" 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 MUSIC 
 LIBRARY
 
 FROM rETERBOBOVCH ClTHKDRAL 
 
 12/A Century
 
 THE 
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN 
 
 AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS PLAYED ON WITH THE 
 
 BOW PROM THE REMOTEST TIMES 
 
 TO THE PRESENT. 
 
 ALSO. AW ACCOUNT OF T0K PRINCIPAL MAKKBS, EMULtSH AKI> 
 , WITH NUMXBOO* ILL(7TEAT1ONH 
 
 I'.V WILLIAM SANDYS, F.S.A. 
 
 AMD 
 
 ANDREW FORSTER. 
 
 'Omaim ronun priwipb \*r\* nat, wd BUM progtMrioaihia 
 i " Cii. De fin. K. <* Mat. 
 
 )N: 
 
 JOHN MITH, 
 
 86. SOi; itE. 
 
 \IHH-u\ \M) |.| (\8, 210, REGENT 8TM 
 
 m ' 
 
 Tkf right nf Truncation it
 
 FBOM F*nuoorB CATKKMUL
 
 THE 
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN 
 
 AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS PLAYED ON WITH THE 
 
 BOW FROM THE REMOTEST TIMES 
 
 TO THE PRESENT. 
 
 ALSO. A ACCOUNT OF THK PRINCIPAL MAKKH8, ENGLISH AKD 
 POEK10N, WITH NUMEROUS ILLC&TEATIOK8 
 
 BY WILLIAM SANDYS, F.b.A. 
 
 AMD 
 
 SIMON ANDREW FOKSTER. 
 
 "Omnium rcrum principia punm rant, wd tub prograMionibiM 
 am ogtntor." Cic. DC Fin. BOH. H Ual. 
 
 LONDON: 
 JOHN RUSSELL SMITH, 
 
 86. SOUO SQUARE. 
 
 ADDISOX AND LUCAS, 210, REGENT STRKK I 
 1864. 
 
 Tttr ngltt nf Trm**l*l>o* it
 
 Library 
 
 ML 
 
 DEDICATED 
 
 (WITH PKRMIflSION) 
 TO 
 
 LORD GERALD FITZ-GERALD, 
 
 AND THB 
 
 NOBILITY AND GENTRY OF THE SOCIETY OK 
 WANDERING MINSTRELS.
 
 PREFACE, 
 
 AVINGr for many years past been in the 
 habit of making collections respecting 
 (among many other things) violins and in- 
 struments played on with the bow, we have 
 ventured to lay the result of our labours before such 
 portion of society as may feel an interest in the subject ; 
 and, as the taste for music has of late years so much in- 
 creased, we may hope this may not be a small portion. 
 Our work should strictly have been called, "Collections 
 towards the History of the Violin," as we ourselves have 
 not only been obliged to omit many things connected 
 with this history, to avoid making the book too bulky 
 and too expensive, but are fully aware that there must 
 be many facts connected with it with which we have not 
 been fortunate enough to meet. We may observe here, 
 that what we have omitted, would only have been addi- 
 tional illustrations, or evidences in support of what we 
 have already stated in the work, and we should be well 
 pleased if any one competent to the task, and with better 
 opportunity and leisure than we have had, would under- 
 take the History in a more enlarged and important 
 shape. In the meantime we trust this work may be 
 received in the kindly spirit in which it is offered to the 
 
 A 2
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 musical world. Throughout a long extent of time we 
 have been thrown in the society of many professors 
 (some of the highest talent and genius) and amateurs, 
 and among both have numbered some of our dearest 
 friends, and we would willingly consider our book as a 
 slight mark of regard and affectionate memory to those 
 dear friends departed before us, and of esteem and 
 brotherhood to those still remaining; and we must be 
 allowed to express our satisfaction at having the permis- 
 sion to inscribe it to the Wandering Minstrels. 
 
 We have stated nothing without authority, though we 
 have not in every instance given it, it seeming scarcely 
 necessary, as all the important ones are given, and we 
 shall be happy on application to supply the particulars 
 of any others in our possession. The index will refer to 
 several, but this is itself only intended to enable the 
 reader to find the principal subjects, as many perhaps as 
 may be requisite, but is by no means presented as a 
 
 complete index. 
 
 In every case where practicable we have referred to 
 the original authorities, and have taken every care to 
 have the illustrations accurate. The lithographs of the 
 Viol da Gamba are taken from excellent photographs of 
 the instrument by Mr. Eobert C. May, of Sloane Terrace. 
 We have read with attention and derived information 
 from the numerous works of the well-known author, 
 Mons. Fetis, as far as they relate to the subject of our 
 work, and, in common with all lovers of music, must 
 express the obligation we are under to him for his inter- 
 esting publications ; and have to thank Mons. Vuillaume, 
 the celebrated French maker, for a copy of "Antoine 
 Stradivari." We have also, especially, to give our
 
 PREFACE. VU 
 
 thanks to that distinguished writer, Mons. de Cousse- 
 maker, for the interest he has shown in our undertaking, 
 and the leave he has kindly given us to copy or trace all 
 or any of the illustrations to his valuable " Essai sur les 
 Instruments de Musique au Moyen Age," in "Annales 
 Archeologiques." We have been able to introduce some 
 original letters of Haydn, which we think will be of 
 interest. 
 
 We have endeavoured to give our opinion of the origin 
 of the bow impartially, and if any differ from us we 
 would gladly hear their proofs and reasons, our object 
 being to get at the truth. The origin of many well 
 known things is difficult of proof 
 
 " Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas."
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 III. Violin Effects of Music Eastern Instruments 
 Greek and Roman Instruments Spurious Roman 
 Examples Conductor Notation 1 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 Egyptian Instruments Ninevites The Bow Rote Crwth . 18 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Fiddle Rote Rebec Gigue 36 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 The Bow Viol Notation 49 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Viol in Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries Early Makers 
 Viol in Fourteenth Century Minstrel Galleries Conductors 
 Baton Troubadours 01 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Minstrels Corporation of Minstrels Kings of Minstrels . 60
 
 X CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Page 
 
 Viol in the Fifteenth Century Early Makers Kerlin Nota- 
 tion ' 83 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Viol and Violin in the Sixteenth Century -Tuning of Viols- 
 Viols in French Festivals; in English Royal Bands Ancient 
 Viol da Gamba Viols in Early Dramas Musical Publications 
 Notation 9a 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Viols and Violins in Early Musical Dramas Tuning of Viols 
 Viols in Seventeenth Century Instruments described Per- 
 formers Musical Publications H^ 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Viols and Violins in English Dramatic Writers of Seventeenth 
 Century Instruments in Court Masques Payments to Per- 
 formers Musical Publications 132 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Time of Charles II. Anthony Wood Pepys Baltzar 
 Matteis Simpson Mace Publications The Bow 145 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 The Eighteenth Century Violoncello Bonnani Labor de 
 
 i n 
 Performers 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Orchestras Performers 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Nineteenth Century Performers Paganini Lindley Dra- 
 
 . 186 
 gonetti
 
 CONTENTS. XI 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Page 
 Makers Earl}' English Duiffoprugcar Early Italian Makers 
 
 Amati Family 196 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Makers in Seventeenth Century French Italian German 
 Klotz Steiner 211 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 Stradiuarius Guarnerius 224 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Italian Makei-s German French Vuillaume 235 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 English Makers, from Rayman to Betts 248 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 English Makers 274 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 The Forster Family 284 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 William Forster (2) 296 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 The Forster Family and School, continued 333
 
 Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Page 
 English Makers, continued . . ... 352 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 The Banks Family 359 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 English Makers, continued 367 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Recent English Makers Resident Foreign Makeis .... 377
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 MITH says, at the commencement of his 
 " Harmonics," that " Sound is caused by the 
 vibrations of elastic bodies, which communi- 
 cate the like vibrations to the air, and these 
 the like again to our organs of hearing." " For instance, 
 the vibrating motion of a musical string puts others in 
 motion, whose tension and quantity of matter dispose 
 their vibrations to keep time with the pulses of ah', pro- 
 pagated from the string that was struck." The sound of 
 the violin, and instruments of that class, arises from the 
 vibrations of the strings produced by the friction of the 
 bow communicating with the air, the power being in- 
 creased by means of the two vibrating plates of the in- 
 strument, generally called the back and the belly, con- 
 nected with each other by the sound post, and with the 
 strings by means of the bridge. 
 
 The greatest care is necessary in the construction of 
 these instruments ; to ensure the proper elasticity of the 
 vibrating plates, to settle the model or form of the body^ 
 the position of the sound-holes ; and, in fact, the whole 
 structure is the result of long experience and skill. The 
 
 B
 
 Z HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 pitch depends on the length, thickness, and tension of 
 the strings, and the quality, on the shape, proportions, 
 and materials of the instrument ; and, also, on the purity 
 of the strings, and the power, taste, and talent of the 
 performer ; the difference between the delightful tones of 
 a performer of the first class, and the twang of a crow- 
 dero vile, being such that we can scarcely realize them as 
 proceeding from the same instrument. By one we are 
 soothed until for a time the cares of the world are for- 
 gotten, whilst the other seems to rasp against the nerves, 
 and scrapes us to the quick. We are here speaking of 
 the majority of mankind, for there are some few who 
 seem insensible to the charms of music ; and among 
 these, even excellent good people, quite unfit for " trea- 
 sons, strategems, and spoils," but probably defective in 
 organization. King George III. said to Madame D'Ar- 
 blay (then Miss Burney), that Lady Bell Finch once 
 told him that she had heard there was some difference 
 between a psalm, a minuet, and a country dance, but 
 they all sounded alike to her. On the other hand, 
 there have been excellent musicians who have been ex- 
 cellent in little else. The celebrated Lord Chesterfield 
 told his son that fiddling "puts a gentleman in a very 
 frivolous and contemptible light, and brings him into a 
 good deal of bad company, and takes up a good deal of 
 time which might be much -better employed." Consider- 
 ing, however, the nature of Lord Chesterfield's advice to 
 his son in some other respects, we may discard him as 
 any authority. He would probably have approved of 
 the Gentoo Law, which prescribed that the king or rajah 
 should not always be employed in dancing, singing, and 
 playing on musical instruments. 
 
 Curious effects have been produced on animals by 
 music. Fetis mentions a dog, which had such a dislike
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 6 
 
 to the sound of a violin, that he began to howl in antici- 
 pation as soon as he saw it touched. He gives an account 
 of a lizard, which would come out of an old wall, where 
 he had established a domicile, on hearing the adagio to 
 Mozart's quartett in C, but would not pay the same com- 
 pliment to any other piece. The little reptile's musical 
 taste must have been limited as well as scientific. The 
 same remark may apply to the pigeon mentioned by Mr. 
 John Lockman, as cited by Hawkins, which would fly 
 down from his dove -house, and perch on the parlour 
 window to hear Handel's air of " Spera si, mio caro," 
 played on the harpsichord, and return when the tune was 
 finished. Lenz, in his anecdotes of animals, relates one 
 of an elephant, who paid no attention to the performances 
 of an orchestra in his vicinity, until they played " Char- 
 mante Grabrielle," when he appeared much pleased, 
 keeping time with his trunk, and was particularly 
 attracted by M. Duvernais, who played the horn. 
 Vigneul Marville, whose real name was Noel Banaven- 
 ture d'Argonne, and who lived in the latter half of the 
 seventeenth century, in his " Melanges d'Histoire," &c., 
 and Bonnet, in his " Histoire de la Musique," give some 
 examples. On hearing a trumpet marine, a dog sat on 
 his hind legs, like a monkey, fixing his eyes on the per- 
 former, and remained so for more than an hour. An 
 ass continued to eat his thistles with sublime indifference. 
 Domestic poultry seemed to pay no attention, while the 
 smaller birds around sang in rivalry as if they would 
 burst. Cows stopped, looked up a little, and then walked 
 on. A hind raised her ears, and seemed attentive. A 
 horse raised his head from time to time while feeding; 
 and horses generally are attracted by the sound of the 
 trumpet, and other warlike instruments ; we have seen 
 them attentive to the sound of a gong. A cat seemed
 
 4 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 to pay no attention to the trumpet marine, and looked as 
 if he would give all the instruments in the world for a 
 mouse. Cats, however, are capricious, for while some 
 that we have known have remained stretched on the rug 
 in a state of the utmost indifference to the sound of the 
 violoncello, others have shown the greatest objection to 
 it (perhaps the fault of the performer), particularly to 
 those notes producing what is called the wolf. A gentle- 
 man frequently practising on the instrument, observed 
 that if those notes often occurred, the cat then reposing 
 on the rug became restless, and gave indications of dis- 
 pleasure, but if he dwelt on the note the animal would 
 look up at him with anger, and if he persisted would 
 begin to growl, and finally spit and hiss, and run away 
 in violent indignation. There is a singular but well 
 authenticated anecdote related of an officer of the regi- 
 ment of Navarre, confined in the Bastille for six months 
 for having spoken too freely of M. de Louvois. He 
 was allowed the use of his lute, but on beginning to .play 
 he was surprised to see the mice come out of their holes, 
 and the spiders descend from their webs. The intendant 
 of Madame de Vendome assured M. Bonnet that he 
 had tried the same experiment himself with a violin, and 
 that within a quarter of an hour a great number of 
 spiders had descended towards his table. Playford, in 
 his " Introduction to the Skill of Musick," says, that as 
 he was once travelling near Koyston he met a herd of 
 about twenty stags following the sounds of a bagpipe and 
 a violin, walking on while the music was played, but 
 stopping when it ceased ; and in this manner they were 
 brought from Yorkshire to Hampton Court; a dance 
 that beats Kempe's "nine daies morris daunce " from 
 Norfolk. 
 
 One of the most ludicrous anecdotes, however, of the
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 5 
 
 power of music, is that related by Howell, in a letter 
 to Sir James Crofts, 6th September, 1624, where he 
 calls it a pleasant tale of Sir Thomas Fairfax, of a sol- 
 dier with his bagpipes, who, after a weary walk in Ireland, 
 sat down to enjoy his frugal meal of bread and cheese. 
 While so employed, two or three gaunt and hungry 
 wolves approached, and the soldier, somewhat dismayed, 
 first threw them a bit of cheese, and then a bit of bread, 
 till his stock was exhausted, but the fierce animals still 
 seemed unsatisfied, and approached nearer. The soldier 
 then took up his bagpipes in despair, and treated the 
 animals with some choice bits on this ancient instrument, 
 on which they turned tail and trotted off, howling in 
 unison. "A plague on it," says the soldier; "if I had 
 known you loved music so well, you should have had it 
 before dinner." 
 
 It may seem to those but imperfectly acquainted with 
 the subject that not much can be said respecting the 
 history of the violin. Fiddles were played on, they 
 suppose, some time back, perhaps by the Greeks and 
 Romans ; they have heard of Nero playing the fiddle 
 while Rome was burning, and have been told that the 
 best fiddles are called Cremonas, and, indeed, even in 
 the present day, some have asked whether Cremona is 
 the name of a maker or a performer. 
 
 In truth, however, the history of the violin meaning 
 thereby stringed instruments played on with a bow is a 
 subject of great difficulty, and the origin, like that of 
 many other well known things, seems lost in obscurity, 
 especially the commencement of the use of the bow. 
 Considerable labour and attention are required to give 
 even a reasonable account ; and, though we do not seek 
 to rival the research and perseverance of Father Ocampo, 
 who began his intended history of the emperor Charles V.
 
 6 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 with the Creation, and after thirty years' labour was sur- 
 prised by death, when he had only reached the time of 
 the Sabine War, yet we have honestly endeavoured to 
 give such a chronicle as may prove useful and interesting 
 not only to the musician but to the general reader, so 
 that we may not be asked, as Ariosto was by the Cardinal 
 d'Este, "Dove diavolo avete pigliato tante coglionerie ?" 
 
 Jean Kousseau, the great violist of his age, in his 
 " Traite de la Viole," 1687, seeking to prove the anti- 
 quity and excellence of his instrument, says, that as 
 Adam was acquainted with all arts and sciences, and the 
 viol is the most perfect instrument, if he had any instru- 
 ment, it must have been that. We may, however, refer 
 to Jubal as the father of all such as handle the harp 
 (i.e. the kinnor) and organ ; or, in the quaint words of 
 Capgrave, " Jubal, he was fader to alle hem that singe 
 in the orgoun, or in the crowde." " He was fynder of 
 musick, not of the very instruments which he used new, 
 for thei were founde long after." 
 
 The words translated into harp and organ in the Old 
 Testament may probably be considered as representing 
 the stringed and wind instruments, and though the 
 learned Kircher describes the kinnor, or harp, as some- 
 thing like a dulcimer with thirty strings, he cannot be 
 relied on. Peter Walker may as well be taken for an 
 authority for ancient fiddles, where in his "Life and 
 Death of " Three Famous Worthies," referring to the de- 
 struction of Sodom and the surrounding country by tire 
 and brimstone from heaven, while the wicked people 
 were enjoying " fulness of bread and idleness," he says, 
 " their fiddle-strings and hands went all in a flame ; and 
 the whole people in thirty miles of length, and ten of 
 breadth, as historians say, were all made to fry in their 
 skins." Kircher describes several others of the ancient
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 7 
 
 Jewish instruments, as supposed by him, mentioning that 
 some were played on with a bow, but there is no autho- 
 rity for this. Rousseau, eager to prove the antiquity of 
 the viol, refers to Kircher's description of the neghinoth, 
 as being similar to it, having three gut strings, and played 
 on with a horse-hair bow; and Baptiste Folengius con- 
 siders the nabluni, or psalterium, to have been the same 
 as the viol. The passage in the old play of " Lingua " 
 may be considered of equal authenticity. 
 
 " 'Tis true the finding of a dead horse-head 
 AVas the first invention of string instruments 
 Whence rose the gitterne, viol, and the lute." 
 
 Numerous musical instruments are mentioned in the 
 Old Testament, and in the early times, as now, the Jews 
 were skilled in the science ; but it would be foreign to our 
 purpose to enter into any account of these instruments, 
 as there is no proof, or even a probability, of any of them 
 having been- of the violin or bowed class. It is true, ac- 
 cording to our version, Isaiah says, speaking of the feasts of 
 Israel, " the harp and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and 
 wine, are in their feasts ;" and Amos speaks of the 
 melody of viols, and says, " they chant to the sound of 
 the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music 
 like David ;" but the word viol was only used by the 
 translators as the name of an instrument known to them, 
 to express the Hebrew word nebcJ, of which instrument 
 nothing distinctly was known. 
 
 The kinnor, translated harp, was probably like the 
 portable harp, or lyre, used by the early Egyptians and 
 Ninevites, to which we shall presently refer ; and thus 
 David could play on it, even while dancing before the 
 ark, and the Jewish captives could readily hang it up by 
 the waters of Babylon. 
 
 Julius Bartoloccius, cited by Gerbert, in his valuable
 
 8 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 work, " De Cantu et Musica Sacra," mentions among 
 the instruments of the Hebrews the viola, or chelys, and 
 many other stringed instruments, but he makes no ad- 
 vance in identifying them ; and as, amongst other instru- 
 ments, he mentions the " spinettae," the integrity of his 
 list cannot much be depended on. He divides the instru- 
 ments into three classes, and thus describes what he calls 
 fidicina : " Secundi generis sunt omnia instrumenta quae 
 chordis seu nervis instructa, digitis vel pinnis vel etiam 
 plectris in harmonicos motus artificiose incitantur, et 
 sonum suavem reddunt; ut sunt, citharae, testudines, 
 theorbse, nablia, harpae, lyrae, viola seu chelys, sambucae, 
 pectides, pandoras, clavicymbala, clavichordae, spinettae, 
 barbita, aliaque his similia, et omnis generis citharae 
 vulgo chitarre." 
 
 The Eastern nations had, probably, from an early 
 period stringed instruments, but principally of the lute or 
 guitar class. There is no early record or representation of 
 the use of the bow ; and when it does appear, it may have 
 had its origin from a more frequent intercourse with the 
 Western and Northern countries. We do not, therefore, 
 look for the introduction of the bow from the East, though 
 we may be indebted remotely to the ancient Egyptians, 
 as hereafter mentioned, for an instrument that, with 
 some modification, may have afterwards become one of 
 the earliest bowed instruments. The bowed instruments 
 most in use in the Eastern countries were generally made 
 of a cylinder of sycamore, or other suitable wood, or 
 sometimes a cocoa-nut, hollowed out and polished, a 
 prepared skin, or a slip of fine satin-wood, being placed 
 over the cavity. The neck was very long and slender, 
 and the strings two or three in number, with a bridge ; 
 the bow of bamboo and hair. Varieties of these are still 
 in use in India, Persia, Arabia, China, and other coun-
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 9 
 
 tries. Captain Saris, who was at Japan in 1613, says 
 the ladies played on an instrument like the theorbo (a 
 species of lute), but having only four strings, which they 
 lingered very nimbly with the left hand, having an ivory 
 plectrum in the other. 
 
 Several early instruments of the East are named, vary- 
 ing in number of strings and details, as the serinda, 
 oinerti, rouana, and ravanastron, and others ; the latter, 
 according to the exaggerated Oriental tradition, having 
 been invented by Ravona, king of Ceylon, 5000 years 
 before the Christian aera. 
 
 The Indian mythology has some curious legends about 
 music, which may be seen more at length in Creuzer's 
 " Religions de I'Antiquite," vol. i. Hanouman, a faithful 
 follower of Vishnu, was a skilful musician, and the in- 
 ventor of one of the four systems of Indian music that 
 keeps his name. He with his lyre, and Crichna with his 
 flute, conducted the dance of the spheres, the stars, the 
 months, and the seasons, accompanied by the raguinis, 
 and other musicians of the court of India. Saraswati 
 was the goddess of music, and her sou Naesda invented 
 the lyre. The six ragas who presided over the six musi- 
 cal modes were also her children, and each of these had 
 thirteen assistants of an inferior class, so that there were 
 eighty-four modes of the Indian mythological system of 
 music connected with their astronomy, namely, six pri- 
 mitive and seventy-eight derivative. The power of these 
 ancient modes, called the ragas, was very great, placing 
 Orpheus quite in the background. A celebrated musi- 
 cian once sang that called the night raga, before the 
 Emperor Akber at mid-day, and caused night within the 
 sound of his voice. Another raga had the quality of 
 destroying by fire any one who sung it ; but the same 
 emperor, notwithstanding, compelled an unfortunate
 
 10 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 vocalist to sing it, when, although every precaution was 
 taken, and he was plunged up to the neck in the river 
 Jumna, the flames burst out and destroyed him. A 
 female singer was more happy, for in a time of famine 
 from want of rain, she sung the rain-producing raga, 
 and seasonable showers followed and revived the parched 
 rice crops. 
 
 Many have seen the anecdote given by Olaus Magnus, 
 of Eric, king of Denmark, who was excited to madness 
 by the performance of a celebrated musician. First he 
 produced grief, then joy, and then fury, to such an extent 
 that Eric destroyed some of those who endeavoured to 
 restrain him. We can only say that we have seen this 
 account in the work of Olaus, and that Kircher believed 
 it. However, he also believed the story of the magic 
 piper of Hammelin, who in the year 460, in revenge at 
 not being paid for piping away the mice of the place, 
 piped away all the boys from four to twelve years of age, 
 and disappeared with them in the side of a hill. Ver- 
 stegan says the year was 1876, and that the boys were 
 130 in number, of whom one w r ho was lame escaped by 
 lagging behind. Kircher must be right, for he had seen 
 the hill and a picture representing the fact. 
 
 The fancy of the music of the spheres is not confined 
 to India 
 
 "The music of the spheres, 
 So loud it deafens mortal ears, 
 As wise philosophers have thought, 
 And that's the cause we hear it not." Hudibras. 
 
 The celebrated astronomer Kepler, had a fanciful 
 notion about this music of the spheres, making Mercury 
 the treble, Venus and the Earth the counter-tenors. Mars 
 the tenor, and Jupiter and Saturn the basses. If he had 
 lived to this time, he might have established a very im- 
 posing choir with the numerous additional planets.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 11 
 
 Stringed and bowed instruments are mentioned by 
 travellers in many countries, but they are generally of a 
 simple, and often of a rude form, and to none can we 
 look for the origin of our violin. The Tatars, the 
 modern Greeks and Egyptians, even the Africans have 
 them. Bowditch, in his " Mission to Ashantee," describes 
 one used by the natives from the interior, made from a 
 calabash, with a deer-skin at the top, having two large 
 sound-holes, one broad string made of cow-hair, and the 
 bow strung with the same material. Layard mentions 
 the Bedouins who attended him chanting verses to the 
 monotonous tones of a one-stringed fiddle, made of a 
 gourd covered with sheepskin. Prince Youssoupow also, 
 in his " Luthomonographie," relates having met with tra- 
 velling orchestras of Persians, Turks, and Armenians, 
 in which there were instruments of the violin class, but 
 without its tone or regular form, being commonly made 
 of half a gourd, or sometimes hollowed wood covered 
 with a piece of bladder, having three or four strings. 
 The prince is in favour of the Eastern origin of the 
 violin, thinking it was brought to Spain by the Moors in 
 the eighth century, but whatever instruments they had 
 were probably more of the guitar or lute kind. Du 
 Halde refers to a kind of violin with three silken strings, 
 in China, used by the common people ; and Sir Joseph 
 Banks saw one in Iceland of a clumsy form, with four 
 copper stiings and frets ; this, however, might have been 
 adopted from Norway or Sweden. Sir Edward Belcher 
 mentions those of the Asiatic Esquimaux, and their skill 
 on violins of their own manufacture. 
 
 The Arabs, besides their lute, or guitar, or mandolin, 
 of which Laborde, in his somewhat fanciful " History of 
 Music," mentions a species having no less than a hundred 
 frets, and the neck of which must, therefore, have rivalled
 
 12 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 that of the giraffe, had a bowed instrument that may 
 have been similar to one frequently named by the old 
 poets and romance writers. This was the rebab, or 
 rebec, with two or three strings, which is supposed by 
 some to have been brought into Europe by the Crusaders ; 
 but as at the time of the Crusades the viol had been for 
 a very long time well established in England and many 
 parts of the Continent, it is more probable that the Sara- 
 cens adopted it originally from the Crusaders. Monsieur 
 Fetis, whose extensive musical research is well known, 
 considers that the bow was not derived from the East, 
 but from some of the Northern people, from whom it 
 travelled southward, and passed into the East at a very 
 early date. 
 
 The Russian peasants have a rude sort of violin with- 
 out any inward curvatures, called the goudok : it has 
 three strings, of which the first is touched with the finger, 
 while the other two are sounded at the same time by a 
 short, clumsy bow. They have also an instrument of 
 the guitar kind, called the balalaika, with two or three 
 strings and a very long neck, which is mentioned by 
 Laborde, and also by De Passenans in " La Russie et 
 1'Esclavage," 1822. ' 
 
 Neither the Greeks or Romans appear to have any 
 authentic representations of a bowed instrument; they 
 had principally different kinds of lyres and flutes, together 
 with the ancient syrinx or Pan's pipes, now degraded 
 into a common street instrument, and indeed, seldom 
 heard at all. Mersennus and other writers of the middle 
 ages, use the word barbiton for instruments of the fiddle 
 class, but the barbiton that Anacreon complains of, as 
 preferring love-strains to singing of Atreides and Cadmus, 
 was a species of lyre, the ode being addressed to his lyre. 
 We should have said Anacreon, or Avhoever wrote the
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 13 
 
 poems generally attributed to him, as modern progress 
 supposes them to be of a later date ; just as Babrius sup- 
 plants our old friend JEsop. Horace also mentions the 
 barbiton. 
 
 The epigonium and magadis have been named as the 
 originals of the viol and violin, but the former appears 
 to have been of the lute or harp class, having forty 
 strings, and an instrument called the simicon had thirty- 
 five ; while, as to the magadis, according to the Supple- 
 ment to Montfaucon, it is not even agreed what the 
 instrument was ; whether a flute, or of the guitar class, 
 and if so, w r hether it had twenty strings or less that 
 the pectis was the same as the magadis, and the dicord 
 the same as the pectis ; but that the matter was altogether 
 uncertain. Apollodorus says it was the same as the 
 psalterium. Some further particulars will be found in 
 " Musonii Philosophi Opus de Luxu Grnecorum," in the 
 eighth volume of Gronovius's "Thesaurus," including 
 the scindaphos, pariambos, clepsiambos, lyrophrenicion, 
 spadix, phorminges, trigona, chelys, cithara, lyra, " et 
 alia fortasse quamplurima, quorum investigationem aliis 
 relinquamus." A representation is given in the Supple- 
 ment of the dicord, and also of a cithara, taken from an 
 old Roman sculpture, which seems to have eight strings, 
 though there are but five screws. It is like the old viol 
 in shape, and has no appearance of frets, bridge, or 
 finger-board, but is not adapted to the use of the bow. 
 Anacreon mentions playing on a magadis with twenty 
 strings (this puts an end to the flute question), and in 
 another ode names the pectis, which has been translated 
 cithara. Aristotle also calls these the same instruments. 
 Montfaucon gives a representation of a procession of 
 Isis, taken from an old sculpture, where one of the figures 
 probably a priestess is playing on a large triangular
 
 14 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 harp-shaped instrument, having twenty strings, held 
 under the right arm, on which she plays with a plectrum, 
 and which may have been a magadis. He has also a 
 representation of Apollo (supposed to have been intended 
 for Nero), with a lyre in his left hand and a long plec- 
 trum in the right. 
 
 There are numerous representations of the plectrum 
 used with the ancient lyre and lute, many of which, with 
 the authorities, may be found in Montfaucon, and in 
 Millin's " Gralerie Mythologique." In the latter work 
 there is a figure of Polyphemus in a state of musical and 
 jealous excitement, holding an enormous lyre, made of 
 the trunk of a tree with two branches, having four strings, 
 and played on with a plectrum. Among the fictile vases 
 in the British Museum, there is a figure of Anacreon 
 playing on a lyre with seven strings, which has a plec- 
 trum attached to it by a string, and is played on with 
 the right hand, while the fingers of the left hand touch 
 the strings ; the instrument is somewhat like the lyre 
 du Nord, referred to hereafter. 
 
 Some supposed old Roman sculptures or medals are 
 mentioned with representations of something like a 
 violin, but these are not considered genuine. The 
 following is Spence's account of the detection of some 
 that were once considered proofs of the early use of the 
 bow, commencing with the figure of Apollo in the Grand 
 Duke's Tribuna at Florence, supposed by Addison to 
 have been genuine, but proved by Winckelman to be 
 comparatively modern. " The little figure in the Tri- 
 buna, with a musical instrument like a violin, is left 
 rough and unfinished by the artist, particularly the 
 violin and the stick to play on it. It is held as we hold 
 our violins." Mr. T. -- Spence adds, " I have met but 
 with two figures besides this with the modern violin.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 15 
 
 One of them is in a relievo on the death of Orpheus, in 
 the University at Turin ; and the other is a statue either 
 of Orpheus or Apollo, in the Montalta Gardens at Rome. 
 It is unlucky that all three have something to he said 
 against them. That at Florence is an unfinished piece, 
 and perhaps not quite indisputahle ; that at Turin of a 
 very bad taste, or of a low age ; and in that at Rome, 
 the fiddle at least is evidently modern." Mr. Singer, 
 the editor of " Spence's Anecdotes," from which these 
 extracts are taken, being part of the valuable " Library 
 of Old Authors " published by Mr. J. Russell Smith, 
 thought that Mr. T. was probably Mr. Townley, (who, 
 in his account of some ancient gems, mentions a curious 
 figure of a centaur, with a whip in his hand to lash 
 himself!) 
 
 Rousseau refers to an account given by Achilles Tatius 
 of a banquet, where a youth came forward with a cythara 
 on which he first played with his fingers, and then used 
 a bow, and sang to it : also to a description of Orpheus 
 by Philostratus in the time of Nero, who supports the 
 lyre on his thigh, striking the strings with his left hand, 
 whilst his right holds a bow. Rousseau uses the words 
 viole and archet, but the Latin words are cythara and 
 plectrum, which do not warrant his translation ; nor can 
 we agree with him in his application of a quotation from 
 Ovid's third book " De Arte Amandi " 
 
 "Nee plectrum dextra cytharam tenuisse sinistra 
 Nesciat arbitrio foemina docta meo." 
 
 The plectrum and cythara here neither mean a viol or a 
 bow, but the former was occasionally long, such as that 
 represented by Montfaucon in the figure of Apollo before 
 mentioned. In the early ages of Christianity, the word 
 cythara was frequently used to designate any stringed
 
 16 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 instrument; as, cythara Barbara, cytliara Teutonica, 
 cythara Anglica (which seems to have been a harp). 
 
 Hawkins cites Nichomaclms Gerasenus, who in his 
 account of stringed instruments A.D. 60, does not name 
 the bow. Blanchinus, in his history of the instruments 
 of the ancients, gives a figure called the chelys (a term 
 in after-times applied to the viol class) or, as he adds, 
 "seu lyra Mercurii reformata." It is of the lute kind, 
 and has neither bridge, sound-holes, neck, or finger- 
 board, and is played on with a plectrum. 
 
 If, however, these nations, whose languages and customs 
 were instilled into us during our eight years' residence at 
 our venerable old school at Westminster, had not violins 
 and bows, they forestalled us in the appointment of a 
 coryphaeus or conductor, who kept time either with his 
 foot, armed with a wooden or iron sandal, or with his 
 hands, having shells or bones of animals in them to 
 increase the sound. How would a modern audience like 
 such a conductor, performing thus a sort of sabotier dance, 
 or rivalling the " bones " of the American minstrels ? 
 
 With our comparatively simple system of notation, it 
 seems scarcely credible how the complicated and cumb- 
 rous system of the Greeks could ever be properly under- 
 stood ; it must alone have proved a great check to any- 
 thing like rapid execution, from want of capability to 
 express such passages. Or, if once such execution had 
 been attempted and introduced, the necessity of the case 
 would have advanced the notation. Their characters, 
 though comparatively few at first, and formed from the 
 letters of their alphabet, increased so much that they 
 were obliged to vary the position of these letters in 
 various ways, and to introduce numerous arbitrary signs, 
 every mode requiring a new arrangement; and in the 
 time of Alypius, 115 B.C. the characters amounted to
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 17 
 
 more than 1600. A very laboriously constructed table 
 of them may be seen in the first volume of Laborde's 
 Histoiy. The Romans also used the letters of the 
 alphabet. It is, however, foreign to our purpose to do 
 anything more than refer slightly and occasionally to the 
 systems of notation, as it would require a volume with 
 numerous illustrations to treat the subject properly.
 
 18 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 HE Egyptians were musical from the earliest 
 times, but their usual stringed instruments 
 appear to have been the harp and lyre, or 
 of that class. They are repeatedly found 
 in their sculptures, and Sir Gardner Wilkinson, in his 
 " Ancient Egyptians," mentions a harp as old as Osir- 
 tasen I. who was the Pharaoh of Joseph, and therefore 
 lived about 1700 years before our Saviour. The harps 
 were generally of a portable shape, the strings varying 
 in number from four to twenty-two, and made of what is 
 commonly called catgut. They were occasionally made 
 of costly materials and richly ornamented, and some- 
 times were played on with a plectrum ; but there is no 
 appearance of any bowed instrument. Burney gives a 
 figure of an 'instrument of the guitar class, with a long 
 neck and two strings, sculptured on a broken obelisk 
 supposed to have been brought from Heliopolis by Sesos- 
 tris, but this does not appear to have been played on 
 with a bow. Rousseau, however, in his enthusiasm for 
 the viol, says the Egyptians had one with one or two 
 horsehair strings, played on with a bow strung with 
 similar materials ; it had a long neck, and was supported 
 on the ground by an iron rest. As before mentioned, 
 he thought Adam might have played on the viol, and he 
 might therefore have deduced its descent through Noah 
 to the Egyptians. He does, however, give its travels
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 19 
 
 from Egypt to the Greeks, then to the Italians, then to 
 the English, who first composed and played pieces of 
 harmony for the instrument ; from them it passed to the 
 Germans and Spaniards, and finally, as he says, to the 
 French, to whom it owes its perfection. 
 
 Passing by Kousseau's theory, which has not the proof 
 of any Egyptian viol to support it, the Egyptians had an 
 instrument with considerable affinity to the crwth, and 
 to which we shall presently refer again, wishing first to 
 make a few observations on the musical instruments on 
 the sculptures at Nineveh made known to the world by 
 the skill and enterprise of Mr. Layard. Some of these 
 are supposed to be at least as old as any mentioned by 
 Sir Gr. Wilkinson, and among them there is no appearance 
 of the bow. There is the representation of a veiy ancient 
 one on an engraved scarabseus, where it is called a nable 
 or guitar, and there are figures of a portable lyre or 
 harp struck by a plectrum. In one bas-relief from 
 Konyunjik there is a representation of musicians going 
 to meet the Assyrian conquerors three men carry harps 
 with many strings ; another has a stringed instrument 
 like the modern sautour of the Egyptians, with a number 
 of strings stretched over a hollow case or sounding- 
 board ; the strings are pressed with the fingers of the 
 left hand, and struck by a small wand or hammer in the 
 right ; there are also four women playing harps. 
 
 The Egyptians and Ninevites, as before observed, 
 had in the earliest ages an instrument somewhat similar 
 to the crwth, which was not played on with a bow, 
 but sometimes with a plectrum, sometimes only with 
 the fingers ; the strings varying from three to thirteen 
 (Fig. 1). When the tide of population flowed westward 
 and northward, the descendants of Japhet took this 
 crwth-shaped instrument with them, and in very early
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 ages were established in our country. The bow, we 
 
 consider, was afterwards intro- 
 duced or invented here, for we 
 find here the earliest trace of 
 it, and none of any antiquity in 
 the East. The wand or plec- 
 trum was an approach to the 
 bow ; the beating on the tight- 
 ened strings inducing the ex- 
 periment of the effect of fric- 
 tion, and thus leading to its use. 
 Long before the time of 
 Csesar there were inhabitants in 
 our land who had made con- 
 siderable progress in the arts 
 and learning of the early ages, 
 as the Celtic records remain- 
 ing prove ; and the earliest of 
 these show their love for music. It is supposed by 
 scholars of high repute, that Ireland and the south- 
 western parts of England were in very early ages 
 peopled from the peninsular of Spain, where the Phoe- 
 nicians had formed a colony or settlement ; and many 
 parts of the south coast may have been probably peopled 
 from the opposite coast of Gaul. In other parts, settlers 
 came over from Scandinavia and Germany for the first 
 visit of the Saxons or Northmen was long previous to 
 Hengist and Horsa and they appear to have had at an 
 early age an instrument of the fiddle or viol class. 
 
 The crwth of the Britons resembles to a considerable 
 extent the Egyptian and Mnevite instrument before re- 
 ferred to, and was well known to the Continent in very 
 early times. Venantius Fortunatus, Bishop of Poitiers, 
 who lived about the end of the sixth century, says 
 
 FIG. 1.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 21 
 
 "Bomanusque lyra plaudat tibi, Barbarus harpa, 
 Grsecus Achilliaca, chrotta Britanna canat." 
 
 The clu-otta must have been known on the Continent 
 as a British instrument long before this, or it would 
 scarcely have been so distinguished by a foreign author. 
 
 Notker, in the ninth century, says that the rotta (or 
 chrotta) was derived from the psalterion the ancient 
 psalterion, as he even at that early time calls it. This 
 instrument had some similarity to the Egyptian or Nine- 
 vite instrument before referred to, and was sometimes 
 of a triangular form, sometimes square or rectangular, 
 with occasional varieties of form. Notker says that the 
 ancient psalterion had ten strings, and that the form, 
 the Greek delta (A), had a mystical signification; but 
 after it became in use by common or secular performers, 
 they added strings to it, and made the shape more con- 
 venient (by rounding the angles), and called it the rotta, 
 thus changing the mystical form of the Trinity. The 
 mysticism, however, of the form, probably only existed 
 in the imagination of Notker, and the passage is in an 
 article " In Syrnbolurn Athanasii." This rotta, as ap- 
 pears from the lines just quoted, was known long before 
 Notker, but we have cited him as an authority for its 
 derivation from the ancient psalterion. In a letter from 
 Cuthbert, coternporary with Bede, to Lullus, successor 
 of St. Boniface, Archbishop of Mayence, written about 
 755, he says, " Delectat me quoque cytharistam habere 
 qui possit cytharizare in cythara quam nos appellamus 
 rotts, quia cithararn habeo et artificem non habeo." 
 M. Fetis considers this to have been the cithara Teu- 
 tonica, formed from the rounded psalterion; and with 
 him Mr. W. Chappell, whose opinion on everything 
 connected with music is entitled to much attention, 
 concurs. M. de Coussemaker, to whose learned " Essai
 
 22 HISTOEY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 sur les Instruments de Musique an Moyen Age," we are 
 much indebted, and with whom M. Bottee de Toulmon 
 agrees in his " Dissertation sur les Instruments de 
 Musique employes au Moyen Age " (Memoires de la 
 Societe Royale des Antiquaires de France, vol. xvii. p. 
 95), considers that the rote was derived from the chrotta 
 or crwth in the following manner : It was found after 
 a time (and after the introduction of the bow) that the 
 hand was embarrassed in its movements by the shape of 
 the instrument, as the bow must necessarily have struck 
 several strings together. To obtain greater facility, the 
 external parts surrounding the neck, which had been 
 introduced, were removed, and the shape became gradu- 
 ally something like the bass-viol, and played in the same 
 way, between the legs, or on the knee. The rote, then, 
 according to this opinion, was a modification of the 
 original chrotta or rotta, and this does not seem incon- 
 sistent with the derivation of the early instrument given 
 by Notker, and Grerbert gives two representations of the 
 cythara Teutonica (Figs. 2 and 3) from MSS. of pro- 
 bably about the eighth century, though he considers one 
 to be older. From the epithet "Teutonica," they were 
 evidently instruments derived from or belonging to the 
 northern countries, and similar to the chrotta Britannica, 
 and not at this time played on with the bow. The word 
 cythara seems to have been used by the early writers as 
 a general expression for many classes of stringed instru- 
 ments: the cythara Anglica, for instance, was a harp, 
 another example of a northern instrument. Cassiodorus, 
 in the sixth centmy, includes among stringed instruments, 
 and which he says were struck with a plectrum, " species 
 cithararum diver sarum . ' ' 
 
 These instruments, including the ancient psalterion, 
 were not viewed by the Churchmen with favour for
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 ecclesiastical use. In the Council of Cloveshoe, 747, it 
 was decreed that " ex monasteriis citharistse aliique 
 fidicines expellerentur ;" and St. Jerome says, "fidicinas 
 et psaltrias et hujusmodi chorum diaboli quasi mortifera 
 sirenarum carmina proturba ex sedibus tuis." The 
 
 FIG. 2. 
 
 FIG. 3. 
 
 Abbot Amalarius, in the early part of the ninth century 
 as cited by Gerbert, referring to the expression required 
 in singers, says implying the absence of any instru- 
 ments, "Nostri cantores non teneut cymbala, neque 
 lyram, neque citharam manibus, neque csetera genera 
 musicorum, sed corde. Quanto cor mains est corpore, 
 tanto Deo devotius exhibetur, quod per cor fit, quam 
 per corpus, ipsi cantores sunt tuba, ipsi psalterium, ipsi
 
 24 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 cithara, ipsi tympanum, ipsi chorus, ipsi chordae, ipsi 
 organum, ipsi cymbala." John of Salisbury, in the 
 twelfth century, writing on the use of music in churches, 
 says: " Sumite psalmum, date tympanum, psalterium 
 iocundum cum cithara." In an old French Bible of the 
 same date, the third verse of the 149th Psalm is rendered, 
 "Loent-il son noun en crouth, si chantent-il a lui en 
 tympan et psaltruy." Thomas Aquinas, in the thirteenth 
 century, says, "Instrumenta musica, sicut citharas et 
 psalteria, non assumit ecclesia in divinas laudes, ne 
 videatur iudaizare." 
 
 Although the rotta, rota, or chrotta, was thus derived, 
 according to Notker, from the psalterion, yet it did not 
 supercede that instrument, but they gradually differed 
 more from each other in shape, and the rote adopted the 
 bow, while the psalterion, about the fifteenth century, was 
 known as the dulcimer. They are frequently mentioned 
 together in old writers, and also in conjunction with the 
 vielle, or viola. The pseudo-Bede mentions together the 
 organum, viola, and cithara, atola, and psalterium ; and 
 Constantinus Africanus, in his work " De Morborum 
 Curatione," says that soft music should be played before 
 the invalid, as from the campanula, vitula, rota et simili- 
 bus; and Sanutus, amongst other sweet music, names 
 " violas, citharae, et rotae." 
 
 Gerson, of a later date (about the fourteenth century), 
 whom we also cite from the valuable work of Gerbert, in 
 reference to the passage in the Psalms, " laudate ewn in 
 chordis et organo" says, " Chordae secundum glossas 
 positae sunt pro quibuslibet instruments, aliis a psalterio 
 et cithara quae chordis sonat (sic] repercussis, sit viella, 
 sit symphonia, sit lyra, sit rota, sit guiterna," &c. ; and 
 in another part he says, "Canticum cum pulsu fit tripli- 
 citer ; aut in rotatu, ut in symphonia ; aut tractu aut
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 25 
 
 retractu, sicut in viella aut rebella ; sive cum impulsu vel 
 impulsivo quodam tractu cum unguibus vel plectro, cum 
 virgula, ut in cithara et guiterna, lituo, psalterio quoque 
 et tympano, atque campanulis." In these passages he 
 refers to the rota as a bowed instrument, and to the 
 psalterion as not being bowed. 
 
 Many examples may be given from the ancient poets 
 and romance -writers to the same effect, of which we will 
 cite a few, and they may also be taken to show the use 
 of the instruments, the vielle, or viol, and the gighe ; 
 and to prove that the vielle, gighe, rote, psalterion, and 
 symphonic, or chyfonie, and rubebe (rebec), were differ- 
 ent instruments. In the Roman de Brut, about the end 
 of the twelfth century, we find 
 
 ' ' Lais de vieles et de rotes, 
 Lais de harpes et de fretiaux, 
 Lyres, tymbres, et chalumiaux, 
 Symphonies, salterions, 
 Monocordes, tymbres, corrons." 
 
 In another part, relating the skill and talents of the 
 celebrated king Blegabres (or Blaethgabreat, as he is 
 called in the version of Lazamon), who flourished, accord- 
 ing to Stowe, 104 A.C., was the god of jongleurs and 
 singers, and played on every instrument, he is thus de- 
 scribed : 
 
 " Blegabres regna apres li, 
 Gil sot de nature de cant, 
 Oncques nus n'en sot plus, ne tant. 
 De tos estruments sot maistrie, 
 Et de diverse canterie; 
 Et mult sot de lais et de note. 
 De viele sot et de rote, 
 De lire et de salterion, 
 De harpe sot et de choron, 
 De gighe sot, de symphonic. 
 Si savoit asses d'armonie.
 
 26 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 De tous giex sot a grant plente ; 
 Plein fu de debonnairete, 
 Por ce qui il est de si bons sens, 
 Disoient li gent a son tens, 
 Que il ert dex des jugleors 
 Et dex de tos les chanteors." 
 
 In or about the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries 
 there are numerous examples. From the " Estoire de 
 Troie le Grant," Roquefort, "De la Poesie Framboise," 
 &c. quotes : 
 
 "N'orgue, harpe, ne chyfonie, 
 Rote, vielle, et armonie, 
 Sautier, cymbale et tympanon, 
 Monocorde, lire et coron, 
 Ses sont li xii instrument 
 Que il sonne si doucement." 
 
 Also from "Roman de la Poire, "- 
 
 " Et si i ot a grant plante 
 Estrument de divers mestiers, 
 Estives, harpes, et sautiers, 
 Vieles, gygues, et rotes, 
 Qui chantoient diverses notes." 
 
 In a romance by Guiraud de Cabrera, the following 
 instruments are mentioned together : 
 
 "L'us menet arpa, 1'autre viula, 
 L'us flautella, 1'autre siula ; 
 L'us mena giga, 1'autre rota." 
 
 In the " Romance of Cleomades,"- 
 
 " Plente d'estrumens y avoit ; 
 Vieles et salterions, 
 Harpes et rotes et canons 
 Et estives de Cornouaille." 
 
 Guillaume de Machault, of the fourteenth century, in 
 "Le Terns Pastour," has a very long list of instruments: 
 
 "Mais qui veist apres mangier 
 Venir menestreux sans dangier
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 27 
 
 Pignez et mis en pure corps. 
 La furent meints divers acors 
 Car je vis la tout en un cerne 
 Viole, rubebe, guiterne; 
 L'enmorache, le micamon, 
 Citole et le psalterion ; 
 Harpes, tabours, trompes, nacaires, 
 Orgues, cornes plus de dix paires; 
 Cornemuses, flajos et chevrettes. 
 Douceines, simbales, clochettes, 
 Tymbre, la flauste Brehaingne 
 Et le grand cornet d'Allemaingue, 
 Flajos de Saus, fistule, pipe, 
 Muse d'Aussay, trompe petite, 
 Buisines, eles, monicorde, 
 Ou il n'a qu'une seule corde, 
 Et muse de blet, tout ensamble ; 
 Et certainement il me semble 
 Qu'oncques mais tele melodie 
 Ne fut oncques veue ne oye." 
 
 In the " Prise d'Alexandrie," by the same author, many 
 of the same instruments are mentioned together, among 
 which are the following which relate to our subject: 
 "Vielles, rubebes et psalterion, gingues, rotes, mono- 
 corde, chifonie." 
 
 Eustace Deschamps, in his poem on the death of 
 Machaut, introduces together, 
 
 "Rubebes, leuths, vielles, syphonie, 
 Psalterions, trestous instrumens coys, 
 Rothes, guiterne, flaustres, chalemie." 
 
 In the "Romance of Sir Degrevant," of about the 
 fourteenth centuiy, printed by the Camdeu Society, it is 
 said, 
 
 " He was ffayre mane and ffree, 
 And gretlech yaff hym to gle, 
 To harp and to sautre, 
 
 And geterne ffull gay : 
 Well to play in a rote." 
 
 In a note, a passage from an unpublished poem by
 
 28 
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Lydgate is given, where the following instruments are 
 named, 
 
 " Harpys, fythels, and eke rotys, 
 Wei accordyng with her notys, 
 Lutys, rubibis, and geterns, 
 More for estatys than taverns : 
 Orguys, cytolys, monacordys." 
 
 Here we -have the word fythel introduced. Gower 
 says, 
 
 " He taught her, till she was certene 
 Of harpe, citole, and of riote, 
 With many a tewne, and many a note." 
 
 And Chaucer's "frere," 
 
 Certainly he had a merry note, 
 Wei coude he singe and plain on a rote." 
 
 Very long before the time of these latter examples the 
 
 rote had received various 
 modifications and im- 
 provements in form, and 
 the bow had been intro- 
 duced. M. de Cousse- 
 maker has given the fi- 
 gure of a rote or crwth 
 of the eleventh century, 
 with three strings, and 
 played on with a clumsy 
 bow (Fig. 4). This has 
 quite the character of the 
 old crwth, and the me- 
 thod of using the fingers 
 is shown. Another, given 
 by him from the Cathe- 
 dral of Amiens, of the 
 thirteenth century, with 
 six strings, has also 
 PIG. 4. many of the distinctive
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 29 
 
 FIG. 5. 
 
 marks of the crwth ; and the similarity of the sound- 
 holes to the modem ones will be 
 observed (Fig. 5). 
 
 Carter, in his " Ancient Sculp- 
 ture," gives the figure of an angel 
 playing a crwth, in Worcester Ca- 
 thedral, of about the twelfth cen- 
 tury, under part of the seats of the 
 choir. It has five strings, a tail- 
 piece, and two sound-holes; no 
 neck, no bridge, the left hand being 
 placed through the hole at the lower 
 end to manage the strings. The 
 bow is short, and in form like the 
 modern double-bass bow; it is a cha- 
 racteristic example, but in this in- 
 stance the instrument was held like 
 the viol (Fig. 6). 
 
 The word crwth was occasionally 
 used for the violin and viol down to a recent time, and is 
 still so applied in some parts of the country, most com- 
 monly te the violoncello, or bass-viol, as it is also called. 
 A curious example may be given from a work not likely 
 to be much known to our readers ; and old Cornish drama 
 of the date probably of the fourteenth century, called 
 " Ordinale de Origine Mundi." The ancient Cornish 
 language was akin to the Welsh, both having the same 
 origin, and this extract will show that the words "crowd " 
 and " fylh " were applied to different instruments. King 
 David is giving directions to his minstrels 
 
 "Whethong menstrels ha labours 
 trey-hans harpes ha trompours 
 
 cythol crowd fylh ha savtry 
 psalmus gyttrens ha nakyrs 
 organs in weth cymbalys 
 
 recordys ha symphony."
 
 30 HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Thus translated by the able editor, Mr. Edwin Norris 
 
 "Blow, minstrels, and tabours ; 
 Three hundred harps and trumpets ; 
 
 Dulcimer, fiddle, viol, and psaltery ; 
 Shawms, lutes, and kettle drums; 
 Organs, also cymbals, 
 Recorders and symphony." 
 
 The crwth wsis of early date in Scotland, as well as in 
 England and Wales, and an instrument of this nature 
 was among the ornaments on the outside of Melross 
 Church, founded in 1136. 
 
 Dauney, in his " Ancient Scottish Melodies," quotes 
 from an old poem called the " Houlate," 1450, where 
 are mentioned 
 
 "The psaltry, the citholis, the soft atharift, 
 
 The croude and the monycordis, the gythornis gay ; 
 The rote and the recordour, the ribus, the rift," &c. 
 
 Edward Jones, in the "Relics of the Welsh Bards," 
 gives a poetical description of the crwth, written in the 
 fifteenth century by GrufFydd Davydd ab Howel, with a 
 translation. It agrees very much with that given by 
 Daines Barrington, to which we shall presently refer. 
 It is said that Bishop Morgan, in his translation of the 
 New Testament into Welsh, printed in 1567, translated 
 "vials of wrath" by cry than, that is crwds or fiddles. 
 Hawes, in his " Pastime of Pleasure," of nearly the same 
 date, thus describes the attendants of Dame Music : 
 
 "There sat dame Musyke, with all her mynstrasy; 
 As tabours, trumpettes, with pipes melodious, 
 Sakbuttes, organs, and the recorder swetely, 
 Harpes, lutes, and crouddes right delycyous ; 
 Cymphans, clarycordes, eche in theyr degre, 
 Did sytte aboute theyr ladyes mageste." 
 
 We find the word crowd used for fiddle by the dramatic 
 writers of the seventeenth century. For instance, in
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 31 
 
 "The Old Law," by Middleton, fiddlers are introduced 
 to play at an expected wedding, a ceremony where they 
 were always in requisition : G-natho, the servant, says : 
 "Fiddlers, crowd on, crowd on; let no man lay a hlock 
 in your way; crowd on, I say!" The wedding being 
 broken off, the unlucky fiddlers are sent off without their 
 fee : " Case up your fruitless strings, no penny, no 
 wedding." In Marston's "What you will" they are 
 mentioned in a somewhat disparaging way: 
 
 Now the musicians 
 
 Hover with nimble sticks o'er squeaking crowds, 
 Tickling the dried guts of a mewing cat." 
 
 Their constant resort to convivial meetings is frequently 
 alluded to, as 
 
 "The fiddler's croud now squeaks aloud, 
 His fidlinge stringes begin to trole ; 
 He loves a wake and a wedding cake, 
 A bride-house and a brave May-pole." 
 
 Cupid's Banishment, 1617. 
 
 Ben Jonson and Drayton each name the crowd, as an 
 instrument to dance to; and Sir W. Leighton, hi "Teares 
 or Lamentations of a Sorrowfull Soule " (1613), where a 
 curious list of musical instruments is given to sound the 
 praises of the Almighty, mentions crowdes and vialls. 
 In the "Diary of John Kichards," printed in the " Retro- 
 spective Review," published by Mr. J. Russell Smith, 
 there is an entry on 5th July, 1699, of Mr. Mallerd 
 coming to finish Jack's crowd, and taking away his own 
 bass-viol to mend. This crowd was no doubt a fiddle, as 
 part of Jack's outfit in 1700, on going to Wimborne 
 School, was "1 violin." We are inclined to think that 
 during our Westminster sera, a fiddle would have led a 
 sad life amongst our three hundred companions; we 
 have heard, however, of one or two now of distinguished
 
 32 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 rank who boldly persevered, but personally remember 
 no musical attempts, excepting some half-dozen flutes 
 and flageolets, in a greater or less state of perfection ; 
 we confess to two joints of one of the former. We must 
 not omit some notice of Hudibras's Crowdero, said to 
 have been one Jackson, formerly a milliner, who lost a 
 leg in the service of the Koundheads, and was obliged to 
 get a precarious livelihood by fiddling from one tavern 
 to another. 
 
 " I'th' head of all this warlike rabble 
 Crowdero march' d expert and able, 
 A squeaking engine he applied 
 
 Unto his neck on north-east side, 
 
 His warped ear hung o'er the strings, 
 Which was but souse to chitterlings : 
 His grizly beard was long and thick, 
 With which he strung his fiddle-stick ; 
 For he to horse-tail scorn'd to owe 
 For what on his own chin did grow." 
 
 After this digression on the application of the word 
 crowd to the violin, we must return for a short space to 
 the ancient crwth, which appears to have continued in 
 use in Wales until a comparatively recent time. Dailies 
 Barrington, in 1770, says that the only person that could 
 then play on it was John Morgan of Newburgh in 
 Anglesey, then aged fifty-nine years ; but Bingley, in 
 his account of North Wales, says he heard an old bard 
 play on the instrument at Carnavon in 1801. We have 
 given a figure of one from Mr. Barrington's account in 
 the third volume of " Archa3ologia " (Fig. 7). It has 
 six strings placed in a peculiar way, with a flat bridge, 
 so that the bow must have struck several together, and 
 prevented any extent of execution. The bridge is curious, 
 as one leg goes through the sound-hole to the back of
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 33
 
 34 
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 the instrument, thus serving also for a sound-post. There 
 is no proof, however, of this example having been of 
 ancient date. It is stated to have been thus tuned : 
 
 P 
 
 -& 
 
 KIG. S. 
 
 I 
 
 We have only been able to meet with one existing 
 specimen, which by the kindness of Charles W. G. 
 Wynne, Esq. we have had an opportunity of examining 
 and of giving a drawing. The wood is worm-eaten and
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 35 
 
 in tender condition, showing apparently greater age than 
 the date of the ticket, and rendering it not improbable 
 that it might have been only repaired at that time. It 
 has no bridge, or tail-piece, or strings at present. It is 
 22 inches in length (about that of a violin), 9 in width, 
 and 2 in depth at the deepest part; the finger-board 
 being 10| inches long. It is a curious and interesting 
 relic (Fig. 8). The following is a copy of the ticket: 
 
 maid in the paris of 
 anirhengel by Richard 
 Evans Instruments maker 
 In the vear 1742.
 
 36 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 HE names fiddle, or fythele (fydele), among 
 the Anglo-Saxons, and fidula with the Latin 
 writers, are of very early date ; by some of 
 the latter, the "cithara sive fidula " is classed 
 with " vulgaris musica." Isidore, Bishop of Seville in 
 the seventh century, uses the word cithara as a general 
 name for stringed instruments, stating there were several 
 sorts, as psalterium, lyra, barbiton, &c. Some have de- 
 rived the Latin w r ord vidula, or vitula, from vielle, but 
 we do not see why it should not be derived direct from 
 fythele. Mr. "Win. Chappell, in his valuable and in- 
 teresting work on the " Popular Music of England," one 
 that while it shows the research of its author, places our 
 country in a high position in the early history of music, 
 derives vielle from fythele in the following manner. 
 The Normans, finding the Saxon $ or th not easy to pro- 
 nounce, were in the habit of adapting it to their own 
 pronunciation, and thus changed the word fythele to 
 viele, or vielle, omitting the objectionable letters ; but 
 whether this derivation be correct or not, the term fydyll 
 or fithele also continued in use. In the legendary life of 
 St. Christopher, written about the year 1200, it is said, 
 the king " loved melodye of fithele, and of songe ; " and 
 in the version or edition of Lazamon's " Brut " (a work 
 of the thirteenth century) by Sir F. Madden, the fythele
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 37 
 
 is named among the instruments of the accomplished 
 Blaethgabreat : 
 
 " Ne cude na mon swa muchel of song 
 of harpe & of salteriun : 
 of fidele & of coriun 
 of timpe and of lire." 
 
 We have already referred to the lines of Lydgate 
 
 "Harpys, fitheles, and eke rotys, 
 Wei according to ther notys." 
 
 In " The Vision of Piers Ploughman," of the middle of 
 the fourteenth century, the word is again introduced, 
 
 "I am a mynstrall," quod that man, 
 " My name is Activa Vita ; 
 
 # * * * 
 
 . . I ken neither taboure ne trompe, 
 
 Ne telle no gestes, 
 
 . . ne fithelen 
 
 At festes, ne harpen." 
 
 And in " Octouian Imperator," where the rote and 
 psalterion are mentioned together : 
 
 "Ther myghth men here menstraleye, 
 Trompys, taborus and cornettys crye, 
 Rowte, gyterne, lute, and sawtrye, 
 
 Fydelys, and other mo : 
 In Parys gret melodye 
 
 They maden tho." 
 
 The admirers of Chaucer will remember that the 
 Clerk of Oxenford would rather have 
 
 "Twenty bookes, clothed in black and reed, 
 Of Aristotil and of his philosophic, 
 Then robus riche, or fithul, or sawtrie." 
 
 Ill the present day wiser scholars than he have proved 
 that a clerk may love his " fithul " without neglecting his
 
 38 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 "philosophic." Queen Guenever, of scant fame, had at 
 her revels, as appears in the " Komance of Launfel,"- 
 
 "... menstrales of moch honours, 
 Fydelers, cytolyrs and trompours." 
 
 Wliile Sir Thomas on his visit to the Fairy Queen finds 
 harp and fidul, getorn, sautry, lute, and rebybe, and " alle 
 maner of mynstralcy." So Sir Thomas was very well 
 pleased for a time, as may be seen in Halliwell's " Fairy 
 Mythology," which contains much interesting matter. 
 Many other examples might be given, if necessary, in 
 further proof of the frequent use of the word ; we shall 
 bring forward some of them by and bye for a different 
 purpose. One or two references may be made to more 
 sober writers, as Geoffrey de Vinesauf, about the year 
 1200, who, after mentioning " somniferse cytharae," im- 
 mediately afterwards introduces "vitulae jocosae." Ger- 
 bert adds, " VitulsB an violae ? quae passim inter instru- 
 menta musica medii aevi censentur." John de Garlande, 
 in his vocabulary of the middle of the thirteenth cen- 
 tury, has the word vidula amongst his musical instru- 
 ments ; and we are told that Isabella, Queen of Edward 
 II, had in her train, amongst others, two poor musicians, 
 " vidulatores," to play before her. The fiddle of these 
 early times, however, was the viol and not our modern 
 violin. 
 
 In the "Nibelungen Lied," of the twelfth century, a 
 celebrated warrior and minstrel is introduced, named 
 Volker; his fiddle-bow, or videl-bogen, appears to have 
 been a powerful weapon of offence ; and he is called 
 videlsere. A short but amusing account of Volker, and 
 some other ancient musical worthies, as Swemmel and 
 Werbel, "court fiddlers and minstrels" to King Etzel, 
 will be found in "A Few Notes on the Fiddle," by the
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 39 
 
 accomplished antiquary, Mr. William J. Thorns, published 
 in No. 47 of the " Musical World," where, however, he 
 finishes by leaving his friend Volker in the lurch, ad- 
 mitting him to be a myth. As we, in common with 
 all who have the pleasure of knowing him, must hold his 
 learning and wit in high estimation, and as in these "Few 
 Notes " he says, " No catalogue of fiddlers can be com- 
 plete in which there does not appear the name of Lewis 
 van Vaelbeke as a player and maker," we must state from 
 his information that Lewis, or Lodewyk van Vaelbeke, 
 of Brabant, who died at Antwerp in the very beginning 
 of the fourteenth century, was an eminent " vedelare." 
 and, on the authority of a rhyming chronicle, written by 
 Nicolaus Clerk, was the first to stamp or beat time, 
 Mr. Thorns humorously commences his translation of the 
 lines applicable to Van Vaelbeke thus : 
 
 "About this time departed slick, 
 That good fiddler Lodewyk ;" 
 
 and finishes thus 
 
 " He was the first to find and show, 
 To stamp or beat the manner how, 
 Just as we hear it practised now." 
 
 We cannot, however, on the authority of the extract 
 given and with the highest respect for the translator- 
 admit the name of Vaelbeke as a maker, without farther 
 authority, and Mr. Thorns himself allows the obscurity 
 of the phrase cited for the purpose. We have already 
 shown that beating time was known to the Greeks. 
 
 Johannes de Muris, about the fourteenth century, 
 would seem to distinguish the vielle from the fiddle as a 
 variety. In describing the class of instruments he calls 
 chordalia, he says, " Chordalia sunt ea, quae per chordas 
 rnetallinas, intestinales vel sericinas exerceri videntur,
 
 40 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 qualia stint cytharss, viellae et phialse, psalteria, chori, 
 monochordum, symphonia seu organistruin et his similia." 
 In " Promptorium Parvulorum" (about 1440), fydyll 
 and fyyele (viol) are Latinized, viella, fidicina, vitula; 
 while crowde is called chorus. 
 
 The viol, or vielle on the Continent, was the name 
 most commonly used for instruments of this description, 
 and viol, indeed, has descended to the present time, while 
 vielle, about the fifteenth century, became applied to an 
 instrument the parent of our hurdy-gurdy, which was 
 originally called the organistrum, and symphonie, or 
 ciphonie. This was clearly a different instrument from 
 the rote, being frequently mentioned at the same time. 
 The celebrated Blaethgabreat played on the rote and the 
 symphonie, and in the "Komance d'Alexandre," quoted 
 by Ducange (voce rota) " Rote, harpe, vielle et gigue et 
 ciphonie," appear together. In that curious composition, 
 "Les Deux Troveors Ribauz," of about the thirteenth 
 century (which may be found in "(Euvres de Eutebeuf," 
 i. 335-7), being a dispute between two trouveres, or 
 minstrels, as to their qualifications ; one of them says to 
 his opponent, 
 
 " Sez-tu nule riens de citole, 
 Ne de viele, ne de gigue? 
 Tu ne sez vaillant une figue." 
 
 To which the answer is, 
 
 " Ge te dirai que je sai faire: 
 Go suis jugleres de viele, 
 Si sai de muse et de f restele, 
 Et de harpe et de chifonie, 
 De la gigue, de 1'armonie, 
 De 1'salteire, et en la rote 
 Sai-ge bien chanter une note." 
 
 He then goes on to say he can raise spirits, and perform
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 41 
 
 feats of magic, which are foreign to our purpose ; the 
 extract, however, shows the symphonic and rote to have 
 been different as well as the vielle and the gigue. This 
 symphonic is also mentioned as the lyra mendicorum, 
 and a figure of it is given by Mersennus and other 
 writers, proving its similarity to the hurdy-gurdy. Hap- 
 pily this instrument is now very rarely heard in our 
 streets since the departure of blind Sally of Westminster 
 notoriety, whom many of our readers may remember; a 
 slight suspicion of it only occasionally occurring in the 
 hands of some wandering Italian boy. 
 
 In a MS. of the fourteenth century at Ghent, referred 
 to by M. de Coussemaker, there is the figure of an in- 
 strument to which no name is attached, said to have been 
 invented by one Albinus. The 
 celebrated Alcuin, who died in 
 804, travelled on the Continent 
 under that name, and was skilled 
 in music, having written a treatise 
 on the subject, although it is not 
 now extant. It may not, perhaps, 
 be assuming too much to consider 
 him the Albinus referred to. The 
 instrument is somewhat of guitar- 
 shape, and has four strings marked 
 c, g, d, c. There are considerable 
 inward curvatures, but no bridge 
 or finger-board; the tail-piece is 
 broad, and there is a semi-lunar 
 sound-hole on each side (Fig. 9). 
 On a capital of the eleventh or 
 twelfth century, from Boscherville, stated to be in the 
 Museum at Rouen, there are eleven figures playing 
 on different instruments, while a twelfth is tumbling. 
 
 FIG. 9.
 
