Scan 44
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.
1was like mosaic, when for a trifling sum they could have avoided such a task to their ingenuity by purchasing fresh wood. We are therefore, forced to admit that there must have been some cause of great weight which induced them to apply so much time and labour, and that the problem can only be accounted for by the solution before proposed, viz., that wood having acoustic properties thoroughly adapted to the old makers' purpose was of greater importance than external appearance, and that the scarcity of suitable wood was such as to make them hoard and make use of every particle. The selection of material was hence considered to be of prime importance by these makers, and by careful study they brought it to a state of great perfection. The knowledge they gained of this vital branch of their art is enveloped in a similar obscurity to that which conceals their famous varnish, and in these branches of Violin manufacture rests the secret of the Italian success, and until it is rediscovered the Cremonese will remain unequalled in the manufacture of Violins.
3We may now pass to the consideration of the various constituent parts of a Violin. It will be found if a Violin be taken to pieces that it is constructed of no less than fifty-eight separate pieces, an astonishing number of factors for so small and simple-looking an instrument. The back is made of sycamore, in one or two parts; the belly, of the
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