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

Books › The Violin: A concise exposition of the general principles of construction.., 1871 › scan 71

Scan 71

The Violin: A concise exposition of the general principles of construction.., 1871

4 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.

1being careful to have all the parts in inverse proportion to those of Stradivarius, as the tone we take as the basis bears to do = 512 vibrations. Thus, if we construct a violin in do b, the dimensions must be to the dimensions of a Stradivarius, as 512 is to the number of vibrations given by the mass of air in the violin.
3After having studied the violins of the best masters, and determined the rôle of each part, we have indicated the means of constructing excellent instruments, resembling in everything the most perfect ones of Stradivarius. The principles we have deduced from numerous experiments permit us to state the question in a general sense, and not as a particular case. The construction of violins is a problem susceptible of several solutions. Several of these being unknown, they are so related the one to the other, that one being determined it is easy to determine the others. We can, for example, vary the form and dimensions of the tables, but we must at the same time vary their thicknesses and the height of the sides, so that the air shall still give the sound do = 512 vibrations. The dimensions of the f holes have great influence upon the sound of the mass of air. We have already said, that if we cover one of these with paper the sound of the air is lowered. Consequently, if they are too large, the sound of the air is too high, and vice versa. This is the reason why we often find violins of large pattern giving a higher sound than do = 512 vibrations, while from their size it should be lower. Such are the violins of Maggini, at least those which we have examined, the sound of the air being re instead of do, on account

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