 4ii HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 One of the instruments (Fig. 10) is held on or between 
 the knees of the performer, and, 
 though of smaller size, is not unlike 
 the viol da gamba in shape. It has 
 four strings, and four semi-circular 
 sound-holes, but no appearance of a 
 bridge or finger-board. The absence, 
 however, of some of the details of an 
 instrument, either in sculpture or paint- 
 ing, must not be taken as a proof in 
 all cases that the parts omitted did not 
 exist ; they might have been omitted by 
 
 FIG. 10. ^j ie ar ti s t either from want of knowledge 
 
 of the instrument, or because he thought such details 
 unnecessary. It might also be possible, in some cases, 
 that a layer of hard wood was applied, as in the present 
 guitars, to avoid the indentations that would take place 
 in soft wood from constant use. 
 
 In the porch of Notre Dame de Chartres of the twelfth 
 century, is a representation of a curious instrument of this 
 class (see Fig. 11, from Po tier's " Monumens Francais," 
 vol. i.). It is not unlike a cumbrous violoncello in shape, 
 but the apparent heaviness may be the effect of the 
 sculpture. The bridge in particular is thick, and deeply 
 grooved for the strings, which are three in number and 
 very large. The tail-piece is much ornamented, and 
 there are four sound-holes, two of quatrefoil shape, and 
 two much like the modern ones, but with both ends 
 turned the same way. There is another instrument of 
 this class of the same date, mentioned by M. de Cousse- 
 maker, from a marble statue in the Museum at Cologne. 
 The body is rather longer than usual, it has three strings, 
 and two wide sound-holes. This, with the examples 9 
 and 10, are of the class considered by M. de Cousse-
 
 43 
 
 maker to be rotes, or viols of large size, and Potier's 
 example is similar. 
 
 Shaw, in " Dresses and 
 Decorations," gives an ex- 
 ample of the thirteenth cen- 
 tury from Artindel MS. 
 157, which has three strings 
 and two round sound-holes 
 (Fig. 12) ; the bow is much 
 like the modern violoncello 
 bow, but is held under- 
 handed. 
 
 Another variety was call- 
 ed the rebec, sometimes the 
 ribible or rebelle, and ru- 
 bebe. It seems originally 
 to have been of a trapezoid 
 form, and afterwards ob- 
 long, with the angles cut, 
 and had two or three 
 strings. Roquefort says it 
 was a sort of bastard violin, 
 or "violin champetre," and 
 was a favourite among the 
 rustic classes, but fell into 
 disuse in the sixteenth 
 century probably in con- 
 sequence of the introduction of the violin pro- 
 per about this time. Laborde, in his " His- 
 tory," gives engravings of persons playing on 
 the rebec, and on the violin, as he calls it, 
 with three strings, of the thirteenth and four- 
 teenth centuries ; but the figures are evidently 
 modernized, and little reliance can be placed no. 12. 
 
 FIG. 11.
 
 44 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 on the early part of his history. He mentions the 
 figure of the celebrated Colin Muset at the porch of St. 
 Julien des Menestrier at Paris, of the date of 1240, play- 
 ing on a rebec or violin ; but the hospital of St. Julien and 
 St. Genes (who was a Koman mime martyred in the 
 time of Dioclesian, and adopted as the patron saint of 
 his profession) was founded by the Corporation of Min- 
 strels about the year 1330, and the figure called Colin 
 Muset by Laborde, is by others said to have been King 
 Chilperic, or St. Genes himself. The church referred 
 to was destroyed in the time of the French Revolution. 
 The instrument is mentioned by Aimeric de Peyrac in 
 the thirteenth century, and is frequently named in the 
 fourteenth century. It was played on by Absolon, 
 Chaucer's parish clerk, who appears also to have been a 
 distinguished dancer. 
 
 "In twenty maners he coude skip and daunce, 
 After the scole of Oxenforde tho, 
 And with his legges casten to and fro ; 
 And pleyen songes on a small rubible." 
 
 The instrument is named with the Idle Apprentice in 
 the "Cook's Tale." 
 
 A gay young clergyman of the time of Edward II. 
 when he goes out 
 
 "He putteth in his pawtener 
 A kerchyf and a comb, 
 A skewer and a coyf 
 To bynd with hys loks, 
 And ratyl in the rowbyble 
 And in non other boks 
 
 Ne mos." 
 
 Gerbert quotes Gerson of the fifteenth century, who 
 names the viella, the rota, and the rebella (that is, the 
 rebec) together as bowed instruments. We have given
 
 HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 45 
 
 a figure of one, which seems characteristic of the class, 
 from a picture attributed by M. de Coussemaker to 
 Hemling of the fifteenth century, where an 
 angel is represented playing on it (Fig. 13). 
 
 Henry VIII. had three rebecs in his band, 
 as well as two viols ; and the same instru- 
 ments appear in the bands of his three chil- 
 dren, his successors. The three performers in 
 the band of Henry VIII. in the seventeenth 
 
 FIG 13 
 
 year of his reign, were John Severnake and 
 John Pyrot, who had forty shillings monthly wages each, 
 and Thomas Evans, who had only six shillings and eight- 
 pence. Severnake seems to have been continued in the 
 three following reigns. In the privy purse expenses of 
 Henry VIII. 1531, there is an entiy of xx s "paiede for 
 a Rebecke for great guilliam ; " a considerable sum, taking 
 into account the difference in the value of money ; it is 
 unlucky that the name of the maker is not mentioned. 
 There is a rebec mentioned in that valuable record, the 
 "Northumberland Household Book," 1512, who had 
 33s. 4d., and it forms one of the "mynstrasy " of Dame 
 Musyke, before mentioned. 
 
 Jerome de Moravia describes the instrument as having 
 two strings, tuned by fifths, and extending from C (Ut 
 grave) to the D octave, but it could not rise higher, 
 proving that the shift was not then known : however, it 
 frequently seems to have had three, strings. Towards 
 the sixteenth century it declined in favour, and became 
 more particularly the instrument of the lower classes on 
 the Continent, and was used to accompany the rustic 
 dances. Artusi mentions it in 1600, together with the 
 viol, the bastard-viol, and the violin, and many other 
 instruments. It was evidently considered of an inferior 
 rank in France in the seventeenth century, as in regula-
 
 46 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 tions made in 1628 and 1648, all minstrels not properly 
 admitted as masters, are forbidden to play any violin 
 except that with three strings, or the rebec, and it 
 gradually got into disuse. M. Hersart de la Villemarque, 
 in the introduction to "Barzaz-Breiz populaires de la 
 Bretagne," names it as in use there among the wander- 
 ing minstrels, "bardes mendiantes." 
 
 The rebec, as well as other varieties of the viol, occa- 
 sionally had a head carved at the end of the neck, where 
 the scroll now is, and generally a grotesque or fanciful 
 one. Rabelais distinguishes Badebec, the mother of 
 Pantagruel, by her likeness to one : 
 
 "Elle en mourut la noble Badebec 
 Du mal d'enfant que tant me sembloyt nice 
 Car elle avoyt visaige de rebec." 
 
 In an inventory of King Charles V. in the middle of 
 the fourteenth century, several instruments are particular- 
 ized, having carved heads, one with the head of a lady, 
 another of a lion, &c. 
 
 Another variety, the gigue, is frequently mentioned in 
 the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and is supposed 
 to have been derived from the ancient form of the viol, 
 which was originally of something like pear-shape ; that 
 is, like the half of a pear, cut through longitudinally, 
 and was made of one piece ; it gradually became of an 
 oval shape, and the neck was detached. What was 
 called the gigue, retained very much the old shape ; the 
 back, however, becoming gradually rounded, the neck 
 still being a prolongation of the body. It generally had 
 three strings, and continued in use till towards the latter 
 part of the sixteenth century, and occasionally was even 
 of later date. It would seem to have been of German 
 adoption, as the word geige is the German name for a 
 viol or violin, and the performers were sometimes called
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 47 
 
 "gigueours d'Allemagne." It was probably the instru- 
 ment used in some of the curious early dramatic per- 
 formances of Gros-Guillaume, Gautier Garguille, and 
 Turlupin (or the comic actors who assumed those names), 
 which were a strange medley of singing, recitation, and 
 dancing. Something like them was afterwards intro- 
 duced in England, and hence the name jig may have 
 arisen. The three celebrated actors just mentioned met 
 with a melancholy end after a successful career for fifty 
 years. Gros-Guillaume was imprisoned for imitating 
 the grimaces of some well-known magistrate, who was 
 stupid enough to exercise his power to punish him. The 
 
 FIG. 15. 
 
 FIG. 14. 
 
 unfortunate man died from shame in consequence, and 
 his two friends are said to have died from sympathy. 
 
 One of the figures of the elders at the cathedral at 
 Amiens, of the thirteenth century, has in his hands a 
 gigue with three strings and two sound-holes, but with
 
 48 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 no appearance of a bridge or distinct finger-board. 
 M. de Coussemaker describes one from the Cathedral 
 at Mans, of the fourteenth century, where the head is 
 thrown back ; it has three strings, with the sound-holes 
 placed in a peculiar manner, and the shape is elegant, 
 but there is no appearance of a bridge (Fig 14). In 
 the same century, the top of the instrument was fre- 
 quently rounded, and was not unlike the modern scroll. 
 Martin Agricola, 1545, gives characteristic figures of 
 four of these instruments, of different sizes ; Discantus, 
 Altus, Tenor, and Bassus. They have three strings, 
 bridge, tail-piece, and two crescent-shaped sound-holes. 
 The peculiar shape will be seen from the representation 
 of the Descantus (Fig. 15). 
 
 As we have before observed, the several instruments 
 before referred to were distinct from each other, and are 
 frequently mentioned together in the same passages of 
 the early English and French romance writers.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 49 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AVINGr shown the probability of the intro- 
 duction or invention of the bow in this 
 country in connection with the crwth or 
 instruments of that class, and referred to 
 the very early use of the instrument generally known 
 as the viol, and also the absence of proof of the prior 
 use of the bow elsewhere, we think we may fairly claim 
 the origin of it for our own country. We were peopled 
 in very early ages, and, although some of our ancient 
 chronicles give rather fabulous accounts of the first set- 
 tlers, yet they are generally not devoid of some founda- 
 tion, however perverted and exaggerated the facts may 
 have become. The Druids, in the time of Caesar, were 
 a learned body, and skilled in the arts of their age, which, 
 from many of the existing Celtic remains, had made con- 
 siderable advance. Some antiquaries, of deep research, 
 believe they can see glimpses amongst our oldest remains 
 or monuments of the past, of a state prior to the Druids, 
 whether connected with the serpent worship, or with what 
 else, is foreign to our purpose. The great antiquity of our 
 island as an inhabited country is undoubted, and the 
 early use, therefore, of the musical instruments of which 
 it is our earnest wish to give a just and impartial, and 
 we hope also an interesting account, though the under- 
 taking may be difficult. We may observe that in our 
 
 E
 
 50 HISTOEY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 very early history there are references to and statements 
 of visits to the neighbouring continent, and after the 
 arrival of the Komans there are many instances of emi- 
 gration there, and on one occasion a kind of colony was 
 established in Britanny, where there are still many marks 
 of resemblance to the Celtic portions of our country. 
 King Alfred even sent a mission to the far East ; and on 
 all these occasions some of our arts and customs would 
 be carried over to, and, to some extent, be adopted by 
 the countries visited. 
 
 The more ancient form of the viol, as before mentioned, 
 appears to have been of pear shape, that is, like a pear 
 divided longitudinally ; but it afterwards became of a 
 more oval shape, and subsequently inward curvatures, 
 more or less denned, were introduced, and the instrument 
 in time became much in form like the modern violin, 
 though of heavier make ; but this was after the lapse of 
 centuries. Before the inward curvatures were intro- 
 duced, the rounded sides must have interfered with any- 
 thing like execution, and checked the action of the bow, 
 which, from the form of some of these instruments, must 
 have struck several strings together. As increased exe- 
 cution, or the desire for it, occurred, the sides would be 
 curved inwards to meet the necessity, and frets were 
 afterwards introduced to guide the fingers. These cur- 
 vatures would also facilitate the holding of the larger 
 instruments between the knees. The strings varied from 
 one (but this is very rare, and we only find it in G-erbert's 
 example) to six, but rarely more. At first there was no 
 detached finger board, but the neck was an elongation of 
 the body of the instrument ; the sound-holes were gene- 
 rally two, but there are examples with four ; there was a 
 bridge varying in size and position, and usually a tail- 
 piece of some sort. There are instances of two bridges,
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 51 
 
 but thesa arc quite exceptional, and probably arise from 
 some error in the representation, as they would seem to 
 be unmanageable. 
 
 The earliest representation we have been able to find 
 is that in the learned work of Gerbert, " De Cantu," &c., 
 plate 32, taken from a MS. supposed to be of the eighth or 
 ninth century, and called " Lyra." It is of pear shape, 
 and has but one string, 
 but there are two semi- 
 circular sound-holes, with 
 a small bridge between 
 them ; the neck, although 
 in shape like an elonga- 
 tion of the body, yet 
 from the mark of division 
 across it might have been 
 of a separate piece (Fig. 
 16). 
 
 The Cotton MS. Ti- 
 berius, c. vi. of the tenth 
 century, contains repre- 
 sentations of several an- 
 cient instruments similar 
 to those given by Ger- 
 bert, and De Cousse- 
 
 maker, but the most interesting one for our purpose 
 is that of a performer on the viol, who is accompany- 
 ing a juggler playing with three balls and three knives, 
 and rivalling our modern wonders in this line. The 
 figure has been often produced before, but we think it 
 necessary to insert it here as a very early and distinct 
 specimen (Fig. 17). It is of pear shape, with four 
 strings, two round sound-holes, and a tail-piece, but 
 with no appearance of bridge or finger-board. The 
 
 FIO. is.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 bow is somewhat of the form of our modern double- 
 bass bow. The performer looks 
 as serious as the man who does 
 Punch in the streets, looking at 
 his companion's skill as the mere 
 means of procuring a dinner. 
 
 In Grori's " Thesaurus Vete- 
 rum Diptychorum," there is a 
 representation, supposed to have 
 been taken from a MS. of the 
 ninth century, of David playing 
 on a sort of lyre, and four 
 musicians with him ; one play- 
 ing an organ, one a trumpet, 
 one on four bells, and the 
 fourth on a viol Avith three 
 strings, and two crescent-shaped 
 sound-holes, a finger-board, and, 
 
 apparently, a tail-piece, but no bridge. It is of oval, or 
 nearly circular shape, and the bow something between 
 the double-bass and violoncello bow. Ledwich describes, 
 among the figures in the crypt at Canterbury Cathedral, 
 a grotesque figure playing on the viol, which he ascribes 
 to the time of Alfred, but this crypt is not considered 
 to have been older than the twelfth century, and the 
 figure, therefore, is somewhat more recent than those in 
 Peterborough Cathedral, to which we shall soon refer. 
 The viol is mentioned in a " Treatise on Music," for- 
 merly attributed to the Venerable Bede, but now sup- 
 posed to be of later date, by one who may be called 
 Pseudo-Bede. 
 
 From the earliest Anglo-Saxon times the viol and its 
 congeners appear to have been w r ell established instru- 
 ments at all festivals and social meetings, and so continued 
 
 FIG. 17.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 53 
 
 downwards during the successive changes of dynasties, 
 until superseded by the more lively violin. Played by 
 the violars, frequently associated with jougleurs and min- 
 strels, at the courts of the kings of the eight Saxon 
 kingdoms, which we are instructed in youth to call the 
 Saxon Heptarchy afterwards at those of the Normans 
 and their successors in the bowers of the fair Saxon 
 and proud Norman dames at the country gatherings 
 and fairs and in the halls of the barons, where, as 
 Whistlecraft (Frere) says 
 
 "They served up salmon, venison, and wild boars, 
 By hundreds, and by dozens, and by scores, 
 
 ***** 
 
 With mead, and ale, and cider of our own, 
 
 For porter, punch, and negus were not known.'' 
 
 To be sure these barons, notwithstanding their encou- 
 ragement of minstrelsy, were sometimes troublesome 
 neighbours; one would occasionally have a grand battii, 
 when 
 
 "... omne vicinagium destruebat, 
 Et nihil relinquebat de intacto, 
 Ardens molinos, casas, messuagia, 
 Et alia multa damna atque outragia," &c. 
 
 We have before observed that the instrument was fre- 
 quently called the fythele. In Strutt's "Manners and 
 Customs," there is a figure from a 
 MS. in the Bodleian Library, of the 
 twelfth century, of a performer on 
 the viol of an oval shape, having 
 five strings, without any appearance 
 of sound-holes, bridge, or finger- 
 board, but with a tail-piece (Fig. 18). FI - 13 ' 
 The tail-piece in some instances may have been attached 
 to the belly in the same manner as in our guitar, and 
 therefore have partially served for a bridge. There is a
 
 54 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 curious variety of the instrument, stated to be of the 
 end of the eleventh century, given in that richly em- 
 bellished work, Shaw's "Dresses and Decorations," from 
 additional MS. 11,695. It is of long oval shape, with five 
 strings; the neck is, perhaps, separate, and 
 it has no bridge or sound-holes. It seems 
 to have been of large size. The screws are 
 placed in a singular manner at the top (Fig. 
 19). The bow is very much curved. Figures 
 of about the same date, playing on the usual 
 oval-shaped viol, were on the door of the 
 ancient church of Barfreston, Kent, and on a 
 frieze at Adderbury Church, Oxfordshire, and 
 IG ' 19 ' in other places, some of which of a later date 
 we shall mention afterwards. 
 
 We must not omit to notice one well worthy of honour 
 Eahere, the king's minstrel, who founded St. Bartholo- 
 mew's Hospital in 1103, and whose name is still attached 
 to a small street in the neighbourhood. He is said to 
 have kept company with fiddlers who played with silver 
 bows ; but our authority, " The Pleasaunt History of 
 Thomas of Beading," is not convincing as to this latter 
 fact. He appears, however, to have been a man of wit, 
 and to have been jester as well as minstrel, to Henry I. 
 and this before the court jester degenerated into a 
 mere buffoon. He was one of the first known as " jocu- 
 lator regis ; " not the first, as has been stated, for William 
 the Conqueror had one who was probably on one occa- 
 sion during his wars the means of saving his life. Berdic, 
 joculator regis, is also mentioned in Domesday Book, as 
 of the time of Edward the Confessor. 
 
 There are some very curious representations of the 
 viol and other instruments painted on the interior of the 
 roof of the fine old cathedral at Peterborough, which we
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 55 
 
 have seen, and are fortunate enough to possess a copy of 
 the coloured engraving of it by Mr. Strickland, by 
 whose permission we will introduce some of the figures. 
 This roof is considered to be of the date of 1194, or 
 a little earlier, when the work was completed by Abbot 
 Benedict, who presided from 1177 to 1194. The ceiling 
 was retouched a little previous to 1788, and repaired in 
 1835, but the greatest care was taken to retain every 
 part, or restore it to its original state, so that the figures 
 even where retouched are in effect the same as when 
 first painted. One is a grotesque figure playing on a 
 
 no. 21. 
 
 viol with three strings and four sound-holes (Fig. '20, 
 frontispiece); another is a crowned figure, perhaps to 
 signify a royal minstrel, playing on an instrument with 
 four strings and two sound-holes (Fig. 21) ; a third is a 
 female figure having the instrument on her lap with four 
 strings and four sound-holes (Fig. 22). Each figure on 
 the roof is placed in a separate lozenge-shaped orna- 
 mental compartment, differing occasionally hi the style 
 of ornament, and in the colour of the ground. We have 
 represented that belonging to number 20. The instru- 
 ments have inward curvatures at the sides, and are not
 
 56 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 very unlike the modern violin in shape. There is an 
 appearance of finger-boards and tail-pieces, but none of 
 bridges. Other female figures are represented playing 
 on the psalterion or dulcimer, and the symphonie, the 
 parent of our hurdy-gurdy. Grotesque figures in paint- 
 ings and sculpture were not uncommon about this time, 
 and many may be found in old manuscripts and in the 
 wood carvings of ancient churches. There is a curious 
 representation on the Peterborough roof, of an ass play- 
 ing on the harp, which may have some reference to the 
 singular celebration of the Feast of the Ass, wherein 
 part of the service was called " Asinus ad Lyram;" 
 but it would occupy a chapter by itself to enter even 
 slightly upon this interesting subject, and the numerous 
 varieties of the Feast of Fools. In " Mommies des 
 Fous," &c., mention is made of the figure of an ass on 
 the old tower at Chartres, playing on a stringed instru- 
 ment, which, from the account given, appears more like 
 a harp than the vielle, but the figure had the name 
 of "1'ane qui vielle." 
 
 In France, as in England, music was encouraged from 
 an early period, having been introduced, as appears most 
 probable, from the north ; and the performers frequented 
 the courts of the kings, from Clovis downwards. There 
 is a St. Arnold, who was a "joueur de violon," that is 
 the viol, in the ninth century. In the midst of the 
 changes of the French monarchy and their constant 
 warfares, petty and great, and notwithstanding the un- 
 certain tempers of their royal and noble patrons, the 
 minstrels kept their ground. And a difficult task they 
 must sometimes have had. Take Sismondi's account of 
 one, rather a quiet one, towards the end of the eleventh 
 century, Philip I. " Cependant, coimne il n'avait point 
 de volonte, il n'eprouvait point de contrarietes; comme
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 57 
 
 il ne faisait jamais la guerre, il n'etait point battu; et 
 comme il ne formait pas de projets, il ne les voyait 
 jamais echouer : sa vie domestique etait prospere, et sa 
 sante resistait a sa longue intemperance." 
 
 Instruments played with the bow do not appear to 
 have been numerous on the Continent before the 
 eleventh century, but increased in number and variety 
 towards the middle of it. The form at first was conical 
 or pear-shaped, having the body and neck formed of one 
 piece ; but soon assumed a more oval shape, with the 
 neck and body separate. There is said to be a repre- 
 sentation of an ancient French king in the church of 
 Notre Dame, with a bow in one hand and a viol in the 
 other, of about the last date ; but there is some doubt 
 whether this is Chilperic or Kobert, who commenced 
 the building in the tenth century; Montfaucon says it 
 was the former. There is a curious figure of a performer 
 on the viol on a medallion of the eleventh century at 
 Boscherville. He holds it artistically under the chin, 
 and appears to be singing at the same time, though his 
 aspect is somewhat lacrymose, as if he 
 were attempting for the first time the 
 studies of the Paganini of the period. 
 The instrument apparently has four 
 strings, and is of oval shape, but has 
 neither bridge, sound-holes, or finger- 
 board in the representation. We have 
 referred before to the figures on a capital 
 at Boscherville of the twelfth century ; 
 one of these is playing on a sort of viol 
 of oval shape, having two semicircular 
 sound-holes, but without any appearance riG ' 28< 
 
 of bridge or finger-board (Fig. 23). M. de Cousse- 
 maker considers this instrument to be a gigue.
 
 58 .HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 As far back as the thirteenth century we find the 
 figure of a monochord of a rectangular, oblong, and 
 narrow form, and taller than the performer; from this 
 was probably derived that curious instrument, the 
 trumpet marine. There was also an instrument some- 
 what smaller, having two strings, called the diacord or 
 dicord. 
 
 The profession of a jongleur or trouvere of early 
 times, was by no means an easy one, and comprised not 
 only skill on several instruments, but juggling, sleight of 
 hand, and many similar qualifications. We have already 
 referred to some of these in our extract from " Les 
 Deux Troveors Kibaux." 
 
 Colin Muset, the celebrated minstrel of this date, 
 according to Laborde, even exceeded the usual musical 
 qualifications ; but the song given by him as one of 
 Muset's, is evidently modernized, and we will give but 
 one verse, concluding with the bard's modest estimation 
 of himself. 
 
 " II chante avec flute ou trompette, 
 Guitarre, harpe, flageolet, 
 Tambourin, violon, clochette; 
 II fait la basse et la fausset ; 
 II inventa vielle et musette : 
 Pour la manivelle ou 1'archet, 
 Nul n'egale Colin Muset." 
 
 But even the great Colin Muset had sometimes to 
 complain of neglect from the great. He thus speaks of 
 one who had paid him nothing for his minstrelsy : 
 
 " Sire quens j'ai viele 
 Devant vos en vast re otel ; 
 Si ne m'avez riens donne, 
 Ne mes gages acquitez, 
 C'est vilanie." 
 
 A great improvement had taken place in musical
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 51) 
 
 notation by the time of the eleventh century, and the 
 name of (ruido d'Aretin is well known for his exertions 
 in this respect, and indeed, as is frequently the case in 
 such matters, he has more credit given to him than he is 
 entitled to ; some of his supposed discoveries having been 
 previously known. For a considerable time prior to such 
 date, notation was by what were called neumes ; whence 
 Ducange says, "Neumare est notas verbis musice decan- 
 tandis superaddere." These neumes were arbitrary 
 characters or accents, several in number, which super- 
 seded the letters previously in use, and were placed over 
 the words to be sung, a separate value, or power, or 
 pitch, being attached to each. Gerbert gives a table of 
 forty, with their names. At first until about the end of 
 the ninth century, there were no lines or indications of 
 clefs, and there being no guide, it was difficult to assign 
 the value with any accuracy, and people differed as to 
 the relative pitch. About the tenth century a horizontal 
 line, either black or red, was placed over the words, 
 which marked the place of a fixed note, and the place 
 of the neumes over or under this line distinguished the 
 quality of the note much better than had previously 
 been the case. A song of the twelfth century on the 
 battle of Fontanet or Fontanay, with notation in the 
 style, of the neumes, without the horizontal line, is sup- 
 posed to be one of the earliest examples of secular music. 
 Afterwards, two lines were used, one red, which had the 
 letter F at the commencement, and the other yellow or 
 green, which had C. Subsequently two other lines were 
 added; one between the two former ones, and the other 
 either above or below them; the letters at the head of 
 the principal lines being the origin of the clefs of our 
 modern notation. The notes were named, ut, re, mi, fa, 
 sol, la, from the commencing syllables of the lines of a
 
 60 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Latin hymn, of which the corresponding musical notes 
 were each a tone higher than that of the preceding 
 syllable. They were afterwards called C ut, D re, &c. 
 Ho well, in one of his letters, October 7, 1634, mentions 
 that the Germans, who were then great drinkers, would 
 sometimes drink a health musically to each (of the six 
 notes, comprising them, together with the reasons for 
 drinking, in the following hexametre : 
 
 UT RE levet MI serum FA turn, SOL itosque LA bores. 
 
 The lines were afterwards increased to five : indeed, 
 there are some ancient pieces of music with many more ; 
 but still much especially of the ecclesiastical music- 
 continued to be written with four. In the twelfth cen- 
 tury, the grave square notes still to be seen in the old 
 church music, came into general use ; these gradually 
 improved in appearance, and became less in size, as they 
 became the representatives of greater celerity, until now 
 they have reached that extreme railway speed and com- 
 plication of figure scarcely to be managed in many 
 cases but by musicians of the highest skill and practice, 
 of whom, happily, we have many.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. ()1 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the 
 representations of the viol differ much ; 
 the strings vary from two to six, but three 
 and five are the usual numbers. Some have 
 inward curvatures more or less defined ; the majority 
 have bridges; there is seldom any appearance of a de- 
 tached finger-board, and the sound-holes are usualty two, 
 sometimes four, and occasionally there is one like that 
 of the guitar. As before observed, the defects in the 
 details may sometimes arise from omissions in the 
 delineations. 
 
 Potier, in "Monumens Franais," vol. i. says there are 
 no representations of the viol before the tenth century, 
 but frequent examples after the eleventh. M. de Cousse- 
 maker says the oldest representation is on a sculpture at 
 the door of the church of St. Aventin, in the environs of 
 of Bagneres, of the eleventh century. G-erbert's repre- 
 sentation, however, and that in Cotton MS. are older. 
 Potier gives several examples of the twelfth century ; 
 some from the porch of St. Denis. A king, said to be 
 David, who is often named when the identity of the 
 monarch is doubtful, holds in his right hand a viol with 
 five strings : the body is oval and somewhat of a guitar 
 shape, with two sound-holes, and apparently a bridge, 
 but no separate finger-board. The bow is short, and
 
 62 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 like that of the double bass. There are two other 
 instruments very similar, one of which has but three 
 strings, but by way of compensation has four large sound- 
 holes, two in each division. He gives representations of 
 two viols of the same date from a MS. in the Biblio- 
 theque Imperiale, one of which is of oval shape, with 
 five strings, and one large round sound -hole like the 
 guitar in the centre. The other has inward 
 curvatures, four strings, and two small sound- 
 holes (Fig. 24). They both appear to have 
 bridges, but no distinct finger-boards. 
 
 M. de Coussemaker, in his learned and inter- 
 esting account of ancient instruments so fre- 
 quently referred to, mentions a viol of the 
 twelfth century, on a window at the royal chapel 
 of St. Denis. It is of a long oval shape much 
 24 ' more so than usual, with six strings and two 
 large semi-circular sound-holes. There is no bridge, and 
 what we should call the tail-piece is in the middle of the 
 body, and the strings seem to be fastened to each end of 
 it. The bow is like that of the double bass, a common 
 form in these times (Fig. 25) . There is also a grotesque 
 figure of Neptune of the same date playing on a viol 
 with three strings, and two semicircular sound-holes, with 
 a kind of tail-piece, but no appearance of a bridge or 
 separate finger-board (Fig. 26). 
 
 In Cotton MS. Nero, D. i. of about the same date, 
 there is a viol which shows the distinctive oval shape, 
 having the neck and body of one piece. It has two 
 semicircular sound-holes, with four strings and a tail- 
 piece, but no appearance of a bridge (Fig. 27). There 
 is a figure like this in the left hand of one of the elders 
 in the Cathedral of Amiens (Fig. 28). Other represen- 
 tations of about the same date and much of the same
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 character may be found in MSS. at the British Museum 
 and elsewhere, of which it does not seem necessary to mul- 
 tiply examples, and this remark will apply to subsequent 
 times. We may observe that Jerome de Moravie, in his 
 
 treatise on music, of the thirteenth century, mentions the 
 vielle amongst instruments having four or five strings. 
 
 FIG. 28. 
 
 FIG. 29. 
 
 Among the sculptures at what is called the Musicians' 
 House at Rheims, of the thirteenth century, there is a
 
 64 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 figure playing on an oval-shaped instrument with three 
 strings, and two sound-holes nearly in the shape of ears. 
 The attitude of the performer is very easy, and the bow 
 is iron and of light construction, almost -appearing to be 
 an addition of more modern date. We have given a 
 representation of the instrument and the bow (Fig. 
 
 Burney notices an antique enamelled basin found near 
 'Soissons, which he states to be of the ninth century ; but 
 it is now considered to be of the thirteenth, and has been 
 described both by Potier and de Coussemaker. Amongst 
 other musical figures, it has two, apparently females, 
 playing on the viol ; one of the instruments has three 
 strings, with two sound-holes and a 
 bridge, while the other has apparently 
 only two strings, but four sound-holes 
 and two bridges, though what is called 
 a second bridge was probably only to 
 denote the end of the finger-board, as 
 two bridges would be objectionable in 
 many respects (Fig. 30). 
 
 Towards the end of the thirteenth 
 century the convex sides of the viol 
 became by degrees indented, or more or less curved 
 inwards, to give freer scope for the bow, though much 
 time elapsed before the present finished form was arrived 
 at, and many trials made, and failures experienced. 
 
 Catgut strings, as they are generally called, though 
 now made from sheep, are of very great antiquity, as 
 they were used for the harp of the ancient Egyptians. 
 In the thirteenth century the sale of strings must have 
 been a matter of some importance, and recognised as an 
 article of trade, for in an old poem of this date called 
 " Du Mercier," which may be considered as a sort of
 
 HISTOBY OF THE VIOLIN. 65 
 
 trade-soug by a mercer, amongst other articles to entice 
 customers, he says 
 
 " J'ai bones cordes a violes." 
 
 If the prices had been affixed it would have been more 
 interesting. 
 
 About the same time, in an account of Paris under 
 Philippe le Bel, 1292, being the particulars of a tax of 
 100,000 livres levied on the inhabitants, there is probably 
 the first notice of any makers of instruments, namely, 
 "citoleeurs 4," being strictly makers of citoles, a species 
 of guitar; but no doubt they were also makers of the 
 different sorts of viols, just as the term "luthiers" was 
 applied afterwards not only to makers of lutes, &c., but 
 also of viols and violins. There is another maker, how- 
 ever, who is still more defined, " Henri aus vieles," or 
 Henry, the maker of viols, who may be considered the 
 first of his art on record. 
 
 The representations and notices of the viol or vielle, 
 and instruments of that class, are numerous in the four- 
 teenth century. It was a favourite instrument with the 
 minstrels, and the name of one is handed down as 
 Arnold le Vielleux, and another in the service of the 
 Emperor Conrad IV, called Jouglet, was distinguished 
 as a performer. In an account of the Dukes of Bur- 
 gundy from 1382 to 1481, there is an entry of musical 
 instruments, from which it appeal's that the Duchess had 
 two Spaniards, performers on the vielle or viol, called 
 Juan de Cordova, and Juan Fernandez, of whom the 
 former was blind. In the wardrobe accounts of Edward 
 II, who was not sparing in his expenses, there is a pay- 
 ment of 51. to " Robert Daverouns, violist of the Prince 
 of Tarentum, performing his minstrelsy in the king's 
 presence, of the king's gift at Neuburgh; " a great sum 
 
 F
 
 66 
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 in those days, probably equal to 70/. or 80/. at present. 
 On the marriage of his sister Margaret, minstrels canie 
 from all parts, foreign as well as English, 426 in number, 
 to whom 100/. were given in reward. We have already 
 mentioned Queen Isabella's vidulatores. Edward III. 
 in his band of nineteen musicians, had a fiddler (i.e. 
 violist) with the pay, like his companions, of 12d. a day. 
 The sound-holes were usually two, semi-circular or 
 ear-shaped, and placed nearly as at present ; the strings 
 varying from three to six. The instrument had now 
 generally inward curvatures, more or less decided- 
 There is not always the indication of a bridge, or 
 detached finger-board, but, as before observed, the 
 absence or imperfection of details cannot always be 
 taken as proof of the state of the instrument. M. de 
 Coussemaker gives a representation of one of the four- 
 teenth century, the body of which does not differ much 
 in shape from that of the modern violin. It has three 
 double strings, though the screws ap- 
 pear to be four, a rounded bridge, and 
 two semi-circular sound-holes, but no 
 distinct finger-board; and the top of 
 the neck, or what would be our scroll, 
 is turned at right angles (Fig. 31). He 
 gives the representation of another from 
 the Koyal Library at Brussels, without 
 curvatures, and with four strings that 
 pass through a series of teeth with 
 which the bridge is provided ; it has a 
 finger-board, and two sound-holes. 
 
 Potier has given a figure of an in- 
 strument of the fourteenth century, with three strings 
 and a bridge, but no separate finger-board; the neck, 
 if it may be so called, is large, and of a lozenge shape, 
 
 FIG. 31.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 67 
 
 found in the early forms of the instrument, but at this 
 time going out. It has two sound-holes, and the bow 
 like the double-bass bow (Fig. 32). D'Agincourt, in his 
 "History of Art," has a representation from a painting 
 by Barnabas de Modena, 1374, of the crowning of the 
 Virgin by our Saviour in Heaven, where several figures 
 are introduced playing on musical instruments. Amongst 
 them is the viol, having five strings, with two semi-lunar 
 sound-holes and a tail-piece, but no bridge or finger- 
 board : the bow-hand has great ease in its position, and 
 
 FIG. 32. 
 
 FIG. 33. 
 
 the bow is very like that known as the Corelli bow (Fig. 
 33). A small pair of double drums is introduced, placed 
 on the back of one angel, and played on by another; 
 also the musette or bag-pipes. 
 
 The viol may frequently be found in the sculptures in 
 our cathedrals and old churches. Carter has given some 
 representations from Ely Cathedral of 
 the early part of the fourteenth century. 
 One appears to have five strings and a 
 tail-piece, but with no appearance of 
 bridge or sound-holes ; the other has 
 more the form of what has been called MG -
 
 68 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 the rebec, without inward curvatures, but the details are 
 very imperfect (Figs. 34 and 35). The 
 superb screen in York Cathedral, separating 
 the nave from the choir, has numerous 
 figures of angels playing on musical instru- 
 ments, and the viol among them. In Exeter 
 Cathedral there is a small fabric of stone 
 FIG 35 projecting from the north wall of the nave, 
 of about the middle of the fourteenth century, 
 supported by a cornice, and called the minstrels' gallery. 
 The front is supported by thirteen pillars, dividing it 
 into twelve niches, each containing an angel playing on 
 a musical instrument, and among these is the viol. It 
 is the custom for the choristers to go to this gallery on 
 Christmas Day and sing a hymn. Carter represents 
 the figure of an angel on the lower tier of the screen at 
 the west front of this cathedral, playing on a pear-shaped 
 viol. Minstrel galleries, with figures playing on musical 
 instruments, are likewise mentioned at the cathedrals of 
 Winchester, Lincoln, and Worcester. Dibdin, in his 
 "Bibliographical Tour," gives engravings of what he 
 calls " Drolleries at Strasbourg Cathedral," of about the 
 date 1370 ; one of these grotesque figures is playing on 
 a sort of pear-shaped viol, with apparently four strings, 
 and two ear-shaped sound-holes, but no other details. 
 
 The baton of the conductor is comparatively a modern 
 introduction into our orchestras, and many of us still 
 remember the tap of the leader in our concerts, for 
 which the baton has now been successfully substituted. 
 It had, however, been known long previously on the 
 Continent, and in a list of the orchestra of the Opera at 
 Paris, in 1713, there appears at the head, " the Batteur 
 de Mesure," with a salary of 1000 livres. The cantor's 
 staff was known many centuries back in our ecclesiastical
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 69 
 
 establishments, and in those on the Continent, and the 
 custom is still preserved in many parts. Pugin, in his 
 " Glossary of Ecclesiastical Ornament," gives an en- 
 graving of a highly decorated one, and describes others 
 at St. George's, Windsor ; York, St. Paul's, and Lincoln, 
 naming at the latter cathedral "two staves of wood, 
 having upon them little plates of silver, with branches of 
 vines." Gerbert mentions some singers having silver 
 wands and staffs about the sixteenth century. 
 
 There is a curious story or gossip about a baton de 
 rhantre, related in "Annales Archeologiques," iii. 266-7, 
 which may not be generally known. When Napoleon I. 
 was crowned, he intended, in order to have all the ad- 
 juncts as complete as possible, to carry in his hand the 
 original sceptre of Charlemagne. It was resuscitated 
 for the purpose from the treasures of the Abbey of St. 
 Denis, and was to be repaired and put in order for the 
 ceremony ; most unexpectedly, on removing the old vel- 
 vet with which it was covered, there appeared the date 
 1394, which the Committee of Antiquaries, to whom the 
 matter had been intrusted, saw was inconsistent with 
 the time of Charlemagne ; and there was not only this 
 date, but also an inscription, from which the following is 
 an extract, proving the supposed sceptre to be simply a 
 baton de chant re : 
 
 "Qu'il fust garde, 
 Et en grans festes regarde, 
 Car pour loyaulte maintenir 
 Le doibt chantre en la main tenir." 
 
 What was to be done ? De Non was consulted, but 
 he desired that the discovery should be kept secret. The 
 baton was dressed up, and converted into the sceptre of 
 Charlemagne (just as upon occasion a common working
 
 7U HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 grub is converted into a queen bee), and performed its 
 appointed part in the imposing ceremony. 
 
 The troubadours were accompanied by violars, or per- 
 formers on the harp, or viol, or instruments of that class, 
 and were frequently skilful performers themselves. In- 
 deed Thibaut, Count of Champagne, towards the begin- 
 ning of the thirteenth century is said to have taken up 
 the study of the viol, to console himself in an unsuccess- 
 ful attachment for Queen Blanche, the mother of Saint 
 Louis, and became a skilful performer. We must, how- 
 ever, refer those who wish to learn more of the history 
 of this distinguished race, from William, Count of Poi- 
 tiers downwards, to Hawkins's " History of Music," and 
 more especially to Kaynouard, " Choix des Poesies Ori- 
 ginales des Troubadours," and Fauriel, " Histoire de la 
 Poesie Provene,ale," where many of the chanzos, sirventes, 
 &c. will be found. The romantic histories connected 
 with Chatelain de Courcy, Jauffred de Radel, Guil- 
 laume de Cabestaing, and others, afford curious examples 
 of the manners of their age. The last-named of these 
 troubadours, as is known to those versed in these chroni- 
 cles, fell violently in love with Sermonde, the wife of 
 Raymond of Rouissillon ; but the husband, instead of 
 approving of this choice, slew the poet, and, having 
 taken out his heart, had it served up at table before his 
 wife, who, when she became informed of the fact, threw 
 herself out of window and was killed. Her friends and 
 those of Oruillaume, assisted by other troubadours, took 
 upon them to ravage the lands of Raymond, and destroy 
 his castle ; after which praiseworthy act they buried the 
 unfortunate lovers in one grave. The husband was cer- 
 tainly a little brusque in his treatment of de Cabestaing, 
 but we cannot help thinking that all the sympathy is not 
 due to the lovers. Jauffred de Radel was still more
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 71 
 
 romantic ; he fell violently in love with the Countess of 
 Tripoli from mere description, and induced his friend 
 Bertrand d'Allamanon to accompany him to the Levant 
 in 1162, but fell ill during the passage, and, on his 
 arrival at Tripoli, just lived long enough to see the 
 countess, express his passion, and then die. In the 
 " Conte of Aucassin and Nicolette," Nicolette having 
 been made captive, is discovered to be the daughter of 
 the King of Carthage, and she wishes to return to Au- 
 cassin to avoid being married to a rich pagan king. 
 The difficulty is how to escape, but at last she contrives 
 to manage this in the garb of a minstrel : " Elle quist 
 une viele, s'aprist a vieler, et elle s'embla la nuit, si 
 s'atorna a guise de joglior;" and having thus arrived 
 safely in Provence, " si prist sa viele, si alia vielant par 
 le pays, tant qu'elle vint au castel di Biaucaire."
 
 72 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 HE minstrels are so connected with the 
 practical part of music, that a short notice 
 of them appears requisite in a work of this 
 nature, even at the risk of repeating in part 
 what may be found elsewhere ; but we hope, also, we 
 may add some particulars that may not be generally 
 known. The distinguished antiquary, Mr. Thomas 
 Wright, F.S.A., has a chapter on minstrels and jongleurs 
 in his interesting "History of Domestic Manners." 
 
 In the early times of our country the king's bard, or 
 harper, was an officer of high rank, and enjoyed many 
 privileges; the king's minstrel was also an officer of dis- 
 tinction at the Saxon and Norman courts. The story of 
 Taillefer, at the time of the Conquest, is well known; 
 lumping on shore one of the foremost of the invaders, 
 singing the war-song of the celebrated Hollo, and dying 
 like the fabled swan, with a song in his mouth. We 
 have no particular account of any such officer in the 
 reigns immediately succeeding the Conquest, though 
 every one, even without the benefit of a competitive 
 examination, as fully believes the story of King Richard 
 and Blondel as he does those relating to the bold Robin 
 Hood, Little John, and Scathlock, or Scarlett, with Maid 
 Marian, and that unlucky Bishop of Hereford. In the 
 forty-first of Henry III, however, we find a payment of
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 73 
 
 4/. 7s. paid to Henry Abrinces, the king's versifier, by 
 some called his jester, who received 6d. a day. If there 
 may be some doubt as to his being a minstrel as well as 
 a poet, we may at any rate consider him as a sort of 
 proto-poet-laureate. He offended, on some occasion, 
 Master Michael Blaumpayne, the humorous Cornish 
 poet, who abused him in some very personal satirical 
 lines. At the installation feast of Ealf de Born, Prior 
 of St. Augustine, Canterbury, 1309, the minstrels pre- 
 sent were paid 3/. 10s. for their reward. Edward II. 
 during his father's life was evidently fond of convivial 
 society, and payments are found to William Fox, and 
 Cradoc his companion, for singing before the prince and 
 other nobles ; generally 20s. each time. After he suc- 
 ceeded to the throne, several minstrels are named, and 
 on the occasion of the marriage of Elizabeth, daughter 
 of Edward I. to John, Earl of Holland, every king's 
 minstrel received a fee of 40s. ; and one at least, named 
 Robert, was in the habit of receiving regular pay. Ja- 
 nino le cheveretter, or bagpiper, at one time had 40s. 
 given to him, and at another 20s. The bagpiper, how- 
 ever, seems to have been in repute at these times, for in 
 the reign of Edward III. Barbor the bagpiper had licence 
 to go beyond the seas to visit the schools of minstrels, 
 with 30s. for his expenses; and Moiian the same leave> 
 with 40s. This was, no doubt, to enable them to see if 
 any advantages were to be derived from the study of 
 the Continental style of play. The musette, a veiy 
 ancient instrument, was popular on the Continent, and, 
 judging from the tone of the modern instruments, it is 
 softer and more melodious than that of the common 
 bagpipe. During the festivals on the crowning of Pope 
 John XXIII, about 1410, the Marquis of Ferrara brought 
 with him fifty-four knights, all clothed in scarlet and
 
 74 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 blue, attended by five trumpets, and four companies of 
 minstrels, each with different instruments ; and, on the 
 morrow of his coronation, the Pope was attended during 
 his procession by thirty-six bagpipes and trumpets, and 
 ten bands of minstrels playing on musical instruments, 
 each band consisting of three performers. In that curious 
 poem, " The Vows of the Heron," about 1338, where 
 some strange examples of the vows of the knights, and 
 even of the ladies, may be seen, Kobert of Artois has the 
 heron brought in between two dishes of silver, and com- 
 pels two players on the viol, and one on the guitar to 
 introduce it 
 
 " Entre deux plats d'argent fu li hairons assis; 
 Deux maistres de viele a quens Robert saisis, 
 Avec un quistreneus, accordant par devis ;" 
 
 afterwards they fiddle very sweetly, 
 
 " Et li dois menestral vielent douchement ;" 
 
 but subsequently, at his command, they have to come 
 out fortissimo. 
 
 "II fait les menestreux de viele efforchier." 
 
 Many entries are found of payments to minstrels, and 
 frequently large ones, considering the difference in the 
 value of money, but generally the recipient is only called 
 minstrel, and his particular instrument is not named. 
 In the eleventh of Edward III, John de Hoglard, min- 
 strel of John de Pulteney, was paid 40s. for exhibiting 
 before the king at Hatfield and London ; and Koger the 
 trumpeter, and the minstrels his associates, for perform- 
 ing at the feast at Hatfield, for the queen's delivery, had 
 no less a sum than 101. presented to them. At the feast 
 of St. George at Windsor, in 1358, connected with the 
 celebration of the Order of the Garter, the early history
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 75 
 
 of which will always be interesting, whether connected 
 with the Countess of Salisbury or not, Haukin Fitz- 
 Libbin and his twenty-three fellows, the king's minstrels, 
 had for their good services 16/. 
 
 During the compulsory visit of John, King of France, 
 here, after the battle of Poictiers, from 1357 to 1360, 
 there are several entries in his accounts of payments to 
 minstrels. In one case there is a payment of four nobles 
 to go and see some instruments for the king, and on 
 another occasion two nobles to buy a harp. The largest 
 appears to be forty nobles, or 13/. 6s. Sd. to the minstrels 
 of the King of England, the Prince of Wales, and the 
 Duke of Lancaster, who played before the king on the 
 feast of St. John, June 24, 1360. There is, however, an 
 unlucky note in the margin of the original account, imply- 
 ing that this money was not paid, though for what reason 
 does not appear. Payments to minstrels appear in the 
 time of Eichard II, who was better suited to the luxuries 
 of a court than the cares of a crown. There are similar 
 payments in the time of Henry IV, among which there 
 is one to William Byngley, the king's minstrel, of 
 2/. 6s. Sd. to purchase apparel for his person, probably 
 for a sort of livery. 
 
 "When Henry V. went over to France he was accom- 
 panied by several minstrels, Kymer mentions fifteen, and 
 among them was one Snyth Fydeler ; their wages appear 
 to have been 12rf. a day. They played for an hour 
 morning and evening at the king's head-quarters, and 
 on the eve of the battle of Agincourt, though the Eng- 
 lish were fatigued and oppressed with hunger, and 
 expected death on the morrow, yet they played on their 
 trumpets and various other instruments throughout the 
 night, and confessed their sins with tears, numbers of 
 them taking the sacrament. A song on the battle of
 
 76 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Agincourt is the oldest English song known with music. 
 There is an order in the first of Henry VI. to pay several 
 minstrels by name an annual pension of 100s. each, of 
 whom the first seven had accompanied his father to 
 France ; and in the twelfth year of his reign there is an 
 order for a payment which for procrastination may match 
 any of modern times, being one to the representative of 
 the representative of the man who earned it more than 
 fourteen years previously. It is a payment of 10/. to 
 Henry Jolipas Clerk, executor of Joan, wife of John 
 Clyff, a minstrel, the executrix of the same John Clyff, 
 who had gone over to France in the third year of 
 Henry Y. with seventeen other minstrels, at the rate of 
 12rf. a day, and with whom certain jewels had been 
 lodged as a security. 
 
 In the twenty- third of Henry VI. there were liberal 
 payments made to some foreign minstrels who came 
 over to witness the state and grand solemnity of the 
 coronation of the Queen, and made a report of the same 
 abroad. Five minstrels of the King of Sicily had 10/. 
 each, and two of the Duke of Milan 5 marks, or 3/. 6s- 
 Sd. each ; liberal payments, no doubt remembered on 
 making the report. Edward IV, who in the early part 
 of his kingly career alternated with Henry VI, according 
 as the white or red rose was triumphant, paid by the 
 hands of Thomas Vaughan 20/. to the heralds and min- 
 strels on the day of the creation of the Lord the Prince 
 at Westminster, in the eleventh year of his reign. Some 
 unlicensed minstrels apparently gave trouble in his time, 
 and got access to great houses and feasts under the pre- 
 tence of being king's minstrels, which induced him in 
 1469 to grant a charter to Walter Halliday (a name 
 which appears among the minstrels of Henry V.) as 
 marshal, and seven others, establishing, or as some
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 77 
 
 called it, restoring a fraternity or guild, to be governed 
 by a marshal and two wardens, empowering them to 
 regulate the profession of minstrels, but it did not prove 
 of much benefit, and they contrived to lose their repu- 
 tation by the time of Elizabeth. In her reign, 1581, we 
 find Thomas Lovell, in his " Dialogue betwene Custome 
 and Veritie concerning the use and abuse of Dauncing 
 and Mynstralsye," abusing the minstrels for not singing 
 godly songs, and proceeding, 
 
 " ... He that cannot gibe and jest, 
 
 Ungoldy scoff and frump, 
 Is thought unmeet to play with pipe, 
 
 On tabret or to thump. 
 The minstrels doo with instruments, 
 
 With songs, or els with jest, 
 Maintain them selves, but as they use, 
 
 Of these naught is the best." 
 
 Henry VII. was a careful man, and may come under 
 Sydney Smith's definition of being fond of his specie, if 
 not of his species. In all his travels and progresses he 
 was met at different towns by minstrels, waits, and other 
 musicians, each town of note having then its own set. 
 There are numerous payments made to them, but in 
 general, less than 20s. For instance, the waits of North, 
 ampton had 13s. 4J. in reward, while those of Coventry, 
 Sandwich, and Canterbury, had but 10s., and those of 
 Dover only 6.s. 8d. Even the minstrels who played in 
 his ship, the Swan, that took him from Sandwich to 
 Calais, were only paid 13$. 4iL for then* performance, 
 notwithstanding they had to brave the perils and incon- 
 venience of the sea. Of the more regular performers, 
 Pudesay, the piper in bagpipes, had but 6.s. 8d. for his 
 performance, whilst 5/. were paid to three string min- 
 strels for wages; and in a subsequent entry, 15s. is 
 given to one for a month's wages. In 1501, a sum of "21.
 
 78 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 is paid to the "Princesse stryngmynstrels at Westm 1 '; " 
 but in February, 1495, there is a most liberal payment 
 of 30L to the Queen of France's minstrels, it being politic 
 to pay foreign performers of this class well. 
 
 Henry VIII. was fond of show and entertainments 
 during the first twenty years of his reign, and not only 
 encouraged minstrelsy, but was himself a good musician, 
 and a gallant sort of personage ; many payments to 
 minstrels are therefore found in his accounts. In later 
 times he suffered from an cmbcuras de richesscs in re- 
 spect of his wives, and amused his leisure hours with 
 polemical studies, ultimately becoming fat, argumenta- 
 tive, and ill-tempered, with the inconvenient power of 
 cutting off his opponent's head, as \vell as crushing his 
 argument. As his size increased, minstrelsy decreased, 
 and faded for the want of royal patronage. 
 
 In the " Northumberland Household Book," it is stated 
 that my lord is accustomed to give yearly to every earl's 
 minstrel, when they come to him yearly 3s. 4d., but if 
 they come only once in two or three years, then 6s. 8d. 
 The gift to his own minstrels, when at home on New 
 Year's Day, was 20s. for playing at his chamber door, 
 being 13s. 4d. for himself, and 6s. Sd. for his lady, when 
 she was at her lord's finding; also 2s. for playing at 
 Lord Percy's, and 8d. at each of the younger sons. In 
 the "Archives of Canterbury," 1523, there is an entry 
 on the 1st of July of 6s. 8d. paid to the king's minstrels ; 
 and in the twenty-second year of his reign, eighteen 
 minstrels are appointed to the household at 4d. a day, 
 most of them, from their names, appearing to be Italians. 
 There is an anecdote of a famous player on the shalme, 
 among the minstrels of Cardinal Wolsey, when he was 
 in France in 1527. He was much admired by the 
 French king ; but, as Stow rather quaintly says, whe-
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 79 
 
 ther from extreme labour of blowing, or from poison (as 
 some judged) he died within a day or two after playing 
 all night, without resting, to the French king and others 
 who were dancing. There does not appear to have been 
 much necessity for presuming poison in this case. 
 
 There was a corporation of minstrels formed in Paris 
 in the early part of the fourteenth century, which was 
 of high repute, and possessed great power. An inter- 
 esting account of it may be seen in " Bibliotheque de 
 1'Ecole des Chartres," 1841-2, torn. 3, pp. 377-404, and 
 vol. iv. pp. 524-48. It flourished till about the middle 
 of the seventeenth century, when it began to decline, 
 though orders were made for its government from time 
 to time down to the eighteenth century. 
 
 Previous to this corporation, and towards the end of 
 the twelfth century, many minstrels and players on in- 
 struments were accustomed to frequent Paris, and we 
 find among the king's minstrels performers on the trum- 
 pets, timbales, and psalterion, being paid 3 sous a day, 
 and their apparel and board. A sum of 60 sous is given 
 by order of the king to Pluinion, to buy "une flute 
 dyvoire." In the middle of the thirteenth century, the 
 minstrels enjoyed many privileges, and amongst them, 
 that of exemption from a certain toll levied on entering 
 Paris, provided they sung the couplet of a song to prove 
 their right. Hence the expression, "Payer en gambades, 
 et en monnoie de singe," as they frequently had monkeys 
 with them, who exhibited their accomplishments in part 
 payment. In the thirteenth century they had so in- 
 creased, and were of such consequence, that they gave 
 name to "La rue aus Jugleeurs," afterwards "Rue des 
 Menetriers," and in modem times, "Rue Rambuteau." 
 At the time of the tax in 1292 before referred to, there 
 were sixty-three persons assessed in this street.
 
 80 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 In the year 1321, thirty-seven minstrels, at the head 
 of whom was Pariset, menestrel le roy, who was a player 
 on the "naquaires," or "tymbales," (and at one time 
 had 60 sous given him to get some timbales made), ap- 
 plied to have some statutes or regulations granted under 
 the sanction of the Prefect of Paris, and eleven were 
 granted them, by which they obtained a monopoly, that 
 enabled them to control the practice of their profession, 
 and to send away all strange minstrels. Among the 
 names affixed to these statutes are Jehannot FAnglois, 
 and Adeline, fame G. 1'Anglois. 
 
 In 1330 or 1331, they founded the hospital of St. 
 Julian, and St. Genes already referred to. It took its 
 rise, like our own Koyal Society of Musicians, from the 
 charitable feelings of two of the profession. These are 
 said to have been Jacques Grave de Pistoye, otherwise 
 called Lappe, and Huet le Guette, who were moved with 
 compassion on seeing a poor paralytic woman, called 
 Fleurie de Chartres. She became one of the first patients 
 of the hospital where she remained till her death. There 
 were several figures of angels in the church playing on 
 various instruments ; and at the entrance were two sta- 
 tues, that of St. Julien on the left, and of St. Genes on 
 the right, in the costume of a minstrel, playing on a viole 
 with four strings. Laborde calls this figure Colin Muset, 
 who, however, was of later date. The viol, or vielle, was 
 a favourite instrument among them. In the account of 
 the appointment of masters or governors of the hospital 
 in October, 1343, the names appear of Jehan le Vidaulx 
 (player on the viol), and Guillaume de la Guietarne, with 
 others, who chose Henriet de Mondidier and Guillaume 
 Amy, "fleuteurs," masters and governors. 
 
 Among the minstrels who came to France in 1274 
 with Mary, daughter of Henry III. Duke of Brabant, on
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 81 
 
 her marriage with Philip III. of France, was Adenez le 
 Hoi, or Le Koi Adenez, king of arms to the duke, who was 
 an excellent poet also, and may have been king of the 
 minstrels ; but at all events Charmillon, who was chosen 
 as such king in 1295, is one of the earliest on record, 
 Robert, king of the minstrels to Louis X, being twenty 
 years later. Jean Poitevin was "roi des menestriers " 
 of France in 1392, and one called Hennequin Poitevin 
 held that title in 1409, and at the same time we find 
 mentioned "Jehan de Tonnelaur joueur de personnages 
 du roy," who is probably the earliest comedian of the 
 king mentioned, and " Gracieuse d'Espaigne menestrelle 
 de la royne," also has a gift made to her. Jean Farcien 
 the elder is said to have been king of the minstrels in 
 the early part of the fifteenth century, probably suc- 
 ceeding Poitevin ; he was a performer on the viol. We 
 are not going to give a chronological list of these dis- 
 tinguished characters, but merely to name a few. There 
 was one called Nyon, commonly known as La Foundy, 
 who was remarkable for his skill on the violin; he was 
 made king of the violins, and died in 1641, having 
 abdicated however some years previously. In the time 
 of Louis XIII. in the first half of the seventeenth cen- 
 tury, there was an able performer called Constantin, 
 who held this office and died in Paris in 1657. He was 
 succeeded in his lifetime by Gruillaume Dumanoir in 
 1630, and after him came Gruillaurue Dumanoir the 
 second, who resigned in 1685. No successor was ap- 
 pointed to the office until 1741, when Guignon, remark- 
 able for his execution, was installed, but subsequently 
 getting into disputes with his fellow-musicians, he found 
 the office so troublesome that he resigned it in a few 
 years, and in 1773 it was suppressed altogether. 
 
 Charles IX. of France granted by letters patent in 
 
 G
 
 82 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 1570, to Jean Antoine de Baif and Joachim Thibaut de 
 Courville the power to form an academy of music. 
 Among the rules there was one admirable one which 
 might be advantageously introduced in our times, par- 
 ticularly in amateur musical conversaziones, namely, 
 that none of the auditors should talk, or make any noise 
 while there was any singing; we beg to add in defence 
 of the instrumental performers, also while there was any 
 playing. We should, however, call the attention of con- 
 cert-givers to the observations supposed to have been 
 made by a Chinese, as reported by Abbe Arnaud, in 
 "Varietes Litteraires : " " Vos concerts, surtout s'ils 
 sont un peu longs, sont des exercices violens pour ceux 
 qui les executent, et de vrais supplices pour les per- 
 sonnes qui les ecoutent."
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 83 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 |N the fifteenth century we meet with the 
 names of some makers. The viol is repre- 
 sented with font or five strings, and fre- 
 quently has inward curvatures, the old oval 
 shape gradually becoming obsolete. The bridges and 
 tail-pieces occasionally are wanting, which may be merely 
 an omission in the representation, and frets are shown 
 in some of the figures. The term vielle seems now 
 superseded by viol, the former term being applied to an 
 instrument like our modern hurdy-gurdy. The sound- 
 holes, with pccasional exceptions, became much like 
 those in present use. Potier gives a representation of 
 an instrument with three strings, and a bridge, having a 
 large perforated sound-hole like the guitar, the head 
 being bent back at a considerable angle : it has no 
 inward curvatures, and the bow is much like that of the 
 double-bass (Fig. 36). There is a figure 
 given by M. de Coussemaker of a viol of 
 this century from a painting by Hemling, 
 which has five strings, with two sound- 
 holes much like our modern ones reversed, 
 with a tail-piece and finger-board; it also 
 has frets but no appearance of a bridge, 
 and is of guitar shape (Fig. 37). Another 
 has inward curvatures, with four strings FI0 . 36 .
 
 84 
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 fastened like those of the guitar, with a large round 
 sound-hole in the centre, the head is a little reversed, 
 with the pegs at the side as at present. D'Agincourt 
 has a representation of a fresco painting of this age by 
 Melozzo da Forli (the inventor of foreshortening), at the 
 staircase of the Palazzo Quirinale, where the figure of 
 an angel is introduced playing on a viol with five strings, 
 but there are no details. In the Minstrels' Pillar, at St. 
 Mary's Church, Beverley, of the time of Henry VI, one 
 of the five figures is playing on a viol of oblong shape, 
 with four strings and a short tail-piece ; but no bridge, 
 detached neck, or finger-board are shown in Carter's 
 
 delineation (Fig. 38). In 
 the same church, over the 
 column, are several figures 
 playing on musical instru- 
 ments, and among them an 
 angel with a long oval or 
 nearly pear-shaped viol with 
 three strings ; another male 
 figure with a large or tenor viol something in shape of a 
 long modern tenor with angles rounded off ; it has five 
 strings, but no details are given of either instrument, 
 except two small sound-holes in the last (Fig. 39). 
 
 FIG. 37. 
 
 FIG. 38. 
 
 FIG. 39. 
 
 FIG. 40. 
 
 FIG. 41.
 
 HISTORY OP THE VIOLIN. 
 
 85 
 
 FIG - 
 
 FIG ' 43 ' 
 
 Strutt has given several representations of musical in- 
 struments from the "Liber Regalis" of the time of 
 Richard II. of which we have reproduced four (Figs. 40, 
 41, 42, 43). 
 
 There was a curious applica- 
 tion of a musical performance 
 in the early part of this century, 
 arising from one of those eccen- 
 tricities which occasionally vary 
 the common routine of life: it 
 
 took place on the death of Louis 
 
 n i A -n i i 
 
 Cortusio, a lawyer at Padua, who 
 
 died in 1418 ; he directed by his will that all the min- 
 strels of the city should be invited to his funeral ; fifty 
 were to walk with the clergy, some before and some 
 after the body, filling the air with the sound of lutes, 
 viols, flutes, hautbois, trumpets, tambourins, &c., and 
 chanting as at Easter. Each performer was to have a 
 demi-ecu for his trouble ; and the body was to be carried 
 by twelve young girls engaged to be married, each of 
 whom had a sum of money by way of portion ; they 
 were to sing joyous songs, and the whole ceremony was 
 to be conducted in the same cheerful manner. Any of 
 his relations who wept at his funeral were to have no 
 share of his property, and he that laughed most was to 
 have the largest share. It is not recorded that the tears 
 were abundant ; but as his family grieved for the loss of 
 his money, if they did not mourn for him, they disputed 
 the will ; however, the Paduan Court of Probate con- 
 firmed it. This hilarious funeral reminds us of an 
 amusing French proverb, where, in a country place, the 
 mayor and magistrates are in expectation of a visit from 
 some living great personage, a great event in the chro- 
 nicles of their town, and also the passage through of the
 
 86 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 body of a deceased dignitary. Councils are held, com- 
 mittees appointed, honorary secretaries installed ; ar- 
 rangements made to meet the living hero with songs, 
 dances, and garlands of flowers, and the dead with over- 
 whelming grief and sorrow, crape and cypress. Every- 
 thing is rehearsed and the actors are perfect, or con- 
 sider themselves so ; but by some unlucky confusion, 
 both the living and dead celebrities approach the 
 town unexpectedly from different quarters at the same 
 time. Away fly the magistrates, committee-men, hono- 
 rary secretaries and all, eager to show their loyalty, and 
 recite their speeches; but more eager than discreet, a 
 sad blunder is made ; all the songs, dances, and garlands, 
 are bestowed on the dead, while the living grandee is 
 met with every mark of the profoundest grief and woe, 
 much to his disgust and astonishment. 
 
 Deviations from common forms, like those directed by 
 Louis Cortusio, are not, however, confined to any age or 
 time. The late Mr. Knill, who died in 1811, bequeathed 
 some property to trustees, in order that every five years 
 a matron and ten maidens, dressed in white, should walk 
 in procession with music from the market-house at St. 
 Ives in Cornwall, and dance round a granite pyramid 
 erected by him, and singing some lines in chorus. 
 
 The term fiddler is frequently found in the accounts 
 of this time, as on February 17, 1497 : " To the Quenes 
 fideler in rewarde, I/. 6s. 8d." A female performer, 
 however, is very shabbily paid on November 2, 1495 : 
 " To a woman that singeth with a fidell, 2s." In the 
 Scottish accounts, as given by Daunay, similar entries 
 appear, as, 1490 : to Benat, 18s., and to " ane oder 
 fydlar,' 5s. In 1496 : "To the tua fithelaris that sang 
 Graysteil to the king," 9s. 
 
 Fetis mentions two " luthiers, or makers of lutes and
 
 HISTORY OP THE VIOLIN. 87 
 
 other instruments, in the first half of the fifteenth cen- 
 tury, namely, Jean Ott of Nuremberg, and Hans Frey 
 of the same place, who was father-in-law of Albert Durer. 
 The term "luthier" was, and still is, applied to makers 
 of violins and other bowed instruments, and we may 
 therefore reasonably suppose that these two " luthiers " 
 made viols as well as other instruments. There was, 
 however, a maker of this date, of whose instruments 
 there can be no doubt. One of his viols was exhibited 
 at Koliker's, in Paris, in the early part of the present 
 century. The neck had been changed, and it was strung 
 with four strings like a violin. It was of a high model, 
 and had no tail-piece, but instead of it, an ivory nut at 
 the bottom, with four holes for the strings. The quality 
 of tone was low and sweet, and it had a ticket with the 
 inscription, "Joan Kerlino, 1449." This maker is con- 
 sidered to have been the founder of the school of makers 
 at Brescia, and is said to have been originally from 
 Brittany. 
 
 About this time there was an improvement in the 
 notation of music. Thomas of Walsyngham, in the be- 
 ginning of the century, says that a new character called 
 the crotchet had been introduced, but mentions the five 
 characters, large, long, breve, semibreve, and minim ; 
 stating that musicians should remember there should be 
 no division beyond the minim. Square or quadrate notes 
 had been invented by John de Muris, in the middle of 
 the previous century. 
 
 The introduction of printing improved the character 
 of musical notation, and the increased requirements of 
 music, and advancement in powers of execution would 
 cause an extension of the signs. The first specimen of 
 music printing is said to have been by Franchinus 
 Gafurius, at Milan ; and Jean Froschouer, at Augs-
 
 88 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 bourg, engraved characters for plain-chant and music, 
 on wood, towards the end of the century. Hawkins 
 states the first music printed in England to have been 
 in the " Polychronicon " of Ealph Higden, by Wynkyn de 
 Worde, in 1495, and strange-looking it is. By the 
 middle of the following century, however, characters 
 were gradually introduced, approaching somewhat in 
 form to those in modern use. Conrad Paulman, who 
 was born blind, and died in 1473, is said to have in- 
 vented the lute tablature, and to have excelled on all 
 instruments. 
 
