Books › The arts and crafts book of the worshipful Guild of violin-makers of Markneukirchen, from the year 1677 to the year 1772, 1894 › scan 42
Scan 42
The arts and crafts book of the worshipful Guild of violin-makers of Markneukirchen, from the year 1677 to the year 1772, 1894
6 lines. Read by computer on 29 August 2026. Printed page 34. See the scan on archive.org.
1Contemporaneously with the older stringed instruments of the Viol-family (such as Luther used to play in the circle of his family), the violin became more and more popular as an accompaniment to the voice; at length, however, as "Queen of Musical Instruments" (being the one which nearest approached the human voice in quality of tone), it completed its triumphal progress through Europe and beyond it, distancing all rivals.
3Perhaps the Romanians and their near Alpine neighbours developed their love of guitars, lutes, cithera, and such like instruments earlier than the Middle and North Germans; with us the deeper, more penetrating and fuller toned music such as the violin afforded, moved men's souls more easily and more lastingly. As long as no perfect piano existed (for the spinnet was yet too meagre and expensive) violin-playing and music were inseparable. Not only in the houses of music-loving citizens, but, above all, among the great masses of the populace, in seminaries, from learned colleges to the humblest village school, and in the churches, the violin was indispensable. The new evangelical congregational singing as it gained in meaning, through the works of the sacred-song writers of the 17th century, depended principally on the violin as its medium of interpretation, and chief accompaniment.
5In Markneukirchen itself there was a great number of so-called "choir-assistants" who regularly, with their violins, accompanied the singing in the churches; and indeed, it was not likely that the descendants of those
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