Books › the history of the violin, 1864 › scan 358
Scan 358
the history of the violin, 1864
12 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 336. See the scan on archive.org.
1After pioneering through the account-books of this violin-maker from 1786 to 1816 it is found that a list of the instruments manufactured cannot be produced even approaching tolerable accuracy, therefore it is abandoned. Four different classes of instruments were made by William Forster (3), assisted by his son and workmen; and about the year 1786-7 the German fiddles, of cheap and common workmanship, were introduced into England, it is believed, by Astor, of Wych Street, Strand, of whom tales could be told connected with German clocks and German musical wind instruments; and entries are seen in the books for fiddles as low as nine shillings, which were mostly sold to dealers; but others have participated in the low prices. Moreover, there are many exchanges and re-purchases of instruments, so that it is very probable the same instrument may have been disposed of more than once.
3All these circumstances baffle the endeavour to produce a similar list to that previously given of the instruments made by his father. There is a book, however, in the writing of William Forster (3), still preserved, which has some account of the instruments made by him. It is imperfect as regards the numbers, particularly of the second-class violins and tenors, and there is no mention of the violoncellos of inferior workmanship. The following are the entries, with slight alteration in the arrangement:—
5"Number of best Violins made by Wm. Forster Jun'r.
7Put down to the year
8Forster, Jun'r. Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 . . . . . 1779
9" , , 5, 6, 7, and 8 . . . . . 1780
10" , , 9 and 10 . . . . . 1782
11" , , 11, 12, 13, and 14 . . . . 1783
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