Chapter 32

"Busts, cameos, gems--such things as these Which others often show for pride, I value for their power to please And selfish churls deride; _One_ Stradivari, I confess. _Two_ meerschaums, I would fain possess." --_Extract from Oliver Wendell Holmes' Lines on Contentment_.

LIVING STRADIVARIS.

A passionate lover of Fiddles, being in Milan, made the acquaintance of an Italian who, like himself, was a lover of the bow. They had not long met before the theme of their mutual delight was broached; the beautiful features in the works of the great masters were dwelt upon, their respective points of genius discriminated, until the freemasonry of Fiddle-connoisseurship was exhausted. Inquiries were exchanged as to the whereabouts of remarkable specimens, when suddenly the Italian's face brightened, and gave indication that a happy thought had crossed his mind. "By the way, I can introduce you to a friend who has in his possession some choice Stradivaris, of various dates, and having heads of a very marked character." His companion was on his feet before he finished speaking, eagerly demanding where these choice "Strads" were to be seen. The distance being but a few streets off, it was agreed that they should start at once. On arriving at a house in the Via Meravigli, the Italian inquired of the servant if his master was at home. Being assured of this, the Fiddler-connoisseurs were shown into an apartment, where they anxiously awaited the host. Presently he entered, and the usual exchange of courtesies having been gone through, the Italian, with the utmost gravity, inquired after the Stradivaris, and received answer that they never were better; his companion, who was burning to feast his eyes on them, begged that he might have the pleasure of seeing them. The host, flattered by the interest taken in his "Strads" by his visitor, acquiesced, left the room, and brought in his collection, which, if not unique, was in every way original. It consisted of five _Stradivaris_--three boys and two girls. Unable longer to restrain his laughter, the Italian broke forth into one of those hearty peals which terminate only when the risible faculties are completely exhausted. Signor Stradivari, the happy parent of the collection just ushered into the room, regarded his visitor with astonishment, in which he was joined by the specimens of various dates. Ultimately the countenance of Signor Stradivari began to assume anything but a pleased appearance, as he had failed to comprehend what there was about his cherished ones to excite such ungovernable mirth. When the joke was explained, it is needless to say that the wit's friend, the connoisseur, suffered some disappointment, but soon heartily joined in the laugh raised at his expense. Signor Stradivari and his family were not long kept behind the curtain, and soon added their laugh to that of the rest of the company.

PLEASURES OF IMAGINATION.

A lady belonging to Covent Garden Theatre, who had never heard Paganini, requested leave to be present at one of the rehearsals of his concerts. It happened that Paganini did not bring his Violin with him, but borrowed one from a member of the orchestra, and, instead of playing, made a kind of _pizzicato obbligato_. After the rehearsal was finished, the lady addressed Mr. Cooke: "Oh, dear, Mr. Cooke, what a wonderful man he is! I declare, I may say, that till this morning I never knew what music was capable of." Cooke replied, "Indeed, madam, he is truly wonderful; but allow me to observe that on this occasion you are indebted rather to your imagination than your ears for the delight you have experienced." "How, Mr. Cooke?" "Why, madam, this morning Paganini has not played at all--he has not even touched a bow." "Extraordinary!" exclaimed the lady; "I am more than ever confirmed in my opinion of him; for if _without_ playing he can affect one in such a manner, how much more wonderful are the sensations he must produce when he _does_ play!"

A ROYAL AMATEUR.

"Francis the First, Emperor of Austria, was a passionate lover of music, and played admirably on the flute. His greatest pleasure was to perform the Trios and Quartetts of the old masters. One of the household physicians of the court excelled on the Tenor. As imperial etiquette did not permit a simple physician to accompany the Emperor in his pieces unless he had the _entree_ at court, Francis first created his doctor a baron, and then a privy councillor, thus giving him his _petites_ and _grandes entrees_. By the help of his Tenor-playing our medical musician insinuated himself so successfully into the good graces of the Emperor, that he became almost the rival of Metternich, and all the other ministers courted his friendship. Such was the rise of the celebrated Baron Still. But for his Tenor, this all-powerful favourite of Francis the First would have lived and died an obscure physician."--_Critique Musicale_.

POPE PIUS IX. AND THE MUSICIAN.

