Violin tone and violin makers

Its dual status--More of a curiosity than a musical instrument--How the curio interest originated--Its pernicious influence--Tarisio and the formation of the Fiddle Cult--Exploi...

How the old violin is judged--Valued without reference to tone--Bought and sold by the same method--Examples--Why the method should be abolished or modified--A guarantee for ton...

Violins frequently made by workmen and “pupils”--Finished and tone-developed by the master--Two entirely distinct arts--Tone the result of ideal--Effect of model on tone--Method...

Position of violin makers after 1750--Difficulty of sustaining supreme ideals--Overshadowing influence of the great violins--The demand for low-priced fiddles--A few tone-builde...

No mystery about construction--Tonal results of mere construction--The tone of a new fiddle likened to raw material--Its refinement and the result--What a satisfactory relations...

The Paris competition of 1912 reported by the _Daily Mail_ correspondent--The more extended report of Mr. D. I. Cardozo and its particular interest--Six old violins compete with...

Two kinds of dealers--The “expert” dealer’s first consideration--His stock-in-trade--Why he does not exploit new violins--His one serious trouble--His view of tone--What he cons...

Ancient copyists--Genuineness of their work--Forgery thrust upon them--The substitution of labels--All the great makers copied--Difficulties of detection--Genuine labels of the...

The authoritative histories of the old makers--Their chief value--Their status as guides to tone--The impressions they convey--The limitations of the authors--Their attitude tow...

The business of the dealer--What he guarantees--His attitude towards tone--The dealer’s guarantee of no tone value to the player--The fiddle warranted but not its tone--Why the...

Most theories held as mere beliefs--Mellowness of tone and age--Reasons why age is not responsible for mellowness--How mellow tone is created--The real effect of age on the inst...

A controversial subject--Effect of varnish on tone--Why it is misunderstood--Why experiments fail--The governing factor--The effect of a fine oil varnish--How the effect of the...

Relationship between player and violin--The inexpert, beginner, amateur, artist, and tone--The player’s relation to tone: an illustration--The gulf between player and fiddle--Ar...

The appeal of technic and the appeal of tone--Importance of tone--The development of tone-sense--Subjects for tone-study--What the student should avoid--The tone of technic--Ton...

The artist of the bow and the artist of the brush: a comparison--The delicate style of playing--Its dangers--The robust style--How the player is handicapped--The difficulties of...

CARRYING POWER: Carrying power distinct from loudness of tone--True toned violin rarely seems loud to the player--How such violins are abused--What players do not always realise...

It would be difficult to present the subject of tone in a manner calculated to inspire both appreciation and confidence without first making an effort to rescue the violin from...

It is the business of those who value old violins to determine the age, maker (if known), country of origin, “school,” genuineness and condition of various parts, and, from the...

In order to distinguish the types of tone which, at various periods, have been looked upon as Standard--that is to say, representing an ideal of perfection, and at all times hav...

There is a “Life” of Stradivari[D] by Messrs. Hill which contains a deal of valuable and reliable information of the utmost importance to those interested in violin tone. It doe...

As we have seen, tone had an auspicious beginning about 1550; suffered a rather lengthy relapse, but began to recover during the latter years of the next century; took a new lea...

Fiddle-making may be either a hobby or a business. Sometimes it is both. It is also more or less of an art, but only the connoisseur is able to explain wherein and why. To the “...

On June 22, 1912, the London _Daily Mail_ published the following from its Paris correspondent: “A contest took place in Paris last night which seems to vindicate the contention...

A frequent contention against the new violin, especially when its high-tone quality is so overwhelmingly apparent as to confound even the unreasonably prejudiced, is the stateme...

While there are numerous experts and dealers of great renown and unquestioned repute, there is no denying the existence of those who would do well to drop the “and” from this ti...

When certain of the more famous old violin makers were still living, when they had achieved through the splendour of their tone and the perfection of their model a wide-spread f...

While the literature of the violin deals with every phase connected with the subject--its history, manufacture, repair, music, old masters, great players, celebrated instruments...

It is the business of the dealer in old violins to seek out, purchase, restore, advertise, and sell old violins; to guarantee the instrument to be made by, or attributed to, a c...

The method of testing tone which I have used for many years, with uniform success, is this: I procure a fine-toned old master violin, a really first-class solo instrument and on...

It has always seemed to me that theories dealing with the effect of age upon the tone of the violin are lacking in conviction, and that most of them are held as mere beliefs, fo...

Among the attributes which constitute the finished violin, varnish holds the premier position as a controversial subject. For more than a century it has provided an unfailing so...

Let us first briefly consider the relationship between the player and the violin. Here we find a condition unlike that existing, to the same degree, in any other combination of...

The ideal tone is that which satisfies the player and also “holds the audience spell-bound.” It is said of a very famous violinist that he one day entered the shop of a celebrat...

To give expression to an ideal tone one must possess a tone ideal. If not a natural gift, it may, under favourable circumstances, be acquired. It is not given to all to apprecia...

The player of the violin is an artist in tone no less than his confrère of the brush is an artist in colour, and each has his methods of conveying the impressions which he desir...

Never have makers of the leading instrument been more numerous. The mystery and romance of that wonderful tone, enclosed within the apparently simple, box-like affair called the...

CARRYING POWER.--Here we have that phase of tone which is most elusive. A violin seemingly loud, full and even brilliant, to the player, may, at a little distance, be thin and w...