VIOLIN TONE AND
VIOLIN MAKERS
VIOLIN TONE AND
VIOLIN MAKERS
DEGENERATION OF TONAL STATUS. CURIOSITY VALUE
AND ITS INFLUENCE. TYPES AND STANDARDS OF
VIOLIN TONE. IMPORTANCE OF TONE IDEALS.
ANCIENT AND MODERN VIOLINS AND TONE.
AGE, VARNISH, AND TONE. TONE AND
THE VIOLIN MAKER, DEALER,
EXPERT AND PLAYER
BY
HIDALGO MOYA
TOGETHER WITH AN ACCOUNT, BIOGRAPHICAL
AND CRITICAL, OF THE PRINCIPAL VIOLIN MAKERS OF
THE VARIOUS SCHOOLS AND THEIR WORKS
BY
TOWRY PIPER,
JOINT EDITOR OF HART’S “THE VIOLIN, ITS FAMOUS MAKERS
AND THEIR IMITATORS”
LONDON
CHATTO & WINDUS
1916
PRINTED IN ENGLAND BY
WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED
LONDON AND BECCLES
_All rights reserved_
TO
THE KING OF INSTRUMENTS
AND
HIS FAITHFUL SUBJECTS IN ALL COUNTRIES
THIS HUMBLE EFFORT ON BEHALF OF
TONE
IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY
THE AUTHOR
INTRODUCTION
For many years those who advocate the principle that Tone is the only
thing that matters in a violin have been few in number, but earnest in
purpose, and it would appear their efforts have not been barren of
result when we find it admitted, where one would least expect it, that
the day of the toneless old fiddle has passed for ever.
But this is not enough. Players of the violin, and especially those who
seek refinement of tone in the instrument, still remain under the thrall
of systems, methods, influences and errors which must also pass away
before the road to tone is freely open.
An understanding of the relationship between tone and the instrument,
and between the instrument and the various toneless interests by which
it is surrounded, is vitally important to the player or the buyer of a
violin--unless the instrument is being acquired as a curiosity, in which
case tone need not, of course, concern the purchaser to any marked
extent. But to the player these relationships matter very much indeed,
and the understanding of them is rendered difficult owing to the
invisible nature of tone, there being no material evidence to indicate
its presence in one violin or its absence from another, a fact of which
full advantage is taken in certain quarters. In the classifying of
violins according to present methods, tone finds no place, having
neither status nor any standard by which it may be judged; well may the
player be uncertain whether he is acquiring a musical instrument or
merely an antique. The very reason why the violin possesses a tone has
not yet been satisfactorily explained, present opinion on the subject
being near to chaos, some holding that it is due to the wood, others
that it lies in some secret of construction, a few that it results from
varnish, and many that it is created by age--but none, so far as I am
aware, thinking it is due to an Ideal; material and construction being
merely the means through which it finds expression. There is enough here
to explain the uncertainty which surrounds the subject of tone and its
connection with the violin, a connection which I shall attempt to
explain in these pages by dealing with the instrument and its makers,
whether ancient or modern, and with its history, manufacture, sale and
use, solely from the point of view of Tone.
With tone at the mercy of caprice, and the violin in no better
case, it is not unlikely that the general uncertainty extends
to its makers--especially to the old instruments and their
builders--notwithstanding the number of books which catalogue their
names and indicate the nature of their work. Some few of these books are
fairly exhaustive, authoritative and reliable, but the point of view
from which the violin is approached is that of the connoisseur and
collector rather than that of the player, whilst the rest are mainly
unreliable and partial copies of the first.
In order to provide a sufficient account of those makers who, for one
reason or another, are worthy of attention or likely to be the subject
of inquiry from players, the second section of the volume, containing
reliable and valuable information--much of which is now published for
the first time--has been placed in the hands of Mr. Towry Piper, whose
aid I have been fortunate enough to secure, and who needs no
introduction to fiddle lovers. To those new to matters connected with
the violin, it is sufficient to say that Mr. Piper is widely known as a
writer and expert, one of the editors of Hart’s classical work on the
violin, a recognised judge of fiddles and tone, and a capable player of
the instrument.
