The Red Cloud chief., 1884-01-11
Fsrt.nes In Oh Wed.

WOOd there were worth ut least d, 1000"
said the owner Of . quaint old store in
the BOwery, q he pointed to q heap Of
round, nat and Odd-shxped splinters
lying On his work bench.
IL certainly shouldn't have thought
they were worth anything. Are they
lined with diamonds and have they
been smugyled through the Custom
House?"
"No. no! That Is q Strndivarius vio-
lin, and one Of the finest in the coun-
'.But It is all broken to pieces"
mot at all. The owner kept Il in q
damp place and the glue got soft. l
had to take it oil to pieces. Why, that
fiddle has probably been taken apart at
Ses<t twenty times since 1t was made, in
lilo. That would make It lis years
old. wouldn't it," And yet il is as
. nnd as it was on the day e was fin
i>hed. Not . crack anywhere, and
where the varnish has been worn of by
friction against the clothes of the
player, the grain Of the wood looks
bandsomost. SEQ here, isn't that q
picture, that back! Mark how the light
flashes in and out Of that notified grain
o | gently move it."
"But doesn't It hurt the instrument
70 take It apart so Often?"
mot . bit If the work Is done by Q
skillful hani. Look at me now" He
took up another violin and inserted Q
sharp knife between the edge of the
front and the sides. In 0 few seconds
the knife had made . complete circuit,
and the front was lifted gently of.
at sounded "a II I was cutting the
wood. but I was only scratching the
giue." he continued. Il 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 a new bar in ; that 10 this mar
row strip glued to the under side of tho
belly and extended the whole length
just on the left of where the bridge
stands. The bar gives strength to resist
the pressure Of the strings. and upon
its size and shape depends the quality
Of the lower notes. On tho opposite
side Of the bridge Is . little post about
~ thick rs q ~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
thTty-secondth part of an inch will
make q material difference, and, a.
every violin has IN 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 b Q violin made Of ?"
"All bellies are made Of soft pine.
because that wood has the straightest
srain and Is the most EASILY set in vibra-
ton. The backs, nscks, and sides are
OF cycamOre or maple. Look ut 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. Arti6cislly grained wood-that
IS. slabs built up Of strips glued to-
Gether has been tried. but did not
work WE'LL"
I'm what docs the superiority Of an
old violin consist ?"
MAINLY in tone, though the varDish
OF the great makers cannot 30 exactly
imitatel. The manufacture of it il q
Secret, as much 20 As some of the lost
arts. 1t was not . spirit but an oil var.
nish. and It shows 10 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 nm.
satisfactory. The varnish not only
serves to protect the wood, but checks
the escaped vibrations and drives them
back where they communicate with the
air enclosed in the violin. The cir "a.
eapes through these two slips in the
belly: called hoiesL"
What causes the superiority Of
toner"
If I could tell you that. I shouldn't
be repairing fiddles for . few dollars.
I should be making them and selling
them for thousands of dollars apiece. |
Some say II Il age alone that makes the
beauty. but we have got very old wood
TO make modern iddlas of. and yet they
remain inferior. We have mathematic. |
ally gagged the form of the great VIC
Inns. and have made exact reproductions,
yet they haven't the tone. Some Der.
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 tho Strsdivarii Q
hundred and fifty years from now. We
can't very we'll contradict them. but the
player who wants an instrument for
present use can't very we'll afford TO
wait 30 long. No doubt very good vio-
Inns are made to-day. and excellent
prices are obtained for than, but they
haven't the tone of the old ones. WHY.
. really fine Judge will tell from hear.
ing . fiddle who the maker VA, that Is, |
II he was n Of the three or four great
artists, and a. for the look. . violin to q
cOnnoisseur is like . picture: he will 70
member each peculiar curve. and the
pattern OF the grain win be forever In
his memorp."
''How old Il the oldest violin you
have seen!"
..Here il ono by Gaspar df Salo dated