Books › Notice of Anthony Stradivari, the celebrated violin-maker, known by the name of Stradivarius:, 1864 › scan 80
Scan 80
Notice of Anthony Stradivari, the celebrated violin-maker, known by the name of Stradivarius:, 1864
6 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 58. See the scan on archive.org.
1contour and fine proportions—its corresponding bends situated in the middle of its length—the arched surfaces of its back and belly, consolidated by the bar and sound post—the four triangular supports within the corners of the bends, and the two blocks placed at each end—all these are so harmoniously adjusted, that the resistance and the elasticity [of the structure] are in a state of perfect equilibrium.
3The bends in the sides of the instrument are not merely designed to enable the bow to act freely on the four strings, for they exercise also a very happy influence on the force and brilliance of the sound; in that the extremities of the instrument produce energetic vibrations which are reflected back again to the place from whence the impulse proceeded. This is what Chanot did not understand when he desired to do away with the bends together with their angles, thinking thereby to introduce the most valuable innovation for augmenting the sonority of the violin, while he simply reproduced the form of the viols of the middle ages.
5In the conformation of the violin, everything has been anticipated, not only for the production of its sounds, but also for ensuring its solidity, its preservation, and for remedying unforeseen accidents. For instance, it was requisite there should be a means of getting at the inside, in order to effect indispensable repairs. To attain this object, the ingenious idea was conceived of making the back and belly sufficiently wide that their edges might extend about 2 millimètres [.079 in.] beyond the sides; this on the one hand serves as a point of support for the tool used for unglueing
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