Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-06-20
Ioston's Girl Fiddlers.

a stranger in Boston who happened
10 be In the street when the girls are
gong to or returning from school can
not fall to notice that many of the pu-
pills carry violin cases. This is so com
mon spectacle that no notice is taken
OF 1t by the inhabitants. Not infre-
quently young woman balances her
violin case with large box of painting
materials, and it is currently reported
that so fashionable have painting and
violin playing become that more peo.
pie carry the tools than are even in the
smallest way acquainted with their use.
A well-know violinist said: THE fa t
you have noticed, that the girls hero
have. in many instances. taken to vio-
lin playing, has been of great benefit to
professional fiddlers. A good violinist
can now lind here all the teaching he
wants The taste for violin PLAYING
among ladies' began to be noticeable
here about five years ago, and now. it
has been calculated there are from four
bundled to five hundred Young ladies
studying. beside many who have be-
come sufficiently advanced to pursue
their practice alone.
1.-The violin is an instrument partic-
ularly well adapted for ladies. 1t does
not require any great physical Strength.
and the proper handl ng of instrument
ana DOW admit OF the display of the ut
most grace. Violin-playing does not
nave tendency to narrow the chest
and round the body as too constant sit
ting at the piano often does. The violin
Is portable, and, with a mute on,
can be practiced in school or bed
room without annoying the household.
Of course the diff :ulties of the instru-
ment are great, but find, as a rule, the
feminine ear is more acute and accurate
than the male. AS the great difficulty
of the violin is to step the notes in tune,
the value of good ear is inestimable.
There are many young girls in Boston
who are really excellent players. and in
several instances there are families
where the daughters can supply COM
plete quartette, viz, first and second
violins, viola and violoncello. The last
named instruments is less adapted to Ia
dies. because it should properly be held
by the grip of the lower limbs. but the
placing of long peg on which the in
strument rests has almost overcome the
difficulty.
my pupils take the greatest possible
interest in their instruments. They read
up on the subject of violin-makipS. and
can talk learnedly with a professor
about scrolls, single aud double purfling.
sound-posts, bars and varnishes. They
have the dates of the greatmakers firm
ly fixed in their minds, and will argue
warmly about the respective merits of
the Cremona artists.
don't know what started the
fashion in Boston, but probably the adj
vent OF some lady violinist or the read
ing about the great triumphs of Mime.
Norman-Neruda in Loadou. Az any
rate, the fashion. though on the whole
steadily increasing, grows spasmodi-
cally. and the recent playing of a con-
certo by Nine. Sembrich at the Abbey
benefit has brought me several new
pupils.
:" A girl should begin to learn when
about ten years old. but not unless She
has strong liking for music, a good
ear and decided perseverance. The
nrst stages of learning are extremely
areary, and nothing can make them en-
durable but = strong ambition. Bad
violin playing is, think, the worst
torture i know, and 1 will not keen
pupil who does not show application
aud intelligence I should think nv
self ht for Jail II turned loose upon
society any large number of bad pisy-
srs. 1t requires from two to three
years OF honest work before a pupil
can play simple piece sufficiently well
20 please even partial listeners. To be
great violiDist is. az Dogberry says,
the gift Of nature Some men of in
sclligenee. industry, and who devotedly
IoVe their instrument win practice for