1829.] Paganini, and I he Hislorij of the Violin- 033 



1710 ; he died in 1748 •— Dubourg, leader of the king's band in Ire- 

 land; he died, in London, in 17<»7 i — Clegg, his pupil, leader of the 

 Opera band ; — Pinto, born of Italian parents, leader at the Opera, and 

 afterwards at Drury Lane ; he died in Ireland a few years since ; — his 

 grandson, G. F. Pinto^ also dead, was a great performer and musi- 

 cal genius. 



The finer order of violins are expensive instruments ; a brilliant toned 

 violin can seldom be had in England or France for less than fifty 

 guineas. Violins have been raised even so high as 250/. The general 

 price for a Stradivarius is 100 guineas. 



The choice of violins cannot be made but by a master's experience. 

 But new instruments are always to be avoided ; if they have a good 

 tone, it is almost sure to grow Avorse. The best violins are generally 

 repulsive in their early tone ; and few of them are good for any thing 

 under fifty years. 



The violin makers most memorable are, Amati, of Cremona (there 

 were several of the name, Andi-eas, Jerome, and Anthony, his sons, and 

 Nicolas, the son of Anthony) ; he flourished about 1600. Their violins 

 are distinguished by beauty of shape and sweetness of tone. 

 - Stradivarius ; there were two of the name, both of Cremona ; the 

 latter was living in I7OO. His signature was Antonius Stradivarius 

 Cremonensis, faciehat Anno A. S. 



Andreas Guarnerius, also of Cremona. His signature was Andreas 

 Gtiarnerius, fecit Cremon(B, substitulo Sanctoe Teresa;, 1680. 



Stainer, a German, a native of Tyrol ; his violins are distinguished by 

 their pierceing and full tone. His signature is Jacobus Stainer, in 

 Absom propc CEnipontum, 1647- Mathias Albani, a Tyrolese ; his 

 signature was Mathias Albani, fecit, in Tyrol, Bulsani, 1654. 



It is remarkable that almost the entire of the fine violins now to be 

 found are the work of those Cremonese makers. Time may have done 

 something for them, for the violin certainly improves by age, if it be 

 originally a good one. But there is still something more difficult to be 

 ascertained, in their Avorkmanship. Their violins have often been taken 

 to pieces by the most expert artists, for the purpose of constructing 

 others on their exact model, and yet the experiment has utterly failed. 

 New constructions have been tried, and scientific models on the principles 

 of sound liave been invented, but without shaking the superiority of the 

 Cremonese. 



But the most studied and dextrous experiments Avere made about ten 

 years ago in Paris by a M. Chanot. This intelligent artist presented one 

 of his instruments to the French Royal Academy of the Fine Arts, with a 

 curious memoir, in Avhich lie explained liis proceeding. His principle 

 was the acknowledged one, that the long fibres of the Avood are fitter 

 for the production of the low tones, and the shorter fibres, or arches, 

 for the high tones. By fixing the soimding post at the back of the 

 bridge, the fibres of the sounding board are divided into two arches, 

 instead of being cut in two on the side of the E string. And this 

 division is necessary, because the high tones being produced on that 

 side, the bridge acts on the shorter arches like a small lever, Avhile on 

 the side of the bass string tlie fibres are enabled to vibrate in the long 

 arches necessary to produce the low tones. 



But tlie more remarkable change Avas in the cutting of tlie sounding 

 board. Among other points here, M. Chanot disapproves of the shape 



M.M. A'ew -Seriei.— VoL.Vin. No.48. 4M 



