The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1918-01-11
A vARN|SH PUZZLE
The Lost Secret of the Old Time
Makers of VioIinS.
IT MAY NEVER BE DISCLOSED.

This Amazing Mystery, That Defies the
Modern Experts, Is the One Thing
That Keeps Them From Surprising
the Work of the Ancient Masters.
There must be thousands who won
der why modern manufacturers cannot
reproduce the valuable old violins we
read so much about, says the Musical
Courier. When Ysaye recently inspect
ed the wonderful collection of violins
/ owned by Rudolph Wurlitzer and play
ed on a Ruggiero, a Stradivarius, a
Guarnerius, an Amati, and so on, some
of our readers may have asked why
American makers do not copy those
old masters. We reply that every de-
tail OF the great Italian makers has
been studied for more than 100 years.
We have discovered every secret of
the old masters except the recipe for
their varnish. That is the mystery
Surely" claim some of our readers,
this is a secondary consideration. If
you have good wood well put together
you must have a good violin, no mat
ter what the varnish isv We shall
see. Hills of London, the we'll known
violin experts and makers, in the book
Antonio Stradivari-His Life and
Works." say:
Though the wood and also construc-
ton and dimensions be perfect, the re-
suit will be astonishingly bad If the
instrument be badly vanished. Hence
We are disposed to classify the rela-
tive Importance Of material, dimen-
sions and constructions and varnish as
follows: First, varnish; second, con-
struction and dimensions; third, mate
rial"
So here we have an acknowledged
authority stating that the most impor-
tant factor in the tone of a good violin
Is the varnish. And does the quality
or the lost varnish mean that the old
makers were men of genius? Not a
bit Of It, Apparently they were just
good wOrkmen whose product could be
equaled today in any civilized country
II the varnish could be discovered.
That this secret should be lost is one
of the amazing facts of history. 1t is
uncomfortable to us that 200 years
hence no one will be able to supply the
shellac varnish that can be found in
any painters supply shop today. And |
yet this Is what has happened to the
varnish used by the Cremona makers. |
1t has simply been forgotten; that is |
years ago. We find chairs. tables, cab
lnets and bedsteads of the period COW
cred with the golden. tustrous varnish
Of Amai and Stradivari.
The old violin makers used 1t because
It was cheap and easy to procure 1t
began to go out of general use in the
sixteenth century because it was found
to be too soft for the wear and tear of
1t was still used by the VIC
In makers, however. none Of whom
seems to have left the recipe. Perhaps
hey did not know It, The average
'abinetmaker today need not know
low to make the varnish he buys by
he gallon. Thus the varnish which
vas used by the whole Italian nation
or two centuries is now an unknown
mixture of mysteries.
Whence came the gums and oils OF
he old Italian vanish? We have rea-
on for believing that they We're not
Indigenous to the Italian soil. We
now that much of the maple used by
he violin makers of the day came
rom Turkey. Stradavnri often used
he straight grained maple of the Ital-
an Alps for his cheaper instruments.
'or his wealthy patrons he used n
eautiful curly maple that came from
turkey. Why from Turkey? The rea.
nm iS ohviouc Vapioo ond I,ovoo Ioi5 |