HANDBOOK OF THE COLLECTION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 101 



A four-stringed double bass (72847) is 77*4 inches in height, 

 but is described as "three-quarter size." It was made in Germany. 

 The back is fiat and slopes toward the neck. The upper end of the 

 body has the pointed arch form that is characteristic of the viol 

 family. It has four strings of gut, two of which are overspun. 



It will readily be noted that the three other members of the violin 

 famity do not have the pointed arch form at the top, the outline 

 of the shoulders being like that of a guitar. These three instru- 

 ments are the violin, having four strings tuned upward in fifths 

 from G below middle C and having a range of more than four 

 octaves; the viola, a little larger than the violin, tuned in fifths 

 beginning one-fifth lower than the violin and having a range of 

 above three octaves; and the violincello, tuned in fifths an octave 

 below the viola, larger than that instrument and played in the 

 reversed position, the plaj^er being seated. 



The history of famous violin makers is summarized as follows by 

 Mr. Hawley : 



To Gaspard di Salo, of Bressica, Italy, is ascribed its invention. He flour- 

 ished between 15G0 and 1610. * * * The elder Amati began business in 

 Cremona, Italy, in 1600. Stradivari and Guarneri both worked in Amati's 

 shop. In 1670 Stradivari began to sign his own name to his work. His best 

 work was done between 1700 and 1725 ; he died in 1737. The violin, as he left 

 it, has been neither improved nor equaled. 



The present collection contains copies of the best models. No. 

 55638 is a copy of a Gaspard di Salo, made in France. There are 

 very few of his original instruments now in existence; one of them 

 was, however, the favorite instrument of Ole Bull. No. 72846 is a 

 copy of a Stradivarius and 55682 (pi. 465) of a Guarnerius. An- 

 other copy of a Guarnerius (55675) is labeled " Josephus Guarnerius 

 fecit Cremona anno 1720." Josephus was the son of Andreas, the 

 first of that family of violin makers. An interesting old French 

 violin is 55680 (pi. 46e), supposed to have been made by the suc- 

 cessor of Francois Salzard, who died in Paris, 1875. A particu- 

 larly fine specimen is 55677 (pi. 46a), a Stainer model made by 

 Hopf, Germany. No. 55679 is a copy of a Jacobus Stainer made 

 in Italy, labeled "Jacobs Stainer in Absam, 1656." It is said that 

 "of all German makers, the most noted was Jacob Stainer, born 

 1621, died 1683. He was educated in the workshop of Nicolo Amati, 

 and his violins were characterized by pure tones, though they had 

 small sonority." Another German violin is 55676, the back inlaid 

 with mother-of-pearl, and still another is 55675, also decorated. No. 

 55681 (pi. 46fZ) is a copy of a Vuillaume (French) said to have 

 been made in Germany. As representatives of French manufacture 

 we have 96610, made by La Prevotte, Paris, in 1834; and 94844, 

 made by Chanot, of Paris, who made many copies of Stradivarius 



