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Scan 24
The Hawley Collection of violins, 1904
6 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 20. See the scan on archive.org.
1THE HAWLEY COLLECTION OF VIOLINS
3that a portion of the old man's patronage might be diverted to him, for he was the only one in Cremona comparable with Amati and the only one upon whose shoulders Amati's mantle might fall. Working so many years with Amati, cutting now a scroll, now a sound hole, now finishing the corners of a choice instrument, or enveloping it in its beautiful cloud of golden varnish, Stradivari could hardly fail to become inspired with the style of his master. His work from 1666 to 1680 is not only strongly suggestive of Amati as regards model and outline, but in the color and character of the varnish it is identical. His quality of tone is also like that of his master, and from this firm foundation he never changed but to enlarge and enrich. Thus, if a fine example of Amati—for instance, the beautiful Goding Amati of the Hawley collection—be sounded in comparison with an equally good Stradivari of any period, the quality of the tone of the latter will be found the same, only larger and broader. There can be no doubt that the master imparted to the pupil the secret of his tone, if such it may be termed, at a very early date, for the earliest known examples of Stradivari's violins have the beautiful voice-like quality which always distinguishes them and the instruments of Amati.
5Much has been said and written on the secret of Italian tone. Regarded as a secret, as that term is commonly understood, we are firmly convinced that there never was a "secret of Italian tone," for the reason that a secret possessed by scores of makers for two centuries in various localities throughout the peninsula, is on its face no secret at all. It must be apparent to those who give the matter due consideration that Italian tone is not the result of the application of any one secret process, but rather of superior skill in the application of certain well-known principles of construction, the selection of wood and the application of varnish, over and above which rises the personal judgment of each individual maker in graduating his backs and bellies to suit his model and the texture of his wood, the whole process guided by a keen consciousness of the high ideal of the tone quality he seeks to bring into being. It is here that we find the corner stone of Stradivari's success in life. In each and every instrument which left his hands he achieved the same high standard of tone and workmanship. Every feature which the eye or the ear of the connoisseur or artist of the day (of whom there were no doubt able ones) might criticise, received his personal attention. Nothing, however unimportant it may have seemed to others, escaped his watchful eye and conscientious care. The cutting of the sound holes, seemingly one of the simplest operations, is in fact the most difficult when carried to the Stradivarian point of excellence. Stradivari undoubtedly cut them all himself. He possessed strong nerve, steady hand, and a true and unerring judgment. A single slip of the thin-bladed, sharp-pointed knife would have destroyed their subtle, graceful sweep, changing entirely their character and charm. But this slip was never suffered to occur. This scrupulous care and precision in all his work resulted in a growing reputation. Gradually his fame spread beyond the Italian border, until in a few years his clientele included many who were prominent in affairs of state, church, and commerce throughout all Europe. The difference between his work at this period and that of Amati, is that he employed a more perpendicular and sharper cut sound hole, finer and more elegantly executed purfling, and a more massive scroll resulting from the broadening of the edges of the volute. There is no suggestion of the "grand pattern" Amati in
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