Scan 57
A Treatise On The Structure And Preservation Of The Violin, 1875
6 lines. Read by computer on 18 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1mention the characteristics of the best strings; for at Neukirch in Voigtland, in Bohemia, and in the Tyrol, some are manufactured which are falsely sold for Italian. The Milanese strings look very clear and transparent, like glass. The third string should be quite as clear as the first. They must by no means feel smooth, for they are not polished up like those of other manufactories. Further, if a good string be taken between the fingers and bent together, it will return to its former position like a watch-spring. Every string should look like a strip of glass on the finger-board; as those which are dull and opaque are good for nothing. Another characteristic of the Milanese strings is each being tied twice with red silk; which, however, the Neukirch string-makers have also imitated. Their elasticity is, however, the surest characteristic: for all other strings which I have tried are comparatively weak and feeble.*
3The quality of the rosin is a matter to which the player must direct special attention; hence an intimate acquaintance with it is by no means superfluous. The brown rosin of commerce is unfit for a good violinist, as it hangs thick on the bow and strings, and occasions a rough or scratching tone. This caused musicians, about forty years ago, to attempt at refining it, which they thought to accomplish by boiling it in vinegar; but, being unacquainted with chemistry, their experiments were fruitless. Boiling the rosin in vinegar
5* In the present day the Acribelle or silk strings are much approved by some violinists, as they are said to be very durable, almost tensionless, and impervious to moisture—a great consideration with those who have a warm hand. Gretschel informs us (in the second edition of Wettengel's Lehrbuch, before mentioned) that, at a recent exhibition in Paris, violin strings were shown which were made of human hair; but these, while yielding a good sound, were not found to be durable.—Tr.
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