Scan 94
The violin & its story : or the history & construction of the violin, 1905
10 lines. Read by computer on 29 September 2026. Printed page 78. See the scan on archive.org.
1they differ in their purpose, and still more in their respective demands upon the art of the maker. It is now-a-days very easy to obtain good violin strings; and it is not difficult for the instrument maker to change a sound-post, alter a bass-bar, repair defects in the sides, or even to add a new back to a violin; but it is difficult, if not impossible, to replace the belly of a good fiddle so that the instrument shall suffer no loss by the operation.
3But it would be a mistake to conclude, on this account, that any one of these parts was more important than the others, or that equal insight and care in working was not required by all of them; for it is certain that if any single one of these parts, whichever it be, is not perfectly suited to its purpose, it will affect the good quality of all the rest, if it does not destroy their excellence altogether. It may also be allowed that the finishing and perfecting of some one of these parts calls for more anxious care, more art, and more labour than the rest; but it yet remains true that the production of a good tone is conditioned by every one of the parts; and herein lies the astounding marvel of the organism of the violin.
5The purpose of the following pages is to throw light on the detail work of the instrument maker, and to set forth the laws under which these details are put together so as to form a harmonious whole.
7I. THE STRINGS.
9Vitruvius, in his work on architecture, well explains the spreading of sound in air as follows:—"Sound is a flying breath, which causes the air to tremble, and thus makes itself known to the ear. By these tremblings or waves the air is made to move in a multitude of concentric circles, just like the waves of water into which a stone has been thrown. These waves spread out from their central point in innumerable circles until they come to their limit of space or meet some obstructing object. In water these waves spread outwards in a horizontal direction only, while sound in air spreads
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.