Arizona republican., 1899-05-05
vIoL1Ns FROM NATIVE WOODS.
A Seattle Mans Instruments Praised
 by Ysaye and Musin.

The professor gently rubbed the
 shining back of the violin with a fat,
 puCgy hand, and then, tucking it be
 meath his chin, drew forth dozen brilliant and sonorous arpeggios.
 Its tone reminds me of the Guar
 neriUs del Gesu," hes aid, refiectively. 'Of course you have used Italian wood
 as a model from which to work?'
 "The top is Washington spruce, the
 back is Of native maple, said the
 maker. And as for the model, it's
 my tciwn.'
 The professors face indicated both
 wonder and increduIity. The scene
 was in the dusty, quaint and curious
 workshop of Oakes, the violin builder
 Of Madison street His friends call him
 the stradivaIius Of Washington.
 From 9 tall, cushioned glass case
 the professor toCk one after another
 of ten richly colored and beautifully formed instruments, in a fruitless en- deavor to convince himself which Of them he liked most. Then giving it mp, he entered into an argument with the veteran violin maker on the mer- it's of the Crem-na violins as compared with those of modern make.
 Oakes claims that it is not the age Of the wood CT the mysterious, half supernatural power attributed to St-adivarius, Di tSalo, Maggini and Guarnerius. shat made the Cremona vio.ins instruments capable of sur passing melcdy and wonderful power; in other words, he asserts, that violin of today. properly constructed and scientifically put together, can be made the equal of the best work that came from the shops of the CremOEa masters.
 q may not succeed ir convincing any enc that the position l have taken is a gccd one" said the violin maker, as he patiently chipped out the back of a violin from thick piece of beau tifully figured map.e. ''Lifel0ng opin- ions are not given up in moment. All can hope to dc, is to set people to thinking. 1 claim that Washington spruce and maple have qualities from which the finest tones can be obtained, when the wood is properly selected and put together
 Nearly forty years sso, when little more than 9 lad in 2 village in eastern Canada. Oakes first began the study of cf violin building Gradually he mas tered the technical part of the work. < knowledge of wood and of it's selec- i ton to achieve certain effects in tone l construction was acquired only after | years of patientl abOr. A quarter Of i 3 century ago he began working on | his present theory. Since then the ! fame Of the Oakes violin has travelled, l and now, when the best part of his life . is bound up in the row of Violins hung in his eases, Oakes is beginning to | have the satisfaction of seeing his cherished theories actually proven by ! some of the most widelyk nown artists md ccnnCisseurs of the cast.
 It is the Knowledge of uniting the essential points of the violin in per ,ect harmony. one with the other, that enables a maker to form the perfect he said. For instance, might take the top of one magnificent instrument and place ft upon the back # another equally as good. The re- suit would be a b2tch. There is no guess work about it. If Stradivarius made one fiddle Of immense power and sweetness, then he ought to have | 1nown how to make another just like t. That's my theory in a nutshell. And as fer Italian wood and all that, give nc Washington maple, seasoned, 3ut not old-fcr I want the best life here is in the wood from which to get he best tones"
 Praise from Ysaye, prince of violin sts; from the magnificent Ondricek; rom the accomplished Muslin, and 7, ,ther artists Of equal note, has been on the creations of the Mad , son street maker. But the idea that rom Washington weed can be made ! n instrument equal to the best of the 5remora viQlins is not willingly ac- ( epced in the musical world.-Seattle /
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