H. M.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
ANOMALOUS POSITION OF THE VIOLIN
PAGES
Its dual status--More of a curiosity than a musical instrument--How the
curio interest originated--Its pernicious influence--Tarisio and the
formation of the Fiddle Cult--Exploitation of violins of small tone
value--Consequences to the player 1-6
CHAPTER II
A TONELESS METHOD OF VALUATION
How the old violin is judged--Valued without reference to tone--Bought
and sold by the same method--Examples--Why the method should be
abolished or modified--A guarantee for tone-value needed--Small
tone-value of many old violins--The violin’s proper position as a “work
of art”--A toneless pariah 7-13
CHAPTER III
TYPES OF STANDARD VIOLIN TONE
Amatisé, Bergonzian, Brescian, “Cremonese,” Guarnerian, “Italian,”
Stradivarian--Other ancient makers and standard tone 14-18
CHAPTER IV
THE OLD MASTERS AS VIOLIN MAKERS
Violins frequently made by workmen and “pupils”--Finished and
tone-developed by the master--Two entirely distinct arts--Tone the
result of ideal--Effect of model on tone--Methods of tone development
still in use--Only possible means of creating a tone to an
ideal--Reasons--Why the great masters attracted pupils--Tone _versus_
cabinet making--Why pupils succeeded and failed--Most striking
tone-feature of the old masters--Construction no guarantee for
tone 19-26
CHAPTER V
THE DECLINE OF TONE
Position of violin makers after 1750--Difficulty of sustaining supreme
ideals--Overshadowing influence of the great violins--The demand for
low-priced fiddles--A few tone-builders always living--The art abandoned
by all save the few--Attempts at a revival of the “lost” art--Mechanical
efforts of Savart--Scientific experimenters--Scientific side of tone
unknown to the old masters--Results following “attuning” process of
Savart--Copyists, old wood theorists, and varnishers 27-34
CHAPTER VI
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A NEW VIOLIN AND TONE
No mystery about construction--Tonal results of mere construction--The
tone of a new fiddle likened to raw material--Its refinement and the
result--What a satisfactory relationship between violin and tone depends
upon--Tonal position of the modern violin--Influences that have worked
to its detriment--Its survival--Its test of merit--Idolaters of the
fiddle and tone seekers 35-42
CHAPTER VII
OLD TONE AND NEW--A CONTEST
The Paris competition of 1912 reported by the _Daily Mail_
correspondent--The more extended report of Mr. D. I. Cardozo and its
particular interest--Six old violins compete with six new violins--How
the competition was arranged--The violins and their makers--The result
of the contest--The winner’s advice to violin makers--Obvious criticisms
on the contest--The result decisive--Great strides in tone since
the contest--The importance of these comparisons to the
violinist--Comparison between the ancient and modern violin
maker 43-50
CHAPTER VIII
A DOUBLE-BARRELLED THEORY
A consideration of some of the pitfalls besetting the tone-seeker--The
accommodating qualities of age--The permanency of tone--Why the age
theory is advanced--Sowing the seeds of suspicion--The result 51-52
CHAPTER IX
THE EXPERT DEALER
Two kinds of dealers--The “expert” dealer’s first consideration--His
stock-in-trade--Why he does not exploit new violins--His one serious
trouble--His view of tone--What he considers violins are _not_ purchased
for--Why he prospers--The type of dealer that is opposed to him--The
_genuine_ dealer and expert--The reliability of famous houses--Hazards
confronting the buyer and how they may be avoided 53-57
CHAPTER X
IMITATION OLD MASTERS
Ancient copyists--Genuineness of their work--Forgery thrust
upon them--The substitution of labels--All the great makers
copied--Difficulties of detection--Genuine labels of the masters in the
copies--Tone of the copies--Another class of copyist--Those who imitated
age--Their object in so doing--Process of ageing destructive of
tone--Honesty of these “fakes”--Another class: the factory
imitation--Deceive only the ignorant--Another class: those intended to
deceive--Their victims--Their danger to the player--A quotation from a
letter and its lesson 58-61
CHAPTER XI
LITERATURE OF THE VIOLIN
The authoritative histories of the old makers--Their chief value--Their
status as guides to tone--The impressions they convey--The limitations
