WANTED--A TONE GUARANTEE
It is the business of the dealer in old violins to seek out, purchase,
restore, advertise, and sell old violins; to guarantee the instrument to
be made by, or attributed to, a certain maker (as the case may be), and
to be made in or about, a certain year--this last to settle the fact
that it is old. It is also his business to have this instrument equipped
with the necessary tackle to make it playable, otherwise it would not be
saleable. If he does not know who made the fiddle it is simply
guaranteed as “genuine old.” No dealer of repute will sell an
imitation-old fiddle for other than what it really is.
Tone, however, is not a part of the old violin the dealer will guarantee
to be other than what it happens to be.[L] If the instrument is by a
well-known maker he may, indeed, say the tone is characteristic of that
maker, or better (or worse) than the violins of another maker, but he
will not guarantee a certain refinement or quality of tone to follow
upon a certain amount of age in an old violin; or the tone of an old
instrument made, say, in the year 1721, to be equal to that of any
violin made in that year, or any other year.
It has always seemed to me remarkable that dealers in old violins,
especially instruments ranging in price from fifty to two hundred
pounds, do not give some sort of _tone_ guarantee; especially when the
purchaser intends to use the violin for the production of musical
sounds. Why should the player be asked to accept a document which does
not guarantee the thing for which he is making the purchase, but
something entirely different? As a curio the fiddle may be genuine
enough, and as most of its value lies in the fact that it _is_ a curio,
it is only right that this part should be fully guaranteed. Tone,
however, is the thing of most value to the player, and he should have
for that equal protection against mistakes of judgment.
I have always, in common with all lovers of the fiddle, paid my
ungrudging tribute to the masterpieces of past times, but if _all_ old
violins are really better in tone than some of the new ones, as some
would have us believe, those who hold this opinion should not only be
willing, but anxious, to back their view. If they have so much
confidence in the tonal superiority of the old instrument, a tone
guarantee could be issued that would challenge comparison with any new
instrument. This would be more convincing than the present habit of
simply saying that the tone is “grand,” or even that it is
“magnificent,” as such expressions have no tangible value, and are
allowed to a dealer just as poetic license is allowed to a poet.
The dealer could remedy this state of affairs, should he choose to do
so. He could, for instance, issue a guarantee with old violins, other
than those by the known great creators of tone, stating that the tone of
the instrument is warranted superior, or even equal, to any new violin
at the same, or a lower, purchase price. By some such means could the
question as to whether the instrument is bought for its age or its tone
be more clearly defined. If this cannot be done then let the dealer
clearly intimate that the old violin is sold mainly as a curiosity and
as such is fully guaranteed as to value. The present system by which
some dealers (not all, be it understood) make their sales should be
discouraged. Mere statements regarding tone, if not backed by a
guarantee, are too elastic when issued as a verbal opinion. Even dealers
are not infallible, being as prone to mistakes as the rest of us.
An independent expert in tone is sadly needed. Some of the most
reputable of experts are not dealers at all; they do not buy or sell old
fiddles, but, for a reasonable fee, will pass judgment upon the maker,
age, and curio value of the instrument. Among them are many who are
skilful performers on the violin, and, although tone is not the point of
view from which they approach a valuation of the old violin, they are
thoroughly competent judges of tone as well as of fiddles. They have a
wide experience of fine old violins by the greatest makers, and an
opinion from them as to tone could be relied upon with confidence.
Troubled owners are constantly sending their old instruments to these
experts for curio valuation and judgment and receive what they ask for.
Why cannot one of these experts let it be known he will also impartially
judge tone; that he will, from that standpoint, value any and all
fiddles, new as well as old? I believe I express the wish of most
tone-lovers when I ask for such an expert. The difficulties in the way
are, of course, considerable, and (as usual!) would come from those
receiving the most benefit. But I think my readers will agree that
something should be done. For the sake of clearness, let me review the
present situation.
