Scan 47
A Treatise On The Structure And Preservation Of The Violin, 1875
8 lines. Read by computer on 18 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1every year. The rounding of the finger-board must conform exactly to that of the bridge: if it is too flat, the A and D strings will be too far from it; in which case the bow is liable to touch the adjoining strings in performing passages of high notes; and, if too round, then the E and G strings will be found too far from it; which fault cannot be corrected by making the bridge rounder, as that would impede rapidity in playing. As regards the length of the finger-board, it should extend over the body as far as the upper corners of the semi-circular parts. The nut should stand as high above the finger-board as the thickness of a small pen knife, and have the strings let into it in such a manner, that the E string may be about as far from the finger-board as the thickness of a playing-card, and the other strings each proportionately a little farther from it;* for the E string, having the greatest tension, consequently yields the shortest vibrations; but the others [being slacker] may more easily strike against the finger-board.† From the termination of the neck, the under part of the finger-board must be hollowed out and worked gradually thinner down to the end. This does not injure it, as the fixing and leveling only extend to the end of the neck.
3The tail-piece must likewise be made of ebony, and it is most advisable to have the holes and slits for securing the strings rather large; but the distance of these holes must be
5* Welcker von Gontershausen says the E string should be at the distance of two-hundredths of an inch, and the G-string of three-hundredths of an inch, from the finger-board. See p. 235 of his work before mentioned.—Tr.
7† To afford greater space for the vibration of the G string, Spohr approves of the finger-board being hollowed out under it. See his Violin School, Part I., Sec. 2. Bernhard Romberg adopted the same form of finger-board for his violoncello under the C string; from whom, indeed, Spohr copied it.—Tr.
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