Books › The violin and the art of its construction. A treatise on the Stradivarius violin, 1895 › scan 12
Scan 12
The violin and the art of its construction. A treatise on the Stradivarius violin, 1895
6 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1Bagatella" (Padua 1786) which has been published in a German translation by Franz Wunder at Göttingen.
3It contains not only rules for the construction of violins, violas, violincellos and basses, as well as distinct instructions for the restoration of the outline of the belly and back of these instruments, but also enters into particulars concerning the adjustment and renovation of the same.
5Just as the celebrated violin makers of the last century took the work of Amati as their model, I have found my master, to whom I, in common with all my colleagues, look up with admiration, recognising in him not only the gifted artist, but also the industrious workman and far-sighted observer — I mean Antonio Stradivarius. Even as a boy I was very fond of listening to the tales told me by my father, who was a musician in Hanover and as an autodidact occupied himself with violin work, tales in which he described to me the wonderful productions of the old Italian masters and more particularly those of Amati, Stradivarius, and Guarnerius. He regarded it as a great distinction shewn to him, and often referred to the fact, that he was allowed to open and repair the Guarnerius violin of Paganini. After a time, however, he altered his tone and cursed the Italian as well as his violin, for the great artist, although he praised my father's work and expressed himself perfectly satisfied with it, objected to the payment of three Thalers for the repairs, considering it an exorbitant charge, and this, coupled with similar experiences at the hands of others, so incensed my father that he would not give his consent to my earnest wish to enter the violin factory; consequently I was apprenticed at the age of 13 years to a pianoforte manufacturer with whom I remained for two years, in spite of having shown aptitude in the other direction by constructing a violin with my own hands at the age of 12 years.
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