The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-04-17
SKILL In VIOLIN-M
A LESSON IN CONSTRUCTION BY A
MASTER OF THE ART.
An Explanation of Observation-Disclosures
Nature of the Iustrument-A Chat ON
woods--A Valuable Piece OF Spruce
Varnish, Strings and Bow.

Fran isco, was recently interviewed by q
reporter Starting at the beginning tie re-
porter asked the first principles OF the lui
ness
well, sir" replied Mr. Josephs, II car
safely say, after forty years of experience
that the first thing l should impress upon
a tyro is that undermining is trade, aud
that violin making is an art, You 0an make
u fiddle by machinery and use steam
chest TO mold it, but violin must be made
by hand, and guarded from moisture as
carefully as though it were pecishable
article. 1t is the most sensitive of all in
struments of sound, and the only perfect
one 1t is superior TO piano or an organ
because they can not be perfectly tun 'd
Neither perfect thirds nor perfect iitthS can
be attained, and if such instruments are
perfectly tuned they must consequently he
out Wind instruments do not enter into
the competition at all, as they can be too
easily blown sharp or fiat by the per
former"
AN EXPLANATION OF PRINCIPLES.
"The walls of building Mr.. Joseph5
went on to say, control its acoustic proper
ties, do they not; Yes; well it is the same
with violin Plans for violin are de
termined 10y the rate OF tie vibration of the
wood to be used the shape and sic of the
air-chamber, and the violins generally are
all dependent on these vibrations. The
wool is put in clamp and tested for its
resonant properties, and if it does not come
up to the mark of course no labor Is wasted
in shaping it, When the pitch of the wood
ir determined, then the cal citations come
in. Even the f. holes in the belly depend on
this test. In the calculations, also NUT en-
ter model of the violin, which is the amount
of concavity and convexity put into the
back and belly. This is the reason that a
mere copyist never makes perfect violin.
OF course if h. We're sure that he had ex-
actly the same material as the old ma ter
that he endeavors to initiate, and that the
wood was of the same resonance, his violin
might be as good as the copy; but these con-
ditions are impossible. Consequently, an
artist never maSes two vioiins exactly
alike. They might lie the same to all casual,
or even close, servers; the expert will see
the difference at a glance"
How do you mold the arches in the back
and bellies"
They are not nodded but cut out with
gouges and tiny planes. The arches run
both ways, from side to side and end to
end, and the work toward the finish is ey-
tremely delicate Each back and each
belly consists of two pieces, glued together
SO neatly as to give the appearan of a
solid slab
In support of his assertion Mr.. Joseph
exhibited several pieces .oined as he S atei,
and so artistically that the junct on was
scarcely discernible, and probably would
not be when the varnish was put on over it.
Everything about the body OF the instru-
ment is fastened with glue, not tack or a
string entering into the composition. Com
menting on the delicate nature of the in
strument, MIR. Josephs said that the pres.
sure produced by the tension of the ST. ings
of modern yiolins amounted to ninety
pounds and the frail shell would not come
anywhere near sustaining such a weight
but for the fact of arch aud the presence
of the Lass bar and the sound-post, which
are concealed from visw in the interior of
the air-chamber.
CHAT ON WOODS, vARNlSH. ETC.
The chat on woods that came next was n
very interesting part of the interview. III
back neck, sides, and scroll of good violin
arc of maple, and the sounding board, or
top. is of spruce There is need of great
amount of expertness in the selection Of
wood, and when n maker secures fine stick
he GUARDS it as he would child or favOrite
jewel
MIR. Josephs was happy in the possession
of piece OF spruce that he had positive in
formation had been cut over eighty five
wears Tie stick was found doing service
as beam in barn, way up in the northern
part of Maine The two woods are selected
for their mutua, resonance, and to develop
this the most perfect conditions are neces-
sary
There are several kinl Is of spruce" went
on the artist, "but only one will do, and
even then the conditions must be exactly so.
The tree must grow in certain latitude
and in a certain soil, and the seasoning is a
matter of the greatest Importance. In
cutting the tree the ak must be laid in the
spring, when all the sap is at the top going
to feed the young shoots at the extreme end
of the trunk The reasons for this are
several, the main ones being that the wood
is left drier and better seasoned, and the
ascension of the sap carries with it all the
impurities in the fibers such as grit, for
instance, leaving the wood at its cleanest
This branch Of the subject was left with the
asser tion by the host that American wood
was the best in the world for violn-making.
The varnish was the next branch of the
subject, and package of brilliant iet gum
was exhibited as the coloring matter for
the finest instruments 1t was genuine
dragons blood, now out Of commerce. and
the little package was all that Mr. Josephs
was able to procure in a years search OF
the shops Of Europe The making of the
famous Cremona varnish does not appear 30
have been a secret, but the knowledge of its
manufacture appears to have been lost for
about a century, and the money that has
been spent in seeking to resurrect it would
make several heavy fortunes.
One common error prevails in regard to
the strings, usually termed "cat-gut' by the
vulgar. In reality they are made from the
entrais of European sheep, and the entrail5
of sheep over six months old can not be
converted into "E" strings The sheep in
this country do not produce good strings,
and only certain parts OF Europe p. oiuce
the very best The bows we're the last sub
iects of Consideration, and Pernambuco
wood was their basis the world over 1t is
the toughest and stiffsst wood of its weight
in the world, and is rather valuable arti-
Gle 1t is a natural dyewool, and requires
no coloring. The fine whit hairs that en-
ter into the composition come from France,
the coarser black ones being fit for nothing
except double bass bows Alta Californian