At a rough estimate there are some fifty thousand genuine old violins in
existence,[M] including a large number of clever forgeries of the old
masters, _most of which are also ancient_. Of factory fiddles there is
no end, and handmade new violins are numerous enough. All these
instruments are accurately classified; the old and the old forgeries (or
close copies) according to their makers, or, if the makers are unknown,
according to their “school,” country, or age to which they belong. The
imitation-old (save in the few cases where famous makers “aged” their
violins), and the factory-made instruments are brushed aside by the
experts as unworthy of notice. The hand-made new violin occupies a
position so extraordinary that we may be pardoned a short digression in
order to indicate more clearly the attitude assumed by experts towards
the modern violin builder.
It is freely admitted by all makers and connoisseurs of the instrument
that certain of the ancient makers developed the body of the violin to a
standard of excellence beyond which no improvement is possible, as a
base upon which may be built, regulated, and developed a grand tone. Now
observe. If the modern maker employs any of these models he is an
“imitator.” This term carries with it an air of reproach, indicating
that the modern fiddle-maker is content to pose as a mere copyist and
let tone take care of itself; a supposition very far from fact. On the
other hand, should he try to avoid this reproach; should he endeavour to
placate the captious, and, perhaps against his better judgment, devise a
model upon original lines, he is again condemned, this time not without
reason. In either case it is not tone which counts with the expert, but
fiddle.
So far as tone is concerned, the player is left to his own devices. He
has plenty of guides to the instrument, but none to tone. He may seek
the advice of some fiddling friend who, being also without any guide or
standard, expresses merely his own opinion. Should he fall back upon his
own resources he cannot but hesitate. The new violin he views with
suspicion. It is an “imitation,” so the experts have said, and who would
have an imitation when the “genuine” is available! Should the tone of
this “imitation” happen to be of exquisite quality, he is unconvinced.
He is apt to think there is a mistake somewhere, or that his judgment is
at fault. He will come at last to the “genuine” (or to the imitation)
old instrument, in both of which he finds something tangible, something
he can see. Here is something the experts have bothered themselves
about; something with an ancient name and much history; something the
mere possession of which is an inspiration! When all this is wedded to a
grand tone he has, indeed, found a prize. But the tone is not always
there. Often it is but a pale reflection of a former glory. In any case
he has no guide to it, and usually accepts its visible and historical
features and takes his chance on the tone.
With no existing Standard of Tone recognised by experts or dealers there
is no violin, old or new, which the player can accept without question.
Each, therefore, sets up a standard of his own, together with endless
ways and means of “trying” a fiddle, in the process of which it is
usually forgotten that a strange violin, even though it be a master
instrument, will present (ofttimes in its most desirable tone-elements)
an uncomfortable feeling when first tried, merely because these elements
are foreign to the player’s idea of tone and “touch.” Dealers and
experts are continually, and rightly, warning purchasers against any
reliance upon their own judgment regarding the genuineness of a violin,
but no one warns them against possible mistakes in tone. If they are not
a judge of the one, why should they be considered a judge of the other?
Nine players out of ten are not a judge of either, and are guided by the
name, fame, or appearance of the instrument rather than by any
confidence in their ability to judge tone for themselves.
Any really good player with a wide experience of all sorts of fiddles is
a good judge of tone. The great soloists and those experts who are also
players are excellent judges.[N] The thoroughly competent judge is one
who regularly plays upon many violins, possessing tone of all sorts, and
is specially informed and experienced with the tone of the masters. He
is then equipped with what may be termed an “Average Standard” and not
bound to any one type.
The worst possible judge of tone is the player whose experience extends
to one violin only. Whatever the tone of this instrument may be, it
certainly does not embrace all the virtues and faults of tone. Such as
it has, however, it transmits to its owner, with the result that the
violin to be tested is not judged on its merits, but according to its
agreement with a preconceived notion. Again, violins are rarely alike in
the arrangement of their equipment. The curvature of the bridge differs.
The strings are spaced differently. The “stop” is not the same. It may
also possess important tonal elements which, if not understood, may be
ignored, or even condemned. It is partly for these reasons that players
so seldom admit a strange violin is equal to their own. They are
accustomed to their own violin and its tone. Its use has become second
nature and, without meaning to be so, they are prejudiced in its favour.
In the next chapter I indicate a method of testing tone.