Scan 356
The American history and encyclopedia of music .., 1908
8 lines. Read by computer on 10 September 2026. Printed page 238. See the scan on archive.org.
1be selected with great care as to grain and seasoning. The grain must run smoothly or the entire plan is ruined. Knots or irregularities of any kind will interfere with the vibrations. Green wood is never used and entirely sapless wood is useless. It should contain enough moisture to be elastic and capable of conforming to the strain which use will bring to bear. A back and belly must be found that will vibrate in accordance with each other. If the tone of one resonance board conflicts with that of the other no real music can ever be produced. The Cremona makers seem to have had in their finger tips a genius for this delicate selection. Others following have tried to duplicate the Stradivarius violins, but after a period of use the best effects will disappear and the instrument will take its place among the failures.
3Grossman, a scientist of Berlin, has recently declared that he has solved the problem of tuning the back and belly correctly. Time alone can prove the truth of his claim. A new violin, whose voice is almost perfect, is in danger of being like the too godly youth, for its days are numbered. As the wood further dries and settles into place, the tone must change. On the other hand, a voice a trifle unpleasant at the beginning in no wise denotes failure as the drying and settling may bring a happier result. No exact rule of dimensions can be followed as to the thickness of the back and the belly, that indeed lying entirely with the maker, but the back is always a trifle thicker than the belly.
5The sides or ribs are of maple and great care must be exercised that they are neither too thin, nor too high. If not of correct thickness they will not properly transmit the vibrations from the belly to the neck, and if of disproportionate height will afford an improper space for the volume of air within the sound-box. They consist of six pieces of wood dipped in water before being curved with a hot bending iron, a delicate process, and one in which failures are many.
7When the sides have been glued to the back, six corner blocks are fixed into their places with a drop of glue. These blocks are small pieces of pine or willow carved to fit exactly
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