of the authors--Their attitude towards the modern builder--The modern
builder’s “revenge”--The one idea which the player absorbs from these
histories--The good faith of the authors--Their honesty of
purpose--Their renown as connoisseurs and judges--The wide-spread
influence of their work and its effect--Books on violin making--What
they do and do not teach--A classical work--Instructions on how to play
the violin--Their service--Their neglect of tone--The periodical
literature of the fiddle--Its interest and value--Wherein it fails--A
warning--The “Lives” of famous old makers--Their value 62-67
CHAPTER XII
WANTED: A TONE GUARANTEE
The business of the dealer--What he guarantees--His attitude towards
tone--The dealer’s guarantee of no tone value to the player--The fiddle
warranted but not its tone--Why the dealer should give a tone
guarantee--How it could be done--Mere statements regarding tone not
enough--An independent judge needed--The present situation reviewed--The
perfect violin model--The modern maker’s relation thereto--How the
critics view his work--The player without a guide to tone--His procedure
under the circumstances--No standard of tone recognised by experts--The
resulting difficulties--Capable judges of tone--The unsatisfactory
judge 68-76
CHAPTER XIII
HOW TO TEST A VIOLIN’S TONE
An infallible method--The violin weighed in an impartial and accurate
balance 77-79
CHAPTER XIV
EFFECT OF AGE ON TONE
Most theories held as mere beliefs--Mellowness of tone and age--Reasons
why age is not responsible for mellowness--How mellow tone is
created--The real effect of age on the instrument and its tone--Its
effect purely mechanical--An appeal to violin lovers 80-85
CHAPTER XV
VARNISH AND TONE
A controversial subject--Effect of varnish on tone--Why it is
misunderstood--Why experiments fail--The governing factor--The effect of
a fine oil varnish--How the effect of the best varnish may be
nullified 86-89
CHAPTER XVI
TONE AND THE VIOLIN PLAYER
Relationship between player and violin--The inexpert, beginner, amateur,
artist, and tone--The player’s relation to tone: an illustration--The
gulf between player and fiddle--Artist and player--Why players fail or
succeed in tone 90-94
CHAPTER XVII
THE IDEAL TONE
The ideal tone--How a famous violinist secured his ideal--Difficulties
of tone selection--What the average player seeks--Statement by a pupil
of Joachim 95-97
CHAPTER XVIII
HOW TO ACQUIRE AN IDEAL TONE
The appeal of technic and the appeal of tone--Importance of tone--The
development of tone-sense--Subjects for tone-study--What the student
should avoid--The tone of technic--Tone of technic and ideals
combined--Progress of the student explained--Advice to the
beginner 98-102
CHAPTER XIX
TWO STYLES OF TONE PRODUCTION
The artist of the bow and the artist of the brush: a comparison--The
delicate style of playing--Its dangers--The robust style--How the player
is handicapped--The difficulties of judgment--Importance of the robust
style 103-105
CHAPTER XX
MODERN VIOLIN MAKERS
Attractions of violin making--Makers who have discovered the “secret” of
Stradivari--Violin makers and tone--Modern view of art and
artists--Fiddle-makers and advertising--Worth of
testimonials 106-110
CHAPTER XXI
NOTES ON TONE
CARRYING POWER: Carrying power distinct from loudness of tone--True
toned violin rarely seems loud to the player--How such violins are
abused--What players do not always realise--Carrying power and its
relation to tone explained. QUANTITY _VERSUS_ QUALITY: A quotation very
much to the point--A warning to be remembered--Importance of good
tone--The player’s limits in tone--How the violin’s tone-capacity
affects the player. FLEXIBILITY OF TONE: The meaning of
flexibility--What the tone loses without it--Its importance to the
student and artist. TONE FAILURE: Violins which “lose their
voice”--Conditions responsible--Reasons suggested for the failure in old
violins and new. FIDDLES CLASSIFIED: Difficulties of tonal
classification render results only approximately accurate--May be
roughly divided into four groups: (1) Superior tone--The violins
possessing it; (2) Excellent tone--Where it is found--Difficulties of
selection--Ancient and modern fiddles--Human limits and consecutive
reproduction of superior tone; (3) Good tone--Wide range for selection.
