Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/384

 364 VIOLIN style of the various schools of violin making, the other traits being the outline and the form of the scroll. In a well designed, well made instrument, all these lines are harmonious, and make the instrument as a whole a very beauti- ful work of art. A very important adjunct to the exterior of the violin is the varnish, which in good instruments is of exquisite fineness and color. Varnish is also a very marked trait of school and style in violin making. The tension of the strings is supported not only by the arch- ing of the belly and the back, but by the bass bar and the sound post. The former is a thin piece of wood glued lengthwise to the belly and stretching nearly from one end of the instru- ment to the other, under and in the direction of the bass or lowest string. It is vertically much deeper through the middle than at either end, where in fact it tapers away until it seems to vanish into the belly. The sound post is a small cylindrical piece of wood, about an eighth of an inch in diameter, which stands firmly pressed between the back and the belly just be- hind the foot of the bridge under the E string. The tone of the instrument depends in a great measure upon the proportions and adjustment of the bass bar and the sound post, and upon the quality of the wood of which they are made. The movement of the sound post even ^ of an inch will make a difference in the quality and volume of tone ; so that in French it is called V&me du violon. In the belly of the instrument are two sound holes, made (for ornamental purposes) in the shape of an Italic f, turned toward each other. They are in the waist of the instrument, on either side of the bridge. Their form and size is another marked trait of the styles of different violin makers. When what may be called the rudi- mentary violin first made its appearance, it was in the shape of half a pear, cut from stem to blossom end, a form still seen in the mandolin. This form was very inconvenient for the use of the bow, which could not be applied to either of the outer strings without touching the sides of the instrument, which was widest near the middle. To do away with this difficulty, the sides were cut out in two curves corresponding inversely, ) (, which, by making the instrument narrowest where be- fore it was widest, allowed the free passage of the bow, and thus gave the violin nearly its present form. At what time it assumed this form we do not exactly know ; but in a stained glass window in Peterborough cathedral, which is of the 12th century, is a figure playing upon a violin which has bowing curves and is much like the modern instrument, having even sound holes of the f form, but four in number, and not by the side of the bridge but at either end, two and two. The violin, however, did not oorae at that time into use ae an instrument of high quality. For centuries it was used only by the lower order of minstrels, and jongleurs. The instrument which first took the place now occupied by the violin was the viol. This had 5, 7, 9, and even 12 or 15 strings, but its dis- tinctive trait was that the finger board, instead of being smooth, had frets like that of a guitar. There were treble, tenor, and bass viols, the last being called, from its being held between the legs, viol da gamba. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was not uncommon for a gentle- man to have a chest of viols in his parlor. Accurate playing and a cantabile style were of course both impossible upon an instrument the notes of which were fixed by frets ; but the viol long maintained its superior position, and it was not until about the middle of the 17th century that the violin asserted its absolute supremacy; and the viol, especially the tiol da gamba, did not pass out of use till about 1725. In this article the names of celebrated makers are given as they appear on their la- bels, though often differing from the common forms. The earliest maker of the modern vio- lin whose instruments are well authenticated is Gaspard di Salo, who worked between about 1560 and 1612. To one other maker before him, Gaspard Duiffoprugcar, many existing in- struments are attributed ; but it is, to say the least, doubtful whether these instruments are authentic, and whether he made anything else than viols and lutes. The Italian school of violin making had its rise in Brescia, and, as far as we know, was founded by Gaspard di Salo. The Brescia school had very marked traits, of which a low arching of the back and belly, straight and very open/holes, a much involuted scroll, and a double purfiing around the edges are the most striking. The chief maker of this school is Giovanni Paolo Maggini (about 1590 -1640), whose instruments still hold a place in the first rank. But ere long the Brescia makers were eclipsed by those of Cremona, which little town has been made famous by a succession of great makers, of whom the Amati family were the leaders and for genera- tions the best. (See AMATI.) The work of the first of the Amatis, Andrea, shows the in- fluence of Gaspard di Salo. Ho adopted Gas- pard's straight open f hole, but cut it with a more timid hand. He made his instruments of a high model, that is, with the arch of the belly and the back much raised, probably ex- pecting thereby to gain in tone as well as in strength of make ; but on the contrary he lost in power, although his instruments are very sweet in tone. This high modelling be- came characteristic of the Amatis, and of their pupils for some generations. Andrea's sons Antonius and Hieronymus made great advances in their art. They changed their father's model for the better, modified the outline and the form of the / holes, lowered the arch somewhat, and finished their work more highly. Upon their instruments the fa- mous Cremona varnish first appears in all its beauty at once soft, rich, and brilliant in color, and as clear as crystal. The making of this varnish, of which the medium was oil, ap- pears to have been no secret ; but the art has