Books › The Violin: A concise exposition of the general principles of construction.., 1871 › scan 86
Scan 86
The Violin: A concise exposition of the general principles of construction.., 1871
10 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1Some instruments have a series of rectangular thin pieces of wood glued across the joints of the back and breast, inside the instrument, to keep the joint secure, as well as to give greater rigidity to the plates.
3Violins are made of the following woods:—Breast, bass-bar, sound-post, and side-linings, of Swiss pine; back, sides, and neck, of curled or bird's-eye maple; blocks of sallow or pine; finger-board and tail-piece of ebony. Those are the woods which have been usually employed by the best makers, but in the common Violin we find beech used for back, neck, and sides; whilst in others we find the back made of pear or cherry-tree, the side-linings of sallow, blocks of lime-tree, &c.; but, from the true construction of the instrument, it is evident maple and pine ought alone to be used for the formation of back and breast.
5Stradivarius made several violoncellos and tenors with the backs formed of poplar and pear-tree, but his best instruments have always had backs made from maple.
7A species of wood—the Azarol—common in the Tyrol, is believed to have been used by some of the Cremonese makers in preference to the Swiss pine, and that only the south side of the tree was used.
9The wood of which the instrument is formed is a matter of pre-eminent importance, as it must be thoroughly seasoned, and possess good resonant properties. If the wood of back and breast is perfectly baked by exposing it for a length of time near a fire, the instrument made from it certainly acquires a crispness and intensity of tone. Many modern makers
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