 Louis XI. was treated with a strange concert of music 
 about this time. Having asked his master of music, the 
 Abbe de Baigne, to give him a concert of pigs, the abbe 
 assembled a number of those peculiarly unmusical ani- 
 mals, of different ages and sizes, and with variety of in- 
 tonation, it is to be presumed, carefully selected, and 
 placed them in a tent, having in front a table like the 
 keyboard of a pianoforte. As the keys were touched 
 they moved certain pins, which pricked the unfortunate 
 pigs, who grunted and squeaked accordingly; we sup- 
 pose there must have been somewhat too much sostenuto. 
 This Louis was not much of a man of jokes, except in 
 his own peculiar way, and some of his recorded amuse- 
 ments were not of a harmless description. According 
 to Brantome and others, he caused his brother the Due 
 de Guienne to be poisoned, as he feared he might be- 
 come troublesome, and his crime was accidentally made 
 known to his domestic fool in the following manner. 
 The king was praying to his "bonne patronne," in the 
 presence of his fool, who, he thought, was too imbecile to 
 attend to or to understand him: "All! ma bonne dame, 
 ma petite maistresse, ma grand' amie, en qui j'ai eu tou- 
 jours mon reconfort, je te prie de supplier Dieu pour
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 89 
 
 moi, et estre mon advocate envers luy, qu'il me pardonne 
 la mort de mon frere que j'ay fait empoisonuer par ce 
 mechant abbe de Sainct Jean d'Angely," &c. The fool 
 was less imbecile than his master had fancied, and re- 
 peated the whole matter for the edification of the king 
 and his court at dinner time.
 
 90 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 N the sixteenth century we arrive at the 
 aera of the Amatis, and find the violin in 
 its present form, when the details received 
 the most careful attention, and everything 
 connected with the instrument was calculated on scientific 
 principles, and it possessed the power and tone which, 
 after a lapse of 300 years, have not been surpassed. 
 Many experiments have been made, to some of which 
 we shall refer hereafter, in change of form and detail, 
 material and disposition of strings ; but none with any 
 effect or improvement ; more frequently, indeed, the 
 reverse. Some alterations have been made in strengthen- 
 ing the centre, mostly of the upper vibrating plate ; and 
 a stronger sound-bar has been applied to resist the in- 
 creased tension of a higher pitch ; and trials have been 
 made without any sound-posts or bars, and with short 
 tail-pieces and varied positions and number of sound- 
 holes, but there has been no permanent or essential 
 change since the latter part of the sixteenth century. 
 
 The violin is stated to have been first referred to in 
 Zacconi's " Pratica di Musica," 1596, where it is men- 
 tioned with a compass precisely of the present extent, 
 without the shift ; but the instrument was known in our 
 country, and in use in the royal band, prior to this date, 
 and some of the Amatis also were previous to it.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 91 
 
 The viol was still in great repute, and it was by slow 
 degrees that the superiority of the violin was allowed ; 
 and this after skilful performers in the succeeding century, 
 whose powers of execution were in advance of their 
 time, had shown the increased facility afforded by the 
 younger instrument, and the brilliancy of tone and 
 sprightliness of effect of which it was capable, combined 
 with sweetness, of less monotonous character than that 
 of the viol. The viol had now from three to six strings, 
 and a French player named Mauduit, of the time of 
 Henry IV. of France, is said to have added the sixth 
 string, but it appears to have been previously in use. 
 It had frets occasionally six or seven to guide the 
 fingers, made of small pieces of gut-string dipped in 
 warm glue, and tied round the neck at proper intervals ; 
 sometimes they were inlaid in the neck or finger-board, 
 and slightly in relief, and the practice was carried down 
 to a comparatively recent period. 
 
 Franchinus Gafurius, before mentioned in connexion 
 with music-printing, in " De Harnionia Musicorum 
 Instrumentorum," 1518, has a plate showing the con- 
 nexion of harmony with the celestial bodies, &c. There 
 is a figure playing on a sort of viol, with the neck 
 turned back, having four strings, but 
 no bridge or sound-holes ; the bow 
 something like that of the double-bass 
 (Fig. 44). We have before observed 
 on the probability of the absence of 
 details, even of the bridges, arising 
 occasionally from the omission of the FJG - ** 
 
 artist. Carter has a representation of a sculpture on the 
 outside of St. John's Church, Cirencester, of the beginning 
 of this century, where there are several figures playing on 
 instruments ; one has an oval viol, with four strings and
 
 92 
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 a tail-piece, and four round sound-holes, but no appear- 
 ance of a bridge (Fig. 45). Potier 
 describes a handsome instrument of 
 the larger size of this class from a MS. 
 of the sixteenth century. It has four 
 strings, and the scroll is curved nearly 
 into a semi-circle, having a boldly 
 carved head at the top ; the sound- 
 hole is round, and perforated like that 
 of a guitar, and there is no appear- 
 ance of a separate finger-board or 
 
 bridge, though this would appear to be necessary on 
 
 looking at the formidable bow (Fig. 46). 
 
 PIG. 45. 
 
 . 47. 
 
 FIG. 46. 
 
 The celebrated printer John Oporinns, at Basle, about 
 1530, had for his device, Arion, sometimes standing on
 
 HISTORY OP THE VIOLIN. 93 
 
 the dolphin with a small three-stringed instrument held 
 reversed in his left hand, and the bow in his right ; and 
 sometimes playing on a large viol with six strings, which 
 approaches the modern tenor in form (Fig. 47). Chris- 
 topher Froschouer, a printer at Zurich of about the 
 same date, also has a viol in some of his title-pages. In 
 the several representations of the "Dances of Death " of 
 this age, the figure of Death is occasionally represented 
 playing on the viol and other instruments, while leading 
 on his victims with grim satisfaction to their fate. 
 
 Mersennus gives a description of a bass-viol in the 
 time of Charles IX. which was large enough to contain 
 a young page inside, who sang the treble of some ravish- 
 ing airs, while the performer, Granier, played the bass 
 part on the huge instrument, and at the same time sung 
 the tenor, thus completing the trio. There is a very 
 large contre-basse represented in a picture of the 
 " Marriage of Canaan," by Paul Veronese, which has 
 nine strings and is apparently about nine feet high ; but 
 we must allow for pictorial license. 
 
 Martin Agricola, in "Musica Instrumentalis," 1545 
 on the back of his title-page represents the Fraw Musica, 
 a smartly dressed female, playing on an instrument of 
 the guitar class. In one corner of the engraving is an 
 instrument of the bass-viol kind, with four strings and 
 frets, abridge, and a tail-piece, with considerable inward 
 curvatures, and two semi-lunar sound-holes under the 
 two outer strings; it has no appearance of a separate 
 finger-board, and the bow is like a double-bass bow, 
 He describes four instruments of different sizes, but all 
 of the same unsightly shape : they are called respectively 
 descantus, altus, tenor, bassus, each with four strings, 
 a large round sound-hole in the centre, like that of the 
 guitar, reaching from side to side, and two crescent-
 
 94 
 
 HISTOEY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 shaped sound-holes facing each other in the upper part 
 of the instrument, and frets, of which the 
 discant and bass have six, and the others 
 seven ; the head is turned back, the cur- 
 vatures are very abrupt and deep, and 
 extend down half the instrument ; there is 
 no appearance of bridge or tail-piece, or 
 detached finger-board ; the bow, as usual, 
 is like that of the double bass. Our 
 figure is that of the discantus (Fig. 48). 
 We have already given the figure of the 
 gigue from the same work. He describes 
 the following as the method of tuning a 
 quartett of viols with four strings : 
 
 FIG. 48. 
 
 Dessus. 
 
 Alto 
 
 Tenor. 
 
 Basse. 
 
 
 while for grand viols with five strings, and the bass with 
 six, the tuning is thus : 
 
 Dessus. 
 
 Alto et Tenor, 
 
 Basse. 
 
 The Italian viols, according to Ganasi del Fantego, 
 1542, had six strings and seven frets, and were tuned 
 thus : 
 
 Violette ou Dessus. 
 
 Alto et Tenor. 
 
 Basse. 
 
 ii
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 95 
 
 Kousseau, in his Treatise, written in the seventeenth 
 century, says that the first viols used in France, meaning 
 the class of instrument on which he 'was a celebrated 
 performer, had five large strings, the bridge placed low 
 and below the sound-holes, and were tuned in fourths 
 from C down to E, and in figure were like what he calls 
 the bass-violin. The viol afterwards, he says, became 
 more like the violin in form, and a sixth string was 
 added, when he describes the tuning as D, A, E, C, G, 
 and D. After this a seventh string, A, was added by 
 his master, St. Colombe. There were four sizes, answer- 
 ing to the four classes of voice ; basse, taille, haute- 
 contre, and dessus. Sometimes also a contre-basse was 
 added. 
 
 The French tuned the taille a fourth higher than the 
 bass, the haute-contre a fourth higher than the taille, 
 and the dessus a fourth higher than that. Jerome de 
 Moravia, three centuries before this, gives three different 
 methods as tuning the vielle, but as the description is 
 long and somewhat complicated, we did not think it 
 necessary to insert it. 
 
 Luscinius, in 1536, mentions and gives a figure of a 
 chelys or bass-viol, with nine strings and frets, with 
 sides much curved in, and very similar to the figure 
 given from Agricola; also the monochord, the rebec, 
 the viol da gamba, the vielle or lyra mendicorum (that 
 is, the hurdy-gurdy, to which the name vielle was now 
 applied), and the violin or treble viol; but this is an 
 instrument with three strings only, and more properly, 
 perhaps, the gigue. Laborde gives a drawing of a large 
 instrument of the double-bass class, with numerous 
 strings, invented by Jean Doni, called the amphicordum 
 or accord, which must have been very puzzling to play 
 on, and was probably little more than an experiment.
 
 96 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 The term cheyls is introduced into the somewhat 
 pompous introduction of a curious poem called, " Canum 
 cum catis certamen," in which every word begins with 
 the letter C. 
 
 " Cattorum canimus certamina clara canumque, 
 Calliope concede chelyn ; clariaeque Camcense 
 Condite cum cytharis celso condigna cothurno 
 Carmina." 
 
 Hucbald, the well-known writer on music in the ninth 
 century wrote "Ecloga de Laudibus Calvitii," which, 
 besides a " Proaemium and some lines at the end, as 
 "Clausula Carminis," has twelve chapters, each begin- 
 ning with "Carmina clarisonse calvis cantate CamosnaB," 
 and consisting of ten lines, every word beginning with 
 C. There is a very rare work, " Carmen contra clypeum 
 Cyclopum concordiam," by John Nasus, a Franciscan 
 monk, about 1580. Other pieces are known, every 
 word beginning with P, as, " Pugna Porcorum," and 
 also with other letters. 
 
 Several fine performers on the viol are mentioned at 
 this time, as, Alphonse della Viola, Alessandro della 
 Viola, and Giovan-Battista del Violino (probably a violin- 
 player). Granier was one of the finest players of his 
 age, and died about 1600. He was attached to the 
 court of that singular character Queen Marguerite, who 
 after the assassination of her husband, Henry IV, lived 
 in a strange mixture of pleasure and devotion, luxury 
 and literature, music, dancing, and charity ; and, accord- 
 ing to Dreux du Radier, entertained a passion, when 
 past the age of fifty, for Comine, 'her master of music, 
 who was called, apparently in consequence, " le Roi 
 Margot." The celebrated female fool of the French 
 court, Mathurine, whose folly in her later years was 
 probably to some extent assumed, and under cover of
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 97 
 
 which she made a large fortune, had a son called Blanc - 
 llooher, who was an admirable player on the lute. When 
 Henry IV. was stabbed by Jean Chastel, in 1594, he at 
 first thought the act had been committed by Mathurine, 
 who was in the carriage with him, and cried out, " Au 
 diable soit la folle ; elle in 'a blesse !" but from her 
 presence of mind she mainly contributed to the capture 
 of the real criminal. The celebrated Zwinglius was an 
 amateur performer, admitting to Faber, who had objected 
 to his love of music, that he had learned to sing to the 
 chelys, fidicula, tibia, and other instruments, and de- 
 feuded the art. 
 
 Claudio Monteverde, of Cremona, dwelling therefore 
 among the Amatis, in the end of this century, was not 
 only a distinguished performer on the tenor viol, but 
 also a composer, and we shall have to refer to him again. 
 Vincentio Galilei, the father of the great astronomer, 
 was an able writer on music, and in 1582 names the 
 viola da braccio, which he says was called the lira not 
 many years previously, the viola da gamba, and the 
 violono, but not the violino, which must, however, have 
 been known before his time. He attributes the invention, 
 erroneously, as we consider, to Italy. 
 
 Francis I. of France is said to have been the originator 
 of a chamber-band, in addition to the music of his chapel, 
 and to have had violins; but there were musical estab- 
 lishments of this nature in the French court long pre- 
 viously. An anecdote is told of his sending a band of 
 accomplished musicians to Solyman, the second Emperor 
 of the Turks, in 1543, who, having heard them three 
 times, caused all their instruments to be destroyed, and 
 after making them handsome presents, sent them out of 
 the country, on pain of death should they return ; fear- 
 ing that his people might become enervated by hearing
 
 98 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 them, and suspecting that Francis had sent them over 
 for political purposes, and to divert him from the 
 business of war. There is a story of much more recent 
 date, where a band was sent over to some Eastern poten- 
 tate, and on their first proposed performance, begun as 
 usual to tune, when the monarch and his grandees, 
 supposing this to be the commencement of the concert, 
 were so astonished and ear-struck, that they sent the 
 unconscious offenders back again as fast as they could, 
 without waiting for further proof of their skill. Some- 
 thing like this would seem to be alluded to in the 
 " Knight of the Burning Pestle," " They say 'tis present 
 death for these fiddlers to tune their rebecks before the 
 great Turk's grace." 
 
 In the time of Henry IV. of France, there was a 
 dispute between his musicians and those of the Cathedral 
 of Notre Dame, as to the right of precedence before 
 him ; when the king decided that they should all sing, 
 but that the musicians of his chapel should begin. He 
 had his band of " vingt-quatre violons du Roi," but 
 they seem only to have been used for dancing. 
 
 The statutes of the Corporation of the makers of 
 instruments, players, and professors, which had been 
 confirmed in 1454 by Charles VII, and enlarged by 
 Franois de Harlay, Archbishop of Eouen, in 1517, 
 were regulated in 1578 by Henry III. Even Charles 
 IX. himself was fond of music, and played on the violin. 
 Poisot, in his " Histoiy of Music," recently published, 
 states that he had seen his instrument at the Biblio- 
 theque de Cluny Saone et Loire ; but notwithstanding 
 this taste of the king, the composer Goudimel, the master 
 of the renowned Palestrina, was killed in the massacre 
 of St. Bartholomew's Day, which Charles is said to have
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 99 
 
 personally encouraged, and to have assisted in : but 
 Nero himself was a patron of music. 
 
 The two following entries from the accounts of the 
 expenses of Charles, taken from "Archives Curieuses de 
 1'Histoire de France," are interesting, especially the 
 latter, as it shows that Cremona was then famous for its 
 instruments ; and, if the fifty livres tournois formed the 
 price of one violin, the value would be high even at that 
 time, as the livre tournois was worth five francs five cen- 
 times, and fifty would be equivalent to 252, or probably 
 about 1200 in present value. Part of the sum, however, 
 may have been for the expenses of the journey : 
 
 " 7 Novernbre, 1572. A Baptiste Delphinon, violon 
 ordinaire de la chambre dudict sieur, la somme de 75 
 livres tourn, dont Sa Majeste luy a faict don, pour luy 
 aider a supporter les frais et despence qu'il luy convient 
 faire s'en allant presentement a Millan, par commande- 
 ment de Sa Majeste pour faire venir des inusiciens pour 
 son service et plaisir." 
 
 " 27 Octobre, 1572. A Nicolas Delinet, joueur de 
 fluste et violon dudict sieur, la somme de 50 livres 
 tourn, pour luy donuer rnoyen d'achepter ung violon de 
 Cremonne pour le service dudict sieur." 
 
 In the accounts of his successor, Henry III, from 1580 
 to 1588, violins are mentioned amongst other instru- 
 ments, and as early as 1550 the name of Pierre de la 
 Haye, joueur de violin, appears in the register of the 
 performances of the ancient drama at Bethune. Violins, 
 and instruments of this class, are mentioned frequently 
 in the accounts of festivals in the French memoirs of this 
 age, of which a few examples may suffice. There is an 
 account given in the Memoirs of Marguerite de Valois, 
 of a fete given at the interview of her mother, Catherine
 
 100 HISTOEY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 de Medicis, with her son, King Charles IX. in 1565, at 
 Bayonne, where several provincial dances were intro- 
 duced with the appropriate instruments, as, " les Poite- 
 vines avec le cornemuse, les Provencales la volte avec 
 les timballes, les Bourguignones et Champenoises avec le 
 petit hautbois, le dessus de violin, et tabourins de vil- 
 lage; les Bretonnes dansans les passepieds et branles- 
 gais ; et ainsi toutes les autres provinces." We think a 
 history of dancing by some properly qualified person 
 would prove an interesting, as well as an amusing work, 
 though we are not prepared to go as far as the Maitre a 
 danser, in " Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme : " " Tous les 
 malheurs des homines, tous les revers funestes, dont les 
 histoires sont remplies, les bevues des politiques, et les 
 manquements des grands capitaines, tout cela n'est venu 
 que faut de savoir danser." 
 
 According to a song made on the marriage of the 
 same monarch 
 
 "Tabourins et trompettes, 
 Hautbois et violins, 
 D'une haulteur parfaite 
 Faisoient tantir leurs sons. 7 ' 
 
 At a splendid fete given in 1579, on the marriage of 
 Margaret of Loraine, the sister of the queen of Henry 
 III, to the Due de Joyeuse, several violins were intro- 
 duced to play the dances, the whole being arranged by 
 the celebrated Baltazar, or Baltazarini, one of the first 
 famous violin - players on record. He was valet de 
 chambre and superintendent of music to Catherine de 
 Medicis, and also the chief of the king's band, and was 
 commonly called De Beaujoyeulx. After the nuptials of 
 Margaret, Queen of Austria, with Philip III. of Spain, 
 at Ferrara, in 1598, and those of the Duke Albert with the 
 Infanta Isabella, the king's sister, amongst other enter-
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 101 
 
 tainments a concert was given by the nuns of the Con- 
 vent of St. Vito, wherein they played on violins and 
 bastard viols, together with other instruments, inter- 
 mingled with voices. 
 
 Having previously given an account of a concert of 
 pigs, we may be allowed, perhaps, to vary our work a 
 little by relating one where cats formed part of the 
 orchestra, before Philip II. of Spain, at Brussels, in 1549. 
 A bear was seated on a great car, at the figure of an 
 organ, which instead of pipes had twenty cats, of differ- 
 ent sizes and notes, shut up in small cages, with then* 
 tails out, and attached to the register of the organ, so 
 that, as the bear pressed the keys, the tails of the unlucky 
 cats were pulled, and, according to the chronicler, the 
 cats began to squeal " des basses, des tailles et des 
 dessus, selon la nature des airs que Ton voulait chanter, 
 avec tant de proportion, que cette musique des betes ne 
 faisait pas un faux ton." We should have suspected, but 
 for this statement, some hanging of the notes occasionally. 
 The description proceeds to state that, at the sound of 
 this feline instrument, monkeys, bears, wolves, stags, and 
 other animals danced about on an accompanying stage ; 
 but as from the context it appears that, with the excep- 
 tion of the cats and monkeys, the beasts were represented 
 by children dressed up, we may almost fancy some tam- 
 pering with the cats, though nothing of the sort is men- 
 tioned. 
 
 The viol appears in England in the royal bands in 
 this century, as well as the rebec and fiddle, as before 
 mentioned. In the seventeenth of Henry VIII. we find 
 his band consisted of fifteen trumpeters, three lewters, 
 three rebikes, three taberets, one harper, Andrew New- 
 man the waite, two vialls, four drumslades, a phipher, and 
 ten sagbuts ; the wages varying from 4/. to 33/. 6s., the
 
 102 HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 three principal sagbuts alone receiving the highest rate. 
 Nearly similar lists appear in subsequent years. In 
 September, 1532, there is a sum of 3/. Is. 6d. charged 
 in the Privy Purse expenses, for the livery coats of three 
 of the "vyalls," showing that the members of the royal 
 band were provided with a dress at that time. In 1538 
 Henry had three " vyalls," named Hans Highbourn, 
 Hans Hossenet, and Thomas Highbourne, at salaries of 
 33s. 4d. per quarter; and three years after the number 
 was doubled, their names, as we learn from Mr. Collier's 
 " Annals of the Stage," being Vincent de Venitia, Alex, 
 de Venitia, Albertus de Venitia, Ambrose de Milano, 
 Joan Maria de Cremona, and Antony de Komano, all of 
 them foreigners, and one, it will be observed, from Cre- 
 mona, now soon to take a distinguished place in the 
 annals of the violin; their salary was 4/. quarterly. 
 These performers were accustomed to participate in the 
 New Year's Gifts, then so liberally and regularly distri- 
 buted ; for instance, on New Year's Day, 1542-3, they 
 received from the Princess Mary the sum of 20s., being 
 a larger sum than that given to any others of their own 
 class ; many similar examples might be given. 
 
 In a curious inventory of the effects of Henry VIII, 
 taken immediately after his decease, there are no less 
 than nineteen " vialles," great and small, and four "git- 
 terons " (guitars), with four cases to them, called " Spanishe 
 vialles;" the catalogue comprises numerous instruments, 
 especially flutes, and finishes w r ith " sondrie Bookes and 
 Skrolles of Songes and Ballattes." 
 
 The succeeding monarchs, Edward VI, and Mary and 
 Elizabeth, both of whom were skilful musicians them- 
 selves, had bands formed much in the same way as that 
 of their father. The viols in Edward's band, of whom 
 there were eight, were paid, six at the rate of 30/. 8s. 4.d.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 103 
 
 each, one at 20/., and one at 18/. 5s. The first notice of 
 violins hy name in the royal bands appears to be in 1561, 
 when the sum of 230/. Ox. Sd. was paid to them ; in the 
 same year we shall find them introduced in the tragedy 
 of " Grorboduc." Ten years afterwards the queen had 
 seven, who received 325/. 15s. One of the New Year's 
 gifts given to her in 1577-8, was a viol by Marke Antony ; 
 these gifts, were so regulated and graduated, that every 
 one connected with the court was expected to give one, 
 down to Snii/tli, dustman, who gave " two boltes of 
 cameryck." There is an entry in the " Calendar of State 
 Papers," 1569, of the names of the officers of the queen's 
 household who were defaulters in payment of the sub- 
 sidy, and all the musicians appear in this list, which does 
 not speak well for their position, unless they were re- 
 turned as defaulters as a matter of favour, for the purpose 
 of being excused. In the Accounts of the Scotch Court, 
 given by Dauney, in his "Ancient Scottish Melodies," 
 are several entries relating to viols and " fithelars " of 
 this century, as, in 1503, " To Adam Boyd, Bennet, and 
 Jame Widderspune fithelaris xlij 8 ." 1505, " To Sir 
 George Lawederis fithelar, ane fithelar of Striuelin, &c., 
 ilk man ix s . xlv s ." 1507, Jan. 1. " To divers menstrales, 
 schawmeris, trumpetis, taubroneris, fithelaris, lutaris, 
 harparis, clarscharis, piparis," extending to Ixix persons 
 "x 11 . xj s ." In 1538, payments are made " To the foure 
 menstralis that playis upon the veolis, for their yeirlie 
 pensioun ij c H ," and also " To Jakkis Collumbell player 
 upon the veolis." 
 
 The price of a common bass-viol was moderate enough, 
 for there is an entry in the diary of Philip Henslowe, 
 " Lent unto Richard Jonnes the 22 of desembr 1598, to 
 bye a basse viall and other instrementes for the companey 
 xxxx s ." In an inventory of Henslowe, of the same
 
 104 HISTOEY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 year, are included a trebel viall, a basse viall, a bandore, 
 and a sytteren. In the accounts at Hengrave, in 1572, 
 there is a charge of 20s. for a treble violin ; and there 
 seems little doubt but that the violin was now in requisi- 
 tion for dances, except perhaps for the stately pavan, or 
 others of the grave and ceremonious class. 
 
 In an interesting "History of Horselydown," by Mr. 
 Corner, F.S.A., to whom we are indebted for a copy, 
 there is an engraving from an old picture in the posses- 
 sion of the Marquis of Salisbury, at Hatfield, the work 
 of George Hofnagle, a Flemish artist. The date of this 
 picture, which represents a fair at Horselydown, is 1590. 
 On the right are some figures dancing; the musicians 
 are, on one side a piper or flutist, and two playing on 
 violins, much of the modern shape, and tw r o other similar 
 violin-players on the other side of the dancers. 
 
 The approach to the present shape of the violin was 
 probably gradual ; the first makers of violins being also 
 makers of viols. Kerlin and Duiffoprugcar preserved 
 much of the viol quality ; but some instruments of Gaspar 
 de Salo, especially tenors and double basses, are made 
 quite in the present shape. At the time of the " Amatis " 
 this shape seems to have been completely settled and 
 perfected. 
 
 At the conversazione of the Musical Society of London, 
 on the 29th of January, 1862, the curious old violin 
 described in "Hawkins's History of Music," with an 
 engraving, and stated to have been given by Queen 
 Elizabeth to the Earl of Leicester, was exhibited. It is 
 of the date of 1578, and is of heavy make, the upper 
 part of the body being much deeper than the lower ; 
 there is a great deal of ornament and carving about it, 
 and we should expect the tone would be nasal and 
 sluggish. It is now kept at Warwick Castle. Burney
 
 Vioi. DF. GAMBA. 
 In the possession of S. A. For&tcr.
 
 VIOL DE GAMBA. 
 In the possession of S. A. Forstcr.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 105 
 
 mentions Corelli's violin, then the property of Giardini, 
 after whose death we believe the well-known Mr. Salo- 
 mon became its possessor; it was made in 1578, and 
 the case is said to have been painted by Annibal 
 Caracci. 
 
 One of the writers of this work has in his possession 
 a very handsome viol da gamba of about this date, richly 
 inlaid and ornamented, purchased from the late Mr. John 
 Cawse, the artist, but we have been unable to ascertain 
 the previous owners. The body is about the size of a 
 modern violoncello, and it has frets. It is altogether 
 so fine a specimen of this class of instruments, that we 
 have had photographs, from which our illustrations are 
 taken. (Figs. 49, 50.) When the lamented Prince 
 Consort, on the 16th of April, 1845, being the director 
 for the evening of the Ancient Concert, had some music 
 of the 16th century performed on instruments of that 
 period, some of which were sent over by M. Fetis from 
 Brussels for the purpose, Mr. Cawse lent this viol da 
 gamba, which was played on by Mr. Eichard Hatton. 
 In the course of the evening he was desired to attend 
 and show the instrument to the Queen, who examined it 
 carefully, and expressed herself much pleased with it. 
 We may remember, that Sir Andrew Aguecheek, amongst 
 other accomplishments, was a performer, " he plays o' the 
 viol-de-gamboys." 
 
 Viols, violins, and fiddles, are mentioned in early 
 dramatic works of this age, and in the "Interlude of 
 the Four Elements," in 1510, one character says, 
 
 "This daunce wold do mych better yet, 
 Yf we had a kyt or taberet, 
 But alas ! ther is none here." 
 
 He is answered by another, who proposes to go to a 
 tavern, where they will be sure to find one or two min-
 
 106 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 strels. In that quaint production, " Gammer Gurton's 
 Needle," our oldest comedy, except " Ealpli Roister 
 Doister," and which is said to have been written as far 
 back as 1551, Diccon, the mischief-maker between 
 Gammer Gurton and Dame Chat, says at the end of 
 the second act 
 
 ' ' Into the town will I, my f rendes to vysit there, 
 And hether straight again to see th' end of this gere ; 
 In the mean time, felowes, pype up your fidles, I say, take them, 
 And let your friendes here such mirth as ye can make them." 
 
 In our earliest tragedy, "Gorboduc," which was acted 
 in 1561, we have the first specimen of music between the 
 acts, the choice of the airs being probably left to the 
 performers. There is a dumb-show at the beginning of 
 each act, taking the place of chorus, and foretelling the 
 subject of the following division of the play, each accom- 
 panied by appropriate music. At the commencement of 
 the dumb-show to the first act it is stated, "Firste the 
 Musicke of Violenze began to play, durynge whiche 
 came in vppon the Stage sixe wilde men clothed in 
 leaues." Previous to the other acts, musical instruments 
 of different classes are introduced. 
 
 In the banquet scene in the "Lamentable Tragedy, 
 mixed ful of pleasant mirth, of King Cambises," of the 
 same date, being that alluded to by Shakespeare when 
 referring to speaking in King Cambises' vein, the king 
 says : 
 
 " Me think, mine eares dooth wish the sound 
 
 of musicks harmony ; 
 Heer for to play before my grace, 
 in place I would them spy." 
 
 Ambidexter, the vice of the piece, replies, 
 
 " They be at hand, sir, with stick and fidle; 
 They can play a new daunce called, Hey, didle didle." 
 
 He seems to have been hard pressed for a rhyme, but he
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 107 
 
 is the buffoon of the play, and on his first appearance 
 comes in dressed with " an old capcase on his hed, an 
 olde pail about his hips for harues, a scummer and a 
 potlid by his side, and a rake on his shoulder." 
 
 In Gascoyne's " Jocasta," nearly of the same date, each 
 act is preceded by a dumb show, accompanied by viols, 
 cythren, bandores, and other instruments. At the end 
 of the play of " Wyt and Science," curnth in foure with 
 violes and syng, Reineinbre me, and at the last quere 
 all make cursye, and so goe forth syngyng." Katherine, 
 in " Taming the Shrew," calls her supposed music-master 
 rascal fidler, and twangling Jack ; and in the old play 
 on which Shakespeare is supposed to have founded his, 
 Valeria, who personates the music-master, exclaims, 
 "Hold, mistresse, souns will you breake my lute?" 
 
 "Kate. I on thy head, and if thou speake to me, 
 
 There take it vp, and fiddle some where else. 
 (She throwes it downe.J 
 And see you come no more into this place, 
 Least that I clap your fiddle on your face." 
 
 In the old play of "Tiinon " (not Shakespeare's), one of 
 the hangers-on is Hermogenes, a fiddler, and the fiddle 
 and fiddling are frequently referred to in connection 
 with him. In one of the songs during Queen Elizabeth's 
 royal progresses, being Rowland's song in praise of the 
 Fairest Beta, by Dray ton, about 1590, we find the fol- 
 lowing collection of instruments : 
 
 " Sound out your trumpets then from London's stately towers, 
 To beate the stormie winds a-backe, and calme the raging showers. 
 
 Set to the cornet and the flute, 
 
 The orpharion and the lute; 
 
 And tune the tabor and the pipe to the sweet violons ; 
 And moove the thunder ia the ayre with lowdest clarions." 
 
 The common fiddlers at this time, if not attached to the 
 court, or to the establishment of some great person, pro-
 
 108 HISTOEY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 bably led a rambling life, inducing too often habits of 
 intemperance, especially as they frequently had to attend 
 taverns and social meetings, where, if they possessed 
 tolerable skill, and were able to sing a good song, their 
 companionship was courted, especially about Christmas 
 time. "Faith, fellow fiddlers," says one of the charac- 
 ters in the " Returne from Parnassus," " here's no silver 
 founde in this place; no, not so much as the usuall 
 Christmas entertainment of musitians, a black Jack of 
 beare, and a Christmas pye." 
 
 One of Tarlton's jests is connected with two musicians 
 (most probably fiddlers) called Fancy and Nancy, who 
 used with their boys often to visit Tarlton, he being one 
 of their best friends, at the sign of the Saba, in " Gra- 
 cious Street." One summer morning they came to play 
 him "The Hunt's up," (a tune for playing which 
 adapted to some political song on the " crowd or fyd- 
 dyll," one John Hogan had got into difficulties in 1537,) 
 with other music ; when he came out of his room in his 
 shirt and night-gown to drink some muscadine with them. 
 In the meantime, a rogue steps in and steals his apparel, 
 which seems to be the point of the joke; and many of 
 these jests are much of the same .quality. 
 
 Armin, in his " Nest of Ninnies," gives an account of 
 a mischance that befel a fiddler, in collision with Jack 
 Oates, the domestic fool of Sir William Hollis. One 
 Christmas-time, Oates being out of sorts, his master told 
 him to go home, as he would get another fool; upon 
 which Jack began to cry, and went down to the great 
 hall, where, being strong of arm, he snatched the pipes 
 out of the piper's hands and broke them over the unof- 
 fending fellow's head, putting a stop to the dancing. Sir 
 William was very angry at this, and offered a gold noble 
 for another fool, on which an unlucky 'fiddler, who was
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 109 
 
 present, proposed to take the place and was approved 
 of. He was so pleased that he threw his fiddle one way 
 and broke it, his how another, and his case another, and 
 went out to dress. In the meantime Jack returned, 
 having recovered his good humour, and began his gibes 
 and jokes, of which an average specimen may be given 
 in his stating that there was a wench in the hall who had 
 eaten garlic, and seventeen men were poisoned from 
 kissing her. His rival, or intended substitute, now en- 
 tered the room dancing and grimacing, and dressed in 
 one of Jack's dresses ; but the practised fool flew at the 
 interloper and beat him severely, so that the unfortunate 
 fellow not only lost his fiddle, but also, as the story says, 
 the use of his left eye. Those who wish to learn more 
 of the interesting and curious history of court and do- 
 mestic fools, will find much entertainment and informa- 
 tion in Dr. Doran's work on the subject. 
 
 Two celebrated fiddlers, called Out Koaringe Dicke 
 and Wat Wimbars, are named about this time, who 
 could make their 20s. a-day at Braintree Fair, a great 
 resort for these characters. Anthony Now-now, and 
 Blind Moon, were also well known. The former is thus 
 introduced in Chettle's "Kind Hart's Dream," 1592: 
 "The first of the first three was an od old fellow, low of 
 stature; his head was couered with a round cap, his 
 body with a side skirted tawney coate, his legs and feete 
 trust vppe in leather buskins, his gray haires and fur- 
 rowed face witnessed his age, his treble violl in his hande, 
 assured me of his profession. On which (by his con- 
 tinuall sawing having left but one string) after his best 
 manner, hee gaue me a huntsvp: whome, after a little 
 musing, I assuredly remembred to be no other but old 
 Anthony Now-now." In some parts of the work the in- 
 strument is called a crowd. Anthony Munday is said
 
 110 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 to have been the person intended to be ridiculed by 
 Anthony Now-now, and he obtained his name from 
 singing a song in which each verse ended with Anthony 
 now, now ; one verse may suffice for an example : 
 
 "When is the best time to drinke with a friend? 
 When is the meetest my money to spend ? 
 O Anthony, now, now, now, 
 O Anthony, now, now, now." 
 
 The instrument was, however, also admitted into good 
 society, for Selden's father, who was passing rich with 
 forty pounds a-year, delighted in the violin, on which he 
 played well, and would play to his neighbours at Christmas- 
 time while they danced. Chests of viols were also kept 
 in many families, as we shall presently describe, and 
 therefore we may assume that violins were also. 
 
 Towards the end of this century publications began to 
 appear of songs adapted to various instruments, which, 
 in the succeeding century, were very numerous. In 
 1558 our acquaintance, Anthony Munday, published 
 "A Banquet of Daintie Conceits" to sing to the lute, 
 bandora, virginalls, or any other instrument. In 1593, 
 William Barley published " A New Booke of Tablature, 
 containing Instructions to guide and dispose the hand, 
 to play on sundry Instruments, as the Lute, Orpharion, 
 and Bandora," &c. John Dowland, the composer of 
 some excellent madrigals, and himself a distinguished 
 performer on the lute, whom Fuller calls the rarest mu- 
 sician that his age did behold, published in 1597, " The 
 First Booke of Songes or Ayres of foure parts with 
 Tablature for the Lute. So made that all the partes 
 together, or either of them severally may be song to the 
 Lute, Orpherion, or Viol de Grambo." In 1599, Eichard 
 Allison published the Psalms of David " in Meter, to be 
 sung and played on the lute, orpharyon, citterne, or base
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. Ill 
 
 violl; " and in tli3 same year Morley printed a work of 
 still more instrumental character, the " First Booke of 
 Consorte Lessons," for six instruments to play together^ 
 namely, the treble lute, the pandora, the cittern, the 
 flute, and the treble and bass viols. At the same time, 
 Anthony Holborne published a collection of pavans, 
 galliards, almaines, and other short airs, for viols and 
 other instruments. William Lawes wrote some fanta- 
 sias for viols, which it might be curious to compare with 
 some of our modern fantasias. 
 
 There are several payments for strings charged in the 
 accounts from which we have previously given extracts, 
 generally called lute strings, but viol and violin strings 
 may be considered to be included. Some of the pay- 
 ments were large, as for instance : Thomas Lytchlield, 
 one of the grooms of the Privy Chamber in the time of 
 Elizabeth, was paid at the rate of 13/. 6s. Sd. a-year for 
 lute strings ; but except in one case, mentioned by Dau- 
 ney, of 6s. paid in 1533 for " one dozen luyt stringis 
 send to the kinge's grace in Glasgow," we do not find 
 the actual value of the strings. There was a Custom- 
 House duty in 1545 of 22</. the grose on " Lute Strynges 
 called Mynikins." 
 
 Mersennus says that strings for fiddles and other 
 stringed instruments were made from the intestines of 
 sheep; a practice as ancient as the early Egyptians. 
 Baptista Porta gives some fanciful effects of strings 
 made from various materials, which we introduce on his 
 authority, not having had time to try the experiments 
 ourselves; but will recommend them to any of our 
 readers having plenty of patience and a good stock of 
 credulity. Strings made from sheep and wolf combined 
 produce no music, but jar, and cause discords ; while the 
 sounds of those made from serpents, and especially
 
 112 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 vipers, cause women to miscarry. So drums made of 
 elephants', camels', or wolfs' skins, will frighten horses, 
 and one of horses' skin is literally a bugbear to the 
 ursine race, from the antipathy the living animals have 
 to each other. For a similar reason, Culpepper says 
 that a cobweb will stop the bleeding of a wound. We 
 should observe in reference to our recommendation to 
 make these experiments, that the learned Kircher, in 
 perfect simplicity and good faith, says, that having seen 
 the account of Porta, and some similar remarks of 
 Pythagoras and others, he got two polychords, and 
 strung one with sheep-strings, and the other with wolf; 
 but. on trying the latter in a sheep-fold, the insensible 
 animals refused to be frightened, and no breaking of 
 strings was caused from the antipathy. 
 
 The notation of music in the present century is some- 
 what repulsive to a modern reader, from its angular and 
 frequently crowded characters; but it was considerably 
 advanced from former times, and capable of expressing 
 passages that require much execution; in effect it 
 comprised our present notation in a ruder form and 
 without the smaller notes. The first music-printing, 
 which was from blocks, is said to have been in the works 
 of Franchinus ; and the Germans exhibited much skill 
 in printing music with letter-press types. There is 
 some account in Hawkins of musical notes of this time 
 from Andreas Ornithoparcus, khaw, Wilphlingsederus, 
 and Lucas Lossius, and he says that music from metal 
 types was invented by Ottavio de Petrucci, about 
 1515. Grafton, in the Book of Common Prayer noted, 
 composed by John Marbeck, and published -in 1550, 
 improved the notes of Higden, and his own characters 
 were improved by Day in 1560. 
 
 Marnef, a printer at Paris in the beginning of this
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 113 
 
 century, was one of the first who printed the plain-chant 
 in moveable characters with the signs of the ligatures, 
 and about the same time Oglin, at Augsbourg, was the 
 first who printed music from copper-plates; Hautin, at 
 Paris, being the first who engraved music in France. 
 The Ballards had a monopoly there in 1540, which 
 somewhat delayed the improvement, as they used the 
 old characters. Adrian le Roy, an eminent lutenist, 
 was afterwards associated with them, and the type was 
 improved. He published, about 1570, the precepts for 
 the tablature of the lute, an inconvenient method of 
 notation, that was occasionally applied even to the 
 different classes of the viol and violin, and did not wear 
 itself out until a comparatively recent period. Granjon, 
 who formed his notes rounded instead of lozenge-shaped, 
 Attaignant, G-uillaume de Be, Branton, and Sanlecque 
 and his son, were other clever printers of music of this 
 age. For the account of the notes from Gam ut, to 
 E la, from the semiquaver to the large, with all the 
 mysteries of moode, time, and prolation, perfect or im- 
 perfect, great or less ; with the intricacies of black full, 
 and black void, red full, and red void, we must refer to 
 Morley's " Introduction to Practical Music," 1597, ob- 
 serving, that notwithstanding the various names and 
 characters in his work, they may be readily understood 
 with a moderate degree of attention ; and such a study 
 might be as useful perhaps more so than the restora- 
 tion of some of our supposed old ecclesiastical modes, 
 where many of the combinations and sequences sound 
 strange to the modern educated ear, and seem to belong 
 to bygone days ; but of which the theory also is very 
 simple, and the knowledge of it to be attained by any 
 one with a moderate knowledge of music in a short time.
 
 114 HISTOBY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 ,N one of the first musical dramas, " L'Anima 
 e del Corpo," 1597, no instruments are 
 mentioned of the viol or violin class, ex. 
 cepting the lira doppia, which has been 
 supposed to be the viol da gamba. In the opera of 
 " Orfeo," 1607, the following instruments were used: 
 "duoi contrabassi di viola, dieci viole de brazzo, duoi 
 violini piccioli alia Francese," and " tre bassi da gamba." 
 As before observed, the violin was well known both in 
 England nearly half a century previously, and in France 
 before this date, and the use of the term "Francese," 
 does not imply the French origin of the violin, but may 
 show that it was popular, and serve as a distinction from 
 the viols; and M. Bottee de Toulmon, in his " Disserta- 
 tion," before referred to, states that he has not been able 
 to find any authorities for the superior claim of the 
 French violin at this time. However, violins were now 
 regularly established in orchestras. In 1634 Steven 
 Lundi, in his musical drama called " II S. Alessio," had 
 violins, harps, lutes, theorbes, bass-viols, and clavecins, 
 to accompany the vocal parts. The oratorio "di S. Gio. 
 Battista," by the celebrated Stradella, who was himself a 
 great performer on the violin, was accompanied by two 
 violins and violoncello del concertino, and two violins, 
 tenor and bass, del concerto grosso.
 
 HISTORY OP THE VIOLIN. 115 
 
 Barney says the first attempt of accompaniments by 
 two violins, tenor and bass, our modern quartett, was in 
 the oratorio "di Santa Cristina," by Federici, in 1676. 
 The orchestras for the compositions of Cavalli, Lulli, 
 and Carissimi (whose " Stabat Mater " is said to have 
 been one of the first pieces in which orchestral accom- 
 paniments were introduced into churches), comprised 
 principally violins and viols of different sizes, bass viols, 
 and double bass-viols, called by the Italians violone, in 
 distinction to the violins, which were called by the dimi- 
 nutive violini, the parent name being the viola. The 
 music for the violins was written in the Gr clef, as at 
 present ; and for the viols for the C clef, on the first, 
 second, or third lines, according to the size of the instru- 
 ment, or soprano, mezzo-soprano, and alto clefs. 
 
 In 1637, at Venice, theatrical action, dancing, and the 
 art of dramatic decoration were brought in aid of song 
 and music, and from 1645 operas were occasionally tried 
 in France. In 1671 a theatre was opened in Paris for 
 the lyric drama, under letters patent from Louis XIV, 
 dated the 28th of June, 1669, wherein it was inserted 
 that gentlemen and ladies might sing at the operas with- 
 out such an act being considered derogatory to their title 
 of nobility, or their aristocratic privileges. Of course 
 whatever Louis said was right ; and there is an anecdote 
 of flattery towards him which certainly throws most 
 others in the shade. A preacher, in his discourse before 
 him and his court, made use of the expression, "We are 
 all mortal," a natural remark, considering that Louis 
 himself had descended from a long line of mortal ances- 
 tors, and might be expected, notwithstanding his three- 
 score and ten years' reign, to follow them to the grave. 
 However, the incautious preacher found from the looks 
 of some of the courtiers that he had made a blunder,
 
 116 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 and promptly recovered himself by exclaiming, "Nous 
 sommes tons mortels on presque tons." 
 
 The viol continued in constant use in England in the 
 seventeenth, as well as in the previous century, together 
 with the violin, and it was common in musical families 
 to have a chest of viols, containing two trebles, a tenor* 
 and a bass-viol, and occasionally there were duplicates of 
 some of the instruments ; at Hengrave, for instance, 
 there was a chest of six viols. Sir Thomas More, who 
 was fond of music, kept viols and an organ in his house. 
 Burney gives the following as the mode of tuning a chest 
 of viols, containing three sorts with six strings : 
 
 The bass-viol, or viol da gamba. 
 
 
 The tenor-viol, or viol da braccio. 
 
 The treble -viol. 
 
 Cerreto, in his work "Delia Prattica Musica," Naples, 
 1601, has his own portrait on the frontispiece, with an 
 angel at each corner playing on a stringed instrument ; 
 two have them of the guitar sort, with five strings and 
 seven frets ; the other two have them of the class of viol 
 da gamba, having five strings, with a circular sound-hole 
 in the centre ; their necks are long, and one of them has 
 five frets ; their forms are like the modern violoncello, 
 with bows similar to double-bass bows. He names four 
 gradations of the viola d'arco, the bass, tenor, alto, and
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 117 
 
 soprano, and gives the compass of the six strings of each, 
 stating that in playing together, the tenor and alto are 
 tuned a fifth above the bass, and the soprano a fourth 
 above them. He gives the names of several Neapolitan 
 performers of the viola d'arco, and the lira, but none on 
 the violin, which, therefore, was apparently of no high 
 repute in Naples at that time. Cerone, a Spanish writer, 
 in "El Melopaeo y Maestro," 1613, names as stringed 
 instruments, sistro comun, psalterio, acetabulo, pandura, 
 dulcemiel, rebequina, or rabel, vihuela, violon, lyra, cy- 
 thara or citola, quitarra, laud, tiorba, arpa, monochordio, 
 clavichordio, cyrnbelo, and spineta ; thus including some 
 of the violin class. 
 
 Prsetorius, in " Theatrurn Instrumentorum," Wolifen- 
 buttel, 1620, gives several curious figures of musical 
 instruments, which may be considered as more particu- 
 larly representing those then in use in Germany. Among 
 them is the gross contra-basscjeiy, much like a modern 
 double-bass, with five strings, two S S sound-holes, a 
 bridge, a finger-board, and a tail-piece, somewhat of a 
 fanciful form, no frets, and the scroll like the modern ; 
 the bow, also, is similar to the present double-bass bow. 
 The violone is much like the violoncello, and has six 
 strings, two S S sound-holes, a bridge, finger-board, tail- 
 piece, scroll like the modem, and six frets ; the bow 
 somewhat like a heavy or clumsy violoncello bow. The 
 Italianische lyra tie yamba is like a thick violoncello, 
 with twelve strings, two S S sound-holes, a finger-board, 
 a tail-piece, a bridge, no scroll, but a flat board, or plate, 
 at the top of the finger-board, in which the screws are 
 fixed ; the neck is very short, and there are five frets. 
 The bow is like that of the violoncello, and it would 
 appear from the figure that several of the inner strings 
 must have been struck together. There are three violen
 
 118 HISTOKY OP THE VIOLIN. 
 
 de gamba, somewhat in shape like the violone just men- 
 tioned, with six strings, a bridge, a finger-hoard, a tail- 
 piece, a sound-hole like a crescent, a scroll with a figure 
 of a lion's head, or something similar at the top, and 
 each with seven frets. The viol lastarda is also much 
 of the same shape as the violone, has six strings, bridge, 
 finger-board, tail-piece, plain scroll, two crescent-shaped 
 sound-holes, and also a round one above them. The 
 Italianisclie lyra de bracio is like the lyra de gamba, 
 but smaller, and has only seven strings. The gcig is of 
 long pear-shape, with three strings, bridge, tail-piece, and 
 circular sound-hole, and very similar to our Fig. 15, 
 taken from Agricola. The Mcin posclie 
 is a small instrument, somewhat of the 
 same class, but of oblong shape, and nar- 
 row, with the neck apparently detached, 
 and one S sound-hole at the end of the 
 finger-board (Fig. 51) ; we have a similar 
 one in our possession. The discant-geig 
 is of violin shape, but with a waving line 
 in the bouts, four strings, a bridge, a finger- 
 board, detached neck, S S sound-holes, 
 tail-piece, and scrolls. The rechte dis~ 
 cant-geig is much like the modern violin in every 
 respect. The tenor-grig, like a modern viola, with 
 a short neck. The las-grig de bracio, like a clumsy 
 shaped violoncello, but with five strings, and a short neck ; 
 none of the last six instruments have frets. He gives 
 the figure of the trwwchride, in the shape of a trumpet- 
 marine, but with four strings ; also the schridholt, which 
 is a sort of oblong narrow 7 box with three strings (there 
 are, however, four screws), and seems to have eighteen 
 frets, with a kind of double-bass bow, and would appear 
 to be more adapted for experiments than anything else.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 119 
 
 There are figures of the scklussel-fiddel, and stroh-fiddel, 
 which are of peculiar shape, and probably were never in 
 general use. One of them has four strings, bridge, &c., 
 but no inward curvatures at the side ; the other has 
 four strings, bridge, &c., but has an appendage at the 
 neck, which is too obscure in the figure to be made out. 
 The alte-JidJd, or old fiddle, has five strings, though 
 there are ten screws, seven frets, two crescent-shaped 
 sound-holes, and a round one below them, no bridge, and 
 no scroll, but a head-piece turning back ; it is much like 
 our Fig. 48, from Agricola. He gives several repre- 
 sentations of the varieties of the lute and guitar, harp, 
 and wind instruments. 
 
 Mersennus, "De Instrumentis Harmonicis," has nu- 
 merous representations of the stringed and bowed instru- 
 ments of his age, the early part of the seventeenth 
 century. He seems to distinguish the violin class as 
 barbiton minor, and the viol class as barbiton major. 
 In describing the first, he says it is much used for 
 dancing, and that the professors of that art used a small 
 one that they could carry in their pocket, called pera, or 
 poche ; he has three figures of them, of which we give 
 one (Fig. 52) ; the others are similar, but of longer and 
 narrower make, and they all have an additional sound- 
 hole in the shape of a heart, under the notion of thus 
 obtaining more power. The necks are of one piece with 
 the body, and they all have four strings and no frets. 
 This instrument was somewhat akin to the old gigue, 
 and also the precursor of the modern kit. He has 
 figures of two large instruments of the barbiton minor, 
 one of which may be considered as identical with a 
 modern violoncello of very broad model, and the other 
 has the corners at the inward curvatures, very distinct 
 and angular, with the sound-holes larger than in the
 
 120 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 modern instrument, the neck also is thicker and heavier 
 (Fig. 53). The strings were tuned in fifths, hut the 
 
 FIG. 52. 
 
 lowest string was G, a fifth, therefore, higher than the
 
 FIG. 53.
 
 122 
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 violoncello. The representation he gives of another bar- 
 
 biton minor, or treble violin, 
 might easily be taken for a 
 modern fiddle (Fig. 54). The 
 sound of this class of instru- 
 ment, he says, is stronger than 
 that of the barbiton major, 
 or viol ; amongst other distinc- 
 tions he mentions the viols hav- 
 ing six strings instead of four, 
 and frets; but these frets ap- 
 pear to have been occasionally 
 applied to the violin ; we have 
 given a representation of one of 
 his figures of the barbiton ma- 
 jor (Fig. 55). From his account 
 of the fingering of the violin, 
 it would seem as if the shift 
 was not then known; but in 
 describing the barbiton major he says the frets do 
 not exceed eight, which would imply that it was in 
 use. When it was first ventured on it was considered a 
 truumph of skill, and the performer did not attempt 
 beyond the C, or ut, on the first string, and if such a 
 passage was expected, the audience would say softly, 
 "Gare I'ut;" if the performer failed he was hissed, but if 
 successful was greeted with bravos and acclamations. 
 Mersennus gives a description with a figure of what he 
 calls the lyre, having eight frets and fifteen strings, of 
 which the bow must necessarily have struck several at 
 the same time. The shape is somewhat unmanageable, 
 being like a violoncello with an additional part at the 
 lower end; probably it was not much in use. He de- 
 scribes the monochord, and that singular instrument, now 
 
 FIG. 54.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 123 
 
 ric. 55.
 
 124 HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 obsolete, the trumpet marine, the favourite instrument of 
 M. Jourdain, in "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme ; " also 
 the lyra mendicorum, like the hurdy-gurdy, which he 
 says some call the symphony, and the French the vielle. 
 The principal materials of strings he states were the in- 
 testines of sheep and other animals, brass and iron (used 
 for the clavicymbala), flax, and silk. Home and other 
 cities produced the best strings, and some of the larger 
 ones were composed of from fifty to sixty guts twined 
 together. 
 
 Kircher in his " Musurgia," 1650, describes and 
 gives figures of several instruments bearing, as it might 
 be expected, great similarity to those in the work of 
 Mersennus, calling the viols and violins by the name of 
 chelys, and the poche by that of linterculus. 
 
 In a curious book, " Symbola Divina et Humana 
 Pontificum, Imperatorum, Eegum," &c. by John Frede- 
 ricus Hagen, 1666, which contains hieroglyphics of the 
 popes and monarchs, there are several of the kings of 
 England ; and in that applicable to Henry VIII. is a 
 large instrument of the fiddle make, with six strings and 
 frets, but with no distinct finger-board ; the head turning 
 forward. From the description, this is intended for the 
 pandura, though different in make and in number of 
 strings from that described by Mersennus, and was not 
 intended to be played on with a bow. In the accom- 
 panying explanation, Henry's usage of his wives is 
 referred to, and the fact stated that Ann of Cleves, after 
 her divorce, amused herself by playing on this instrument. 
 
 In 1611, Louis XIII. granted several new privileges 
 to the Corporation of Musicians. Two of the musicians 
 belonging to this monarch's chapel got into disgrace on 
 some occasion, and were curtailed of half their appoint- 
 ments. In their distress they applied to Marais, his
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 125 
 
 buffoon, who devised the folio whig plan to relieve them. 
 He went with them to dance in a masquerade before the 
 king, each of them being only half dressed. "What 
 does this mean?" said the monarch. "Sire," they 
 replied, " it is because those who have only half their 
 appointments, can only go half dressed ! " Louis laughed, 
 and restored them to favour and to full dress. A story 
 of somewhat similar class is told of Haydn respecting 
 his candle overture or symphony (letter B). Prince 
 Esterhazy having for some reason dismissed all his band 
 except Haydn ; the composer, not liking to part with his 
 old associates, composed the above piece of music, in the 
 last movement of which, each performer as he completed 
 the music allotted to him, put out his candle and quitted 
 the orchestra, leaving the first violin to play about twenty- 
 two bars by himself. The Prince was angry at thi& 
 curious arrangement, and sent for Haydn to inquire into 
 the meaning of it. Haydn bowed submissively, and 
 said he wished to show of what little use one peiiorrner 
 was, and the band were accordingly restored to their 
 appointments. 
 
 Mersennus mentions some of the most distinguished 
 performers of the seventeenth century, and in referring 
 to the harmony produced by the twenty-four royal 
 fiddlers, who consisted of six treble violins, six counter- 
 tenors, six tenors, and six basses, says nothing could be 
 sweeter or more pleasing ; and as to the players, who 
 more elegant than Constantine on the treble, more 
 enthusiastic than Bocan, more delicate than Lazarine 
 and Foucard, and Leger on the bass ? There is a story 
 told of this band of twenty-four going round as usual on 
 New Year's Day, to play to the grandees and/>fncers of 
 the court, and obtain the gifts of the season in return. 
 They went to the Marshal Duke de Grammont amongst
 
 126 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 others, when, after a little time, he put his head out oi 
 window and said, " Combien etes-vous, messieurs ? " 
 "Nous sommes vingt, monsieur." "Je vous remercie 
 tous vingt bien humblement," says the Marshal to the 
 expectant musicians, shutting his window. 
 
 Bocan was the musician selected by Cardinal Richelieu 
 in the following singular scene, related in the "Memoires 
 de Brienne," and elsewhere. The Cardinal, in the 
 height of his power, had ventured to address the Queen, 
 Anne of Austria, in ,the language of love. She, dis- 
 guising her feelings at his boldness, informed him by 
 her confidant, Madame de Chevreuse, that she required 
 as a proof of his sincerity that he should appear before 
 her in Spanish costume, and dance a saraband, never 
 supposing that he, a high Churchman, and occupied with 
 the state affairs of the country, would condescend to 
 such a course. To her surprise, however, supposing 
 that he had succeeded in his suit, he consented, merely 
 stipulating that none should be present except her Majesty 
 and his musician Bocan, who, however, is said to have 
 betrayed him. The queen, notwithstanding, placed her 
 favourite, Madame de Chevreuse, and two of her gentle- 
 men, Vautier and Beringhen, behind a screen. At the 
 appointed time Richelieu entered dressed in a tight- 
 fitting suit of green velvet, with silver bells at his knees 
 and castagnets in his hands, and began his task in sober 
 earnest, until the queen could preserve her gravity no 
 longer, and burst into a fit of laughter, which was re- 
 peated by her attendants behind the screen. The Car- 
 dinal left the room in great anger, and from that time 
 became the enemy of the queen and her favourite. 
 
 Our Queen Elizabeth was fond of dancing, and when 
 advanced in years seems to have used it politically ; as 
 Weldon mentions, that when any messenger came to her
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 127 
 
 from King James, on lifting up the hangings, he was 
 sure to find her dancing to a little fiddle " affectedly," 
 that lie might tell James her youthful disposition, and 
 how unlikely it was he should come to the coveted 
 throne. 
 
 Mersennus names Maugard and Hotman as extra- 
 ordinary performers on the violin and viol; Rousseau 
 says they were the first men who excelled on the viol in 
 France, the former having great science and execution, 
 and facility of working on a given subject ; while the 
 latter had a beautiful tone. He names also Pere Andre, 
 a Benedictine, as a perfect master of the instrument, 
 and Marais as a scientific player ; but the best pupil of 
 Hotrnan was Sainte-Colombe, who surpassed his master, 
 and is said, as before mentioned, to have added a seventh 
 string to the instrument, and to have introduced lapped 
 silver wires, but this is doubtful, as the same is said of 
 Marais. 
 
 Amongst other players of this age, the most distin- 
 guished were Biber, who was also a difficult and fanciful 
 composer ; Michael Angelo Rossi, who played Apollo in 
 his own opera of " Erminio sul Giardino," 1637, and 
 proved his title to the name by his sweet and graceful 
 melody ; Marco Fraticelli, who surpassed all previous 
 performers on the viol da gamba ; and Carlo Ambrosio 
 Lunati, of Milan, commonly called II Gobbo della 
 Regina, who went to England in the time of James II. 
 The celebrated singer Leonora Baroni was also an 
 excellent player on the theorbo and viol. Pierre Pieche, 
 who was appointed " rnusicien et garde des instrurnens 
 de la musique de la chambre du roi," on March 3, 
 1672, may be named for another reason, connected with 
 an ancient custom of the French court. Previous to 
 this time it had been customary to keep dwarfs as well
 
 128 HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 as fools as court appendages, but the practice was now 
 abolished, and the salary that had been given to Balt- 
 zard Pinson, nain, was transferred to Pieche. Ernest 
 Henri Hesse, born in 1676, became one of the best 
 players on the bass-viol in Germany. It is said he went 
 to Paris in 1698, where he stayed three years, and took 
 lessons at the same time from Marais and De Torqueray, 
 unknown to each other. Eac-h boasted of the superiority 
 of his pupil, and they determined to test the merits of 
 their respective scholars at a public concert, when, to 
 their surprise and disappointment, they discovered the 
 identity. Schnittelbach, of Lubeck, about 1660, was 
 a fine performer, and the teacher of Strungk, one of the 
 greatest players of his age. His visit to Corelli is no 
 doubt known to many of our readers. In answer to 
 Corelli's inquiry if he could play, he said he could do so 
 a little, but should wish to hear Corelli, who accordingly 
 gratified him. Strungk then took up the instrument and 
 ran carelessly over the strings, upon which Corelli com- 
 plimented him, and said that with practice he would 
 make an excellent player. Strungk then altered the 
 pitch of all the strings, and played with such skill that 
 Corelli exclaimed, " They call me Arcangelo, but by 
 heavens, sir, you must be Archidiavolo." Corelli, who 
 was born in 1653, was a fine player himself, with a clear 
 sweet tone ; his celebrated compositions may be studied 
 and practised with much advantage even at the present 
 day. His quiet and retiring behaviour when present at 
 a large assembly where there was much talking, and 
 therefore much interruption, was somewhat different to 
 that of Viotti in a similar position. The latter, when 
 about to play a concerto at the French court, had just 
 commenced, when a cry was raised of " Place a mon- 
 seigneur le Cornte d'Artois ! " The usual bustle ensued,
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 129 
 
 in the midst of which Viotti placed his fiddle under his arm 
 and walked off, to the great astonishment of the company, 
 nor would he play in public again for a considerable 
 time. Corelli, in his case, put his fiddle quietly on the 
 table, saying he was afraid he disturbed the conversation. 
 
 The musician Maugard was an abbe, and formed one 
 of the band of the Cardinal Richelieu. He played very 
 finely on the bass-viol, but was deficient in other respects, 
 and ill-conducted ; his forehead was particularly narrow 
 in shape. He in some way or other offended the Abbe 
 de Bois-Robert, who, however, professed to be reconciled, 
 and recommended him to apply to the cardinal for the 
 Abbaye de Crane-etroit, which he told him was about 
 to become vacant. The unconscious victim accordingly 
 went to his great master to beg the vacant benefice. 
 The cardinal, suspecting the author of the joke, could 
 hardly refrain from laughter, but told him he should 
 have the appointment, which he would no doubt retain 
 for the rest of his life. Maugard went directly to the 
 cardinal's secretary, a grave, solemn personage, to 
 arrange, as he supposed, the formal part with him ; but 
 the secretary, looking at him in a contemptuous manner, 
 asked him how he dared come about the Abbaye de 
 Crane-etroit, which existed nowhere except in his face. 
 The disappointed abbe then began to suspect the hoax, 
 and kept out of the way for some time, to escape the 
 jokes against him. 
 
 Corelli's concertos, trios, and solos have been frequently 
 played in public, until within the last few years, especially 
 during the existence of the Ancient Concerts; and the 
 delightful performance of the ninth solo, and in the 
 eleventh trio of the second set by Lindley and Dragonetti, 
 will never be forgotten by those who heard them. One 
 of the last performances in public of the inimitable 
 
 K
 
 130 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Lindley was in that trio at the Philharmonic concert. 
 Torelli's concertos appeared three years before those of 
 Corelli, and he is therefore called the inventor of the 
 concerto grosso. Burney says the first trios for two 
 violins and a bass, were by Turini, in 1624; and in 
 1652 Gregorio Allegri published some quartetts for two 
 violins, tenor and bass. There were also other writers 
 for these instruments in different manners. We may 
 refer, though the want of competent performers seems 
 strange, to the anecdote in Mr. Chappell's work from 
 Corette, that when the Regent Duke of Orleans wished 
 to hear Corelli's sonatas, he was obliged to employ three 
 singers, as no performers of sufficient skill could be pro- 
 cured. Those who know these trios will think there are 
 some queer passages for the voice. 
 
 In Brossard's Dictionary the following varieties of the 
 viol are named at the end of the seventeenth century : 
 Viola d'amor, with six wire strings ; viola de bardone, a 
 large viol, reaching to as many as forty-four strings, and 
 a strange instrument therefore ; viola basso, viola bas- 
 tardo, viola da braccio, or bratz, viola da gamba ; viola 
 Ima, haute-contre de violon ; viola 2da, taille de violon ; 
 viola 3tia, quinte de violon ; viola 4ta, alto viola, or 
 haute-contre ; tenore viola, or taille ; violetta, diminutive 
 of viola, violono, violoncello, properly the quinte de 
 violon, or petite basse de violon, with five or six strings; 
 violone, the basse de violon, or double-bass. 
 
 Michel Todini, an ingenious person and a skilful 
 player on the musette, born at Saluzzo about 1625, 
 invented several curious instruments, and amongst them 
 was a viol da gamba which comprised all the four gra- 
 dations of the viol. He is also said but we should 
 think this doubtful to have been the inventor of the 
 double-bass, to which he gave four strings. In Bonanni's
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 131 
 
 "G-abinetto Armonico," 1722, there is a representation 
 of a curious instrument of the organ class invented by 
 him, which has four distinct sets of keys, so placed that 
 if required they could be played on by four different 
 players at the same time, or one alone could manage the 
 instrument. It was stated to be at the palace of Signer 
 Verospi at Rome. 
 
 Mr. Lidel on the 22nd Nov. 1849, exhibited at a 
 
 meeting of the Society of Antiquaries a viol-shaped 
 
 instrument made by Tielke, 1687, which he called a 
 
 barytone. It had six gut strings passing over a bridge, 
 
 and fastened to an ebony tail-piece, that were played on 
 
 with the bow; and eleven steel strings which went 
 
 under the bridge and were fastened to an ebony bar 
 
 placed there obliquely. The steel wires vibrated from 
 
 sympathy with the gut strings when the latter were 
 
 struck with the bow, and the round and mellow tones of 
 
 the one set of strings mingled with the crisp and metallic 
 
 sound of the other, and produced a peculiarly pleasing 
 
 effect, well adapted to soft music, as notturnos, &c. 
 
 This instrument was exhibited as a viol d' amour at the 
 
 conversazione of the Musical Society of London, July 
 
 2, 1862, and Mr. Lidel informed us that it had been 
 
 given by the then Bishop of Salzburg to his grandfather, 
 
 who was the composer of Lidel's " Duetts for Violin and 
 
 Tenor," and other music where the viola is brought 
 
 prominently forward.
 
 132 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 HERE are constant allusions to the violin 
 and viol, and even to the name of crowd 
 as previously mentioned, as well as to other 
 instruments, in the English writers, dramatic 
 and otherwise, in the seventeenth century; and the 
 violin begins to obtain the favour over its older kin. 
 In Ben Jonson's " Bartholomew Fair,"Lanthorn Leather- 
 head, the hobby-horse man, offers amongst other toys, 
 " What do you lack ? what is't you buy ? what do you 
 lack ? rattles, drums, halberts, horses, babies o' the best, 
 fiddles of the finest." Afterwards he offers for the son 
 of one of his customers a fiddle to make him a reveller. 
 In the same author's " Sad Shepherd," Robin Hood 
 says 
 
 "The woodman met the damsels and the swaines, 
 The neatherds, plowmen, and the pipers loud, 
 And each did dance, some to the kit or crowd, 
 Some to the bagpipe, some the tabret mov'd." 
 
 Here we have the kit and crowd, and also the bagpipe, 
 probably one like the musette, as instruments to dance 
 to; and in Drayton's "Fairy Wedding" crowds and 
 bagpipes are both introduced, the commencing word 
 violins being probably addressed to the performers. 
 
 "Violins, strike up aloud, 
 
 Ply the gittern, scour the crowd !
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 133 
 
 Let the nimble hand belabour 
 
 The whistling pipe, and drumbling tabor ; 
 
 To the full the bagpipe rack, 
 
 Till the swelling leather crack." 
 
 In his "Polybolion," in the description of a musical 
 contest between the English and Britons, he names 
 many instruments then in common use, of which the 
 following are connected with our subject : 
 
 " The trembling lute some touch, some straine the violl best, 
 In sets which there were seene, the musick wondrous choice : 
 Some likewise there affect the gamba with the voice, 
 To show that England could varietie afford, 
 Some that delight to touch the sterner wyerie chord ; 
 The cythron, the pandore, and the theorbo strike : 
 The gittern and the kit, the wandring fidlers like." 
 
 Earle, in his "Microcosrnography," 1728, says of a 
 poor fiddler, he " is a man and a fiddle out of case, and 
 he in worse case than his fiddle." " A country wedding 
 and Whitsun-ale are the two main places he domineers 
 in, where he goes for a musician, and overlooks the bag- 
 pipe." Stephens, in his " Essays and Characters," 1615, 
 gives the following account : "A fiddler is, when he 
 plays well, a delight only for them who have their hear- 
 ing ; but is, when he plays ill, a. delight only for those 
 who have not their hearing." Many will agree with this 
 opinion now. 
 
