk s w h ich a r e prin cipa lly m usica l exam ples to w h ich the

prin ted in struction s a r e practica lly subordin a te . Fo r th is reason ,

se e in g th at m u sic m ay be sa id to be a cosm opo litan lan guage , Ihave n ot div ided th e fo llow in g w ork s un der the h eads O f the ir va r iousn a tiona lities

SECTI ON I .

VI OLIN SCHO O LS IN O RD ER O F D ATE.

N.B .— Exccpt w h er e oth erw ise m en tion ed , th e si z e of the fo llow ing w ork s

is a lw ays u n derstood to be m u sic- si z e .

1. Ger le, H . Mu sica Teu sch (sic) a u f die I n strum en t die Gro ssenumn d (si c) k leyn en Geygen a u ch La u tten

,etc . Nii rn berg,

1532. S econ d Ed i ti on , 1546.

2. S imp son , C. Th e D ivision Vio l ist,o r a n in trodu ction to the

playin g upo n a gro u n d , div ided In to tw o pa rts. Lon don ,1659 : W. Godbid . F01. t

3. S imp son ,C. Th e D iv ision Vio l

,o r th e Ar t of Playin g ex

temp or e upon a grou n d, divided in to th r ee pa rts. S econ d

Edi tion of No . 2. Lo n don , 1667 : H . B r om e. Fo l .

APPEND IX. 345

Gem in i an i , F . Art of P layin g the Vio lin . Lon dOn ,1740.

Gem in iam i , F . The En tire New a n d Com plete Tu to r fo r the

Vio lin,con ta in in g the ea siest a n d best m ethods fo r lea rn in g

to obta in a profic ien cy . Lon don,n .d . (1800) J . P r eston .

6 . Moz a r t, L. Versu ch e in er gr ii n dlich en Vio lin schu le . Augsbu rg,1756.

7 . An on ym ous . Th e Complete Tuto r fo r the Vio lin , con ta in in gth e best an d ea siest I n struction s for Lea rn ers to obta in a

Proficien cy, etc . Lon don,n .d . Thomp son (2 Son .

O bl .

Moz a r t, L. Gr u n dlich e Vio lin schule . Augsburg, 1770 : Latter ,4to .

Méth ode rai son n ée de Vio lon , par L. Mo z art. Tr an slated by V.

Roeser. Paris,1770. B oyer .

S econ d Ed ition ,Pa ris, 1801 Ch . P legel.

9 . Gem in i a n i , F . Th e Ar t o f P lay in g on th e Vio lin , con ta in inga ll the rules n ecessa ry to a tta in to a perfection on that

I n strum en t,etc . Op . IX. Lon don , n .d . S econ d

Ed i ti on, 1791 B r em n er .

Sa in t-S evin , J . B . Prin cipes de Vio lon . B ordeaux, 1772. 4to .

Lohlein,G. S . An w e isun g z um Vio lin spie len m it prak tischen

B eyspielen u n d z u r Hebun g m it 24 k le in en D u ettenerk l

'

ar et. Leipz ig, 1774 . S econ d Edi ti on , 1781. Thi rd

Ed i tion,1797. F . Fr omm a n n . Obl .

B a i lleux, A. M éth ode ra ison n ée pour appren dre a jouer daVio lon ,

ave c le do igté de cet I n strum en t,et le s différ en s

agrem en s do n t il est susceptible . Pa ris,1798. S econ d

Ed iti on , 1779.

M i la n dr e (f). Méthode faci le pour la Vio le d ’

Am ou r . Par is,

1782. 4to .

Co r r ette, M . L’Ar t de se per fection n er sur lo Vio lon . Par is

,

1783.

Leon e Méthode ra ison n ée pour passer da Vio lon a la Man

do lin e . Pa ris,1783.

B or n et (a in é). No u ve lle Méthode du Vio lon et de la Musique .

Pa r is,1788.

B eda rd, J . B . Méth ode de Vio lon , courte et in te lligible . Pa ris,

18003 Ledu c.

Ca r ti er, J . B . L

’

Ar t du Vio lon,o u D iv ision des éco les, servan t

de com plem en t a la Méth ode de Vio lon du Con serva toire .

Pa ris,1801.

Ba i llot,P .

, B ode, P .,et Kr eu tz er

,R . Méthode de Vio lon . Pa ris,

1803 3 O z i . En glish Edi tion ,tra n slated by J . A. Ham i lton

Lon don,n .d .

H er-i ng, C. T.

(P r aktische Vio l in en schu le n ach e in er n euen ,leichten u n d z w eckm

'

assigen S tu fen fo lge . Le ipz ig, 1810;G. F lei scher .

B i lli a r d Méthode de Violon Pa ris , 1817.

346 VI O LIN-MAKING : AS I T WAS AND I s.

B a i llgt, P . L’Ar t da Vio lon . Nou v e lle Méthode

,dediée a ses

Eleves . P a ris,n .d . I mp r im er ie du Con serva to i r e .

West, W. The Ar t o f Playin g th e Vio lin on a n ew Prin c iple byw h ich th e progr e ss o f the le a r n e r is gr ea tly fa c ilitated .

Lo n do n , n .d . (1840) B . S . Wi lli am s . O bl .

B a tes, J . B ates’

Com plete Pr e cepto r fo r th e Vio lin ,con ta in ing

th e e a siest a n d m o st m ode r n m e th ods fo r lea r n in g to Obta in

proficien cy . Lon do n,n .d . (1845) T. B a tes . O bl .

Guhr , C. L’

Ar t de J o u er du Vio lon de Pagan in i 3 appen dices atou te s les m éth odes qu i on t paru ju squ

’

a ce jou r avec un

Tra ité de son s h a rm on ique s sim ples et dou ble s . Pa ris,n .d .

S chan en berger . English Edition tra n sla ted by J as.Cla rk e . Lon don

,n .d . : R. Coo/cs .

An on ym ou s . Th e Vio lin Precepto r , o r P o ck et Gu ide to the Ar tO f Playin g the Vio lin . Gla sgow ,

1846 W. Ham i lton ,Obl .

Sp ohr , L. Vio lin schu le von Lou is Spohr m it e r l'

au te r n den

K upferta fe ln . Vie n n a , n .d . T. Ha slinger .

Lou is Spoh r’

s Gr a n d Vio lin Sch oo l from th e origin a lGerm a n

,dedica ted to Pro fessors o f the Vio lin by the

Tr a n sla tor, C. Rudo lphu s . Lon don,n .d . (1850) Wessel dc Co .

Spoh r’s Vio lin Schoo l, Rev ised a n d Edited w ith a dditio n a lText, by H en ry H o lm es, th e tra n slation fr om th e Germ an

by Floren ce Ma rsha ll . Lon don,n .d. (1878) B oosey dc Ca .

Camp agn o li , B . Nouve lle Méth ode de la Méch an iqu e pr ogr essi v e du Jeu da Vio lon divisée en 5 pa rties et distribuée en

132 Lécon s progr essiv e s pou r deux Vio lon s , et 118 Etu des

pou r n u Vio lon se u l H a n o ve r,

n .d . : B a chm a/n n ,2n d

Editio n . Le ipz ig, n .d . B r eitkopf u nd Ha r tel.

En glish Edition ,tr a n sla ted by J ohn B ish op, o f Ch e lten ham .

Lon don ,n .d . B . Cocks (ECo .

B er i ot, C. A. de . Méthode de Vio lon en tro is parties . Pa r is,n .d. chez l

’

Au teu r .

D a vid , F . Viol in schule von Ferdi n a n d D avid . Le ipz ig, n .d .

B r ei tkopf u n d Ha'

r tel. S econ d Edi ti on ,1874.

Tou r s , B . Nove llo ’

s Mu sic Prim ers .

”Edited by D r . Stain er ;

No . 17, Th e Vio li n. Lon don ,n .d. Novella . 4to .

Pap in i , G. Le Mécan ism e du jeu n e Vio lon is te . Cours com

ple t et progressif en form e de m éthode pou r le vio lon , diviséen qu atre pa rties. Lon don

,n .d . (1883) F . W. Cha n at, 4to.

Ma son’

s Vio lin Tutor. An ea sy a n d sim ple m ethod fo r learn ingthis popu la r in strum en t. Lo n don , n .d . O bl .

