Scan 104
The American history and encyclopedia of music, 1910
8 lines. Read by computer on 8 September 2026. Printed page 78. See the scan on archive.org.
1the English crwth, another ancient instrument with which the bow is associated. Both bear evidence of descent from the lyre. Their strings are similarly open, and the sound boxes are similar in shape, but when the bow began to figure in their history is quite unknown.
3Ancient manuscripts contain references to the rebec and the rote, and associate them with the gay minstrels dating from the Twelfth Century. In the hand of the minstrels the instrument developed, and it is found later transformed into a rude fiddle, whose strings were plucked, bowed, or even rubbed with a rosined wheel. The body of the early fiddle was pear-shaped, and at first possessed a rounded back, which later became flat. It appears in old paintings and engravings, and is an ungainly instrument, often held in a horizontal position with the neck upright.
5The viols, with their many defects, appear as the next epoch in the progress. Their flat backs made necessary cumbersome cross pieces, which helped to withstand the strain of the strings, but rendered a clear tone impossible. The sides had very shallow inward curves, which would not allow the bow full play, but made ever present the danger of rubbing more than one string at a time, as the bow could not be held at an angle sufficient to prevent this without coming in contact with the edge of the belly. The necks were fretted, and the swift glides now made by the fingers of the violinist over the polished surface of the violin neck, were impossible. Furthermore, the number of frets never exceeded seven, as the knowledge of the art of shifting belongs to the method of the modern instruments.
7The viols appeared in sets of four, and it was a poorly furnished household which was not provided with a chest of them, as the group was called from the receptacle in which they were kept while not in use. It contained an instrument corresponding in pitch to each of the voices, soprano, alto, tenor and bass. At a gathering of friends the chest was opened, and long winter evenings were whiled away with vocal music, each voice being supported by a corre-
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