The Story of the Violin Cbe "D&Ustc Storg" Series

CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY FROM The Carnegie Corporation ilC Un,VerS" ML SOO.SsT" y Ubrary f the iiKminiiiSil?,fiy.,.P. violin / 022" 3 1924 "320 18™ The Mask Story Series Edited by FREDERICK J. CROWEST. The Story of the Violin Cbe "d&ustc Storg" Series. 3/6 net per Volume. Already published in this Series. THE STORY OF ORATORIO. A. Patterson, B.A., Mus. Doc. With Illustrations. - „ STORY OF NOTATION. C. F. Abdv Williams, M.A., Mus. Bac. With Illustrations. „ STORY OF THE ORGAN. C. F. Abby Williams, M.A., Mus. Bac. With Illustrations. „ STORY OF CHAMBER MUSIC. N. Kilburn, Mus. Bac. With Illustrations. „ STORY OF THE VIOLIN. Paul Stoeving. With Illustrations. ,, STORY OF THE HARP. W. H. Geattan Flood, Mus. Doc. With Illustrations. ,, .STORY OF ORGAN MUSIC. C. F. Abdy Williams, M.A., Mus. Bac. With Illustrations. „ STORY OF ENGLISH MUSIC (7604-1904)— MUSICIANS' COMPANY LECTURES. ,, STORY OF MINSTRELSY. Edmondstoune Duncan. With Illustrations. ,, STORY OF MUSICAL FORM. Clarence Lucas. With Illustrations. „ STORY OF OPERA. E. Markham Lee, M.A., Mus. Doc. With Illustrations. ,, STORY OF THE CAROL. Edmondstoune Duncan. With Illustrations. ,, STORY OF THE BAGPIPE. W. H. Grattan Flood, Mus. Doc. With Illustrations. ,, STORY OF THE FLUTE. H. Macaulay Fitzgibbon, M.A. With Illustrations. Other Volumes in Preparation. This Series, in superior leather bindings, may be had o?i application to the Publishers. [ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.] DEDICATED TO WILLIAM H. CUMMINGS, Esq., MUS. DOC. DUB., F.S.A., HON. R.A.M., AS A MARK 01' ESTEEM. A Contents PAGE Prologue xxiii PART I. CHAPTER I. ORIGIN OF THE VIOLIN. Origin of the Violin still a puzzle—Gradual development— European growth or an Eastern importation— Greeks and Romans—An insight into a highly ingenious system of music—Egyptian and Chaldean records—A vain search for a prehistoric fiddle—The Old Testament—A misleading trans- lation CHAPTER II. TRADITION AND THE SCHOLAR (AN INTERLUDE). Tradition repeats a story and adds further variations—The ravanastron vii — Story of the Violin CHAPTER III. A FAMILY LIKENESS. PAGE Possibly a lowly grandsire of the king of instruments—The bow—Claims more closely examined—Some historians' ob- jections—Tradition and conservatism in Eastern countries Other bowed instruments in India—Much speculation—Have no other nations known bowed instruments ? . 10 CHAPTER IV. THE OLD NATIONS. Reason for absence of historical proof—Assyrian bas-reliefs Instruments sanctioned by religious tradition in Egypt Idiosyncrasies of some nations ..... -17 CHAPTER V. A WANDERING. The tone of the ravanastron—Hindoo's love for it—Indebted to Persians and Arabs—Music with the sword—Improvements and spreading of music—Tradition spinning her eternal threads ....,.,. .21 CHAPTER VI. MUSIC IN GENERAL IN THE FIRST CENTURIES A.D. The first fair flower of the spirit—Primitive beginnings—The early Christians sang—The third and fourth centuries—The first singing-school—A poor Cinderella—Gladiators, his- trions, jongleurs, etc. 25 viii — Contents CHAPTER VII. FIRST BOWED INSTRUMENTS IN EUROPE. ' PAGE Arabian and European rebabs—Rebab enters Spain—The family likeness—The oldest European representative—The Welsh crvvth— Claims discussed ....... 30 CHAPTER VIII. A MEETING. Dark period of two centuries —A new kind of bowed instrument appears — Possibly a descendant of the ravanastron — No previous record—Introduced to the bow .... 38 CHAPTER IX. THE MINSTREL AND MUSICIAN IN THE ROMANTIC AGE. Strong rule had brought safety—Nightmare of preceding centuries —Troubadours, Minnesinger, and poor minstrels—Playing before the castle—A keen distinction—The Meister song is born and reared—The fiddler draws into the towns—Asso- ciations formed . -44 CHAPTER X. A RETROS PECT. More than six hundred years—A poor despised drudge—A poor compensation—How would music have fared? —A mummy A thing of life and beauty—Harmonic crimes—Demand for instruments—Father to ultimate creation of the violin Choral singing in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries . 52 — Story of the Violin CHAPTER XI. COMPETITORS. PAGE The primitive rebec—An unmistakable ancestor of the viol—The constant faithful companion —Jean Charmillon, king of ribouds— Fellow-traveller and competitor—Fra Angelico's sweet-faced angel—The tone of the rebec— Changes of the fiedel The bowed instrument by preference ... 56 CHAPTER XII. THE INSTRUMENT OF RESPECTABILITY. The clever cabinet-maker spurred to extra efforts—Improve- ment of the viol form—Stimulus through the genius of Dufay, Dunstable, etc. — Instrumentalists now employed in the churches—Further stimulus—Construction of different-sired ' viols — Corner blocks inserted — Special favourite designs popular in different countries 62 CHAPTER XIII. THE VIOLIN (PRELUDE). Were the times really ready ? —The Renaissance ... 