THE DATE OF THE TRUE STRADIVARIAN INDIVIDUALITY--ALTERATIONS IN
DESIGN--PROPORTIONS SETTLED FOR GOOD--THE EXCEPTIONS--THE "LONG
STRAD"--THE "INLAID STRADS"--AN ACKNOWLEDGED MASTER OF HIS
ART--BLACK EDGING--THE ARCHING AND CHANNELLING--THE BRESCIANS, THE
AMATIS AND STRADIVARI.
We now resume our consideration of the progressive development of the
Stradivarian design as exhibited in the instruments of 1680 to 1690 or a
little later. At the earliest of these dates the complete independency
or self consciousness of power, as a master liutaro, is already
perceptible. There is no possibility of these violins having been made
on the moulds used during his bachelorship. People sometimes speak of
these instruments as being "Amatise," which is great nonsense; had
Stradivari died somewhere between 1680 and 1690, they would have been
rapturous in their admiration of his originality and widely separated
ideas from those of the Amati, but as he lived many years on and gave
forth many more manifestations of his own individuality, the likeness of
these 1680 and 1690 to old Nicolas is eagerly searched for and often
supposed to be evident. It was at this time that Stradivari probably
made more new moulds or blocks on which to construct, than at any other.
With some few exceptions those that were now being made could be used
for any of his violins during the remainder of his career. The average
proportions remain the same, the differences are minute in measurement,
notwithstanding their effectiveness in helping to a different expression
in the designs. The exceptions referred to and made between the above
dates are of a diverse kind. There is the well-known "long Strad," of
which one author has said that it "has received the title," "not from
increased length, but from the appearance of additional length which its
narrowness gives it, and which is particularly observable between the
sound holes." The actual measurements of this pattern are, length
14-3/16 inches by greatest width 8 inches bare as contrasted with the
ordinary 14 by 8-1/8; it will therefore be evident at once that there is
a positive increase in length, and a decrease in width. These violins
are not very rare as compared with the total work of Stradivari extant.
Another variation, but now very seldom seen, is a pattern that may be
said to be somewhat opposite in its tendencies, as it is a trifle
shorter, but of full average width, with a proportionately wider waist.
This type of violin must have been sufficiently plentiful at one time,
as one of the first Gaglianos made a deliberate copy of it; that is, so
far as his Neapolitan idiosyncrasy and pride would permit. Besides these
were the "inlaid Strads," instruments of the greatest beauty in all
respects, but having instead of the ordinary purfling a broad black
fillet and diamond or lozenge shaped ivory insertions alternated with
smaller circular ones; they are further embellished with a floral
inlaying round the sides or ribs and also on the sides and back of the
scroll. These instruments--Stradivari is known to have made a quartette
of them for the Spanish court--are of the greatest rarity. They are said
to be all known, but this statement seems open to question when coupled
with the assertion that Stradivari made other similar but very small
violins. The known ones are of very full size, the parties ordering them
at the time possibly being alive to the advantages of quantity as well
as quality. Public opinion since the time these were made has not grown
in appreciation of the additional ornamentation. The violin pure and
simple, with its single line of purfling only as it left the hands of
the first master of the art of Brescia, is the one which has found the
most lasting favour with connoisseurs and the public generally.
Decorative additions, in various and more or less eccentric or
extravagant styles, have been introduced from time to time by
enterprising liutaros of different countries, but the discerning portion
of the public will have none, and thereby pronounce the violin to be an
unfit subject for extra clothing; beauty unadorned, adorned is most, is
a figure of speech quite applicable to the simplicity of the violin as a
work of art.
Stradivari, who had now acquired--at the period 1680-90--a standing as
an acknowledged master of his craft, showed in his handiwork a decided
leaning in consonance with this, as--excepting these "inlaid Strads"--he
carefully refrained from introducing any of the little tricks, or
fanciful alteration of details, that so many, even of his own
countrymen, seem to have been led to affix to their productions. After
all, the "inlaid Strads" were probably so made, not at their maker's
suggestion, but by desire of the patrons holding a high social position.
Double purfled violins seem never to have left his hands, as none appear
to be extant and no mention is made of any.