O tto La n gley’

s New Vio lin Tutor. Lo n don,n .d . (1884) Riviér e

db Ha w kes.

SECTI ON I I .

UND ATED METHO D ES IN ALPHAB ETI CAL O RD EP

35. Anon ym ou s . The Art o f P layin g the Vio lin w ithout a Master.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

348 VI OL IN-MAKING : As IT WAs AND I s.

Pa tey , C. A. An Elem en tary Tr ea tise on the Art of Playi ngth e Vio lin ,

w ith Sca le s, etc . Lo n don,n .d .

P r aeger , H . Elem en ta ry a n d Practica l Vio lin Schoo l. I n th reepa rts . Lo n do n

,n .d .

Ri es, I I . Vio lin Sch oo l . Lon don n .d .

S a n d er son , J . Th e Stu dy o f the B ow,etc .

,Exe r cises in Fin ger

in g a n d B ow ing. Lon don,11.d . : Langm a n s .

Scha ll,O . Etu de s de l

’

a r chet et du do igté , o u c in qu an te- hu it

exem ples m e lés de capr ice s po ur le vio lon . Pa ris : Ch.

P leyel. Ham burg : B oehm,n .d .

Wa u d , W. W. I n stru ction bo ok fo r th e Vio lin ,etc . Lon don

,

n .d . : W. Wa u d .

Note.—Th e da tes of th e Méthode: in Section 11. m ay be approxim ate ly

a scerta in ed by r efer en ce to an y biograph ica l d iction a ry (su ch a s Fetis o r

Grove) , w hich w i ll giv e u s th e tim e at w hich the com po ser l ived . No . 1 is

i n serted (perh aps w ithout r ight of en tr ée) as be ing th e e a r l iest in struction bookI h av e been able to fin d fo r strin ged in strum ents. No s. 2 a n d 3 aga in , a re

sch oo ls for the v ial da gam ba , but I ha ve in clud ed th em on a cco u n t o f the ir

in ter est in con n ection w i th th is subject. No . 13 is in te resting a lso , be ing a n

in stru ction book for th e v io l in proper , but r eta in in g th e o ld n am e . Th e

e a rl iest v io l in -tutor I h ave be ing able to fin d,dates from 1654, but as it is

o n ly a section o f a m u sica l w ork , I h ave n ot been able to i n clude it in th e

above ca tal ogu e , but 1 ha ve , on a ccoun t of its fascin a ti ng in terest, set it out

a lm ost in its en tirety a s Appen d ix E.

APPEND IX E .

AN H I STOR I C VI OLIN SCHOOL.

WHEN on e lo ok s th r ough th e m agn ificen t “M éthodes du Vio lon ,Whi ch

a r e publish ed to- day a t pr ices w h ich br in g th em With in th e rea ch of

th e h um blest stu den t o f th e vio lin 3 w h en on e ra n sa ck s th e stores ofVio lin - lore

,h istorica l

,techn ica l

,a n d practica l, con ta in ed in th e pages

o f th e vio lin sch o o ls of D e B er iot, O f B er th o ld Tours, o f Ferdin an dD avid, a n d o f m an y o th ers, m y m in d O ften r everts to the days w h ena n in struction bo ok fo r th e n ew fa n gled fiddle ”

w a s a m a tter of ra reexpen se ,

to days w h en th e m a sters o f th e I ta l ian sch oo ls o f vio linm ak in g w ere in full vigou r, before th e vio lin had establish ed itse lfa s the first in strum en t in th e orch estra 3 a n d w h en

,a s An thony

:1Wood tells u s, gen tlem en played three , four, a n d five pa r tes w ithvio ls

,a n d tha t th ey esteem ed a vio lin to be a n in strum en t on ly

be lo n gin g to a comm on fidler, a n d cou ld n ot en dur e tha t it should

com e am on g them fo r feare O f m ak in g th eir m eetin gs to be vain e a n d

fidl in g.

”1 have before m e the fourteen th edition (published in

An th ony aWo od , Autobiography in MS. in Ashm o lea n Lib ra ry at O xfo rd

w ritten 1653. Publ ish ed at Oxford in 1772.

APPEND IX. 349

1700) o f a w ork fir st published in 1654 1 by J ohn P layford, static n er ,bookse ller, m u sicse ller an d publisher

,at h is shop in the I n n e r

Temple , n ear the Church doo r, en titled , “An I n trodu ction to th e

Sk i ll of Musick, in Th ree B o ok s.

Th e se con d book con sists of I n stru ctio n s a n d Lesson s fo r the

Tr eble, Ten or , a n d B a ss- vials, a n d a lso fo r the TREB LE VI OLIN

,

”

the la tter section (w h ich occupies pp. 91— 110) be in g o f greatin terest to the vio lin -player O f to -day, a n d h ea ded by a cu r iou s a n d

in tere stin g, if ra the r fan ciful, repre sen ta tion o f th e treble v io lin,

an d th e bow w ith w h ich it w as played , th e latte r be in g pa rticu la r lyw orthy th e n o tice o f m usica l archaeo logists . Th e w riter comm en ces

his di scou rse a s fo llow sTh e Tr eble Vi olin is a ch eerfu l a n d sprigh tly I n strum en t, a n d‘

m uch pra ctised of la te , som e by B ook, a n d som e w ith out ; w h ich o f

th ese tw o is th e best w ay , m ay e asily be re so lved To lea r n to playby Rate o r E a r , w ithout B o ok, is th e w ay n eve r to play m o re th a nw ha t m ay be ga in

’

d by h ea rin g a n o th er Play,w h ich m ay soon be

fo rgot 3 bu t o n the con tra ry,h e w h ich learn s a n d P ra ctises by B ook ,

a ccordin g to the Gam u t (w h ich is th e Tru e Ru le fo r Mu sick ) fa ilsn ot a fte r h e com es to be pe r fect in th ose Ru les, w h ich gu ide h im to

Play m o re tha n e ver he w a s Ta ugh t o r H ea rd,a n d a lso to play his

pa rt in con so rt, w hich th e oth er can n eve r be capable o f.

D i r ecti on sf or tu n in g the VI OLIN.

The Vio lin is u su a lly strun g w ith four Strin gs a n d Tun ed byF ifths . Fo r th e m ore pla in a n d ea sie un dersta n din g of it

,a n d:

stopping a l l Nates in th e ir righ t P la ces, a n d Tu n e, ’tw ill be n ecessa ry,tha t there be plac

’

d o n th e Neck o r F in ger—boa rd o f yo u r Vi olin , six

Fre ts,a s

’

tis on a Vi al This (tho’ ’

tis n ot usu a l, yet) is the best a n dea siest w ay fo r a B egin n er , w ho ha s a ba d Ea r

,fo r tho se F rets

a r e a ce rta in an d dir ect Ru le to guide h im to stop a ll h is Notes in

exact Tun e ; w h ere a s,those w h ich lea rn w ithou t

,seldom ha ve a t

first so go od a n Ea r,a s to stop a ll Notes in perfect Tu n e . Therefo re

fo r th e better un dersta n din g th ereo f, in th is fo llow in g Examp le isassign

’

d to tho se six F r ets on th e F in ger- boa rd

,six Le tters of th e

Alphabet in th e ir o rder : The first F r et is b,th e secon d c

,th e th ir d

d, the fou rth e, the fifth f , a n d th e sixth g a is n ot a ssign ed to anyFr et, bu t is the strin g open .

”

Th e n fo llow s a d iagram o f th e fin ger-boa rd fretted from the open

strings to th e sixth sem iton e (ED on the 1st strin g), a n d th e n am es

given to the four strin gs a re The Tr eble, th e Sm a ll Mea n,th e Gr ea t

Mea n , a n d the B a ss . Th e autho r th en give s,’

The SCALE of MUSI CKan the F ou r Str in gs of the TREB LE V IOLIN, expr essed by LETT ERS

an d NOTES .

Of this edition on ly on e copy is kn ow n it w as so ld at th e d ispe rsion ofthe li brary of the late D r .Rimbault in 1877, for ten guin ea s. (VideNote p.

