Books › Rare bows for violin, viola, violoncello, 1931 › scan 12
Scan 12
Rare bows for violin, viola, violoncello, 1931
25 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1FRANÇOIS TOURTE
2Paris, 1747-1835
4As Stradivari evolved the ideal form of the violin and brought it to the highest degree of perfection in workmanship and finish, so this great French bow-maker, FRANÇOIS TOURTE, brought the violin bow to the form, universally accepted for over a hundred years as perfection itself in respect to playing quality, ease of control, beauty of line and finished workmanship. He idealized the head by imparting to it a suggestion of masculine strength and beauty. There have been many other great makers since his time, chiefly his pupils and followers, who, with the example of their great master as their ideal, have vainly striven to give their work the inexplicable elegance of form and charm so characteristic of Tourte. The secret of the tone of Tourte's bows they have endeavoured to unlock and to reproduce in their own work, yet with but partial success. Modern makers, with every advantage of research, improved tools and equipment, have copied Tourte's bows very closely, but have not succeeded in imparting to their work anything more than a fractional part of the grace and artistry found in Tourte's work. Unquestionably, no bow made, either before or since his time, is capable of producing the richness of tone quality which a Tourte bow imparts to the instrument and, consequently, where the weight and balance of a Tourte fits a player's hand and style of playing, that player possesses an advantage of the greatest value, since he is able to draw from his instrument an appealing quality of tone which is denied less fortunate players.
6The influence of FRANÇOIS TOURTE and his work on modern music has been profound. Indicative of this, we have but to quote the late Theodore Thomas, celebrated conductor, who wrote under date of October 29th, 1903, as follows:
8"It is safe to say that without the Cremona instruments of the seventeenth century, the world would not have had the masterworks, quartettes and symphonies of Haydn and Mozart. It was, in particular, Stradivari who created a tone which appealed to musicians, and François Tourte, born 1747, died 1835, who invented a bow which made the modern orchestra—with all its shading and nuances—and a Beethoven, possible. Without these instruments and the Tourte bow, invented over a century later, the music of today would have been developed on altogether different lines. One cannot help thinking of a quotation from 'Pascal,' that, if Cleopatra's nose had been shorter the world's history would have been different."—See "The Hawley Collection of Violins," 1904.
10No. 1258
11Date about 1785. Round stick, slightly short, of richly figured wood, deep chocolate brown color. The head is of beautiful design, slightly worn, with ivory plate. The frog, not original, is ebony, silver mounted. A very firm stick, with excellent playing qualities.
12Three hundred dollars
14No. 1405
15Date about 1810, octagonal stick, medium brown color. Ebony frog, pearl eyes, silver-mounted. Silver and ebony button. Black and white whalebone wrapping.
16Three hundred and fifty dollars
18No. 1131
19Period 1785 to 1790, round stick, dark chocolate color. Ebony frog, pearl eyes and slide, silver-mounted. Ebony and silver button. Silver wrapping.
20Four hundred dollars
22No. 1276
23Early example, dating around 1770 to 1775; stick octagonal, brownish-red color. Ebony frog, silver-mounted, new pearl slide. Ebony and silver button with original screw. Ivory tip.
24Four hundred and fifty dollars
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