"An Italian composer, named Peregrini, was a fellow-student of Mastai Ferretti, now the occupant of the Papal chair. Since their quitting college, Fortune abandoned the _maestro_, whilst she smiled upon the priest. One day Pius IX. received the following letter:--'Most Holy Father,--I know not if you recollect that I had the honour of being your fellow-student at College, and that your Holiness has done me the honour of playing duos with me on the Violin; and that the execution of them was not always irreproachable, at least on my part, which so displeased your Holiness at the time that you deigned to apply certain corrections to my fingers. I have taken the liberty of revealing myself to your recollection, and to pray you to take under your protection one who can never cease to remember the happy moments he has passed with him whose apostolic virtues have raised him to the throne of St. Peter.' The Pope replied, 'I have never forgotten your name, my son; come to me at Rome, and we will again play duets together, and if you have not progressed in your studies, I shall know how again to correct you.'"--_Hogarth's Musical Herald_.

OLE BULL AND FIDDLE VARNISH.

"A man who had a patent varnish for Violins, brought his invention to Ole Bull, and begged him to try it. He said that it gave ordinary instruments the sweet quality of a Cremona Fiddle. Ole Bull tried it, and found that it improved the tone, and promised to use a Violin prepared with it at a concert he had to give at the house of the Duke of Riario. There was a great deal of fashionable company at this concert, and the heat of the room melted this famous varnish, which was really a preparation of asafoetida. The smell which it exuded was so maddening that an ordinary man would have stopped and excused himself; but Ole Bull merely closed his eyes, turned his face away, and played with an energy which became more frenzied the more intolerable the stink became. He enjoyed an overwhelming success, and the Duke rushed forward to seize his hand in congratulation. The appalling odour of asafoetida struck him in the face, and Ole Bull had to explain in what agony he had been performing."--_Ole Bull's_ "_Breve i Uddrag_," _by Jonas Lie, Copenhagen_, 1881.

ON THE TREATMENT OF THE VIOLIN.

_In a Letter from the celebrated Tartini_.

The letter here presented to my readers was translated and published by Dr. Burney, in 1779, under the following title: "A Letter from the late Signor Tartini to Signora Maddalena Lombardini (afterwards Signora Sirmen). Published as an important lesson to performers on the Violin.

"'PADUA, _March_ 5, 1760.

"'MY VERY MUCH ESTEEMED SIGNORA MADDALENA,

"'Finding myself at length disengaged from the weighty business which has so long prevented me from performing my promise to you, a promise which was made with too much sincerity for my want of punctuality not to afflict me, I shall begin the instructions you wish from me by letter; and if I should not explain myself with sufficient clearness, I entreat you to tell me your doubts and difficulties, in writing, which I shall not fail to remove in a future letter.

"'Your principal practice and study should, at present be confined to the use and power of the bow, in order to make yourself entirely mistress in the execution and expression of whatever can be played or sung, within the compass and ability of your instrument. Your first study, therefore, should be the true manner of holding, balancing, and pressing the bow lightly but steadily upon the strings; in such a manner as it shall seem to breathe the first tone it gives, which must proceed from the friction of the string, and not from percussion, as by a blow given with a hammer upon it. This depends on laying the bow lightly upon the strings at the first contact, and on gently pressing it afterwards, which, if done gradually, can scarcely have too much force given to it, because, if the tone is begun with delicacy, there is little danger of rendering it afterwards either coarse or harsh.

"'Of this first contact and delicate manner of beginning a tone you should make yourself a perfect mistress in every situation and part of the bow, as well in the middle as at the extremities; and in moving it up as well as in drawing it down. To unite all these laborious particulars into one lesson, my advice is, that you first exercise yourself in a swell upon an open string--for example, upon the second string; that you begin _pianissimo_, and increase the tone by slow degrees to its _fortissimo_; and this study should be equally made with the motion of the bow up and down, in which exercise you should spend at least an hour every day, though at different times, a little in the morning and a little in the evening; having constantly in mind, that this is, of all others, the most difficult and the most essential to playing on the Violin. When you are a perfect mistress of this part of a good performer, a swell will be very easy to you; beginning with the most minute softness, increasing the tone to its loudest degree, and diminishing it to the same point of softness with which you began, and all this in the same stroke of the bow. Every degree of pressure upon the string which the expression of a note or passage shall require will by this means be easy and certain; and you will be able to execute with your bow whatever you please. After this, in order to acquire that light pulsation and play of the wrist, from whence velocity in bowing arises, it will be best for you to practise every day one of the _Allegros_, of which there are three in Corelli's Solos, which entirely move in semiquavers. The first is in D, in playing which you should accelerate the motion a little each time, till you arrive at the quickest degree of swiftness possible; but two precautions are necessary in this exercise--the first is, that you play the notes _staccato_, that is, separate and detached, with a little space between every two, for though they are written thus--

