Scan 251
Grove's dictionary of music and musicians ed. by J. A. Fuller Maitland, 1907
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1industry which Matthias Klotz initiated has gradually grown from century to century, though its characteristics have utterly changed. The old days of individual makers who sallied forth with their packs on their backs, selling their productions at the nearest markets, have passed away, instead, these violin makers have become merged into the united body of men who work for the large wholesale manufacturing firms which constitute the Mittenwald industry of the present day. The two most important existing factories are those of J. A. Baader & Co., and Neuner & Hornsteiner, which has recently become Altenoder & Neuner.
3The amalgamation of the houses of Hornsteiner & Neuner was most happy, for both families have been intimately connected with the violin-making of the past. The Hornsteiners—who outnumbered the Klotz family—held an excellent position as individual makers for over a century. The best maker of the family was Matthias II., who worked between 1765 and 1793. The Neuners' connection dates as far back as the 18th century. Johann Neuner (fl. 1760-64)—the first fiddle maker of the name—was amongst those pioneers who took their work as far as Russia for sale. After him came Matthias Neuner, who founded the manufacturing firm of Neuner & Co. in 1812. His son, who was Burgmeister of Mittenwald, became partner in the firm when it joined hands with the Hornsteiners. The factory now employs over 200 workmen, and yearly sends from 15,000 to 20,000 violins, guitars, and zithers to all parts of the world. The name of Baader has been not less intimately associated with violin-making than those of Hornsteiner & Neuner. The firm was founded by Johann Baader in 1770, he was himself an excellent maker, and gave Johann Baptiste Reiter—one of Mittenwald's most distinguished makers—his first instruction in violin-making. Herr Reiter afterwards went to Württemberg, where he became one of Jean Vauchel's best pupils. On his return to Mittenwald he was made director of the Mittenwald school, which instructs young students in the art of violin-making, and is under Government control. Medals and diplomas were awarded for the violins of Johann Reiter both in Paris and Vienna; he died January 22, 1899. His son is at present almost the only successful individual maker in Mittenwald. His work is of the most finished type, and he preserves the model and style of his father's master, Jean Vauchel. (A complete list of Mittenwald makers, past and present, is to be found in Die Geigen- und Lautenmacher, by W. L. von Lutgendorff. Frankfurt, 1904.) Out of eighteen hundred Mittenwalders quite five hundred are violin makers, chiefly working for the factories. Some of the workers make the different portions of the violins, etc., at their homes, and take them to the factories to be put together, but the greater number work in the factories entirely. The manner of procedure is to allot certain sections of the instrument to each workshop. After the wood has been sawn into planks and stored for drying purposes for about six years it is taken to the first workshop, where the outline of some famous Italian maker's model is marked with a pencil, and cut out with a mechanical fret-saw. From here it passes to the scooping room, where the necessary thicknesses of back and belly are scooped out; next the f holes are pierced. The ribs are planed to the exact thickness by one set of men, while others cut the strips into the proper lengths. Then comes the bending of the ribs by means of heated irons to the shape of the mould, and so on from one workshop to another until the completed instrument is sent out, ready for use, at the price of about 10s. or less. There has recently been introduced a new system for quickly drying the wood; this is done by means of dipping it in certain acids, but it is hardly a successful practice, as the violins so made rarely last any length of time, and as a rule acquire a most unpleasant smell. (Vom Fels zum Meer, Mittenwald und seine Geigenmacher; Emma Brewer's Mittenwald in the Girl's Own Paper, Nov., Dec. 1888, Feb. and March 1889; H. R. Haweis's Old Violins; Von Lutgendorff's Die Geigen- und Lautenmacher.)
5MIXED BOWINGS. An amalgamation of the various bow strokes, which are technically known to all players of bow instruments. By a judicious mixing of the different bow strokes an artist gives individuality to his manner of phrasing and rendering of a piece of music. The sign which indicates a down stroke is Π, and an up stroke, Λ, and the various known bowings which form part of the technique of violin-playing are: The long stroke executed with the whole length. The half-stroke. The rapid detached stroke with the whole bow. The Martelé, or hammered, executed at the tip of the bow. The Sautillé, or skipping stroke executed in the middle of the bow. The Ricochet, a bounding stroke of a staccato nature executed at the tip of the bow. The Legato stroke, two or more notes in one stroke of the bow. The Staccato Stroke, executed at the tip of the bow;—this is really a series of martelé notes taken in one stroke. The Tremolo, a succession of very quick short strokes in the middle of the bow, played entirely with the wrist. And the several manners of playing arpeggios, which are generally executed with varied bowings and rhythms.
7MIXED CADENCE. See CADENCE, IV. vol. i. p. 441.
9MIXED MODES. Writers on Plain-song apply this term to tonalities which embrace the entire compass of an Authentic Mode in combination with that of its Plagal derivative; thus the Mixed Dorian Mode extends from A
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