The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-09-08
Fortunes In Old WOOn.


the Bowery, as he pointed to a heap o
round, flat and odd-shaped splinter
lying on his work bench.
81 certainly shouldn't have though
they were worth anything. Are they
been Struggled through the Custom
BOuse?'
<'No, no! That is a Stradivarius vic.
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. /
had TO take it all to pieces. Why, that
fiddle has probably been taken apart at
least twenty times since it was made, in
I7l0, That would make it 173 years
old, wouldn't it?" And vet it is as
sound as it was on the day it was fin
ished. 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
bandsomest. See here, isn't that
picture, that backP Mark how the light
flashes in and out of that notified grain
as | gently move it."
''But doesn't it hurt the instrument
TO take it apart so Often?"
''Not a bit if the work is done bv q
skillful hand. Look at me now" He
took up another violin and inserted
sharp knife between the edge of the
front and the sides. In q 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 | 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 pcnholder. 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
thIriy-secondth part of an inch will
make material difference, and, as
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 nine
because that wood has the straiobtest
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 gram gets narrower toward the |
center. Artifcially grained wood-that |
Is, slabs built up of strips glued to-
gether-has been tried, but did not
work we'll"
.'ln what does the superiority of an
old violin consist ?'
"Mainly in tone, though the varnish
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 spirit but an oil var
nlsh, and it shows no signs of perishino
or losing brilliancy. Some makers have
thought that amber was the principal
ingredient, but all attempts to dissolve
.thatsubstance have been practically un-
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
''If could tell you that. | shouldn't
be repairing fiddles for few dollars.
4 should be making them and selling
them for thousands of dollars apiece.
Some say it is age alone that makes the
oeauty, Dut we have got very old wood
TO make modern fiddles of, and vet they
remain inferior. We have mathematic-
ally gagged the form of the great vio-
Inns, and have made exact reproductions,
YET they haven't the tone. Some per
sons assert that the old varnsh had pc
GUITAR qualities which affected the sound.
"Jther makers claim that their violins
will be just as good as the Stradivarii a
hundred and fifty years from now. We
can 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-
Ems are made to-day, and excellent
prices are obtained for them, but they
haven the tone of the old ones. WHY.
a really fine judge will tell from hear
ing a fiddle who the maker was, that is.
IL he was one of the three or four great
artists, and as for the look, violin TO a
c0nnoisseur is like picture; he will re-
member each peculiar curve. and the
pattern of the grain will be forever in
his memory"
-,How old is the Oldest violin YOU
nave SEEM"
Here is one by Gaspar di Salo dated
i57l, and he had then been making
shem some years To him is due the