350 VI OLIN-MAK ING : AS I T WAs AND I s.

Thi s Examp le do th dir ect th e P laces of a ll the Notes, flat a n d

sh a rp, e a ch Nate be in g plac’

d un der th e Letter, a ccordin g to th e ir

se ve r a l S top s upon ea ch S tr in g di stin ctly, begin n in g at the low e stNate o n th e B a ss

,or F ou r th S tr in g, a n d a scen din g u p to the h igh e st

on the Tr eble, o r F i r st S tr i ng acco r din g to th e S ca le o r Ga m u t I n

w h ich you m ay a lso observe, that th e Lesson s fo r th e Violin byLetter s

,a r e pr ick

’

d on f our Lin es accordin g to th e f o u r gen era lStr ings, but Lesson s by Notes a r e pr ick

’

d upon five Li n es, a s appearsin th e Exam ple above .

Fo r th e Tun in g o f the Vi o lin is usu a lly by F ifths, th at is, fiveNo tes dista n ce betw ixt ea ch S tr ing w h ich a cco r din g to th e S ca le o r

Gam u t,th e B a ss, o r f ou r th S tr in g is ca l led G—so l - r e- u t th e th i rd o r

Gr ea tMea n ,D —la - so l—r e th e secon d o r Sm a ll 111ca n , A - la - m i - r e 3 th e

fir st o r Tr eble, E- la as in th e fo l low in g Exam ple .

”

Th en fo llow s a n ordin a ry table o f th e n o tes o n ea ch string,in titu led Examp le of th e Tun in g, a s thefive Notes a scen d on ea ch ofthe f our S tr in gs, begi n n in g an the B a ss ar Fo u r th Str ing.

” Afterw h ich fo llow s a paragr aph w h ich w il l strik e th e m ode rn vio lin ist a s,to say th e lea st o f it, o r igin a l .

Also,fo r a B egin n er to Tun e by E ighths, w ill be ea sie r tha n by

F ifths, if h is Violin be f r etted to begin w hich , h e m u st w in d u p h is

first, o r ,Tr eble S tr in g a s h igh a s it Wi ll be a r

,th en stop it in f ,”

th e 5th fr et) a n d Tu n e h is secon d a n Eighth be low it ; then stopth e secon d in f , a n d Tu n e th e thi r d a n Eighth u n de r it 3 then stop th e

thi rd in f , an d tu n e the f ou r th a n Eighth below tha t 3 a n d so yourS tr i n gs w ill be in pe r fe ct Tu n e .

”

Th en fo llow s a n Examp le of Tu n ing by Fifth s a n d Eighths an d

An other Sca le f o r the VI OLIN,D ir ectin g the P la ces of the Notes on

ea ch S tr in g, a n d the Stops by ea ch F i nger .

” Afte r w h ich th e authorco n tin u es

Ha v in g th u s given you th e Tu n i ng o f the Tr eble Vi o li n , it w illbe n ece ssa ry he r e to se t dow n the Tu n in g of the Ten o r a n d B a ss

Vi o li n s, be in g bo th u sed in Con so rt .Th e Ten or o r M ean is a la rger Vi o lin tha n th e Tr eble, a n d is Tu n ed

five n otes low e r th an it : Th e Clif is som etim e s pu t on th e m iddle,an d som etim e s on th e secon d Lin e.

We have th en table s of th e open strin gs of th e Vio la as it is n ow

tu n ed , an d O f the Vio lo n ce llo , th e fir st strin g be in g G in stead o f A,

D o w n to th e se ven teen th cen tury th e sh ift on th e v i o l in w a s u nk n ow n ,th e

playe rs of tho se tim es con fin ing th em selves to th e firstpo sition . M . l’

Abbé Sibire

te l ls u s tha t th e so l e departur e ther efr om , w hich they se ldom a llow ed th em se l ves

to attem pt,w as the exten sion o f th e l ittle fin ger to C on th e fir st stri ng. This w as

look ed upon a s a great an d m ar ve l lous feat, so m u ch so , that w h en th e audi en ce

k n ew it w a s com in g th ey w ou ld mu rm u r a loud , as the terr ible m om en t a rri ved ,Gare l

’Ut l an d player an d l iste n e rs w ere in a fev er of exci tem en t. I f the

un luck y virtuo so fa i led to strik e the Ut pu re , a sto rm of disappro va l w ou ld m ak e

h im bitter ly r epen t h is tem eri ty 3 but if su ccessfu l , a w h ir lw in d of applau se

gre eted this stri ki n g exhibition of h is pow e rs.— L’Abbé Sibire , La Chelon om ie.

on 111 Parfa it Luthi er (Paris, Vid e Note p. vii i ., preface .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

352 VI OLIN-MAKING : As I T WAS AND I s.

F ifthly, in the m ovi ng your B ow up an d dow n, observe th is

Ru le : When you se e an even Num ber o f Qu a vers a n d S em iqu a vers, a s2, 4, 6, o r 8, tied together, your B ow m ust m ove up, th e it w as upat th e Note im m edia tely before ; but if you have a n add Nu mber , a s

3, 5, or 7 (w h ich h appen s very often by rea son of a P r i ck’

d Nate,o r

an add Qu a ver -Rest), th ere your B ow m ust be draw n down w ards at

th e first NLa stly , I n the Practice of an y Lesson , play it slow at first, an d

by often Practice , it w ill brin g your H an d to a m ore sw ift m o tion .

As for the severa l Gr a ces an d F lou r ishes that a r e used, (Vi z .

Sha kes, B a ckf a lls, an d D ou ble Relishes) th is foll owi n g TAB LE w illbe som e h e lp to your Pra ctice 3fo r there is, first, th e Nate pla in 3 a n da fter, th e Gr a ce expr ess’d by Nates at len gth .

”

Th is Vio lin - Scho ol th en con clu des w ith “A Ta ble of Gra cespr op er to the Vi al or Vi o lin ,

”w h ich in c lu de A B ea t

,A B a ckf a ll,

A D ou ble B a ck -f a ll, E leva ti on ,A Spr i nger , A Ca den t

,A B a ckf a ll

Sha ked, A close Sha ke, a Sha ked B ea t,”a n d A D ou ble Relish .

”

A sort O f Appen dix con sists O f Shor t TUNES f o r the TREB LEVI O LIN by Letter s a n d Nates,

”a n d S am e TUNES of the m ost u su a l

PSALM S B r oken f o r the VI OL IN,

”a n d com pletes th is H istoric

Vio lin - schoo l . I th in k it ca n n o t fa il to in tere st th e Vio lin ist o f

to - day, an d to con vin ce the m ost inve tera te la ud a tor temp ar is a cti ,tha t in th e m a tte r of m u sical in struction ,

w e have at an y ra te cau seto be tha n k fu l tha t w e do n ot live in th e good o ld days,” w hen at

a m usic m eeting at Oxfo rd, at w h ich Thom a s B a ltz a r (o r B a ltz ar in i)

exh ibited his m arve llo u s fea t, th e w ho le shift,l Professor Wi lsonstooped dow n to se e w hether h e term in a ted i n haaf s !

Thom as Ba ltz ar , born at Lubeck in 1630, cam e to England in 1655, and issa id to h ave be en the fir st w ho taught the u se of th e w h ole sh ift. He had inconsequen ce a reputation on ly equa lled by that of Pagan in i.

I n form er days w e had theVio l i n ,

Ere th e true in strum en t had com e about ;

B ut n ow w e say sin ce this a l l ea rs doth w in ,

The Violin hath put the Vi ol out.”

(O ld Epw ram 17th century.)

‘Qtt est compla ins per m aettam Ew an -g um his m ambo gam m a :

3 m m s om e m h .m lxxxi i ij. , pro quo s it £2115 @ lor issus m m 43am

cm 6 1m in“ , beau tici a n in m ea ls sam lo mm . 3 mm .

(BI B L. AB O RD . MS.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

356

Mack en z ie (C) , 41.Mack in to sh (C ), 12.

Ma ign e , W.,106.

Ma iland,E (C) , 97 .

Ma rqu e , A. (D ), 55.Ma son (D ,

33.

Ma ngin . C (C),Ma z as,

D

J. F. ( )D 56.

Mie l, E. F. A(.W. (C

M i lan dre D ), 13.

Mitche ll, . H . (C) , 43.Mo z art, L.

Nich o l son , J . (C) , 38.

Niederh e itm an n , F. (C), 147 ,(D ), 148.

O tto . J . A. (o ), 10, 16, 129,130.

Pa in e , J . (C 17.

Pan ca ldi , C 59.Papin i , G 32.

