Scan 252
The violin: its famous makers and their imitators, 1884
6 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1beauty and utility. At this period he begins to make his originality felt, continuing in this vein with but little intermission down to about the year 1694, when he again gives forth fresh evidence of his power to create, as shown in the "long Strad." In expending his powers on these instruments of diminished proportions, it might occur to the mind of the observer that he was undoing much that he had accomplished; but I do not consider that such was the case. His project in making these instruments together with those of larger dimensions evidences in my opinion a desire that he had of fairly testing the result of changed methods of construction.
3From this brief summary of the varied styles given to the works of this true artist, the reader may gather some idea of the solidity of the foundation which he laid, before trusting himself to raise those works which have become monuments to his memory.
5That which I have termed the golden period of Stradivari, commenced about 1700, at which time he reached his 56th year: a time of life when it is a rare occurrence to find genius asserting itself with any degree of power—a time, if not of waning, at least of resting, when the mind usually stays from giving forth originality bearing the freshness of earlier years; but Stradivari, with a few other notable instances in the field of art, forms an exception to this rule, and he proves to us that his talent was then in its full vigour, and ripe for new achievements.
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