Violin

The distinctive quality of the musical tones of the violin is gen erally admitted to be due largely to its richness in the upper har monic or partial tones superimposed on the fundamental notes produced by the simple vibrations of the strings. The character istic tone and its control by the player are undoubtedly conditioned in the first place by the peculiar response of the vibrating string under the action of the rosined bow. This takes the form not of a symmetrical oscillation but of a succession of alternating bound and free movements, as the string adheres to the bow according to the pressure applied, and, releasing itself by its elasticity, re bounds. The lightness of the material of which the strings are made conduces to the production of very high upper partial tones which give brilliancy of sound, while the low elasticity of the gut causes these high constituents to be quickly damped, thus soften ing the ultimate quality of the note.

In order that the resonating body of the instrument may fulfil its purpose in reinforcing the complex vibrations set up by the strings, it is essential that the plates, and consequently the body of air contained between them, should respond sensitively to the selective impulses communicated to them, and it is the attainment of this perfect selective responsiveness which marks the construc tion of the best instruments. Many factors contribute to this re sult—the thickness of the plates in different parts of their areas.

the size and form of the interior of the body, the size and shape of the sound-holes through which the vibrations of the contained air are communicated to the external air, and which also influence the nodal points in the belly, according to the number of fibres of the wood cut across, varying with the angle at which the sound-holes cross the grain of the wood. And all these important factors are influenced by the quality and elasticity of the wood employed.

Old Instruments'

speculations have been advanced with regard to the superiority in tone of the old Italian instruments over those of modern construction. Aftei taking into account the practical identity in dimensions and con struction between the classical and many of the best modern models, the conclusion suggests itself that the difference must be attributed in part to the nature of the materials used and in part to the method of their employment as influenced by local condi tions and practice. The argument, not infrequently advanced, that the great makers of Italy had special local sources of supply can hardly be sustained. Undoubtedly they exercised great care in the selection of sound and handsome wood; but there is evidence that some of the finest wood they used was imported from across the Adriatic in the ordinary course of trade ; and the matter was for them, in all probability, largely one of expense. There is good rea son to suppose, indeed, that a far larger choice of equally good material is accessible to modern makers.

There remains the varnish with which the completed instru ment is coated. This was an item in the manufacture which re ceived most careful attention at the hands of the great makers, and much importance has been attached to the superiority of their varnish to that used in more recent times—so much so that its composition has been attributed to secret processes known only to themselves. But that the Italian makers individually or collec tively attempted, or were able, to preserve as a secret the composi tion of the varnish they used is unlikely. Instruments exhibiting similar excellence in this respect were too widespread in their range, both of period and local ity, to justify the assumption that the general composition of the finest varnish of the early makers was not a matter of common knowledge in an industry so flourishing as that of violin-making in the 17th and early 18th centuries.

The excellence of an instrument in respect of its varnish de pended on the quality of the constituent materials, on the propor tions in which they were combined, and, perhaps mainly, on the method of its application. The most enduring and perfect varnish used for violins is an oil varnish, and the best results therewith can only be obtained under the most advantageous conditions for the drying process. In this respect there can be no doubt that the southern climate placed the makers whose work lies in higher lati tudes at a disadvantage. In a letter to Galileo in 1638 concerning a violin which he had ordered from Cremona, the writer states that "it cannot be brought to perfection without the strong heat of the sun"; and all recorded experience indicates the great importance of slow drying of the varnish under suitable conditions. Stradivari himself wrote to account for delay in the delivery of an instrument because of the time required for the drying of the varnish.

That a perfect varnish conduces to the preservation of a fine tone in the instrument is generally admitted ; and its operation in this respect is due, not merely to the external protection of the wood from deterioration, but especially to its action, when applied under favourable conditions to wood at a ripe stage of seasoning (when that process has proceeded far enough, but not so far as to allow the fibres to become brittle), in soaking into the pores of the wood and preserving its elasticity. This being so, successful var nishing will be seen to be an operation of great delicacy, and one in which the old masters found full scope for their skill and large experience. It seems not unreasonable to conclude, therefore, that the varnish of the old instruments contributed probably the most important single element of their superiority in tone.