Patey, C 57.

Pea rce , J .

T(C ,

Ph is on , 29.

Plase iard , A (C) , 112,118.

Porter, C (c), 38.

IND EX OF

Po ugin , A. (C), 110.

P i aege r ,GH . (D ) , 58.

Ran gon i, G. B . (C) , 55.Read e, C. (C) , 24 , 44.

Re gl i, F. (C) , 61.Re ich a rdt, J . F. (C), 124 .

Ren ie r , J . S . (C) , 102.

Rich elm e , M . (C) , 105.

Rie s , H . (D ), 59.

R in a ld i , B . G. (C) , 63.

B itte r , H (C) , 147 , 150.

Rode (D ), 19.

Rou ssea u , J . (C) , 70.

Ruhlm a n n , J . (C) , 151.

Sa in t- Sev in , J . B . (D ), 10.

San de r so n , J . (D ) , 60.

Sa n dy s, W. (C) , 19.

Sau z ay , E. (C) , 98.

Sav a rt, F. (C), 81.

Scha ll,O . (D ) , 61.

Sch ebek , E . (C) , 28, 145.

Sch ottk y , J . M . (C), 134 .

Sch ubert, F . L. (C) , 140.

Sch iltz , F . C. J . (C), 133Sibire , L

’

Abbé (C) , 78.

Sim outre ,N. E. (C), 123.

AUTHORS.

Ta rtin i , G. (C), 52, 125, 126Ta ube r , C. v . (C), 125.

Te r ra sson , A. (C), 72.

Tho in an , E. (C), 100, 117 .

Th om a s, B . (C), 37 .

Thurn u . Tax i s, P r . (C), 54.

Tou rs, B . (D ), 31.

Va ldr igh i , L. F. (C), 64 , 65.

67 , 68.

Va l lotti,F . A. (C), 56.

Vida l ,A. (C), 113, 116.

Vih ele , L. (C), 135.

Wa ld en , E . D . v . (C) , 69.

Wa sI e lew sk i , J . W. (C),

Wa nd ,W. W. (\Vest,W. (1%VVettengel , A. (C), 131,142.

Yousso upow ,Pr. (C) , 94.

S im pson , 0. (D ), 2,Sm ith , H . P. (C) 27

13Spohr , L. (02

’ 38C 88

3.

O.

(DSt. Ge o rge

) 22,

GENERAL INDEX.

INCu e fo llow in g I n dex the n am es o f Au th o r s to Who se w o rk s referen ce is m ade

in th is v o lum e a re pr in ted in i ta li cs,to the en d th at th e I nd ex m ay be so

com plete a s po ssible , an d in clude both Subject a n d B ibli ographica l I n dice s.

Abd-ul - ca d z'

r,40.

Abe l , C . F .,54 .

Abe le , 131.

Acribe l lc Str in gs, 214.

Action of th e So u n d - B a r,153.

Action o f th e So u n d -Po st, 151.Adulte ra ted Mater ia ls fo r Va rn ish es,179.Adv e rtisem en ts , 15, 25

E m il ia Ge n s,Th e , 35.

Afr ican Lyr e , Th e , 58.

Age in Vio lin s, 20, 21, 22.

Age , Prem a tu re,143.

Agr ic ola , IV.,48

,49, 91.

Ai r co n ta in ed in Fidd le ,Mass of,144, 157.

Ai r Vi ‘ l in , 107.Alba n i , M .

, 77.

Albin u s. 31.

Alcu in , 32.

Alday l e je u n e , 17 .Alexis 0f P iedm on t

,173.

Al Fa rabi , 41.

Allgem e in e III us ika lische Z eitung,105, 114 .

Alo e s Hepatica , 323.

Altdo rfe r , 91.

Am ateu r O rchestra s,13.

Am ateu rs,7 .

Am ati , An d re as, 8, 73.

Am ati,An ton iu s a n d Hie ronym u s

,74.

Am ati, Ni co la u s, 75, 77.

Am ber , 325.

Am ber , F using, 177 .

Am be r Va rn ish , 169, 177 .Am e r ica n Cloth Ca se , 202.Am h e rst ,W. A. Ty ssen 72.

Am ien s Cath edra l, Sculptur e at, 63.Amphio n , 35.

An a ly sis o f Va rn ish , D iffi culty o f, 173.“Anc estr y of the Vio lin , The,

”66.

An cien t Egyptia n s, Th e , 42.An da , 174.

An im e , 324 .

An tique Br idges, 160.An to li n i , F.,

114.

Appea ran ce o f a G005 Strin g, 207.

Appeara n ce o f Good Wood,131.

ppl ia n ce s, 196.

p l ica tion o f Va rn ish,185.

r uthn ot,D r . J .,

205.rob in g Gu ide s , 228.

Arch in g ,Meth od o f Copy in g, 1S5A

Archin g, Th e , 291.rmstr o ng, E .,

35.

A rn e,D r ., 4 .

An abe l, Th e , 41.rtistic I m a gin a tion , 92.

sh -sh ak a n d i,41.

Asph a lte , 325ssy r ian Tr i g o n on , 44.

tla n tic Al on t/z ly , The,21.Augur e ll i us, J . A.,

48.Az a ro le

,

”131.

Ba ch , 18, 54.

Ba ck,Th e

,247 .

Ba ck,Th e w h o le , 285.

Ba ck a nd Be lly , D ifferen ce of Ton e ,B a co n . Fr a n cis, 6.

B a le,J .

,33.

A Ba l lad o n th e Pa rliam en t,” l l .B a ltz a r in i , T . , 53, 352.

Ba n din e ll i,52.

Ba n k s,Ben j am in

,83

, 114. 166.B an n e ste r

, J 19.

B a ptistin i ,Ba rbito s

,The , 59.

B a r n es,D r .,

11.

a r r i ngton D a in es,64 .

B a r tho lom ew Fay r e 56.a i to locc ins

,J .,34.

a ryton , Th e , 55.

B a squ e Vi o l , 41, 45.

B a ss - B a r,Th e

,152

,258.

a ss-B a r, Settin g o f th e , 152.

a ud’

s B a r - le ss Vio lin s, 154.

az a a r,Exch a n ge a n d Mart, 23

ca um on t a n d F letcher,11, 13.

B egga r'

s Op er a , The, 10.

I ell,H 110.

358 GENERAL 111a .

Be lly , The , 253.

Ben d in g I ron s, 221.

B en d in g the Ribs, 231.B en ed ict, S i r J u lius, 8.

Ben i Ha ssan,Tom b a t

,58.

Ben jam in , Gum ,323.

Ben te , 73.Ben z o in,Gum , 323.

B ergon z i , Ca rlo , 79.

B érigot

, C. de ,Best Loca lities fo r Wood

,125.

Bev e l lin g th e Edge o f the Bell y, 260.

Bev e ll in g th e Edges of th e Scroll, 274 .

Bev e ll ing the I n side Edge o f the Back ,249.

Bible , Th e , 33.

Bibl iography of th e Vio lin , 329.B ingley , W., 65.

B ir ch, S . ,

B ishop ,J .

,

4

5, 20, 37 , 95, 136.

B lack ing th e Edge s,Ble aching Str in gs, 212.

Blo ck s,Th e

,147

,234

,285, 289, 292.

B ona n n i , 175

Bottom J o in of Ribs, The , 233, 251, 288.

B ourdelot, 9.

Bo u rdon ,55.

B ow ,The , 56.

Bow s, An c ien t, 38.

B ow Com pa sse s, 224.

B ow ,D im en sion s of, 96.

B ow,Etym o logy of, 87 .

B ow,Ha i rm g o r Re -ha ir in g, 99.

B ow -h a irs,96.

B ow ,I n trodu ction of

,44 .

B ow , Me th od o f Ben din g the, 96B ow

,Th e Mode rn

, 97.Bow s,Paten t

,101.

Bow s,Pr ice s of, 95.

Bow s,Pr im itive , 87.

Bow s,Tou r te

’s, 95.

B ow,Progressiv e Histo ry of the, 88.

B ow , Se lf-h a irin g, 101

Boxw ood Pegs , 188.

Boxw ood Vio l in , 5, 110.Bran ded Vio l in s , 166.

B rav ou ra Play in g,Bra z il Wood,324 .

Br en t,Miss

,4 .

