Scan 324
The violin: its famous makers and their imitators, 1875
4 lines. Read by computer on 1 October 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1The Sonatas and airs for Violins common at that period in France were poor in the extreme; the Treble part had all the melody, the Bass and Tenor were mere accompaniments. Lully contributed much to the improvement of French music. In his overtures he introduced fugues, and was the first who, in the choruses, made use of the side and kettle drums. He composed symphonies for Violins in three parts. He wrote several operas and many compositions for the church, all of which served to raise the musical taste in France. To him also belongs the credit of having founded the French national opera.
3We will now endeavour to trace the progress of the Violin in England. It is gratifying to learn that we were, even in the primitive age of Violin playing, not without our national composers for the instrument. One Rogers wrote airs in four parts for Violins so early as 1653 (the year Corelli was born). John Jenkins wrote twelve sonatas for two Violins and a Bass, printed in London in 1664, which were the first sonatas written by an Englishman. In 1660, Charles II. established his band of 24 Violins. During his residence on the Continent he had frequent opportunities of hearing the leading instrument, and seems to have been so much impressed with its beauties that he set up for himself a similar band to that belonging to the French Court. In the year 1668, Thomas Britton, known as the "small-coal man" (from his having kept a stable in Clerken-
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.