Scan 63
The violin, its famous makers and their imitators, 1887
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1of tone produced by each sample of wood, plane-tree¹ and sycamore have been found to surpass the rest. The Cremonese makers seem to have adhered chiefly to the use of maple, varying the manner of cutting it. First they made the back in one piece, technically known as a "whole back;" secondly, the back in two parts; thirdly, the cutting known as the "slab back." There being considerable doubt as to the mode of dividing the timber, the woodcuts given will assist the reader to understand it. Fig. 1 represents the cutting for the back in two pieces—the piece which is separated from the log is divided. Fig. 2 shows the method adopted to obtain the slab form.
3Fig. 1. Fig. 2.
5This mode of cutting is constantly met with in the works of the Brescian makers, and likewise in those of the early Cremonese. Andrea Amati invariably adopted this form. Stradivari rarely cut his wood slab-form. Joseph Guarneri made a few Violins of his best epoch with this cutting, the varnish on which is of an exquisite orange colour, so trans-
7¹ The Germans call the plane-tree "morgenländischer ahorn"—i.e., "oriental maple." From the German word ahorn is probably derived the term "air-wood," often corrupted into "hair-wood." Thomas Mace says, respecting the lute, "the air-wood is absolutely the best; and next to that our English maple."—Engel, "Researches into the Early History of the Violin Family."
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