Books › Old violins, 1905 › scan 171
Scan 171
Old violins, 1905
10 lines. Read by computer on 27 September 2026. Printed page 153. See the scan on archive.org.
1CHAPTER X
3VIOLIN STRINGS
5"To scrape the inside of a cat with the outside of a horse" is far from an accurate or exhaustive description of violin playing, nor can I understand why violin strings are called cat-gut at all, since they are made from the intestines of the sheep, goat, or lamb, and have absolutely nothing to do with pussy.
7I can only suppose that the frightful and melancholy tones habitually elicited by inexperienced players may have reminded people of the nocturnal cat sufficiently to credit that maligned animal with providing part of the mechanical apparatus for their production.
9Of late years a great deal has been said about the extreme importance of the strings, of adapting the player to the fiddle's constitution, etc. I freely admit that some players with very strong hands, like Lindley and Dragonetti, can manage thicker strings with effect better than people with weaker muscles. I also admit generally that it would be a mistake to string a sensitive old Nicolo Amati with thick strings, which a robust Joseph or Bergonzi might be able to bear; that a raw new fiddle to be rubbed down in the orchestra will also take to thick strings; and that it is pretty obvious, as
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