Br eton Vio l , Th e, 65.B r ew er , A.,

29.

Bridged Ly res, 59.

B r oa dhouse , J .,20.

Br idge , The , 159, 304.

Bridge , D esi gn of th e,161.

B ri dge , Fun ction s of th e , 161.Bridge , He i ght o f the , 161.

Bridge ,We ight on the , 126.Bridges , Pa ten t, 163.

Brook s’ Fi n ger -boa rd,191.

B room a n’s Finger

-boa rd , 191.B uddian i, 73.

21111, 010

1372 167.

u r 6.

B u

r

g?!S amu e l, 11, 63.

B utton . The . 281.

Ca ldecott, Ra n do lp h , l .Can in o,Pr in ce of

, 36Ca r ra cc i , A. , 53.

Ca r ter , J .,63.

Ca rtier,J . B .

, 74.

Ca rv ed Hea d s,165.

Ca rv ed Vio l in,110.

Ca rv i n g th e Sc ro ll , 273.

Ca sse ll’

s Fam i ly M aga z in e, 12.

A Ca tcam e Fi ddl ing ou t of a Barn,” ‘8.Ca tgut,” 209.

Ca tch Club, The ,”55.

Caus e o f Fa l sen e ss in Str ings, 996.Cel lin i,B ., 72.

Ce llin i , G. , 52.

Champfleu ry, 105.

Ch an gin g Str in gs, 215.Ch an o t, G .

,65

,84 .

Ch an ot G. Ain e , 21.Ch a n ot s (G. A.) Paten tViolin B ag, 202.

Cha n ot F.,107 , 114.

Cha n ot s Ro s in,199.

Chapp ell Wm .,43

,210.

Ch a r le s 7 .

Ch a rle s I L, 4 , 19.

Ch a rle s IV. o f Lo rra in e,8.

Cha r les IX . o f Fra n ce , 8, 74 .

Ch a r le s th e Ba ld,61.

Ch a rtr es, Scu lptu r e at, 46.

Chdtea un euf , Abbe’

de,35.

Cha ucer , G., 3.

Ch em ica lly Pr epared Woods, 129.

Ch ests of Vio ls , 55.

Ch in ese,Th e

,39.

Ch in o f th e Scr o ll,The

,274.

Ch in ese Wa te r - co rd Strings, 214.Ch in Pad , 201.

Ch in Re st, Th e , 196.

Ch o ice of Strings, 203.

Ch o rdom eter,Th e

,200.

Chr istian ow iteh,A.,40.

Chr otta,Th e

,62

,64.

Chu rch Re sto ration , 30.Cin n aba r,324.

Cith a ra , The , 59.

Claggett, T .,116.

Cle an in g the Ribs, etc., 239.Clergym en 8.

Cle rk e of Cxe n fo rde , The, 3.Cock adood ledoo ,” 2.o l lection s o f Vio lin s, 22.o llin s, M . H ., 111.

o ll in s’ Pa ten t P eg, 189.

Co lon iz ation of Fran ce a nd England, 69.

o loph ony , 198.

c l ou rin g Esse n ces, Meth od of, 180.

omm on To o ls Requ i red , 219.Com pon en ts of S trings, 209.

Com position of Pu rflin g, 163.Compo un d in g of Va rn ishes,Con cea ling Repa irs, 318.

Con clusion , 319.

Co o k e ’s Pa ten t Peg, 189

opafba , 326.

opa l , 324.

Ope ra ri o , J 7.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

360

Fil liere , Th e , 287.Fina l Plan ing o i the Tables, 266.

Fin al Thick n esses o f th e Bel ly , 257.Finger-Boa rd , The , 190.

Finge r-Boa rd , Th e Fa lse , 279.

Fin ger-Boa rd Ho lde r , Th e , 279.

Fin ish in g the Ba ck , 249.

Fin ish in g th e Body o f th e Fiddl e, 268.

Fin ish in g th e Bu tton , 281.

Fin ish in g the Co rn e rs, 288.

Fin ishin g th e Edges o f th e Fiddl e, 268.

Fin ish ing the Head , 276.

Fin ish in g the Fidd le , 281.

Fin ish ing th e I n side o f th e Belly , 259.

Fin ish in g th e I n side o f the Fidd le, 251.

Fin ish ing th e Nutan d Fin ger-Board, 299.Fin ish in g the O utlin e , 241.Fin ish in g th e Pegs, 302.

Fin ish in g th e Rest, 268.

F1n ish in g th e Ribs, etc .

,238.

Fin ish in g th e S ide Lin in gs, 230.F1n ishin g th e So un d -B a r

,259.

F ior a va nti of B o logn a , 174.

Fitting th e Bridge , 304.

Fittin g th e Cen tre Bouts, 287F l ttin g the Fin ge r -boa rd , 297 .

Fitting th e Ne ck to the Fiddle , 277, 316.

Fittin g th e Nut,298.

F ittin g o f th e Pegs, 188, 300.

F i ttin g the P u rfiin g, 265.Fittin g th e Re st, 268.

Fittin g the Ribs , 232.

Fittin g the R i bs to th e Back , 249.Fittin g th e S1de -Lin in gs, 236.Fittin g th e So un d

- B a r,258.

Fittin g th e S ou n d -Po st,303.

Fittin g th e Ta il-

pie ce , 303.

Fittin g the Ta i l-

pin , 302.Fittin gs a n d Applia n ces, Th e, 187.F ittin g

- 11p , 294, 296.

F iv e - str in ged Vio l in s , 107Fixin g th e Ba ck on th e M a de Mou ld

,292.

Fixin g o n th e Be lly , 260.

Fixin g th e Be lly on th e I n sideMou ld,292.

Fixin g th e Blo ck s, 236.

F ixing th e Cen tre Bo u ts, 287 .

Fixing th e Fin ger-Bo a rd

,298.

F ixin g th e Nut, 298.

Fix in g the Pegs, 264.

Fixin g th e Pu rflin g, 265.F ixin g th e Re st, 268.

Fixin g th e Ribs , 232.

Fixin g th e Ribs to th e Back , 250.

Fixin g the S ide -Lin in gs, 237 .

Fixin g th e Soun d -B a r,259.

Flem ing, J . 23,36, 51, 76, 130.

F letcher , B ea um ont a nd , 11.

F leury, J ., 105.

F o ld in g Vio l in , The , 112.F o rd

,J ., 11.

F o rd , Miss, 54.

Fo re ign Nam es of B ow I nstrum ents, 12.

Fo rge ri e s, 143.

Form of f H01 156.

Forster , ill iam , 3.

For ster , S . A 54, 171.

GENERAL IND EX.

Gaf n r iu s, 91.Ga glian o , N.,

169.

Ga lbuse ra,C . A.,

114.

Ga li le i,V.,

53.

Ca l lay, J .,35 56

,84, 167.

Gam boge ,“Ga re l

’Ut, 56.

Gau ges , 199, 204.

Gau gin g Ca l l ipe rs, 223.Ga n th e r ot, Madam e

,5.

Gay . J . . 10, 86.

Ge i ge , 47 .

Gemun der , G.,20.

Gen ea logie s o f th e Violin and Crwth , 68.

Ge om etr ica l O utlin e , 136.Ger a sen us, N., 36.

Ger ber t,

34 . 44, 45, 61, 62, 88.

G erm a n Str in gs, 209.

Germ a n Wo rk s on the Violin , 340.

Gia rd in i , 20, 203.

Gigu e , Th e , 46, 47 .

Gla ss in Va rn ish , 170.Glou ceste r

,D uk e o f, 7.

Co r diga n i , L .,122.

Gosse , E .,15.

Go stl in g, 54.

Gon do k,Th e , 41.

Go u gin g th e Ar ch in g of th e Tables,241.

Gra n d Am a ti,Th e

, 74, 75.

Gre ek Bow s,36.

Gre ek Ly re s , 58.

Gro ov es r o u n d th e Scrol l, Th e. 274 .

Gro sje an , J . P .,121.

Gr ove,S i r G.,

14,55.

Grufl ydd ap D a vydd ap How e l , 64

Gu adagn in i , J . B ., 79, 169, 178.

Gu ada gn in i , Lo re n z o , 78.

Gua r d ia n,The ,

”13.

Gua rn e r ius Blo ck , Th e , 289. 292.