they should be played as if there was a rest after every note, in this manner--

The second precaution is, that you first play with the point of the bow; and when that becomes easy to you, that you use that part of it which is between that part and the middle; and when you are likewise mistress of this part of the bow, that you practise in the same manner with the middle of the bow; and, above all, you must remember in these studies to begin the _Allegros_ or flights sometimes with an up-bow; and sometimes with a down-bow, carefully avoiding the habit of constantly practising one way. In order to acquire a greater facility of executing swift passages in a light and neat manner, it will be of great use to you if you accustom yourself to skip over a string between two quick notes in divisions, like these--

Of such divisions you may play extempore as many as possible, and in every key, which will be both useful and necessary.

"'With regard to the finger-board, or carriage of the left hand, I have one thing strongly to recommend to you, which will suffice for all; and that is, the taking a Violin part, either the first or second of a concerto, sonata, or song--anything will serve the purpose--and playing it upon the half-shift, that is, with the first finger upon G on the first string, and constantly keeping upon this shift, playing the whole piece without moving the hand from this situation, unless A on the fourth string be wanted, or D upon the first; but in that case, you should afterwards return again to the half-shift, without ever moving the hand down to the natural position. This practice should be continued till you can execute with facility upon the half-shift any Violin part not intended as a solo, at sight. After this, advance the hand on the finger-board to the whole-shift, with the first finger upon A on the first string, and accustom yourself to this position till you can execute everything upon the whole-shift with as much ease as when the hand is in its natural situation; and when certain of this, advance to the double-shift, with the first finger upon B, on the first string; and when sure of that likewise, pass to the fourth position of the hand, making C with the first finger upon the first string; and indeed this is a scale in which, when you are firm, you may be said to be mistress of the finger-board. This study is so necessary, that I most earnestly recommend it to your attention.

"'I now pass to the third essential part of a good performer on the Violin, which is the making of a good shake, and I would have you practise it slow, moderately fast, and quick; that is, with the two notes succeeding each other in these three degrees of _adagio_, _andante_, and, _presto_; and in practice you have great occasion for these different kinds of shakes; for the same shake will not serve with equal propriety for a slow movement as for a quick one; but to acquire both at once with the same trouble, begin with an open string, either the first or second, it will be equally useful; sustain the note in a swell, and begin the shake very slow, increasing in quickness, by insensible degrees, till it becomes rapid, in the manner following:--

But you must not vigorously move immediately from semiquavers to demisemiquavers, as in this example, or from these to the next in degree--that would be doubling the velocity of the shake all at once, which would be a skip, not a graduation; but you can imagine between a semiquaver and a demisemiquaver intermediate degrees of rapidity, quicker than the one, and slower than the other of these characters; you are therefore to increase in velocity by the same degrees in practising the shake, as in loudness when you make a swell. You must attentively and assiduously persevere in the practice of this embellishment, and begin at first with an open string, upon which if you are once able to make a good shake with the first finger, you will with the greater facility acquire one with the second, the third, and the fourth, or little finger, with which you must practise in a particular manner, as more feeble than the rest of its brethren. I shall, at present, propose no other studies to your application: what I have already said is more than sufficient, if your zeal is equal to my wishes for your improvement. I hope you will sincerely inform me whether I have explained myself clearly thus far; that you will accept of my respects, which I likewise beg of you to present to the Prioress, to Signora Teresa, and to Signora Chiara, for all whom I have a sincere regard; and believe me to be with great affection,

"'Your obedient and most humble servant,

"'GIUSEPPE TARTINI.'"

