The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-21
MODERN Violin MAKING.
~ CAKES, CONTRIBUTES an Ar
TICLE TO music"
setsvs weed and Good workman
ssip Can Produce a. Good Instru-
-rnts o. Were Made by the Ola
uasters-AR, Cakes Theories.

~ 70 Cakes the Seattle vielln maker.
:. sse .urhor CT q most interesting article
!, The December number Of Music, mag
..sns published III Calcago and widely
80 nv not. amateur and professional mu-
ssr.ans. II Is emitted "Aneisnt and Mod
~rn Violin Making" Mr. Cakes attacks
40, yigor fortified BY strong arguments
the ,,,sosie. ~ 10 the construction OF sio-
s.ns tnat have been cherished ny perform
- nakers and the general pucile for gen.
~rasiorA He aol6s that there 10 no los.
Al. about violin making. and that II mod
arr makers use care and perfect the meth
a. employed IN carving out and putting
sov.fser their v!oiiBa they Will do as Wei
= the matters OF Cremona-
Another theory for which Mr.. Cakes goes
cunning IS that held b. many, that II Is
sns,ossiole for a violin made La this day TO
IL az good as those turned out By the Gre
mana slaakeEA IL MS Introductory. Mr..
Cakes says:
~ may not succeed in convincing any
cne thai the position / have taken Is a
eass one or even to create a doubt OF the
soIndnesz Of the old theories. Lifelong
opinions are not often changed by an ex-
pressed doubt. IL rather requires The most
etub5orn facts, long and persis,enfiy held
forth. 10 effect change even In small
matter Then how little can hope 70 work
4 revolution in opinions that have been
% set my readers thinking.
sNo DOUBT many will rush Into print.
announcing me for having dared to ques-
s en the 3, cid aksrs ah sa MAKE
but little distinction between the old and
ths new, but wha. | do make Will not be
% much TO the credit of the new. az OF the
Old. for the opportunities OF the new have
hem Infinitely greater than those of the
I'D and they have not improved those OPP
porsaatIss az they might. had they been
mora self-reliant instead OF trying 20 fol-
low the well onliserated footprints OF
ths old makers who themselves had not
fsily solved the seeming mysteries that
surrounded the making of victims, There
IS no one who honors the old makers more
team I. When We consider what they &C.
compiished they are entitled to our most
profound respect. They first conceived the
ysoiir. fashioned It's form and perfected tts
proportions, so far az 10 make II possible
10 be Justly called the king OF all instru-
nents"
Regarding the ''oid wood craze" as be
terms It, Mr. Cakes says the idea that an
Gent wood was necessary for the making
OF ! good violin Ia OF essentially modern
origin, and that X IL not justified by COM
mon eens. or scientific analysis. In using
the models OF the old masters. and finding
themselves incapable of equaling them.
sama OF the modern makers had come 10
Ina conclusion that old wood was the sine
Qua non OF success.
They swarmed over Italy like the To-
Gusts over Egypt OF old. They haunted old
churches Inspected old houses, bought and
tore them down; others went snnff!ng
through Old monasteries, and bought all
sAe beams the monks would let them have.
md when enough was secured TO last
fcaple Of hundred years they coutentedly
pei themselves down 10 work out their
icnged-fcr success and immoFtaiIze their
names. But they did not immortallze TO
anr great extent. their success was no
greater than before. They would now and
laen produce a fine instrument, rs they
had done before. bat they adhered 10 the
old wood with a tenacity that was worthy
o. better cause. II is but recently that
few observing minds have begun TO losa
confidence In the old wood craze. and yet
doubt If they can give any well defined rea-
Don for believing In new wood. II those
who nrst advanced the theory of old wood
hal stopped to reason in the matter. they
would have seen at once that the CremunA
makers could not have used wood OF any
considerable age, for many years must
have passed before they finally settled on
what they considered The best. Now, II
enough had been cut at this period to have
Assed Ia the close Of the Cremona era Il
would not have been nearly 90 old as we
and recommended today"
The writer then takes IN the theory that
ne Old makers used chemicals, and dis
misses that as being unworthy OF argu-
meht, and ends dissertation on the meth
Gas Ok testing the wood by declaring that
ne his achieved most gratifying success
uH1 the native woods. sucf, as had never
essa before thought adapted To violin max
Mr.. Cakes parting Recommendation
Msloiih makers Is to strive for perfection
usseir work and depend LEES on the quail
~ Oh The wood to correct mistakes