 A company or party of fiddlers was frequently called 
 a noise. One of the characters in " The Dutch 
 Courtezan," by Marston, with the unpoetic name of 
 Mulligrubbe, says, "0, wife ! 0, wife ! 0, Jacke ! how 
 does thy mother ? Is there any fidlers in the house ?" 
 Mrs. Mnl "Yes, Mr. Creakes noyse." Mul. "Bid 
 'em play, laugh, make merry." They not only fre- 
 quented houses of resort, but different sets seem to have 
 attended particular houses, and they were frequently
 
 134 HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 treated with very little ceremony. An illustration of 
 this will be found in "Westward Hoe," by Webster and 
 Dekker, in the beginning of this century. A character 
 called Monopoly says, "Where's this noise ? what a 
 lousy town's this! Has Brainford no music in it?" 
 Chamberlain (of the Sun). " They are but rosining, 
 sir, and they'll scrape themselves into your company 
 presently." Hon. " Plague a' their cat's-guts and their 
 scraping : dost not see women here, and can we, thinkst 
 thou, be without a noise then ? " Soon afterwards the 
 fiddlers appear on the stage, and Sir Gosling Glowworm, 
 a spendthrift, says to them in the style of the gallants of 
 those days, " What set of villains are you, you perpetual 
 ragamuffins? " to which they quietly answer as if used 
 to such manners, " The town consort, sir." He takes 
 them out with him and says, " the chamberlain shall 
 put a crown for you into his bill of items." The rosining 
 or tuning referred to was probably a subject of complaint 
 in those times, just as at present in a band not sufficiently 
 well regulated, as Massinger says in " The Guardian " 
 
 "Wire-string and cat-gut men, and strong breath'd hoboys, 
 For the credit of your calling have not your instruments 
 To tune when you should strike up." 
 
 In former times, as occasionally in the present, usurers 
 or money-lenders used to require the borrower to take 
 as part of the loan, certain articles of which the value 
 was appraised by the benevolent lender, such as choice 
 pictures, fine wines, and sometimes much more homely 
 articles. In "The Miser," by Shadwell, the character 
 who gives the name to the play, treats his borrower 
 harmoniously, including in his advance, "a Bolonia lute, 
 a Koman arch-lute, two gittars, a Cremonia violin, 1 lyra 
 viol, 1 viol de gambo, and a trump marin." Middleton, 
 in his play of "The Witch," in one of the scenes of
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 135 
 
 conjuring or enchantment introduces a cat playing on 
 the fiddle ; but the well-known nursery rhyme is older 
 than this, and the fact of equal authenticity in both. 
 We have a curious old French print, where there is a 
 cat playing on the fiddle, and a dog with a fool's cap, 
 dancing ; a pantaloon is also playing on the guitar ; there 
 are the figures of two fools in the engraving, one with 
 a fool's-cap looking in through a sort of window, the 
 other is having his head washed by a female figure called 
 La Folie ; in a chimney corner is a fat unwieldy figure 
 with Mardy Gras as his legend, whilst an old woman is 
 preparing cakes. Pussy's fiddle is of the viol character, 
 with four strings and no frets. The print is called " Le 
 Diuertissement de Mardy Gras." It has twelve lines at 
 the bottom, of which the following four are connected 
 with our subject: 
 
 "La grotesque rejouissance 
 Du chat jouant du violon, 
 et du chien qui dance en cadence 
 de la guitarre a pantalon." 
 
 Many allusions are made to females playing on the 
 viol da gamba, but we will only refer here to a ballad of 
 the time of Charles I. in Mr. Chappell's book, called 
 " Keep a good tongue in your head," where a wife is 
 described as having numerous good qualities. 
 
 "She sings and she plays 
 And she knows all the keys 
 of the viol de gambo, or lute," 
 
 but, 
 
 "She cannot rule her tongue." 
 
 Now we are told that " The tongue is a little member, 
 and boasteth great things ;" " But the tongue can no 
 man tame." As an old carol says 
 
 "off al the enmys that I can fynd, 
 The tong is most enmy to mankynd."
 
 136 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Kemember, however, that the tongue masculine is also 
 here comprised ; for who is there that cannot appreciate 
 and has not rejoiced at the gentle voice of woman ? the 
 first that enlivens us in the opening morning of life, and 
 frequently the last that soothes us in the hour of death. 
 In the hours of sickness, the hours of sadness, the hours 
 of deep trial and affliction which have or will come to 
 all the hours when the mind dwells impatiently on lost 
 opportunities, and long practised errors, and futile sacri- 
 fices to the glare and vanities of the world, how often 
 does the soft, kind voice of woman cheer the oppressed 
 mind, and restore its lost power and vigour. 
 
 The directions given for music in the different dramas 
 and masques of the age, the latter of which were frequent 
 at court, will show how the viols and violins were used 
 indiscriminately ; the juxtaposition of some of the 
 instruments will appear strange to our modern arrange- 
 ments. In Marston's " Sophonisba," about 1606, the 
 music of the fourth act is composed of organs, viols, and 
 voices; and towards the end of the act " a treble viall, 
 &c. a base lute, play softly within the canopy," and just 
 previously there is " infernall music playing softly." At 
 the opening of the fifth act the music is confined to " a 
 base lute and a treble violl." In Campion's masque 
 at Lord Hay's marriage, of the same date, on one side 
 are mentioned ten musicians with bass and mean lutes, 
 a bandora, a double sack-bote, and an harpsichord, with 
 two treble violins ; and on the other side, nine violins 
 and three lutes. In the masque of " Silenus," 1613, 
 Silenus has for his music, a tabor and a pipe, a base violin, 
 a treble violin, a sackbut and a mandora ; while Kawa- 
 sha has a bobtail, a blind harper and his boy, a base 
 violin, a tenor cornet, and a sackbut. We find in some 
 of the accounts the payments made to the violins and
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 137 
 
 others connected with these masques, and otherwise 
 engaged by the court, and the names of the leading 
 persons. As in 1610, at a masque given by Queen 
 Anne, Thomas Lupo, who was a distinguished performer 
 on the instrument, had 51. for setting the dances to the 
 violins ; the ten violins that continually practised to the 
 queen, 20/., and four more that were added at the 
 masque, 41. In the Prince's Masque and Barriers, 1611, 
 the same Thomas Lupo again had 51. for setting the 
 dances; the company of violins, 32/., and Thomas Lupo 
 the elder, Alexander Chisan, and Kowland Kubidge, 
 violins, 10/. In a court masque in 1613, where the 
 celebrated Inigo Jones had 50/. for superintending, the 
 same Thomas Lupo had 10/. and John Coperary, who 
 we may assume was the skilful John Coperario, or 
 Cooper, was paid 20/. ; and ten of the king's violins 
 received 10/. On the 23rd Nov. 1607, there is a warrant 
 to pay Daniel Farrant, one of the king's musicians, for 
 the violins, 46/. per annum. On the 22nd March, 1608, 
 Alex. Chesham (the same, no doubt, as Alexander 
 Chisan) was appointed one of his Majesty's musicians 
 for the violins ; and on the 6th February, 1612, Horatio 
 Lupo had a grant of the place of the musician on the 
 violin for life. Charles Guerolt and Thomas Giles 
 appear at different times as instructors in music of 
 Prince Henry, with annuities of 100 marks each. This 
 prince, it is known, died young ; but whether in conse- 
 quence of a cold taken at the time of the visit of the 
 Count Palatine to marry his sister Elizabeth, or from 
 other causes hinted at, it is foreign to our purpose to 
 inquire into. 
 
 Charles I. was not only a great patron of music, but 
 also a fine player on the bass-viol or viol da gamba 
 himself, especially in " those incomparable phantasies
 
 138 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 of Mr. Coperario to the organ," which had an accom- 
 paniment for one violin and a bass-viol. Charles was a 
 pupil of Coperario, who himself excelled as a performer 
 on the viol da gamba. Charles's band in 1625 consisted 
 of eight players on the hautboys and sackbuts, and 
 among them Richard Blagrave ; six players on the 
 flute ; six players on recorders ; eleven players on 
 violins, including Thomas Lupo, who is termed com- 
 poser; six players on lutes, and among them Nicholas 
 Lanier ; four players on viols, including Alphonso Ferra- 
 bosco ; one player on the harp ; one keeper of the 
 organs, and fifteen musicians for the lutes and voices, 
 including Coperario, besides trumpeters, drummers, and 
 fifers. On December 22, 1625, there is a discharge 
 to his Majesty's musicians from payment of the two 
 subsidies granted by parliament ; but it does not appear 
 whether this was from inability to pay, or in reward ; 
 but as all are included we may consider it to have been 
 the latter. On the 20th July, 1628, there was a similar 
 discharge from five subsidies. By warrant, dated July 
 11, 1626, the following payments were directed to be 
 made : To Nicholas Lanier, Master of the King's 
 Music, 200/. per annum ; Thomas Foord, 120Z. ; Robert 
 Johnson, 60/. ; Thomas Day, 64/. ; and to Alfonso 
 Ferrabosco, Thomas Lupo, and ten others, 4.QL ; and to 
 two others, 20/. each. On the 7th of the same month 
 Ferrabosco was appointed composer of music in ordinary 
 for life, with a yearly fee of 40/., in the place of John 
 Coperario, deceased. Many similar examples might be 
 cited, and liveries were also given, as for instance, Oct. 
 22, 1628 : Warrant to the wardrobe for liveries to 
 Alfonso Ferrabosco, musician for the viols, and Henry 
 Ferrabosco, musician for the voices and wind instru- 
 ments; and Nov. 22 in the same year, a warrant to
 
 HISTORY OP THE VIOLIN. 139 
 
 the Treasurer of the Chamber, to pay Nicholas Pieart, 
 one of his Majesty's musicians of the violins, for his 
 wages, 30/. per annum, and 16J. 2s. 6d. per annum for 
 his entertainment, apparel, and livery, for life. 
 
 The name of Blagrave or Blagrove was connected 
 with the court entertainments, and distinguished in 
 music, at a very early period, as it is at the present time. 
 Thomas Blagrove was Master of the Revels in the time 
 of Queen Elizabeth, and William Blagrove was Master 
 of the Children of the Revels in the reign of Charles I. 
 Richard Blagrove and Thomas Blagrove were succes- 
 sively in the same king's band of musicians for wind 
 instruments, the latter having been appointed in 1642, 
 in the room of his father, deceased. He had 20d. per 
 diem as salary, and 16/. 2s. 6d. for livery, being the 
 same as his father, and money being worth nearly five 
 times what it is now. There was a Thomas Blagrove of 
 a Berkshire family, who was a gentleman of the chapel 
 of Charles II, and a player on the cornet there ; he was 
 probably the Thomas Blagrove, of Charles I.'s band. 
 He, with a Robert Blagrove, were members of Charles 
 II. 's celebrated private band, the first with a salary of 
 40/. 9s. 2d., and the last with 58/. 4s. 2d. 
 
 In the accounts of James I. there is a charge of 40/. 
 for a set (probably a chest) of viols for the king, and 
 32/. for another set, and a base-vyoll for the prince ; a 
 high price, considering the value of money before re- 
 ferred to. Alphonso Ferrabosco had a warrant on Nov. 
 27, 1604, for 20/. to buy two viols with cases, and one 
 box of strings, for the use and service of the prince. 
 About 1610, two great viols for him are charged 40/. 
 while a lute and viol and other necessaries for a singing- 
 boy are only 5/. 18s. 4rf. 
 
 James I. incorporated the musicians of London, when
 
 140 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 they had for arms, Azure, a swan argent within a tressure 
 counter-flure, or ; in a chief, gules, a rose between lions, 
 or; for crest, the celestial sign Lyra, called by astro- 
 nomers, the Orphean Lyre. Charles I. in his eleventh 
 year (confirmed in his fourteenth) granted a charter to 
 Nicholas Laniere and others, incorporating them by the 
 style of " Marshall Wardens and Cominalty of the Arte 
 and Science of Musick- in Westminster, in the county of 
 Middlesex," and gave them many privileges. They seem 
 to have been in abeyance during the civil commotions 
 and the rule of the Puritans, but were revived in 1661. 
 Their rules from October 22, 1661, to July 20, 1679, 
 are preserved in Harleian MS. 1911. They claimed 
 considerable control over musicians; for instance, on 
 January 20, 1662, " It is ordered that Edward Sadler 
 for his insufficiency be silenced and disabled from the 
 exercise of any kind in publique houses or meetings." In 
 the following month, perhaps to prevent their exceeding 
 their powers, Mr. Richard Graham was " entertained 
 their solicitor at law." 
 
 Braithwaite, in his " Eules for the Government of the 
 House of an Earl," in the time of James I, says he 
 should keep five musicians, who should play on the bass- 
 viol, the virginals, the lute, and the bandora or cittern. 
 At the time of any great feast, the service was to be 
 accompanied by sackbuts, cornets, shawms, and other 
 instruments, while during the repast, viols and violins 
 were to be played. There is a representation given by 
 Strutt (" Manners and Customs," vol. iii. plate 11) of 
 a music party of about this date, consisting of six male 
 figures at a table, playing from music books ; three have 
 instruments of the guitar kind, one the flute, one a 
 violin, held low against his breast, having four strings, 
 S S sound-holes, a bridge, tail-piece, and finger-board ;
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 141 
 
 no frets. The remaining performer plays on a viol da 
 gamba laid across his thighs, having five strings but 
 seven pegs, S S sound-holes, and finger-board ; but there 
 is no appearance of frets, bridge, or tail-piece, which, as 
 to the two latter, may be a mere omission in the original 
 picture. The instrument itself is thick and short. 
 
 The quaint writer Tom Coryat, who is said to have 
 introduced the use of forks into this country, for which 
 reason he was called Furcifer, gives an amusing account 
 of music at Venice on August 5, 1608, " especially 
 that of a treble violl, which was so excellent that I 
 thinke no man could surpasse it." On the following 
 day he was still more fortunate. " I was for the time 
 euen rapt vp with St. Paul into the third heauen. 
 Sometimes there sung sixeteene or twenty men together, 
 hauing their master or moderator to keepe them in order, 
 and when they sung, the instrumentall musitians played 
 also. Sometimes sixeteene played together upon their 
 instruments ten sagbuts, foure cornets, and two violde- 
 gambaes of an extraordinary greatness ; sometimes tenne, 
 sixe sagbuts and foure cornets ; sometimes two, a cornet 
 and a treble violl. Of those treble viols I heard three 
 seuerall there, whereof each was so good, especially one 
 that I obserued aboue the rest, that I neuer heard the 
 like before." He says the players on the treble viols 
 sung and played together, and that there were two fine 
 players on the theorbo, who also sung. The eccentric 
 writer John Taylor, the Water Poet, seems to have been 
 equally in raptures during his travels abroad in 1616. 
 He describes at a town he calls Buckaburgh, not far 
 from Minden, belonging to the Graff of Shomburgh, " a 
 faire set of organs, with a braue sweete quire of queristers ; 
 so that when they sing, the lutes, viols, bandores, organs, 
 recorders, sagbuts, and other musicall instruments all
 
 142 HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 strike vp together, with such a glorious delicious harmony, 
 as if the angelicall musicke of the spheares were de- 
 scended into that earthly tabernacle." 
 
 There were numerous publications in the first half of 
 this century (to those in the second half we shall refer 
 hereafter) adapted for violins and viols, and again the 
 strange fellowship of instruments will amuse. A few 
 examples must suffice, but all that are connected with 
 madrigals and songs of this period will be found in 
 " Bibliotheca Madrigaliana," by Dr. Eimbault, whose 
 accurate research and extensive knowledge of the litera- 
 ture and music of this age are well known. 
 
 Among the earliest publications in the century are 
 those by Thomas Weelkes, of "Madrigals of five and 
 six Parts, apt for Viols and Voices; " by Dowland, the 
 celebrated lutenist, of " Songs or Ay res, with Tablature 
 for the Lute or Orpherion, with the Violl de Gamba," 
 and by Morley, " Aires, or Little Short Songes to sing 
 and play to the Lute with the Bass-viol," all in 1600. 
 In 1603 Thomas Robinson published " The School of 
 Musicke ; the perfect Method of true fingering the 
 Lute, Pandora, Opharion, and Viol da Gamba." 
 Tobias Hume, called also Captain Hume, who was him- 
 self an excellent performer on the viol da gamba, pub- 
 lished in 1605 a work with the following curious title, 
 to attract amateurs ; a practice not lost sight of in the 
 present age, when occasionally the best part of a work 
 is contained in a promising advertisement, or an im- 
 portant but fallacious title-page : " The First Part of 
 Ayres, French, Pollish, and others together, some in 
 Tabliture, and some in Pricke-song. With Pavines, 
 Galliards, and Almaines for the Viole de Gambo alone, 
 and other Musicall Conceites for Two Base-viols, express- 
 ing Five Partes, with pleasant Reportes one from the
 
 HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 143 
 
 other, and for Two Leero Viols, and also for the Leero 
 Viole with Two Treble Viols, or Two with One Treble. 
 Lastly, for the Leero Viole to play alone, and some 
 Songes to be sung to the Viole, with the Lute, or better, 
 with the Viole alone. Also an Invention for Two to 
 play upon One Viole." We have ourselves heard two 
 performers play a duett on one violin. Captain Hume 
 in 1607 published " Poeticall Musicke," where the bass- 
 viol is varied with other instruments in eight different 
 ways. In 1609 Rosseter published " Lessons for Consort, 
 for Six severall Instruments Treble-Lute, Treble-Violl, 
 Base-Violl, Bandora, Citterne, and the Flute." A short 
 time before this, John Dowland published, "Lacrimae, 
 or Seaven Teares figured in Seaven passionate Pavans, 
 with divers other Pavans, Galiards, and Almands, set 
 forth for the Lute, Viols, or Violons, in Five Parts." 
 Here we observe viols and violins are both mentioned 
 together. About 1611 the celebrated Orlando Gibbons 
 brought out " Fantasies of Three Parts for Viols." 
 
 The pavans, galliards, almaines, and corantos named 
 in many of these publications, to which Morley adds the 
 passamezzo, the jig, the hornpipe, the Scottish jig, and 
 others, were tunes adapted to dances of the same name. 
 
 The pavans, almaines, corantos, and passamezzos, 
 were slow, solemn dances; the pavans being so called 
 from pavo, a peacock, the ladies wearing gowns with 
 ong trains, the gentlemen having a cap and sword ; 
 those of the long robe in their gowns, and princes and 
 peers in their mantles ; the movements resembling the 
 spread of the peacock's tail. A great contrast to the 
 sliding shuffle or hop of the present day, which by 
 courtesy is considered to be dancing ; though even this 
 is graceful in the fair sex, especially when two dance 
 together. Sir Christopher Hatton we know was a great
 
 144 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 dancer, and in the " Critic " is made to turn out his toes 
 by way of identity : as Gray says 
 
 "Full oft within the spacious walls, 
 When he had fifty winters o'er him, 
 My grave lord-keeper led the brawls ; 
 The seal and maces danc'd before him." 
 
 Sir W. Leighton, in " Teares, or Lamentations of a 
 Sorrowful Soule," 1613, has introduced in one of the 
 pieces, which may be considered as a paraphrase of the 
 150th Psalm, the names of numerous musical instruments, 
 but the description is too long to be inserted here. Two 
 verses will suffice to show his style 
 
 "3. Praise him with simballs, loud simballs, 
 
 with instruments, were vs'd by lewes : 
 With syrons crowdes and virginalls, 
 
 to sing his praise do not refuse. 
 4. Praise him upon the claricoales, 
 
 the lute and sinfonie, 
 With dulsemers and the regalls, 
 sweet sithrons melody." 
 
 The gittron, bandore, theorba, and vialls are also 
 mentioned. 
 
 We may conclude this chapter by stating that Edward 
 Alleyn, the benevolent founder of Dulwich College, was 
 himself a performer on the lute, and at the time of his 
 death, Nov. 25, 1626, had a "lute, a pandora, a cythern, 
 and six vyols."
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 145 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 JT would seem from some accounts that 
 Cromwell was not insensible to the charms 
 of music, when he could unbend, or was in 
 his own private domestic circle, although 
 publicly he yielded to the Puritan feeling of his age. 
 Theatrical representations were restrained, and music 
 checked, although still practised in private; and in 
 1656-7 an act was passed against vagrants, forbidding 
 any fiddlers or minstrels to go about to inns, ale-houses, 
 or taverns, &c. 
 
 On the restoration of Charles II, music and festive 
 meetings again flourished, and the revels and gaieties of 
 the court spread in different degrees through society in 
 general. The superiority of the violin over the viol was 
 gradually established, as it was found to be more capable 
 of producing power, and better adapted for execution 
 than the latter instrument, of which the tone was fre- 
 quently sweet, but at the same time of a nasal quality, 
 and deficient in vigour. The violin proper, as we have 
 shown, was known in England at least a century before 
 this time, and we may have received some suggestions 
 tending towards the modification of the viol to the form 
 and details of the violin from the Low Countries in the 
 tune of Elizabeth, when the intercourse between the 
 countries was not unfrequent. The first violin-makers,
 
 146 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 however, of any great repute, established themselves in 
 Italy, where the wood probably was particularly suitable. 
 Charles II, in imitation of the French court, intro- 
 duced his celebrated band of twenty-four violins, or, as 
 Durfey says, 
 
 " Four and twenty fiddlers all of a row, 
 And there was fiddle, fiddle, 
 And twice fiddle, fiddle, 
 'Cause 'twas my lady's birth-day, 
 Therefore we kept holiday, 
 And all went to be merry." 
 
 This band consisted of six violins, six counter-tenors, 
 six tenors, and six basses, with salaries varying from 
 40/. to 100L per annum. The celebrated Baltzar, the 
 " incomparable Lubicer,' who had come over to England 
 a few years before, was at the head of it. The anthems 
 and services in the Chapel Royal were sung to these 
 instruments instead of the ancient wind instruments, 
 and Evelyn complains of their French fantastical light 
 way of playing there. The organ was also in use. 
 
 At the commencement of Dryden's "Tempest," about 
 1667, the front of the stage was opened, and the band 
 of twenty-four violins, with the " harpsicals " and theor- 
 bos, which accompanied the voices, were placed between 
 the pit and the stage. The band was therefore placed 
 just as in the present time, and this seems the first notice 
 of their having any regular position. These twenty- 
 four violins were either the celebrated four-and-twenty 
 fiddlers, or a rival company in imitation of them. Burney 
 says that the different expressions of crescendo, diminu- 
 endo, and lentando, were first used by Matthew Lock, 
 in the music to the " Tempest." In Lock's own piece 
 of "Psyche," about 1675, no instruments are mentioned 
 for the ritornels but violins. 
 
 Music parties were now frequent. Anthony Wood,
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 147 
 
 who was himself a self-taught performer on the violin, 
 which he tuned in fourths until better instructed by one 
 Charles Griffith, gives an account of these meetings ; 
 some being before the Restoration, but in a quiet way. 
 Gentlemen who attended them "play'd three, four, and 
 five parts with viols, as treble-viol, tenor, counter-tenor, 
 and bass, with an organ, virginal, or harpsicon. They 
 esteemed a violin to be an instrument only belonging to 
 a common fidler., and could not endure that it should 
 come among them, for feare of making their meetings 
 to be vaine and fidling. But before the restoration of 
 King Charles II, and especially after, viols began to be 
 out of fashion, and only violins used as treble-violin, 
 tenor, and bass-violin ; and the king, according to the 
 French mode, would have twenty-four violins playing 
 before him while he was at meales, as being more airie 
 and brisk than viols." 
 
 He mentions among his friends, Ralph Sheldon, 
 admired for his smooth and admirable way in playing 
 on the viol ; Thomas Jackson, a bass-violist ; William 
 Ellis, counter-tenor viol ; Gervace Littleton, a violist ; 
 Will Glexney play'd well on the bass-viol ; Joh. Hasel- 
 wood, an apothecary, a conceited player on the bass- 
 viol, sometimes on the counter-tenor, with little skill- 
 being ever ready to take up a viol before his betters, was 
 called Handlewood ; Proctor (a pupil of the celebrated 
 John Jenkyns), skilled on the lyra-viol, division-viol, 
 treble-viol, and treble-violin ; Nathan Crew, afterwards 
 Bishop of Durham, violinist and violist, but always out 
 of tune ; Richard Rhodes, a confident Westmonasterian, 
 a violinist, to hold between his knees ; Matthew Hutton, 
 excellent violist ; and several other violists. He tells an 
 amusing anecdote of himself and some of his companions. 
 Himself and WilL Bull on the violins, Edm. Gregorie,
 
 148 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 B.A. and Gent. Com. of Mert. Coll., who played on the 
 bass-viol, Joh. Nap, of Trinity, on the citerne ; and 
 George Mason, of the said Coll. on another wyer instru- 
 ment, but could do nothing. They disguised themselves 
 in poor habits, like country fiddlers, and went about to 
 the country places, receiving drink and money for their 
 performances. On one occasion they were met by some 
 soldiers, who made them play in the open field, and then 
 left them without giving them a penny. Other players 
 named were Charles Perot, Christopher Harrison, John 
 Vincent, Sylvanus Taylor, Henry Langley, Samuel 
 Woodford, and Francis Parry, violists ; and Kenelm 
 Digby, violinist. Mr. Sherard, an apothecary, was a 
 fine player on the violin, and Capt n Marcellus Laroon 
 on the violoncello. Lord Keeper North and Sir Koger 
 L'Estrange were both fine players on the viol. Much 
 interesting information relating to music will be found 
 in Dr. Kimbault's edition of " North's Memoirs of 
 Musick." 
 
 The lyra-viol, on which Proctor excelled, and which 
 is frequently mentioned among the instruments of this 
 time (the leero-viole in Hume's work lately referred to), 
 and on which Pepys says his brother played so as to 
 show that he had " a love to musique and a spirit for it," 
 was a viol da gamba tuned differently from the common 
 six-stringed bass, and the notation for it was written in 
 tablature, like that of the lute. Playford says, this way 
 of playing the viol was of recent invention, and an 
 imitation of the old English lute or bandora. John 
 Jenkyns, the master of Proctor, was the best performer 
 on it then known. There would appear, however, to be 
 some allusion to such an instrument or mode of playing, 
 quite in the beginning of the century, as in "Lingua," 
 by Anthony Brewer, about the end of. Elizabeth, Tactus
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 149 
 
 says, "But, Auditus, when shall we hear a new set of 
 singing-books ? or the viols ? or the concert of instru- 
 ments?" and afterwards, "Coine, come, Auditus, shall 
 we hear thee play the lyre- way or the lute -way, shall 
 we?" Daniel Farrant, towards the beginning of the 
 century, was one of the first who set lessons for the viol 
 lyra-way. 
 
 That amusing writer Pepys was in the habit of fre- 
 quenting musical parties as well as the theatres, where 
 his flirtations with Mrs. Knipps and others, render it not 
 surprising that he was occasionally obliged to keep his 
 wife in good humour by the present of some piece of 
 finery. He was also himself a practised musician on 
 the lute, violin, viol, and flageolet, besides being able to 
 sing at sight. He seems to have had a tolerable estimate 
 of his own skill (a habit of thinking not yet obsolete). 
 On 21st Nov. 1660, he says, " At night to my viallin 
 (the first time that I have played on it since come to 
 this house), in my dining roome, and afterwards to my 
 lute there, and I took much pleasure to have the neigh- 
 bours come forth into the yard to hear me." Dec. 3rd. 
 " Rose by candle, and spent my morning in fiddling till 
 time to go to the office." He occasionally favoured his 
 wife with his music, to solace her domestic labours, which, 
 according to the Diary, frequently consisted of those 
 little artistic re-arrangements of dress so well known to 
 ladies. 12th April, 1669, " Home, and after sitting a 
 while, thrumming upon my viall, and singing, I to bed, 
 and left my wife to do something to a waistcoat and 
 petticoat she is to wear to-morrow." 
 
 He was not, however, satisfied with being a mere 
 practical musician, but aspired to improving the theory, 
 for on the 20th of March, 1668, he was " All the 
 evening pricking down some things, and trying some
 
 150 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 conclusions upon my viall, in order to the inventing a 
 better theory of musick than hath yet been abroad ; and 
 I think, verily, I shall do it." However, we do not find 
 that he did do it, but in this he only failed with other 
 great men. 
 
 It might be considered presumptuous in us to suggest 
 even, whether the rules of harmony might not be some- 
 what simplified ; but in such case what would become 
 of the learning of those who know the nomenclature, 
 are acquainted with the tools, but know little of the 
 working, yet still keep you at bay with hard terms, 
 unless you are able to meet them with their own weapons. 
 However, all professions, whether musical, medical, legal, 
 or carpentering, must have their technicalities, though 
 the genius of the age is tending gradually to remove or 
 lessen them. Even, however, with the use of them we 
 cannot fix on the pitch in music. We find a certain 
 natural note has thirty-two vibrations, and therefore fix 
 upon a certain number of vibrations, the figures denoting 
 which form no multiple of 32, as the recognised pitch 
 of a note of the same name four octaves higher. We 
 are not agreed upon the division of the minor scale 
 scarcely, indeed, of the major and as to the variation 
 in the different keys, involving however, probably, some 
 troublesome calculations, we can give little if any ex- 
 planation. Harrison, the celebrated chronometer-maker, 
 as mentioned in Smith's "Harmonics," took the interval 
 of a major third to that of the octave, as the diameter of 
 a circle to its circumference, and adjusted the frets on 
 his viol accordingly ; so that, as the circumference of a 
 circle is little more than three diameters (that is, about 
 3^), so is a perfect octave a little more than three major 
 thirds. However, under all circumstances, it is not 
 surprising that Pepys did not do it.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 151 
 
 He refers to different companies of musicians. The 
 Dolphin Tavern had " an excellent company of fiddlers," 
 and on the 27th March, 1661, he goes there "to a dinner 
 of Mr. Harris's, where a great deal of mirth, and there 
 staid till eleven o'clock at night; and in our mirth I 
 sang and sometimes fiddled (there being a noise of 
 fiddlers there), and at last we fell to dancing, the first 
 time that ever I did in my life, which I did wonder to 
 see myself to do." That habit of doing something to be 
 wondered at, towards the conclusion of a tavern dinner, 
 we are told still exists occasionally in this country. He 
 mentions the Duke of Buckingham's musicians, to whom 
 on one occasion he gave 3/. for a dance at his own house, 
 as the best in town ; they consisted of two violins, a bass- 
 violin, and a theorbo. The witty Killigrew said that no 
 ordinary fiddlers of any country were so well paid as 
 our own. Heylin, in his "Voyage of France," 1679, 
 says it was the custom at Tours for each man at table 
 to pay the fiddlers a sou; they expected no more, and 
 would not take less. Pepys was probably considered as 
 an authority in his own circle for musical arrangements. 
 On 7th May, 1660, Admiral Sir Edward Montagu, 
 afterwards Earl of Sandwich, whom he calls " my Lord," 
 gave him directions " to write for silk flags and scarlet 
 waistcloathes ; for a rich barge, for a noise of trumpets, 
 and a set of fiddlers." On 10th April, 1661, he gives 
 an account of a duet, not complimentary to the per- 
 formers. " Here (Kochester) we had for my sake two 
 fiddles, the one a base-viall, on which he that played, 
 played well some lyra lessons, but both together made 
 the worst musique that ever I heard." On the Corona- 
 tion Day, 23rd April, 1661, he took a great deal of 
 pleasure " to go up and down, and look upon the ladies, 
 and to hear the musique of all sorts ; but above all, the
 
 152 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 twenty-four violins." On 8th May following he refers to 
 a circumstance which sometimes occurs in the present 
 day, of a country fiddler having been a person who had 
 seen better days. His uncle had written him to beg an 
 old fiddle for Perkin the miller, whose mill the wind had 
 broken down, and he had nothing to live by but fiddling; 
 he wanted it by Whitsuntide to play to the country girls. 
 Pepys adds that he intended to send him one on the 
 morrow. On the 5th Oct. 1664, he describes an instru- 
 ment called the arched viall, tuned with lute strings, 
 and played on with keys like an organ, a piece of parch- 
 ment being always kept moving ; the strings being 
 pressed down by the keys, were thus scraped as by a 
 bow ; and it was intended to represent several viols 
 played on with one bow, "but so basely and harshly 
 that it will never do." After three hours' stay it could 
 not be fixed in tune. Several instruments on this prin- 
 ciple have from time to time been invented, but have 
 not been brought into use. 
 
 In July, 1666, he heard one of Lord Lauderdale's 
 servants play some Scotch tunes on the violin, which he 
 did not appreciate, or the selection was bad, or our best 
 Scotch tunes are of more recent date, as no doubt many 
 are. The performer played "several and the best of 
 their country, as they seem to esteem them by their 
 praising and admiring them : but, Lord ! the strangest 
 ayre that ever I heard in my life, and all of one cast." 
 He mentions 8th October, 1667, the death of Saunders 
 by the plague at Cambridge, " the only viollin in my 
 time." 
 
 The greatest performer of the time, however, and one 
 who seems to have been in advance of his age, was 
 Thomas Baltzar, born at Lubeck about 1630. He came 
 over to England in 1655, and is said to have been the
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 153 
 
 first who taught the use of the whole shift, but it had 
 probably been attempted before him. He appears to 
 have caused almost as great a sensation in the musical 
 world as Paganini did, when he came over and aston- 
 ished us. Anthony Wood says that at a music meeting 
 at Oxford, Professor Wilson stooped down humorously 
 to see if he had not a hoof. The following is Evelyn's 
 account of him, 4th March, 1655-6: "This night I 
 was invited by Mr. Roger L'Estrange to hear the in- 
 comparable Lubicer on the violin. His variety on a 
 few notes and plaine ground with that wonderful dex- 
 terity, was admirable. Tho' a young man, yet so per- 
 fect and skilful, that there was nothing, however cross 
 and perplext, brought to him by our artists, which he 
 did not play off at sight with ravishing sweetnesse and 
 improvements, to the astonishment of our best masters 
 In sum, he plaid on y 4 single instrument a full concert, 
 so as. the rest flung down their instruments acknowledg- 
 ing their victory. As to my own particular, I stand to 
 this hour amazed that God should give so greate per- 
 fection to so young a person. There were at that time 
 as excellent in their profession as any were thought to 
 be in Europ, Paul Wheeler, Mr. Mell, and others, till 
 this prodigie appear 'd." Davis Mell was then the 
 greatest English performer, and in sweetness of tone is 
 even said to have excelled Baltzar. The Lubicer was 
 made the leader of King Charles's band, but died in 
 July, 1663, having been of dissipated habits. He was 
 succeeded by John Bannister, who died in 1679, whose 
 son John was a fine performer on the violin, and one of 
 King William's band, and the first violin at Drury Lane 
 on the introduction of operas there. 
 
 About 1672, Nicolas Matteis came over, as great a 
 performer even as Baltzar. North says, every stroke
 
 154 HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 of his bow was a mouthful. Evelyn also heard him, 
 and thus describes him, Nov. 19th, 1674 : " I heard 
 that stupendous violin, Sig r . Nicholao (with other rare 
 musitians) whom I never heard mortal man exceed on 
 that instrument. He had a stroak so sweete, and made 
 it speak like y e voice of a man, and, when he pleas'd, 
 like a consort of severall instruments. He did wonders 
 upon a note, and was an excellent composer. Here was 
 also that rare lutenist Dr. Wallgrave ; but nothing ap- 
 proach 'd the violin in Nicholao's hand. He plaied such 
 ravishing things as astonish'd us all." On the following 
 2nd of December, he went to his friend Mr. Slingsby's, 
 the Master of the Mint, and heard Signer Francisco* 
 esteemed one of the greatest masters in Europe on the 
 harpsichord ; " then came Nicholas with his violin, and 
 struck all mute." On the 20th November, 1679, he 
 again is at Mr. Slingsby's, " to heare musiq, which was 
 exquisitely perform'd by foure of the most renown'd 
 masters ; Du Prue, a Frenchman, on y e lute ; Sig r . Bar- 
 tholomeo, an Italian, on the harpsichord ; Nicolao on the 
 violin ; but above all for its sweetnesse and novelty, the 
 viol d'amore of 5 wyre-strings plaid on with a bow, 
 being but an ordinary violin, play'd on lyre way by a 
 German." 
 
 By a warrant dated the 24th of October, 1662, we 
 find that Cremona violins brought a high price, as Mr. 
 John Bannister, one of his Majesty's musicians in or- 
 dinary, had an order for 401. for two Cremona violins 
 bought by him, and also 101. for strings for two years. 
 
 Simpson, himself an excellent performer on the viol 
 da gamba, in his " Division Viol " calls the viol in Latin 
 chelys, and gives three figures of the instrument, which 
 are in fact all bass-viols. The first of these, which he 
 says is best for sound, is much like the modern violon-
 
 PIG. 5G
 
 156 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 cello, but of somewhat longer form, and has six strings 
 with seven frets, besides a small one in the middle of 
 the strings for the octave. The lower string is tuned to 
 the lowest D in the bass, while the others are successively 
 Gr, C, E, A, D, being two octaves ; the bridge is rounded 
 so that each string may be taken separately. The strings 
 are thirty inches in length from the nut to the bridge. 
 The two other figures have deeper inward curvatures, 
 and the upper part of the model slopes off towards the 
 neck, instead of being rounded like the modern instru- 
 ment; the strings and frets are as in the first figure 
 (Fig. 56). The bow is stiff but not heavy, with the hair 
 twenty-seven inches long, and used underhanded like the 
 modern double-bass bow. From the examples given by 
 Simpson, the performers in his time must have attained 
 considerable facility of execution, though probably with- 
 out much tone or power. 
 
 Playford, in the "Introduction to Skill in Music," 
 1683, names the treble-viol in the G cliff, the tenor-viol 
 in the C cliff, and the bass-viol, with six strings and 
 seven frets, in the F cliff; usually called the viol de 
 gambo or consort-viol, because the musick thereon is 
 played from the notes of the gamut, and not as the lyra- 
 viol by tablature. The bass is tuned as described by 
 Simpson, the treble an octave higher, and the tenor a 
 fourth higher than the bass ; he also gives a method of 
 timing by tablature. He calls the treble violin a cheer- 
 ful sprightly instrument, much practised of late, usually 
 strung with four strings and tuned in fifths ; there should 
 be six frets, as on the viol, but this was rarely done, and 
 was contrary to the character of the instrument ; but, he 
 adds, " This (tho tis not usual yet) is the best & easiest 
 way for a beginner who has a bad ear;" the represen- 
 tation he gives has no frets. The treble violin seems to
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 157 
 
 have been tuned as at present, and the tenor a fifth 
 lower, while the bass violin was tuned in fifths ; the first 
 string being the higher G in the bass, and the fourth 
 therefore B flat below the line, and therefore one tone 
 lower than the violoncello. 
 
 Mace, in his quaint book, " Musick's Monument," 
 1675, gives an amusing direction for the care of a lute, 
 which he would probably extend to the violin race. He 
 recommends the lute to be put into a bed in the day- 
 time that is constantly used, between the rug and the 
 blanket, but never between the sheets, because they may 
 be moist. It will save the strings from breaking, and 
 keep the lute in good order. He adds, no person must 
 be so inconsiderate as to tumble down on the bed whilst 
 it is there, as he had known several spoilt with such a 
 trick. We should think this very probable. 
 
 "Mantua, vse miserum ! nimium vicina Creiuonse." 
 
 In that once very popular book by Comenius, " Orbis 
 Sensualium Pictus," which went through very many 
 editions, and in several languages, among the musical 
 instruments are introduced, " Secundo, in quibus chorda' 
 intenduntur & plectuntur, ut nablium cum claticordio 
 utraque manu." He mentions also, " Tcstudo (chelys) 
 (in qua jtnjam, magadxun, & rerticelli, quibus nerd 
 intenduntur super ponticulam,) & cytliara, dextera 
 tantum, pandunt, plectro, & lyra, intus rota, quae versatur. 
 Dimensioncs in singulis tanguntur sinistra." Thus 
 translated : " Secondly, upon which strings are stretched 
 and struck upon, as the psaltery, and the virginals, u-ith 
 both hands ; the lute (in which is the neck, the belly ? 
 the pegs, />// which the strings are stretched upon the 
 bridge), the cittern, with the right hand only, the vial, 
 with a bow, and the harp with a wheel within, which
 
 158 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 is turned about ; the stops in every one are touched with 
 the left hand.' 1 He gives two representa- 
 tions of the viol ; we have represented the 
 largest of them (Fig. 57). The instrument 
 translated harp, is more like the hurdy- 
 gurdy, and the nablium or psaltery like the 
 harp, but the figures are not clear. 
 
 Hawkins gives a list of instruments 
 bought for the use of the Music School at 
 Oxford, about 1667, which included "2 
 FIG 57 violins, with their bowes and cases, bought 
 of Mr. Comer in the Strand; cost 12/. 10,s\ 
 and are at 2 d hand." 
 
 There were numerous publications for the varieties of 
 the violin and viol in the last part of this centuiy. 
 Matteis had his compositions engraved on copper plates 
 for the use of his scholars and others, and made much 
 money by them. Baltzar also composed for the violin, 
 viol, and "harpsicon;" also for lyra-violin, treble-violin, 
 and bass. Playford in 1655 published " Court Ayres ; 
 or Pavins, Almaines, Corants, and Sarabands, Treble 
 and Basse, for Viols or Violins;" and in 1662, some- 
 thing similar; John Jenkins, Davis Mell, and John 
 Bannister being among the composers. John Jenkins, 
 about 1660, published twelve sonatas for two violins and 
 bass, with thorough bass for the organ, which are said 
 to have been the first of the sort known in England. 
 Matthew Lock and Henry Purcell both composed trios 
 of the same description. 
 
 There appears to have been an improvement in the 
 bow in this century. It was originally made of reed or 
 some light and flexible wood, and in the earlier times 
 was much curved, somewhat similar to our double-bass 
 bow, and frequently of awkward make, with a strand
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 159 
 
 of coarse hair rudely stretched between the two ex- 
 tremities. In the sixteenth century some improvement 
 was made, and in the seventeenth it began to assume its 
 present shape, and by means of a sort of metal band 
 with teeth towards the handle of the bow, power was 
 given to alter the tension of the hair. Tourte, of Paris, 
 the first of this well-known family, is said to have intro- 
 duced the screw and the button. His son, who died in 
 1835, at an advanced age, made further improvements. 
 It is stated that he began to make them with common 
 wood from pipe-staffs and sugar barrels, and sold them 
 for twenty or thirty sous each. Afterwards he discovered 
 that Brazil wood was best adapted for the purpose, and 
 latterly sold his best bows, ornamented with mother-of- 
 peaii and gold, for as much as twelve louis, and those 
 with ebony and silver, for three and a half louis ; whilst 
 his common bows, without ornament, were sold for about 
 thirty-six francs each. He is said to have invented the 
 method of keeping the hair flat by means of a clasp or 
 plate of metal or mother-of-pearl. His violin and tenor 
 bows were about thirty inches long, and that for the 
 violoncello about an inch shorter. Simpson, we may 
 remember gives twenty-seven inches as the length of 
 the bow, and towards the end of this century the sonata 
 bow, it is said, was only twenty-four inches, while the 
 common bow was shorter still. The usual length now 
 is about twenty-nine inches from the extreme point of the 
 head to the end of the bow, without the screw ; leaving 
 from twenty-five and a half to twenty-five and three 
 quarter inches for the useable portion of the bow. Tar- 
 tini caused an improvement in this as well as other 
 things connected with the instrument. We need scarcely 
 remind our readers that we have English makers of the
 
 160 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 bow, as Dodd, Panormo, and Tubbs, with others, who 
 are surpassed by none. 
 
 The first of the Dodd family distinguished as a 
 maker of bows was Edward Dodd, who was born at 
 Sheffield, and died in Salisbury Court, Fleet Street, in 
 1810, at the great age, as it is stated, of 105 years. 
 He left four sons, of whom three, John, James, and 
 Thomas, were makers of bows ; the fourth having been 
 brought up to the medical profession. Of these, John, 
 the eldest, is considered one of our best English makers, 
 and his bows are much sought for. Most of them are 
 rather short, but can easily be lengthened. He died at 
 Kichmond, where, and at Kew, he had resided for many 
 years. 
 
 James Dodd, the eldest son of the above-named James 
 Dodd, is now living, and supports the reputation of the 
 family as a maker of good bows, and is also a musical- 
 string coverer. 
 
 Louis Panormo was the son of Vincent Panormo, the 
 instrument maker, and was himself a maker of guitars 
 and violins. His bows were esteemed, but a lighter 
 class is now generally preferred. 
 
 Of the family of Tubbs there are two generations 
 still living, all excellent workmen. Thomas Tubbs, the 
 elder of the family, died very recently, and might have 
 vied with any workman living, especially if he could 
 have obtained Brazil wood of fine quality for musical 
 purposes.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 161 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 N 1717, the Corporation of Musicians in 
 France had their privileges renewed under 
 Louis XV. Lutes, violins, viols, and all 
 wind or stringed instruments could only be 
 made or played on by members of the Corporation, 
 under penalty of 300 livres and forfeiture of the instru- 
 ments. They were poor, however, as a body, and 
 declared to the king that their poverty prevented them 
 from paying the usual tribute at the time of the coro- 
 nation. 
 
 Gerbert, in his valuable work "De Cantu," &c., says 
 that stringed instruments were introduced into churches 
 about the end of the seventeenth century, and that 
 Campra was the first who brought them into use at 
 Notre Dame, Paris; and they then only required two 
 or three bass-viols or bass-violins for the continued 
 basses, and as many violins for the preludes and ritor- 
 nelles. Before this time the music in the chapel royal 
 was confined to wind instruments. Laborde says the 
 first masses in Italy with violins and basses, were about 
 1650. Tarquin Merula, master of the chapel at Bergamo, 
 is named as one of the first musicians who introduced 
 viols and violins into the church service in Italy, in aid 
 of choral singing. There was great objection to their 
 use at first, in the fear that it would tend to make the 
 
 M
 
 162 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 sacred music too much like the secular ; but Cornelius 
 Agrippa does not give a very flattering account of church 
 singing previous to their admission : " Non humanis vo- 
 cibus, sed belluinis strepitibus cantillent ; dum hinniunt 
 discantum pueri, mugiunt alii tenorem, alii latrant con- 
 trapunctum, alii frendent altum, alii boant bassum, et 
 faciunt ut sonorum quidem plurimum audiatur, verbo- 
 rum et orationis intelligatur nihil." 
 
 Towards the middle of the eighteenth century, the 
 order of church music would appear to be somewhat re- 
 versed, as about 1749, Benedict XIV. refers to the use 
 of "violoni, violoncelli, fagotti, viole, et violini," in the 
 sacred services, whilst " i timpani, i corni da caccia, le 
 trombe, gli oboe, i flauti, i flautini, i salteri moderni, 
 i mandolini, & simili stromenti," were excluded. Fey- 
 joo, the Grand Master of the Benedictines in Spain, ob- 
 jected to violini, but allowed the violone called the basso, 
 arpa, cembalo, &c. At St. Paul's Cathedral, London, 
 about the time mentioned by Grerbert, there were only 
 four or eight voices, without any other musical instru- 
 ments than the organ and the barbiton, e.g. fidiculare, 
 violoncello, theorba. 
 
 Laborde gives the composition of the orchestra of the 
 French opera in 1713, and also the salaries in livres, it 
 was the following : 
 
 Un batteur de mesure . . . 1000 
 
 Petit cho3ur de dix .... 6000 
 Douze violons ..... 4800 
 
 Huit basses 3200 
 
 Deux quintes ..... 800 
 Deux tailles . . . . .800 
 Trois hautes-contres .... 1200 
 Un tymbalier .... 150 
 
 In the year 1778, the proportions were changed, and
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 163 
 
 wind instruments introduced ; the salaries are not parti- 
 cularised, but the total is 69,482 livres. Un directeur, 
 un adjoint, 24 violons, 7 flutes & hautbois, 2 clarinettes, 
 2 cors, 2 trompettes, 5 bassons, 6 alto, 10 basses, 4 contre- 
 basses. The tymbales, trombones, tambourins, hautbois 
 de foret, &c., were filled by some of the above. 
 
 The eloquent preacher, Bourdelot, was a performer on 
 the violin, and there is an interesting anecdote of him in 
 that capacity related by Spence. He was appointed to 
 preach on Good-Friday, and the proper officer to attend 
 him to church having arrived at his house, was directed 
 to go to the study for him. As he approached he heard 
 the sound of a violin, and the door being open a little 
 way, saw Bourdelot stripped to his cassock playing a 
 brisk tune on the instrument, and dancing about the 
 room. He was much surprised, and knocked at the door, 
 when the distinguished divine laid down his instrument, 
 and putting on his gown, told the officer with his usual 
 composed look that he was ready to attend liim. On 
 their way, his companion expressed to Bourdelot his sur- 
 prise at what he had seen, who replied that he might be, 
 unless made acquainted with his practice on these occa- 
 sions. On thinking over the intended subject of his dis- 
 course, he found he was too depressed to treat it as he 
 ought, and thus had recourse to his usual method some 
 music with a little bodily exercise and thus put himself 
 into a proper frame of mind to enable him to go with 
 pleasure to what would otherwise have been a work of 
 pain and labour to him. It would be presumptuous in 
 us even to hint at the adoption of such a course by any 
 of our own spiritual pastors. 
 
 In the beginning of this century, Pere Tardieu de 
 Tarascon is said to have introduced the violoncello as 
 an accompaniment in the place of the viol da gamba, or
 
 164 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 perhaps, more correctly confirmed it in the higher posi- 
 tion of the two instruments, by means of his superior skill, 
 as the violoncello appears to have been used as an accom- 
 paniment before this time, and the viol da gamba did not 
 fall into disuse until afterwards. He used five strings at 
 first, four of them tuned in fifths, and the first string a 
 fourth higher than the present ; but in 1730 this was 
 suppressed, the instrument then remaining as the modern 
 violoncello. John Sebastian Bach introduced an instru- 
 ment he called the viola pomposa, in consequence, it is 
 said, of the heavy style of violoncello performers in his 
 time; a fifth string, E, was added, with the intention of 
 giving greater facility for the execution of the higher 
 passages; this instrument, however, does not appear to 
 have been much used. About the same time, Eisch of 
 Weimar invented a keyed instrument, to imitate the 
 bass-viol, or viol da gamba ; it had gut strings, played 
 on by small wheels properly resined, which were put in 
 motion by a larger wheel. De Knonow, of Haute-Lu- 
 sace, also made a kind of harpsichord, to be played on 
 with a bow ; both these instruments followed the usual 
 fate of these inventions. A gentleman near Leeds has 
 invented an instrument played on by keys, the notes 
 being produced from gut strings by friction. At a mode- 
 rate distance the sound is very good and quite orchestral, 
 but on nearer approach it becomes rather harsh. It is, 
 however, capable of being subdued in tone, and the sound 
 can be increased or lessened by pressure, or management 
 of the keys. 
 
 In the Letters of Baron de Pollnitz, he mentions, in 
 1739, at Mersebourg, the residence of an enthusiastic 
 amateur, a Duke of Saxony, a large saloon filled with 
 bass-viols ; in the middle was one which reached to the 
 ceiling, and had a set of steps to mount to it, the most
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 105 
 
 powerful bass ever made. The duke himself executed 
 some airs on a bass he called his favourite. The baron 
 was told by one of the Court that the duke had quite a 
 passion for these instruments, and that any one wanting 
 a favour, made him a present of one. The giant bass 
 was given to him by one who wished to be made a privy- 
 councillor, and succeeded accordingly. It must have 
 surpassed by far the great bass, of which we have for- 
 merly given an account, where a page was concealed hi 
 the body ; but appears to have been rivalled afterwards 
 by a huge double-bass, mentioned by Gardiner, in his 
 gossiping book of Music and Friends : one made for a 
 person called Martin, who kept a public-house. It was 
 so large that it was necessary to cut a hole in the ceiling 
 to let the neck through, so that in fact it was tuned in 
 the room above the player ; the bow was in proportion. 
 Boyce, a fine performer on the instrument, and a tall 
 powerful man, went to see and try it, and with one stroke 
 of his bow made it roar and vibrate so, as to shake the 
 house. 
 
 In an unfinished treatise commenced by Louis Carre, 
 who died in 1711, he mentions among the several instru- 
 ments, the bass-viol, dessus de viole, archiviole, violin, 
 poche, rebec, vielle (probably the hurdy-gurdy), and 
 trumpet marine. Bonanni's curious " Grabinetto Ar- 
 monico," 1722, abounds with representations of musical 
 instruments, some rather fanciful, but still useful, to show 
 the character of the instruments then in use. What he 
 calls the viola, is like a very large violoncello, resting 
 on the ground, with a very thick clumsy neck ; the per- 
 former is sitting down ; it has four strings, and no frets ; 
 the bow much like that of the double-bass. The violone 
 is like a large double-bass, with considerable inward cur- 
 vatures; there are but four strings in the representation,
 
 166 
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 although there are six screws, and Bonanni says there 
 are six strings ; it has also numerous frets. He mentions 
 another instrument of the same class, invented by the 
 Earl of Somerset, as referred to by Kircher, which had 
 eight strings. The Latins, he says, called these instru- 
 ments vitula, or vidula, or violla, whence the performers 
 were called vitularii. The accordo (called by Mersennus 
 lira moderna), to which we have before referred, was a 
 still larger instrument, having twelve or fifteen strings, 
 of which necessarily two or three were struck together ; 
 it also had frets. The lintercolo, or sordino, was a small 
 
 instrument of the fiddle kind, 
 with four strings and no frets ; 
 it is of guitar shape, the neck 
 appearing to be of one piece 
 with the body, and with a 
 detached finger-board. (Fig. 
 58.) One of his figures is 
 a peasant riding on an ass, 
 playing on a sort of guitar, 
 like a banjoo with two 
 strings; the performer is 
 evidently singing, and the 
 ass joining with open 
 mouth, forming an admira- 
 ble trio. The monocordo 
 is something like a clumsy trumpet marine, having, in 
 addition to the usual single string, one much shorter, 
 extending about half the length of the instrument, but 
 not nearly meeting the bridge. The tromba marina 
 given by him, is contracted for the space of about a third 
 of the length from the nut, so as to form a sort of finger- 
 board, though of one piece with the rest of the front ; it 
 lias one thick string the whole length, and a small bridge 
 
 FIG. 58.
 
 HISTOHY OF THE VIOLIN. 167 
 
 very near the bottom of the instrument ; the bow is short 
 and like that of the double-bass. Bonanni says, that by 
 moving the thumb of the left hand in various places, tones 
 are produced like those of a trumpet (probably harmonic 
 notes) and that it was frequently used at sea to prevent 
 the trouble of blowing, and hence was called the tromba 
 marina. The violino represented by him is like a large 
 clumsy tenor ; he says the Latins called it cheles, or 
 viola, and the Italians, viola, violino, or violone, &c., 
 according to the size. The viola, or violino d'amore, 
 is much of the same make and style, but larger. The 
 violino Turchesco, used by the Turks, has a very long 
 neck with frets, and only two strings ; the body is nearly 
 round and hollowed, and covered with parchment, it has 
 neither bridge or sound-holes, but a long foot to support 
 it on the ground. The Persians had a similar instru- 
 ment they called Kamaantsich, in the Arab tongue 
 Chemena. The violino Persiano is mentioned by 
 Kempfer ; it has four strings but no sound-holes, bridge, 
 finger-board, or tail-piece. The violino de' Cafri has a 
 small round body with a long neck, and only one string ; 
 without bridge, finger-board, or sound-holes, and played 
 on with a short curved bow. An instrument of the same 
 sort is found among the negroes and Indians, but not 
 usually confined to one string. The representations of 
 musical instruments in this work bear a very liberal in- 
 terpretation, as he includes the whistle, the brass pan for 
 bees, the rattle, the comb, and even the postilion's whip, 
 with others equally simple. 
 
 Laborde, whose " Essai sur la Musique " was published 
 in 1780, is very fanciful in many of his representations, 
 introducing most poetical illustrations of some of the in- 
 struments in the hands of full-dressed ladies and gentle- 
 men ; but this is of far less consequence than the play of
 
 168 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 imagination he lias allowed in the adjuncts of several of 
 the ancient instruments. He includes many that are in 
 Bonanni's work. The contre-basse, he says, is much 
 larger than the violoncello, and is of three sorts. One 
 with three strings, tuned according to his directions, G, 
 D, A, beginning from the lower string ; one with four 
 strings, F, G, D, A, or G, D, G, C ; and one with five 
 strings, E flat, A, D, G, C, or F, A, D, F sharp, A. 
 The quinte, or taille, or haute-contre de violon, was like 
 our modern tenor, having four strings, and tuned a fifth 
 below the violin. The viole d'amour was a viol with 
 seven strings, larger than the violin, and of a softer tone. 
 The par-dessus de viole was of the same sort, with five 
 strings, and had frets, and was played on the knee. 
 Several other sorts of violes are mentioned, but then out 
 of use for a hundred years and more ; as the viole de 
 Bordone, with forty-four strings (there was the sambuca 
 Lyncea, invented by Colonne, a Neapolitan, in the six- 
 teenth century, which, it is said, had five hundred strings), 
 viole batarde, viole d'amour with metal strings, and viole 
 di braccio (from whence the German name bratsche, for 
 the tenor) ; also five sorts of violes, or violettes, differing 
 only in size ; and the basse de viole, and le par-dessus, 
 then still in use. He mentions the violon d'amour, then 
 obsolete, as he says, which had four metal strings placed 
 below the regular gut strings, and so tuned as to render 
 the harmonics, but produced confusion. Also the viola 
 alto, or quinte, which seems to have been like the quinte 
 before named ; it was sometimes called the violette, and 
 Stamitz, the son of the distinguished musician of that 
 name, was a fine performer on it. The description and 
 fingering of the violoncello in his work were written by 
 Nochet, a fine performer on the instrument at that time, 
 and a pupil of Cervetto. Laborde also gives a figure of 
 the poche, or sourdine, or kit.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 169 
 
 There were several tine performers during this century, 
 but with some few remarkable exceptions, this must be 
 taken with reference to the state of practical music at 
 the time ; as probably many members of an accomplished 
 orchestra of the present day could have successfully com- 
 peted with the greatest names on record of these times. 
 In the present chapter we shall confine ourselves to a 
 few Continental celebrities, and in referring to them we 
 may mention some anecdotes known to many of our 
 readers, but we thought our subject would be made 
 more complete by venturing to introduce them, and we 
 will refer to Mr. Dubourg's interesting work on the 
 violin for many others. With respect to the extent of 
 the usual practical skill of the early part of the century, 
 we may state that John Lenton, in 1702, published an 
 instructor for the violin, wherein there are no directions 
 given for the shift ; though, as he gives the scale up to 
 C on the second leger line, it must have been occasionally 
 in use. He objects to the instrument being held under 
 the chin, or so low as the girdle, in imitation of the Ita- 
 lians ; it is to be presumed, therefore, that he intended 
 it should be placed upon the breast. 
 
 We may claim the great Pergolesi as a violin player, 
 that having been his principal instrument, but one of the 
 best known names, probably, is Tartini, who was born 
 in 1692, and was skilled in the theory as well as the 
 practice of music, and his method, as it is called, is still 
 esteemed: the story of the Devil's Sonata is too well 
 known to be repeated here. Amongst his best pupils were 
 Pagin, Lahoussaye, and Nardini, whom Burney, in his 
 "Musical Tour," names as the completest player on the 
 violin in all Italy. Gavinies, who was born in 1726, 
 had great execution, and was particularly skilful in ac- 
 companying the voice ; he is considered the founder of 
 the French school of the violin. Ferrari, another pupil
 
 170 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 of Tartini, is stated to have been the first who introduced 
 the harmonics, and passages in octaves. Locatelli, born 
 in 1693, a pupil of Corelli, had more caprice of hand 
 and fancy than any of his time, and is said to have made 
 use of some of the effects afterwards reproduced by 
 Paganini. Ghrignon, the last "roi des violons," who 
 taught the Dauphin, the father of Louis XV, was also a 
 distinguished performer in this age. Pugnani, born in 
 1727, another pupil of Tartini, and who was teacher of 
 Viotti, was an absent and eccentric man : once, when 
 playing a cadence before a large audience, he quite 
 forgot himself, and walked about in the middle of the 
 room till he had finished it, quite unconscious that he 
 was not alone. On another occasion, being somewhat 
 at a loss in a cadence, he said to a friend near him, 
 " Pray that I may get safely back." Olivieri, a pupil 
 of his, born at Turin in 1757, was a fine performer, but 
 obliged to leave the theatre there in consequence of the 
 following sforzando passage. He was in the habit of 
 attending the concerts of a gentleman attached to the 
 Court, but arriving one day rather late, the courtier 
 abused him so that at length Olivieri, who was tuning 
 his violin, lost his temper, and broke his instrument on 
 the head of his astonished patron. Veracini, a Floren- 
 tine, born about 1685, was a fine player, but excessively 
 vain. A trick was once played on him by Pisendel, the 
 leader of the orchestra at Dresden, for the purpose of 
 mortifying him. He taught an inferior player in the 
 chapel a concerto for the instrument till he became per- 
 fect in it ; lie then showed it to Veracini, who played it, 
 but was immediately surpassed in it by the subordinate 
 player. He was so vexed that it is said he threw him- 
 self out of window three days afterwards, but fortunately 
 escaped with only a broken leg. On his recovery he
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 171 
 
 went to Prague, and afterwards, in 1714, to London. 
 He had two fine Jacob Steiner violins, which he called 
 St. Peter and St. Paul, and affirmed that they surpassed 
 all the best instruments of Italy. He was shipwrecked 
 on his way to France, and thus lost these treasures. 
 Harauc, born at Paris 1738, was a great player ; it is 
 said that he began the instrument at the age of three, 
 and at six could play the most difficult music at sight. 
 Benda, born in Bohemia 1709, is considered the founder 
 of a violin school in Germany. A violin player called 
 Bohdanswicz, is mentioned in the latter part of this 
 century, who had eight children all musical, and he 
 seems to have endeavoured to attract audiences by nu- 
 merous strange contrivances ; for instance, at Vienna 
 he advertised for a concert a sonata for one violin, to 
 be performed by three persons with twelve fingers and 
 three bows ; and an andantino, to be played by his four 
 daughters on one pianoforte, with eight hands and forty 
 lingers. Scheller, about the same time, first produced 
 the performance on the four strings together, unscrewing 
 the bow for the purpose. Kolla, born at Paris in 1757, 
 and who died at Milan as recently as 1837, was a dis- 
 tinguished player and a fine composer for the instrument ; 
 he was also one of the finest tenor players in the world, 
 but it is said that his performance so affected the nerves 
 of females that he was forbidden to play this instrument 
 in public : this seems a strange restriction. A performer 
 called Leprince certainly turned his talents to better 
 account, for on his passage from Holland to Petersburg!], 
 having been taken prisoner by an English privateer, he 
 played so cheerfully to the sailors that they gave him his 
 liberty, and restored all his property. Diana, born at 
 Cremona about 1770, was a great player, and applied to 
 Eolla to give him instructions, which he declined, say-
 
 172 HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 ing he required none. Diana was angry at this, and 
 resolved to be revenged, and as Holla was preparing a 
 concerto for some approaching ceremony, he watched 
 him closely when he was practising, and thus learned 
 his best passages. Three days before the intended per- 
 formance, Diana gave notice that he was going to play 
 in the church, as was then the custom in Italy. Pro- 
 fessors and amateurs flocked to hear him, and among 
 them Kolla ; when, what was his surprise and annoy- 
 ance, to hear all the best subjects and passages he had 
 been so carefully studying, played off by Diana as his 
 own. 
 
 Jarnovick, or Giornovick, born at Palermo in 1745, 
 was another fine performer, though it is said somewhat 
 deficient in tone. There was, however, no deficiency in 
 his self-estimation. "My dear Viotti," says he on one 
 occasion, " it must be admitted that only we two know 
 how to play on the violin." He was of dissipated habits, 
 and irritable temper ; on one occasion he quarrelled with 
 St. George, the celebrated fencer, who was also a fine 
 violinist, and struck him, when St. George with great 
 moderation told him he admired his talent too much to 
 fight with him. He once advertised a concert at Lyons, 
 with six francs for admission, but nobody came. He 
 was irritated, and adjourned it till the next day, reducing 
 the price to three francs, and a crowd of people con- 
 sequently came. After waiting for some time it was 
 found he had left the place, no doubt taking the money 
 with him. Another anecdote is told of his breaking a 
 pane of glass in the shop of Bailleux, the music-seller, 
 for which he was required to pay thirty sous ; he offered 
 three francs, but Bailleux having no change, Jarnovick 
 said, Never mind, and breaking another pane, added, We 
 are quits now. Kreutzer, born at Versailles 1766, was
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 173 
 
 distinguished as a performer and composer for the in- 
 strument. 
 
 Many performers towards the end of this century be- 
 longed equally to the former part of our present century 7 , 
 and will be mentioned in a future chapter ; but we may 
 name Baillot, who was born near Paris in 1771, and is 
 known not only as one of the finest French players on 
 the violin, but as the author of one of the best set of in- 
 structions for the instrument. Bonazzi, a clever player, 
 who died in 1802, may be noticed from his having left a 
 collection of not less than one thousand concertos, quin- 
 tetts, and quartetts, by different composers, together with 
 forty-two violins, by Stradiuarius, Guarnerius, Amati, 
 and other great masters, of the estimated value of 6500 
 ducats. 
 
 In the early part of the century, Forqueray, bom at 
 Paris in 1700, was the most skilful performer on the 
 bass-viol of his time, as his father had been previously. 
 Hawkins mentions Francheville as a fine performer on 
 the viol da gamba at the Castle concerts; while at a 
 later date Charles Franz, born 1738, and Antoine Lidl, 
 are named as distinguished players on the baritone, or 
 violoncello d'amour. Franceschelli, in the early part of 
 the century, was an excellent performer not only on the 
 bass-viol, but on the violoncello, and was particularly 
 admired for the manner in which he played the violon- 
 cello parts of Scarlatti's cantatas, which were so good 
 that none but superior players could do them justice. 
 Marc Antoine Bononcini, about the same time, was a 
 fine performer, and is said to have been one of the first 
 to show the capabilities of the instrument, and to make 
 it sing, if we may use the expression. Giovanni Bonon- 
 cini, the opponent of Handel, was also a good performer. 
 The fine performance of two brothers called Saint-Sevin,
 
 174 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 known also by the name of Labbe, about 1730, contri- 
 buted much to the establishment of the violoncello, and 
 the disuse of the viol da gamba. Bigati was celebrated 
 for his style of accompaniment, and his improvising. 
 Playing once at the church of Avignon, and accompany- 
 ing Dubrieul, they sought to outdo each other, in conse- 
 quence of Boccherini being present. One of the assist- 
 ants in the church was a purblind canon, whose little 
 dog had followed him in, but had twice been turned out 
 by his master. On returning after the second expulsion 
 of the animal, the canon saw something in the shade, 
 moving backwards and forwards, which he took for 
 granted was the tail of his intractable dog, instead of 
 being in any way connected with the tail-piece of a vio- 
 loncello ; so he gave a heedless but vigorous kick, and 
 struck not the poor beast, but Bigati's instrument, which 
 with the unlucky canon, Bigati, and Dubrieul, all came 
 down together, to the great dismay of the attentive but 
 now astonished congregation. 
 
 Bertaud, who died in 1756, by his skill added much 
 to the reputation of the violoncello, and may be con- 
 sidered the founder of the French school. Amongst 
 other pupils he had the two Duports, both excellent 
 players, with fine tone and execution, of whom the eldest, 
 Jean Pierre, born at Paris in 1741, was one of the most 
 skilful performers of his age ; he died in 1818; and his 
 brother, Jean Louis, born in 1749, in 1819 ; he has left 
 a valuable work on the fingering of the instrument. The 
 two Jansons were fine players about the same time. One 
 of the Jansons was in London in 1772, and is mentioned 
 as a pupil of Duport in one of the publications of the 
 day (the " Theatrical Review "), "his taste and execu- 
 tion is very astonishing, we cannot give him the pre- 
 ference of his master." On two nights one of the Duports
 
 HISTORY OP THE VIOLIN. 175 
 
 also played solos, " this gentleman's execution is truly 
 masterly, his tone very brilliant, and his taste pleasingly 
 delicate and chaste." Burney, in his " Tour," mentions 
 the famous old Antonio Vandini, and observes that the 
 Continental violoncello is still played with the bow under- 
 handed. Louis Boccherini, who was born in 1740, ex- 
 celled not only as a performer, but also in his numerous 
 compositions, where the instrument takes a leading or 
 prominent part, many of which remained popular until 
 a recent period, although now seldom heard ; he died in 
 Spain, 1806, with, it is to be feared, very reduced means 
 of subsistence. Baudiot, a skilful performer, wrote in- 
 structions for the instrument; Tricklir, born at Dijon 
 1750, was a fine performer; and Levasseur is said to 
 have nearly equalled the Duports in tone. Bernard 
 Romberg, born about 1770, was an excellent performer, 
 and composed some good music for the instrument ; he 
 also wrote an elementary book for the instrument of 
 considerable size, which scarcely realised the expecta- 
 tions raised by the work of so accomplished a musician. 
 His brother Andrew was a good performer, and well 
 known as a pleasing composer. Max Bohrer was also a 
 distinguished performer, and had a brother a fine player 
 on the violin. Fetis says that Duport and Lindley are 
 the only persons that France and England can oppose to 
 the two German players on the violoncello just named. 
 