INDEX

A PAGE

Absam, Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Acevo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Adam, as a Violist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Adams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Addison, William . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Aireton, Edmund, good work, Amatese model . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Alard, M., composer and Professor at the Conservatoire . . . . . 395

Albanesi, Sebastiano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Albani . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Albani, Mathias (2); Italian style, good model and workmanship . 259

Albani, Paolo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Albani, Mathias, Stainer form, good varnish . . . . . . . . . . 259

Aldred . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Aldric, copier of Stradivari; dealings with Luigi Tarisio . . . 231

Aletzie, Paolo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Allar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Alvani . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Amati, Andrea, his Violins mostly "Three-quarter"; founder of the School of Cremona; character of his Varnish; his method of cutting; his "Charles IX. Set," in the Chapel Royal, Versailles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78-81

Amati, the Brothers Antonio and Girolamo, character of their work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Amati, Girolamo, son of Niccolo, his instruments described; character of his varnish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Amati, Niccolo, the greatest of his family; special characteristics of his work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84-92

Amelot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Anecdotes and Miscellanea connected with the Violin . . . . . . 410

Apollo and Orpheus, in Fiddle History . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Appleby, Mr. Samuel, letter from, on the Gasparo da Salo Double-Bass of Signor Dragonetti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465

Arabian Origin of the Ribeca, alleged . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Arabians, Inventors of the Monochord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Ariberti, Bartolommeo, Marquis, his letter to Stradivari . . . . 193

Arisi, Desiderio on Stradivari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Artmann, copier of Amati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Asiatic Origin of the Violin, alleged . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Askey, Samuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Aubry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Augiere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Augustus, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, his patronage of Stradivari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

B

Bachelier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Bach, John Sebastian; influence of his great compositions on the development of Violin-playing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404

Bachmann, Carl Ludwig, Court Musician to Frederick the Great; founder of concerts for amateurs at Berlin . . . . . . . . . . 260

Bachmann, O., author of a book on Bow Instruments . . . . . . . 260

Bagatella, Antonio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Bagatella, Pietro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Baillot, Pierre, Violinist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

Baines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Baker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Balestrieri, character of his Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Ballantine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Baltzar, Thomas, Violinist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382

Banks, Benjamin; high character of his work . . . . . . . . . . 294

Banks, Benjamin (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296

Banks, James and Henry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296

Bannister, John, Violinist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383

Barnes, Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Barrett, John, follower of Stainer, good quality . . . . . . . . 297

Barton, George . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Bassiano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Bassot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Bausch, Ludwig C. A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Bausch, L. B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Bausch, Otto B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Bazzini, Antonio, Violinist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392

Beckmann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Bedler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Beethoven, and his works for the Violin . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

Bellosio, Anselmo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Benda, Francis, Violinist and composer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

Bente, Matteo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Bergonzi, Benedetto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Bergonzi, Carlo (1), pupil of Antonio Stradivari; characteristics of his work; comparison with Giuseppe Guarneri and Stradivari; his resplendent varnish; his Violins and Violoncellos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Bergonzi, Carlo (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Bergonzi, Michel Angelo, pattern of his instruments . . . . . . 102

Bergonzi, Niccolo, his work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Bergonzi, Zosimo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Bertolotti (Gaspar da Salo) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Beriot, Charles de, Belgian composer and Violinist . . . . . . . 395

Bernardel, Sebastien Philippe, worked with Lupot; excellent work 231

Bertassi, Ambrogio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Bertrand, Nicolas, Viol-maker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Betts, Edward, copyist of Amati, high finish . . . . . . . . . . 298

Betts, John, pupil of Duke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Betts Stradivari, The, and Mr. Charles Reade's letter thereon . 467

"Betts Strad," The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466

Bimbi, B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Bindernagel, good copyist of Amati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Blagrove, Henry, his "Concerti da Camera" . . . . . . . . . . . 401

Blasius, St., MS. destroyed by fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Boccherini, his Quintettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

Boivin, Claude, Guitar-maker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Bolles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Booth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Booth, William . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Boquay, Jacques; old French School; good character of work . . . 232

Borelli, Andrea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Borlon, Artus, or Arnould . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Borlon, Francois, Viol-maker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Borlon, Joannes, Viol-maker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Borlon (or Porlon), Pierre, Double-Bass maker . . . . . . . . . 233

Boucher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Boullangier, C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Boumeester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Bourdet, Jacques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Bourdet, Sebastien . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Boussu, Eterbeck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Bowed Instruments, Early references to . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Braccia, Viola da, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Brensio, Girolamo (Brensius) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103