Books › The Violin: A concise exposition of the general principles of construction.., 1871 › scan 19
Scan 19
The Violin: A concise exposition of the general principles of construction.., 1871
2 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1much defaced, and little care bestowed sometimes in the cutting of them. From decayed relics, monumental sculptures, ancient manuscripts, and other documents, we learn the form and construction of the ancient Crwth. In the writings of Montfauçon, a picture is given of a five stringed violin, which is represented in the hands of a player, this drawing having been copied from a monumental statue upon the Church of Notre Dame in Paris. This statue is supposed to have been sculptured about the same period as that in which Venantius Fortunatus wrote, but this is doubtful. Of the Crwth there have been different kinds, the most ancient having had three strings, whilst the number subsequently was increased to six. One distinguishing feature between the Crwth and Viol, is in the almost equal prolongation of that part of the instrument through which the openings are cut for the admission of the fingers whilst playing. It will be seen from the following that this instrument, although of the same class, is widely different from the violin, but is nevertheless an early though primitive type of the same family. From dimensions taken from several specimens of the British Crwth, the following measurements may be taken as a mean:—Length, 20 1/2 to 22 1/2 inches; breadth at bottom, 9 1/2 to 10; breadth at top, 8; depth, 2; length of finger board, 10 to 10 1/2 inches. The back and breast were generally made of maple, the breast sometimes containing only two circular sound holes at the bottom, about 1 1/4 inches in diameter, but some other instruments of the same type had two additional round holes cut through the lower
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