Bow & Bridge Violin and bow makers, as the old books printed them

Books › the history of the violin, 1864 › scan 176

Scan 176

the history of the violin, 1864

6 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 154. See the scan on archive.org.

1of his bow was a mouthful. Evelyn also heard him, and thus describes him, Nov. 19th, 1674:—"I heard that stupendous violin, Sig'r. Nicholao (with other rare musicians) whom I never heard mortal man exceed on that instrument. He had a stroak so sweete, and made it speak like ye voice of a man, and, when he pleas'd, like a consort of severall instruments. He did wonders upon a note, and was an excellent composer. Here was also that rare lutenist Dr. Wallgrave; but nothing approach'd the violin in Nicholao's hand. He plaied such ravishing things as astonish'd us all." On the following 2nd of December, he went to his friend Mr. Slingsby's, the Master of the Mint, and heard Signor Francisco, esteemed one of the greatest masters in Europe on the harpsichord; "then came Nicholas with his violin, and struck all mute." On the 20th November, 1679, he again is at Mr. Slingsby's, "to heare musiq, which was exquisitely perform'd by foure of the most renown'd masters; Du Prue, a Frenchman, on ye lute; Sig'r. Bartholomeo, an Italian, on the harpsichord; Nicolao on the violin; but above all for its sweetnesse and novelty, the viol d'amore of 5 wyre-strings plaid on with a bow, being but an ordinary violin, play'd on lyre way by a German."
3By a warrant dated the 24th of October, 1662, we find that Cremona violins brought a high price, as Mr. John Bannister, one of his Majesty's musicians in ordinary, had an order for 40l. for two Cremona violins bought by him, and also 10l. for strings for two years.
5Simpson, himself an excellent performer on the viol da gamba, in his "Division Viol" calls the viol in Latin chelys, and gives three figures of the instrument, which are in fact all bass-viols. The first of these, which he says is best for sound, is much like the modern violon-

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