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

Books › The violin and the art of its construction. A treatise on the Stradivarius violin, 1895 › scan 30

Scan 30

The violin and the art of its construction. A treatise on the Stradivarius violin, 1895

8 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.

1less in diameter. It must also be shaped so that both ends exactly fit the arch of the violin. When the sound-post has been placed in position, its year-rings should be at right angles with those of the belly, and furthermore, it should be of such a height as to raise the belly ½ m/m.
3The sound-post must be placed upon the belly under the outer edge of the E-string foot of the bridge, but it should rest upon the back from 2 to 4 m/m. nearer the centre. In its normal position the sound-post must be placed nearer to the tail-piece than the bridge by about 2½ m/m., that is to say, by about the thickness of the belly.
5If one wishes to procure any other tone than that obtained by the above-mentioned position, the latter should not be altered, at most, by more than 1 to 2 m/m. A sound-post only ½ m/m. longer, renders the tone sharper and thinner, while if it be approached nearer the bridge, the tone becomes clearer and more acute. If the sound-post be moved more towards the centre of the instrument, the G-string sounds clearer and firmer, but the E-string on the other hand grows slacker and softer; if the sound-post be moved from its normal position about 1 m,m. further below the bridge, the tone will be softer, but at the same time more muffled.
7I should like to warn very strongly all performers, whether professionals or amateurs, against attempting to alter the position of either the sound-post or the bridge themselves; for such attempts will in most cases be endless, and very seldom lead to the desired end. I could adduce proofs of this in many cases, but I will give only one here by way of example. The celebrated violinist Ole Bull who, after the loss of all his property in America in the year 1860, took up his residence with me in Hanover, could not play for an hour together, without experimenting with his violin,

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