Books › Chats on violins, 1905 › scan 130
Scan 130
Chats on violins, 1905
4 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1masterly carelessness carried him far away from commonplace methods. Had he come before the Amati's and Stradivarius instead of after, Guarnerius' rugged genius would have lead the art of lutherie in Italy. But unfortunately he lived at a time when the sweet but weak Amati was courted far and near. Guarnerius hated gentleness; he turned away from the sensitive Amati, and chose opposite methods, like the poor sculptor who modelled grand devils because he was sick of fashioning saints. He was tired of sentiment: power was his aim and he sought it with an intensity that was often rough, but always most lovable. To attain his end he made many grotesque experiments; sometimes he cut the sound-holes almost perpendicularly, often too short or too long; frequently the wood was too thick all over, and nothing shows his "don't care" dash more than his massively powerful scrolls. As to varnishing, he was a king! he painted it on with such a smooth, feathery touch that the most delicate grain of the wood shows up superbly.
3Guarnerius has frequently been "hauled over the coals" for carelessness of workmanship and negligence in primary details, but
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