The Violin | Page 3

II.--THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE VIOLIN.
The present form of the Violin the result of much research and
experiment, but perfected by the great Cremonese makers--Hogarth's

"Line of Beauty" exemplified in the Violin--The requisites necessary to
the due appreciation of the grace and properties of the Violin, and its
exquisite power of expression--Its acoustical properties--Varieties of
woods used in its construction--Methods adopted, and choice of
material, by the great Brescian and Cremonese makers--The
"whole-back" and "slab-back"--The constituent parts of the
Violin--System of placing the sound-bar--Properties and position of the
sound-post, and of the bridge; the neck; the finger-board; purfling, &c.,
&c.--The sound-holes of different makers--Needed cautions as to
repairing good instruments . . . . . . . . . . . 27-42
SECTION III.--ITALIAN AND OTHER STRINGS.
Importance of the Strings in the economy of the Violin--Adrien Le
Roy's instructions "How to know Strings"--Thomas Mace and
"Venetian Catlins"--Character of the different manufactures of
Strings--Superiority of the Italian--The raw material not supplied by the
feline race--Rules to be observed in choosing Strings--Modern
improvements in Stringing--The Strings of Lindley and
Dragonetti--Covered Strings--Experiments on the strain and pressure of
Strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43-56
SECTION IV.--THE ITALIAN SCHOOL.
A glance at the rise, culmination, and decadence of Art in Italy, and the
Violin as connected therewith--The Italians far in advance of other
nations in the manufacture--The five Schools of Italian makers--Roger
North on the demand for Italian Violins--Brescia the cradle of the
manufacture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57-69
SECTION V.--THE ITALIAN VARNISH.
The formation of the Italian Varnish a secret lost to the world--Lustrous
character of that of Cremona--Characteristics of the four classes of
Italian Varnish--Conjecture as to the loss of the secret--Influence of the
different Varnishes on the tone of the
Violin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70-76

SECTION VI.--ITALIAN MAKERS.
Acevo--Albanesi--Albani--Aletzie--Alvani--AMATI, ANDREA;
evidence as to date of birth; his Violins small; founded the School of
Cremona; probably a pupil of Gasparo da Salo; his model high, and
sound-hole inelegant; his varnish deep golden; his "Charles IX. Set" of
twenty-four Violins, six Tenors and eight Basses--Amati,
Niccolo--AMATI, the Brothers ANTONIO and GIROLAMO; probable
date of birth; comparison of the respective work, material, and tone of
the two brothers--AMATI, NICCOLO, son of Girolamo; date of birth
and death; the greatest of his illustrious family; gradual change in style;
the "Grand Amati," followed by his great pupil, Stradivari; its exquisite
proportions and character; singular beauty of his material, and elegance
of design; differences between Niccolo Amati and his several copyists,
Italian, German, and English--AMATI, GIROLAMO; date of birth; his
work ascribed to other makers; character of his instruments and his
varnish; the last of the Amatis--Ambrosi, Pietro--Anselmo,
Pietro--Antoniazzi, Gaetano--Antonio of Bologna--Antonio,
Ciciliano--Assalone, Gasparo . . . . . . . . . 77-94
Bagatella, Antonio--Bagatella, Pietro--BALESTRIERI, TOMMASO;
probably a pupil of Stradivari; his work rough, but vigorous, tone and
varnish good; his instruments rising in value--Bassiano, Lute-maker,
Rome--Bellosio, Anselmo--Bente, Matteo--BERGONZI, CARLO;
pupil of Antonio Stradivari; his work closely resembling that of his
great master, and of the highest class; increasing appreciation;
comparison of his instruments with those of Stradivari and Giuseppe
Guarneri; character of his varnish, &c.; Violoncellos and
Double-Basses of this maker--Bergonzi, Michel Angelo--BERGONZI,
NICCOLO; character of his work--Bergonzi, Zosimo--Bergonzi,
Carlo--Bergonzi, Benedetto--Bertassi, Ambrogio--Bertolotti (see
Salo)--Bimbi, B.--Borelli, Andrea--Brensio, Girolamo--Brescia, da,
Battista--Broschi, Carlo--Busseto, Giovanni . . . . . . . . . . 95-104
Calcagni, Bernardo--Calvarola, Bartolommeo--Camilli,
Camillo--CAPPA, GIOFFREDO; pupil of the Brothers Amati;
character of his work, in Violins and Violoncellos--Casini,

Antonio--Castro--Catenar, Enrico--Celioniati, Gian Francesco--Cerin,
Marco Antonio--Ceruti, Giovanni Battista; a prolific workman--Ceruti,
Giuseppe--Ceruti, Enrico, son of Giuseppe; his work much valued by
Italian players; exhibited in London and Milan Exhibitions--Cristofori,
Bartolommeo--Circapa, Tommaso--Cocco, Cristoforo--Contreras,
Joseph--Cordano, Jacopo Filippo--Costa, Pietro Antonio dalla; skilful
copier of Amati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104-110
Dardelli, Pietro; a Franciscan Monk; his Viols and Lutes--Despine,
A.--Dieffoprugcar, Magno (Magnus Tieffenbrucker)--Dominicelli,
Ferrara--DUIFFOPRUGCAR, GASPAR; high character of his Viols .
110-112
Farinato, Paolo--Ficker, Johann Christian--Ficker, Johann
Gottlieb--Fiorillo, Giovanni--Frei, Hans; Lute and Viol-maker 112-113
GABRIELLI, GIOVANNI BATTISTA; his Violoncellos and Violins
of high character--Gaffino, Giuseppe--GAGLIANO, ALESSANDRO;
pupil of Antonio Stradivari; character of his work--Gagliano,
Gennaro--Gagliano, Niccolo--Gagliano, Ferdinando--Gagliano,
Giuseppe--Gagliano, Giovanni, Antonio, and Raffaele--Galbusera, C.
A.--Garani, Michel Angelo--Garani, Niccolo--Gaspara da Salo (see
Salo)--Gatinari, Francesco--Geroni, Domenico Ostiano--Gibertini,
Antonio--GOBETTI (Gobit) FRANCESCO; comparisons of his work
with those of Montagnana, Santo Serafino, and Ruggeri--Gofriller,
Matteo--Gofriller, Francesco--Gragnani, Antonio--GRANCINO,
PAOLO; pupil of