Gua rn e r iu s Head,Th e

,292.

Gua rn e r iu s, J o seph , 78.

Gu a rn e rius, J . d e l Cost , 23, 81.

Gua rn er iu s Mode l,Th e

,282.

Gu arn e r iu s, P. A., 75.

Gu a r n e r iu s , Pe ter , 78.

Gu er n sey , W.,16

,23'

Gu ita r- shaped Vi o l ins, 113.Gum Arabic , 325.

Gum Ben z o ic , 325.Gum Lac in Va rn ishes, 172, 825.Gum Ma stic

,323.

Gum Tragacanth , 324.

Fo ssegr in , Th e Gen ius, 16.

Fragm en ts of Strad iva ri, Exu

Wi th , 133.

Fran ch omm e,M 126.

Fra n k in cen se , 323.

Fren ch Cla im s to I n v en tion 53.

Fren ch Wo rk s on th e Vio l in,336.

Fre ts, 43.

F r ost, H . F .,18.

Fun ction s of Br idge , 161.Fun ction s o f th e Head a n d Neck , 157Fun ction s o f th e Sou n d -B a r

,153.

Fun ction s o f the Soun d -Post, 151.

GENERAL IND EX. 361

Gum s used fo r Va rn ish , 323. I ron Cramps, 220.

I eo a rd,107 .

Haan se l , J . A.,108. I ta lian Wo rk s on th e Vio l in

,334 .

Ha n dle , Th e , 157.

Ha i rin g a B ow ,99. J acobs (Am ste rdam ), 84, 163.

Ha ir less B ow ,39. J a cque , Th e Rev . G. , 110.

Ha lf Back , 133. J ahn,

17 .

Ha lliwell, J . 2. J an z e,Vicomte de, 126.

Ha n dsom e Wo od,230. J ig, 51.

Ha r leia n M iscella ny, 4.

“J ohn, Come, S ell t

Harm on ic O ctav es, 206. J o in ted Bo w s,202.

Ha rper’s Monthly M aga z in e , 167. J on es, E . 1, 63.

Ha r t,

23,69

,165

,167

, 208. J on so n,B en

, 56.

Ha w eis, Rev. H. B .,8, 129. J o usoup of,P r i n ce

,52.

Ha wk in s,J . J .,

108,150. J uba l

, 33.

Ha wk ins,S ir J .,

6,36. J udging Str ings, 207.

Hay , 25.Head

,The , 157, 269.

Head,Ca rv e d , 165.

Head,Meth od o f Copy in g the , 159.

Hebrew Ly re , Th e , 58.

Hebrew s,33.

He igh t o f th e Br idge ,He 1gh t of th e S id e s, 143, 145.He l l

,F .

,106.

Her be'

,88.

Her on -Allen,E . 29, 67

He rv e l o ix , C. d 54 .

Hey D idd le D iddle ,” 1.

H igh an d Low Bridge , Effect of, 161.H ie roglyph ics, 43.

H i ll, Arth u r, 94.

Hill Wil l iam Ebsw orth, 84.Hil l s Mu te , 198.

H il lm e r, F. ,

107 .

H ipkins, A. J ., 67.H isto ry , Picto r ia l , 30.

Histor ic Vio l in Sch o o l,An

,348.

Hoga r th , G.,17 .

Ho llow Gla ss So un d - Po st, 152.Ho llow in g ou t th e Ba ck

,247.

Ho l low ing o ut th e Bel ly , 256.Ho lm es , 0. W., 21.

Hood, Tom , 10.

How e ll’s Vio lin

, 110, 112.Huefi

‘

er, F .,

8.

Hu llah, J ., 6, 16, 53.

Hu lsk am,P ., 106.

Hum or ous Lieuten a nt,The

,

”11.

I l Vio lin o ,”122.

I nd ex to the Bibl iogr aphies, 357.I n do -Eur opea n Tr ibe s, Th e , 45.

I n flu en ce o f the f f Ho l es on Ton e , 156.

I n fluen ce o f Len gth on a Str i n g , 204.

I n fluen ce of the S oun d-Po st on th e Ton e,

150.

I n flu en ce o f Ten sion on a Strin g, 205.

I n flue nce o f Thick n ess on a String , 205.I n fluen ce o f We ight on a String, 205.I n la id Fittin gs, 166.

I n la id Vio lin s, 165.I n sect Fidd le rs, 16.

I n side Mo uld, Th e , 282.

I n ter io r Capacity of the Fiddle, 144.I n v en tion , O rde r of, 71.

Keepin g Str in gs, 208.

Kem a n geh , 40.

Kem a ngeh A’

gouz , 31, 39 .

K e rl in o,J ., 51, 71.

K ir cher,A.,

210.

Kissar , Th e , 58.

Kl e in -Ge ige , Th e , 49.

Klotz Fam i ly , Th e , 77 145.Klo tz

, M .,25.

Kn ight’

s E n cycl0p cedia ,“Kn ight of the B u r n ing P estle, The,

”13.

Kn iv e s fo r Viol in -Ma k m g, 221.Kn ots

,214.

K o l ik e r, 51.

Kosega r ten , J . G.,41.

Label , Th e , 251.La borde

,51.

Lady Vio l in istes, 12.afle u r

,J .

,103.

La Me ssie S trad ., 126.La v e n de r , O il o f, 325.Lea the r Vio l in s, 105.Leech , J .

,11.

Legen ds , 16.

Le ice ste r , Ea r l of, 6.

Len gth o f the B a r,153.

Leps i u s, 43.

L’Estran ge , Si r Roger , 4.

Lev e lh n g th e Blo ck s a nd Ribs,Lev e l lin g th e Ribs , 289.

Le Vio lon de Fa i en ce ,” 105.

Lide l,55.

Lin a ro ll i, V 51, 52, 71.

“Li ng ua ,

”29.

Lin in g Ch ise l , 222.

Lin in g Cl ips, 225.

Liqu id Rosin , 199.List o f Vio l in -Scho ols

,348.

Liv ro n,M . , 213.

Lii ffe lge ige , Th e , 112.Logw o od , 324.

Lo lli , A., 14 .

Lomba rd in i , S ign o ra Madda len a , 6.Loop o f Ta il -

piece , Th e , 303.Lo o se n in g o f th e Glue , 311.Lor d Chesterfield, 3, 4 .

Lott, J ohn , 84 , 170.

Low e ri n g th e Edges of the Fiddle ,

362 GENERAL IND Ex .

Low er in g th e Win g of th e f , 255.Lown des 55.

Loya l Obser vator , The, 4.

Lui et Ell e ,”124.

Lunn , H . C. 14.

Lupot,N.,82.

Luthom on og i cp hie,”52 153.

Ly res, An c 1e n t, 58.

Ly res w i th Bridge s, 59.

Mach in e He ad to 1 Vio lin,188.

Ma ckin tosh, 130.

Madde r , 324 .

Madox,43.

Mafle i P . A. 167 .

Ma i la n d , E . 186.

Mak in th e Pu rfl i ng, 264.

Man s , cu lptu re at, 49.

Ma n ufactu re o f Strin gs, 210.Ma ra is

,54 .

Ma r i an i,73

Ma rk in g-Po in t,Th e

,221.

Ma rk in g th eff Ho le s,253.

Ma rk in g th e Mode l o f the Scroll , 212.Ma rk in g the O utlin e , 290.

Ma rk in g th e O utl i n e o f th e Neck and

Scro ll , 270.

Ma rk in g th e P u rflin g, 262.

Ma ip urg, F . W. , 55.

M a r ston , 63.

Ma ssinger , P ., 13.

Mass o f Ai r in th e Vio l in , 137, 145.Mate ria ls o f Pegs, 187 .

Math em atica lly D raw n O utlin e , 136.

Ma ugin J . C. a n d Ma ign e , W. 131.

M a up er tius, S . B . de , 120.

Measu r em en ts of B ow I n strum ents, 126.

Me a su rem en ts of Neck a n d Scro ll,158.

Med a r , 8.

Medic i,C . de , 53.

Me eson’

s Paten t B ar , 154 .

Mer sen nus,M . 49, 50, 93, 210.

Meta l Violin s, 105.

Meth od of Co lou r in g Essen ces , 180.

Method o f Copy in gf f Ho les , 155.

Meth od o f Copy in g He ad , 159.

