Books › The story of the violin, 1904 › scan 181
Scan 181
The story of the violin, 1904
14 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 145. See the scan on archive.org.
1CHAPTER XXIV.
3IS IT A SECRET?
5WHAT! making fiddles as these old Cremonese masters did? "There is no secret about it," says your modern maker of violins and 'cellos; "it is all a silly fable," and he tries to smile, to lessen what he thinks a blow to tender feelings—that amiable, grim, contemptuous smile which such superior knowledge gives—when dealing with an ignoramus like yourself.
7"But the tone?" you put in feebly.
9"Will be," says he with emphasis, "as good a hundred years hence as any of those gems by Guarneri and Amati."
11"And the varnish?" you falter; and picking up courage when you see him somewhat dazed—"This," you point to one of his creations, "looks so dreadfully—hm—so cruelly—hm—red—hm—ugly."
13Then quickly he is up in arms, and crushes you with expert weapons. "Wait," he says; "when that fiddle is played on and handled for a while, it will shine like wax. The best of oil varnish this; take my word for it, that—hm—ugly—hm—new look will rub off in time;" and so he goes on to convince you that his violins are made exactly like the Cremonese ones, and that his violins will sound less than fifty years hence
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