There is one particular part of the finishing of the violin which calls
for remark, and in the absence of evidence to the contrary must be put
to the responsibility of Stradivari. This is known as the "black
edging." It cannot come properly under the term decoration, as it has no
variety in its management and consists only of the blackening of the
squaring off of the junction of the ribs; likewise at the edges of the
turns of the scroll and continued down the front and back of the peg-box
to the shell. Its first appearance is not possible to determine and will
probably remain unknown. Nicolas Amati did not introduce it, his work
being of the kind that had no accommodation, or sufficient surface for
it. Once begun, however, Stradivari seems to have persistently held to
it. There is no proof positive that it was henceforth his invariable
rule to put this kind of finish. The parts concerned are the first to
receive and show signs of wear; therefore an instrument must be very
fresh indeed to have much "black edging" left. Viewed from an artistic
standpoint it cannot be considered an improvement, or any adornment,
for, however neatly it is executed, the work of hand beneath is more or
less obscured. Further, the eye of the connoisseur is distracted by it,
and the neatness of the work is not seen to advantage until the black
has become nearly effaced. Other makers of renown, besides Stradivari,
adopted this method of putting the final touches to their work, Giuseppe
Guarneri, I.H.S., Carlo Bergonzi, and other later makers, among them
Storioni.
Concerning the rise of the arching, or modelling of the periods above
referred to, there has been much erroneous supposition in connection
therewith. That all the early "Strads" were of high build, that the
progress was gradual towards the "flat model," that Stradivari was
feeling his way and becoming enlightened as to the necessity of reducing
the arching in order to obtain a fuller and more telling tone with
better ring; further, that the channelling or "scooping" near the border
was gradually reduced for the same reasons, and that these things did
not reveal themselves at once, but gently dawned upon his perceptions;
moreover, that he earnestly communed with nature, made numberless
experiments concerning her acoustical and other mysteries, and that the
outcome was faintly looming in the horizon and soon was to blossom forth
as the golden period, with grand pattern, all of which is really nothing
more than grand "tomfoolery" spread abroad a generation since by critics
"having an eye" only to such things that seemed to them agreeable with
the conditions and surroundings of money getting commodities.
These worthies were forgetful of the fact that the different varieties
of flat and high model, channelling deep or none at all, long waists
and short waists, sound holes long, short, near or wide apart, had been
well, if not exhaustively treated by the artists of the Brescian school.
To assume that those refined artificers, the Amati family and their
disciples, were not conversant with everything for or against the use of
a flat model would be crediting them with but little mental capacity,
particularly in respect of their perceptive faculties. Both Stradivari
and his teacher must have been well acquainted with the different high
and low modelling of Gasparo da Salo, as well as that of his pupil
Maggini, and others. He must have been aware that his own most generally
used model of medium elevation, with slight exceptions both ways, was
anticipated by each in turn. This, by the bye, disposes of any theory
that Stradivari's distinctive quality of tone resulted, as is often
stated, from his adopting a different elevation to what had been in use
before. It may be fairly argued that if it had been true, as some
writers have stated, that the flatter the model the better and stronger
is the tone, then Stradivari would have been less gifted with sound
judgment than he has been hitherto credited with; some of his early
modellings, 1680-90, being as flat, if not more so, than any known
during his whole career. For his selection of the particular degree of
rise the reasons--for there were several--are not difficult to
assign:--firstly, it was in consonance with his effort at achieving the
most harmonious result--artistically in his designs; the less determined
rise in the arching being more agreeable with the disposition of line in
the pattern that he had been settling down to--posterity has
emphatically endorsed his views in this respect; secondly, having
noticed that a more shallow curve in the arching was quite favourable
for the exhibition of gracefulness, while it was accompanied by more
strength and permanency, with less liability during time and usage to
develop a stony or bumpy appearance. But while thus looking acutely
forward to future eventualities in one direction, Stradivari was no less
careful to avoid reducing his model too much. Knowing the soundpost
would be certainly shifted occasionally, he saw in the very flat model a
source of danger lurking in the difficulty of seeing and getting at the
post, even with the usual appliances at the command of the professional
repairer or regulator, while the sound holes would be much more liable
to damage than when the sufficiently raised arching permits a fair use
of the "post setter." He was also careful, while keeping the depth and
width of the channelling within reasonable bounds, not to let the
arching spring or commence too near the border, as the screw cramps of
the repairer, especially the large sized ones used in olden times would,
unless most skilfully and cautiously applied, soon register the progress
of the repairer on the varnish to the destruction of the beauty of
appearance as a whole. These, then, appear to be the cogent reasons for
the adoption of the medium rise in the modelling by Stradivari.