Method o f Copy in g O utl in e , 135.

Method of Cover ing Str1n gs w ith Wi re ,213.

Method of D etecti n g Adul te ration s of

Varn ish , 179.

Method o fMak in g a n O utside Mould,226.

Meth od of Prepa rin g Rosin , 199.

Mettre a n Vio lon ,

”10.

Mica li , 36.

M iddleton , 3

in stre l’s Ga llery , Exete r Cath edral , 46.

Mirecou 1t Man u factu re,Th e , 84.

M ir em on t’s Paten t B a r, 154.

Mode l, Th e , 135, 226.

odel off Ho le,254.

Mode l o f Scro ll , 269.

Mode n a , Ba rn abas de , 90.

Modern I n strum en ts

Mollenha ue r, E. R 112.

Mon iteu r Un iv e r se l,

"118.

Mo n tagn an a , D om in ic 79.fil on ta ign e . 53.

Mo n tev e rd e’s O rfe o 53.

Mo ors,Th e

,42.

Mo re lla , M ., 71.

Mo rga n ,B 1sh op , 33.

Mo rgan , J oh n . 65.

M o r ley , Rev. C.,175.

Mo z art,W. A., 17.

M ii ller,Ca rl

,31.

M u n tz, E .

,35.

M un tz,G. H . M .

,19.

M u sica l Review,67

Musica l Sta n da r d,12

, 15.Musu rgia na ,

”112.

Mu te, Th e , 198.

My rrh , 326.

Myster io u s Mute,The , 198.

Nage lgeige , 109.

Na 1l -Vio l in , Th e , 109.Napo léon , Lucien , 36.

Na rrow Slab , Rem edy for, 290Neapo l ita n Str in gs, 209.

Neck,Th e , 157, 277 .

Neck a n d Scro l l,The

,269

,292.

Neck,Fittin g o f th e , 148.

Ne ck,Fu nction s o f the

,157.

Neck Gu ide,280.

Neck, Propo rtion s o f, 157, 158.

Ne ck,Settin g o f

,157 .

Ne fe r,Th e

, 42.

Nefru,Th e

,42.

Nettleship ,H ., 34.

Ne ro, 8.

New I n str um e n ts,19.

New Neck,Fittin g a

,312

, 316.

New Ne ck s on O ld I n str um en ts, 159.

Nibe lu n gen l ied ,

" D a s,216.

Nicho lson,D r . J .. 102, 154.

Nieder hei tma n n,169.

Ni ssen,G. R . de

, 17.Nofre

,Th e

,42.

No rm a l Ton e s o f Ba ck a nd Bel ly ,No rm an , Ba rak ,

83,165.

Notes a nd Qu e r ies, 10.

Notre D am e de Ch a rtres,46.

Nu rsery Rhym es, 1.

Nut,Th e

,190

,298.

Nut of the B ow , Th e , 92, 93, 97

O bj ect o f P urfl in g, 164 .

O blon g Ste e l Pla n e , 225.O c tave , Production of the , 205.Odd Volum es

,The

,29.

O il Va rn ish ver sus Spi ri tVa rn ish , 176.O ld King Co le,

”2.

O ld Ne ck s, 159.

O ld Rec ipe s fo r Va rn ish , 173.O ld Te stam en tVio ls, 33.O le Bu ll

,167.

O le Bull ’s Ch in B est, 196.O m etti , Th e , 38.

O popon ax, 326.

O po r in us, J 53.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

364 GENERAL IND EX.

Rimbaul t, D r. , 55.Robe rtson , J 110.

Ro i de s Vio lon s, Le ,” 49.

Rom an B o w 8, 36.

Rom an Co lon ie s , 60.

Rom an Ly re s, Th e , 58, 60.Rom a n Str in gs, 209.

Rosew ood Pegs, 188.

Rosin,Th e , 100, 198.

Rosin , Actio n o f,206.

Rote,Th e

,62.

Rotta , Th e , 61.

Rouen Cath ed ra l Scu lptu re at, 90.Roun din g th e Edge s o f th e Fiddl e, 268.

Roussea u , J .,34

,213.

Rowbyble , Th e , 9.

R ubebe , Th e , 9, 47.Rubibl e

,Th e

,9.

Rufii n i,An drea , 209.

Ru gg ie r i, F .,77 .

Ru hlma n n ,J .

,

Ru le s,Mea su r in g, 220.

Ru ss ia,41.

Russia n Vio l in s , 113.Roya l Vio lin ists, 3.

St. Bla si us, 44, 45, 51.St. Cecil ia , 91.St. D en is, Scu lptu 1e at, 88.

St. Georges d e Bo sch e rv ille , 46.St. Godeh a rd o f H1ldesh e im , 90.St. Ma rtia l de Lim oges, 61.Saff ro n ,

323.

Sa les o f Vio l in s, 25, 26.

Sa lo G. da , 53, 71, 167.

Sanda l -Wood,323.

San da ra ch , 175, 325.

S a n d -

paper in g th e Ta bles, 267.S an dys a nd Fo r ster , 31, 66.

Sa n ti ago d e Com po ste l la , 46.

Sav a rt, F.,108

,118

,153

,162

,177.

Sa va r t, F .,119

, 128.

Sa v a rt’s Expe r im en ts, 150.

S chachtn er , J . A. , 17 .

Schlichtegr o ll, A . H . F . , 17.Sch l ick , 129.

Schube r t, 18.

Sc00pin g out th e Ba ck , 247.Scoopin g o ut th e Be l ly , 256.

S crape r s, 220.

S crapin g th e Arch in g o f th e Tabl es, 244.

S crapin g th e Ho llowm g of th e Back , 218.

S cr ibom a Gen s, Th e , 35.Scr iptu ra l Vio ls, 33.

S c ro ll , The , 157, 269,Scro ll , Meth od o f Copyin g, 159.Scro ll , Reve r sed , 116.

ea son in gWo od , 129.

Se lf-ha ir ing B ow , 101.

Sen al , 109.

S e raph in o , Sa n ctu s, 79, 166.Se ts of Vio ls, 56.

Settin g of Neck , 157.

Se ttin g up the Br idge , 304.

S ettin g up th e So un d -Post, 303.Seven ty Pa rts o f th e Vioh n , Th e , 125

Sh ape o f tn e Vio lin , Re ason s fo r , 122'

Shaping th e Blo ck s, 235, 289, 292.Shapin g th e Neck , 277.Sh apin g th e Nut, 298.

Sh apin g the Soun d -B a r,259.

Sh a rpen in g S tee l , 221.Sh ift, Th e , 56.

Sh iftin g th e Sou n d-Post, 151.

Sh oul der , Th e , 277 .

S ibir e,l ’Ahhe

’

,83

,128

,145, 176, 191.

S ides , Th e , 143, 230, 285, 287.

S id es, He igh t o f th e , 143, 145.

S id e -Linm gs, Th e , 148, 236, 289.S ilk Str in gs , 214 .

S im outr e , N. , 20, 128, 131.Sim ple Fo rm o f Ch in - rest, 197.S imp son , 54 , 93.

S in cla ir’s Tr ia n gu la r Vio lins, 108.

S in gle Vio l in Ca se , 201.Siz e o f f f Ho le s, 157 .

Siz in g th e Blo ck s, 249.

S iz in g the Wo od , 178, 294.S lab Ba ck , Th e , 133.

Sm o oth in g the S ides, 231.Son n era t, 38.

So rd in o , 50.

Sou nd -B a r , Th e , 152, 258.So u n d -B a r Cl ips, 223.

Sou n d - B a r Cram ps, 224.

S ou n d - B a r , Paten ts Attem pted, 154.

Sou n dn ess o f th e Wo od , 131.

So un d -Po st, Th e , 149, 303.

Soun d -Po st,Exper im en ts w ith the , 150

So u n d -Po st, Fittin g th e , 149.

Sou nd -Po st, Fun cti on s o f th e, 151.S ou rd in e Peda le , Vu illa um e

’s,194.

Sou th Ken sin gton Museum , 5, 50, 54, 55,65

,101, 109.

Span ish Co lo n ies, 42.

S pec ia l Exh ibitio n o f 1872, Th e , 51, 166.Spir it Va rn i sh , I n fer io r ity of, 176.Splicin g a He ad on a Neck , 312.Spl i t Blo ck , 312.

