Books › Notice of Anthony Stradivari, 1864 › scan 99
Scan 99
Notice of Anthony Stradivari, 1864
6 lines. Read by computer on 24 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1care which this great artist took to establish a perfect harmony in all the parts of his instruments, so that they might be always in a state of equilibrium. We know what absolute regularity he has always displayed in the cutting of the f holes, invariably so true and graceful!
3Sometimes this great master departed from his accustomed dimensions, either for the sake of experiment, or to gratify the taste of artists and amateurs who desired of him a certain special quality of tone; but precisely in such instances is found the most striking demonstration of the excellence of the principles which guided him in the construction of so large a number of his perfect instruments. There are some violins of Stradivarius perceptibly larger than his ordinary pattern, and in which the mass of air is not in exact relation with the resonance of the back and belly; as a consequence, these instruments are inferior to the others. The reason of the excellence of the violins, altos, and basses of Stradivarius—or, to speak more correctly, of all instruments of this species—lies in the perfect equilibrium of all the parts. So, be it observed, that two violins, one of Stradivarius and the other of Guarnerius, having considerable analogy in their forms and dimensions, and both possessing the like harmonious proportions, have a remarkable resemblance in their tone, and equally rank among the best instruments which have emanated from these great masters.
5The necessity of harmony in the proportions is observable throughout. If the back or the belly be too thin, the tone of the instrument will be feeble; if too
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