Books › The violin, how to make it, 1880 › scan 14
Scan 14
The violin, how to make it, 1880
4 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 8. See the scan on archive.org.
1The Honorable Daines Barrington, in an interesting paper on the Crwth, presented to the London Antiquarian Society, states that he heard the instrument played upon by John Morgan in Anglesea, about 1770, and even at that period, he observes, the instrument was almost extinct; but we learn from another authority, who had frequently heard the instrument, that it was in use at a period thirty years later amongst some of the old Welsh peasantry. The Crwth is stated by some authors to be of British origin, whilst others fancy it belongs originally to France, and from thence passed to Britain.
3The next instrument claiming attention is the Viol, which was also known at a very early date, and was in common use throughout Britain during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Its origin is attributed to one, Alcuin or Albinus, who lived in the eighth century. The earliest Viols appear to have had three strings, but the number was changed at later periods to four, five, and six. Viols were made of all sizes and shapes, from the diminutive three-stringed favorite, to the voluminous Violone, and were a highly esteemed class of instruments, inasmuch as in every household of the wealthier classes a chest of Viols formed an indispensable requisite. The accompanying illustration of the Viol, as used in Scotland in the fifteenth century, will convey to the mind of the reader a better idea of the appearance of this instrument than the most detailed written description. The chest or quartet of Viols bore a similar analogy to our quartet of Violins, viz., two treble, two tenor, and two bass-Viols, which important combination arose from forming a set of instruments approaching in harmony to the various grades of the human voice, viz., Soprano, Contralto, Tenor, and Bass. At a period subsequent to this, the bass variety was distinguished by the name of Viol di Gamba, from its position between the legs when played upon, whilst finally the terms Violone or Contre-Basso, Violoncello, Viola, and Violin comprised the distinctive titles of the Viol family in its perfected state. The finger-
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