 We have omitted several names of fine performers of 
 Continental birth, such as Geniiniani, Giardini, and 
 others, because so great a part of their lives was spent 
 in England, that it seems more convenient to join them 
 with the English names, but without the least wish to 
 claim for ourselves merit that may in strictness belong 
 to other countries.
 
 176 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 HE bass-viol was still occasionally practised 
 by ladies in England in the eighteenth 
 century (indeed we have known lady per- 
 formers on the violoncello at the present 
 time). In Vanbrugh's " Relapse," it is said of one, " the 
 parson of the parish teaches her to play on the bass-viol, 
 the clerk to sing, her nurse to dress, and her father to 
 dance." In "The Levellers," a dialogue between two 
 young ladies concerning matrimony, 1703, Politica, a 
 tradesman's daughter, describing her education at a 
 boarding school, says she " learned to sing, to play on 
 the bass-viol, virginals, spinnet, and guitar." 
 
 The first opera on the English stage was "Arsinoe," 
 set to music by Thomas Clayton, and performed at 
 Drury Lane in 1707. William Corbet was the leader, 
 but we do not know of what instruments the orchestra 
 was composed. Corbet, who was a fine player, adver- 
 tised for sale, " Stainers' Cremona violins and bases, with 
 the four celebrated violins of Corelli, Gobbo, Torelli, 
 and Nic. Cosimi;" he left his best instruments to Gresham 
 College, and 101. a-year for the care of them. 
 
 Concerts now became frequent, gradually increasing 
 in merit, until the establishment of the professional con- 
 certs in the latter part of the century, the Ancient Con- 
 certs, the Philharmonic, now of half a century standing,
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 177 
 
 and so down to the Musical Society of London, which, 
 if it carries out the regulations on which it is founded, 
 promises to advance the science, to the improvement and 
 advantage of the amateur and the professor ; and nothing 
 can be more finished than the performance of the accom- 
 plished orchestra under its very skilful conductor Mr. 
 Alfred Mellon. At one of the earlier concerts in 1722, 
 the celebrated Carbouelli played no less than two con- 
 certos, and one solo ; while a concerto on the bass-violin 
 was played by a performer called Pippo. 
 
 The component parts of an orchestra, even towards 
 the end of the last century, were very different from those 
 at present ; several instruments, indeed, now in use, were 
 then unknown. For instance, in 1789, the orchestra at 
 the Academy of Ancient Music, consisted of 1 organ, 
 14 violins, Barthelemon being the first ; 4 violas, 3 haut- 
 boys, 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 1 drum, 4 violoncellos, 2 double- 
 basses, and 3 bassoons. Let us put in contrast the 
 orchestra of the Musical Society of London on 28th 
 January, 1863 ; for although the numbers are double, the 
 proportions of the instruments can be readily seen. Mr. 
 Alfred Mellon conductor ; 16 first violins, Blagrove and 
 Sainton principals; 16 second violins, William Watson 
 principal ; 10 violas, K. Blagrove and Webb principals ; 
 10 violoncellos, Paque principal ; 9 double-basses, Howell 
 principal; 2 flutes, 1 piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarionets, 
 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 ophicleide, 
 2 cornets, 1 drum, 1 bass-drum and cymbals, 1 side-drum, 
 1 triangle, 2 harps. The band of the Royal Italian 
 Opera, Covent Garden, for 1862, which is not to be sur- 
 passed, consisted of Signer Costa conductor ; 16 first 
 violins, Sainton principal; 16 second violins, Willey 
 principal; 10 violas, Doyle principal; 11 violoncellos, 
 Lucas principal; 11 double-basses, Howell principal; 
 
 N
 
 178 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 2 harps, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarionets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 
 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 ophicleide, 1 drum, 1 triangle, 
 and 1 bass-drum. 
 
 In the celebrated Musical Festival in Westminster 
 Abbey, in 1786, there were 1 organ, 106 violins, the 
 elder Cramer being the leader, 32 violas, 28 oboes, 
 6 flutes, 19 violoncellos, Crosdill and Cervetto being the 
 principals, 34 bassoons, 1 double-bassoon, 13 double- 
 basses, 14 trumpets, 12 horns, 6 trombones, 1 drum, and 
 2 double drums. 
 
 The Handel Festival at the Crystal Palace in 1862, 
 according to the announcement, comprised in the orchestra 
 no less than 194 violins, 75 violas, 75 violoncellos, and 
 75 double-basses, with 86 wind and other instruments. 
 The chorus consisted of the extraordinary number of 
 3120 singers, the whole under the control of that dis- 
 tinguished conductor Signor Costa. 
 
 The band for Handel's " Water Music," 1715, was com- 
 posed, according to the valuable life of him by Mr. 
 Scho3lcher, of 4 violins, 1 viol, 1 violoncello, 1 counter- 
 bass, 2 hautboys, 2 bassoons, 2 French horns, 2 flageolets, 
 1 flute, and 1 trumpet. In " Julius Caesar," 1723, he used 
 in the orchestra, flutes, hautboys, bassoons, trumpets, a 
 harp, a viola da gamba, a theorbo, kettle-drums, and four 
 horns, besides what is called the quatuor of stringed in- 
 struments, the first and second violins, the viola or tenor ; 
 the violoncello, and double-bass. In his hautbois con- 
 certos, opera 3rd, 1734, there are compositions for 2 
 violins, 2 hautboys, 2 flutes, 2 viols, 2 bassoons, 2 violon- 
 cellos, and a thorough-bass. Many of his airs have a 
 simple accompaniment for the violoncello with harpsi- 
 chord. In some of his accompaniments the violette is 
 mentioned, a name we have already noticed as a variety 
 of the viol, but an air in " Orlando," 1732, is accompanied
 
 HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 179 
 
 by " 2 violette marine con violoncelli pizzicati." Tins 
 violetta marina is said to have been introduced in the 
 same year by Castrucci ; Burney calls it a kind of viol 
 d'amourwith sympathetic strings, and the air in " Orlando" 
 is the only one written for it, so it is to be presumed there 
 were some objections to its use. 
 
 Corbet was succeeded as leader of the opera orchestra 
 by Castrucci, born at Rome about 1690, a pupil of 
 Corelli ; who is said to have been the original of Hogarth's 
 enraged musician, though Trusler names another. He 
 was difficult to manage, and was superseded by John 
 Clegg, a very fine player, who became insane from over- 
 study, and it was the fashion to go to Bedlam to hear him 
 play. Clegg was born in 1714, and played concertos in 
 public at the age of nine. Castrucci died in 1769, in re- 
 duced circumstances. Many instances have occurred in 
 all professions, of the mind giving way from the effect of 
 over-study or undue excitement, but Passenans, in " La 
 Russie et 1'Esclavage," gives a melancholy example of 
 the pressure of arbitrary tyranny on over-wrought and 
 sensitive nerves, inducing a fit of passion and resistance, 
 which may be considered as a case of temporary insanity. 
 A Russian noble, having a serf who showed great musical 
 talent, sent him to Italy to study ; he much distinguished 
 himself there, and in due time was ordered home by his 
 master. He was one day summoned to play before a 
 numerous assembly, and when any new person of rank 
 arrived, he had to recommence a brilliant concerto of 
 Viotti. Worn out at length by three hours of this work, 
 he asked to be allowed a little rest, when his brutal pro- 
 prietor replied, " No, play on, and if you are capricious, 
 mind that you are my slave, and that I can have you 
 bastinadoed." The unfortunate young man ran down to 
 the kitchen in despair, and cut off the first finger of his
 
 180 HISTOBY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 left hand with a hatchet, saying, " Cursed be the talent 
 that will not place me beyond the treatment of a slave." 
 
 The reputation of Geminiani, born at Lucca about 
 1680, though some give an earlier date, a pupil of Lunati 
 (II Gobbo), is well established, not only for his skill as a 
 player, but for his arrangement of Corelli's music, and 
 his own concertos; he came over to England in 1714, 
 and died in Dublin in 1762, in the house of his friend 
 and pupil, Matthew Dubourg. Dubourg, who was born 
 in 1703, was a fine player ; and when a child played 
 solos at Britton's concerts. It is of him the story is told 
 of playing a cadence once before Handel, when he seemed 
 rather undecided towards the close, but having safely 
 finished, Handel exclaimed, " You are welcome home, 
 Monsieur Dubourg." Mrs. Delaney speaks in high terms 
 of him : after hearing the music in honour of St. Cecilia 
 at the Crown Tavern, she writes in a letter dated the 
 llth of Nov. 1727, " Dubourg was the first fiddle, and 
 every body says he exceeds all the Italians, even his 
 master Geminiani." Carbonelli, a pupil of Corelli, who 
 came over to England in 1720, was leader of the opera 
 band for a time, but is probabty best known as the founder 
 of the celebrated wine establishment bearing his name ; 
 he died in 1772. 
 
 Felix Giardini, born at Turin, 1716, was a pupil of 
 Somis, a fine player, Corelli's best pupil, and one of the 
 great masters of his time. He came to England about 
 1749, and remained 35 years, leading at the opera during 
 part of the time. He was celebrated as a solo player, and 
 particularly excelled in an adagio, and was remarkable 
 also for the volume of tone he produced. He had amassed 
 a fortune, but unfortunately lost it, as many others have 
 done, by undertaking the management of the opera, in 
 which he was joined by Mingotti. He afterwards went
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 181 
 
 to Russia, and died at Moscow, in very reduced circum- 
 stances, in 1796. Michael Christian Festing, a German, 
 resided in London about the middle of the century ; he 
 was a fine performer, but may be more particularly men- 
 tioned with honour as one of the founders of the Eoyal 
 Society of Musicians. Richard Charke, a dissipated 
 fellow, who married Charlotte, the daughter of Colley 
 Gibber, is said to be the first who composed medley 
 overtures. He treated his wife ill, like a beast, or rather 
 worse, for the animal creation does not indulge, generally, 
 in these abominable practices, except, perhaps, the gi- 
 gantic salamander, and the spider, and a few others ; in- 
 deed, as to the spider, it is the lady who is in fault, but 
 at the same time she makes her spouse useful, for when 
 any domestic disturbances arise, she occasionally eats 
 him. Poor Mrs. Charke lived at one time in a state of 
 great penury, and there is an account of her life extant. 
 Barthelemon, born at Bordeaux in 1741, was the leader 
 of the opera band for several years, and was employed 
 by Garrick. He is said to have excelled in the per- 
 formance of Corelli's solos ; he died in London in 1808. 
 The celebrated Viotti will be still remembered by some 
 of our readers, for the vigour of his style and the purity 
 of his tone, and his music is still highly esteemed. He 
 was born in Piedmont about the middle of the century, 
 and was the pupil of Pugnani. He came to London about 
 1792, and succeeded W. Cramer as leader at the opera. 
 Viotti possessed considerable talent independent of his 
 profession, but was also of a somewhat violent and decided 
 disposition, and in 1798, when republican principles were 
 rife, was sent out of the country for some real or sup- 
 posed political offence, but was allowed to return in 1801 ; 
 and died in London in 1824. There were several first- 
 rate performers amongst his pupils, most of whom more
 
 182 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 properly belong to the present century, as Kode, who was 
 also a good writer, Labarre, Libon, Mori, whose brilliant 
 execution is familiar to many, and Pinto, who was an ex- 
 traordinary performer, but died from the effects of dissi- 
 pation in 1808, in his 21st year. William Cramer, just 
 mentioned, was born at Manheim in 1745, and besides 
 having been for some time leader of the opera band, was 
 the leader, as before mentioned, at the Handel Com- 
 memoration in 1787. He was the father of J. B. Cramer, 
 one of the first pianists of his time, and F. Cramer, the 
 well known violin player, and leader at the Ancient 
 Concerts, and others. 
 
 As we have before intimated, some names now omitted, 
 will be mentioned as of the present century, although they 
 belong in fact to both ; but as the well known Jean Pierre 
 Salomon was born at Bonn as far back as 1745, we will 
 introduce him here. He came to England in 1781, and 
 in 1791 was first violin at the Academy of Ancient 
 Music, and played concertos ; and at the same time we 
 find Master Bridgetower, distinguished afterwards as a 
 good player, playing a concerto on the violin. Salomon 
 was not only celebrated as a performer on the violin, 
 particularly as a quartett player, but also had considerable 
 general knowledge and ability, and to him we are indebted 
 for the introduction to the musical world of the celebrated 
 twelve grand symphonies of Haydn, all of which were 
 written expressly for his concerts. He continued for 
 many years the leader of various concerts at the Hanover 
 Square Kooms, and was also the leader, with a host of 
 first-rate talent assisting him, on the opening night of the 
 Philharmonic Concerts, fifty years since. His instrument 
 had been formerly Corelli's. 
 
 The finest performer on the viol da gamba in England, 
 about the middle of the century, was Charles Frederick
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 183 
 
 Abel, a German, born in 1719, who came over in 1759. 
 He was one of the greatest performers on the instrument 
 ever known, particularly in the performance of slow 
 movements, which seem best to suit the character of the 
 instrument. On the formation of Queen Charlotte's band, 
 he was made chamber-musician, with a salary of 200/. 
 per annum. He died in 1787. Dahmen about this time 
 was a fine performer on the same instrument, as well as 
 on the violoncello. 
 
 The elder Cervetto, whose Christian name it appears 
 from the registry of his burial was Jacob, was born in 
 Italy in 1682, came to London in 1728, and passed the 
 remainder of his long life in England, his death not 
 taking place until the year 1783. He brought the 
 violoncello into favour by his great skill and taste, but 
 his tone is said to have been hard. He is the musician 
 who roused Garrick's wrath by yawning aloud in the 
 middle of one of that great actor's pathetic speeches, which 
 he had probably heard twenty times before ; but adroitly 
 excused himself, by saying he always yawned when he 
 was pleased. Caporale was a rival of Cervetto, but does 
 not appear to have equalled him. He was permanently 
 attached to Handel's orchestra, as were Clegg and 
 Dubourg ; and he, with the elder Cervetto, Ravenscroft, 
 and Testing, as before mentioned, were among the first 
 subscribers to the Musical Fund, afterwards the Royal 
 Society of Musicians. The younger Cervetto, who was 
 called James, was born about 1747, and excelled his father 
 both in style and tone, which was particularly sweet, and 
 his expression very fine. He, like his father, lived to a 
 great age, and died in February, 1837 ; he had, however, 
 retired from the profession some time previously. John 
 Crosdill, born in London in 1755, went to Paris from 
 1775 to 1780. He was the first performer on the violon-
 
 184 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 cello of his time, his tone especially was remarkably fine 
 and powerful, and Mr. Parke, in his " Musical Memoirs," 
 mentions having heard him play the favourite minuet in 
 " Ariadne," in three parts, as distinctly and perfectly as if 
 they had been performed by three of the most distinguished 
 players. He retired in 1794, having ample means. 
 John George Christopher Schetky, born near Frankfort- 
 on-the-Maine, about the year 1740, of good family, was 
 originally intended for the law, and was sent to the Uni- 
 versity of Jena, but did not prosecute the study, and in 
 the course of the Seven Years' War, under Frederick the 
 Great, from 1756 to 1763 served as a volunteer, and the 
 celebrated Blucher was the captain of his company. 
 Being passionatety fond of music, he followed the bent of 
 his inclination, and studied both theoretically and prac- 
 tically under Emanuel Bach, and also under Schrreder 
 for the pianoforte. The violoncello being his favourite 
 instrument, he took some lessons from Abel (the celebrated 
 performer on the viol da gamba), under whom he soon 
 became a proficient. After travelling for several years 
 in Germany and France, he determined to visit England, 
 wishing to be present at the coronation of George the 
 Third, but was prevented by illness. However, he arrived 
 soon afterwards in London, and not intending to settle 
 there, was about to return to Germany, when he obtained 
 an engagement as first violoncellist for the Edinburgh 
 Saint Cecilia Concerts, which were then of great repute. 
 They were very aristocratic, many amateurs of rank and 
 station being members, including several of the nobility, 
 and men eminent in the learned professions. The lead- 
 ing professors were also of first-rate talent. These con- 
 certs flourished until the Peace of Amiens, when the fa- 
 cilities given for travelling on the Continent induced many 
 people of station to go abroad, and the}^ were thus broken
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 185 
 
 up. In the mean time Mr. Schetky had married, and 
 remained at Edinburgh, following his profession, where 
 his talent, polished manners, and generous character 
 caused him to associate with the best society, and he was 
 on intimate terms with many of the distinguished literary 
 characters of his time, and he died there at an advanced 
 age in the year 1824. He was particularly admired for 
 his fine adagio playing, and the delicate expression of the 
 cantabile ; his own compositions are pleasing, particularly 
 some of his pathetic passages, and one of the last pieces 
 that Lindley played with a friend, after his retirement, 
 was one of Schetky's duetts. John Christian Schetky, 
 Esq., the present Avell known and accomplished marine 
 painter to the Queen, is his sou, and possesses a genuine 
 taste and feeling for music. 
 
 In 1783 Joseph Koempfer came over here. He was an 
 extraordinary performer on the double-bass, playing dif- 
 ficult violin passages on it, and particularly excelled in 
 the use of the harmonics. He also invented a most use- 
 ful variety of the instrument, which could be taken to 
 pieces for the convenience of travelling. He was eclipsed, 
 as all others were, by that giant in power and talent, 
 Dragonetti, whom we shall mention in the ensuing 
 chapter.
 
 186 
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 N the present century, the instruments of the 
 violin class have been perfectly established, 
 the viol class being* now obsolete, except as 
 matters of curiosity. But with all our ad- 
 vances in practical skill, we have been unable to improve 
 on the models known three hundred years since, unless it 
 may be in some of the minor details. Some experiments 
 were made in France for the purpose, as was considered, 
 of improving the shape and tone of the violin. Chanot, 
 an officer in the French army, and the son, it is said, of 
 the violin-maker Chagniot, proposed to make the violin 
 of a natter model, with the sides less curved inwards, the 
 sound-holes straighter, and the bar in the centre of the 
 upper vibrating plate; in fact, something in shape like 
 the old viol, or modern guitar. It was submitted to a 
 committee of the French Academy in 1817, who, after 
 three trials, decided in its favour, considering the tone to 
 be of superior quality, and not inferior, indeed, to the 
 Italian instruments. It was not, however, brought into 
 use, and it was found, after a time, that the tone did not 
 last. Baud, a maker at Versailles, submitted to the In- 
 stitute in 1810 a violin without bars, which he fancied 
 interfered with the vibrations ; however, the report of the 
 Institute was not favourable. In 1819 Felix Savart, M.D., 
 published " Memoire sur la Construction des Instrumens
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 187 
 
 a Cordes et a Archet," in which he describes a new form 
 of violin, invented by him, on strictly scientific principles, 
 explaining his reasons at length. The shape was a tra- 
 pezium, not raised or arched, the sound-holes straight, 
 with some other peculiarities in the details. A favourable 
 report of it was made by a select committee, to the 
 Academies des Sciences and des Beaux-Arts, but the in- 
 strument did not get into use. 
 
 The nineteenth century has produced many per- 
 formers of first-rate talent and celebrity. In some cases, 
 perhaps, the execution of mere mechanical difficulties has 
 been too much relied on, but in many others, exquisite 
 taste and expression have been joined to the most finished 
 execution ; and solo and quartette playing, with orchestral 
 music of the highest class, may now be heard, not only at 
 select concerts, such as the Musical Society of London, 
 the two Philharmonic Societies, and the Musical Union, 
 with its choice chamber-music, but at those more acces- 
 sible to the general body of society, who by its extensive 
 patronage shows how truly it appreciates the excellent 
 music presented to it. Progress in music has fully 
 kept pace with the progress in society. As we have be- 
 fore observed, several of the performers now about to be 
 named were also known in the last centuiy, but the 
 greater part of their career was in the present. Among 
 them are. Yaniewicz, a Pole, distinguished for his pure 
 tone ; and Vaccari, born at Modena in 1773, whose 
 tone was particularly sweet, with great expression. 
 Kiesewetter, born in 1777, had great power with taste 
 and expression ; he died, unfortunately, soon after attend- 
 ing the Leicester Festival in 1824. He was so ill during 
 the performance as to require to be supported to his chair ; 
 and afterwards went on to Norwich, but was too ill to 
 play there, and died soon after his return. The committee
 
 188 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 very properly paid him his stipulated sum, and a sub- 
 scription was made for him at Leicester. Lafont, born 
 in Paris 1781, had a good tone, and fine taste ; he com- 
 menced playing in public at the age of fourteen. Habeneck, 
 born at Mezieres in the same year, led the opera at Paris for 
 a considerable time. Louis Sphor, born at Saesen in 
 Brunswick, about 1784, and only recently dead, was ce- 
 lebrated not only as a fine performer, with finished exe- 
 cution and expression, but also as a great composer, with 
 a perfect knowledge of the theory of music ; his compo- 
 sitions are, of course, well known to and admired by our 
 readers. At the same time was born at Genes the 
 greatest performer on the violin that ever lived, Nicholas 
 Paganini. So much has been said of him, and so much is 
 known, that a slight notice here will suffice. Those who 
 were fortunate enough to see and hear him will never forget 
 the impression produced by his strange, almost unearthly 
 figure, when, advancing to the front of the orchestra, he 
 seized his violin as if it were a cherished living creature, 
 and then, with his marvellous bow, and wonderful fingers, 
 produced such an extraordinary effect from his beautiful 
 tone, double stops, pizzicatos, and harmonics, on which 
 long and rapid passages were played, that his auditors 
 became breathless with astonishment. No doubt his ex- 
 traordinary style of play has tended to advance the cha- 
 racter and power of the instrument, and as professors of 
 talent studied the passages introduced by him, a higher 
 scale of eminence was established, and the great powers 
 of execution of some of our accomplished modern per- 
 formers may originate from the time of Paganini. He 
 began the instrument at the age of six, and after a time 
 was placed under the tuition of Giacomo Costa, the di- 
 rector of the opera at Genes ; he was then placed under 
 the excellent player Alexander Holla. In 1805 he was
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 189 
 
 director of the orchestra of the Princess Eliza, sister of 
 Napoleon, and afterwards Grand Duchess of Tuscany. 
 "While with her he played one evening a solo on the third 
 and fourth strings of his fiddle, and in 1810 played varia- 
 tions on the fourth string alone, which he performed in 
 public for the first time at Parma, on the 16th of August. 
 1811. He is said to have written his first sonata at the 
 ago of eight, and many of his compositions contained such 
 difficulties, that for some time they were considered 
 insuperable. He died at Nice in 1840. Mayseder, born 
 at Vienna in 1789, is known as a good writer, as well as 
 a fine performer, and Festa is another good writer for the 
 instrument. Joseph Reich a, born in Prague 1746, was 
 a good player, and Artot, a Belgian, a most finished per- 
 former, died at the early age of 30, in 1845. There are so 
 many excellent performers now constantly before the public , 
 that it would be presumptuous in us to give any opinion on 
 their relative merits, which would be out of our province ; 
 and therefore we will follow the example of the account 
 given of the brave Clyges, and the brave Cloantlms, and 
 their companions, by Virgil, and name De Beriot, born 
 in 1802, skilled equally as a writer and a performer, and 
 with taste and volume of tone excelled by none ; Ole Bull, 
 the distinguished Norwegian, Ernst, Sivori, Vieuxtemps, 
 Lotto and Wienawski, all of first-rate talent, to whom others 
 are from time to time, by their skill, entitling themselves 
 to be added ; but we must particularly name Herr 
 Joachim, whose tone, taste, and execution are unrivalled 
 in every style. We shall name some other foreign players 
 among those of England, as being, in fact, naturalized 
 amongst us. 
 
 As finished players on the violoncello on the Continent, 
 Arnold Schoenebeck, Muntzberger, Danzi, and Hus- 
 Desforges, wrote and adapted many pieces of music for
 
 190 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 the instrument, but their tone was not equal to their fa- 
 cility of execution. Kummer was a good writer as well 
 as player. Aubert, Breval, and Raoul all published in- 
 structions for the instrument. Lemare is mentioned as a 
 fine quartett player ; Ganz has an excellent tone ; and 
 Servais and Franchomme great execution. As a double- 
 bass player, Bottesini probably excells in execution any 
 previous performer ; it is indeed marvellous, and the fa- 
 cility with which he plays passages on double stops and 
 harmonics must be heard to be fully appreciated. His 
 tone is clear and mellow as a trumpet, but it has not the 
 wonderful power and vigour of Dragonetti's ; and indeed 
 his instrument is of a smaller make than that of his great 
 predecessor. 
 
 Amongst the English players of this time, Eichard 
 Cudmore, born at Chichester in 1787, was a fine performer 
 not only on the violin, but on the violoncello, and piano- 
 forte ; at one concert he played a concerto on the violin 
 by Rode, one by Cervetto on the violoncello, and one by 
 Kalkbrenner on the pianoforte. Thomas Cooke had 
 great musical talent, both vocal and instrumental, and 
 played in concert at the early age of five. He was oc- 
 casionally first violin at the Philharmonic Concerts, and 
 was for a time the principal singer at one of the theatres ; 
 he also composed several popular glees. At a benefit 
 about 1823, he played solos on nine different instruments. 
 One of the writers can speak of him as a kind friend of 
 may years' standing. Charles Weichsel, for many years 
 the distinguished leader at the opera, played in public 
 also at the age of seven. Spagnoletti will also be remem- 
 bered at the opera, and Venua, who for a time led the 
 ballet, was very skilful as a quartett player. Many others 
 of first-rate talent might be mentioned and Blagrove, 
 with his finished execution and perfect intonation, stands
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 191 
 
 unrivalled as an English performer ; while Carrodus has 
 recently established his claim to stand in the first rank in 
 the profession, and Sainton is now so domesticated with 
 us, that we have placed him here instead of among the 
 foreign players, and his skill and taste, not to be excelled 
 in quartett or solo playing, are fully appreciated and ad- 
 mired by all lovers of music. Molique also may be con- 
 sidered as naturalized, distinguished alike for his the- 
 oretical as well as his practical talents. Moralt and Hill 
 will be remembered as most skilful players on the tenor. 
 Powell, Charles Ashley, and Crouch, together with 
 Reinagle of Oxford, were among the leading performers 
 on the violoncello, in the beginning of this century, and 
 to the time of their respective deaths ; but the unrivalled 
 performer Robert Lindley stands alone as the master of 
 this difficult instrument, whether from the grandeur and 
 power of his tone, or the brilliancy of his execution; 
 playing on strings of such size that can alone produce 
 such body of sound, but which now unluckily are generally 
 discarded in consequence of the greater facility afforded 
 to the player by those of smaller size. He was born at 
 Rotherharn in Yorkshire, on the 4th of March, 1775, and 
 showed his genius for music at a very early age, and, in- 
 deed, at the age of nine years played the violoncello in 
 the Brighton and Lewes theatres ; his brothers John and 
 Charles being also in the orchestra. When he was of 
 the age of twelve, he and his brothers, as violin and tenor, 
 were frequently sent for when at Brighton, to play before 
 the Prince of Wales, and at that time he could play all 
 the usual solos or concertos for the violoncello. At the age 
 of fifteen he commenced writing music for himself, and was 
 anxious to get engaged at some of the professional concerts, 
 but could not succeed until the following year, when on 
 the morning of the second concert, the professor who was
 
 192 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 to have performed a solo on the violoncello was suddenly 
 taken ill, and the directors in this emergency sent to 
 Lindley's father, to say that his son might play in the 
 evening as a favour. He eagerly embraced the oppor- 
 tunity, and played a concerto in such an admirable style, 
 that he was rapturously encored. On the following 
 morning, two of the directors called, requesting him as a 
 favour to play at the next concert, when he was again en- 
 cored ; and he played concertos at the nine subsequent 
 concerts, and was encored on every occasion, thus reach- 
 ing the top of his profession at the age of sixteen, and 
 there remained unrivalled for the next sixty years, uni- 
 versally respected for his talent and integrity. At the 
 time of his joining the professional concerts he was a 
 pupil of the younger Cervetto, with whose approbation, 
 at the age of eighteen, he took the place of first violoncello 
 at the King's Theatre on the retirement of Sperate, where 
 and at the Italian Opera, which he joined on its opening, 
 he remained for fifty-eight years, thus exceeding the time of 
 Theobaldo Gatti, who died in 1727, and was for fifty-two 
 years principal bass-viol in the French theatre. Soon 
 after Lindley joined the opera orchestra, Bernard 
 Romberg came over to England, and Crosdill invited 
 him to a music party at Mr. Thomson's, where he lived, 
 and which was usually given after the rehearsals of the 
 Ancient Concerts, on Mondays during the season. Lindley 
 and a large party of professors and amateurs were also 
 present, and Romberg played many of his difficult com- 
 positions for the instrument in fine style, and with much 
 execution. When the party broke up, Crosdill said to 
 Lindley, who he knew was going to play a concerto that 
 evening at a concert where Salomon, a friend of Romberg, 
 was to lead, " They have heard Romberg; now, Lindley, 
 let them hear what an Englishman can do." In the
 
 H1ST011Y OF THE ViOLIiN. 193 
 
 evening Lindley played one of his most difficult con- 
 certos, containing passages with double stops, octaves, 
 and even tenths, which his large and powerful hand 
 enabled him to play readily ; the applause, when he had 
 finished, was very great. At the end of the first act, 
 Salomon asked Romberg, who had been standing oppo- 
 site to Lindley during his performance, what he thought 
 of it. Romberg replied, " He is the devil!" With re- 
 ference to his power of reading at first sight, it may be 
 related that when he was a young man he was at a music 
 party at Clement's Inn, when copies of Romberg's first 
 four concertos for the violoncellos were produced, which 
 had only arrived the same morning from the Continent. 
 Lindley played the whole of these without the slightest 
 hesitation or difficulty. 
 
 The beauty of his tone, and extraordinary power of 
 execution, his skill in accompanying, especially in the 
 few but effective notes in a recitative, will be in the 
 recollection of a great part of our readers. A friend- 
 ship of very many years' standing down to the day of his 
 death, will, we hope, prove our excuse for dwelling a 
 little on the subject ; indeed, one of the writers was the 
 last with whom he ever played : stopping then, in the 
 middle of a duett, like Haydn in his unfinished quartett, 
 and saying, " I can no more," and he never again played 
 on the instrument. 
 
 He would sometimes in private take the first violin 
 part of a quartett, not only on the violoncello, but when 
 with a few friends would do so on the violin, imitating, 
 good-lmmouredly, some of the leading performers of the 
 time. His son William, born in 1802, at one time gave 
 promise of equalling his father in tone and execution, 
 until ill-health unfortunately compelled him to leave 
 town. They would play the violin and tenor parts of
 
 194 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Beethoven's trios on two violoncellos, a friend taking the 
 regular violoncello part. His brother, Charles Lindley, 
 was a fine performer, especially on the tenor, though he 
 usually played the violoncello in public ; and but for his 
 retiring habits might have taken a high position. Lindley 
 died on the 13th of June, 1855, after a gradual decay of 
 some duration. One of his daughters is married to John 
 Barnett, the eminent composer. He had some good 
 pupils, as may be expected, and among them the accom- 
 plished musician, Lucas, the Principal of the Royal 
 Academy of Music, may be considered the chief. He 
 succeeded Lindley as principal violoncello at the Italian 
 Opera, and has but very recently retired, having been 
 succeeded by that excellent performer, Mr. Collins. 
 There are other very good English performers, but 
 for finished execution, taste, and expression, especially in 
 solo and quartett playing, Signor Piatti is not surpassed. 
 Anfossi was known as a good player on the double- 
 bass some thirty years since ; but all former players on 
 this instrument were surpassed by that extraordinary 
 performer, Dominique Dragonetti, born at Venice in 
 1766. He came over to England in 1795 ; and for the 
 greater part of their lives he and Lindley were associated 
 together, and their performance of Corelli's music will 
 never be forgotten by those who were fortunate enough 
 to hear it. When young, Dragonetti practised much 
 with a fine violin player, Mestrino, whom Dragonetti often 
 said he considered one of the most accomplished masters 
 of the instrument he had known. At the age of thirteen 
 he was appointed first bass to the Opera Buffa, at Venice. 
 The richness and power of his tone were marvellous ; 
 and his execution such that he would play the violoncello 
 or violin part of a quartett on his unwieldy instrument, 
 or even join in a violin duett.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 195 
 
 We may add Mr. Chorley's truthful remarks as to the 
 long musical union of Lindley and Dragonetti. "No- 
 thing has been since heard to compare with the intimacy 
 of their mutual musical sympathy ; nor is a pair of 
 figures so truly characteristic now to be seen in any 
 orchestra. Those two are among the sights of London 
 that have vanished for ever.'" 
 
 At present Howell may be considered our principal 
 orchestral player, with whom there are other excellent 
 performers. 
 
 We will now proceed to give some account of the 
 various makers to the best of our power ; but the diffi- 
 culties of arranging these have been great in some cases 
 from the deficiency of genuine information from the 
 vagueness and contradictory nature of the results of our 
 inquiries and researches in others, so that a degree of 
 uncertainty pervades the history even of some of the best 
 known names. There seems, for instance, to be a dif- 
 ference of opinion as to the number of makers of the 
 name of Amati. We hope, however, to be able to 
 supply the names of all the makers of any note, and 
 rather than be deficient in this respect shall include 
 many that will be but little known to the generality of 
 our readers ; we have used every means in our power to 
 make our account as correct as possible, but we must 
 claim indulgence for the deficiencies which we fear may 
 be found, in consequence of the scanty, imperfect, and 
 conflicting materials with which in numerous cases we 
 have had to deal. 
 
 * "Thirty Years' Musical Recollections," i. 80.
 
 196 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 E have already referred to the old makers, 
 Ott, Frey, and Kerlin, and shall com- 
 mence our account with the sixteenth cen- 
 tury, wherein several foreign names occur, 
 including the Amatis, but very few English. And the 
 same remark will necessarily apply to makers as to per- 
 formers, that in many cases they must belong to parts of 
 two centuries. We may observe also, that we shall 
 reserve a more detailed account of the English makers 
 for an after part of the work. 
 
 In that curious collection of persons, occupying about 
 ninety lines, who resort to " Cocke Lorelles Boke," 
 printed by Wynkyn de Worde in the early part of the 
 reign of Henry VIII., there appear " orgyn makers," 
 and " harpe makers," but no viol makers. Are we to 
 assume that this omission arose from the paucity of their 
 numbers, or from their being more select in the choice 
 of their companions. 
 
 There are many continental names handed down from 
 this period; but, as we have before observed, the diffi- 
 culty in some cases of ascertaining the dates, and even, 
 though more rarely, the identity of the individual, is 
 great ; and we suspect that occasionally one maker may 
 appear under two different names. The late Dr. Forster, 
 in his " Epistolarium " and "Travels," gives the names
 
 H1STOBY OF THE VIOLIN. 197 
 
 of many makers; but his books are very inaccurately 
 printed, and his dates, and even frequently his names, 
 are very confused and not to be depended on. 
 
 Pietro Dardelli, of Mantua, about 1500, made good 
 rebecs, violas, and viols da gamba, some of which, Fetis 
 states, still to exist in the cabinets of the curious ; and 
 Morglato Morella, perhaps his pupil, of the same place, 
 about 1550, made the same class of instruments. There 
 were also Venturi Linelli or Linarolli, at Venice, 1520; 
 and Peregrine Zanetto, at Brescia, 1540; with Lauxmin 
 Possen, about the same time in Bavaria, who was maker 
 for the chapel at Munich. Jean Kohl was " luthier " to 
 the Court at Munich in the latter half of the century ; 
 and Fetis states that, from some old accounts, he was 
 paid two florins for a lute. Jean Meusiedler and Jean 
 Gerle are mentioned as celebrated makers at Nurem- 
 berg, about 1540. These makers were probably more 
 particularly confined to the manufacture of violas and 
 lutes, &c., than of violins ; but the term " luthier," as is 
 well known, applies to makers of violins and violas, as 
 well as lutes. 
 
 There was, however, a celebrated maker of violins as 
 well as of viols, Graspard Duiffoprugcar, born in the 
 Italian Tyrol in the latter end of the fifteenth century, 
 who flourished in the former part of the sixteenth. He 
 was established at Bologna in 1510, but went to Paris 
 in 1515, by invitation from Francis I. ; the climate, how- 
 ever, not agreeing with him he moved to Lyons, where 
 he is said to have died about 1530. He made several 
 instruments for the Chapel and Chamber of Francis, 
 some of which are still to be found in the possession of 
 amateurs. They are said to have had a powerful and 
 penetrating tone. Chorou states (1817) that Mons. 
 Roquefort, at Paris, well known as a literary man, (and,
 
 198 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 who had himself written a work on the Poetry, Music 
 and Instruments of the French, as mentioned in his 
 Glossary (2 33), but which was never published,) pos- 
 sessed three basses of this maker, having necks curiously 
 carved. The first had seven strings tuned thus : 
 
 
 On the back was a representation of Paris in the six- 
 teenth century, executed in different coloured wood, and 
 on the front was St. Luke, after Kaphael. The second 
 had this inscription within, "G-aspard DuifToprugcar a 
 la Coste Sainct Sebastien, a Lyons." On the back was 
 a representation of the Moses of Michael Angelo; a 
 salamander, the device of Francis I. was carved on the 
 neck. The third had the figure of St. John, after Ea- 
 phael, on the back, and on the finger-board the following 
 lines, which were frequently used by this maker : 
 
 "Viva fui in sylvis, sum dura occisa securi, 
 Dum vixi, tacui : mortua dulce cano," 
 
 This couplet is said to have been on the violin of Pa- 
 lestrina, which was probably therefore one by this maker. 
 The late celebrated tenor player, Hill, left some manu- 
 script collections towards the history of the violin ; he 
 does not in general give any authorities, and his dates 
 and names are in several cases doubtful ; but his anec- 
 dotes and particular descriptions may probably be de- 
 pended on. He says that Mons. Cartier had a beautiful 
 bass-viol and an alto-viol of this maker ; but the most 
 interesting instrument made by him was a violin of large 
 pattern, the only one known, having his name and the 
 date 1539 ; this date, however, must be wrong. Th e 
 tone was powerful and penetrating ; the head of a fool
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 199 
 
 with cap and frill was carved on the scroll. It belonged 
 to Mons. Merts, first violin solo at the Grand Theatre at 
 Brussels. Mons. Kaoul had a bass-viol of this maker, 
 distinguished for its beauty and tone, which Fetis states 
 to be then in the possession of Mons. Vuillaume, and 
 that the back had a representation of Paris in the fifteenth 
 century ; it was probably therefore the same as the in- 
 strument of Mons. Roquefort before mentioned, notwith- 
 standing the difference of date stated in the picture of 
 Paris. There is a portrait of him in medallion, quarto 
 size, dated 1562. He is represented with a long beard 
 and surrounded with instruments, having a pair of com- 
 passes in one hand and the neck of an instrument in the 
 other. 
 
 In " Luthomonographie," it is stated, but we know 
 not on what authority, that Testator (il Vecchio), a 
 maker at Milan, in the early part of this century, appears 
 to have been the first who diminished the size of the 
 viol, and gave the name of violino to the new-fashioned 
 instrument. His instruments were like those of Gaspar 
 di Salo, but the model rather more raised, and are now 
 very rarely met with. 
 
 The earliest violins of any considerable repute, except 
 of course the early ones of the Amatis, are those by 
 Graspar di Salo, who worked at Brescia from about 1560 
 to 1610, or a little later, if we could rely on Dr. Forster, 
 who states he had one with this ticket, " Gaspar di Salo, 
 Brescia, 1613." He describes it as rather long, and 
 high built, with a beautiful varnish, and perhaps the 
 prettiest sides ever seen, but it had a new head and 
 neck ; the tone of the first and second strings was lively, 
 bright, and piercing, a dry golden sound, as Dr. Forster 
 calls it; the third string sweetly soft and musical, and 
 the fourth round and very fine. Other writers have
 
 200 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 stated that the workmanship of Di Salo's instruments is 
 not highly finished, but the tone full of vigour ; the S S 
 holes straight, large, and well cut, and parallel, forming 
 one distinctive mark of the school of Brescia, which was 
 the cradle of the Italian school. He employed strong 
 wood and used a deep brown varnish ; his instruments 
 are scarce, and produce a good price. Dragonetti's 
 instrument was by this maker, and after his death was 
 returned to the convent from which it originally came. 
 In " Luthomonographie " there is a copy of a ticket with 
 the date 1652, which we conclude should be 1562. At 
 the Conversazione of the Musical Society of London on 
 the 29th January, 1862, at St. James's Hall, the cele- 
 brated performer, Ole Bull, exhibited a violin of this 
 maker with the following description : 
 
 " The celebrated ' Treasury Violin ' of Inspruck, by 
 Gaspar di Salo, with Caryatides by Benvenuto Cellini, 
 sculptured by special command of Cardinal Aldobran- 
 dini, and by him presented to the Museum of Inspruck, 
 in the Tyrol. After the assault upon the said city by 
 the French in 1809, the museum was plundered, and the 
 violin carried to Vienna, where the Councillor Rhe- 
 hazek placed this unique gem in his celebrated collection 
 of ancient musical instruments, refusing to sell it at any 
 price. He left it by will to Ole Bull, in 1842. Up to 
 that period it had never been played upon ; had no bar, 
 only a bridge of boxwood, sculptured and painted, and 
 a very short and inlaid finger-board." 
 
 As the instrument was exhibited under glass no accu- 
 rate opinion can be given of it; it is smaller than any 
 other instrument which has been seen of this maker, and 
 the varnish less brown in hue than usual, being of a dull 
 yellow colour, and meagre. Only the upper vibrating 
 plate or belly could be viewed, with the carved head,
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 201 
 
 which appeared wanting in the usual energy and expres- 
 sion of the great master whose work it is stated to be. 
 This maker was particularly famous for his instruments 
 of the viol class, and is stated by some writers to have 
 been the master of the elder Amati, with whom, how- 
 ever, he was contemporary; and Giovanni Marc, del 
 Bussetto, who flourished at Cremona from 1540 to 1580, 
 is said with more probability to have had that honour. 
 The violins of the latter are of long shape, the vaulting 
 distinct, and the varnish brown ; the openings of the S S 
 holes large. One with the date of 1570 is mentioned 
 having the back in two parts, the varnish a deep yellow, 
 the corners elongated, and the model high vaulted. 
 
 Jean Paul Magini, with others of his family, will be 
 mentioned in the following century. There were two 
 other makers at Brescia towards the end of this century, 
 1580, Javietta Budiani and Matteo Bente, also Antonio 
 Marini or Mariani, at Pisaro, from 1570 to 1620. Bente's 
 instruments are said to be sought for by collectors. In 
 the Fureteriaua a maker of and performer on organs, 
 spinetts, viols, violins, &c. is named about the end of 
 this century, called Martin Chastelain of Warwick in 
 Flanders, who was born blind. 
 
 We have now arrived at the time of the celebrated 
 Amati family, of whom we will treat together in this 
 chapter, whether belonging to this century or the fol- 
 lowing. There is great difficulty notwithstanding, or 
 perhaps in consequence of the various accounts of the 
 several families of distinguished violin makers, in making 
 out an authentic history of them ; some uncertainty will 
 remain as to dates, though we have paid every attention 
 and used every means to insure as much accuracy as 
 possible. We have had inquiries made by a friend at 
 Cremona, and have been able to procure but little addi-
 
 202 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 tional information beyond what has already appeared in 
 print; and Mons. Fetis appears to have made similar 
 inquiries with like want of success. The following is 
 the most accurate account we can give of the Amati 
 family, which we believe to be substantially correct. It 
 may be observed here, that the genuineness of tickets 
 cannot always be depended on, as sometimes these are 
 imitated, and a genuine ticket may also be found on a 
 spurious instrument. It would be a good speculation to 
 buy some of these instruments for what they are really 
 worth, and sell them for what their owners profess them 
 to be worth, like Laharpe 
 
 " Si vous voudrez faire bientot, 
 Une fortune immense autant que legitime, 
 II vous faut acheter Laharpe ce qu'il vaut, 
 
 Et le vendre ce qu'il s'estime." 
 
 The first maker of this name was Andreas, born at 
 Cremona about 1520 ; he made as early as 1546, Fetis 
 mentioning a rebec, or violin with three strings, bearing 
 his name with this date. The Baron de Bagge had a 
 viola with his name and the date 1551. He made twenty- 
 four violins, twelve of large, and twelve of small pattern ;. 
 six violas, and eight basses for Charles IX. of France. 
 These, it is said, were kept in the Chapel Koyal at Ver- 
 sailles, until October, 1790, when they disappeared ; but 
 M. Cartier recovered two of them many years afterwards. 
 Nothing, it is said, could surpass the beauty of the work- 
 manship, the varnish being of golden amber colour, 
 reflecting a reddish brown. On the backs were painted 
 the arms of France, and other devices, with the motto 
 " Pietate et Justitia," not very appropriate for Charles IX. 
 The heads were decorated with a sort of arabesque of 
 much taste. In the sale of the instruments of the late 
 Sir Wm. Curtis, on 3rd of May, 1827, Lot 9 was a violon-
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 203 
 
 cello by Andreas Amati, Cremonensis, faciebat 1572. 
 The auctioneer (Mr. Musgrave) stated in the catalogue, 
 " A document was given to the proprietor when he pur- 
 chased this instrument, stating that it was presented by 
 Pope Pius V. to Charles IX., King of France, for his 
 chapel. It has been richly painted, the arms of France 
 being on the back, and the motto * Pietate et Justitia ' on 
 the sides. The tone of this violoncello is of extraordi- 
 nary power and richness." This was evidently one of 
 the instruments made for Charles IX. Mr. Hollander 
 sold it to Sir William Curtis; it was put up for 500 
 guineas, and bought in at 280. Andreas Amati made 
 numerous instruments; his violins were generally of 
 small and middle pattern, the model raised towards the 
 centre, and of proper thickness, the varnish being a clear 
 brown ; the tone sweet, but not powerful. The greater 
 number of violoncellos of this maker that we have seen 
 have a dark reddish brown coloured varnish, with a. little 
 tinge of yellow, the wood of the lower plate and sides 
 plain, and the work not so highly finished as those of 
 some of the later members of the family ; but it must not 
 be forgotten he was the first of the name, and had not 
 arrived at the same perfection. The colour of the var- 
 nish may have been influenced by that of the old lutes, 
 as Mace states that was " dark-black-reddish colour, 
 though I believe it contributes nothing at all to the 
 sound; only the best authors did use to lay on that 
 colour, especially Laux Mailer." As he progressed in 
 his art, Andreas improved his varnish, and made it more 
 transparent, and of a reddish yellow colour, with more 
 body, and much more grateful to the eye. He was joined 
 about 1568 by his brother Nicolas, who worked till 1586, 
 Andreas, it is supposed, having died about 1580. They 
 soon become distinguished by the skill of their wwkman-
 
 204 HISTORY 0*' THE VIOLIN. 
 
 ship and sweetness of tone. Nicolas was celebrated for 
 his basses, for which he used oil varnish, and the sound- 
 ing-boards had a very inconsiderable swelling. The 
 upper vibrating plate was thickest in the centre near the 
 bridge, and diminished about one-third to the S S holes, 
 and then gradually diminished towards the sides, where 
 the thickness did not exceed half of that in the centre. 
 The lower vibrating plate also diminished from the 
 centre to the sides in the same proportion, but was gene- 
 rally rather thicker than the upper plate. The first and 
 second strings were brilliant and pure in tone, the third 
 round and mellow, with power, but the fourth frequently 
 dry and feeble, arising from the instrument being too 
 narrow and short in proportion to the thickness. It may 
 in general be considered as a distinction that the instru- 
 ments of the Arnati family have a pure and sweet tone, 
 but not much power ; those of the Stradiuarius, a rich 
 and powerful tone ; those of the Guarnerius family, still 
 more volume of tone ; and those of the Steiner, a sharp 
 piercing tone, particularly on the first string. 
 
 The next of the Amati family were Antonius and 
 Hieronymus (or Jerome), both sons of Andreas, of whom 
 Antonius, the elder, was born about 1565. They made 
 at first together from 1589, but afterwards separated. 
 Antonius was superior to his brother, and made after his 
 father's pattern; his instruments were sweet, but the 
 fourth string defective. The upper plate was rather 
 thick in the centre, gradually diminishing towards the 
 sides. The small violins of Antonius have not been 
 surpassed for sweetness and mellowness, but the sound is 
 deficient in intensity, and he endeavoured to counter- 
 balance the smallness of his model and the lowness of 
 the ribs by the height and extension of the arches. He 
 is said to have worked up to 1627, and to have died
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 205 
 
 about 1635. There were some instruments made for 
 Henry IV. with the names of the brothers, and Mons. 
 Cartier had one of these, which are of the greatest rarity 
 and value, it was dated 1595. The model was of the 
 largest size, and the purfling of tortoise-shell, the oil 
 varnish of rich golden amber colour, which is one of the 
 characteristics of the Amatis. The back was decorated 
 with the arms of France and Navarre, surrounded by 
 the insignia of the orders of Saint Michel and the Saint 
 Esprit above the crown of France, with many other 
 devices. 
 
 The instruments made when the brothers worked to- 
 gether were of handsome form, and richly varnished, 
 but generally small. The lower plate usually made of 
 finely figured maple, of a deep brownish red colour, the 
 alternate stripes being of a rich orange buff, the variation 
 of colour arising from the medullary rays crossing the 
 fibres of the wood. The upper plate made of fine 
 grained deal, and the scroll rich and elegant. The 
 quality of tone is much like that of the other instruments 
 of the family; and it may be observed in respect to 
 these, that they often do not appear strong when the 
 hearer is near to them, yet are heard with great distinct- 
 ness and effect at some distance. Dr. Forster says he 
 had a beautiful instrument with a ticket, which he gives 
 thus, but the letter h in Anthonius seems to be an error : 
 " Anthonius et Hieronymus Amati, Cremonen, Andrese, 
 fil. A. 1624." Tickets are found of many makers, with 
 a blank space for the last figure or two to be added when 
 attached to an instrument ; like the following, for in- 
 stance, from "Luthomonographie," "Antonius Hieroni- 
 mus Amati Cremonen, Andrte filii, 16 . ." Hill mentions 
 the following ticket in an instrument formerly belonging 
 to Dragonetti : " Antonius & Hieronymus Amati, Ore-
 
 206 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 monen, Andreas fil : F. 1592." At the sale of the instru- 
 ments of Sir Wm. Curtis there were two violoncellos 
 and a tenor by these makers. One of the violoncellos, 
 Lot 10, was 'stated by the auctioneer, in the catalogue, 
 to be "undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and finely 
 toned instruments ever manufactured by these distin- 
 guished artists, and is, moreover, in the highest state of 
 brilliant preservation." We have never seen any instru- 
 ment with such a brilliant and golden varnish. It can 
 only be compared with a new gold coin in which an alloy 
 of copper has been used, and which imparts a depth of 
 colouring so different from the undefined colour of this 
 coin in which silver has been used as the alloy. It was 
 put up at 150 guineas, and bought in for 135. The 
 Kev. Sir Frederick Gore Ouseley had in his possession, 
 in 1859, a viola made by these makers for the noble 
 family of Radetti at Venice, with their arms emblazoned 
 ,on the back; it was purchased from them by General 
 Kyd, in 1793, and given by him subsequently to Sir 
 Frederick's father, so that the pedigree is undoubted. It 
 was altered and reduced in size for General Kyd, in 1811, 
 by Dodd, of St. Martin's Lane. The printed ticket is, 
 " Antonius et Hieronymus Fr. Amati Cremonen Andreae 
 fil. F. 1620." This instrument has been reduced in size, 
 both at the fore and hind ends; it has also been made 
 narrower by cutting pieces out from the joint lines the 
 whole length of the upper and lower plates. The wood 
 of the lower plate is not cut the usual way with the 
 figure and grain prominent, but at right angles with the 
 medullary rays of the wood, which, crossing the direction 
 of the fibres of the wood, form what is known as the 
 silver grain. It is made of a species of maple (Acer 
 pseudo-platanus), and the sides are of the same wood, 
 and the grain is the right or usual way ; the head and
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 207 
 
 neck are also made of maple wood. The varnish is of 
 a brownish yellow tint, with a fine yellow ground ; the 
 vehicle must have been very thin, as there is little body 
 of colour, although it is rich, but age may have assisted 
 in this particular. It is now the property of Mr. Richard 
 Blagrove. Hieronymus Amati had two patterns, of 
 which the largest is considered the best. The sides are 
 strong and well finished, and then tapering from the 
 hind-bout to the fore-bout, where the neck is attached, 
 thus giving a graceful appearance. The edges are ob- 
 tuse, and do not overlap much ; the upper plate is of fine 
 deal, of regular grain, and is raised gradually about an 
 inch from the sides to the centre ; the S S holes well cut, 
 but somewhat narrow, with their higher points approach- 
 ing. The lower plates made generally of one piece, 
 and, together with the sides and neck, of beautiful maple, 
 the figure running from right to left somewhat sloping. 
 The volute, or scroll, is handsome, and rounded with the 
 greatest care. The varnish is of yellow amber, with a 
 mixture of light brownish tinge. The purfling broad, as 
 is the case with most of the Italian instruments, giving 
 an appearance of the finest construction; while the 
 school of Cremona is known by having a particular bend 
 in the purfling, and that of Brescia by having a double 
 purfling. The tone of these instruments is fine, the 
 second string brilliant, the third full and round, the 
 fourth powerful, but the first sometimes a little thin. 
 This Hieronymus Amati is said to have died about 1638. 
 Hill states that our Queen has a fine viola of his make. 
 There is a Joseph Amati mentioned at Bologna in the 
 beginning of the seventeenth century as one of the 
 family, who made basses and violins possessing a silvery 
 tone, which are now very scarce ; he used the Amati 
 varnish.
 
 208 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 The most celebrated maker of this family was Nicolas 
 Amati, the son of Hieronymus, who w r as born in 1596, 
 and died in 1684 ; he was a pupil of his father, and 
 followed the models of his family, but was more finished 
 and paid greater attention to the proportions. He had 
 two patterns ; his instruments of the earlier form being 
 small, but handsome, with a sweet tone, and w^ell calcu- 
 lated for quartetts and other chamber music. His in- 
 struments most sought after, however, are those of the 
 large or grand pattern, which are powerful as \vell as 
 sweet in tone, and the violins equal to most of those of 
 Stradiuarius. The upper plate, which is generally made 
 of handsome deal, is flat towards the sides, but then rises 
 about an inch towards the centre. The lower plate, 
 which, with the sides and neck, is made of beautifully 
 figured maple, also rises towards the centre; the sides 
 are well hollowed out and the edges rounded. The S S 
 holes are not far apart, but are not so straight as those 
 of the other Amatis. The varnish is usually of a golden 
 hue, sometimes approaching to brown ; the tone brilliant, 
 with considerable power on the first string, and round 
 and full on the third and fourth strings, but sometimes a 
 little nasal on the second string, arising, it is supposed, 
 from the elevation in the centre, and the diminution of 
 the thickness of the wood from the centre to the sides 
 being too great. His instruments are much sought 
 after, and valued at from SOL to 200/. each. Fetis 
 mentions a remarkably fine instrument of his make, with 
 the date 1668, in the collection of Count de Salabue at 
 Milan, and another in the possession of Allard, the 
 violin player, which was said to be one of his best. Dr. 
 Forster, writing in 1849, states that Mr. Betts had one 
 of the finest Amatis, which was worth 250/., and another 
 of Andrew and Jerome, meaning probably Antonius
 
 HI8TOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 209 
 
 and Hieronymus, valued at nearly half that sum ; they 
 had rich reddish yellow varnish. He gives tickets dated 
 1655, and 1661, and also the following, "Nicolaus 
 Amati, Cremonae, Hieronymus et Antonius Nepos, fecit 
 Anno 1664." Whether the eccentric^ of the syntax 
 is due to the inaccuracies in Dr. Forster's book, or is a 
 specimen of Nicolas's Latinity we cannot say. " Lutho- 
 inonographie " describes shortly several Amati instru- 
 ments, and gives the following ticket, " Nicolaus Amati 
 Cremonen. Hieronomi filii Antonii Nepos fecit : Anno 
 16 . .; " some little inaccuracy apparently here. 
 
 In the "Day Book" of the second William Forster, 
 and the first who gave celebrity to the name, com- 
 mencing 1st January, 1790, and ending on 20th April, 
 1799, there is the following entry on the first fly-leaf:- 
 " No. 1. A Violoncello by Nichlaus Amatius, 1669, 
 with Case and Bow, 17/. 17s.," meaning the price at 
 which it was to be sold; a very insignificant one indeed 
 compared to the present value. On the 5th July, 1804, 
 William Forster, the third of the name, appears to have 
 sold an Amati violin to the Rev. Mr. Vinicombe for 
 31/. 10*. 
 
 At the sale of Sir William Curtis's collection, lot 3 
 was a violoncello by Nicolaus Amati fil. Hieronymi ; it 
 was described in the catalogue as made by Antoine and 
 Jerome, but the mistake was corrected by the auctioneer 
 at the time of the sale. The instrument was put up at 100 
 guineas, and was bought by Mr. Kramer for George IV. 
 for 70 guineas. Lot 8, was a violin by the same maker, 
 dated 1647 ; it was stated in the catalogue, " This is 
 justly considered as one of the most beautiful and finest 
 instruments in THE WHOLE WORLD. It was put up at 
 150 guineas, and bought in at 185. Nicolas had two 
 sons, of whom the elder, Hieronymus, born in 1649, 
 
 p
 
 210 HISTORY OF THE, VIOLIN. 
 
 followed his father's art, but was inferior and made but 
 few instruments. " Luthomonographie " gives a ticket 
 which appears to be of this maker " Hieroniinus Amati 
 fecit Cremonse, 167 . ;" he may be considered the last 
 of the Amatis. The " Biografia Cremonese," as we are 
 informed, speaks of a Nicolas Amati, and an Antoine 
 Jerome Amati, sons of Andreas Amati, who flourished 
 from 1640 to 1670 ; but we do not know the authority 
 of this work, and there is apparently some confusion of 
 names and dates. Fetis also mentions a descendant ot 
 the family who, as recently as 1786, engaged as a work- 
 man with Messrs. Lupot at Orleans, and his violins were 
 much admired ; but he would not disclose the nature of 
 his varnish, saying it was a secret of the family, and 
 left Orleans rather than divulge it. It was not known 
 what became of him afterwards.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 211 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 |N the seventeenth century we have a crowd 
 of names of makers requiring more or less 
 notice, including Guarnerius and Stradi- 
 uarius. Some will demand nothing more 
 than a passing notice, and of others we know scarcely 
 anything but the name he lived, worked, and died. 
 
 In the early part of the century Claud Pierret, Jacques 
 Bocquay, Veron, Antoine Despons, and Guersan were 
 good makers at Paris, and we shall shortly refer to some 
 other French makers. The instruments of Despons were 
 said to be held in esteem and to be rare ; and in Britton's 
 sale there is a violin by " Claud Pieray of Paris as good 
 as a Cremona." Guersan was a pupil and the successor 
 of Bocquay ; his violins were of small pattern, and finely 
 made, but are scarce. They had fine oil varnish, and 
 some were said even to equal those of Andreas and Anto- 
 nius Amati. " Luthomonographie " describes one instru- 
 ment having the lower plate in two parts, and the varnish 
 a deep yellow ; also another, a viola of middle size, with 
 the lower plate in two parts, and the varnish brownish 
 red. We have a ticket of a maker called Valler, at 
 Marseilles, in 1683. Giovanni Paolo Maggini, born at 
 Brescia, was a celebrated maker from 1590 to about 1640, 
 and is said to have been the best pupil of Gaspar di 
 Salo. His instruments are rare, and much esteemed.
 
 212 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 His pattern is generally large, though he made some of 
 a smaller form. The model is somewhat elevated, while 
 the lower plate is flattened towards the extremities, but 
 swelling towards the sides, which are large, with the 
 curves lessened towards the corners. There is a double 
 purfling, terminating sometimes at the top and bottom 
 like a trefoil. They have generally spirit varnish of a 
 fine golden colour, but sometimes of a deep brown. The 
 tone is less mellow than the instruments of the Stradiu- 
 arius family, and less powerful than those of the Guar- 
 nerius, having more analogy with the tone of the viol. 
 His ticket was thus, " Gio : Paolo Maggini in Brescia." 
 De Beriot, celebrated for his fine and powerful tone, of 
 which the younger Cervetto told one of the writers of this 
 work he had not heard the like since the days of Giar- 
 dini, brought the instruments of this maker into notice 
 in England by playing on a very fine one. Mr. George 
 A. Osborne, the eminent pianist and composer, and, from 
 his finished musical taste and skill, a most competent 
 judge, who has written, also, many pieces in conjunction 
 with De Beriot, says that the tone of this particular 
 instrument 'was equal to any he had ever heard. Mag- 
 gini left a son called Pietro Santo Maggini, who worked 
 from 1630 to 1680, imitating his father's models, and 
 was particularly noted for his double-basses. There 
 were several makers of the family of Ruggeri, but it is 
 difficult to state their order of succession, or even their 
 numbers accurately. The eldest appears to have been 
 Francesco, who worked at Cremona from 1640 to 1684, 
 or later ; there being tickets mentioned of the latter date. 
 He was a pupil of Antonius Amati, and followed his 
 principles of construction. He made some good instru- 
 ments ; his model was large, the wood thick, the purfling 
 broad, with deep brown varnish. He was known by the
 
 HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 213 
 
 name of II per, as in the following ticket, for instance, 
 from " Luthomonograpliie," " Francesco Ruger, detto il 
 per in Cremona dell anno 1645." This "detto il per," 
 probably only means " commonly known as the father." 
 He had a son called Giacinto Giovanni Batista Ruggeri, 
 who apparently worked in the latter part of this century at 
 Brescia, but there is difficulty in ascertaining his dates ; 
 he was called II buono. His ticket is " Giacinto filio di 
 Francesco Ruggero detto il Per 1696." There was a 
 Pietro Giacomo Ruggeri, who worked at Brescia from 
 1700 to 1720, and might have been his son. The ac- 
 complished performer Piatti has a fine violoncello of his 
 make, with the following label, " Petrus Jacobus Rug- 
 gerius de Nicolaij Amati Crernonensis fecit Brixise 1717." 
 A Vincent Ruggeri at Cremona from 1700 to 1730 is 
 mentioned, but little is known of him. 
 
 Of the Grancino family, the first were Giovanni and 
 Paolo, who worked at Milan during great part of the 
 seventeenth century; Paolo, it is said, had two sons, 
 Giovanni and Giovanni Baptista, who worked till the 
 early part of the eighteenth century at the same place ; 
 the former made good instruments after the plan of 
 Gaspar di Salo, but the shape was not very good, and 
 the wood not handsome ; he left a son named Francesco, 
 who worked up to the middle of the eighteenth century. 
 A very fine instrument of one of the Giovannis was 
 brought over from Italy, about eighty years since, by Mr. 
 Waterhouse, page to the Duke of Cumberland, brother 
 to George III ; it afterwards became the property of 
 Mr. Lindley, who played on it at the Italian Opera, and 
 its fine telling tone induced Mr. Farsyde to purchase it. 
 In 1837 he sold it to Mr. Thomas Masterman, of Essex. 
 The tone was very tine and powerful ; the varnish of a 
 light yellow colour, mellowed by time to a slight reddish
 
 214 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 brown. The wood of the lower vibrating plate, sides, 
 and head, remarkably plain ; but the wood of the upper 
 vibrating plate exceedingly fine. 
 
 The only Albani of much reputation is Mathias, who 
 was born at Botzen, or Bulsani in the Tyrol, about 1621 ; 
 Fetis calls him a pupil of Steiner, while in " Lutho- 
 monographie " it is stated that he was a pupil of Nicolas 
 Amati, and the first instructor of Steiner ; but from the 
 precocious talent of Steiner the probability is that he 
 was the teacher, if either, or they may both have worked 
 together under the Amatis, though their violins do not 
 partake of the outline or model of that family. Mathias 
 made some fine instruments of rather high model, the 
 varnish being of reddish brown; the first string gene- 
 rally rather brilliant but dry, the second powerful, and 
 the third and fourth nasal. " Luthomonographie " de- 
 scribes one, having the lower plate in two parts, made of 
 fine wood, with reddish varnish, and ornamented with 
 ivory and ebony ; the date given is 1712, but this may 
 have been one of his son's, of the same name, who was 
 a good maker, and may have been the maker also of two 
 violins that belonged to Francesco Albinoni, of Milan, 
 with the respective dates of 1702 and 1709. Gerbert 
 mentions an instrument of Mathias with the date of 
 1654; Hill gives a ticket with the same date, which 
 appears to be the same as that given by Hawkins ; we 
 have the following ticket "Mathias Albani Fecit Bulsani 
 Tyrol 1651." Dr. Forster mentions a violin of Signer 
 Albani at Palermo, 1659 ; this may be the same as Paul 
 Albani, named by " Luthomonographie," of Cremona, 
 in 1650, a pupil and imitator of the Amatis, but inferior. 
 We have before referred to a son of Mathias, and a 
 Michel Albani is mentioned at Greece of a later date, 
 whose instruments are of no repute.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN, 215 
 
 In " Luthomonographie " a ticket is given of Carlo 
 Giuseppe Testore, showing that he worked at Cremona, 
 " Carlo Testore me fecit Cremona del Anno 16 . ." 
 He made good violins, after the Amati pattern, and the 
 small double-bass played on by Bottesini, with such 
 extraordinary execution, is of his make ; Dr. Forster 
 mentions three makers of the name, calling them the 
 founders of the Milanese school. 
 
 Giaochino, or Giofreda Cappa, a pupil of the Amatis 
 was born at Cremona 1590, established himself in Pied- 
 mont 1640, and founded the school at Saluzzo. His 
 violoncellos were his best instruments ; he had two pupils, 
 Acevo and Sapino, whose instruments were formerly 
 esteemed. There was also a Giuseppe Cappa at Saluzzo, 
 at the end of the century. Jean Paul Castagnery was a 
 maker at Paris from about 1639 to 1662 ; his violins 
 were esteemed for their silvery tone, but had not much 
 power. About the same time St. Paul and Salomon, a 
 pupil of Bocquay, were good makers at Paris ; the latter 
 made his instruments after the pattern of Guersan, and 
 his bass-viols are said to have been good. Medard, who 
 is supposed to have been a pupil of the Amatis, was 
 afterwards, it is said, at Paris, and subsequently at 
 Nancy, became the founder of the school of Lorraine in 
 the early part of this century ; he took the small pattern 
 of the Amatis for his model, and his instruments, which 
 were silvery and mellow, though not powerful, were 
 sometimes mistaken for theirs. A ticket that we have 
 seen in a violoncello belonging to Lord Stafford, is 
 " Henry Medart a Nancy 1627." Lagetto was another 
 Parisian maker, a little later ; his instruments were also 
 after the Amati pattern, with spirit varnish. Sympertus 
 Niggel is another name mentioned. Joachim Tielke 
 was a celebrated maker at Hamburg, in the latter part
 
 216 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 of this century, and the beginning of the next, and his 
 instruments are still esteemed in Germany ; he was the 
 maker of the barytone of the date of 1687, exhibited to 
 the Society of Antiquaries, as before mentioned, and as 
 a viol d' amour at one of the Conversaziones of the 
 Musical Society of London. Martin Hoffman was a 
 good German maker about the same time, and his in- 
 struments are still in request ; but from their size, the 
 form of the sound holes, the sharp corners, and weak 
 edges, have an ungraceful appearance. He died at 
 Leipsic in 1725, leaving two sons, of whom the eldest, 
 Jean Chretien, was more distinguished for his lutes, and 
 the younger for his violins and bass viols. Other good 
 German makers of this century were Hans Fichtold, 
 about 1612, whose instruments are praised by Baron, in 
 his " Treatise on the Lute." Philip Mohr, at Hamburg, 
 about 1650 ; Johan Schorn, at Inspruck, about 1688 ; 
 Cornelis Weynman, Amsterdam, about 1682 ; Johan 
 Andreas Kambl, about 1635 ; Christian Eoth, Augsburg, 
 1675 ; Nicholaus Diehl, at Darmstadt ; Wolfgang Vogel, 
 at Nuremberg, and Martin Schott, at Prague, whose 
 best instruments were his lutes and theorbas. Dr. Forster 
 mentions a violin in his possession that came from Gotha, 
 of which, in the present pogonoferous age, it might be 
 useful to get the model ; it had an appendage that could 
 be attached to it for the purpose of receiving the beard 
 of the performer. 
 
