Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/194

* VIOLIN. 152 VIOLIN. curve inward between the two corner blocks. These 'bouts' rendered it possible for the first time for a player to get at the strings. At first they were made of enormous size, but were ta- pered down at a later date. For nearly a century OUTLINE OF VIOLIN, SHOWING ITS COMPOSITE PARTS. A, eeroU ; B, peg-box ; C, pegs ; D, uut ; E, finger-board ; F. inirfling; 0. sound-holea ; H. bridge; I, tailpiece; K, button; L, bouts; M, neck; N, neck-plate. the sound-holes were shifted all over the violin, sometimes crowding with the bridge near the tail- piece. It W'as not until the violin model had been in use for some time that they were cut in their proper place and the bridge fixed between them. The bridge was the last point per- fected, and that by Stradivarius. Violins may be divided into two classes, those made on the high and those on the flat model. The former is characteristic of the Stainer pattern, the latter of the Stradivarius. The violin consists of seventy different parts, all of which, except the strings and loop, are made of wood. The matter of varnish is a very important consideration; for, aside from external appear- ances, varnish affects the tone of the instru- ment. Two kinds of varnish are used, oil and spirit varnishes. The oil completely fills the pores of the wood and thus renders the tone of the instrument somewhat muffled at first ; but when the oil in the course of time evaporates the wood remains mellow and very sensitive to the slightest vibration. Spirit varnish dries rapidly. It does not fill the pores romplctely and leaves the surface incased in a glassy sub- stance which imparts a harsh, penetrating sound to the instrument. The Cremonese violins are especially famous for the superior quality of Uieir varnish. l>ut after ITfiO its secret seems to have been lost. The strings also are an important considera- tion in the production of tone. The best strings are made in Italy. These are highly finished, very durable, and luive a pure, sympallietic tone. Next in rank are those made in Oermany (.Sax- ony). Owing to occasional ovcrblcacliing, Ger- man strings arc more frequently found to be false than Italian strings. French strings rank next. Although well made, they are not as durable as either Italian or German strings. English strings are chielly made in the cheaper grades. They are durable, but lack finish. The material from which all gut strings are made is the intes- tines of sheep. The following table shows the tension exerted by the various strings. The fig- ures in the first column are for thick, those in the second column for thin strings: E— 23 pounds 15^ pounds 1314 pounds 11 pounds 18 pounds 131/2 pounds 11 pounds 10 pounds A— D— G— Total 62-14 pounds 62V4 pounds The number of strings varied at different times (from only two to six), but since the determina- tion of the true violin model four strings have been universally used. The strings ai-e tuned in fifths, g, dS a', e^. In order to reduce the lowest string to a moderate thickness it is wound with silver or copper wire (overspun). In playing the violin eleven positions are rec- ognized. (See Position.) By means of shift- ing, the compass of the violin is extended to almost four octaves, g to e'. Skillful players can go even beyond this compass. A peculiar veiled tone is obtained by placing a mute (q.v. ) (sordino) upon the bridge to check the vibra- tions. The quality of tone depends chiefly upon the method of bowing. In many compositions the bowing is specially marked. The up-stroke is marked v. the down stroke P) ; all the notes under a legato curve are to be played with one continuous stroke. A peculiar effect is obtained by plucking the strings with the finger. (See Pizzicato.) By playing with the bow close to the bridge the tone becomes very hard and metal- lic. This efl'ect is called for by the words 'sul ponticello.' Harmonics are tones of a ver' ethereal character and are produced not by press- ing the string against the finger-board, "but by touching it lightly at certain points. (Sec Hak- monics.) Chords can be played when the differ- ent ones are produced on different strings. This is called doiihir sidppinii. In the orchestra the violins are the principal instruments, being divid- ed into prsi and second. See Orchestra. The art of violin-making was at its height in Italy during the eighteenth century. For the sake of convenient arrangem(nt, the principal makers — for such only it is possible to consider — will be grouped into schools. ( 1 ) The Schoot, of Brescia. The founder of this school is Oasparo di Bertolotti ( lr))2-inn9), commonly known as Gasparo da Salo. lie made chiefly viols and violas and very few violins. The latter are of a large pattern with very large sounding holes. The workmanship is clumsy and crude, but the wood and varnish are of excellent quality. His pupil, Giovanni jVIaggini (1,581- 1G31), greatly improved Da Salo's inixlel. and was among the first, if not the first, to introduce the u.se of corner blocks. With the rise of the opera, especially after Montcverde's reforms of the orchestra (IfiO.S), violins came into great demand. ?Iaggini's instruments show a steady advance. In liis later years he was evidently influenced by the beautiful models of Amati. Giambattista Ruggeri (c.ltillO) was a pupil of