Books › The Violin: A concise exposition of the general principles of construction.., 1871 › scan 31
Scan 31
The Violin: A concise exposition of the general principles of construction.., 1871
5 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1his second visit, he begged of me to let him hear my band of violinists which was reckoned particularly good."* The violin about this period must have been quite common throughout Britain, as even toy fiddles formed a part of the wares disposed of in the fairs, as in a pamphlet dated 1641,† the author, after describing several of the characters, states, "Amongst these, you shall see a gray goose-cap (as wise as the rest) with a 'what do ye lacke' in his mouth, stand in his boothe, shaking a rattle, or scraping on a fiddle, with which children are so taken, that they presentlie cry out for these fopperies." The few following remarks from the amusing Pepys relative to the Coronation day may prove somewhat interesting:—"A great pleasure it was to see the Abbey raised in the middle, all covered with red, and a throne (that is a chair) and footstool on the top of it, and all the officers of all kinds, so much as the very fiddlers in red vests. . . . I took a great deal of pleasure to go up and down, and look upon the ladies, and to hear the music of all sorts, but above all, the twenty-four violins." And in reference to the improvements of the stage a few years later, 1666, the same author observes, "Now wax candles and many of them; then not above three lbs. of tallow; now all things civil, no rudeness anywhere; then as in a bear garden; then two or three fiddlers; now nine or ten of the best; then nothing but rushes upon the ground, and everything else mean, now all otherwise. 'Hermitt Poore' and 'Chevy Chase' was
3* Autobiography of Mademoiselle de Montpensier.
4† Bartholomew Faire.
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