67 CHAPTER XIV. TWO GASPAROS. Question still not satisfactorily answered—To many a strange and new name—Who was Gaspar Duiffoprugcar ?—Six violins —Other facts—Contradictious reasons reconcilable—Liber- ties taken with labels—Modification of his name—Internal evidence for his claims—Through the bright river of genius — Contents PAGE —Know no more of Da Salo's youth and apprenticeship than of Duiffoprugcar's— His claim irrefutable—Questions—Are there any traces of development in his work?—Two little French violins—General characteristics of his violins . 70 CHAPTER XV. MAGGINI AND OTHER BRESCIAN MAKERS. Maggini's work—Demand for violins—Other Brescian makers . 84 CHAPTER XVI. THE AMATIS. Cremona—Andrea Amati—The belief that he was a pupil of Da Salo—Amati's original style—The Amati violin tone Amati's two sons, Antonio and Hieronymus—Artistic co- operation—Separation— Distinct progress of both—Jerome's son Nicolaus— His masterpieces—Larger model—The Grand Amatis—The acme of perfection in the Amati style— Nicolo's two sons—Jerome less painstaking—Mediocrity—The last Amati .86 CHAPTER XVII. A bird's-eye view. Amati's individuality—Reason for to-day's decline in prestige Fierce battle between a modern orchestral accompaniment and a solo fiddle—Time of Rococo 93 CHAPTER XVIII AMATI SCHOOL. Spread of fame—Workers in Italy, France, Germany, and Holland 96 — Story of the Violin CHAPTER XIX. THE GUARNERI FAMILY. TAGE True heirs of Amati with Stradivarius—A parallel—Andrea Guarneri and his work—His two sons, Petrus and Joseph Friendly rivalry—Joseph's work—Petrus's violins—A son of Petrus—A third Pietro— Guiseppe of another constellation . 98 CHAPTER XX. JACOBUS STAINER. Through long corridors of time—Tradition—Some facts—Sadness and misery—His achievements—Value of his violins Spurious labels . 102 CHAPTER XXI. THE GREATEST OF THEM ALL. Stradivari —Began early—Scrupulously copied his master—First instruments with his own name—Three periods and an interlude— Change in work—Creates master-works—A com- parison — Profound knowledge of wood — Most striking characteristic—Tone—Varnish—Autumn of life —His two sons, Francesco and Omoboni—A scene for Rembrandt His last work— Stradivari's "home life—His influence—His pupils .......... CHAPTER XXII. GIUSEPPE GUARNERI DEL GESU. Strongest possible light and shade—Question signs —His early life — First attempts—Fact and fancy—Bad wood and careless — Contents FACE workmanship—Gems of different form and colour—Fourth period—In prison—The end—Greatest master after Stradivari —The first-rank master period ends 128 CHAPTER XXIII. THE ART OF VIOLIN-MAKING IN FRANCE, ENGLAND, AND GERMANY. France. —No luthiers of renown till later—The best known Contribution small—Clever imitators. England. —English workers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and later—Some instances showing originality Faithful imitators. Germany. —A difference—A founder—Imitators—Dabbling of cranks—Sound makers—Wholesale production . 136 CHAPTER XXIV. IS IT A SECRET? Only three conditions possible—About wood—About age—About varnish—About workmanship or art—Conclusion . 145 PART II. VIOLIN-PLAYING AND VIOLIN-PLAYERS. CHAPTER I. PRjELUDIUM. Father and founder of artistic violin-playing—A style of com- position for the new instrument—A sure and broad founda- xiii . —— Story of the Violin PAGE tion—Poor Charmillon and many others —No records of worldly instrumental music of the time—Contrapuntal grop- ings no safe criterion— Nor illustrations of instruments Music of the primitive kind— Fiddle (viol)-playing in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries—Symbol in the frets 157 CHAPTER II. VIOLIN ART IN ITALY. Sixteenth century— First half of seventeenth century—Second half—Corelli —The Roman school of violin-playing —Artistic activities — His playing — Corelli the teacher — Corelli's pupils ..... .... 166 CHAPTER III. violin art in italy {continued). Other centres—The churches—Tartini—Founder of the Paduan school— " II Trillo del Diavolo"—Productivity—Tartini as author— His playing—As teacher—Tartini's pupils —Only names—Violinists of Piedmontese school—Pupils of Somis Pupils of Pugnani . 174 CHAPTER IV. VIOTTI. Reformer in two directions—Creator of modern violin art in its best sense—Childhood and youth—A surprise to the world Anti-climax—Chased fortune on precarious byways—A dealer in wine — His personality — Last great representative of classical Italian violin art 187 xiv — : —A Contents CHAPTER V. SOME MORE NAMES AND ONE FAMOUS ONE THE OLD-TIME VIRTUOSO. PAGE Some names—Antonio Lolli—The glorification of virtuosity Treading in his tracks— Lolli's two pupils—Has done more good than he gets credit for—A factor for progress—Rapidly and effectually carried into distant parts of the world— regular

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