Scan 134
The violin & its story : or the history & construction of the violin, 1905
6 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1from its root to its point, it will offer hardly any resistance; but if it is drawn in the opposite direction considerable roughness will be felt. Under the microscope the reason of this is apparent, for each hair is seen to have a number of minute horny bristles, or cuticles, which all point away from the root of the hair. In arranging the hairs for the bow, they are laid alternately in opposite directions, so that whether the bow goes up or down there shall be an equal number of these cuticles in operation. It is beyond all question that it is these cuticles which cause the "bite" of the hair on the string. When these cuticles are all, or nearly all, worn off by use, no amount of resin will give the hair the necessary "bite"; the hair is then, as we say, "played out."
3The number of hairs in a bow was formerly, in France, from 80 to 100; but now-a-days the hair ribbon is broader, and contains from 175 to 250 single hairs.
5The hairs must be at least twenty-six inches long. Tourte bestowed extraordinary care in the selection of hair for his bows. He preferred French horse-hair, because it was stronger than that brought in in the way of trade with other countries. He first washed it with soap and water, to free it from grease, and then washed and re-washed it in other ways to get rid of all foreign matters. His daughter was continuously employed in the selection of hair, so as to throw out those which were too short, or were not perfectly cylindrical; for, taking the hairs as they come to hand, there is only about one in ten which is of any use for bow-making, as most of them present a flat surface, and are full of inequalities. It will, of course, be easily understood that in arranging the hairs, they must be stretched as nearly alike as possible, must lie in an even row side by side, and that none of the hairs must cross. New hair does not grip well, and produces a rough tone. A new bow must be used three or four weeks before it is fit for solo playing. After use the bow should be unscrewed, so that the elasticity of the stick is not impaired.
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