Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-08-10

that form had a great deal to do will
, it. / found that the simple insertion
of a sounding board between the bell
and back OF violin would increas
the volume OF tone, but at the sacri
flee OF its sweetness and purity. Thi
would never do. | worked for fiv,
years experimenting with differen
forms of sounding boards before l be
gan to get some of the results sought
| found that one form would all,
greatly to the power, purity ant
resonance OF the Z and A strings
while the q and d strings were rem
dered fiat and screechy. l lost many
nights sleep trying to figure out how
to get the best of that obstinate piec,
of catgut. 1t is needless to 60 into
particulars further. ! subdued thai
refractory G string at last, and now
listen to this"
Taking up one of several violins
which, from their freedom from spot
or blemish, showed plainly that they
had but recently been under the touch
of the varnish brush, Mr.. Brady
screwed the keys one way or another
until the instrument was in tune.
Then, picking up bow, he drew it
with a sweep OF his arm across the
strings. The result was magical. 1,
was as il the very air in the little shop
quivered in response to the volume ol
a sound which issued from the violin.
Mr.. Brady is no mean performer
and his years of experience have
taught him a series OF exercises which
best serve to test the capabilities OF
the instrument.
For five minutes he drew from the
violin such sounds as could only have
proceeded from very superior instru-
ment. BY striking the E string with
the finger a sound was produced which
carried like the sound OF bell and
died away with the same reverbatory
undulations.
Mr.. Brady laid it down almost re-
luctantly as he said:
"If you should tell hundred musi-
clans that that fiddle was one of a
dozen which cost me less that $l2 for
the lot, not one of them but would
laugh in your face. But its the
truth. Strung up and vanished, that
grade of fiddle sells in the shops for
about $3.50. and that is too much for
some Of them.
Experience has taught me just
where to fix the sounding board so
that the sound waves as they play
back and forth between the belly and
back Of the violin are caught up by it
and magnified and strengthened. The
acoustic properties OF the instrument
are augmented, and the bell metal i'm.
parts softness as we'll as an added
strength to the tone.
"I am we'll aware of the prejudice
which has long existed against the
use of metal in the construction of
violins.
"Those who profess to be posted
will hold up their hands in holy horror
at the idea of metal touching the in.
strument. I shared the prejudice for
many years until I found that as the
violin itself owed its tone value to its
peculiar form. so metal plate, if Of
the proper form, was the only mater
ial which would give the much de-
sired singing quality Of Tone"
Mr.. Brady then played his old Gre
mona, and it was impossible to dis.
tinguish between the two instruments
in the matter of power and purity Of
tone. I went the next day with the
old gentleman to dealer in Maiden
Lane. where a $500 Amati was for sale.
We took along the 81 fiddle and
smuggled it into the shop. The dealer
took the Amati, which was we'll pre-.
served specimen of the great makers
skill, from its envelope of soft silken
wrappinge and laid it tenderly upon
the counter. I asked the professor"
to test the instrument.
He did so and drew from 1t its very
heart.
Then, picking up the 50 fiddle, Mr..
Brady played the same exercises which
he had used to test the capabilities Of
the Amati. The dealer listened with
open mouthed astonishment until the
/" professor" had finished. Then he
asked to see the fiddle which had not
only equalled but in some respects
surpassed the valuable Amati, not
only in power and resonance, but in
sweetness and purity OF tone as we'll.
He asked to examine the instru.
ment, and his astonishment was in.
creased ten-fold when he found that it
belonged to the genus fiddle. Not
even the purfling on the back was
real, but was merely streak of dark
paint in imitation of the inlaid wood
which is vouchsafed to the most ordi
nary make of cheap violins.
Through the sound holes he caught
the silver CLINT of the sounding board,
but before he could examine it further
the "professor" gently took it from
him and replaced it in its case.
We left the dealer with the dazed,
wondering look still upon his face.
MIR. Brady has in his possession
something which he prizes next to his
wonderful discovery. 1t is an auto.
graph letter from Ole Bull, written af-
ter he had been persuaded to examine
one of Mr.. Brady's earlier attempts at
improving fiddles. Even then his ef-
forts were bearing fruit, as was proved
by the great Norwegian violinist testi-
Tying that the discovery was remark.