Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-03-17
VIOLIN vs.. FIDDLE.
HOW THE BOW BECOMES MAGIC
WAND OF MELODY.

OF harmony, was illustrated IN our
community in days OF "Auld Lang
Syne," when young man who had
attained considerable skill in the rem
dition of the Arkansaw Traveller
"The Devils Dream" and THE Fish.
er's Hornpipe," on his fiddle, and who
played solely "by ear" changed his
residence to San Francisco, and on his
return a few years afterward, came
among his former associates with his
whole personality attuned to differ.
ent score. His fiddle had become a
violin, he no longer played but per.
formed, his performance was no longer
a tune but a recital and his efforts no
longer a "speil," but a selection or
number. Nothing Jared more on his
newly acquired aesthetic nature than
to talk of fiddle or fiddling, and nc
request was met with a more complete
manifestation of hauteur than to
"play piece"
The reason for this reorganization ol
the sensitive system, may be inferred
from the following experience of An
tonic Gallant, a noted maker OF VIC.
lions, who intimates rather than ex.
plains how the life and soul OF the
skilled artist is worked into his crea-
tion. Mr.. G. was lately the subject oi
an interview from that ubiquitous in
dividual, the press reporter, at Cor
nellsville, N. Y, where he spends his
life in creating the prince of musical
instruments.
"This one cost ninety nine cents.
It was cut out with an ak and is fid.
die, but this one is worth $500, it was
cut out by hand and it took six
months. That is a VIOLIN" This was
the reply given by Antonio Gallant,
when asked the difference between q
fiddle and violin.
Mr.. Gallant is a recognized author
ity on this subject, for he is a past
master of the violin, both as a per.
former and a maker. He spent years
of his early life in Italy learning to
play the violin, and later, when in
South America, he learned the art of
making a perfect instrument.
Few persons think, when hearing All
orchestra. that the violin, which takes
the lead, is the greatest of all instru.
ments. Few, indeed, know that the
sensitiveness OF a nervous woman is a
coarse and vulgar thing, when COM
pared with this wonderful instrument.
Antonio Gallant can talk for hours
on the wonders OF the violin, and
nothing 'pleases him better than to
discourse on the merits of various in
s.ruments hanging about the walls Of
his little shop in Broad street.
The largest part of Mr.. Gallanti's
time is spent in his professional duties
as q piano tuner, and this he considers
only the coarsest of work. 1t is when
he is working patiently for hours on
one piece of wood which is 10 become
Q part of his violins that he feels really
at home and likes to talk to his init
mate friends about his. work.
His little shop in the rear of music
store is a peculiar place in many ways.
Here it is that the artist who has only
few crude tools, little gas stove
over which he keeps melted his pot ol
glue, takes rough pieces of maple OF
spruce wood, just as they are sawed
out at the mill, and by his careful
workmanship fashions out of them q
magnificent violin, rich and deep in
tone, its glossy back polished almost
to the brilliancy OF mirror, and from
which he loves to sit and play by the
hour the most difficult exercises OF the
selections from the greatest masters
which fit through his memory.
No one realizes better than he that
the thickness Of hair in the wood ol
which a violin is made causes all the
difference in the world in the sounding
qualities of the instrument. It's pecu'
liar shape is also the subject of deep
thought and violins have different
styles and models as much as ladies
gowns, although the styles remain the
same year after year and century after
century.
Few indeed. know the significance
of the two openings on the top Of q
violin shaped something like . script
letter as" considerably condensed
This, according to Mr.. Gallant, comes
from the two Latin words studio sem,
per, or study always.
The quality of the wood is also q
matter OF considerable importance Ia
violin makers. Some people think
the older the wood the better it is, but
this is not strictly true, as the best
violin is generally made OF wood that
has been cut from the green tree
about ten years. Occasionally some