Scan 230
Catalogue of the Stearns collection of musical instruments, 1921
19 lines. Read by computer on 17 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
11274. TRUMSCHEIT. Seventeenth century ……………….. Germany
2Peg-box terminates in a carving of a lion's head. On front of neck the following notes are marked in ink on a small piece of paper: G-F-G-C-D-E-F-G-H-(The German B natural) and C.
3Length, 206 cm.; width of base, 41 cm.; depth, 20 cm.
5The Violin (Fr. Violon; It. Violino; Ger. Violine), the most important of the bowed instruments, was evolved from an early type. The word "Fiddle" is derived from the Low Latin Fidula, a contraction of Fidicula. This was corrupted into Vitula and Viola, whence the terms Viol and Ville. Among the early names we find—Fidel (Middle Ages)²; old Eng. Fithele (Lat. Viella); Fydale, Fydele, Fithul (Chaucer); old Fr. Gigue, Guiche, Gygue; old Ger. Geige and Gige.
7The Geige was an instrument with a penetrating, raucous tone. The Viol, which it superseded, had a very sweet and mellow quality of tone, but lacked resonance. So, following the principle of survival in musical instruments, i. e., "The Survival of the Loudest," it disappeared. Its only representative in the modern orchestra is the Contrabass. The structure of the Violin seemingly violates all scientific principles, but through the work of generations of inspired makers it has reached perfection. It consists of a back and belly, one of maple, the other of pine, connected structurally by a rim with incurving sides, and brought into sympathetic vibration with each other by the sound-post, which is so adjusted as to properly relate the vibrating parts. It has a bridge over which run four strings tuned to g-d'-a'-e''. The "fourth" string (g) is over-spun. It has a neck with a "true" finger-board. The bow is a very important factor and the celebrated bow-makers, like Tourte, have brought it to the same state of perfection as the instrument itself.
91275. FIDDLE …………………………………………….. Chile
10Body of stained wood. Three gut strings.
11Length, 27 cm.; of body, 27 cm.; width, 16 cm.; depth, 5 cm.
12This rude specimen with but three strings (gut), came into Mr. Stearns' possession with the name robel, or rovel indicated. No data can be found to show whether either is correct. In Brazil there is a dancing-master's fiddle called rabeljo,³ evidently a name derived from the Spanish rabel (rebec), or rather its diminutive rabelillo.⁴
14In La Catedral (The Shadow of the Cathedral), p. 127, Vicente Blasco Ibanez mentions the rabeles, a three-stringed fiddle, but the name given by the translator is the plural of rabel. The rebecke cited by Sir Walter Scott (The Abbott) is of the same structure, showing the distribution of this type.
16² Galpin, pp. 85, 86, 88.
17³ Morris, p. 244.
18⁴ Sachs, p. 313.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.