Scan 88
Antonio Stradivari, his life and work (1644-1737), 1909
4 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1fuller than that of the back; with the "Dolphin" it is the reverse. Look at the wood from which they are made: the backs of both are in two pieces, and cut from the same tree; but, in order to diversify their character, Stradivari places the curl of the "Boissier" slanting downwards, and that of the "Dolphin" upwards. The wood of the sides, in both cases, is plainer; that of the heads still more so. For the bellies he selects pine of vigorous growth and bold breadth of grain. In the earlier violin we see that which is but rarely met with in Stradivari's instruments—a belly in one piece, with the broader grain placed on the treble side. Though unorthodox, this is immaterial from a tone point of view, provided that the quality of the wood is good.
3The "Alard," which is unquestionably the ne plus ultra of the following year (1715), approaches more to the "Boissier" than to the "Dolphin" in outline. We see the same shortened bouts and broader sweep of top and bottom curves, though it is of 14-inch form, but it differs in its general aspect, which is blunt and pre-eminently forcible in every feature: in fact, the whole build of the violin, including the more massively proportioned head, shows the strong and firm touch of the old practised hand. It is perhaps second to the "Dolphin" in elegance, but surpasses it in manliness. With regard to material, though acoustically fine, the "Alard" is not of such striking-looking wood as several other specimens of this year—such as, for instance, the "Gillott" and the "de Barrau" (one of Joachim's violins), both of which have backs in one piece, which cannot be surpassed. In the matter of varnish all these violins are glorious—each individually resplendent—the one favoured by its wood, the other by a lovely tint of colour, by softness of texture, or by the exquisite beauty attained through the varnish
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.