Bow & Bridge Violin and bow makers, as the old books printed them

Books › Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1927 › scan 277

Scan 277

Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1927

26 lines. Read by computer on 11 September 2026. Printed page 235. See the scan on archive.org.

1Vitebergae excuss. typis haeredum Georgii Rhaw. 1555. Five partbooks, obl. 4to. Text: 'Amore fragrantissimo sponsam,' and—Melodia epithalamii … Henrico Paxmanno … composita ab Herm. Finck Pirnensi. Quatuor vocum. Vitebergae. 1555. Four partbooks obl. 4to. Text: 'Pectus ut in sponso,' by Philip Melancthon. In the Liegnitz königl. Ritter-Academie Bibl. (Pfudel's Cat.)
32. Melodia epithalamii … Johannis Schrammii … composita a Herm. Finck. Quinque vocum. Vittembergae. Haeredes G. Rhaw. 1557. Text: 'Semper honorabile.' Five partbooks, obl. 4to, in the Brieg Gymnasialbibl. (Kuhn's Cat.)
53. Ein schöner geistlicher Text: 'Was mein Gott wil: das geschicht allzeit,' etc., von … Albrechten Margraven zu Brandenburg … selber gemacht. Und, wie folget, auff viererley Art componiret durch Herm. Finck Musicum. Discantus primus, anno 1558. 4to. This is, so far as is known, the only voice part in existence; it is in a miscellaneous volume in the Weimar grossherzögl. Bibl. The Dedication is signed by Finck, Musicus, 'Wittenberg, den 25 Dec. anno 1557.' (Eitner, Publikation.)
7Eitner mentions that in the Proske bischöfl. Bibl. MS. 940 (1557), four partbooks, obl. 4to, there is a student's drinking-song for four voices by Herm. Finck, No. 169, 'Sauff aus und machs nit lang,' etc.
9c. s.
11FINE (Ital. 'end') is generally placed above the stave at the point where the movement ceases after a 'Da Capo' repetition. Its place is occasionally taken by a pause (see FERMATA). It is often found, too, at the end of works which finish on the right-hand page (recto), and is placed there, apparently, in order to warn imperfectly trained musicians that it is not worth while to turn over the last page.
13FINÉ, ORONCE (b. Briançon, 1494; d. Paris, Oct. 6, 1555), studied at the Collège de Navarre, was appointed professor of mathematics at the Royal College by Francis I. in 1530, and remained in that position until his death. He deals with music in his works Protomathesis (1532) and De rebus mathematicis (1556). He was an excellent lutenist and wrote Tres breve et familiere introduction par entendre et apprendre par soy mesmes a jouer toutes chansons reduictes en la tablature de luthe … (1529); Epithema musice instrumentalis … 1530 (Fétis; Q.-L.).
15FINGER, GOTTFRIED (GODFREY), a native of Olmütz in Moravia, came to England about 1685, and enjoyed the patronage of James II. In 1688 he published 'Sonatae XII. pro diversis instrumentis. Opus primum,' and in 1690 'Six Sonatas or Solos, three for a violin and three for a flute.' In 1691, in conjunction with John Banister, he published 'Ayres, Chacones, Divisions and Sonatas for Violins and Flutes,' and shortly after joined Godfrey Keller in producing 'A Set of Sonatas in five parts for flutes and hautboys.' He subsequently published other sonatas for violins and flutes. In 1693 Finger composed the music for Theophilus Parsons' Ode for the annual celebration of St. Cecilia's Day. In 1696, in conjunction with John Eccles, he composed the music for Motteux's masque, 'The Loves of Mars and Venus,' and in the same year for Motteux's comedy, 'The Anatomist, or, The Sham Doctor,' and (with D. Purcell) that for N. Lee's 'Rival Queens.' In 1701 he set to music Elkanah Settle's opera, 'The Virgin Prophetess, or, The Siege of Troy.' In the previous year he was awarded the fourth prize for the composition of Congreve's masque, 'The Judgment of Paris,' the others being given to John Weldon, John Eccles and Daniel Purcell. Finger was so displeased at the ill reception of his composition that he quitted England and returned to Germany, where in 1702 he obtained the appointment of chamber musician to Sophia Charlotte, Queen of Prussia, and lived for some years at Breslau. Whilst at Berlin he was said to have composed two German operas, 'Sieg der Schönheit über die Helden' and 'Roxane,' both performed in 1706. The latter is very possibly by Telemann. (See D.N.B.) In 1717 he became Kapellmeister at the court of Gotha, and in Mar. 1718 is mentioned by Walter as part-composer of the opera 'L' amicizia in terzo.' His name occurs in a list of 1723. Nothing is known of his subsequent career. Besides the above-mentioned compositions Finger wrote instrumental music for the following plays—'The Wives' Excuse,' 1692; 'Love for Love,' 1695; 'The Mourning Bride,' 1697; 'Love at a Loss,' 'Love makes a Man,' 'The Humours of the Age,' and 'Sir Harry Wildair,' 1701. Some concertos and sonatas are mentioned in Q.-L.
17w. h. h., with addns.
19FINGERBILDNER, the invention of Christian Friedrich Seeber, is in some sort an improvement on the Chiroplast (see LOGIER), its chief peculiarity being a small apparatus worn on each finger in order to fix its joints in the right position.
21FINGER-BOARD, that part of the violin and other stringed instruments over which the strings are stretched, and against which the fingers of the left hand of the player press the strings in order to produce sounds not given by the open string.
23(1) VIOLIN.—The finger-board of the violin is best made of ebony, as harder and less easily worn out than any other wood. Its surface is somewhat curved—corresponding to the top line of the bridge, but not quite so much—in order to allow the bow to touch each string separately, which would be impossible if bridge and finger-board were flat. On an average-sized violin it measures 10 1/2 inches in length, while its width is about 1 inch nearest to the head of the violin and 1 3/4 inch at the bridge-end. It is glued on to the neck, and extends from the head to about three-fourths of the distance between the neck and the bridge. At the head-end it has a slight rim, called the NUT (q.v.).
25The finger-board, getting worn by the constant action of the fingers, must be renewed from time to time. The modern technique of violin-playing requires the neck, and in consequence the finger-board, to be considerably longer than they were at the time of the great Cremona makers. For these reasons we hardly ever find an old instrument with either the original finger-board, bridge, sound-post, or bass-bar, all of which, however, can be made just as well by any good violin-maker now living as by the ancient masters.

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