Spl it Co rn e rs, 308.

Spl it Edge s , 309.

Splittin g o ff S l ips o f th e O utl in e , 242, 309.Spoh r

’

s Ch in - re st, 196.

Spoh r’s Finge r -Bo a rd , 191.

Spoh r’

s Pa ten t Ta il - Piece , 192.Spo o n -Fiddl e , Th e , 112.

Spr in g Compa sse s , 222.

Sta in ed F in ge r -Boa rds, 191.Sta in in g th e Fiddle , 294.

Sta in e r , J 24, 75.

Sta in er , J . ,34.

Sta te lm a n n , 77 .

Steam in gWood , 129.

Ste el Pla n e , 225.Step hen s, J . , 9.

Ste ph en so n , E 22.

Sto r in g Wo od for Violin -m ak ing, 134.

Sto r ion i Lo ren z o , 82.

S tra diva ri , An to n io , 77 , 114 , 129,Strad ivarian Block s , 147 , 238, 289.Stradiva rian Pegs, 264.

Stradiva r i Fran cisco an d Om obono, 86.

GENERAL IND EX. 365

Strin gs , 19, 20, 203, 304. Tun in g Fo rk s, 200.Strin g Boxe s , 200.

Tu n i ng- up, 13.

S tr in g Ga uge s , 199. Turk ey , 39.

Str in g Stick in g, 162.

S trings, Te n sion o n th e , 126. Un glu in g o f th e Fiddle, 311.

Str in gin g up th e Vio l in , 214. Un glu in g o f th e Table s,308.

S tr utt,J .,45, 88, 90. Uppe r an d Low e r Bo uts, The , 288.

Stu tta fo rd’

s Paten t Peg, 190. Urh e en Th e Ch in ese . 39 101.

Stu tta fo rd’

s Paten t Ta il -Pie ce , 195.S tu tta fo rd

’s Sph e r ica l Ro s in , 199.

S uper io rity o f I ta l ia n Strin gs, 209.

S ur cou ch e ,”128, 133.

“ Su r m a il le ,"128, 133.

Sw ed ish Wo rk o n the Vio l in , 343.

Tables,Th e

,240.

Tables,Th e (Gua rn e r ius) , 290.

Table s of Vio l in -m ak e rs,69.

Ta il -P ie ce,Th e

,192

,303.

Ta il-Piece , Lo op o f th e,303.

Ta il -P in,The

,147

,195, 302.

Ta il -Pin Ho le,252.

Tak in g o ff th e Be ll y , 306.

Tak in g o u t th e (in side ) Mo u ld , 292.Ta r isw , L.,

26.

Ta r tin i , G.,6.

Te n sion o n th e Str in gs, 126, 204.

Testato r o f Mi la n , 52.

Tests fo r Fa lse Str in gs , 206.Te sts fo r S tra ightn e ss in Fittin g th e

Ne ck , 278.

Tevo,Z .

,35

,86.

Th em isto cle s, 6.

Th ick n esse s o f Se ason ed Back an d Bel ly142.

Th ick n esses o f Tables,140.

Th ick n esses o f th e Ba ck,247 , 248.

Th ick n e sses o f th e Be lly , 257.Th ick n ess o f th e Neck , 280.

Th in n in g ou t th e Wo od, 141.

Thre e - str i n ged Crw th , 61.

T i lton’

s Pa ten t B a r,154.

Tim e to Prepa re Va rn ish es,182.

Tim es,The

,15

,24

,25

,26.

T itian , 36.

Ton e -

production , 20, 204.

Too ls, Th e , 219.To o th ed Plan e , The , 220.Tou lm on t, B . de, 32 65.

Tou rte , th e Elde r , 94, 98.

To u rte , th e Yo u n ge r , 94 , 95.Tra c in g the O utlin e , 240.

Trage r, 103.

Tra n sitio n Pe r iod , Th e ,” 21.Trapez o id Vi o l in

,118.

Trautm an n sdo rf,Co un t

,24.

Tra v e lle r’

s Vio l in , Th e , 112.Treble Vio l in , Th e , 349.T i ick -

play in g, 13 , 14. Wa le s,Pr in ce of

,7.

Tr igon on , Th e , 44 . \Va lk e r‘

s Paten t B a r,154

Trum pe t Viol i n ,106. Wa ll i s

’

s Pa ten t P eg, 188.

Tru e a n d Fa l se Str i n gs, 206. Wa lm sley , Pete r, 83, 114, 148Tr uth a nd Loya lty Vindica ted,

” 4. Weber, Fran z An ton , 7 .

Tru th o f a Str in g, 206. We ick e i t (of Ha l le ), 121.

Tubbs, J 98, 103. We ight o n the Br idge , 126.Tun in g th eVio l da gamba , Meth od of,55. We lsh Crw th

,Th e

, 58.

i 1

Va ldr ighi , CountL. F 112.Va le r ia n o

,35.

Va rn ish , Th e , 168.

Va rn ish in g, 294 .

Varn ish in g Repa irs, 318.Vatican , Th e , 90.

Ven an tiu s Fo rtun a tus,63.

Ven e ered F i n ge r -Boa rds,191.

Ven e e rin g in New Wo od , 310.Ven etian Tu rpen tin e , 323.

Ve ron ese , Pa u l, 36, 91.

Ver on ese Str in gs, 209.

Vibra tion s o f Str i n gs, 204.Vi da l, A.,

35,36

,52, 53, 90, 126.

Vigen er e, B . de,35.

Vi l lem a r gu e'

,H . de la

,65.

Vin ce n ti , 107 .

Vio la l in , Th e”107 .

Vio la da Gam ba 54.

Vio la da Gam ba , Method of Tun in g, 55Vio la d i Bo rdon e

,55.

Vio la,Mea su rem en ts o f

,126.

Vio l -br idges, 160.

Vi o l in,The

,D efin ed

,104.

Vi o l in Ca se s, 201.Vio l in Co llectin g, 22.

Vio lin, Gen e a logy o f the

,68.

Vio l in -m a k e r s,Table s o f

,69.

Vio lin -m ak ing To ols , 219.

Vio l in, Mea su rem en ts o f th e

,126.

Vio l in s, Th e Sev en ty Pa rts of th e , 125.Viol in Screw s

,223.

Vio l in Str in gs, 203.

Vi o l in w ith n o Back,108.

Vio l in s w ith ou t Blo ck s a nd Lin ings, 147Vio l in iste s. Fem a le 6.

Vio l in Tuto rs , Cata logu e o f,343.

Vi o l on ce l lo , Measurem en ts o f, 126.Vio lon -Gén éra l

, Th e ,”107.

Vi o lon,Mettr e a u ,

”10.

Vio lon -Ten or , Th e ,”108.

Vio ls , The , 4 , 51, 52Vio ls

, S ets o f, 56.

Vi rgi l, 34.

Viva ld i , 94.

Vu i lla um e,J . B 101, 108, 129 , 145

167 , 199.

Vu il la um e’s Paten t Ta il -Piece

, 193.

366 GENERAL IND EX.

Wenz l , 17. Wood , D anger of Handsom e , 230.

Wettengel, G. A., 107. Wood for Back and Be lly, 128.

Wh o le Back , Th e , 133, 285. Wood for the B ar , 153.

Who lesale Fiddle Manufacture, Wood fo r Vio lin -Ma k in g, 127, 133.

Wieni awsk i , 25. Wood fo rVio lin -m a ki n g, how stored , 134.Wild e , J. ,

109. Woolhou se, S . B . , 98.

Wi lk i ns, 198. Wo r cester Cath edral , Sculpture at, 63.

Wi lk in son , S ir G. ,43, 58. Wo rk shop, Th e Vio li n -m ak er

’s, 219.

Wi llem in , N. X 61. Wyn n e Fin ch ,W. G., 65.

Wilso n , Gav in ,106.

Win g o f th efHo le , 258, 261. Youssoupow , P r in ce, 52, 152.

Wire -co v ered Strings , 213.

With alm , 77. Zacco n i , 54 .

With ers, E .,84 . Z ahn ,

175.

With ers , G.,101. Zan etto ,

P . , 71.

Wo lf s n o tes ,” 149. Zebrow ski

’s Paten tBridge an d Mute , 196

Wood , An th ony A, 4, 348. Ze brow sk i’s Chi n -rest, 196.