Where this tone is usually found. Expert advice essential in selection;
(4) “Just Fiddles”--What they are--Their legitimate place--Those to whom
they bring pleasure. A STRANGE BELIEF: A quotation and comments
thereon--“Stradivari as a failure if living to-day!” TONE HEALTH: Some
habits and fallacies--Fresh air and the fiddle--Musty fiddle cases--The
carelessness of violinists--A suggested vandalism. TONAL MISJUDGMENT: A
few instances--A professional violinist and two violins--The opinions of
himself and those of his hearers--A Stradivari violin and a talented
amateur--His mistake and the result--An artist, an expert, and a poor
toned violin--The result--Some great players and their tone--Where it
fails--A player of ability and a factory fiddle--Its “suitable”
tone--Accessories and tone--The important accessories of the violin--The
sound post--What it may do and what the player should do--The
bridge--How to keep it in the correct position--Strings--Some simple
advice--The bow--A few remarks on its selection--The fiddle
doctor--Deceptive simplicity of the violin--What to do in the case of
accidents, etc. 111-126
CONCLUSION 127
ACCOUNT OF THE PRINCIPAL VIOLIN MAKERS 129
VIOLIN TONE AND VIOLIN MAKERS
CHAPTER I
ANOMALOUS POSITION OF THE VIOLIN
It would be difficult to present the subject of tone in a manner
calculated to inspire both appreciation and confidence without first
making an effort to rescue the violin from its present position of
uncertainty, and the player from influences detrimental to an impartial
judgment of the instrument as a tone-producing medium. This position has
been forced upon the violin gradually; has become more menacing with the
passing years; and is due to the addition of an interest which it did
not originally possess, and which has finally become so paramount that
tone, when considered at all, actually plays second fiddle in a dual
value. The violin may still be the “King” of instruments, but this added
interest has made it of even greater value as a curiosity. Thus has its
position come to be extraordinary and without counterpart in the world
of art.
This dual interest is, of course, well known. When associated with
certain special instruments it is harmless enough. But what is not fully
appreciated by players is the pernicious influence this world-wide curio
interest exercises over _all_ violins when the attempt is made to value
them from a purely tonal point of view.
Mr. Hart says in his book, “The Violin, Famous Makers and their
Imitators:” “In those days when the old Brescian and Cremonese makers
flourished, the only consideration was the tone-producing qualities of
their instruments; the violin had not then taken its place among
curiosities.” So, then, tone was once the only value considered,
presumably because the instrument was originally made to satisfy the
requirements of players, and not the curiosity-hunting instinct of
collectors. And the player’s interest in tone has never wavered. It
still overshadows every other consideration, and is the object of
constant search. Tone being the player’s elementary necessity, the
desire for tone has always eclipsed interest in the merely curious. But
being a curiosity, the old violin with the finest tone is placed
practically beyond the player’s reach, and this has made the pursuit of
even good tone, in all old violins, an uncertain and financially
hazardous enterprise.
Let us now explain how this curio value originated; how it advanced; the
mighty interests surrounding it; how it usurped the position of tone;
and how it has come about that the old violin is valued, bought, and
sold entirely regardless of its tonal capacity.