 Antonio Maria Lausa was an imitator of the school 
 of Brescia, in the latter part of the century ; his instru- 
 ments were not easily distinguished from the models he 
 followed, but the tone was inferior. Other makers at 
 Cremona were Paul Gerans, about 1614 ; Trunco, 1660, 
 and Giuliani, 1660, a pupil of Nicolas Amati, and dis- 
 tinguished principally for his good copies. At Milan,
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 217 
 
 Antonio Maria Lacasso, and Sanza Santino ; but there is 
 some doubt whether this Lacasso is not the same as 
 Lausa just mentioned. At Verona were Jean Baptiste 
 Sanoni, and Bartolomeo Obue. At Trevisa, Pietro Aii- 
 tonio della Caesto, said to have been a clever imitator of 
 Stradiuarius, and Alexandre Mezzadi, and Dominiscelli at 
 Ferrara, in the latter part of the century. There were 
 at Rome Francesco Juliano, Jerome Teoditi, and David 
 Techier, a German, a pupil of Steiner, and a maker of 
 considerable merit. He was first established at Salzburg, 
 and went afterwards to Venice, where he caused so much 
 jealousy among the other makers that at length they 
 threatened him with assassination unless he left the place 
 immediately. He very prudently took this strong hint, 
 and went to Rome, where, whether because the skill of 
 his fellow-workmen was greater, and therefore not so 
 much injured by him, or their jealousy less, he was 
 allowed to remain in peace, and ended his days there. 
 The following is given as a ticket : " David Techier 
 Liutaro Fecit Rornse Anno 1706." His violoncellos were 
 very large, and of powerful tone. A fine one was pur- 
 chased by Capt. Robins, R.N., after the peace of 1815, 
 for 5/., which he afterwards sold to Mr. Lindley, who 
 was much pleased with it, and used to play on it after it 
 had been somewhat reduced for modern play. It is now 
 in the possession of Henry Mann, Esq., of Cleckheaton, 
 Yorkshire. At Modena, Antonio Cassino was a maker. 
 At Bologna, Florinus Florentus, and Michael Angelo 
 Garana, whose instruments had a sweet tone, but were 
 uncertain. Franois Gobetti, Pietro Vimercati, and 
 Paul Farinato, were at Venice, and it may be presumed, 
 therefore, among the principal persecutors of Techier; 
 Vimercati is said to have made instruments after the 
 style of the school of Brescia, but without the tone of
 
 218 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Gaspar di Salo, or Maggini. Laux Mailer is mentioned 
 by Mace as the most esteemed maker of lutes, and is 
 supposed to have been of Venice. Mace says he has 
 seen two of his lutes ("pittifull old, Batter'd, crack'd 
 Things") valued at 1001. a piece. He probably, also, 
 made violins, and other instruments of that class. At 
 Marseilles there was Valler, 1683, and at Mantua Bacceris, 
 1670, said to have been in partnership with one of the 
 Gaglianos. Egidius seems to have been the best maker 
 of the Klotz family, working in the latter part of the 
 century, from 1675, and generally putting his own name 
 to his instruments ; he was particular in using good wood, 
 and his instruments are well made, and have a finer and 
 fuller tone than any other of the Tyrolese make ; they 
 have amber varnish. He was a pupil of Jacob Steiner, 
 and imitated him. After Steiner's reason became affected, 
 Egidius Klotz, or his sons (for this seems a little doubtful) 
 and Techier, worked in his shop, and placed Steiner's 
 tickets in the instruments then made. George, Sebas- 
 tian, and Joseph, are named as his sons, and Joseph's 
 instruments are considered superior to his father's. We 
 have the following ticket of George : " Georg Klotz in 
 Mittenwald an der Iser 1761 ;" also one of Joseph, but, 
 from the date, he would seem to be more probably a 
 grandson than a son of the original Klotz, " Joseph Klotz 
 in Mittenwald an der Iser. An. 1774." There was also a 
 Michael Klotz, whose ticket we have, dated 1771. Parke, 
 in his " Musical Memoirs," says that Mr. Hay, formerly 
 an excellent leader of the King's band, had a celebrated 
 Klotz instrument, with a sweet and powerful tone, for which 
 a noble lord offered him 300/. and an annuity of 1001. 
 (the price seems incredible). Hay, having an inde- 
 pendence, declined the offer, and on the sale of his effects 
 after his death the instrument was sold for 40/. only. ,
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 219 
 
 A manufactory of spurious instruments seems to have 
 been established in the Black Forest, where instruments 
 of all the great masters were provided, just as choice 
 pictures of the most renowned ancient painters can now, 
 it is said, be provided to order ; and, as it is whispered 
 also, that instruments of any of the old makers may yet 
 be found by the curious in these matters, who have suffi- 
 cient confidence, and believe somewhat in the lines of 
 Hudibras 
 
 "Doubtless the pleasure is as great, 
 Of being cheated as to cheat." 
 
 In the eighteenth century these imitations were nu- 
 merous, and were generally called Midwalders. They 
 were sometimes oddly shaped, and had a dark brown 
 and ugly varnish, occasionally it was too red and bright 
 to be taken for old varnish. The genuine violins of the 
 great masters may be readily distinguished by any 
 person of tolerable experience, by their superior work- 
 manship and form, and by their mellow and sweet tones. 
 Some instruments have been improved in consequence 
 of an accidental fracture, when after the repair, if skil- 
 fully done, the tone of a dull or stiff" instrument has been 
 benefitted. Dr. Forster mentions one that was trod 
 upon and crushed by Signora Columba, and was so im- 
 proved after the accident that it bore the motto, "a 
 vulnere pulchrior." We cannot, however, recommend 
 the experiment, for in one instance certainly of decided 
 fracture that has come before our notice, the improve- 
 ment was very problematical. 
 
 The celebrated Jacob Steiner was born at Absom, a 
 village of the Tyrol near Inspruck, about 1620. He 
 was intended for the church, but would not apply to the 
 necessary studies, his mind being set on the manufacture 
 of violins ; and while yet almost a child he made some
 
 220 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 of a rude form, after the model of an old instrument of 
 Kerlin he found in the house. His parents at last 
 yielded to his wishes, and he ultimately went to study 
 under the Amatis at Cremona, where, after some years 
 practice, he acquired skill nearly equal to his distin- 
 guished masters, or in beautiful finish perhaps excelled 
 them, and began to work on his own account. The in- 
 struments made at this period of <his life are some of his 
 best, and also the rarest to be met with. They have a 
 written ticket, dated from Cremona, and signed by him- 
 self. The model is higher than that of the Amatis, the 
 sound holes rather smaller, and the scroll less prolonged, 
 and wider in the forepart : the wood broad veined, and 
 the varnish like that of his teachers. The finest instru- 
 ments of this period are about 1644. He now married 
 the daughter of Antonius Amati, and established himself 
 at Absom ; when, being compelled to work to maintain 
 his family, he attended more to expeditious workmanship 
 in order to provide for their immediate wants, than to 
 working for fame, and his instruments of this period are 
 inferior to those of his first period ; he rarely got more 
 than six florins for his violins, and had to carry them 
 out himself. His varnish of this time was of a dark 
 reddish colour and opaque. After a time the merits of 
 his instruments became know r n, and as he could then get 
 better prices, he again made them with care, and engaged 
 pupils and assistants, and among them his brother Mar- 
 cus, the brothers Klotz and Albani, and founded a school. 
 Some of his instruments of this period, made for persons 
 of rank, have the scrolls ornamented with heads of lions 
 and tigers, and other animals, adopted frequently from 
 the arms or crests of his patrons. The instruments of 
 this second 'period are generally dated from 1650 to 
 1667 at Absom, but Hawkins gives a ticket of three
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 221 
 
 years earlier date, " Jacobus Steiner in Absom, prope 
 (Enipontum 1647." The wood used by him at this 
 time is generally of a fine grain ; he took the best deal 
 of Switzerland for the upper, and the finest maple for 
 the lower plate, sides, and neck; his varnish was of 
 mahogany colour now embrowned by time. Mons. Alard, 
 at Paris, is said to have had a violin of this period of the 
 greatest beauty; and the excellent player Sivori also 
 had a very fine instrument. Mozart used to play on an 
 instrument of his make ; and at the Salzburg Mozart 
 Festival, in September, 1856, this with the name and date, 
 Jacobus Steiner, Absom, 1659, and another small one 
 by Andrea Ferdinand Maier, Salzburg, 1746, on which 
 Mozart first learned to play, were produced for sale, 
 having at his death come into the possession of his 
 sister. In " Luthomonographie " there is the following 
 ticket of this period, "Jacobus Steiner in Absom prope 
 (Enipontum, 1663." After the death of his wife, he 
 retired to a convent of Benedictines, where, according to 
 Fetis, he passed the remainder of his life ; but "Lutho- 
 monographie " states that towards the end of it he lost 
 his reason, either from a violent attachment formed for 
 Clara Vimercati, (he being then approaching the age of 
 threescore years and ten,) or from mortification in con- 
 sequence of having sold his instruments at too low a 
 price two very different reasons; but at that age we 
 might match Plutus against Cupid. There is no doubt, 
 however, that he did retire to a convent, and then 
 wishing to distinguish himself, obtained, through the 
 influence of the superior, some wood of rare quality, of 
 a close and regular figure, from which he made sixteen 
 violins of a perfect model. He sent one to each of the 
 twelve Electors, and the remaining four to the Emperor ; 
 and these are known as the Steiner Electors. The tone is-
 
 222 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 pure and silvery, the form elegant, and the details most 
 highly finished ; the purfling a little removed from the 
 edge and finely inlaid ; the varnish of a transparent 
 golden amber colour. Fetis says that only three instru- 
 ments of this third period of Steiner are known to exist ; 
 namely, one given by the Empress Maria Theresa to 
 the violinist Kennis, at Liege; another bought in 1771, 
 for 3500 florins, by the Duke of Orleans, the grandfather 
 of King Louis-Philippe, who, when he gave up playing 
 himself, presented it to Navoigille the younger; and, in 
 1817, the instrument passed into the hands of Mons. 
 Cartier ; the third was in the cabinet of Frederic Wil- 
 liam II. of Prussia. A curious history has been told us 
 of a Steiner violin, for which many years ago the father 
 of General Morgan Neville, of Cincinnati, (the General 
 himself having told our informant, Mr. James Forster, 
 and the father having been aide-de-camp to General 
 Lafayette in the revolutionary war,) gave 1500 acres 
 of land, worth at that time a dollar per acre a pretty 
 large price even at that rate, though a much higher one 
 than this has been given for a Stradiuarius violin. But 
 what as to the value of these "dirty acres " now, when 
 we understand that a large part of the city of Pittsburgh 
 has been built on them ! No marvellous reward given to 
 a Roman professor on the flute, or to a marvel on the 
 tight-tope, or flying trapeze will equal this. Sir F. 
 M'Clintock, in his " Voyage of the Fox," relates an 
 anecdote of an Esquimaux who gave a large quantity of 
 whalebone for a fiddle to which he had taken a fancy ; 
 the fortunate seller afterwards disposed of this whale- 
 bone for upwards of a hundred pounds. Otto, in his 
 work " On the Construction of the Violin," makes ob- 
 servations to the following effect respecting the Steiner 
 instruments. The upper plate is modelled higher than
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN* 223 
 
 the lower one ; the highest part of the model under the 
 bridge extends exactly one-half of the instrument towards 
 the lower broad part, and then diminishes towards the 
 end edge, and it decreases in like manner at the upper 
 broad part towards the neck. The breadth of this model 
 is uniformly the same as that of the bridge, from which 
 it diminishes towards the side edge. The edges are very 
 strong and round ; the purfling somewhat nearer to the 
 edges than in the Cremonese instruments, and also nar- 
 rower. The S S holes are beautifully cut, and some- 
 what shorter than the Cremonese, with the upper and 
 under turns perfectly circular. The neck is particularly 
 handsome, and the scroll as round and smooth as if it 
 had been turned. In some the screw-box is varnished 
 dark brown, and the upper plate deep yellow. These 
 instruments are rarely to be found with any labels inside, 
 and they are simply written. In the Tyrolese imitations 
 of Steiner they are printed, and in the genuine Cre- 
 monese instruments they are also printed. The general 
 character of the Steiner instruments is free, somewhat 
 piercing, and sparkling, especially on the first string, 
 having a flute-like quality. Som'e instruments of Klotz 
 have occasionally been confounded with those of Steiner ; 
 but the varnish of Klotz is of a dark basis, with a tinge 
 of yellow, while that of Steiner is of a red mahogany 
 colour embrowned by time, besides the superiority of 
 tone. The date of Steiner 's death is unknown. 
 
 Marcus Steiner, who worked at Inspruck, is called by 
 " Luthomonographie " the son of Jacob ; but we have seen 
 that he had a brother of that name who worked with 
 him. His instruments were good, but inferior to those 
 of his namesake.
 
 224 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 E now arrive at the time of Antonius Stra- 
 diuarius, who is generally considered the 
 greatest maker that ever lived; and wish 
 we could introduce him to the sweet music 
 of one of his own quartett of instruments, such as we at 
 no distant period heard when in the charge of one of the 
 writers of this work. 
 
 Antoine Stradiuarius was descended from an old 
 family at Cremona, and was born there about the year 
 1644, as there is an instrument of his in existence having 
 a ticket written by him with the date 1736, stating his 
 age, ninety- two. He was a pupil of Nicolas Amati, and 
 made after his model, until about the year 1690 ; from 
 the year 1670, however, he placed his own name in his 
 instruments, having for the three previous years placed 
 that of his master. " Luthoinonographie " describes an 
 instrument of the date of 1681, of a long form, with the 
 back in two parts, made of fine wood, and the varnish 
 brown, bordering on red. In the year 1690 he altered 
 his style, and the proportions of his instruments ; his 
 model was larger, and the form of his arching somewhat 
 flatter, the gradation of the thickness of the vibrating 
 plates more strictly regulated, and the choice of wood 
 carefully attended to ; but he still retained some simi- 
 larity to the workmanship of his master. His best
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 225 
 
 instruments were made from about 1700 to 1725, and 
 then approached nearest to perfection. The wood united 
 l>eauty with great capability for conducting sound, and 
 his model was designed with taste and skill that have 
 never been exceeded. The thickness was greatest to- 
 wards the centre, in order more fully to support the 
 pressure of the bridge under the tension of the strings, 
 and gradually decreased towards the sides, to give all 
 the necessary vibration. The S S holes were formed 
 with great taste, and the scroll finely carved ; the 
 varnish of a beautiful warm reddish or yellowish colour, 
 of which the secret appears to be lost. The lower plate, 
 sides, and neck, were made of beautifully figured maple, 
 the comers not too salient, and the purfling well inlaid. 
 The four strings are generally of equal beauty of tone 
 which cannot be surpassed. The details of the interior 
 of the instrument are equally attended to with those of 
 the exterior, all being the result of study and scientific 
 calculation, and in harmonious proportion. 
 
 After 1725 his instruments are said to have rather 
 fallen off in workmanship, he was now an aged man ; 
 the arching became a little more raised, and the varnish 
 of a browner hue, the tone also less brilliant. Probably 
 he worked less himself, but gave directions to his as- 
 sistants, among whom were his sons Homobono and 
 Francesco, who were inferior to him, and Charles Ber- 
 gonzo is also said to have worked with him. Several 
 unfinished instruments were left at the time of his death 
 which were completed by his sons, who placed his ticket 
 in them, thus causing some doubt as to the entire au- 
 thenticity of the instruments towards the close of his life. 
 He died at Cremona in December 1737, having attained 
 the great age of ninety-three. He had three sons and 
 one daughter, Catherine, who died at the age of seventy, 
 
 Q
 
 226 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 in 1748. Two of the sons, as before-mentioned, worked 
 with their father, of whom Homobono died in June 1742, 
 and Francesco in May, 1743. The unusual duration of 
 his life will account for the great number of instruments 
 reported to have been made by him ; but though there 
 are many that bear his tickets, genuine specimens are 
 scarce, and it is to be feared that instruments are some- 
 times put forward with great pretence, of which the 
 authenticity may well be doubted, the proprietors not 
 having the prudence of La Monnoye, in his epitaph on 
 " Louis Barbier Abbe de la Riviere," who, in 1670, left 
 100 crowns for one 
 
 , " Ci-git uii tres-grand personnage, 
 
 Qui fut d'un illustre lignage, 
 Qui posseda mille vertus, 
 
 Qui ne trompa jamais, qui fut toujours fort sage, 
 Je n'en dirai pas davantage; 
 C'est trop mentir pour cent escus." 
 
 Antoine Stradiuarius is described as having been tall 
 and thin, and he was in easy circumstances, his usual 
 price for a violin having been four louis d'or, for which 
 now probably from 100/. to 200/. would be given, while 
 violoncellos would much exceed this price ; we shall 
 refer to some particular instruments directly. The follow- 
 ing ticket is given in " Luthomonographie " " Antonius 
 Straduarius Cremona faciebat anno 16 .. ." In the 
 same work there is an account of a violin dated 1702, 
 purchased of the family of Stradiuarius in 1790 by Giov. 
 Gagliano ; it had never been varnished, but was acknow- 
 ledged by Paganini in 1820 as a genuine instrument. 
 Prince Youssoupow bought it in 1854, and added it to 
 the celebrated collection of instruments in his palace at 
 St. Petersburgh. It is probably this instrument that is 
 described in the same work as of grand pattern, with the 
 back in two parts, the body, sides, and neck, of wood
 
 HISTORY OP THE VIOLIN. 227 
 
 much veined, with reddish varnish approaching to 
 yellow. A violoncello is also mentioned of middling 
 size, with the back in two parts, the wood fine, and the 
 varnish red, verging on brown ; the violoncello of Count 
 Wieliehorsky is said to be known to all the musical 
 world. Mons. Servais, the celebrated performer at 
 Brussels, had a violoncello of large pattern of extraor- 
 dinary power, with a silvery mellowness of tone. We 
 may here observe, that in stating certain celebrated in- 
 struments to be in the possession of particular persons, 
 changes may occasionally have taken place since our 
 notes respecting the ownership were originally made, so 
 that our remarks may be considered to apply to the 
 present or comparatively recent ownership. Mons. 
 Franchomme, the skilful violoncellist, had an instrument 
 of the smaller pattern that formerly belonged to Duport, 
 and of the greatest value, 500L, it is said, having been 
 asked for it. A very fine violoncello was brought over 
 by the Earl of Pembroke in the last century, and by him 
 given to Sperati, then one of the principal performers of 
 the day; it became afterwards the property of Mr. 
 Morse, and at the sale of his musical property, in June 
 1816, was purchased by the third William Forster for 
 Mr. Cervetto, jun., at the price of 105/. After his death 
 it was purchased by the distinguished musician, Mr. 
 Lucas for 200Z. and ultimately became the property of 
 Mr. Charles Finch of Staines. A curious circumstance 
 may here be mentioned, which was related by the 
 younger Cervetto himself to one of the writers of this 
 work. The elder Cervetto, before he entered the musical 
 profession, had been an Italian merchant, and had dealt 
 with Stradiuarius himself in musical instruments, and 
 brought some of his make over to England ; but as he 
 could not obtain as much as five pounds for a violoncello,
 
 228 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 they were taken back as a bad speculation. At the sale 
 of Sir Wm. Curtis's instruments, lot 7, was a violoncello 
 of the date 1684, said to have been made by Stradiua- 
 rius for a Corfiote nobleman, and deposited by him in a 
 chest with cotton, and there left for at least a century ; 
 it was put up at 200 guineas and bought in for 235. 
 Mara, the husband of the gifted Madame Mara, was a 
 good player, but a drunken fellow, and behaved ill to 
 his wife. He brought over a fine instrument of this 
 maker, the tone of which was everything that could be 
 desired, especially that of the first string, it was musical 
 aud rich, with much power ; the figure or mottle of the 
 wood was extremely beautiful. It is believed that Mr. 
 Crossdill purchased this instrument from Mara, and that 
 he sold it at the beginning of the present century to 
 General Bosville, afterwards Lord Macdonald. His son 
 disposed of it to Mr. Lucas, who played on it for some 
 time at the Italian Opera, where he succeeded Lindley 
 as principal violoncellist, and subsequently parted with 
 it to Mr. John Whitmore Isaac, of Worcester. Before 
 parting with Mara we will relate a couple of anecdotes 
 of the effects of his temper and pride, for though he 
 frequently ill-used his wife, yet he was proud of her 
 talent, and would at times become enthusiastic in this 
 respect. We will begin with the result of a drunken 
 bout. When the Maras were at Berlin, Frederic the 
 Great heard that Madame Mara had been unable to 
 sing before him, in consequence of a severe beating her 
 husband had given her, amongst other effects of which 
 was a discoloured, or what schoolboys would call a 
 black eye. The enraged monarch sent for the culprit, 
 and after giving him a severe reprimand, told him as he 
 was so fond of beating he should be indulged in his 
 propensity, and accordingly sent him away to act as
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 229 
 
 drummer in one of his regiments for a month; a different 
 version, however, says that this punishment was for 
 attempting to leave Prussia without permission. The 
 other story refers to one of his fits of enthusiasm ; heing 
 once on a visit to the Earl of Exeter, at Burleigh, the 
 capricious lady complained to her husband, that she did 
 not like his lordship's claret, on which Mara sent to 
 Stamford for a chaise and four, and proceeded to Lon- 
 don, returning the following day with a case of claret 
 from their own cellar. It is not stated how long their 
 visit was afterwards allowed to continue. To return to 
 the instruments, the late Mr. Frederick Perkins had a 
 fine instrument of this maker, possessing a pure tone of 
 first-rate quality; it had formerly belonged to Bocche- 
 rini, and is now the property of Mr. Robert Garnett, of 
 Sutton Coldfield. 
 
 A tenor of Stradiuarius was in the sale of Sir Win. 
 Curtis, lot 6, which the auctioneer stated to be one of 
 the most valuable specimens of the maker, and not to be 
 surpassed ; it was put up at 150 guineas, but no offer 
 was made for it. Gardiner says that Mr. Wm. Cham- 
 pion gave 300 guineas for a violin and tenor of this 
 make in one case, of a beautiful yellow colour, inclining 
 to orange. The violins of Stradiuarius have been valued 
 and sold for most extravagant prices, from 200 guineas 
 upwards ; the late Mr. Betts had one for which it is 
 stated the sum of 500/. was refused. Fetis mentions one 
 in the possession of Mons. Vuillaume possessing united 
 power and sweetness, a model of exterior beauty and 
 perfection of tone, made in 1716, but rarely played on. 
 A remarkably fine one is said to be in the collection of 
 the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and two magnificent 
 specimens in the possession of Count San Grado, at 
 Venice. The highest price ever given for a violin, was
 
 230 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 for one by this maker, unless we choose to take the 
 present value of the land given as before mentioned for 
 a Steiner instrument. The violin to which we refer was 
 sold in 1856, for literally more than its weight in gold, 
 as on weighing the violin it appeared that the price 
 given was at the rate of nearly 40/. an ounce. At the 
 sale of Mr. Groding's instruments, in February 1857, 
 Mons. Vuillaume gave 212L for a tenor by this maker, 
 for which it is said Mr. Goding had given 400Z. to Mr. 
 Hart ; it was one of a quartett of Stradiuarius instru- 
 ments, formerly belonging to Lord Macdonald. Dra- 
 gonetti had a celebrated Stradiuarius double-bass, for 
 which it is said that a well-known amateur offered 800 
 guineas, but 1000 were required. Stradiuarius also 
 made viols and quintons, guitars, lutes, and mandoras. 
 
 It really would almost appear that the possession of 
 one of these splendid instruments would make a person, 
 in spite of nature and of the stars, to fiddle and discourse 
 sweet music. Let it be remembered, however, that great 
 mechanical skill is not the only requisite for fine playing; 
 indeed, such skill may exist with scarcely any real 
 musical feeling. Hear some of our most distinguished 
 performers, observe the delicacy of taste and expression, 
 joined to the most finished execution, where the sense of 
 difficulty is overcome by the impression of the beauty of 
 the performance. Not so with mere digital dexterity, 
 where a considerable degree of facility has been obtained 
 by hard practice, perhaps, and so far praiseworthy, but 
 where no feeling of the poetry of music exists. This 
 sort of performance reminds one of a story of a young 
 priest, in one of the numerous French gossiping memoirs, 
 who was a popular preacher, but one day, when in the 
 pulpit, suddenly lost the thread of his discourse; he did 
 not, however, lose his presence of mind, but proceeded
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 231 
 
 with much gesticulation, considerable inflection of voice, 
 and great emphasis, but, in fact, without pronouncing 
 any sentences intelligibly ; the only words striking the 
 ear being such as, car enfin mais si done Mes- 
 sieurs, &c. When he had finished, the congregation was 
 delighted : such energy, such learning, such eloquence. 
 To be sure they all agreed that they could not hear very 
 well, or connect the parts of the discourse, but attri- 
 buted this to having been badly placed : either too near, 
 or too far off, or in an awkward corner, and determined 
 to choose better places next time, in order not to lose the 
 advantage of such a talented preacher. 
 
 We have now arrived at another great name Guar- 
 nerius of which family there were several ; the first 
 being Pietro Andreas, or, as he is generally called, 
 Andreas. He was born at Cremona in 1630, and is 
 considered to have been a pupil of Hieronymus Amati, 
 after whose model, with some little distinction, his instru- 
 ments were made, and principally of large pattern. The 
 tone is good, but, in general, not strong; and they fre- 
 quently have a fine shape and good varnish. In Sir 
 William Curtis's sale there were a violoncello and a 
 tenor by this maker, each put up at 100 guineas, and 
 bought in for seventy-nine. Andreas worked from about 
 1650 to 1680, or perhaps, later. The following is a copy 
 of a ticket in our possession, or, more correctly, in the 
 possession of one of us, which is the case with all the 
 tickets or labels so referred to : "Andreas Guarnerius 
 Fecit Crenionae sub titulo Sanctae Teresiae 1675." He 
 had two sons, Giuseppe and Pietro, of whom Giuseppe was 
 the best, and rather followed the model and imitated the 
 varnish of Stradiuarius, and afterwards that of his cele- 
 brated cousin and namesake. His instruments are 
 esteemed, though the fourth string is sometimes dry and
 
 232 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 hard and are generally of small pattern, with a brilliant 
 reddish varnish. The instruments of Pietro have a full 
 tone, but want brilliancy and the form is not elegant ; 
 the varnish of a brownish hue. The two brothers worked 
 from about 1690 to 1720 ; and in the latter part of his 
 life Pietro removed to Mantua. There was a very fine 
 violoncello by this maker in Sir William Curtis's sale, 
 bought in for 125 guineas. A son of Giuseppe's is 
 mentioned, called Pietro, who worked at Cremona from 
 1725 to 1740, and followed his father's models, but with 
 less finish. 
 
 The great artist of this family was Giuseppe, or Giu- 
 seppe Antonius Guarnerius, commonly known as Joseph, 
 the nephew of Andreas, often called del Jesu, in conse- 
 quence of many of his tickets having I.H.S. marked on 
 them, and frequently a cross. His father, Giovanni 
 Baptista Guarnerius, the brother of Andreas, was not a 
 maker himself. Joseph was born at Cremona on the 
 8th of June, 1683, and became a pupil of Stradiuarius ; 
 but he was not a mere imitator, and was guided by 
 positive principles. He worked at Cremona until the 
 year of his death, 1745; but, unfortunately, in his latter 
 years, he became careless and dissipated, and addicted 
 to drink ; his instruments became inferior in make, and 
 the wood and varnish also deteriorated. 
 
 It is stated that he was confined in prison for a consi- 
 derable time; and Fetis relates that while he was there 
 the gaoler's daughter procured some inferior tools and 
 wood, and assisted him in his work, and then took the 
 instruments out for sale in order to obtain some com- 
 forts for him in his reduced circumstances. She bought 
 the varnish as required, from different makers, which 
 accounts for the variety of tints on his later instruments. 
 At the commencement of his career his instruments
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 233 
 
 showed no particular marks of skill, and there was even 
 an appearance of negligence in his work ; but after a few 
 years he paid great attention to it, and was very parti- 
 cular in the choice of his wood. The model was care- 
 fully worked out, generally of the smaller pattern, and 
 the arching not much raised, gradually decreasing 
 towards the sides in a gentle curve, and the S S holes 
 finely cut : the thickness, perhaps, towards the centre of 
 the lower plate sometimes too strong, so as to interfere 
 with the vibration and power. His varnish remarkably 
 fine, and of a brownish red, or sometimes of a deep 
 yellowish tint. He occasionally made some admirable 
 instruments of a larger pattern. " Luthomonographie " 
 describes one of these, dated 1723, having the lower 
 plate in two parts, the wood veined, and the varnish 
 brownish red. The tone of his instruments is brilliant, 
 and some of them are scarcely inferior to those of Stra- 
 diuarius, bearing a high price. The extraordinary per- 
 former, Paganini, played on one. At the sale of Mr. 
 Crossdill's instruments, in May 1826, a very fine violon- 
 cello, by this maker, was bought by Mr. Kramer for 
 George IV. for 125 guineas, Mr. Cervetto, jun., having 
 offered as much as HO/, for it. Hill mentions a 
 tenor of his make, of beautiful workmanship, formerly 
 the property of Dragonetti, and afterwards in the pos- 
 session of the lamented Prince Consort. Mr. Willett L. 
 Adye, of Merly House, Dorsetshire, a well-known ama- 
 teur, has a remarkably fine violin by this maker, of 
 which the history is somewhat interesting : It belonged 
 to Mr. Mawkes, formerly distinguished as an excellent 
 performer, who left the profession to enter the Church, 
 and was ordained many years since. He bought it in 
 1831, at Spohr's recommendation, from Professor Hoff- 
 mann, of Frankfort, when he was studying under the
 
 234 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 former celebrated musician at Hesse Cassel. Hoffmann 
 bought it at the time Kode was at Frankfort, it having 
 been a facsimile of an instrument by the same maker, 
 played on by him. Spohr told Mr. Mawkes, if he could 
 purchase it, he would have one of the finest instruments 
 in the world; and he would have given his famous Stra- 
 diuarius in exchange for it. Mr. Mawkes refused several 
 offers for it, and, having been the possessor of it for 
 about thirty years, disposed of it to Mr. Adye. The late 
 Mr. Mori had a fine instrument by this maker. The 
 following are some of our tickets of this maker : 
 
 " Joseph Guarnerius 
 Cremonensis Faciebat 1724." 
 
 " Joseph Guarnerius fecit 
 Cremone anno 1738. * 
 
 Dr. Forster gives copies of two tickets by Antonius 
 Guarnerius, 1722 ; but his book cannot be depended 
 on. It may be observed that Joseph does not appear 
 to have made use of his name Antonius. A Catherine 
 Guarnerius is named, who was probably the daughter of 
 Andreas, and worked with her brothers.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 235 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 HERE are numerous makers in the eigh- 
 teenth century, many of whom will be known 
 to most of our readers, while of others perhaps 
 even the names will not have reached them. 
 The same difficulties occasionally exist as to the identity 
 of some of the least known persons named, and in some 
 instances the makers will equally belong to the preceding 
 or succeeding century. 
 
 Among the Italian makers, the family of Gagliano, at 
 Naples, is well-known. The founder of this, as makers 
 ot instruments, is said to have been Alessandro, the son 
 of a Marquis of the name, who was obliged to leave 
 Naples about the beginning of the century, in conse- 
 quence of some crime committed in a fit of jealousy. 
 He retired to reside in a deep wood, and there amused 
 himself with making violins, and finding that he suc- 
 ceeded, returned in a few years to his native place, where, 
 his offence having been forgotten, he founded a manu- 
 factory for instruments. He took Stradiuarius for his 
 model, and made good violins with a lively quality of 
 tone, but not very powerful. He left two sons, Januarius 
 aud Nicolaus, of whom we have the following tickets : 
 "Januarius Gagliano Filius Alexandri fecit Neap. 1741," 
 and "Nicolaus Gagliano Filius Alexandri fecit Neap. 
 1785 " ; they followed their father's model. There are
 
 236 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 four other makers of the name mentioned, Ferdinando 
 and Giuseppe, the sons of Nicolaus, who made as late as 
 from 1780 to 1790, or later, there being a ticket of 
 Giuseppe dated 1789, and Giovanni and Antonio, of 
 whom Giovanni is reputed the best. Giovanni, it is 
 said, had two sons, Rafael and Antonio, but it is by no 
 means improbable that this and the former Antonio are 
 the same person ; these sons after a few years abandoned 
 the manufacture of instruments, and established a factory 
 for strings, which became one of the best in Italy, and 
 they are stated in " Luthomonographie " to be still living. 
 The essential importance of good, strings is recognized 
 by every performer. Angelo Angelucci, of Naples, who 
 died in 1665, had more than one hundred workmen in 
 his employ, and discovered that the best strings were 
 made from mountain bred sheep of seven or eight months 
 old. 
 
 The Bergonzis were good makers at Cremona ; a 
 Francisco Bergonzi is named as early as 1687, who 
 might have been the father of Carlo. Carlo Bergonzi r 
 or Baganzi worked from about 1712 to 1750, and 
 made some excellent instruments, which are held in con- 
 siderable estimation ; they generally possess beauty and 
 brilliancy with a fine tone. He worked at one time with 
 Stradiuarius, but according to some of his tickets calls 
 himself a pupil of Nicolas Amati, as for instance, " Carlo 
 Baganzi allieue di Nicola Amati fecit CremonaD anno 
 1723." He had a son called Nicolas living at Cremona 
 in 1739, whose instruments are sometimes sold for his 
 father's, but are inferior. A Michelo Angelo Bergonzi 
 is mentioned of about the same date as Carlo. Lorenzo 
 Guadagnini, was born at Placentia towards the end of the 
 seventeenth century, and was living in 1742. He was a 
 pupil of Antonius Stradiuarius, whose models he folio wed ,
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 237 
 
 generally of the small pattern. He finished with care, 
 using good oil varnish, his S S holes are elegant, and 
 his purfling neat ; the first and second strings brilliant, 
 but the third occasionally dull. After working for some 
 time at Placentia he removed to Milan. Giovanni Bap- 
 tista Guadagnini is generally called his son, but if a 
 ticket we have seen with this name and the date 1731, 
 is genuine, it would appear probable that he was his bro- 
 ther,, as stated in " Luthomonographie ; " he worked at the 
 same places, and made instruments very similar to those 
 of Lorenzo, and of about the same value ; he calls him- 
 self in some of his tickets a pupil of Antonius Stradiua- 
 rius. A Giuseppe Guadagnini is mentioned at Turin 
 in 1751, and another of the same name at Parma in 1793; 
 and some of the family were at Naples a very few years 
 since. 
 
 Francesco Milani, of Milan, worked on the model of 
 Guadagnini about the middle of the century ; and 
 Guiseppe Carlo, of the same place, 1769 ; and Thomas 
 Palestieri, a pupil of Stradiuarius ; and Spiritus Sursano, 
 at Coni, about the same time, if there be not some mis- 
 take in the name ; Alessandro Zanti, at Mantua, about 
 1770; Camilus de Camile, of the same place, a good 
 pupil of Stradiuarius ; and Tommasso Circapa, and Gio- 
 vanni Santi at Naples, about 1730. At Cremona, Gre- 
 gorio Montade, a pupil of Stradiuarius, whose instru- 
 ments were in repute in the early part of the century ; 
 Pietro Palestieri, Alberto Giordane, 1735 ; Davido Ca- 
 millio, 1755 ; Nicolao Guletto, 1790 ; Johann Christian 
 Ficker, 1722 ; Johann Gottlob Ficker, 1788, and Johann 
 Gottlob Pfretzschner, of whom there is a ticket dated at 
 Cremona 1794; but the three last names are evidently 
 of German origin ; and there was a musical firm of the 
 last name at Neukirch, of which we have seen several
 
 238 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 tickets ; a Carl Frederick Pfretzschner is also mentioned 
 at Cremona. Lorenzo Storioni, who was living there in 
 1782, was the last maker of any great repute of that 
 celebrated place. His violoncellos especially are esteemed 
 for their powerful tone. His violins resemble those of 
 Joseph Guarnerius, and Dr. Forster speaks in high terms 
 of them, particularly of one then in his possession of a 
 singular shape, and of a dark reddish or nut brown 
 colour, with a metallic or golden sound as he terms it. 
 The celebrated performer Vieuxteinps, we are informed, 
 used one in 1861 for his solo instrument, which was 
 much admired. There were several makers called To- 
 nini, at Bologna, in the early part of the century ; Felice, 
 Antonio, Carlo, and Guido ; the instruments of the latter 
 are said to have been esteemed, and sometimes to have 
 been taken for those of Nicolas Amati. At Brescia, 
 about the same time were Gaetano Pasta, and Domenico 
 Pasta, and Nella Raphael of the same school, whose 
 instruments have good volume of tone, but are not equal, 
 and may be known by having the scroll sculptured, with 
 inscriptions on the sides. Rome was deficient in good 
 makers, the first who commenced making there on the 
 principles of the school of Cremona, was Gaspard Assa- 
 lone ; we have already mentioned Techier, who was the 
 best. Antonio Pollusha, 1751, and Antonio Pansani, 
 1785, were also two of the principal makers there. 
 Florence did not abound in good makers, only three are 
 mentioned of any repute, Giovanni Baptista Gabrielli, 
 Bartolomeo Christofori, and Carlo Ferdinand Landolfi, 
 who is also stated to have been of Milan, and there are 
 tickets with his name as of this place, one called Qui- 
 dantus, is also named, but is probably the same as Gio- 
 vanni Florenus Guidantus, whose ticket is of Bologna. 
 There were several makers at Venice of different degrees
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 239 
 
 of merit; they generally attended to the elegance of 
 form, and excellence of the varnish, but their instru- 
 ments were inferior in tone to those of Cremona. One 
 of their most distinguished makers was Doininico Mon- 
 tagnana. His instruments, especially his violoncellos, 
 are of large size, and his varnish exceedingly brilliant. 
 The work altogether is excellent, and the figure or mottle 
 of the wood large and beautiful. The late Mr. Frederick 
 Perkins had a fine violoncello by this maker, which was 
 originally sold as a Joseph (ruarnerius ; it had been re- 
 duced in size, but not judiciously. It was purchased by 
 Mr. Alfred Guest, the professor, a pupil of Lindley, who 
 fully appreciates and does justice to its excellent quali- 
 ties. Montagnana worked at Venice in 1725, and there 
 are tickets of that date ; but in later years he appears to 
 have moved to the Tyrol, as we have the following 
 ticket, "Dominicus Montagnana sub signo in Ab prope 
 Oenipontum, fecit, Anno 1730." Santo Seraphino, of 
 the same period, was an excellent workman ; his instru- 
 ments are generally good and prized, the wood beautiful, 
 and of small mottle or figure, and the varnish a good 
 yellow with a brown tinge, which may have been caused 
 by age. Two brothers, Matteo and Francisco Gofriller, 
 in the early part of the century, made strong and good 
 instruments after the Cremona model, but were inferior 
 to the two last-named makers. Pietro Valentino No- 
 vello, and Marco Antonio Novello, have acquired a well 
 merited reputation, the violins of the latter especially 
 are good and rare. Other Venetian makers are the 
 brothers Carlo and Giovanni Tononi, Pietro Anselmo, 
 Bellosio, and Bodio. At Padua was Pietro Bagatella, 
 about 1766, of no great merit ; but Antonio Bagatella, a 
 few years later, was not only a good maker, but published, 
 in 1782, a valuable work on the construction of instru-
 
 240 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 ments from which Maugin, in his "Manuel de Luthier," 
 took his method of tracing a fine model of a violin with only 
 a rule and compass, which may also he seen, somewhat 
 shortened at the end of Bishop's translation of Otto on 
 the violin. 
 
 Other Italian makers of this period are Paulo Aletsie, 
 at Monaco, ahout 1726, skilful in making bass instru- 
 ments; Antonio Gragnarius, Tomasso Eberti, Giacomo 
 Horil, Rovelli, Gattanaui, Speiler, and Guiseppe Odo- 
 ardi, who, although a peasant, and self-taught, made 
 several excellent instruments, but died at the early 
 age of 28; Carlo Broschi, of Parma, 1744; and J. 
 Andreas Borelli, 1741. Joseph Contreras is mentioned 
 as a good maker at Madrid about 1746, making fine 
 copies of Stradiuarius, which were often sold for genuine 
 instruments. Galerzena, a Piedmontese, is named, 1790 ; 
 Nicholas of Geneva, 1790; and Joseph Wagner of 
 Constance, 1773. 
 
 There are several good and well-known makers at 
 Paris during this century. One of the earliest was 
 Augustine Chappuy, about 1711, whose instruments 
 were much esteemed in France ; another of the same 
 name is mentioned in 1794; Pichol, Amelingue, who, 
 however, principally made clarionets ; Pique and Andrea 
 Castagneri are other names. Saunier, who was born in 
 Lorraine, about 1740, and established in Paris about 1770, 
 was a favourite maker, and was the master of Noel Piete, 
 born about 1760, who was esteemed as a maker of violins 
 and basses. Saunier was the pupil of Lambert of Nancy, 
 nicknamed the Lute carpenter, who made a vast number 
 of instruments, but not of high merit. Finth, or 
 Fendt, a German maker, lived in Paris from 1765 to 
 1780, and took Stradiuarius for his model ; his instru- 
 ments were good and well finished, and said to have been
 
 HISTORY OP THE VIOLIN. 241 
 
 sometimes taken for those lie imitated ; he used oil var- 
 nish ; his nephew came over to England, and established 
 himself there. Fra^ois Nicolas Fourrier, generally 
 called Nicolas, was born at Mirecourt, in 1758, but went 
 to Paris, where he died in 1816. His instruments are 
 frequently good; he imitated the Cremona school, was 
 correct in his proportions, and particular in his choice of 
 wood. Koliker also was a maker of repute at Paris 
 towards the end of the century ; and other names there 
 are Chevrier, Bernadel, Benoist, Fleury, Gravinies, Le- 
 clerc, Simon, and Reiny; also Nicolas Viard of Ver- 
 sailles, and Cherotte at Mirecourt. In naming this last 
 place, we must mention Jean Vuillaume, who made good 
 instruments there from 1700 to 1740, and had worked 
 with Stradiuarius ; Chanot was also a maker of merit 
 there. Nicholas Lupot was born at Stuttgard, in 1758, 
 and was the son of Francois Lupot, a maker at that 
 place. Nicholas became a celebrated maker, following 
 the models of Stradiuarius. He first worked at Orleans, 
 where a firm of Lupot and Son existed in 1786. In 
 1794 he established himself in Paris, where he died in 
 1824. He published a work, to which we have referred 
 occasionally, called " La Chelonomie, ou le parfait Lu- 
 thier;" but it was written by the Abbe Sibire, from 
 materials supplied by Lupot. His instruments some- 
 times reach a high price ; and he was very skilful in 
 repairing and restoring old instruments. Namy, also 
 about the same time, was noted as a skilful restorer and 
 repairer of old instruments. Ambroise Decombre, of 
 Tournay, made some good instruments, particularly 
 basses, from 1700 to 1735, and had worked with Antoine 
 Stradiuarius ; Jean Raut, of Bretague, who worked at 
 Rennes down to 1790, made good instruments on the 
 model of the Guarnerius school. 
 
 R
 
 242 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 There were several makers in Germany in this cen- 
 tury, of whom some have obtained high repute. Many 
 of them imitated the Steiner and the Cremona schools 
 with great success. One of the best was Charles Louis 
 Bachmann, who was born at Berlin, in 1716, and was 
 himself a skilful performer on the viola, and chamber 
 musician to the King of Prussia. His violins and violas 
 were much esteemed in Germany, and rank next to those 
 of Cremona; they were made after the model of Stra- 
 diuarius, with amber varnish, but under his own name ; 
 he lived till the year 1800. Schmidt, of Cassel, who 
 more correctly may be called of the present century, 
 being mentioned by Otto, in 1817, as then working, 
 made some fine violins after the model of Stradiuarius ; 
 but the edges are larger, and the purfling inclines more 
 towards the centre. There were several makers of the 
 name of Rauch, towards the middle of the century, who 
 made good instruments; as Jacques Rauch, at Man- 
 heim, from 1730 to 1740, whose violins approached those 
 of Steiner in tone ; Sebastian Rauch, in Bohemia, from 
 1742 to 1763 ; Rauch of Breslau, who made some good 
 instruments; and Rauch of Wurtzburg. Johann Gott- 
 fried Reichel, of Absam, is named, who made after the 
 model of Steiner ; and Johann Conrad Reichel, of Neu- 
 kirch, in 1779. At Prague, there were two, named 
 Edlinger, father and son, who were more particularly in 
 repute for their lutes ; those of the father, Thomas, who 
 was a pupil of Steiner, being equal to those of Gaspar 
 di Salo; he was living at Prague in 1715. His son, 
 Joseph Joachim, lived for many years in Italy, visiting 
 Cremona, Rome, Naples, Bologna, Ferrara, and Venice ; 
 he died at Prague in 1748, and his instruments, espe- 
 cially his lutes, were much esteemed. The lutes of 
 Jacobi, at Meissen, about the same time, were also in
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 243 
 
 repute. Zacharie Fischer, born at Wurtzburg in 1730, 
 and who was living there in 1808, announced, in 1786, 
 that he had a plan by which his instruments should equal 
 those of Steiner and Stradiuarius. This was by drying 
 the wood in an oven. Other makers also have tried this 
 plan ; but it did not succeed, as it dried the wood too 
 rapidly, and weakened it, thus injuring the effect of the 
 vibrations. Johann George Vogler was also of Wurtz- 
 burg, about 1749. " Luthomonographie " mentions 
 Bauch, of Breslau, as one of the best makers of his time, 
 giving a peculiar form to his instruments ; but he may 
 be the same as Rauch. Leopold Widhalm, at Nuren- 
 burg, from 1765 to 1788, was a skilful maker, his instru- 
 ments closely resembling those of Steiner, and scarcely 
 to be distinguished from them ; his harps were also in 
 repute at one time. Leonhard Mansiell was of the same 
 place, about 1724. Jaug, or Jauch, of Dresden, made 
 some good instruments on the Cremona model, with 
 amber varnish, and made of fine wood, but the tone is 
 occasionally weak and shrill ; he was living in 1774. He 
 was the master of Christophe Frederic Hunger, born at 
 Dresden in 1718, who established himself in Leipsic, 
 where he died in 1787, and was esteemed for his violas 
 and violoncellos, which were made after the Italian 
 model, with amber varnish. Samuel Fritzche, of Leipsic, 
 his pupil, also imitated the Cremona models ; and a Bar- 
 thold Fritz of the same place, hi 1757, is named. 
 
 Jean Ulric Eberle, living at Prague in 1749, was an 
 excellent maker, and one of the best of the German 
 school, some of his instruments being scarcely inferior 
 to those of Cremona, for which they have been mis- 
 taken ; but the tone is not so round and full. Charles 
 Helmer, born in Prague, 1740, was a good pupil of his ; 
 but his fourth string frequently of an inferior quality.
 
 244 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Gaspar Strnad, born in 1750, was settled at Prague 
 from 1781 to 1793 ; he made some good Tiolins and vio- 
 loncellos, and his guitars were much esteemed. There 
 appear to have been two Stadelmanns, or Stadlmanns, of 
 Vienna, as we have a ticket of Daniel, 1744, and of 
 Johann Joseph, 1764; these instruments successfully 
 imitated those of Steiner, with deep yellow- coloured 
 amber varnish. There was an Andreas Nicolas Parth 
 of the same place ; and about 1700, an Antoine Lidl, 
 who made improvements in the barytone ; Buchstadter, 
 of Eatisbon, was another imitator of the Cremona model, 
 though his make was rather flat, and he used inferior 
 wood, with dark brown varnish; his instruments are 
 rather harsh, and not much esteemed. Hassert, of Eu- 
 dolstadt, made his instruments with much care, of high 
 model, and the upper plate formed of excellent wood, 
 but the tone rather harsh or hollow. His brother, of 
 Eisenach, surpassed him, and carefully imitated the 
 Italian models, with amber varnish, and used beautiful 
 wood for the upper plate. Eeiss, of Bamberg, also suc- 
 cessfully imitated Steiner. Durfel, of Altenburg, parti- 
 cularly excelled in his double basses. Artmann and 
 Binternagel, of Gotha, were imitators of the Cremona 
 school. A. Grobtiz, established at Warsaw about 1750, 
 made some good violins on the Steiner model. At 
 Erfurth, Francis Euppert adopted rather a flat pattern ; 
 his instruments had a powerful tone, and were well pro- 
 portioned, but were slightly constructed, the sides not 
 being lined, and the corner blocks omitted ; they were not 
 purfled, and had a dark brown amber varnish. Francis 
 Schonger, of the same place, made some handsome look- 
 ing instruments, but the tone dull, and they are con- 
 sidered inferior to those of Euppert. His son, George, 
 made some good instruments in the Italian style, and had
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 245 
 
 much skill as a repairer of old ones. At Munich were 
 Joseph Paul Ghrista, about 1730, and Mathias Johann 
 Kolditz, or Koldjz, 1750. A Jacques Kolditz is mentioned 
 at Ruhmbourg, in Bohemia, who made some good violins 
 and violas, and died there in 1796. At Salzbourg, were 
 Simon in 1722; Andrew Ferdinand Mayrhof, 1740; 
 Jacob Weiss and Gregor Ferdinand Wenger about 1761 ; 
 and Johann Schorn. " Luthomonographie " names seven 
 makers at Fissen, in Bavaria, from 1756 to 1798, 
 including Thomas Edlinger before mentioned at Prague. 
 The others are G-ugemmos, though there would appear 
 to be some mistake about this name, Johann Antony 
 Gedler, Johann Benedict Gedler, Franz Stoss, Euf, and 
 Maldonner. Philip Knitting worked at Mittenwald, as 
 did Joseph Kriner and Joseph Knitl, 1791, of whom we 
 have a ticket, marked 2090 ; probably he thought a 
 cypher meant nothing. Straube, at Berlin, about 1770, 
 made some good violins after the Cremona model, with 
 amber varnish, and was skilful in repairing old instru- 
 ments; and Johann Henry Lambert was there about 
 1760; Theodore Lotz, at Presburg, and Frangois 
 Plack, at Schoenback, in Bohemia, about 1738, made 
 good violins ; and there was Augustine Huller, at Scho3- 
 ueck, 1776. At Amsterdam were Gysbert Vibrecht, 
 1707 ; Jan Bremeister, Peter Rirnbouts, and Jacobs, of 
 whom the latter made some good instruments after the 
 Amati school, but could not attain their tone. Frangois 
 Antoiue Ernst, born in Bohemia, 1745, was an ex- 
 cellent violin player, and became Concert Director at 
 Grotha. He was a good maker also, many of his 
 instruments being scarcely inferior to the Cremona 
 model that he followed. Spohr used to play on one 
 of them, which is a proof of their merit. He wrote a 
 short memoir on the construction of the violin, which
 
 246 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 was published in the " Musical Gazette " of Leipzic. 
 Jacob Augustus Otto was born at Gotha in 1762, and 
 died in 1830 ; he was established at Halle, in Saxony, 
 and was a good and careful maker, though for many 
 years of his life he seems to have been employed almost 
 exclusively in the manufacture of guitars ; he was also 
 very skilful in the repair of old instruments. He had 
 no less than five sons who were makers ; some at Halle 
 and some at Jena. His work on the violin is well known, 
 and we beg to acknowledge our obligations to it for many 
 particulars of the German makers. Simon Joseph 
 Truska, born in Bohemia, in 1734, made pianofortes as 
 well as violins, altos, viols d'amour, and bass-viols ; he 
 was also a performer on the violin and violoncello ; his 
 death took place in the Convent of Strahow, in 1809 ; 
 Matthias Frederic Scheinlein, born in 1710, lived at 
 Langenfeld, in Franconia, where he died in 1771; he 
 began as a violinist and a harpist. His son, Jean 
 Michael Scheinlein, born in the same place, in 1751, 
 was a better maker than his father, and the tone of his 
 instruments was full and agreeable; but both those of his 
 father and himself were weak in construction, and apt to 
 give way in repairing. They were much used in the 
 chapels. Michel Christophe Hildebrant, of Hamburg, 
 towards the end of the century, was a good maker, and a 
 skilful repairer. J. G. G. Heubsch wrote a work on 
 the manufacture of musical instruments about 1764, and 
 Charles Greiner, born at Wetzlar, 1753, invented an 
 instrument to be played on with keys, which, by moving 
 small cylindrical bows, put gut-strings into vibration ; 
 another of many experiments of this sort which never 
 seem to have produced any permanent result. A Sweno 
 Beckman is named at Stockholm in 1706, and Sawes 
 Kiaposse at Petersburg, 1748.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 247 
 
 We have several other German names in our list, 
 which it does not seem necessary to mention, nor do we 
 propose to give a list of the Continental makers in the 
 present century, it would be long and moreover imper- 
 fect, from the difficulty of obtaining accurate details, 
 although we have compiled a tolerably extensive list ; 
 but our work would decidedly be defective did we not 
 name Mons. Jean Baptiste Vuillaume of Paris, but of 
 Continental celebrity, well known for his enterprise and 
 intelligence, and not surpassed by any living maker. 
 He is also equally skilled as a successful repairer and 
 imitator of the old instruments. We have seen it stated 
 that Paganini once broke his favourite Guarnerius violin, 
 which Vuillaume not only thoroughly repaired, but at 
 the same time made another so like it in every respect, 
 that even that great master himself was puzzled to dis- 
 tinguish which was the real Guarnerius. Vuillaume has 
 always some instruments of the finest make and quality 
 in his collection ; the following is one of his labels : 
 
 J. B. VUILLAUME, 
 
 A Paris, 
 
 3, Hue Demours aux Ternes, 
 Ci-devant rue Croix des Petits Champs 42." 
 
 Gand is also a maker of first-rate skill, and is the son- 
 in-law of Lupot, to whose business he succeeded.
 
 248 HISTOBY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 HE supporters of the theory of the eastern 
 origin of the bow, may perhaps suggest 
 that there is still some uncertainty in our 
 history of its introduction ; but we submit 
 that we have given sufficient evidence to claim it for our 
 country. In what way the violin, as known at the pre- 
 sent time, was first perfected in England cannot now be 
 authenticated; but the model and outline of the violins 
 of the earliest English makers are different from the 
 Cremona instruments. They partake more of the high 
 swollen model of the earlier violins made at Brescia and 
 in the Tyrol, but more of the former pattern than the 
 latter, particularly in the outline of the body and the 
 volute or scroll of the head. We have before mentioned 
 as the oldest makers, Joann Kerlin, 1449, of Brescia or 
 Brittany, and Gaspard Duiffoprugcar, born in the Tyrol : 
 neither of these names are Italian and some may ask 
 whether the violin-proper might have come from Brescia 
 or the Tyrol, and passed through Germany to the Ne- 
 therlands? The intercourse of the English people with 
 the Low Countries being greater in the reign of Eliza- 
 beth than with the Italian nation, it may be suggested 
 as the probable route by which we obtained the Con- 
 tinental instrument of this class, and may have some- 
 what modified ours accordingly. Indeed there were
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 249 
 
 makers at Brescia and in Germany prior to and con- 
 temporary with those in Cremona. It must be observed, 
 however, that the lute and viol makers of England, in 
 olden times, were considered of high repute, and were 
 competent themselves to introduce improvements in their 
 instruments, and fiddles, as before-mentioned, were in use 
 in our country in the time of Queen Elizabeth. The 
 English makers are alluded to by Vincentio Galilei, the 
 father of the great Galileo, in his work " Dialogo della 
 Musica," where, according to Sir J. Hawkins' "History 
 of Music," (Novello's edition, p. 404), he remarks, that in 
 his time (1583) the best lutes were made in England. 
 Yet it does not appear that they have kept to " Schools " 
 connected with the chief makers in the art to the same 
 extent as in Italy ; consequently there is some difficulty 
 in tracing the style from Jacob Rayman (1641), Thomas 
 Urquhart (1650), and Edward Pamphilon (1685), the 
 earliest makers of violins-proper known in England, to 
 the time of Norris (1818), and Barnes and old John 
 Betts (1823), which may be considered to terminate the 
 chain ; however, an endeavour will be made to accom- 
 plish this desired end, by comparing the style and 
 character of the work of each maker, assisted by the 
 dates at which they lived. In the perusal of the fol- 
 lowing pages it will be seen that many of the persons 
 who are there taken notice of, have been prompted to 
 try their skill as violin makers by the love of, or from 
 being connected with music, and have been thus induced 
 both to repair and make instruments. 
 
 The earliest authenticated name that comes down to 
 us as a maker of viols in our country is Richard Hume, 
 or Home, 1535 ; and it is stated in " Dauney's Ancient 
 Scotch Melodies" that he was the great viol maker in 
 Edinburgh, although an Englishman, and then had a
 
 250 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 grant of 2(M. to buy stuff for the same. There can be 
 but little doubt that many other makers of lutes and 
 viols were in existence at the same time and previously, 
 but no record of their names has been preserved. The 
 maker's name of the instrument of the violin kind for- 
 merly mentioned, and considered to have been made by 
 command of Queen Elizabeth, and given to Robert 
 Dudley, Earl of Leicester, is not known ; but an 
 engraving on the tail-pin, J^P, is supposed to signify the 
 year it was made in, and the initials of his name. Who- 
 ever he was, whether English or foreign, he must have 
 seen the true violin, as the improved form of sound-hole 
 is used, and only four strings are applied. Between the 
 years 1562 and 1598 there would be living several 
 instrument makers held in much esteem ; and Thomas 
 Mace, in his curious and eccentric book, " Musick's Mo- 
 nument," published in 1676, mentions some of them ; 
 however, it had better be told in his own style : "Your 
 best provision, (and most compleat) will be a Good Chest 
 of Viols; Six, in number; viz. 2 Basses, 2 Tenors, and 
 2 Trebles: All truly, and Proportionately suited. Of 
 such, there are no better in the world, than those of 
 Aldred, Jay, Smith, (yet the Highest in Esteem are) 
 Bolles, and Koss, (one Bass of Bolles's, I have known 
 valued at 100/.) These were Old ; but we have now, 
 very excellent good Workmen, who (no doubt) can work 
 as well as those, if they be so well paid for their work, as 
 they were ; yet we chiefly value Old Instruments, before 
 new ; for by experience, they are found to be far the 
 best." 
 
 We do not learn of any line of succession from Aldred 
 or Bolles; they seem to be the last of their race as 
 musical instrument makers. With regard to the other 
 names, a little more detail can be given ; and those of
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 251 
 
 Jay and Smith will be met with in the seventeenth and 
 eighteenth centuries. 
 
 John Ross, or Rose, the elder, who was dwelling at 
 Bridewell in the 4th of Elizabeth (1562), and was the 
 inventor of the bandora, an instrument of the guitar 
 sort, with wire strings ; also made viols and instruments 
 of that class ; but Stow says he was excelled by his son 
 in making bandoras, " voyal de gamboes," and other 
 instruments. 
 
 In a collection of airs, called " Tripla Concordia," 
 published in 1667, a chest of viols is advertised, con- 
 taining two trebles, three tenors, and one bass, made by 
 Mr. John Ross, the son, in 1598. 
 
 Henry Smith lived over against Hatton House, in Hoi- 
 born, about 1629, and in the work just alluded to there 
 is also an advertisement of a chest of viols, consisting of 
 two trebles, two tenors, and two basses, made by him 
 in 1633. 
 
 The other name (Jay), which Thomas Mace mentions, 
 is supposed to be Thomas Jay, who, no doubt, was dead 
 at the time he wrote the " Musick's Monument," as he 
 alludes to the instruments of the several makers being 
 old. There were other viol makers, whose labels have 
 been seen (Hill's MSS.), which will continue the 
 link : " John Shaw att the Goulden harp and Hoboy 
 nere the May pole in the Strand 1656." Also " Chris- 
 topher Wise, in Half Moon Alley, without Bishops-gate, 
 London, 1656;" and "William Addison in Long Alley 
 over against Moorfields 1670." This brings us to Barak 
 Norman, 1690, whom Sir J. Hawkins states (p. 793, 
 Novello's edit.) "was one of the last of the celebrated 
 makers of viols in England ; he lived in Bishopsgate, 
 and afterwards in St. Paul's Church Yard."
 
 252 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 This maker will again be alluded to in connection 
 with his partner, Nathaniel Cross. 
 
 The violin-proper was known in England some years 
 before it became the favourite in "good society;" and 
 although we find it in the band of Queen Elizabeth, yet it 
 was generally associated with wakes, revels, and other noisy 
 merry-makings ; but on Charles II. introducing his band 
 of twenty-four violins, the instrument rose in estimation, 
 much to the annoyance and great grief of the author of 
 "Musick's Monument," that the noble and brave lute, 
 also the majestic theorbo, should be "over top'd with 
 squaling-scoulding fiddles " (p. 204). Again, in alluding 
 to "those choice consorts " of his period (p. 236), and 
 the great pleasure those performances gave both to the 
 listeners and performers, which he states made "the 
 musick lovely and contentive," he then makes further 
 remarks : " But now the modes and fashions have cry'd 
 these things down, and set up a -great idol in their 
 room ; observe with what a wonderful swiftness they now 
 run over their brave new ayres ; and with what high 
 priz'd noise, viz. 10, or 20 violins, &c. as I said before, 
 to some single soul'd ayre ; it may be of 2 or 3 parts, or 
 some coronto, seraband, or brawle, (as the new fashion'd 
 word is) and such like stuff, seldom any other ; which is 
 rather fit to make a man's ears glow, and fill his brains 
 full of frisks, &c. than to season, and sober his mind, or 
 elevate his affections to goodness. Now I say, let these 
 new fashion'd musicks, and performances, be compar'd 
 with those old ones, which I have before made mention 
 of; and then let it be judg'd, whether they have not left 
 a better fashion, for a worse. But who shall be the 
 judges? If themselves ; then all's right." 
 
 Yet he cannot withstand recommending the intruder,
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 253 
 
 with certain qualifications, to complete the collection 
 of instruments requisite for the various performances 
 (p. 246) : " After all this, you may add to your press, a 
 pair of violins, to be in readiness for any extraordinary 
 jolly, or jocund consort occasion ; but never use them, 
 but with this proviso, viz. Be sure you make an equal 
 provision for them, by the addition, and strength of 
 basses ; so that they may not out-cry the rest of the 
 musick (the basses especially), to which end, it will be 
 requisite, you store your press with a pair of lusty full- 
 sized theorboes, always to strike in with your consorts, 
 or vocal musick ; to which that instrument is most natu- 
 rally proper." 
 
 The first maker of violins in England to whom we 
 have any guide, is Jacob Eayman, about 1641 ; but no 
 record is known to indicate of whom he learned the art. 
 It has been asserted by some persons that he made violins 
 of a large size, but those which have been seen are small, 
 and not of an elegant outline or model ; the four-bout 
 being wide, the short-bout long, and out of all proportion 
 with the lower part of the instrument. However, he was 
 a maker of talent and ability : the tone was clear, pene- 
 trating and silvery ; not possessing the reedy quality of 
 the Cremona violins, but partaking more of the Brescia 
 character ; and his instruments were highly prized. In 
 the extracts from the catalogue of musical instruments 
 for sale, the property of Thomas Britton, "the small-coal 
 man," who died in 1714, lot 8, a violin is stated as " an 
 extraordinary Eayman; " and in a note Sir J. Hawkins 
 remarks, " The tenor violins made by him " (Rayman) 
 " are greatly valued." Notwithstanding the purfling i& 
 done indifferently, yet the work, generally, was neat and 
 good, the fluting at the edge where the purfle is inlaid is 
 deep and acute. The sound hole is rather small, like that
 
 254 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 used at times by Steiner ; the varnish very good, and of 
 a yellowish brown colour with a little tinge of red, and 
 the vehicle used appears to be oil. Labels in genuine 
 violins as used by the maker are, 
 
 " Jacob Rayman dwelling in Blackman 
 
 Street Long Southwark 
 
 1641." 
 
 " JACOB RAYMAN at y e Bell 
 
 Yard in SOVTHWAKKE, 
 
 LONDON 1648," 
 
 and Hawkins states he dwelt in Bell Yard, Southwark, 
 about the year 1650. 
 
 The three makers whose names follow, two of whom 
 still retain a character for excellence, are Thomas Ur- 
 
 quhart, 1650; Edward Pamphilon, 1685; and Pem- 
 
 berton, supposed to be about 16 , 1680, but these dates 
 are doubtful. Tradition has brought down to us, that 
 these three persons were partners, and their place of 
 business was on London Bridge ; but there is no evidence 
 such was the case, although it may be very probable, as 
 that locality at the date would be the best for trade. 
 Urquhart, it is believed, came from Scotland, and was a 
 maker of unusual merit for the period in which he lived ; 
 the violins are of the full size, with an oil varnish of a 
 dark amber colour inclining to brown, yet it is bright 
 and grateful to the eye, and much resembles the Italian 
 varnish. The tone is clear, pure, and silvery ; and ap- 
 preciated even at this period. The violins and violas 
 are very scarce, and no violoncello has been seen of this 
 maker. 
 
 It has been stated that Urquhart came to England .at 
 the time the two countries happily became united, but
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 255 
 
 this is doubtful when the dates are compared. James 
 the Sixth of Scotland ascended England's throne 24 
 March, 1603, and entered London 7 May> 1603; yet 
 nothing is known of this maker's instruments until about 
 the date previously given. 
 
 Who instructed Edward Pamphilon in the art of violin 
 making, or from whence he came, cannot now be ascer- 
 tained. It is generally considered that Thomas Urquhart 
 was his master, and the style of work, the colour and 
 description of varnish favour this opinion; however he 
 was not so successful with his violins as the elder maker. 
 The outline is not graceful, the short-bouts are too long 
 and out of proportion with the upper and lower parts of the 
 instrument, the model high and swollen, and the sound- 
 holes rather small. The varnish is either oil or turpen- 
 tine of a red colour and brown tinge with a yellow ground, 
 and now looks rich and beautiful, which age no doubt 
 has greatly assisted. The violins and no other instru- 
 ments have been seen are strong in wood, the tone 
 clear, pure, and penetrating. The professors of this 
 period greatly approve of them for orchestral uses. The 
 following is a copy of a genuine written ticket or label, 
 and the maker seems rather precise, as the day of the 
 month is also added : 
 
 " Edward Pamphilon 
 April the 3rd 1685." 
 
 Little can be related of - - Pemberton, the Christian 
 name is not known, and some doubt exists whether he 
 was the younger or the elder of the firm ; if the latter, 
 the supposed date of 1680 may be wrong, and he may 
 be the J - P , 1578, the maker of the violin, pre- 
 sented to the Earl of Leicester by Queen Elizabeth ; should 
 this be so, he would be the first of the English makers that
 
 256 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 manufactured the violin as known at the present day : 
 not that the gift above noticed is such an instrument ; 
 nevertheless, whoever made it must have seen one of 
 more graceful form and of greater elegance ; without all 
 the elaborate and useless ornamental carving, most detri- 
 mental to tone and practical utility. 
 
 A maker named Thomas Cole was living about the 
 same time as the three just noticed ; but no instrument 
 has been preserved to this time to support his title as a 
 workman. The label was as follows : 
 
 " Thomas Cole, near Fetter Lane 
 in Holborn. 1672." 
 
 Daniel Parker, of London, 1714-15. This maker 
 evidently was a pupil of one of the previous persons who 
 lived in the latter half of the seventeenth century, and 
 by the scroll or volute of the head it would probably be 
 Urquhart or Pamphilon ; however he has shown himself 
 a person not inclined to adhere to old instructions, but 
 to progress in the art, and he made a first step towards 
 improvement both in the outline and model. 
 
