Scan 509
The violin: its famous makers and their imitators, 1884
8 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 413. See the scan on archive.org.
1Nardini whether the anecdote relative to this piece of music was true. Nardini answered that "he had frequently heard Tartini relate the circumstance," and at once gave an account of the composition, in accordance with that furnished by M. de Lalande.
3DR. JOHNSON AND THE VIOLIN.
5"Dr. Johnson was observed by a musical friend of his to be extremely inattentive at a concert, whilst a celebrated solo-player was running up the divisions and sub-divisions of notes upon his Violin. His friend, to induce him to take greater notice of what was going on, told him how extremely difficult it was. 'Difficult do you call it, sir?' replied the Doctor; 'I wish it were impossible.'"—Seward's "Anecdotes of Dr. Johnson."
7"In the evening our gentleman farmer and two others entertained themselves and the company with a great number of tunes on the Fiddle. Johnson desired to have 'Let ambition fire thy mind' played over again, and appeared to give a patient attention to it; though he owned to me that he was very insensible to the power of music. I told him that it affected me to such a degree, as often to agitate my nerves painfully, producing in my mind alternate sensations of pathetic dejection, so that I was ready to shed tears; and of daring resolution, so that I was inclined to rush into the thickest part of the battle, 'Sir,' said he, 'I should never hear it if it made me such a fool.'"—Boswell's "Life of Johnson."
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