Between the years 1550 and 1875 there worked in Italy and elsewhere some
seven hundred makers of violins and kindred instruments who were
sufficiently well known to warrant the inclusion of their names in
modern books of reference. As a large number of existing old fiddles are
by unknown makers; as no amount of research will unearth all who made
violins during that period, it is safe to add as many more as would make
the total nine hundred. Among these nine hundred makers two take the
first rank, closely followed by three or four who take second place, and
a dozen or so who occupy the third position as creators of really great
tone in the violin. Let us say the total is twenty, and we shall then
have eight hundred and eighty violin makers of olden times who simply
“made fiddles.” Upon the violins turned out by the twenty who rank as
“Old Masters;” whose instruments, and especially choice specimens of
them, were always few in number when compared with the productions of
their more numerous confrères, and are to-day almost priceless; upon
these violins was founded a cult, pioneered by one Luigi Tarisio in the
early years of the last century. Tarisio was a carpenter by trade; never
made a violin, and could play the instrument but indifferently. In due
time, however, he began the collection and sale of violins by the famous
old makers of Italy and became the chief instrument in spreading the
cult over France and England. Originally founded upon the great master
violins, first one and then another of the lesser known makers has been
embraced, until now all old fiddles of every country are included,
whether the maker be known or not, and regardless of whether the
instrument has anything other than age to recommend it. This cult is
scarcely distinguishable from any other cult, whether of furniture,
pottery, or stamps. It differs only in the object upon which it is
founded. It has its experts, dealers, collectors, and its host of
followers. It is due to the scarcity of fine old master violins that the
more plentiful supply of minor old fiddles, many of which are tonally
worthless, is so diligently exploited. Without them the cult could not
now be kept alive for a single day.
Among experts, dealers and collectors--but not among players--there has
always existed a tendency to deal with the old violin more as a curio
than as a musical instrument, and this tendency has brought it
perilously near the status of old furniture, the value being centred in
the object rather than in any tone merit which the object may possess.
This view of the commoner old fiddle, so widely held by dealers of the
present day, is due to the fact that the really fine toned old master
violins, upon which the cult was founded, did possess some rare type of
tone which, with much confidence upon the part of everybody concerned,
could be taken for granted, and there was no need, even if an expert
could be found capable enough, to pass any judgment upon its tone-value.
In most cases the tone was there. It was absent only when visible
evidence in the form of cracks, etc., indicated otherwise. It was
sufficient to secure the object and tone of the right sort followed as a
matter of course. Here, then, the expert acted not without reason in
basing value upon what could be seen rather than upon what could be
heard.
Therefore, when the violins of the masters were succeeded, for the
purpose of trade, by those of lesser tonal worth, it was but natural
that this method of valuation should be extended to these fiddles. It
was the time-honoured custom, and remains to this day the only system of
valuation in existence. It had always satisfied the collectors, for whom
it was invented, and who collect for reasons other than tone because,
in many instances, they could not play the violin at all. The great
players accepted this toneless method of valuation with some show of
reason. They were thoroughly competent judges of tone; could select
their ideal from the works of the masters with unerring accuracy and, if
they paid a high price for curio value, it was to secure what was of
much greater importance to them, tone value. But how about the more
numerous section of tone lovers: the aspiring young artists, the leaders
of orchestras, the ambitious students, and the amateur soloists? To
these tone is of importance, to say the least. Many a promising career
is jeopardised through the lack of it, and progress in a difficult study
retarded for the same reason. A poor toned violin will bind the soloist
to a commonplace voice, and may even set up for the beginner a false
standard as an ideal of tone. It is this great body of players who are
obliged, under existing circumstances, to place their tonal wants at the
mercy of a system not intended to cater for their needs, but to the
needs of the curio-hunter. Let us now explain this method of valuation
more fully in order that the violin player may see exactly where he
stands in relation to a system under which he is, perforce, obliged to
secure his tone.