 Violins are the only instruments known of this maker, 
 neither viola or violoncello has been seen, and the gene- 
 ral character of the body of the instrument approached 
 to the shape and form of the Amati school, however not 
 quite so elegant. The varnish may be alcoholic, of an 
 unpleasant brick-dust red colour, thickly laid on the 
 instrument and not agreeable to the eye. The figure of 
 the wood is generally handsome, the tone very good, 
 clear, and powerful. About 1793 the violins of this 
 maker were valued at five guineas, and in the beginning 
 of the first half of the present century they have realised 
 twelve and fifteen guineas, but now are again reduced 
 in amount, from the desire of performers to possess
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 257 
 
 none but Italian instruments, and other causes which 
 depress the manufacture of such articles. Daniel Parker 
 may be considered to terminate the first school of English 
 violin makers. A new era now opens with the violin 
 makers of England, in which the style of work is greatly 
 improved ; the model, with most of them, partaking of 
 that used by Jacob Stainer, or Steiner, for it is spelt 
 both ways, the beautiful and exquisite finish of this once 
 favourite maker is closely imitated, and it has influenced 
 all the workmen in the commencement of the eighteenth 
 century ; indeed all through this century the Steiner 
 claimed preeminence ; some of the violins having realized 
 100/., and on one occasion a much larger sum ; whilst 
 the instruments of the Amati family, and other Cremonese 
 makers, would scarcely reach an amount remunerative 
 to the vendor, which, compared with the amounts since 
 realized for the instruments of these deservedly great 
 makers, seems perfectly absurd and ridiculous ; however, 
 in the latter part of the century the instruments of Cre- 
 mona began to be sought for and appreciated. 
 
 The catalogue of musical instruments of Thomas Brit- 
 ton, previously alluded to, contains some names of violin 
 makers which may form the link between the seventeenth 
 and eighteenth centuries ; but it is not known by whom 
 they were instructed. " Lot 5, a good violin by Ditton ;" 
 this name only lives by the notice which Sir J. Hawkins 
 has given him. It is different with that of " Baker of Ox- 
 ford," for he deserves much commendation as a violin 
 maker ; two or three instruments of this class have been 
 seen, and it is a pleasing recollection to allude to them : 
 " Lot 20, a fine viol by Mr. Baker of Oxford." The 
 work, in every respect, of the modern instruments was 
 very good, indeed of excellent finish, the varnish of a 
 light yellow colour, and probably oil or turpentine was
 
 258 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 the vehicle used. The tone was very pure and clear in 
 quality, but not great in quantity. 
 
 Thomas Jay, supposed to be a descendant of the cele- 
 brated viol maker named in " Musicks Monument," who 
 also t made similar instruments, is stated to be living 
 about 1690 to 17 , and the style of work in the few 
 violins which have been seen, may be considered as 
 an advancement towards superior workmanship. The 
 instruments of Baker of Oxford and the maker under 
 present notice are about equal in excellence. " Lot 22, 
 another (viol) said to be the neatest that Jay ever made." 
 This may be the maker just mentioned, or the elder one 
 of the same name. It will be seen, about fifty years 
 after that the work of another of this family name com- 
 manded a good price even for an inferior description of 
 instrument. Edward Lewis was a maker of London, 
 and stands preeminent for his good workmanship; his 
 style was excellent, and the few violins which have been 
 seen were varnished of a light yellow colour, however 
 others assert that he also used a red colour with a golden 
 ground. Be this as it may, there can be but one opinion 
 that his violins, which are scarce, have much beauty, and 
 are remarkable for their fine varnish. "Lot 19, another 
 ditto (tenor) by Mr. Lewis ; also Lot 24, another (bass 
 violin) rare good one by Mr. Lewis." Some persons 
 say that Jay and Lewis were partners, but there is no 
 evidence known to decide this point. 
 
 Barak Norman has been mentioned as a maker of 
 viols, and it is believed he was in business from 1690 to 
 1740. There is evidence of violoncellos being made in 
 1718, but no violin has been seen of his work. The 
 violas and violoncellos of this maker are generally of full 
 size, although one of the latter is known unusually small, 
 of which mention will be made directly.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 259 
 
 It will be seen by the varnish that he adheres to early 
 recollections of colour, similar to the lutes and viols of 
 old, by using a dark brown with a blackish hue, as if 
 produced by nitric acid and accelerated in drying by 
 heat, which heightens the colour, after which a coat or 
 two of oil varnish to enrich the whole and help to preserve 
 the instrument. This tint or colour may be considered 
 the one generally used by him. The monogram will be 
 seen inlaid either in the centre of the back, or in the 
 upper vibrating plate just under the wide part of the 
 fingerboard of his violoncellos; however the same device 
 was used in the similar instruments made by Cross when 
 they were partners. The tone, both of the violas and 
 violoncellos, is very good and deservedly held in esteem. 
 A tenor by this maker has been associated with the 
 principal performers on this instrument for sixty or 
 seventy years. Frederick Ware, celebrated for the great 
 quantity of tone he produced, possessed it either before 
 or at the commencement of the present century ; and 
 some time after his decease, it became the property of 
 another professor of eminence, who delighted the fre- 
 quenters of the Royal Italian Opera House in the ro- 
 mance or recitative " Quale Spettacol," and aria, "Ah! 
 Piu Bianco," in Meyerbeer's opera, " Les Huguenots, 
 which was exquisitely sung by Mario, and the viola 
 obligato was played by Henry Hill, which drew forth 
 merited applause. Soon after his death the instrument 
 passed into the ownership of Mr. Doyle, another principal 
 viola performer of the same opera establishment. The 
 small-sized violoncello, previously named, was seen by 
 William Shield, the composer, at a humble shop or gene- 
 ral dealer in the Borough ; it was suspended by the head 
 outside the house, and blowing about in the wind; 
 although very dirty, the appearance of the instrument
 
 260 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 attracted his notice, and an arrangement was made not 
 to sell the same until a friend of his had seen it. On 
 his return home the circumstance was mentioned to 
 James Crossdill, who ultimately bought the violoncello at 
 a very small cost ; and on its being cleaned and put in 
 order, it was acknowledged a genuine Barak Norman, 
 of superior quality of tone, having much power, although 
 so small in size ; the varnish was of a brown colour, but 
 not so dark as that in general use. This instrument 
 became a special favourite with the owner, who frequently 
 used the same in his professional duties, and being the 
 instructor to the Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV. 
 it was taken to Carlton House on some occasion, when 
 the tone much pleased the Prince, who expressed a 
 desire to possess it; however the professor withstood 
 several liberal offers. At a subsequent period a page 
 was sent for this instrument, as the Prince wished to use 
 the same that evening. The result was that the violon- 
 cello was never returned ; and His Koyal Highness stated 
 that Crossdill might keep an Amati violoncello which 
 had cost seventy guineas in lieu of it. About this time 
 also a sinecure place of one hundred pounds per annum 
 became vacant, which was given to Crossdill as the amende 
 honorable to sooth the disappointment and loss, which 
 sinecure he retained until his decease. 
 
 A violoncello made by Barak Norman in 1718 was, 
 in the year 1790, considered of the value of fifteen 
 guineas, since that time they have realized much larger 
 sums. Nathaniel Crosse, or Cross : it is not known by 
 whom this maker was instructed ; his style greatly re- 
 sembles that of Steiner, the fluting round the edge where 
 the purfle is inlaid is very acute, and his instruments are 
 beautifully worked in all particulars. The printed label 
 used by him previous to becoming a partner with Barak
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 261 
 
 Norman, may be supposed to infer that he was a pupil 
 of Steiner (but this borders on the impossible), or that 
 he adopted the characteristic style of that excellent foreign 
 workman ; however it bears a fabulous number, as if the 
 instruments he had made reached to so large a figure, 
 the last figure being added in ink : 
 
 "Nathanaeli Crosso Stainero 
 fecit. No. 2417." 
 
 
 
 He lived in Aldermanbury, London, and the instruments 
 which have been seen, chiefly violoncellos, were very 
 similar to those he made during his partnership with the 
 previous maker ; they are small in size and squat, and 
 are varnished of a light yellow colour, the vehicle or 
 body varnish is considered to be made of one of the soft 
 gums, mastic or sandarac dissolved in alcohol, which 
 renders them of easy blemish and disfigurement by any 
 slight scratch, similar to the defect observed in the orna- 
 mental wood-work of Tonbridge Wells. The tone is 
 clear and rather penetrating in quality. His violoncellos 
 are generally sold as Barak Norman's, but the style of 
 work of the two makers, in every particular, is very 
 different. Cross is supposed to have been living in 1751. 
 It has been previously noticed that the monogram of the 
 elder partner is generally, if not always, inlaid either 
 in the upper or lower vibrating plates of the younger 
 workman. 
 
 It cannot be stated when these two makers became 
 partners, but there is evidence that they were so about 
 1720, as the following copy of a printed label used by 
 them will prove ; the Maltese cross is at the top, and 
 only three figures are in print, leaving the pen to com- 
 plete the date:
 
 262 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 * 
 
 "Barak Norman 
 
 and 
 
 Nathaniel Cross 
 
 at the Bass viol in St. 
 
 Paul's Church Yard. 
 
 London. Fecit 172." 
 
 John Barrett certainly is of the same school as Na- 
 thaniel Cross, whoever may claim to be the originator; 
 but he could not have been a pupil, as some persons sup- 
 pose, for it will be seen they were contemporaries ; he in 
 1722 carrying on business in Piccadilly, and the other in 
 St. Paul's Church Yard in 172 . The genuine violins 
 that have been seen are of a long and high model, 
 approximating to the Amati pattern, with the Steiner 
 blended in the same. There is a characteristic mark in 
 this maker's violins (for no other description of instru- 
 ments have been seen), they all have ink lines instead of 
 purfle, and the fluting where the ink lines are and purfle 
 should be is very acute, similar to the work of N. Cross, 
 forming almost the inner half of a circle. A perfect in- 
 strument of this maker is in the possession of Mr. C. Ward, 
 of Chapel Street, West, May Fair ; the tone of which 
 is very pure and of superior quality, but not powerful. 
 The varnish on this violin when first used must have 
 been a pale yellow colour, but age has mellowed and 
 produced a brown tint. The same defect exists with the 
 body varnish as that used by the maker previously noticed. 
 Copies of printed labels or tickets used by him in the 
 violins are as under : 
 
 " John Barrett, at the Harp and Crown 
 in Pickadilly, 1722." -
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 263 
 
 In 1731 the following was in use ; a lyre with the crown 
 on the top of it, printed on the left corner before the 
 name, and in the date only two figures were printed, 
 leaving space for the other two, to be added by a 
 pen : 
 
 " Made by John Barrett, at y e Harp 
 & Crown in Pickadilly, London, 1731." 
 
 The value of this maker's violins, in 1802, was considered 
 to be six guineas ; since then they have produced eight 
 and ten guineas ; but now a cloud o'er-shadows them as 
 well as all other English makers. 
 
 The name of Joseph Hare is little known as a violin 
 maker, nor can it be stated of whom he learned the art ; 
 however, he deserves especial notice as being, it is consi- 
 dered, the first person in England who used the flat 
 model in his instruments. The varnish was a rich red 
 colour, very good, and transparent. From the improve- 
 ment in the principles or mode of work, and a varnish 
 of different colour and brilliancy than previously used 
 by the makers, it may be inferred that he was self-taught, 
 and the first of a new school, but having no imitators until 
 more modern times, when the Stradiuarius pattern be- 
 came paramount. The following is a copy of the printed 
 label used : 
 
 " Joseph Hare at y e Viol & Flute 
 
 near the Koyal Exchange 
 
 in Cornhill London 
 
 1726 " 
 
 Peter Wamsley was a maker that once stood high in 
 repute, his violoncellos more especially realizing great 
 prices ; the work was good and neat, with a bias towards 
 the outline and model of John Barrett, but modified. 
 Most of his violins, violas, and violoncellos, have only
 
 264 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 ink lines instead of purfle, although there are excep- 
 tions, and but few instruments are known that have this 
 ornamental and useful inlaying. The varnish is gene- 
 rally of a red colour, with a brown tinge ; but there are 
 some instruments that have a brownish yellow colour, 
 rather opaque. This maker fell into a great error by 
 endeavouring to anticipate age, and worked the instru- 
 ments so thin, the violoncellos in particular, that many 
 years since they were liable to compress for want of suf- 
 ficient thicknesses to withstand the tension of the strings ; 
 and in hot rooms they gave way in tone for want of 
 greater stamina. Professors said " they played them 
 out," and were far from satisfying either in quality or 
 endurance. From this defect the tone is mostly hollow 
 in sound, and wolfy, if the musical term may be allowed, 
 which may be expressed by stating that many faulty 
 or hard notes are created by this imperfect mode of 
 gauging the instruments. However, there are a few 
 violoncellos known of this maker in which more wood 
 has been left, and the tone of them is good. The 
 external appliances to remedy the defect alluded to will 
 be a low bridge of rather hard wood, and strings of 
 small size, with a sound-post full long and tight. Peter 
 Wamsley made but few double basses, which are now 
 very scarce. Those which have been seen were very 
 good in tone, and stronger gauging ; the varnish was of 
 the red colour similar to that used in his other instruments. 
 The following are copies of printed labels used by this 
 maker : 
 
 " Made by Peter Wamsley 
 
 at y e Golden Harp in Pickadilly 
 
 London 
 
 1727." 
 The two last figures added with a pen. The two labels
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 265 
 
 following are printed on a narrow slip, and the last 
 figures on each are also added with a pen : 
 " made by Peter Wauisley at the 
 Harp and Hautboy in Pickadilly 1735." 
 Also 
 
 " made by Peter Wamsley at the Harp and 
 Hautboy in Pickadilly London. 1737." 
 
 The next printed label is very small, with plain black 
 lines as a border to it : 
 
 " Peter Wamsley 
 Maker at the Harp 
 & Hautboy in Picaddilly 
 17 London 51." " 
 
 There can be but little doubt that Henry Jay was a 
 descendant of the one previously named in the latter 
 part of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth 
 centuries, but there is no proof that it be so, although 
 the style of work almost justifies the assertion. He was 
 .a good and neat workman, and was celebrated for the 
 kits he made for the use of dancing-masters, each one 
 realizing five or six pounds. The varnish was of red 
 colour, with a brownish hue. The labels he used were 
 chiefly written, but some are printed : 
 " Made by Henry Jay 
 in Long Acre. London. 1746." 
 
 Where it appears he resided for twenty-two years ; then 
 the following printed label was adopted, the two last 
 figures put in with a pen : 
 
 " Made by Henry Jay in 
 Wind-Mill Street, near 
 Piccadilly. London. 1768." 
 
 If the surmises regarding this family of Jay be correct, 
 they will have held a prominent place as makers of lutes,
 
 266 HISTORY OF THE. VIOLIN. 
 
 viols, and violins, for more than one hundred years 
 and passed through the transition state from the more 
 antiquated instrument to that of more perfect character, 
 Henry Jay being the last of the family as a maker. 
 
 There were several violin and violoncello makers 
 residing in the City, in the latter half of this century, 
 who appear to have adopted small sized violoncellos, not 
 exactly of the squat pattern used by Nathaniel Cross, 
 but something of that character, and still adhering to 
 the high model. It is not known who instructed them; 
 but neither their work or goodness of tone has added any 
 lustre to their names, although the instruments have 
 been made more than one hundred years. Unless the 
 various thicknesses are properly blended, age will not do 
 much to improve them. The instrument must be good 
 from its first manufacture to derive the essential qualities 
 which age certainly imparts, although it cannot be denied 
 that age and much use may improve these instruments. 
 These makers form a portion of the links in the chain 
 we are endeavouring to elucidate. The first of tins 
 class is, 
 
 " Kobert Thompson att the Bass Violin 
 
 In pauls Ally St. pauls church yard 
 
 London 1749," 
 
 who appears to have taught his sons, or some other rela- 
 tives, as there are others of the same surname. 
 
 " Made by 
 
 Thompson & Son 
 
 at the Violin &c 
 
 the West end of 
 
 St. Pauls Church Yard 
 
 London 
 
 1764."
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 267 
 
 Probably this is the firm mentioned in the Musical 
 Directory of 1794 : 
 
 " Samuel and Peter Thompson 
 
 Instrument Makers and Music Sellers 
 
 No. 75. St. Pauls Church Yard." 
 
 In 1775 and 1785 printed labels from instruments 
 
 exist as 
 
 " Made and Sold by 
 
 Cha s . and Sam 1 . Thompson 
 
 in St. Paul's Church Yard;" 
 
 but it is not known if they were relatives of those pre- 
 viously mentioned ; the dates and locality create a pro- 
 bability that they were so. 
 
 There was also another maker of this class who used 
 a written label without date : 
 
 " Sold by John Johnson 
 Cheap Side. London." 
 
 And others printed were used in 1753 and 1759, the last 
 figure put in with a pen : 
 
 " Made & Sold by John Johnson 
 at the Harp & Crown in Cheapside 
 
 17 London 53." 
 And the same for the later year. 
 
 Thomas Smith was a pupil of Peter Wamsley; the 
 model and outline of his instruments were similar to his 
 master's, but fortunately thicker in wood. As a maker, 
 he held a good position in his day ; but at the present 
 time the violoncellos are considered deficient in quality 
 of tone. The first concerto that the late eminent 
 Professor Robert Lindley played in public was upon a 
 violoncello of this maker, and the instrument is still in 
 possession of his second son, Mr. John H. Lindley. 
 The varnish on the instruments is meagre and poor, of a
 
 268 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 brownish yellow colour, and not even approaching that 
 used by his instructor. From 1756 to 1766 the following 
 narrow printed labels were in use, so much like that for- 
 merly adopted by his master, that the conclusion may be 
 drawn he had succeeded Wamsley in the business, and 
 merely altered the name in the plate : 
 
 " made by Tho s . Smith at the Harp and 
 Hautboy in Pickadilly. London. 1756." 
 
 The violoncellos of this maker, in 1799, were sold for 
 a price varying from five guineas to eight pounds, and it 
 is questionable if he made either violins or tenors. 
 
 John Norris and - - Barnes were instructed in violin 
 making by the foregoing Thomas Smith, and they were 
 fellow-apprentices. On the completion of the allotted 
 time they had to serve, they became partners ; and as 
 there is evidence of their dwelling in Windmill Street 
 on the 10th February, 1785, it may approximate to the 
 time at which they commenced business on their own 
 account. The Musical Directory previously alluded to, 
 for 1794, shows at that time they had removed to No. 34, 
 Coventry Street, Haymarket. No instrument of any 
 description has been seen as made by either of these 
 persons, and it is generally considered they became 
 dealers in and repairers of violins, &c. A violoncello is 
 known stamped with their names on the back, at the 
 top, near the neck, but it is certainly the work of Ed- 
 mund Aireton. The partnership was not one of conge- 
 nial nature, and as soon as the expiration of the deed 
 of partnership would allow it they separated. It is stated 
 that Barnes retired from business and kept a farm at 
 Hayes, near Uxbridge, and that he died there ; however, 
 the church books have been examined, and there is no 
 evidence of his death. It is more probable that he opened 
 a house of business in the old locality, as the Directory
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 269 
 
 for 1794 has " Kobert Barnes, violin maker, Windmill 
 Street, Haymarket " ; therefore, as the firm is also men- 
 tioned in the same book as existing, perhaps 1794 was 
 the year of separation. The following is a copy of the 
 label used by them : 
 
 " Made by Norris and Barnes 
 Violin Violincello and Bow Makers 
 
 To Their Majesties 
 Coventry Street. London." 
 
 John Norris continued to carry on business at the 
 usual residence ; but statements differ regarding his re- 
 tiring in favour of his shopman, Kichard Davis. Some 
 assert he died at Coventry Street, others say it was at a 
 relative's house at Walham Green ; but it is certain he is 
 interred in the burial-ground of Fulham Church. The 
 spot is marked by a stone, on which is engraved 
 
 "John Norris 
 
 Died 10 March 1818, 
 
 Aged 79 years." 
 
 Richard Duke attained to great celebrity as a maker, 
 and was quite the fashion at the period in which he 
 lived; but there is no positive evidence of whom he 
 learned the art of making violins, tenors, and violon- 
 cellos, all of which instruments have more of the Steiner 
 pattern in them " than is consistent with a fine reedy 
 tone," which in the violins is clear and silvery. The 
 pattern rather long, and a yellow varnish. Some of the 
 tenors are small in size, about the length of a violin, 
 and the endeavour has been made to obtain a larger and 
 deeper tone by making them very broad ; the tone is 
 good, but more power is wished for on the two lower 
 strings. The varnish of some of these instruments is 
 very poor; the colour seems to have been obtained by a 
 weak solution of walnut-stain, and a thin coat of varnish
 
 270 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 put on afterwards. The few violoncellos which have 
 been seen are of a long pattern, with high model, and a 
 yellow varnish ; the tone very good. At one period he 
 lived in Ked Lion Street, Holborn. The following are 
 copies of some of the labels used in the various instru- 
 ments, and they mostly were written with pen and ink : 
 
 "Kich d Duke 
 Londini fecit 1767." 
 
 Also, a similar one in 1769 ; but eight years afterwards 
 he had changed his abode, and the label used was 
 
 " Kichard Duke 
 
 Maker 
 Holborn. London. Anno 1777." 
 
 Probably about this time a printed one was adopted ; but 
 there is no date upon it : 
 
 " Eichard Duke maker 
 
 near opposite 
 
 Great Turn-Stile 
 
 Holbourn. London." 
 
 There was a son of the foregoing, whose name is also 
 believed to be Eichard Duke ; and by the style of work 
 he evidently was instructed by his father. However, the 
 world did not smile on him, and in the early part of the 
 present century he solicited purchasers of his violins and 
 tenors, from house to house, of those in the trade. Both 
 father and son generally stamped their names on the 
 back of the instruments, at the top, near the button. At 
 times the surname only, and at others with London 
 underneath the name. 
 
 John Edward, or better known as old John Betts, and 
 his nephew, Edward, commonly named Ned Betts, were 
 both pupils of the elder Eichard Duke ; they came from
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 271 
 
 Stamford, Lincolnshire, or its vicinity. John Betts was 
 born in the year 1755, and in due time was sent to 
 London to learn violin-making, but whether he proved 
 a first-rate workman cannot be certified ; report speaks 
 to the contrary. As a dealer, great knowledge of the 
 Italian makers is assigned to him. The instruments 
 which bear his name often show an altered style, occa- 
 sioned by the various workman employed by him at 
 different periods ; namely, John Carter, Ned Betts, 
 Panormo, Bernhard Fendt, and his sons, and others 
 could also be mentioned. Much of their work, particu- 
 larly of the nephew and the Fendts, being imitations 
 of the Italian and old English makers, some of which 
 are excellent copies. Dr. Forster, in his " Epistolarium," 
 vol. ii., page 140, states : " Some of the best modern 
 imitations of the Cremona violins are those of John Betts, 
 of London, who for many years sold them, together 
 with others of his own excellent form, in his house, 
 under the Royal Exchange, in London." John Betts 
 died March, 1823, and is buried at Cripplegate Church. 
 Copy of a label used in 1782 : 
 
 " J. Betts N. 2 
 
 / 
 
 Near Northgate the 
 
 Royal Exchange 
 
 London 1782." 
 
 The nephew had ability as a maker of violins, and 
 was employed by his uncle ; his own style is admired, 
 the tone being good, bold, and masculine ; but he became 
 more proficient as an imitator of the old makers, both 
 of Italy and England. It paid better, as H y . Hill 
 observes, than adhering to modern workmanship. The 
 time of his death is not accurately known; probably 
 between 1815 and 1820. It is certain he died before 
 his uncle.
 
 272 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Here may be considered to terminate the succession 
 and second portion of violin-makers, from Jacob Kay- 
 man to John Betts, notwithstanding the last name, as a 
 house of business, still exists. However, as the successors 
 have not studied the art of violin-making, they can only 
 be considered as dealers. Mr. Arthur Betts, who suc- 
 ceeded to the business of his brother, old John Betts, 
 was a teacher and professor of the violin, and held an 
 honourable position as a performer. At his death, the 
 business became the property, or perhaps was under the 
 guidance of the elder son, the present Arthur Betts, who 
 had been a clerk in a large banking establishment in 
 Lombard Street, consequently not a person using the 
 various tools to develop a violin or violoncello. There 
 was another nephew, named - Vernon, who acted as 
 shopman in the latter years of his uncle, old John Betts, 
 and soon after the death of the latter, in 1823, opened a 
 house of business in Cornhill, or near that locality ; but 
 in a very few years death terminated his career. He 
 could not make a violin, and was only the dealer. 
 Although but few allusions have been made to the 
 Cremona instruments in this portion of the book, yet 
 they were gradually arriving in England during the 
 period just noticed, and their superiority of tone created 
 a want which the supply, unfortunately, could not satisfy ; 
 it therefore led to the debasement of genuine instruments 
 to gratify the love of gain. Two instruments were made 
 out of one, by taking portions say the head and upper 
 vibrating plate or belly then adding the sides and 
 lower vibrating plate or back, also vice versa, .or any 
 other mode of separation ; then perfecting the whole as 
 a violin, or whatever instrument it might be. Of late 
 years these instruments have .been brought before the 
 public for sale, and it is greatly to be deplored that a
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 273 
 
 truly genuine one is rarely to be seen. A new handle 
 or neck is of no importance ; but to divide a perfect 
 article creates a disgust for the perpetrators, whoever 
 they may have been. 
 
 It is a triumph of skill to be able to make a violin 
 that shall be considered by the connoisseur and all others 
 as a genuine Cremona ; but then comes the test of true 
 honesty : will you stoop and degrade yourself by selling 
 it as a genuine article ? 
 
 There are still several names in the eighteenth century 
 to be noticed, which occasionally causes an encroach- 
 ment on the present century, many of whom were indif- 
 ferent workmen, and employed by the music publishers ; 
 they may be called fiddle-makers, not artists in making 
 a violin ; however, when a more favourable statement 
 can be made of their skill it shall be mentioned. The 
 names are arranged alphabetically.
 
 274 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTEK XX. 
 
 STLEY, No. 9, Fleet Lane, 1785. 
 BAINES, pupil of Matthew Furber. 
 BARTON, GEORGE, Elliot Court, Old 
 Bailey. Died about 1810. 
 CARTER, JOHN, worked for John Betts, and respected 
 by him. It is said his employer paid the expense of his 
 funeral. Label used : 
 
 " J. Carter. Violin Tennor 
 
 & Bass Maker, Wych Street, Drury Lane 
 
 London. 1787." 
 
 CLARK, Turnmill Street, Clerkenwell, pupil of Mat- 
 thew Furber. 
 
 COLLIER, SAMUEL, musical instrument-maker, at Co- 
 relli's Head, on London Bridge, 1755. 
 
 COLLINGWOOD, JOSEPH, at the Golden Spectacles, on 
 London Bridge, 17 . 
 
 CON WAY, WILLIAM, 1745. 
 
 CROWTHER, JOHN, Haughton Street, Clare Market, 
 about 1755. Worked occasionally for John Kennedy, 
 as well as the music-houses. Died about 1810. 
 
 DICKSON, JOHN, Cambridge, 1779. 
 
 DICKINSON, EDWARD, 1754 and 1790. Printed label 
 used :
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 275 
 
 " Edward Dickinson 
 
 maker at the Harp & 
 
 Crown in the Strand 
 
 near Exeter Change 
 
 London 1754 " 
 
 EVANS, RICHARD. This name was in the Crwtn 
 mentioned in the former part of this work, which looked 
 much older than the date in the following label, with its 
 peculiar spelling: 
 
 " Maid in the Paris of 
 
 Lanirhengel by Richard 
 
 Evans Instrument maker 
 
 in the year 1742." 
 
 FRANKLAND, Robin Hood Court, Shoe Lane, 1785, 
 occasionally employed as an outdoor workman by Wil- 
 liam Forster, numbers two and three. 
 
 FURBER, DAVID, was the first of this name that made 
 instruments. The times of his birth and death are not 
 known ; but the grandson, John Furber, said he was 
 buried at Clerkenwell Church. He no doubt showed 
 ability, as John Johnson, a violin-maker, living in Cheap- 
 side, in 1759, gave him further instruction. 
 
 FURBER, MATTHEW, was the son of the previous 
 named David Furber, and was taught by his father. 
 Died about 1790, and buried at Clerkenwell Church. 
 
 The second and third sons of the foregoing Matthew, 
 named Matthew and John, were taught by their father ; 
 but whether the eldest son James was a fiddle-maker is 
 not known. Matthew, the second son, died about 1830-1, 
 and was buried at Clerkenwell Church. John Furber, 
 in 1841, was living in Cow Cross, Smithfield, and has 
 instructed his son, Henry John ; both father and sou, it
 
 276 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 is believed, are living at this time. Copy of a written 
 label used by the elder John : 
 
 " John Furber maker 
 
 13 John's Kow top of Brick Lane 
 
 Old S*. Saint Luke. 1813." 
 
 HARBUE, or HARBOUR, , in 1785, lived in Duke 
 
 Street, Lincoln's-inn Fields, and moved to Southampton 
 Buildings, Holborn, in 1786. 
 
 HARRISS, CHARLES, lived at Cannon Street Road, Rat- 
 cliffe Highway, and was a Custom House officer, tide- 
 waiter, as well as a fiddle-maker, and was chiefly em- 
 ployed in making instruments for shipping orders and 
 the trade, but it is not known of whom he learned to 
 work. Samuel Grilkes, who will be noticed elsewhere, 
 was an apprentice of this person (vide the third Wil- 
 liam Forster). 
 
 HARRISS, CHARLES, was the eldest son of the above, 
 and fellow-apprentice with Gilkes. However, little is 
 known regarding him ; he became possessed of some 
 property in Northamptonshire from a branch of the 
 family, and was called Squire Harriss ; but some adverse 
 circumstances compelled him to seek employment amongst 
 the trade about the middle of the present century. 
 
 HEESOM, EDWARD, Londoni. Fecit 1749. 
 
 HOLLOWAY, J., 31, Gerard Street, Soho, 1794. 
 
 MARSHALL, JOHN, was a tolerably good workman, and 
 the violins which have been seen are made of the 
 Steiner pattern. Some of the labels used by him were 
 as follows : 
 
 " Johannes Marshall 
 Londini. Fecit 1750." 
 
 Tha above was printed on a narrow slip of paper, with
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 277 
 
 plain line border. The label which follows is taken from 
 Hill's MSS.:- 
 
 " Johannes Marshall (in vico novo juxta 
 Covensam liortum) Londini. fecit 1757." 
 
 And this is a written label in our own collection : 
 
 "Marshall. London 1759." 
 On this last he makes known 
 
 " Good Beef l d A pound 
 But trades all very Bad." 
 
 MARTIN, - , was living at Hermitage Bridge, Wap- 
 ping, in the years 1790 and 1794. 
 
 MERLIN, JOSEPH, appears to have possessed a mental 
 development for invention, with mechanical skill, which 
 powers were exerted to produce many articles, both mu- 
 sical and otherwise, and were exhibited at his museum 
 in Princes Street, Hanover Square. In Madame D'Ar- 
 blay's "Diary and Letters," vol. ii., p. 432, she states 
 " He invented many ingenious objects, some of which 
 were of real utility, but most were mere playthings, or 
 objects of curiosity. He was at one period of his career 
 quite ' the rage ' in London, where everything a la Mer- 
 lin Merlin chairs, Merlin pianos, Merlin swings, &c.;' 
 also, it may be added, Merlin fiddles, and Merlin's me- 
 chanical pegs for violins and violoncellos. Frequent 
 mention is made of him in the second volume of this 
 Diary, with statements of sayings and actions, which 
 shows she considered him a vain, conceited person. The 
 violins he made were of the high model, similar to 
 Steiner; the work was good, but the tone was of the 
 usual quality of high-built instruments. The printed 
 label he used was an oval to enclose the name and his 
 ambition, with the direction written underneath. Here
 
 278 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 is another instance of the uncertainty of the number 01 
 instruments made by the figures on the labels. A copy 
 of a label, with the date 1778, has the number of 106 
 upon it ; and an original one, in 1779, has No. 104 ; 
 therefore we must leave our readers to guess where he 
 begun. The word "Improved " has been written with a 
 pen on both labels : 
 
 " Josephus Merlin 
 
 Cremonse Emulus 
 
 N 104 Londini 1779 
 
 Improved 
 Queen Ann N 66 Street East 
 
 Portland Chapel " 
 
 Dubourg, in his work on the violin, p. 244, gives an 
 amusing tale of a " Skating Fiddler," and alludes to a 
 circumstance of which Merlin was the cause, and which 
 occurred at Carlisle House, Carlisle Street, Soho Square ; 
 but no doubt much deplored by the lady who gave the 
 entertainment. 
 
 MIER, of London, in 1786; but nothing is known of 
 his instruments at this period. 
 
 MILLER. The original printed announcement of this 
 person is much injured and mutilated, and it is ques- 
 tionable whether it be not that of the widow, as the last 
 three letters appear to be " lez " ; or it may be the ter- 
 mination of Eliza. Some interest may be created in the 
 statement made, therefore a copy of the label is given: 
 " Sold by .... lez Miller at the Signe of the 
 Citern London Bridge all Sorts of Musical 
 Instruments and Strings fitt for them 
 & old Instruments mended & also there 
 you may have all Sorts of New Tunes &c 
 Musick Books & Songs ruled Books 
 and ruled Paper at Reasonable rate."
 
 . HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 279 
 
 The houses on London Bridge were all cleared away 
 between the years 1757-1759 (" Chronicles of London 
 Bridge," second edition, p. 378, et seq.) ; but this label 
 seems much older. 
 
 MORRISON, JOHN, it is believed, was born about 1760 
 and it is not known who taught him the fiddle trade. 
 He had a small shop in Princes Street, Soho, the begin- 
 ning of this century, but quitted it in 1819, and, after 
 residing in Shadwell for a time, ultimately located in 
 Little Turnstile, Holborn, where he died between the 
 years 1820-30. His work was very common, and he was 
 mostly employed in making instruments for the music 
 houses. 
 
 NAYLOR, ISAAC, was a pupil of Richard Duke, and 
 lived at Headingley, near Leeds, Yorkshire, 1778-1792. 
 
 NEWTON, ISAAC, was a maker of average goodness, and 
 occasionally employed to repair and make violins and 
 violoncellos for Betts ; the new instruments being var- 
 nished at the house of the latter, as the varnish of his 
 own was a dingy yellow, somewhat like that used by 
 Smith. He died about 1825, and his age is supposed to 
 be between seventy and eighty years. 
 
 PEARCE, JAMES AND THOMAS, were brothers, and very 
 common workmen, living in Peter Street, Saffron Hill, 
 one of the Rookeries of London, the latter part of the 
 last century or the beginning of the present one. 
 
 PRESTON, JOHN. It is not known if this person be re- 
 lated to John Preston the music publisher, who formerly 
 resided at 97, Strand, London, and also called himself a 
 musical instrument maker ; but the latter only dealt in 
 them as a music house. Labels used by the former ot 
 this name 
 
 " Preston Pavement York 1789 ; 
 and
 
 280 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 " John Preston, York. 
 1791. Fecit." 
 
 POWELL, EOYAL AND THOMAS, were brothers, and both 
 neat workmen of average goodness ; and were employed 
 about 1785-6 or 1787, as outdoor workmen by William 
 Forster, numbers two and three. The label used by one 
 of them 
 
 " Made by thomas 
 
 Powell N 18 Clemens 
 
 Lane Clare Market 
 
 1793." 
 
 There were two sons of the above Thomas, also named 
 Royal and Thomas. In 1800 they were living in St. 
 John's Square, St. Lukes, and it is said they were between 
 twenty and thirty years of age at that time, but nothing 
 is known of their work ; however one of them went to 
 sea, and being able to repair violins, met with favour 
 from his lieutenant, who was an amateur on the instru- 
 ment. 
 
 SATCHELL AND FORSCHLE. In the Musical Directory 
 for 1794, p. 57, we find the name of this firm as, "Instru- 
 ment Makers, No. 21, Mark Lane;" but whether or no 
 they made violins we are unable to assert. None have 
 been seen. It may be probable they were military in- 
 strument makers. The first name is also met with in 
 the " Memoirs of Harriot Duchess of St. Albans," by 
 Mrs. Cornwall Baron Wilson, vol. i. p 208: "The 
 latter apartments Mrs. Entwistle considered might be let 
 for a shop, so as nearly to pay the whole rent ; but Miss 
 Mellon received an application from a tenant, connected 
 with her own loved profession, which she favoured be- 
 yond any other more advantageous one ; and she let the 
 ground-floor at a rate which was quite a matter of charity.
 
 HIHTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 281 
 
 Her tenant was Mrs. Benson, the sister of Mrs. Stephen 
 Kemble, both daughters of Satchell, the musical instru- 
 ment maker to the Prince of Wales." 
 
 SIMPSON, JOHN. Although instruments have been seen 
 possessing printed labels similar to that given at the con- 
 clusion of this article, yet it is doubtful if he was a maker 
 of the violin class. Those fiddles which have been seen 
 were not of good workmanship or tone, and looked like 
 the style of those usually sold at the music houses. There 
 can be little doubt but this John Simpson was the father 
 of the following James Simpson, therefore prior to the 
 date ascertained of the latter, the label being so much 
 alike and in the same locality : 
 
 " John Simpson, 
 Musical Instrument Maker, 
 At the Bass Viol and Flute, 
 
 in Sweeting's Alley, 
 
 Opposite the East door of y e Royal Exchange 
 London.' 
 
 The Musical Directory for 1794, p. 60, gives the 
 name of a firm : " James Simpson and Son, Instrument 
 Makers, No. 15, Sweeting's Alley, ComhilL" The label 
 used was 
 
 " J. & J. Simpson, 
 
 Musical Instrument Makers, 
 
 At the Bass Viol & Flute, 
 
 in Sweeting's Alley, 
 
 Opposite the East Door of the Royal Exchange, 
 London." 
 
 SMITH, WILLIAM. There were two makers of this 
 name, or it may be the same person moved to another 
 place, and it is believed he or they were not related to
 
 282 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 the Thomas Smith of former years. One of the labels 
 used was " W m - Smith, Heal Maker, London, 1771." 
 The other- 
 
 " William Smith, 
 Violin Maker, 
 Hedon, 1786." 
 
 TAYLOE. About 1820 this person was living in 
 Princes Street, Drury Lane ; but at that time an elderly 
 man, perhaps near seventy years of age. It is said he was 
 regularly initiated into the business of fiddle-making, but 
 it cannot be learned from whom he gained the knowledge. 
 In the latter period of his life, double-bass-making and 
 repairing became the favourite instruments to work upon ; 
 and he must have arrived at some excellence, as Signer 
 Dragonetti occasionally employed him. 
 
 THOROWGOOD, HENRY. The work of this maker is not 
 known, but the following is a copy of the printed label 
 used by him ; the two first figures only of the date were 
 upon it : 
 
 " Made and Sold by 
 
 Henry Thorowgood 
 
 at the Violin & Guitar under the 
 
 North Piazza of the Koyal Exchange 
 
 17 London." 
 
 TORINO, OR TORRING, kept a shop in Shug Lane, 
 Haymarket, now better known as Tichborne Street, about 
 the spot at which the opening is made, and the County 
 Fire Office is the corner. He was a player on the fiddle 
 as well as a maker and repairer of it, and attended 
 balls ; however report says he did not reach much excel- 
 lence in any department. The late Mr. Hendric, the 
 perfumer, of Tichborne Street, who died in April 1862, 
 at the age of eighty-four years, had a lively recollection 
 of dancing to Torriug's fiddling, and the inquiries of him
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 283 
 
 regarding this person seemed to recall all the pleasures 
 of youth. It may be interesting to state that Shug Lane 
 is an abbreviation of Sugar House Lane, taking its name 
 from a sugar baker's establishment having been built 
 there in Charles the Second's reign. It was then the 
 high road from the village of Charing to Tyburn. 
 
 WEAVER, SAMUEL. No instruments have been seen 
 of this person's make ; but the copy of a printed label is 
 as follows : 
 
 " All Sorts 01 
 
 Musical Instruments 
 
 made & Sold by 
 
 Sam 1 - Weaver 
 
 on London Bridge." 
 
 WIGHTMAN, GEORGE. Nothing is known of this 
 workman or his instruments, but he used a written label 
 thus : 
 
 " George Wightman 
 Wood Street London 1761." 
 
 WEIGHT, DANIEL. The same remarks as the pre- 
 ceding may be applied to this maker ; the date being 
 about 1745 : 
 
 " Made by Daniel Wright 
 
 in Holborn, London." 
 
 WORNUM. The Musical Directory for 1794, p. 71, 
 gives this' name as a violin and violoncello maker, No. 42, 
 Wigmore Street. No instruments have been seen. 
 
 YOUNG, JOHN, lived at the west corner of London- 
 house Yard, in St. Paul's Church-yard, at the sign of the 
 Dolphin and Crown, about the year 1724, and is styled 
 a maker of violins and other instruments by Sir John 
 Hawkins (Novello's edition, p. 807) : " He lives not by 
 his works ! " Nevertheless concerts of instrumental music 
 were advanced by him and his sou, Talbot Young.
 
 284 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 LTHOUGH many of the persons in the 
 list just ended were very common work- 
 men, yet there were others, during the 
 same period, who by their talent and 
 industry were gaining a position and becoming some of 
 England's best artists in violin, viola and violoncello 
 making ; not only creating a style of finish in their 
 work by which they are known, but also producing a 
 quality and character of tone to which professors will 
 allude and draw comparison. With these names of 
 violin-makers it is intended to commence with the oldest 
 date and carry each school through to the present time, 
 enumerating, as far as our knowledge will enable us, 
 all those persons who have been pupils, and others who 
 have followed a similar style, that the character and 
 style of each artist may be kept separate. 
 
 Dr. Thomas Forster, in the preface to his "Epistol- 
 arium," vol. ii. p. 4, states the Forster family to be very 
 ancient, and believed to have come from Normandy 
 with William the Conqueror; also, that distinguished 
 services were rendered at the battle of Crecy, and also at 
 Aglncourt by one of this name, for which the king 
 conferred the coat-of-arms and created General Sir 
 Ferdinand Forster, knight banneret. 
 
 It is not known from what branch of the family Dr.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 285 
 
 Forster reckons ; however, it is in Scotland and the 
 northern counties of England we must search for the 
 Forster family, to which our enquiries are directed. In 
 the " Border History of England and Scotland," by the 
 Rev. George Ridpath, there is frequent mention of the 
 name, and a statement that one Adam Forster, or For- 
 rester, was sometimes serving as a royal commissioner., 
 and at other times as an ambassador from Robert III. 
 of Scotland to Richard II. and Henry IV. of England ; 
 also acting as conservator, with others, to various truces 
 and peace arrangements regarding the Border district, 
 from 1397 to 1402, and that about the last date he had 
 been made Sir Adam, and was taken prisoner at the 
 battle of Homeldon, and with other captives was " com- 
 mitted to the care of the steward of the household, to 
 wait the king's pleasure." Whether he died a natural 
 death, is not known ; but to trust to the clemency of the 
 Bolingbroke, who had been opposed, makes the result 
 very doubtful. In 1424 we find John Forster acting as 
 conservator to a truce between England and Scotland, 
 and in 1429 he appears to become Sir John Forrester, 
 Baron of Liberton, serving as a Scotch commissioner, with 
 other persons named, for "mutual redress of injuries, 
 and the speedy and effectual execution of justice in all 
 matters under debate between the subjects of the two 
 kingdoms;" and in the same year he is named John 
 Forster of Corstorsyn. From the last date above stated 
 until 1553, there is no mention of this name ; we then 
 find Sir John Forster, knight, was acting as the arbi- 
 trator for England; and in 1557, "about Martinmas, 
 the Earl of Northumberland sent his brother, Sir Henry 
 Percy, accompanied with Sir John Forster and others, 
 chiefly those of the Middle March, to make an inroad 
 into Scotland; they were met by Sir Andrew Ker and
 
 *286 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 a great body of the men of Tiviotdale, in the neighbour- 
 hood of Cheviot, almost on the boundary between the 
 kingdoms. A sharp engagement ensued, in the beginning 
 of which the English were beaten back ; but recovering 
 themselves, they gained a considerable advantage over 
 the Scots, taking prisoner their leader, with several of 
 his followers. Sir John Forster fought bravery (bravely) 
 in this skirmish, wherein he was sore wounded, and had 
 his horse killed under him ; and to his prowess was 
 chiefly ascribed the victory gained by his countrymen." 
 In 1561 Sir John Forster was warden of the Middle 
 Marches, and retained that appointment for many years. 
 When James VI. of Scotland passed through Northum- 
 berland, in 1603, to ascend the English throne, he was 
 met by Sir Nicholas Forrester, the sheriff of that county, 
 by order of the Council of England. There is frequent 
 mention of the name in the " Border Minstrelsy," and Sir 
 Walter Scott, in the edition of 1848, has occasionally 
 added notes which enter into particulars of much interest 
 connected with our subject of inquiry. The song of 
 "Jamie Telfer of the Fair Dodhead," the second stanza, 
 vol. ii. p. 13, has 
 
 " There was a wild gallant among us a', 
 His name was Watty wi' the Wudspurs ; 
 Cried ' On for his house in Stanegerthside, 3 
 If one man will ride with us !' " 
 
 Note 3, a house belonging to the Foresters, situated 
 on the English side of the Liddel. 
 
 Again, at p. 21, in the song, " The Raid of the Reids- 
 wire," second stanza 
 
 ' ' We looked down the other side 
 And saw come breasting ower the brae, 
 Wi' Sir John Forster for their guyde,* 
 Full fifteen hundred men and mae."
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 287 
 
 Note 4, " Sir John Forster, or, more properly, For- 
 rester, of Balmborough Abbey, warden of the Middle 
 Marches in 1561, was deputy-governor of Berwick, and 
 governor of Balmborough Castle. He made a great 
 figure on the Borders, and is said, on his monument at 
 Balmborough Church, to have possessed the office of 
 Warden of the Middle Marches for thirty-seven years. 
 This family ended in the unfortunate Thomas Forster, 
 one of the generals of the Northumbrian insurgents in 
 1715 ; and the estate, being forfeited, was purchased by 
 his uncle, Lord Crewe, and devised for the support of 
 his magnificent charity." 
 
 There is also a note to the song, " Dick o' the Cow," 
 p. 72. "A challenge had been given by an English- 
 man, named Forster, to any Scottish Borderer, to fight 
 him at a place called Kershopefoot, exactly upon the 
 Borders. The Laird's Jock's only son accepted the 
 defiance, and was armed by his father with his own two- 
 handed sword. The old champion himself, though bed- 
 ridden, insisted upon being present at the battle. He 
 was borne to the place appointed, wrapped, it is said, in 
 blankets, and placed upon a very high stone to witness 
 the conflict. In the duel his son fell treacherously 
 slain, as the Scottish tradition affirms. The old man 
 gave a loud yell of terror and despair when he saw his 
 son slain, and his noble weapon won by an Englishman, 
 and died as they bore him home. . . . The stone on 
 which the Laird's Jock sat to behold the duel, was in 
 existence till wantonly destroyed a year or two since. 
 It was always called the Laird's Jock's Stone. 1802. 
 [The reader will find Sir Walter Scott recurring to the 
 fate of the Laird's Jock in 1828. See Waverley Novels, 
 vol. xli. p. 377.]" There is also an official tract in the 
 British Museum worthy of notice regarding this name,
 
 288 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 and the portion connected with our subject is now ex- 
 tracted from the " Archaeologia," vol. xxii. p. 161. It is 
 thus headed : " Copy of a Manuscript Tract addressed 
 to Lord Burghley, illustrative of the Border Topography 
 of Scotland, A. D. 1590 ; with a Platt or Map of the 
 Borders, taken in the same year, both Preserved in one 
 of the Koyal MSS. in the British Museum. Communi- 
 cated by Henry Ellis, Esq. F.E.S., Secretary, in a Letter 
 addressed to the Eight Honourable the Earl of Aberdeen, 
 K.T., President. 
 
 " Read, 31st May, 1827. 
 
 " MY LORD British Museum, May 29, 1827. 
 
 " Among the Koyal Manuscripts in the British Museum 
 is a volume of Saxton's Maps (Bibl. Reg. 18, D 111), 
 published in 1579, upon the margins of which the names 
 of the justices of the peace in England at that time, or 
 soon after, are written, with occasional miscellaneous 
 remarks. Several manuscript maps and draughts of 
 sea-ports, towns, &c. are added in different places of the 
 volume, likewise accompanied by memoranda in the 
 handwriting of Lord Burghley, to whom the volume at 
 one time belonged. 
 
 " Among these latter articles is a manuscript map with 
 the date of December, 1590, entitled, 'A Platt of the 
 Opposite Borders of Scotland to the West Marches of 
 England.' Upon this the different castles and houses of 
 strength, with the names of many of the owners, are 
 minutely specified, and I cannot but think that a copy 
 of it would be valuable for the ' Archaeologia ' of the 
 Society of Antiquaries. At the bottom of this map or 
 platt is written, ' The moste of these places on the 
 Scottish syde are tower and stone houses, with some
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 289 
 
 fewe plenashed Townes, as Dumfreis, Annand, Lough- 
 maben, and such like ; for the rest not put downe, they 
 are but onsetts or stragling houses, th' inhabitants 
 followers of some of these above described. For those 
 on the English Coaste, they are referred to the tract 
 lately sent to your L. of the Description of them in 
 particular.' The tract here alluded to, follows a page or 
 two after, and if my judgment does not deceive me, is a 
 curious abstract of the state of Border topography to- 
 wards the close of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. I 
 have had it transcribed, and here present it to your 
 Lordship and the Society. 
 
 " I am, my Lord, 
 
 " Your Lordship's faithful Servant, 
 
 " HENRY ELLIS. 
 " To the Right Hon. The Earl of 
 
 Aberdeen, K.T., President of 
 
 the Society of Antiquaries." 
 
 Then follows " The Division of the severall Charge 
 of the West Borders of England and Scotland." At 
 p. 166, "LEVEN or KIRKLYNTON. Next it towardes the 
 Borders runneth the river Leven. Upon which river 
 dwelleth Grames, Etheringtons, and Forsters, and others ; 
 under the governance of a bayliffe for a gentleman, one 
 Mr. Musgrave of Haton, lord of that mannor called Kirk- 
 lynton. But the castle where he should lye is Scaleby. 
 Now in these tenauntes, who are able border men, if they 
 were well governed, is a great quietnes for staunching of 
 theft, for they are the onely jmen that ride both into 
 England and Scotland, who cannot be letted without 
 their masters residence, or careful watch of the country 
 within them." 
 
 Page 168. " The severall surnames of the English 
 
 u
 
 290 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Borderers and their dwellings. ESKE. Upon both sides 
 of the river dwell the Grames, which is the greatest 
 surname at this daie upon the West Border. For the 
 Grames of Eske and Leven are able to make V C ser- 
 viceable men. 
 
 " LEVEN. Upon this river also dwelleth many Grames, 
 and above Kirklynton in Sompert dwelleth a great sur- 
 name of Fosters, and about Hethersgill is a surname of 
 Hetheringtons. BEWCASTLE. There dwelleth Fosters, 
 Crosers, and Nixsons, but sore decayed." 
 
 By reference to the platt or map in the work from 
 which the foregoing has been copied, it will be seen that 
 the strong houses of the Forsters's were opposite to that 
 portion of the country held by the Armstrongs on the 
 Liddle, therefore hard knocks no doubt had been inter- 
 changed. Stanegirthside has been previously mentioned ; 
 more to the eastward, on the banks of the same river, 
 was another castle held by Kobert Forster; and more 
 easterly still is Kirksopfoote, where the duel took place 
 between the Laird's Jock and a Forster, before alluded 
 to, therefore we may infer this castle also to have be- 
 longed to the latter name. 
 
 We have thus endeavoured to trace the name of Forster 
 to the locality in which those connected with our inquiries 
 were known to have resided, but we are not prepared, 
 at present, to prove they were related to the statesmen 
 and warriors previously named, although there are some 
 circumstances which makes this more than probable ; 
 but as the Scotch say, "it is not proven," therefore no 
 further comment will be made on the subject. The first 
 of this family who made violins was John, but whether 
 the name was spelled Forester, Forster, or Foster, is now 
 difficult to determine ; the general belief is, that the first 
 mode was the original, and the probable cause of the
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 291 
 
 variations may be the careless manner, in early times, 
 of writing names which may be seen in the church 
 register, also in the engraving upon the tombstones of 
 this family. At this distant period of time there is much 
 difficulty in obtaining correct information of the town or 
 village in which he was born, but in the researches made 
 ten or. twelve years since amongst the aged inhabitants 
 of Brampton, in Cumberland, they named several places 
 in that part of the country from whence he probably 
 came ; but none could assert what pursuit or vocation he 
 followed in early years ; almost the whole of them said 
 he came from " Ayont the Wood," but others named Kirk- 
 lington, Bewcastle, Longtown in the Netherby quarter ; 
 but the town which had more advocates than any other 
 was Kirkandrews, on the Esk, which, from the many 
 kind inquiries made on this matter by Mr. Samuel Irving, 
 of Stanwix, Carlisle, may be considered to be proved al- 
 most to a certainty ; but it should be " Ayont the Wood, in 
 Nichol Forest, in the parish of Kirkandrews, on the Esk." 
 From this place the aged people said, he moved to little 
 Easby, two or three miles from Brampton, in the parish 
 of this last name, and left there for the town of Bramp- 
 ton, at which place they all agreed he died about 1790, 
 at the great age of one hundred and two or three years, 
 and was buried at the old parish church, a mile, or little 
 more, from the " Town Foot." 
 
 The family, however, state that he left Longtown for 
 Brampton. On searching the church book of burials we 
 fine a John Foster buried 7 Oct. 1781, aged ninety-three 
 years ; but there is no statement to identify that it is the 
 desired one ; however, as this date so nearly coincides 
 with the information gained, and will agree with the 
 birth of his son William, supposing that he married at 
 twenty-four or twenty-five years of age, it is assumed
 
 292 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 that this must be the record of his death ; consequently 
 he would have been born in or about 1688. 
 
 Only vague accounts could be learned of the vocation 
 he followed, but it was generally asserted that, latterly, 
 he made spinning-wheels, or was a wheelwright, and at 
 one period of his life he was a gun-maker, and considered 
 by all of them to be " a very ingenious man, and occa- 
 sionally made fiddles." A violin was seen in 1850, said 
 to be his make, and with some degree of truth could be 
 traced back. The work was rude and unfinished, the 
 model very high, resembling the Steiner, but the outline 
 approached nearer to the pattern of the Amati. It was 
 much decayed and worm-eaten, and if strings had been 
 to the instrument, it is doubtful if it would have borne 
 tuning to try the tone. This violin was possessed by 
 Joseph Book, a violin maker and performer, who lived 
 in Eickergate, Carlisle. He had been intimate with 
 Joseph Forster, grandson (if we are correct with the 
 identity) of this said John, from the first year of the 
 present century. 
 
 Not only were many of the facts just enumerated 
 known to the family, but it can be added that John 
 Forster was of stature more than six feet, also of athletic 
 frame of body, with great muscular development. 
 
 Presuming the identity of John Foster or Forster is 
 established, then William Forster was the son of the 
 previous named John; but as there are four in this 
 family of the same Christian name connected with violin 
 making, a number will be attached to each for the 
 advantage of any required reference. It cannot be 
 positively asserted whether William Forster (1) was born 
 in Brampton; it is believed to be so, but there is no 
 proof; however he must soon have located there. He 
 was born about 1713-14, and by the books of the old
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 293 
 
 church of that town he married in 1736 ; his first wife, 
 who died in the prime of life, being only forty-four years 
 of age ; but she had borne him a son who added lustre 
 to the name in after years. This William Forster (1) 
 was a spinning-wheel maker by trade ; also repaired and 
 made violins. In the former vocation he gained some 
 celebrity, as the following extract from a letter of Joseph 
 Rook, written in Nov. 1850, when he was in his seventy- 
 seventh year, shows: "I can give no more of the history 
 of your ancestors at Brampton than I have already given 
 you, only your great grandfather William was a noted 
 maker of spinning-wheels as well as violin maker, and 
 his son Joseph, my old acquaintance, practised making 
 wheels so long as they were in use in the country, but it 
 is many years since they were put out of use by the 
 invention of machinery." 
 
 Whether in or about 1775-7 he was pressed in pecu- 
 niary circumstances, or whether the love of the drama 
 tempted him to accept, as inmates or lodgers, a family 
 connected with the theatrical company then performing 
 at Brampton, yet it was in his house that Miss Harriot 
 Mellon was born ! This information is obtained, or 
 rather, it should be stated, corroborated by one that 
 became employed in the sequel of events (the fact being 
 known to the family) ; therefore it had better be given 
 in his own language, written December 1850, although 
 there are some trifling inaccuracies which, at his age, may 
 be overlooked : " * * * * I must endeavour to exert 
 myself and *vill give an account of a remarkable circum- 
 stance thai happened in your G. Grandfather's House 
 at Brampton. Upon a time a Company of Itinerant 
 Comedians were at Brampton, and one of them of the 
 name of Melon and his Wife had an apartment in your 
 G. Grandfather's House during their stay at Brampton.
 
 294 HISTOEY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Mrs. Melon was brought to bed of a Daughter, the Child 
 was Baptized at Brampton ; they left and nothing was 
 heard of them afterwards. About Oct r . 19, 1824, a Lady 
 with a Splendid Equipage containing a number of Car- 
 riages and Servants of every description arrived at the 
 Howard Arms in search of her Eegister, and the Lady 
 in question was M rs . Coutts ; that some time after that 
 became Dutchess of S nt . Albans. She inquired if your 
 G. Grandfather was living, [and] she gave such a 
 description as the people soon knew it was Will m . 
 Forster; a certain proof that her Father and Mother 
 had talked about your Gr. Grandfather repeatedly; she 
 went to see the place where she first drew breath in, and 
 saw Jo ; and had some conversation with him. She no 
 doubt would ask him many things and understanding 
 that he played the Violin she desired him to raise her a 
 Band of a few Violins and Violoncells and go to Carlisle 
 where she gave a splendid Breakfast to all the Genteel 
 people in Carlisle and the neighbourhood. We were 
 verry handsomley rewarded for our trouble : a Guinea a 
 piece for us in Carlisle and something handsom for 
 Joseph for coming from Brampton. The Splendid doo, 
 was on the 21 of Oct r . 1824, at the Bush Inn, Carlisle. 
 About mid-day she set off for London with all her 
 retinue. I consider this something marvelous but an 
 absolute truth as good a subject for a Novel as ever Sir 
 W. Scott had. 
 
 " Your &c 
 
 " S. A. Forster." " JOSEPH ROOK. 
 
 A violin of this maker is possessed by one of the 
 writers of this book, and it has a label inside thus : 
 " William Forster 
 Violin Maker 
 in Brampton."
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 295 
 
 The work is not of a high class ; the tone deserves 
 commendation, although more quality could be desired. 
 The varnish is alcoholic, and not very transparent, nor 
 is the instrument purfled; but on the whole it is an evident 
 improvement on the fiddle seen of his father's make. The 
 following is a copy of the inscription engraved on the 
 tomb-stone, in the burial-ground of the old parish church 
 of Brampton, about a mile, or little more, from the Town 
 Foot :- 
 
 " In memory of W m . Forster 
 
 Violin Maker of Brampton 
 
 who died March 4 th . 1801 
 
 aged 87 years." 
 
 Being recorded on this grave-stone as a violin-maker, 
 and the spinning-wheel trade not being mentioned, may 
 probably have arisen from the celebrity his son, William, 
 had achieved in London as a maker of musical instru- 
 ments of the violin genus.
 
 296 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTEK XXII. 
 
 ILLIAM FOKSTEE, the second of this 
 name, but the first who gave renown to it as 
 a maker of violins, violas, violoncellos, and 
 double basses, became one of England's 
 greatest artists, and received the patronage of royalty 
 and many of the nobility. He was also greatly appre- 
 ciated by the professors of these instruments; and is 
 better known in the musical world, and amongst the 
 trade, as " Old Forster." 
 
 From a memorandum written by his son, William 
 Forster (3), in one of his old account-books, stating that 
 " my father died on the 14 Dec r . 1808, aged 68, on the 
 4 th of May last," it is considered, in the absence of more 
 positive information, that this date may be correct, but 
 no corroborative proof could be found in the book of 
 the register of births belonging to the old church of 
 Brampton, Cumberland. However, there is a baptismal 
 register at the Presbyterian Chapel of that town, " 1739, 
 May 5 th , William, lawful Son to William Foster, Bramp- 
 ton," which no doubt relates to this person; therefore he 
 would be rather older than stated by the son. 
 
 William Forster (2) was instructed by his father in 
 making spinning-wheels and violins, both of which trades 
 he followed during the earlier years of his life, and fur- 
 ther obtained employment by playing the violin at the
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 297 
 
 various merry-makings and other festivities of the locality. 
 Report says he excelled in the performance of reels ; and 
 the elder branches of the surviving family know that in 
 after years, when trying violins which had either been 
 made or repaired, the owners would frequently request 
 to have one of them played. He also composed several 
 Scotch reels, some of which were published by himself, 
 when it was the custom of each music establishment at 
 Christmas time to bring out a book of dance-tunes for 
 the new year. 
 
 Whether it was ambition that first occasioned him to 
 come to London in the hope of bettering his fortunes, 
 or whether, at some persons say, it was an aversion of his 
 parent to the female whom he loved, and who ultimately 
 became his wife, that induced him to leave his native 
 place, we are unable to say; the most probable cause 
 may be the disrespect shown to the memory of his 
 mother by the other parent marrying a second wife only 
 four months after the death of the first. The time of his 
 leaving Brampton is not known ; but if the above sup- 
 positions be correct, then it would be about 1759, he 
 being between twenty and twenty-one years of age ; 
 whatever the irritating cause may have been, it must 
 have been felt most acutely, as he left with little or no 
 pecuniary resources, and engaged himself to a drover to 
 assist in "bringing cattle to the south. 
 
 The neighbourhood of the Commercial Road and 
 Prescott Street, Goodman's Fields, is said to be the 
 first locality he resided in ; and, not being able to 
 get employment in either business which he had learned, 
 he at length obtained work as a gun-stock maker, occa- 
 sionally making violins and selling them to the music 
 shops. The privations and sufferings endured during 
 this period of his life he was always of opinion caused
 
 298 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 the aggravated dyspepsia and other constitutional evils 
 which were never eradicated ; indeed, it is questionable if 
 some of the present generation are not sufferers from the 
 internal debility then created, which has descended to 
 them, although their own struggles in life have been 
 sufficient to cause it. Ultimately he gained permanent 
 employment at a music-shop on Tower Hill, kept by a 
 person named Beck ; and the violins made by him being 
 much approved of, with a quick sale of them, he solicited 
 for greater remuneration ; the employer refusing to ac- 
 cede, he left him and come westward to a house on the 
 right-hand side, and about the middle of Duke's Court, 
 St. Martin's Lane, Charing Cross. The houses are all 
 now pulled down, and the National Picture Gallery 
 erected partly on the site ; he pitched his tent here for a 
 time, and afterwards resided in St. Martin's Lane, near 
 to and on the same side as May's Buildings. The fol- 
 lowing is a copy of the label used at that period : 
 
 " William Forster, 
 
 Violin Maker 
 
 in S*. Martin's Lane. London 
 1762." 
 
 While residing here, a Colonel West, of the Grenadier 
 Guards, who was the father of the late Temple West, of 
 Malvern Lodge, Worcestershire, Esquire, gave him an 
 order for a new violin, to be made similar to a pattern 
 then shown, which he completed so successfully that the 
 colonel became a kind, generous, and sincere patron. 
 He also, being an amateur desirous of improving the 
 violin, had numerous experiments tried in the manufac- 
 ture of such instruments, which this artisan executed for 
 him. The advantages thus gained were always grate- 
 fully acknowledged by William Forster (2) as being of
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 299 
 
 essential assistance and advancement to him in the art. 
 He always felt pleasure in stating that his first real suc- 
 cess in life was through Colonel West. 
 
 Between the years 1762 and 1782 his skill and exer- 
 tions had been rewarded, and he had become a music- 
 seller and publisher; he had also changed his residence. 
 Sometime during the above period a different label had 
 been used in the instruments, particularly the violon- 
 cellos, and it bears evidence of being part of a title-page 
 of some work published by him, which probably had not 
 been successful ; he therefore used the name as a label 
 which is in a written character, with some ornamental 
 engraving cut through, that is neither useful, nor, in this 
 particular, any embellishment. In those instruments 
 where this label is used, it will generally be found that 
 the name William Forster, in the Boman letter, is placed 
 also on the inside of the short bouts, just above the lining 
 which is attached to the sides and the back. It is the 
 same printing taken off the lable used in 1762, as will 
 be readily seen by the ornamental flourishes corres- 
 ponding and now cut through. At what time he first 
 was honoured by working for royalty we are unable to 
 state, as the account-books before the 14th November, 
 1773, have either been destroyed or lost ; and those 
 books which still exist were kept imperfectly. However, 
 there is proof of his living in St. Martin's Lane in 1781, 
 and he may have moved to 348, Strand, in 1784-5. The 
 following copy of a label or card will show he had this 
 high patronage before changing his residence to the more 
 public thoroughfare ; and it also shows that the varnish 
 he used had become celebrated and specially referred to : 
 
 " William Forster 
 Violin, Voloncello, Tenor & Bow-maker
 
 300 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Also Music Seller, 
 
 To their Koyal Highnesses the 
 
 Prince of Wales and Duke of Cumberland 
 
 Opposite the Church S*. Martin's Lane. London. 
 
 KB. 
 
 The above Instruments are made in the best manner 
 
 and finished with the original varnish 
 
 and a Copy of every Capital Instrument in England 
 
 may be had." 
 
 The house was the corner of Duke's Court, and believed 
 to be that one nearest to Charing Cross. The Duke 
 of Cumberland here mentioned was the brother of 
 George III., who died in September 1790. He was a 
 great patron of musical art, and performed on the violin. 
 An incident occurred at the house above stated with this 
 Prince, who had called to try a violin that had been 
 repaired. Whilst amusing himself in playing various 
 pieces to test the quality of tone, a noisy peel struck up 
 from "the bells of St. Martin's," which sadly inter- 
 fered with his power of resolving any improvement or 
 not; he therefore said, hastily, " confound those bells; I 
 cannot hear a note for them;" and immediately opened 
 the door at the end of the shop, leading to the sitting- 
 room, on the table of which had been placed the family 
 dinner, which was one of humble quality, but yet gave 
 forth savoury exhalations. With all promptness and 
 courtly ease he exclaimed, " Forster, what a nice dinner 
 you have, I'll have some with you," and drew a chair to 
 the table, and, perhaps for the first time in his life, par- 
 took of shall it be named ? Yes ; black puddings ! 
 
 In 1781 negotiations were commenced, through the 
 kind assistance of General Jerninghain, with that genius 
 and improver of modern instrumental music, Guiseppe,
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 301 
 
 or, as he has always signed his letters, Joseph Haydn. 
 Agreements and other documents were drawn up and 
 signed for the supply of certain pieces of music, as 
 sonatas, trios, quartets, and sinfonias. These transac- 
 tions, no doubt, will be of interest to the lovers of music, 
 therefore they are now made public, together with some 
 original letters connected with the works of this intelli- 
 gent composer. The opening of commercial transac- 
 tions between Guiseppe Haydn and William Forster (2) 
 is copied from the account of the solicitor, named James 
 Mainstone ; the first entry bears date 17th August, 1781. 
 
 " Attending Mr. Forster in conference on a contract, 
 intended to be entered into by Mr. Forster with Mr. 
 Haydn, for Mr. Forster's purchasing of him and printing 
 his compositions, and advising thereon." 
 
 " Taking Instructions for drawing Agreem ts between 
 Mr. Haydn and him, for the sale and purchase of Mr. 
 Haydn's Musical Compositions by Mr. Forster." 
 
 "Drawing same, fo. 15." 
 
 "Attending to read over and settle same." 
 
 "Engrossing same for Execution." 
 
 " Attending and advising Mr. Forster as to the mode 
 of execution of same by Mr. Haydn, and which he was 
 to communicate to Gen 1 . Jerningham, who had under- 
 taken to get it signed by Mr. Haydn at Vienna." 
 
 The document alluded to in the above, no doubt, was 
 sent to General Jerningham, as the following answer is 
 elicited by it : 
 
 " SIR, I received your favour 21 ins', & send you here 
 enclosed a letter for Mr. Guiseppe Hayden, to whom I 
 have wrote very circomstantially, and inclosed to him a 
 procuration which he is to get drawn up either in French, 
 German, or Lattin, and authenticated by two witnesses,
 
 302 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 and a publick notary, which gives it full force in all Coun- 
 tries ; you may depend on it that what I have sent to 
 Mr. Hayden is to the full as strong as the letter of At- 
 torney you sent me in which there's nothing but a repe- 
 tition of words. 
 
