IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO 'STRINGS' OF VIOLINS AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS PLAYED WITH A Bow
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Holliday, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, for
an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO 'STRINGS' OF VIOLINS
AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS PLAYED WITH A Bow."
from abroad by Vincent Campiglia, of Naples.
Partly a communication
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Holliday at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th October 1880.
ROBERT HOLLIDAY, of Crewe, in the County of Chester. “IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND RELATING TO 'STRINGS' OF VIOLINS AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS PLAYED WITH
A Bow." Partly a communication from abroad by Vincent Campiglia, of Naples.
In violins as ordinarily constructed the strings are made of catgut and other
organic materials, which are greatly affected by the weather and changes of
temperature to the great annoyance of, the performers, who have generally to tune
each string afresh before performing.
Now my Invention is designed to mitigate or remove this evil, and consists in
forming these strings of steel wire. This wire is of special size and tempering, each
wire in the four in a violin being of different diameter and slightly different
tempering. I do not however bind myself solely to steel as other metals may be
used as strings, or a combination of, say, the E string of steel wire and the other
three of ordinary materials may be used.
For a long time I found great difficulty in adapting these wire strings to the
violins, as all ordinary loops slackened or interfered with the tuning in some way.
At last I hit upon the following mode of fastening on the wire:-I form a loop by
keeping the long length of the wire perfectly straight and wrapping the shorter
portion round it. By this means the string is straight and tight between the tail
piece and the peg, and will not give.
The advantages of my strings over the ordinary ones are, first, greater durability;
second, greater uniformity of tone; third, greater ease or pleasantness to the touch.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Robert Holliday in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th April
1881.
ROBERT HOLLIDAY, of Crewe, in the County of Chester. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND RELATING TO 'STRINGS' OF VIOLINS AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS PLAYED WITH
A Bow." Partly a communication from abroad by Vincent Campiglia, of Naples.
In violins as ordinarily constructed the strings are made of catgut and other
organic materials, which are greatly affected by the weather and changes of
temperature to the great annoyance of the performers, who have generally to tune
each string afresh before performing.
Now my Invention is designed to mitigate or remove this evil, and consists in
forming these strings of steel wire. This wire is of special size and tempering, each
wire in the four in a violin being of different diameter and slightly different
tempering. Thus, for E or first violin strings, it is of No. 2 steel wire,
tempered as for springs, that is, moderately hard. I do not however bind myself
solely to steel as other metals may be used as strings, or a combination of, say, the
E string of steel wire and the other three of ordinary materials may be used, and
this I prefer in practice.
For a long time I found great difficulty in adapting these wire strings to the
violins as all ordinary loops slackened or interfered with the tuning in some way.
At last I hit upon the following mode of fastening on the wire:-I form a loop by
keeping the long length of the wire perfectly straight and wrapping the shorter
portion round it. By this means the string is straight and tight between the tail
piece and the peg, and will not give.
As there is considerable difficulty in winding the wire round the stretched
string, especially so as to give a gradually decreasing spiral towards the end furthest
from the hook, I have designed a machine for doing it, set forth in the accompanying
design, in which A is the string; D, hook; B, clip tightened with screw C so as to
give considerable frictional resistance to the passage of the string through it;
E, wheel carrying arm K and revolving on F; F, spindle or shaft; G, upright;
H, nuts; I, circular upright for holding wire while being twisted; K, arm; M, base.
The machine is preferably entirely made of iron with the exception of upright I,
which may be of metal or wood.
The advantages of my strings over the ordinary ones are, first, greater durability;
second, greater uniformity of tone; third, greater ease or pleasantness to the touch.
Having now described my Invention, and the best mode known to me of carrying
it into effect, I wish it to be understood that what I believe to be new and desire
to protect by Letters Patent is,―
First. The metallic strings for violins and other instruments played with a bow,
constructed substantially as described.
Second. The mode of attaching metallic strings to violins and other instruments
played with a bow, consisting in stretching the main string tight and twisting the
end round it in a spiral, preferably gradually decreasing in pitch to the end.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Holliday, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
JONATHAN HOLLIDAY.
ROBERT HOLLIDAY. (L.S.)