Books › Violin tone and violin makers, 1916 › scan 140
Scan 140
Violin tone and violin makers, 1916
4 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 118. See the scan on archive.org.
1knowing seeker after tone. Because one or the other rarely fail to deceive the well-meaning but uninformed, it does not follow that they lack any legitimate place in the world of fiddles. When sold on their merits, or by dealers of repute, they are low in price. On them one may "whack out" a lively tune of sorts and bring pleasure to the uncritical atmosphere of many homes—may, indeed, be a direct lead to better things. The King of Instruments rules over the pleasures of the great, and the little princes of his house bring an equal happiness to those whose lives and tastes are humble. Thus may these instruments bring music to the forecastle and the farm, and pleasure to those who, by one circumstance or another, are barred from better things.
3A Strange Belief.—As an illustration of the extraordinary beliefs held regarding tone and its connection with the violin, I quote the following from a recent issue of an American journal: "If Stradivarius were living today and was a violin-maker . . . he would be just as big a failure as our best modern makers are to-day . . . he builded better than he knew." The writer of this is without first-hand knowledge, either of Stradivari or the "best modern makers," else he would cite a different explanation of failure. But what are we to say of such beliefs—long since exploded
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