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Scan 13
An Encyclopedia of the Violin, 1925
16 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1INTRODUCTION
3Alberto Bachmann's first contribution to the literature of music was a work biographical and aesthetic in character: in it the lives of virtuosos, ancient and modern, were portrayed and their works analyzed. This volume, interesting from every point of view, clearly established the varying degrees of talent or genius of all the virtuoso composers from the 16th century to the present day. It was the more valuable since the author was an excellent artist himself, and consequently thoroughly at home in the subjects he discussed.
5Having completed this work, in which the conclusions are well reached, and in which the critical comment is both intelligent and respectful, Mr. Bachmann did not feel, however, that he had exhausted his subject, for in this new book, whose sponsor I consider it an honor to be, the author has undertaken one of the most arduous tasks imaginable, that of presenting the violin and the art of violin playing from every possible angle, in a thoroughly exhaustive manner.
7In the archives of literature relating to the violin, there would seem to be a gap which this new work will fill. Artists and amateurs alike will find it a kind of universal encyclopedia of the art of the violin, and the scope of the volume itself makes clear how vast this art-field really is, with its diverse elements and its abundance of forms and formulas. I feel that I do not prophesy too freely in predicting that it will meet with a cordial reception.
9To write of the violin in a general way is an easy enough matter; to analyze, point by point, detail by detail, all the elements which constitute the virtuoso's art, is a far greater task. Only an author who knows the instrument perfectly can successfully undertake it.
11The violin has its secrets: it has at one and the same time a soul and a mind. It is a poet whose enigmatic nature may only be divined by the elect. It is an instrument whose voice, since first it came into being, has stirred the heart-strings of the human race; and the lofty raptures which it has called forth have done their part, with other branches of the art of music, to raise the soul of man to the highest summits of the ideal.
13This volume, in reality, needs no recommendation to the violinist who has once opened its covers, for its value will immediately become apparent, awakening interest which will increase with the turning of every page.
15I heartily felicitate the author and remain his admirer.
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