The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-09-07
Fertunes in Old Wood.

"1Ou Woulunt MINK those DTS OF
wood there were worth at least %, Co.,"
said the owner of quaint old store in
the Bowery, as he pointed to heap of
round. fiat and odd-shaped splinters
lying on his work bench.
81 certainly shouldn't have thought
they were worth anything. Are they
lined with diamonds and have they
been Struggled through the Custom
House?"
"No, no! That is Stradivarius vio-
lin, and one of the finest in the coun-
try"
"But it is all broken to pieces"
"Not at all. The owner kept it in a
damp place and the glue got soft. L
had to take it all to pieces. Why, that
fiddle has probably been taken apart at
least twenty times since it was made, in
l710. That would make it 173 years
bid, wouldn't it?" And yet it is as
sound as ii was on the day it was fin
lshed. Not crack anywhere, and
where the varnish has been worn off by
friction against the clothes of the
player, the grain of the wood looks
handsomest. See here, isn't that a
picture. that back? Mark how the light
flashes in and out of that notified grain
as l gently move il"
''But doesn't it hurt the instrument
to take it apart so often?'
mot bit if the work is done by a
skillful hand. Look at me now" He
took up another violin and inserted a
sharp knife between the edge of the
front and the sides. In few seconds
the knife had made complete circuit,
and the front was lifted gently off
at sounded as if l was cutting the
wood, but L was only scratching the
glue" he continued. 81 have taken of
this front or belly as it is technically
called, and now you can see the inside.
There is nothing in it but the exquisite
finish of the workmanship. lam going
to put new bar in that is this mar
row strip glued to the under side of the
belly and extended the whole length
Just on the left of where the bridge
stands. The bargives strength to resist
the pressure of the strings, and upon
its size and shape depends the quality
Of the lower notes. On the opposite
side of the bridge is little post about
as thick as penholder. This is not
glued, but is supported by the pressure
Of the belly and back. Upon its exact
adjustment depends the tone of the
higher notes. A movement of the
thirty-secondth part of an inch VIII
make material difference, and, a.
every violin has an individuality of
construction, the best place for the put
ting of this sound post varies, and can
only be found by long and careful ex-
pertinent. Some great violinists will
even want the post moved so as to suit
the acoustic properties of different con-
cert halls"
"What is violin made of ?''
"All bellies are made of soft pine,
because that wood has the straigh.est
grain and is the most easily set in vibra-
ton. The backs, necks, and sides are
of sycamore or maple. Look at the
beauty of the grain of this belly The
lines couldn't be straighter if they had
been ruled by machinery. Irregular
grain spoils the rhythm of vibration.
See how the grain gets closer toward
the center; that is to allow for the vi
bration, which is quickest Immediately
under the strings. The belly is in two
pieces, so arranged that from each edge
the grain gets narrower toward the
center. Artificially grained wood-that
is, slabs built up of strips glued to-
gether-has been tried, but did not
work well.n
.In what does the superiority of an
old violin consist ?''
ssM,iply in tono tbonrb tho vorpioh
of the great makers cannot be exactly
initiated. The manufacture of it is a
secret, as much so as some of the lost
arts. 1t was not a spirit but an oil var
nish, and it shows no signs of perishing
or losing brilliancy. Some makers have
thought that amber was the principal
ingredient, but all. attempts to dissolve
that substance have been practically I'M
satisfactory. The varnish not only
serves to protect the wood, but checks
the escape of vibrations and drives them
back where they communicate with the
air enclosed in the violin. The air es-
capes through these two slips in the
belly, called f holes"
'.What causes the superiority of
tone?"
IF 1 could tell you that, shouldn't
be repairing fiddles for few dollars.
[ should be making them and selling
them for thousands of dollars apiece.
Some say it is age alone that makes the
beauty, but we have got very old wood
to make modern fiddles of, and yet they
remain inferior. We have mathematic-
ally gagged the form of the great vio-
Inns, and have made exact reproductions,
get they haven't the tone. Some per-
sons assert that the old varnish had pc
culiar qualities which affected the sound.
Other makers claim that their violins
will be Just as good as the Stradivarii
hundred and fifty years from now. We
can't very well contradict them, but the
player who wants an instrument for
present use can't very well afford to
wait so long. No doubt very good vio-
Inns are made to-day, and excellent
prices are obtained for them, but they
haven't the tone of the old ones. Why,
4 really fine Judge will tell from hear
ing fiddle who the maker was, that is,
if he was one of the three or four great
artists, and as for the look, violin to a
connoisseur is like picture; hewill re-
member each peculiar curve, and the
pattern of the grain will be forever in
his memory"
"How old is the Oldest violin you
have seen?''
"Here is one by Gaspar di Salo dated
1911, and he had then been making
them some years. To him is due the
credit of perfecting the present violin.
Prior to his invention there were only
lutes and viols, both comparatively
clumsy in form and poor in tone. You
will see, if you notice closely, that this
violin is little larger and tlatter than
the model of the best of Stradivarius'