Scan 150
The violin, its famous makers and their imitators, 1887
8 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1And now they change; a paler shadow strews
2It's mantle o'er the mountains; parting day
3Dies like the dolphin, whom each pang imbues
4With a new colour as it gasps away,
5The last still loveliest, till—'tis gone—and all is grey."
7The effect of this beautiful corruscation upon the backs of Violins is obtained by cutting the wood upon the cross, or, as the French term it, sur maille. The most perfect and the handsomest Guarneri in existence, belonging to Mr. R. D. Hawley, has the quality of wood and colour referred to. It is also seen, though rarely, on backs divided, when the wood is particularly handsome in curl. The varnish on such instruments is of a rich golden hue, highly transparent; it is lightly laid on. The size of these works varies; they are sometimes a trifle smaller than the other specimens of Guarneri. In the last epoch we find Violins of an altogether bolder conception, dating from about 1740 and a little later. They are massively constructed, and have in them material of the finest acoustic properties. The sound-hole loses the pointed form so much associated with Guarneri: the purfling is embedded, the edges heavy, the corners somewhat grotesque, the scroll has a mixture of vigour, comicality, and majesty, which may force a smile and then a frown from the connoisseur. The comparison may seem a little forced, but the head of a thoroughbred English mastiff, if carved, might give some idea of the appearance sought to be described. Mr. Reade says of these instruments, with much truth, "Such is the force of genius, that I believe in our secret hearts we love these impudent fiddles best, they are so full of chic." Among the Violins of this period may be mentioned Paganini's and M. Alard's, both rare specimens.
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