Scan 211
Antonio Stradivari, his life and work (1644-1737), 1909
2 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 187. See the scan on archive.org.
1hat a violin must vibrate freely, yet not too freely,—as would be the case with a new unvarnished instrument when first in use. Now, clothe it too thickly with even a good varnish, and the tone will be deadened, or with one too hard in texture, and the result will be that the tone will prove hard and metallic. Or again, cover it with a too soft oil varnish, and you will mute the tone of your instrument for a generation, if not for ever. Age and use will no doubt to some extent modify these effects, but never entirely. Many are the instructive examples of the influence of the varnish which could be furnished by comparison between various instruments of the different old masters of the craft. It is, for instance, known to not a few that Stradivari violins give forth a character of tone perfectly distinct from those of his great rival, Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù. Why? The answer to the question is not to be found in the construction alone, as there exist Guarneris and Stradivaris built practically upon the same lines, yet each retains its own quality of tone. If construction alone is to account for peculiarity of tone, why do not respective copies of the one and of the other made by an experienced maker such as Vuillaume possess each the distinctive timbre of the original? It appears to us that those who are really competent, and in a position to make comparisons, can give only one answer. The methods of varnishing as practised by Stradivari and Guarneri were different. In some specimens the nature of the varnish also was different; and the tone was influenced accordingly. Carlo Bergonzi affords us another example. He was a pupil or assistant of Stradivari, and carried out more or less his master's principles of construction; his varnish, however, is much more like that of Guarneri, and consequently the tone of his violins more resembles that of this master's works. Vuillaume varnished all his violins alike, whether they were
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.