 " If you receive from Hayden a letter for me, send it 
 to Lady Jerningham's in Grovener square, she will take 
 care I gett it ; when Hayden has sent you his procuration 
 to print his musick, lett me know it, and am, 
 
 " Sir, 
 " Your most obed 1 . humble Serv*. 
 
 " CHARLES JERNINGHAM. 
 
 "Cawsey, August 24th, 1781." 
 
 This letter is addressed to Mr. William Forster, Mu- 
 sical Instrument Maker, Duke's Court, St. Martin's Lane, 
 London ; and has also written upon it - 
 
 " A Monsieur. 
 
 " Monsieur Juiseppe Hayden 
 de Chappelle de S : A s Le Prince 
 Esterhazy de Gralantha 
 en Autriche. A Vienne." 
 
 THE AGREEMENT. 
 
 "Je reconnois d'avoir recu de Monsieur Guillaume 
 Forster, Marchand et Imprimeur de Musique ; demeurant 
 dans le Strand a Londres la Somme de Soixante et dix 
 livres Sterlins, pour les Simphonies, Sonates, et autre 
 pieces de ma composition ci-dessous mentionees, et qui 
 comencent de cette fa$on Savoir. No. 1 une Simphonie 
 
 plaisieurs Instruments qui comence ainsi :
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 303 
 
 Vivace assat. 
 
 3 
 
 Vivace con Irio. 
 
 Allegro. 
 
 yzn 
 
 2- 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 No. 5. 
 
 ._. . 
 
 -\ I t- 
 
 No. 6. 
 Vivace. 
 
 No. 7. 
 
 
 
 
 No. 8. 
 
 /en. 
 
 
 /I Wo. .tpiritoso. 
 
 No. 9. 
 
 8t-a. 
 
 
 " Trios a 2 Flutes traveirsieres et Violoncello qui 
 comencent de cette manier : 
 
 No. 1. 
 Adagio canlabile. 
 
 No. 2. 
 Allegro. 

 
 304 
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 No. 3. 
 
 Allo. moderate. 
 
 No. 4. 
 
 Adagio. 
 
 m 
 
 Andante con espressione. 
 
 No. 5. 
 
 . moderate. 
 
 . 
 
 I 
 
 ^~ 
 
 " Premier Recueil de trois Senates, pour le Clavecin, 
 avec Taccompag d'un Violon: 
 
 No. l. 
 
 " Second Recueil de 3 autres Sonates, pour le Clave- 
 cin, avec raccompag d'un Violon.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 No. 1. Op. 42. 
 
 305 
 
 No. 2. 
 
 No. 3. 
 
 F-5- 
 
 " Et je certifie, et declare a tout le monde qui j'ai 
 vendu au dit Monsieur Gruillaum Forster les dites Sim- 
 phonies, Sonatas et autres pieces, et que je lui ai en vole 
 les manuscripts aux dates suivantes, savoir : 
 
 "Les six Senates pour deux flutes traversieres et 
 violoncello, le 31 de May 1784. 
 
 " Le Simphonies marquees ci-dessus No. 1 et 2 par 
 Monsieur le General de Jerningham, le 19 de Juin 
 1784. 
 
 " Les Simphonies No. 4, 5, et 6, avec le dit premier 
 Recueil de 3 Sonatas, pour le clavecin, le 25 d'Octobre 
 1784. 
 
 " Les Simphonies marquees ci-dessus No. 7, 8, et 9, 
 le 8 de Novembre 1784. 
 
 " Et le dit Second Eecueil de 3 Sonatas pour le cla- 
 vecin le 28 d'Octobre 1785. 
 
 " Je certifie aussi, et declare, qu'il m'en paya le prix 
 convenu, entre lui moi; et qui montoit en tout a la ditte 
 some de soixante et dix livres Sterlins, par des lettres 
 d'Echange sur Vienne; qu'il m'a remis pour cet effet 
 (a, 1'ecception du prix de deux Simphonies No. 1 et 2, 
 
 x
 
 306 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 le prix des quelles il paya pour mon compte a Monsieur 
 le General de Jerningham, alors a Londres). Et je 
 certifie et declare de plus, que le dit Guillaum Forster 
 est le seul Proprietaire des dites pieces; que je lui ai 
 ainsi vendu, et que je lui ai cede et transporte tons mes 
 droits et toutes mes pretensions la-dessus. En fois de 
 quoi j'ai souscrit mon nom a cet Ecrit a Esterhaz ce. 
 1786. " GUISEPPE HAYDN, 
 
 "Maestro di Capella di S. Alt. S. 
 il principe Esterhazy." L.S. 
 
 The following exhibit is also written on the same 
 document : 
 
 " D. Forster ag*. Longman & an r . 
 
 " This paper writing was shown to Jos. Haydn at the 
 time of his exam", in this Court before JA. EYRE." 
 
 There is next a letter from Haydn in German relating 
 to the sale of some symphonies, and pianoforte sonatas, 
 together with the composition, known as " The Last 
 Words." The following is a translation of it : 
 
 " SlK, "Estoraz, the 8th April, 1787. 
 
 " After a long silence I must at length inquire after 
 your health, and at the same time inform you of the 
 following new musical works which are to be had of me : 
 namely, six grand symphonies, a grand concerto for 
 pianoforte, three short divertimentos for pianoforte for 
 beginners, with violin and bass ; one sonata for piano- 
 forte alone. 
 
 " An entire new work, consisting of purely instrumental 
 music, divided into seven sonatas, of which each sonata 
 lasts from seven to eight minutes, together with an 
 introduction, and at the end a terremoto or earthquake, 
 These sonatas are composed in accordance with the
 
 HISTORY Ob 1 THE VIOLIN. 307 
 
 words which our Saviour Christ spoke upon the cross ; 
 these seven words are 
 
 1st words, Pater, dimitte illis, quia nesciunt quid 
 
 faciunt. 
 
 2nd words, Hodie mecum eris in Paradise. 
 3rd words, Mulier, ecce films tuus. 
 4th words, Deus, meus, Deus nieus, ut dereliquisti me ? 
 5th words, Sitio. 
 6th words, Consummatum est. 
 7th words, In manus tuas coinmendo spiriturn meum. 
 
 " Immediately after follows the conclusion ; namely, 
 the Earthquake. 
 
 " Each sonata, or each subject, is produced simply by 
 instrumental music, in such a manner as to leave the 
 deepest impression on the mind of the most unmusical. 
 The whole work lasts somewhat more than an hour, but 
 there is after each sonata some pause, that one may be 
 able to think on the next following subject. All the 
 sonatas together contain somewhat more than four of 
 my symphonies. The whole will be contained in thirty- 
 seven pages. 
 
 " Also, I have three more pretty notturnos, quite new, 
 with violin obligato, not at all difficult, with a flute, 
 violoncello, two violins ripieno, two French horns, viola, 
 and contre-bass. 
 
 " If you should wish to have some of these musical 
 pieces, you will have the kindness to let me know, and at 
 the same time also the price which you are willing to give 
 me for them, as soon as possible. The seven sonatas are 
 already nearly copied out fair upon soft paper, and wait- 
 ing an early answer. I am, with much esteem, 
 " Your most obedient Servant, 
 
 "JOSEPH HAYDN.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 " I beg you will answer me in the French language. 
 
 "I hope to visit you at the end of this year, but as 1 
 have not yet received an answer from Mr. Brenmer, I 
 shall go for this winter to Wegel Argagiers ; meanwhile 
 I thank you for the accommodation you have offered 
 
 me." 
 
 Then are the three following letters in French : 
 
 " MONSIEUR, 
 
 " Je vous envoie la mlisique composee d'apres les sept 
 dernieres paroles que Jesus Crist prononces sur la croi 
 pour les quelles je laisse a votre disposition de m'envoyer 
 ce que vous jugerez que j'ai merite. 
 
 " J'espere que j'aurai peut-etre le satisfaction de vous 
 voir cet hiver en attendant. Je suis tres parfaitement, 
 " Monsieur, 
 
 " Votre tres-humble et 
 obeiss*. Serviteur, 
 "JOSEPH HAYDN. 
 
 " Estorz, le 28 Junii, 787." 
 
 " MONSIEUR, 
 
 " J'espere que vous avez rec,u ma lettre, & la musique 
 de sept paroles; je vous fair a savoir, que je compose 
 Six quartets et six sinfonie, qui ne sont pas encore sorti 
 de ma main. Si vuos vuole les achte vous meme, aye 
 la bonte de me le faire savoir par la premier occasion^ 
 je vous donne toutes les douze pieces pour vint-cinq 
 guines. Je suis avec tout I'estime possible 
 
 " Votre tres-humble Servit. 
 
 "JOSEPH HAYDN. 
 
 " Estorz, le 8th Aout, 787." 
 
 This is addressed 
 
 " To Mr. Forster, Musical Instrument Macker To the 
 Prince of Wales, No. 346 in the Strand, London."
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 309 
 
 " MONSIEUR, 
 
 "J'ai reQU votre lettre avec un grand plaisir. Je vous 
 fais savoir, que j'ai recu de Mons. le General Jerningham 
 cinq guine ; mais vous verrez vous meme, que pour une 
 tel musique comme les Septs Paroles j'ai plus merite; 
 vous pourrez bien encore me donner au moins cinq 
 guine. Je vous envoies en attendant six quattuors pour 
 lesquels vous aurez la bonte en egard au contrat de 
 m'envoier vingt guine sitot qu'il sera possible. Je ne 
 manquerai pas de vous envoier les Six Sinfonies par la 
 primier occasione. J' attend bientot une reponse de vous, 
 et je suis avec toute 1'estime possible, 
 " Monsieur, 
 
 " Votre tres-humble obeissV 
 " Serviteur, 
 
 " JOSEPH HAYDN. 
 
 " Estoraz, le 20 7 bre . 787." 
 
 The next is a letter in German, dated the 28th of 
 February, 1788, of which the following is a translation : 
 
 "Estoraz, Jan. 28th, 788. 
 " MY DEAR MR. FORSTER, 
 
 " Are you not annoyed with me, that on my account you 
 have had trouble with Mr. Longman. I will satisfy you 
 another time on that point. It is not my fault, but that 
 usurer, Mr. Artaria. So much I promise you, that as 
 long as I live neither Artaria nor Longman shall receive 
 anything from or through me. I am too honourable 
 and upright to annoy or injure you. So much, however, 
 you will of yourself plainly perceive, that whoever will 
 have six new pieces from me must give more than 20 
 guineas. I have, in fact, some time ago concluded a 
 contract with somebody who pays me for every 6 pieces
 
 310 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 100 and more guineas. Another time I will write you 
 more. Meanwhile I am with all respect, 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 " JOSEPH HAYDN. 
 
 "To Mr. Forster, Musical Instrument Macker 
 to the Prince of Wales, No. 348, in the 
 Strand, London." 
 
 On the fly-leaf of one of the old account-books for 
 1786 is written, " The dates of the years when Haydn's 
 works came," which are as follows : 
 
 Aug*. 22, 1781 .... Haydns (V. N 1 
 
 June 20, 1782 .... D D 2 
 
 Feb^. 14, 1784 .... D D 4 
 
 24, 1784 .... D D 5 
 
 May 6, 1784 .... D D 6 
 
 July 6, 1784 .... D Trios, op. 38 
 
 NoV. 22, 1784 .... D Ov'. N 7 
 
 26, 1784 .... D D 8 
 
 Dec r . 6, 1784 .... D D 9 
 
 Jan y . 3, 1785 .... D Sonatas, op.40 
 
 Dec r . 26, 1785 .... D op. 42 
 
 The above are alluded to in the agreement, and the 
 terms for which they were composed there specified. 
 
 The following compositions arrived as under : 
 
 " July 16, 1787. Reed, of Haydn M.S.S. of the Cruci- 
 fixion published with the title of * Passione.' Ten 
 guineas was paid for this instrumental piece; and 
 the Postage cost fifteen shillings. 
 
 " 5 Oct r . 1787. Received the M.S.S of Haydn's quar- 
 tets, op. 44. Twenty guineas was paid for these ; and 
 the Postage cost twenty shillings." 
 On the 3rd December, 1787, there is an entry of
 
 H1STOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 311 
 
 " Paid Postage of six Overtures from Haydn ,2. 5. 0." 
 It is supposed these are the sinfonias Nos. 10 to 15. 
 
 Perhaps some extenuating reasons should be offered 
 why the classical composition of the "Passione" should 
 have received so small a remuneration as ten guineas ; 
 small, indeed, does this amount appear, compared with 
 the sums given for trifling songs, when we hear of as 
 much as fifty pounds being paid to a fashionable and 
 favoured composer for a mere ballad. However, let it 
 be remembered that the name of Haydn was little known 
 at that period except by those who cultivated the science ; 
 also, that instrumental music was not much appreciated. 
 Perhaps it is not yet sufficiently admired by the British 
 public, although greatly advanced rst, through the 
 exertions of a Committee of English Musical Professors 
 who gave promenade concerts, a la Musard, at the 
 Lyceum Theatre, about the year 1836-7, and introduced 
 a sinfonia and overtures during the evening's perform- 
 ance, interspersed with waltzes, quadrilles, and other 
 light pieces. The first season or two was remunerative 
 to the common wealth; but soon after they ceased to be 
 so, or were given up from other causes. Soon after, a 
 professor, named Eliason, a violin-player, made a similar 
 venture, but success did not attend his rule, he bringing 
 Julien to this country to conduct them. At length con- 
 certs of this class were carried on under the management 
 of Julien, who ultimately introduced vocal music, omit- 
 ting some of the classical instrumental pieces, which 
 gave a new and greater delight to the audience ; conse- 
 quently they were very successful. But now the rising 
 taste is fully shown by " the rush " for a place at the 
 " Monday Night Popular Concerts," where the music that 
 is performed consists only of the most classical compo- 
 sitions, performed by a few professors of the highest
 
 S12 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 standing in the art. ' But to return from this digression ; 
 the "Passione" is a large, or, as the trade would say, 
 "heavy work," from the numher of plates required, and 
 all other expenses attendant on hriiiging it before the 
 public; the probable cost in 1786-7 would be as here 
 enumerated : 
 
 s. d. 
 
 65 Pewter plates, at Is. 6d. per plate . 
 Engraving the same at 4s. 6d. do. . 
 Copper title and engraving .... 
 
 66 quires of perfect paper for 75 
 
 copies, at Is .3 60 
 
 Printing 75 copies, at Is. 2<L ... 476 
 
 28 15 
 Cost of the manuscript . . . . . . 10 10 
 
 Making in the aggregate . . . . . ,39 5 
 
 Fifty copies was the first number which was printed ; 
 and about the year 1817-18 another twenty-five were 
 struck off, making a total of seventy-five copies ; the 
 full price of each copy was fifteen shillings ; but many 
 of those first printed were sold to subscribers for 10s. 6d. 
 each, and it is questionable if any of the remaining copies 
 realized more than the trade price of twelve shillings, 
 therefore averaging them at the last sum a total of forty- 
 five pounds would be the result. However it is known 
 that several copies of those last printed were disposed of 
 as waste paper, therefore no very profitable trade specu- 
 lation. Publishing orchestral and other instrumental 
 music in England was not, nor is it at this time, a suc- 
 cessful adventure ; but William Forster (2) appreciated 
 the merit of Haydn's music, and hazarded the result; 
 being the first in this country to introduce the works of
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 813 
 
 this talented composer to public notice. It may be in- 
 teresting to give a condensed list of the numerous works 
 of Joseph Haydn, published by him and his son William 
 Forster (3), the plates being all destroyed. 
 
 Sinfonias known by letters from A to W . . *23 
 
 Do. numbered 1 to 15 15 
 
 Do. ,, 1 to 12, with a star . . 12 
 
 Do. Op. 10, Three ; Op. 12, Four ; Op. 
 
 15, Six ; Op. 29, Three ; Op. 81, 
 
 Six; and Op. 35, Six ... . 28 
 Do. The London, or the celebrated in the 
 
 key of D . . 1 
 
 Do. La Chasse, the Concertante and the 
 
 Toy 3 
 
 Do. The Passione 1 
 
 Some of which sinfonias were also known by other desig- 
 nations, as " The Candle one," letter B, in which each 
 performer extinguishes the light at his desk and retires 
 from the orchestra. In letter F, the fourth string is 
 lowered in one of the movements. Letter L, the minuet 
 and trio for the second parts of each have the same notes 
 reversed or played backwards. Letter Q, it is said, was 
 the exercise given in to the College at Oxford when the 
 Doctor's degree was presented. No. 14, La Heine de 
 France. "\No, 4 with star, The Boxalaua. The Toy, in 
 which children's toys are used with the other instruments. 
 
 Quartets Op. 33, Six ; Op. 44, Six ; Op. 65, 
 Six ; Op. 72, Three ; Op. 74, Three . . 24 
 
 Violin Solos, Six ; Duet Violin and Violon- 
 cello, One ; Trios Flute, Violin and Vio- 
 loncello, Six ; Sonatas, with accompaniments 
 for Violin and Violoncello Op. 40, Three ; 
 Op. 42, Three ; Op. 43, Three .... 22
 
 314 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Being one hundred and twenty-nine pieces besides a few 
 others of lesser importance. 
 
 The Steiner pattern was the one adopted by William 
 Forster (2) to work by, in 1762 ; and for several years 
 later it was more or less used ; however, about ten years 
 afterwards the Amati outline was -employed, but the 
 model was high and swollen, and very deficient in the 
 elegant ensemble of those instruments constructed through 
 the remaining years of his life. 
 
 The violins of the first period were coloured of a brown 
 tint, as if produced with dilute walnut stain and then 
 varnished. The violoncellos are of a dark red with a 
 blackish tinge, and much stronger of gum than that used 
 for the treble instruments. The exact period is not known 
 when such fine varnish was used by this maker; but a 
 violoncello was made in 1772 for the chemist who had 
 assisted him in the knowledge of the method to dissolve 
 the gum amber; therefore the improvement, probably 
 may date from that year ; although the varnish on this 
 particular instrument is not to be compared for beauty 
 or richness of colour with those of later times. A further 
 notice will be taken of this violoncello when relating its 
 history. 
 
 The violas and violoncellos of this maker were the 
 most esteemed, he was not as successful with the violins, 
 although many of them are very good; and the reasons 
 may be that sufficient attention was not paid to the various 
 thicknesses of the guaging connected with the height of 
 the model used; however it is certain the violins had 
 not such fine tone as the other instruments. Many violas 
 could be enumerated of known excellence, as the one 
 made for Dr. Walcot, alias Peter Pindar; also, for Bar- 
 tolozzi, the celebrated engraver; and another made for 
 Mr. Henry Leffler, a professor, formerly of the Italian
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN* 31& 
 
 Opera, and husband to the celebrated singer of that 
 name. This viola is now possessed by Gordon Gairdner, 
 Esq. of Hamilton Terrace, St. John's Wood ; and others 
 could also be named. Many violoncellos could have 
 attention drawn to them for their special excellencies, 
 but a few only will be noticed ; and a reference to the 
 list of the instruments made, which will soon be specified, 
 will more fully develope the names of eminent persons 
 and professors of high repute that had them. Robert 
 Lindley used one at the Italian Opera for nearly forty 
 years ; he named it " The Eclipse." This violoncello is 
 now in the possession of Mr. Charles Lucas, the principal 
 of the Royal Academy of Music. James Crossdill had a 
 famous one. Cervetto the younger had one that was 
 burned when the Italian Opera House, Haymarket, was 
 destroyed by fire on the 17th June, 1789. The regret felt 
 at the loss of this instrument was so acute, that he retired 
 from the profession, being sure he never could have 
 another violoncello that would suit his purposes so well. 
 The fact may be explained thus : When a young man 
 he procured the instrument, and with the professional 
 practise it ripened in tone as he ripened in years, there- 
 fore was greatly admired and appreciated. But it would 
 tire to fill up space with the many fine violoncellos that 
 could be brought to notice. There were only four double 
 basses made by William Forster (2), three of which 
 were made by the command of his Majesty George III. ; 
 and some interest was excited regarding one of them 
 which will be seen by the two following letters from 
 professors in the king's private band. Mr. H. Niebour 
 was the person who had to play upon it when completed. 
 
 " SIR, You will probably receive a letter from Mr. 
 Niebour concerning a double-bass upon a much larger
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN.; 
 
 scale than the one we already have. I hope you will 
 have no objection to attempt the making it. Hi Ma- 
 jesty, from the specimen you have given, has a very high 
 opinion of what you could produce on an enlarged scale. 
 " I am, Sir, 
 
 " Your sincere friend, 
 
 " And humble servant, 
 
 " H. COMPTON. 
 
 " Grariboldi has, I understand, one coming from Italy ; 
 do not let us be outdone. I shall not be in town till 
 Tuesday next, I wish to see you on the above subject, 
 and will call on you on Wednesday. Get my tenor 
 finished and sent home by that time. Don't forget Nico- 
 lay's tenor." 
 
 No date was to the above letter, but it may have been 
 received about the time the following one was written. 
 
 "Windsor, July 4tfc, 87 (1787). 
 
 " SIK, By his Majesty's order you are to form a 
 plan for a new double-bass; it is to be at least four 
 inches wider, if not more, than that which you made, and 
 the depth according. You are to make it as well as 
 possible so as not to let aney exceed it in England- 
 as G-arriboldie has sent to Itally for an uncommon large 
 one, so you are desired to exert your utmost skill, and 
 exceed both in goodness and size by the performance at 
 the Abby next year. I shall be glad of my violincello 
 as soon as possible. 
 
 " Am with respect, 
 
 " Sir, your hum le . ser 4 . 
 "H. NIEBOUR." 
 
 The body of a fifth double-bass was made, but from 
 some cause was laid aside ; however it was completed in
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 317 
 
 October, 1822, for Mr. Samuel Deacon, of Leicester^ 
 who, it is believed, still retains it. All the double-basses- 
 were made of -the same shape as the violoncello; not 
 tapered off and bevelled at the fore end of the sides, and 
 the back for greater convenience to the performer, but 
 at the same time a probable injury to the tone. 
 
 Previous to giving the list of instruments made by 
 William Forster (2), assisted by his son and workmen, 
 it will be proper to mention that it can only approximate 
 to correctness from the deficiency in the account-books 
 before referred to. It is with some difficulty that the 
 list in its present state has been accomplished ; but, as 
 far as enumerated, it may be relied on. The numbers 
 on the instruments do not assist to arrive at satisfactory 
 conclusions, as they are occasionally marked for those 
 made in each year, at other times altogether omitted, 
 and sometimes marked in succession from year to year. 
 
 Three distinct classes of work were adopted ; but the 
 style, to a certain extent, was retained through all ot 
 them ; therefore known as from this maker. The com- 
 monest instruments were not purfled, and they had oil 
 varnish of an inferior quality; and in later times, 
 when the name became famous, few of this class were 
 made in consequence of the deceit and fraud practised 
 by persons getting them purfled, and selling them as 
 "genuine Forster's," for a larger sum than they were 
 really worth. 
 
 The next class was much better finished ; they were 
 all purfled, and a superior varnish used ; therefore formed 
 an intermediate instrument to the next or highest style 
 of workmanship, in which everything was embodied to 
 conduce to excellence, to beautiful appearance, and to- 
 the finest tone. 
 
 The earliest or first entry that is met with in the old
 
 318 HISTOBY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 account-books now in existence is on the 14th November, 
 1773 :- 
 
 1773. Violin MX. Cole. Tenor Mr. Mainstone. 
 
 1774. Violins Mr. Crosdill ; Mr. Hay ; Mr. Stone. 
 Tenor Mr. Stone, of Okehampton. Violoncellos 
 Mr. Eitchards ; Col 1 . Hamilton. 
 
 1775. Violins Mr. Minehouse, Clare Hall, Cam- 
 bridge ; Mr. Hawkes, Steiner copy. Tenor The Kev. 
 Mr. Waller. 
 
 1776. Violin NX. Hackwood. Violoncello Mr. 
 Skardon. 
 
 1777. Tenor The Kev d . Mr. North. 
 
 1778. Double Bass The Bev d . Mr. Hodgson. 
 
 1779. The account-books are lost or destroyed. 
 
 1780. Tenor G. M. Molineux, Esq re . Violoncello 
 The Eev d . Mr. Hodgson. 
 
 1781. Tenor Mr. Hawkes. 
 
 1782. Kits Nr. Bishop (three). Violins NX. G. 
 Burchell, Musician, Manchester ; Mr. Mainstone, At- 
 torney, Essex S l . Strand ; Mr. Edmund Lee, Dublin 
 {three) ; Mr. A. Foster, Whitehaven, Cumberland (four) ; 
 Tenor Mr. Edmund Lee, Dublin. Violoncellos His 
 Eoyal Highness the Prince of Wales (two). 
 
 1783. Violins Mr. Jones (two) ; Colonel Edgerton ; 
 Mr. Sykes ; D r . Pollock ; Mr. Wilson, Kensington. 
 Tenors Mr. Cheere ; Mr. Borglii. Violoncellos Mr. 
 Ashley ; Mr. Gray, Marsham Street, Westminster ; 
 Eev d . J. G. Honnington, Eaton ; Mr. Hole, Jesus Col- 
 lege, Cambridge ; Mr. Cervetto ; Mr. G. Lewis, Moss 
 Hills, Leominster, Herefordshire. 
 
 1784. Kits Mr. Bishop. Violins Mr. Ware ; Mr. 
 Cousins (two) ; Mr. Johnston ; Mrs. Gibbs ; Mr. Emly, 
 .at Mr. Gilbert's, Bodmin, Cornwall. Tenors Captain 
 Armstrong; Eev d , Mr. Eokeby; Mr. Ayres, Woolwich.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 319 
 
 Violoncellos Mr. Webb, Temple ; Mr. Dixon, Felstead, 
 Essex ; Kev d . Mr. Savery ; Mr. Yatman ; Shaw, Esq re ., 
 North Street, opposite Whitfield's Tabernacle; Mr. 
 Johnston. 
 
 1785. Violins Mr Warier; Mr. Compton (two); 
 Mr. Cole; Sir John Palmer; Rev d . Mr. North; Mr. 
 Ware (three) ; Mr. Smith, Grange Court ; one sold in 
 the shop ; Mr. Marsh, Attorney at Law, Canterbury ; 
 Mr. Dale. Tenors Mr. Compton (two) ; Longman ; 
 Mr. Abbot ; Sir John Palmer ; Lord Rivers ; Mr. Hoi- 
 croft, 46, Upper Mary-le-bone Street, near Tichfield S 8 ., 
 Oxford Road ; Mr. Jeremiah Clark, Organist, Birming- 
 ham ; Mr. Panton. Violoncellos Mr. Dorrien ; Mr. 
 Broadwood ; one sold in the shop ; Mr. Compton ; Mr. 
 Tucker; Sir John Palmer; Rev d . Mr. Savery; Ply- 
 mouth; Mr. Bradstreet, S nt . John's College, Cam- 
 bridge ; Robert Williams, Esq r ., Trinity College, Cam- 
 bridge, by order of D r . Bostock ; Mr. Griesbach. 
 
 1786. Violins Rev d . Mr. Savery (t'vo) ; Mr. Barrett. 
 Organist, Northampton (two); Mr. W. Dale; Mr. E d . 
 Clay, King Street, Covent Garden; Hon ble . Mr. Cham- 
 pion Dymocke, N. 120, New Bond Street; Mr. Hoi- 
 croft, Upper Mary-le-bone S'., Tichfield Street, Oxford 
 Road, (two) ; Lord Maiden ; Mr. Wood, Devonshire 
 Street ; Brimner ; Mr. Smith, Grange Court. Tenors 
 Captain' Lucas ; Mr. Nathaniel Dance ; Mr. Dyrnoke ; 
 
 Mr. Clarke, Organist, Birmingham; Lord Maiden; 
 General Jerningham ; Mr. Jackson, Clerkenwell Close ; 
 Mr. Mitchell ; Mr. Compton. Violoncellos Mr. Smith, 
 Grange Court ; Mr. Claget ; Mr. Bartolozzi ; Mr. Comp- 
 ton; Colonel Edgerton, G*. George Street, Hanover 
 Square ; Mr. Yinicombe ; Mr. Borghi ; Rev d . Mr. Town- 
 
 Jey; Mr. Dance; Mr. Tucker; Mr. Roper, Hertford 
 
 * S*., May Fair.
 
 320 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 1787. Violins Mr. Smith, Grange Court ; Mr. Eley, 
 for Lady Nudegate; Rev a . Mr. Savery (two) ; Mr. 
 Blake. Tenors Mr. Stephenson (two) ; Mr. Baum- 
 garten, sent to the Ox Inn, for him at Liverpool. This 
 Viola was paid for by the M.S.S. of his five celebrated 
 Fugues for the Organ ; Mr. S k . Ledger. Violoncellos 
 Mr. Hare; Mr. Gordon, N. 3 Bass; Mr Cervetto for 
 Mr. Eandel, Southampton Street, Bloomsbury ; D r . Cha 8 - 
 Bostock, Weverley Abhey, near Farnham, Surrey ; Mr. 
 Johnstone; Mr. Oliphant, Sloane Square; Mr. Corfe, 
 Salisbury ; His Grace the Duke of Richmond ; Mr. 
 Holcroft ; Mr Hunter, Kings Arm Yard, N. 4 Bass; 
 Mr. Morse. Double Bass His Majesty King George 
 the third. 
 
 1788. Violins Ms. Kellner for Mr. Grandler ; Eich a . 
 Dupuis, Esq re . Queen's Dragoon Guards ; The Rev d . D r . 
 Cha 8 . Bostock ; Mr. Emley. Tenors George Dorrien, 
 Esq re . N. 19, Somerset Street, Portmau Square ; Cap*. 
 Cooper, 75, Lambs Conduit Street ; Mr. Lanzoni ; D r . 
 Cha s . Bostock ; Mr. Pennington ; Captain Lucas ; Mr. 
 John Skynner, Birmingham. Violoncellos Mr. Ben- 
 son, sent to Salisbury ; Rev a . Mr. Savery ; Mr. John 
 Skynner, Birmingham ; Mr. Pickering ; Mr. Clark, 
 Birmingham ; Mr. Buckley, Manchester, N. 5 Bass ; 
 Sheldon, Esq re ., Sunning, near Reading, Berks ; Mr. 
 Shaw ; Mr. Iscard. 
 
 1789. Violins Mr. Fuller, 5, Dover Street ; Captain 
 Cooper, Lamb's Conduit Street ; Mr. Blake for Mr. 
 Rogers, Stamford; Mr. W m . Griesbach ; Mr. Webb; 
 Mr Steplienson ; Rev d . Dean Palmer, Great Torrington, 
 Devon ; Prado, Esq r ., Twickenham. Tenors Rev d . 
 Mr. Savery ; Mr. Fuller, 5, Dover Street. Violoncellos 
 Mr. Tho s . Smith, Emanuel College ; Mr. Stewart, 
 Hill Street, Berkeley Square ; Mr. H. A. Hole, Exeter;
 
 HISTORY OF THB VIOLIN. 321 
 
 Lord Delevvar ; the Rev d . Mr. Lewin, Bushey Mill, Wat- 
 ford; Mr. Corfe, Salisbury; Mr. Cervetto, anew Steiner 
 copied Bass, N. 1; Miss Abrams; Rev d . Dean Palmer, 
 Great Torringtou, Devon; Major Price, Tiverton, De- 
 von ; Rev d . Mr. Morres, Windsor. Double Bass His 
 Majesty King George the third, a large Double Bass. 
 
 1790. Violins Mir. Smith for Mr. Cater; Mr. Smith ; 
 R-ev d . Mr. Wright ; Miss Abrams ; Mr. Newbery, Sur- 
 geon of His Majesty's Ship Assistance, Portsmouth; 
 Mr. J. B. Pierson. Tenors Mr. Hunter, Kings Arm 
 Yard, Colemau Street; Mr. Smith for Mr. Cater; Mr. 
 Tho 8 . Shaw, Drury Lane Theatre ; Miss Abrams ; Mr. 
 Papendick. Violoncellos Earl of Uxbridge ; Mr. Al- 
 dersey ; Mr. Cervetto (two), N os . 2 and 3 made in 1789, 
 Steiner copies; Peter Shaw, Esq e .; Mr. Hole, N. 2, 
 1790 ; Mr. J. B. Pierson ; R. Sheldon, Esq e ., Skitty 
 Hall, near Swansea. 
 
 1791. Violins Mr. Scheener, 11, Upper John Street, 
 Tottenham Court Road ; Charles Shaw Lefevere, Esq. 
 Bedford Square ; Captain Henry, Tenterden, Kent (two) ; 
 Mr. Blake for Mr. Rogers, Lincoln (two) ; Mr. Holcroft, 
 Steiner copy ; Mr. Yatmau. 
 
 1791. Tenor Lord Balgonie. Violoncellos Mi-. 
 Twining, Jun r . Strand; Mr. Otley ; Mr. Fuller; Peter 
 Shaw, Esq e . ; Lord Archibald Hamilton ; Mr. Yatman. 
 
 1792. 'Violins Mr. Barrett, Organist, Northampton ; 
 Lord Archibald Hamilton ; Mr. French. 
 
 1792. Tenors Captain Henry, Tenterden, Kent; 
 Mr. Yatmau, Percy Street. Violoncellos Mr. Eley 
 (two); Captain Henry, Tenterden, Kent; Dr. Eden, 
 Red Lion Street, Clerkenwell ; Mr. Cervetto. 
 
 1793. Violins Mr. Yatrnan: Rev d . Mr. Lewin ; Mr. 
 H. Potter, 39, Margaret Street, Cavendish Square ; alec 
 another for Mr. G. Nicholls. Tenor Mr. Morse. 
 
 Y
 
 322 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 1793. Violoncellos Mr. Armstrong, Apothecary, Port- 
 man Square ; Mr. Scola ; Mr. Eley ; Mr. Cervetto. 
 
 1794. Violins Mr. Cole, Carltou House ; Rev a . Mr. 
 Clark, Bedale, Yorkshire ; Mr. French ; Mr. Smith, 
 Bromley. 
 
 1794. Tenors Although no tenors appear to have 
 been sold in this year, yet there is an entry worthy of 
 remark. " Dr. Haydn. Putting in order and string- 
 ing a tenor." Violoncellos Mr. Lindley; Mr. Attwood. 
 
 1795. Violins Mr Blake for Dare, Esq e . Not- 
 tingham Place ; Captain Boden ; Captain Chalmers ; 
 Mr. Nicks. 
 
 1795. Tenor Captain Chalmers. Violoncellos His 
 Majesty George the Third ; William Franks, Esq e . Beech 
 Hill ; Mr. Ware, Sen r . ; Dr. Brown, Artillery Lane ; 
 Mr. Attwood ; W m . Sheldon, Esq e . Mr. Eley ; Captain 
 Chalmers. 
 
 1796. Violins Mr. French ; Colonel St. Clare, 25, 
 Beg'. 
 
 1796. Violoncellos Mr. Brant, Highbury Terrace, 
 Islington ; Rev a . H. A. Hole, Exeter. 
 
 1797. Tenors Mr. Bright, Stradiuarius copy, large ; 
 Dr. Walcot. 
 
 1797. Violoncellos Mr. Yatman (two) ; W m . Shel- 
 don, Esq. 
 
 1798. Violins Rev a . Mr. Vinicombe, a mute violin ; 
 Mr. Osbaldiston, Twickenham ; Mr. G. Ashley, Stradiu- 
 arius copy ; Mr. Bauch. 
 
 1798. Tenor Mr. Corson. Violoncello Mr. Linley. 
 
 1799. Violins Rev a . Mr. Chudleigh ; Mr. Blake, 7, 
 Nottingham Street, Marylebone, for Mrs. Farhill, 43, 
 Mortimer Street, Cavendish Sq e . ; Mr. Blake, for Mr. 
 Deane, 21, Nottingham Place, Marylebone ; Mr. Yat- 
 man, a mute violin. Violoncellos Rev d . Mr. Poole, at
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 323 
 
 Mr. Ruscombi Poole's, attorney at law, Bridgewater, 
 Somersetshire. ; 
 
 1800. Violins Mr. T. Blake, 55, Hans Place, Sloane 
 Street (two). 
 
 1800. Tenor Mr. Yatman. 
 
 1801. Violins Mr. French, for the Grotto Concert; 
 Mr. Yatniau. 
 
 1801. Tenor Mr. French, for the Grotto Concert. 
 
 1802. Violins-Mi. B. Blake, 55, Hans Place, Knights- 
 bridge. 
 
 1803. Tenor Mr. Corson, Brentford. Violoncello 
 Rev a . H. A. Hole. 
 
 1804. Tenor Rev d . D r . Nicholas. 
 
 1805. Violoncello Mr. Yatman ; Double Bass-^TLis 
 Majesty George the Third. 
 
 1806. Violoncello Rev d H. A Hole. 
 
 A statement has been made public and believed to be 
 correct, although no entry appears in the account books 
 to prove it, that the last violoncello, and probably the 
 last instrument made by William Forster (2), was manu- 
 factured by express wish for Mr. Crossdill ; and it was 
 one of the violoncellos offered at the sale of his musical 
 property, on the 9th May, 1826. " Lot 6. A violoncello - 
 of the long Stradiuarius pattern by Forster, Sen., the 
 very last instrument manufactured by that justly cele- 
 brated maker, and most highly valued by Mr. Crossdill, 
 with bow, in a most excellent dove-tail case, covered with 
 leather, brass nails, lock and key." 
 
 It was bought for forty-six guineas by Thos. Dodd, 
 the dealer in musical instruments, for Edward Prior, 
 Esq. late of York Terrace, Regent's Park. Henry Hill, 
 in his manuscripts alluding to this William Forster, writes 
 that he was " a highly and justly esteemed maker of 
 violoncellos, &c. &c.; it is said he was not originally
 
 324 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 bred to the occupation, but came to it by chance or 
 accidental preference ; if so, he must have possessed a 
 rare talent, for his instruments are second in merit to 
 none, but the best Europe has ever known ; especially 
 his amber coloured violoncellos, they are renowned for 
 mellowness, a volume and power of tone, equalled by 
 few, surpassed by none. His dark red coloured are not so 
 much admired, though the difference in merit is scarcely 
 discernible. He was not so successful with his violins 
 and altos ; he does not appear to have given the same 
 care and judgment to their production ; he followed the 
 grand Amati in his forms and model without being a 
 mere copyist, and had a rare excellence in the facture of 
 the violoncello peculiarly his own. The expression a 
 true Forstcr tone is not a,jciix d' esprit " 
 
 William Forster (2) died at the residence of his son, 
 No. 22, York Street, Westminster, on the 14th Dec. 
 1808, and was buried, on the 21st of the same month, 
 in the family grave at the Church of St. Martin's in the 
 Fields, Charing Cross, on the north side, near to the 
 steps, and opposite to his former residence, the corner 
 of Duke's Court. A black marble slab once marked 
 the spot, but it has been taken away, and probably the 
 ashes of the dead were desecrated and blown hither and 
 thither at the time the alterations of that locality took 
 place, and the neighbourhood altered to its present ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 HISTORY OF A VIOLONCELLO MACE BY 
 WILLIAM FOSTER (2). 
 
 This violoncello was made in or about the year 1772, 
 and is well known in the musical circle under two names 
 or designations " The Kev a . Mr. Hole's or Crossdill's 
 violoncello." It is of the Amati outline, with a very
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 326 
 
 high and unusual model, and was originally manufac- 
 tured for Mr. Charles Alexander, a chemist, who had 
 greatly assisted the maker in the method of dissolving 
 the gums amber and copal for varnishes. At the time 
 the order was given, it was promised that if a better 
 instrument could be supplied than any hitherto made, it 
 should now be produced for the essential services ren- 
 dered. How or when this violoncello became the pro- 
 perty of Mr. Hugh Reinagle, of Oxford, is not known 
 but we arrive at positive information regarding it by an 
 article in an old newspaper " The General Advertiser 
 for Tuesday, 6 November, 1787 " which has been pre- 
 served by the family as being identified with this instru- 
 ment, and as the paragraph is amusing, it is given ver- 
 batim. " The rage for music was never more conspicuous 
 than now. A few days ago, a violoncello, made by 
 Forster, was sold for the sum of one hundred guineas 
 and an Amati bass, worth at least fifty guineas, in ex- 
 change. The purchaser was Mr. Kole (Hole), an ama- 
 teur, in whose praise much has been, though too much 
 cannot be said. This valuable instrument was formerly 
 the property of Mr. Hugh Reiuagle, the celebrated bass 
 player, whose death has been universally lamented by 
 the musical cognoscenti. At his demise it was brought 
 by Mr. Gunu, who has now sold it. To such a nicety 
 is the manufacture and sale of musical instruments now 
 brought, that a fiddle, like a race-horse, must have a 
 pedigree, and his whole get announced, before any at- 
 tention will be given to it." The Rev. H. A. Hole was 
 one of the best amateur performers on the violoncello of 
 the day, and it is remarkable he should have been so, as 
 the two first joints of the forefinger on the left hand had 
 been amputated, in consequence of mortification having 
 set in, therefore he was compelled to use the thumb from
 
 326 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 the first position; lie must also have possessed great 
 courage, for after the operation of taking off the first joint 
 by the surgeons in attendance, he, from symptoms ex- 
 perienced, wished them to operate on the second joint, 
 which they deemed useless; when on their retiring to 
 partake of some refreshment, he excused himself, and 
 went to his dressing-room and cut off the injured part, 
 with his penknife, at the second joint, and then returned 
 to the surgeons to have the wound properly dressed. On 
 medical examination of the joint he had operated on, 
 they acknowledged that disease had taken place, and 
 that at some future time it must have been amputated. 
 So choice was he of this violoncello that, when he tra- 
 velled with it, he endeavoured, if possible, to secure an 
 inside place in the mail or stage coach ; but there, were 
 times when it was otherwise convej^ed, and on one of 
 these the instrument received the fracture in the back, 
 with other injuries not of such serious nature; however 
 when it was repaired, William Forster (2), and other 
 persons did not consider the tone at all affected, although 
 detrimental to its appearance. The following letter will 
 explain Mr. Hole's feelings regarding the injuries : 
 
 " By this time you have received my old and once famous 
 violoncello. It is a melancholy accident, and as you did 
 not as usual enter it at 500L value, I cannot recover any 
 compensation from the carrier. He has made this pro- 
 position, that he will pay all expenses of repairing ; and 
 you will please to state to me the real damage done to 
 the value of the instrument, if it were to be sold, that I 
 may attempt to recover it, or have some allowance. You 
 will please to repair it as soon as possible, & not send to 
 me, as I shall be in London in March. 
 
 " Yours very truly, 
 
 i " January 13, 1798. H. A. HOLE.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 327 
 
 " P.S. Lest it should come to a law suit, you should 
 also take Lindley's evidence, adding the loss sustained 
 by the accident, or any other person else you think 
 right." 
 
 From the date of the above letter, the link of interest 
 in this violoncello is now lost, until 1814, when Mrs. 
 Hole sends a letter to William Forster (3), dated from 
 the " Vicarage House, Okehampton, Devon, May 29th, 
 1814," a portion of which is as follows : 
 
 " I wish to ask your advice in regard to my late hus- 
 band's violoncello I mean the fine instrument made by 
 your father which Mr. Hole bought of Mr. Reinagle, 
 and which he so highly valued. Mr. Hole was offered 
 for it, some years ago, 500/. If I could get a very large 
 sum for it, I might be induced to sell it ; but, as I am 
 perfectly aware of the very great value of it, I will not 
 part with it otherwise. 
 
 " I remain, Mr. Forster, 
 "Y'obMm 1 Ser< 
 
 " S. HOLE." 
 
 It will be observed, that the widow states the violon- 
 cello was " bought of Mr. Keinagle." The previous 
 extract from the old newspaper says Mr. Gunn. It is 
 not in our power to prove which Professor it really was 
 that sold the instrument to the Rev. H. A. Hole ; indeed, 
 it little matters, as both were eminent men of the period. 
 Perhaps the newspaper claims the greatest reliance, 
 being printed at or about the time when the violoncello 
 changed ownership; and Mrs. Hole's remark is made 
 in 1814. 
 
 We now arrive at the commencement of a correspond- 
 ence between Mrs. Hole and Mr. James Crossdill relative 
 to the disposal of the violoncello ; there is also a letter
 
 328 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 to William Forster (3) which corroborates the sale. The 
 three letters are as follows : 
 
 "Mrs. Hole, 
 
 "Mrs. Home's, 
 
 " Uxbridge Common. 
 " SlE, 
 
 " I take the liberty of troubling you with a letter in 
 consequence of a conversation which I had with Mr. 
 James before you left Denham, when Mrs. J in- 
 formed me of your most kind and friendly offer of taking 
 Mr. Hole's violoncello under your care, and of disposing 
 of it to the best advantage. I beg to assure you that I 
 feel the kindness of this offer, which I shall be happy to 
 accept. Mr. Kobert Hole (Mr. Hole's brother) has 
 made several inquiries amongst his professional friends 
 as to the value of the violoncello. They all agree in 
 saying, that for so very fine an instrument we should 
 scarcely be justified in parting with it for less than two 
 hundred guineas. Mr. Hole, I know, refused a much 
 larger sum for it some years ago. As I am afraid of 
 Bending the violoncello to London by a public carriage, 
 and my daughter goes to London in my mother's car- 
 riage on Monday next, the 23rd, will you permit me to 
 send it on that day in the carriage, and it shall be de- 
 posited safely at Mr. Thompson's between twelve and 
 one o'clock ? I shall esteem it a favour if you will have 
 the goodness to inform me, before the 23rd, if I may 
 take this liberty. 
 
 " I remain, sir, 
 
 " Y r ob* hu 1 ser' 
 
 " S. HOLE. 
 
 "Jan. 16, 1815." 
 
 The above letter is addressed to
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIH. 
 
 " Crosdale, Esq. 
 " at Thompson's, Esq. 
 " Grosvenor Square, 
 
 "London." 
 The next letter is dated, 
 
 "May 22nd, 1815, 
 n gjjj "Uxbridge Common. 
 
 " I beg to return you my most sincere thanks for 
 your very kind and friendly exertions, and for the great 
 trouble which you have taken about the violoncello. 
 Believe me, it affords me great pleasure that the instru- 
 ment is in your hands. It was highly valued by my 
 dear and much lamented Mr. Hole, and I am certain 
 that there is no person he would so much have wished 
 to have it as yourself. I called this morning at Messrs. 
 Hall and Co. Uxbridge, that I might be able to acknow- 
 ledge to you the receipt of the 70/. for the violoncello, 
 but the clerks informed me that no intimation had been 
 received from Messrs. Masterman and Co. of the 70/. 
 lodged in their hands, the reason of which is, that they 
 receive communications from them only on a Thursday, 
 and on that day, therefore, I shall receive the money. 
 Wishing you a long continuance of health to use the 
 violoncello, which will, I dare say, sometimes remind 
 you of your departed friend, 
 
 " I remain, sir, 
 
 " Y r much obliged and 
 
 " Faithful hu 1 ser 1 
 
 "May 22 -" "S. HOLE. 
 
 Addressed to 
 
 " James Crosdill, Esq. 
 "-- Thompson's, Esq. 
 " Grosvenor Square, 
 "London."
 
 330 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 The following letter written to William Forster (3) 
 and dated 21 May, 1815 : 
 
 "Mrs. Hole, 
 
 "Mrs. Home's, 
 
 "Near Uxbridge, 
 " Middlesex. 
 
 " MR. FORSTER, 
 
 " I have a very beautiful violoncello here of the late 
 Rev. H. A. Hole's of your father's making. As I keep 
 two for my son, I wish to dispose of this. I have sold 
 the fine instrument, about which I wrote to you, to Mr. 
 Crosdale. Will you take this, or dispose of it for me '? 
 I will not part with it under 25/. Mr. Monzani has 
 offered to dispose of it for me, but as you are an old 
 acquaintance of the late Mr. Hole's, and it is your 
 father's instrument, I prefer making you the first offer 
 of it. Let me know immediately whether you will take 
 it, or dispose of it for me, and I will send it up to you 
 safely by the coach. I am not certain, but I think Mr. 
 Hole called the instrument a Steiner. 
 
 " I am, Mr. Forster, 
 "Yours, &c. 
 
 "S. HOLE." 
 
 Mr. James Crossdill had retired from the musical pro- 
 fession several years before the purchase of this famous 
 instrument, and after his death all his remaining violon- 
 cellos, seven in number, were sold by auction on the 9th 
 May, 1826, at which time Robert Lindley, the cele- 
 brated violoncellist of the day, bought it for fifty -guineas. 
 Two or three gentlemen had attended the auction with 
 the intention of buying this well-known violoncello ; but 
 on Lindley naming the first price for it, fifty guineas, no 
 person then present would compete; and, on the auctioneer 
 announcing the purchaser's name, great approbation was
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 331 
 
 shown, and the room resounded with plaudits. Fortu- 
 nately for Mr. Kobert Lindley the person sent, by com- 
 mand of George IV., to buy this and two other violon- 
 cellos, was absent in the ante -room, talking with some 
 acquaintance, when Lot 2 was put up ; therefore the 
 opportunity of buying was lost. He (Mr. Kramer, 
 Master of the King's Private Wind Instrument Band), 
 learning that his chance was gone, offered Mr. Lindley 
 100/. for his bargain, but it was not accepted. After 
 delighting the musical public with his performances and 
 extraordinary quality of tone on this instrument for nine 
 or ten years, with the fine and glorious sweeping chords 
 when accompanying the Kecitatives, of which style he 
 claims to be the original, and with the leading notes 
 for the singer, which notes sung with the vocalist, 
 always merited a portion of the applause. No doubt 
 many persons remember, with feelings of exquisite plea- 
 sure, his accompaniments to Handel's air, " Liberty!" 
 also Haydn's "In native worth ;" and Mozart's "Batti, 
 Batti ;" but above all that unrivalled performance of 
 the violoncello obligato to Dr. Pepush's cantata " Alexis," 
 which, in the original composition, is only a simple semi- 
 quaver movement ; but, with his new reading, it became 
 a performance of wonder and excellence. Many other 
 parts, in orchestral pieces in which the violoncello was 
 made prominent could also be enumerated, which caused 
 Bernard Romberg, a contemporary and rival, to ac- 
 knowledge " he was great in the orchestra, great as an 
 accompauyist, and great as a soloist." About 1835-6, 
 Mr. Lindley sold this violoncello to Captain West, of 
 the 1st Regiment of Royal Life Guards, for 200/. in 
 money, a violoncello valued at 30/., and a picture consi- 
 dered worth 100/. During this ownership, Monsieur 
 Servais played on the violoncello at Paris, and delighted
 
 332 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 indeed, if report speaks true, astonished the Pari- 
 sians with the fulness of tone produced, heing so dif- 
 ferent from that thin and hard quality of tone which 
 they had been accustomed to hear. Captain West stated 
 that Onslow and other celebrated musical composers had 
 endeavoured to persuade him to sell the instrument to 
 Servais. Be this as it may, the violoncello again came 
 into the English market, and was purchased by the late 
 Frederick Perkins, Esq., of Chipstead Place, Seven 
 Oaks, Kent, about the year 1839 ; but this date cannot 
 be positively asserted, although believed not to be much 
 in error. This tine violoncello is now the property of 
 Lieutenant-General Sir Hope Grant, CI.C.B.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 333 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 ILLIAM FORSTER, the third of this name 
 as a violin-maker, was the son of the pre- 
 vious William Forster (2), and was born 
 on the 7th January, 1764, in Prescott 
 Street, Goodman's Fields ; it is believed the house was 
 No. 12. He must have evinced an early talent as a 
 workman, for the first violin in the list of the best in- 
 struments he made is entered in the year 1779; but 
 precocious talent, in general, seldom advances ; at first 
 it bursts forth like the bright rays of the sun from behind 
 a dense cloud ; the praises then bestowed, and the flattery 
 given, make it conclude it is perfection, and produce 
 a self-confidence and sufficiency that often lead to idle- 
 ness, and consequently it ceases to exert mental energies, 
 and the probability is its possessor becomes of lymphatic 
 temperament, and moves not onwards to keep pace with 
 the world's advancement. However, there may be a 
 cause in this instance why he became averse to the con- 
 finement and toil of the work-room. He was fond of the 
 drama, and associated with private theatricals. It has 
 been told to one of the family, by the late Mr. Charles 
 Wodarch, a cousin of the Kembles, and formerly the leader 
 of the orchestra of Covent Garden Theatre, that he had 
 talent for acting, and that he had seen him perform the
 
 334 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 characters of Scrub, in " The Beaux's Stratagem;" and 
 Fribble, in the farce of " Miss in her Teens ;" and that 
 in the former character he considered him better than the 
 public's great favourite, Mr. Keeley. 
 
 It would appear, by a statement in Mr. James Main- 
 stone's bill of costs, that the father and son had been 
 partners at one period ; but the nature of the compact is 
 so strange that it can scarcely be believed ; and the only 
 thing which entitles it to credence is an old catalogue 
 which is supposed to have been printed before 1787, as 
 Haydn's quartets, op. 44, are not inserted. There is no 
 proof of this partnership by books of accounts, or by know- 
 ledge of the elder branches of the present family; but 
 there is full evidence of the son having all the music 
 portion of the business, with liberty to obtain work in 
 his own behalf, by the books which commence 17th July, 
 1786, being the day after his marriage, the father having 
 his own account-books and customers through all the 
 years that had previously passed, and continued until his 
 death. 
 
 The following extract made from the account of the 
 lawyer : 
 
 " 1783. Oct r . 1 st . Attending and taking Instructions 
 for drawing agreement between Mr. Forster Sen r . and 
 Mr. Forster Jun r . for the former serving the latter during 
 three years under a special Contract." 
 
 "Drawing Articles of Agreement accordingly fo 18.'' 
 
 " 7 th . Attending the Party to read over and settle 
 same." 
 
 " Nov*. 1. Engrossing same two parts. Stamps. 
 Attending Execution." 
 
 Should this contract have been acted on, which is very 
 doubtful, it shows how much a parent will yield to the 
 wishes of a son, who was the only surviving offspring.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN* 335 
 
 The work of William Forster (3) was of high finish 
 and neatness, but he did not take an interest in his voca- 
 tion, though there are some of the instruments made by 
 him exceedingly good in tone. He was generally deno- 
 minated "Young Forster," and the labels put into the 
 instruments were signed William Forster, Jun r ., the Jun r . 
 being added with a pen, as also the year in which the 
 instrument was made, and the number of it. These 
 particulars were also written inside the instrument, on 
 both vibrating plates, and at the tail-pin, under the var- 
 nish. Some persons have often obliterated the Jun r . at 
 this place, no doubt for dishonest purposes, as the instru- 
 ments of this maker do not command so large a price as 
 those of his father. 
 
 The following is a copy of an original label, the Royal 
 Arms at one corner, and the Prince of Wales 's Feathers 
 on the opposite corner: 
 
 " William Forster Jun r . 
 Violin, Violoncello, Tenor & Bow-maker 
 1810 Also Music Seller N. 43 
 
 To their Royal Highnesses the 
 Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cumberland." 
 
 The label used in later years had the Feathers of the 
 Prince of .Wales on one corner, and the Lion upon the 
 Crown, surrounded by the Garter, on the other side, 
 the paper of the label being much narrower than the 
 former label ; the number of instrument, the year, and 
 the Jun r . to be added with a pen : 
 
 " William Forster 
 
 Violin, Violoncello, Tenor & Bow-maker 
 
 to their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales 
 
 & Duke of Cumberland. London."
 
 336 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 After pioneering through the account-hooks of this 
 violin-maker from 1786 to 1816 it is found that a list of 
 the instruments manufactured cannot he produced even 
 approaching tolerahle accuracy, therefore it is aban- 
 doned. Four different classes of instruments were made 
 by William Forster (3), assisted by his son and work- 
 men; and about the year 1786-7 the German fiddles, of 
 cheap and common workmanship, were introduced into 
 England, it is believed, by Astor, of Wych Street, Strand, 
 of whom tales could be told connected with German clocks 
 and German musical wind instruments ; and entries are 
 seen in the books for fiddles as low as nine shillings, 
 which were mostly sold to dealers ; but others have par- 
 ticipated in the low prices. Moreover, there are many 
 exchanges and re-purchases of instruments, so that it is 
 very probable the same instrument may have been dis- 
 posed of more than once. 
 
 All these circumstances baffle the endeavour to pro- 
 duce a similar list to that previously given of the instru- 
 ments made by his father. There is a book, however, 
 in the writing of William Forster (3), still preserved, 
 which has some account of the instruments made by him. 
 It is imperfect as regards the numbers, particularly of 
 the second-class violins and tenors, and there is no men- 
 tion of the violoncellos of inferior workmanship. The 
 following are the entries, with slight alteration in the 
 arrangement: 
 
 " Number of best Violins made by W m . Forster Jun r . 
 
 Put down to the year 
 
 Forster, Jun r . N os . 1, 2, 3, and 4 1779 
 
 5, 6, 7, and 8 1780 
 
 9 and 10 1782 
 
 11, 12, 13, and 14 .... 1783
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 337 
 
 Put down to the year 
 
 Forster, Jun r . N 05 . 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 ... 1784 
 ,, 20, 21, and 22, this last of small 
 
 size 1785 
 
 ,,23 1789 
 
 24, 25, and 26 1793 
 
 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 
 
 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, and 40 . . 1813 
 41, 42, and 43, all three of 
 
 small size 1814 
 
 In another part of the book is inserted, " Violins at 
 3 3s. Od." 
 
 Put down to the year 
 
 Forster, Jun r . N. 1 1782 
 
 2 and 3 1783 
 
 ,,4 1789 
 
 Many more of this class violin have been seen entered 
 in the account-books as disposed of, so far as they were 
 examined. 
 
 The best tenors were made as follows : 
 
 Put down to the year 
 
 Forster, Jun r . N 05 . 1, 2, and 3 1783 
 
 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 . . 1784 
 
 11 and 12 1785 
 
 13 and 14 1786 
 
 ,,15 1787 
 
 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 ... 1789 
 
 ,,21 1793 
 
 ,,22 1794 
 
 ,,23 1795 
 
 24 and 25 1798 
 
 Then follow " Tenors at 3 3s. Qd," 
 
 Forster, jun. Nos. 1 and 2, made in the year 1783,
 
 338 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 and No. 3 in the year 1789. The same remark as 
 made on the violins of this class, can be applied to the 
 tenors. 
 
 With the list of violoncellos made of the first class 
 there has been taken a little more care ; but it is far 
 from perfect; and no account whatever of instruments 
 of five guineas value and less has been kept, although 
 numerous entries in the account-books prove that such 
 were made and sold. 
 
 "Best violoncellos made by Wm. Forster, jun." 
 
 No. Put down to the year 
 
 1, for Mr. Clay 1787 
 
 2, Sold to Mr. Hook 3, for Mr. Tillard . 1788 
 
 4, Sold to Mr. Cartwright 1789 
 
 5, 1791 
 
 6, Mr. Crouch 7 and 8, 1792 
 
 9, 10, 11, and 12 1795 
 
 13, Crouch 14, Col 1 . Hawker 1797 
 
 15, Lindley 16, Yatman 1797 
 
 17, Day . 1798 
 
 18, Major Bothwell 19, James Leffler . . 1801 
 20, Eev. Mr. Landon and 21, Lieut. Heaviside 1801 
 22, Crosdill 23, Henry Bedford, Esq. . . 1804 
 24, Sold to Oxford and 25, Lord Aylesford . 1804 
 26, Col 1 . Bothwell 27, Crosdill .... 1805 
 
 28, Lord Aylesford 1806 
 
 29, 1807 
 
 About this time the eldest son, William Forster (4), 
 
 was becoming perfected in the art ; and there is a remark 
 written on the margin, " The first violoncello made by 
 my son was made for Charles Ashley." This instru- 
 ment, it is believed, was the violoncello known in the 
 musical circle as the "Blood Red Knight." 
 
 The following No. 30 shows that the son either assisted
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 339 
 
 in or made the whole, as it has " Bill No. 2 " attached 
 to it, and a similar remark continues to several other 
 instruments : 
 
 No. Put down to the year 
 
 30, Bill No. 231, Bill No. 3, Lord Lewisham 1807 
 32, Bill No. 4, Gladstanes 33, Bill No. 5, 
 
 Hole 1807 
 
 34, Bill No. 635, Bill No. 7, Blake, Bath . 1807 
 36, Bill No. 837, Bill No. 9, Cervetto . . 1809 
 38, B and G No. 1039, B and G No. 11, 
 
 Captain Deacon 1810 
 
 40, B and G No. 1241, B and G No. 13 
 
 -42, B and G No. 14 1810 
 
 43, G, and 44, Bill No. 15 1810 
 
 45, 46, 47, Lindley 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, Mr. 
 Bedford, Steiner pattern 53, Lindley, 
 
 Steiner pattern, and 54 1811 
 
 55, 56, 57, the two last had by Mr. Lindley, 
 and of the Steiner pattern 58, Lord 
 Aylesford 59, Steiner pattern 60, 
 61, 62, and 63, these four last were of 
 
 the Stradiuarius pattern 1812 
 
 64, 65, 66, and 67, the two last had by Lind- 
 ley, and of the Steiner pattern . . . 1813 
 68, 69, 70, 71, these four were the Stradiua- 
 rius pattern 1814 
 
 72, Bill (No. 16) for Iscard 73, Bill (17) 
 
 Stradiuarius pattern 1815 
 
 74, Bill and Andrew, Steiner pattern . . . 1823 
 Five or six double-basses, of second-class workmanship, 
 were made chiefly for letting out on hire ; and there 
 was one of the best work finished for a person named 
 M'Calla, which instrument was destroyed either when 
 the Royalty Theatre, at the east part of London, was
 
 340 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 burned down in 1826, or crushed to pieces when the 
 roof of the Brunswick Theatre unfortunately fell in, 
 killing several of the performers whilst at rehearsal, on 
 the 28th Feh. 1828. The latter is believed to be the 
 cause of its destruction. These double-basses were all 
 made of the same shape as violoncellos. Some interest 
 may be attached to the violoncello marked No. 26, 1805. 
 It was made of the long Stradiuarius pattern, similar to 
 Mara's celebrated violoncello of that Italian maker, and 
 was first sold to Colonel Bothwell. Ultimately Kobert 
 Lindley bought it of Messrs. Withers and Co., and the 
 tone is so grand and fine that it became the favourite 
 violoncello. It is the instrument on which he performed 
 when he made his last public appearance, and played the 
 celebrated trio of Corelli with Charles Lucas and James 
 Howell, at the Philharmonic Concert in the season of 
 1850. From the commanding tone of this violoncello, 
 and its being made in the year 1805, Lindley named 
 this instrument "Nelson," being the year in which this 
 great Admiral fell at the battle of Trafalgar. 
 
 This violoncello is now the property of A. Allan 
 Webbe, Esq. of Hereford Street, Park Lane, who pur- 
 chased it of the younger son of Kobert Lindley, soon 
 after the decease of his talented parent. 
 
 William Forster (3) was a person fond of speculating 
 in houses, for which he had not judgment or ability, and 
 much too amiable and kind, although of hasty temper, 
 to be the landlord of such small houses as were pur- 
 chased. Better property was occasionally bought, but 
 something unlucky was always attached to it ; so that 
 the whole of these transactions may be considered a 
 complete failure. But the climax which brought ruin 
 upon him was entering into a grocery business, about 
 1815-16, with another person of whom he had little
 
 HI8TORY OF THE VIOLIN. 341 
 
 knowledge. The consequences may be arrived at very 
 easily. These misfortunes compelled the sacrifice of the 
 freehold and leasehold property, also what money re- 
 mained in the funds, all of which descended to him from 
 the father, and were absorbed to liquidate large debts, 
 greatly to the detriment of a family of thirteen children 
 then living, consisting of nine daughters and four sons; 
 one son had died in the early part of this century by an 
 accident through the carelessness of the nurse. A broken 
 spirit and the despondency which existed in the latter 
 years of the life of W. Forster (3), were very painful to 
 witness ; and at length death relieved him of mental and 
 bodily sufferings on the 24th July, 1824, and he was 
 buried a few days afterwards in the family grave, in the 
 churchyard of Saint Martin's in the Fields. 
 
 We have now arrived at the fourth and last of the 
 name of William Forster that have been makers of 
 violins, tenors, and violoncellos. He was the eldest son 
 of the previous W. Forster (3), and was born the 14th 
 of December, 1788, at No. 348, Strand ; he possessed 
 good mechanical abilities, with mental endowment for 
 invention; but this last qualification was chiefly em- 
 ployed upon articles of pleasure and enjoyment, although 
 many branches of the business were improved and faci- 
 litated by him. He little cared whether it was wood or 
 metal he was working, all were made obedient to his 
 manipulation. He was an excellent workman, and the 
 instruments he made were beautifully finished. But the 
 workroom had little inducements for him ; athletic and 
 rural sports absorbed his thoughts, and having a hasty 
 temper little could be accomplished with him at home. 
 He was instructed in violin-making partly by his grand- 
 father and father ; but his wild career could not be sub- 
 dued, and at length it was deemed advisable to place him
 
 342 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 from home, and Thomas Kennedy undertook the task, 
 and by humouring his foibles, gained more control over 
 him than perhaps any other person, except his mother. 
 He returned home again, but soon left it and joined the 
 theatrical company of the late .Trotter, Esq. of 
 Worthing, who had the Kent and Sussex circuit ; some- 
 times acting on the stage, and at others playing the 
 violoncello in the orchestra. At Worthing, he .indulged 
 with other persons in athletic pastimes ; and in one of 
 these trials of strength received some internal injury, 
 from which, perhaps, he never thoroughly recovered. 
 He made very few instruments on his own account, pro- 
 bably twelve or fifteen. Two or three of these were 
 violins, and one violoncello of the best class ; the latter 
 instrument was made for the late Mr. James Brooks, a 
 professor on the violoncello, the remainder being of in- 
 ferior workmanship for wholesale orders. He, however, 
 would occasionally repair instruments; but having, 
 generally, an engagement as a violoncello player either 
 at the Sans Pareil, Sadler's Wells, or the Surrey 
 Theatre, then called the Circus, he little sought for that 
 kind of employment. During this period of his life 
 fishing was the absorbing desire, and he would take 
 every opportunity to walk to some favoured spot at 
 Woodford in Essex, or to places on the river Wandle 
 celebrated for the sport. 
 
 It is said that he performed clown at the Sans Pareil 
 Theatre during the whole of one Christmas holiday-time, 
 under the name of Signor Paulo, who was too ill and 
 unable to fulfill his engagement. His wild career 
 weakened his constitution ; and being recommended to 
 go out of town for change, he accepted an engagement 
 as violoncellist at Cheltenham. On a leisure evening, 
 whilst playing a game of chess or drafts, a fit of apoplexy
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 343 
 
 deprived him of life, almost instantly, on the 8th Octo- 
 ber, 1824, in the prime of manhood, being only thirty- 
 six years of age. 
 
 The particulars regarding Grilkes perhaps should be 
 inserted here; but it is deemed advisable to carry the 
 family name to a close, as the one next mentioned, who 
 yet struggles with the "battle of life," is the last of the 
 race that is likely to be violin, viola, and violoncello 
 maker. 
 
 Simon Andrew Forster is the fourth son of William 
 Forster (3), and was born on the 13th May, 1801, at No. 
 348, Strand, the house which was known as the Courier 
 Newspaper Office, and pulled down for the approaches 
 to Waterloo Bridge from Catherine Street. He is in- 
 debted to his father and brother William Forster (4), 
 particularly the latter, for the knowledge acquired in 
 making violins, tenors, and violoncellos, &c. G-ilkes also 
 has a small claim, but very small, of imparting instruc- 
 tion. It was not to his interest to do so, therefore the 
 progress in early years was not very rapid. However, 
 at that period, perhaps the work-room may have been 
 neglected, as music was studied as a profession in the 
 choir of Westminster Abbey, which gave the right of 
 education in Westminster School. Notwithstanding 
 Gilkes did not do his duty, when it is taken into con- 
 sideration how much his position in life was advanced 
 by the improved knowledge imparted to him in the style 
 of work of the family, and the receipt of wages at the 
 time from the parent. This deficiency was fully recti- 
 fied by the attentions of the father and brother, after 
 Gilkes had ceased to work for the house. 
 
 A list will now follow of the best instruments, and the 
 year in which they were made, also the name of the 
 person who first purchased them. The label used in
 
 344 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 them was as follows, and the initials signed on the oppo- 
 site corner to the number 
 
 " S. A. Forster 
 Violin, Tenor & Violoncello Maker 
 
 N. London." 
 
 The name and London are engraved in the old English 
 letter, and the other part in the written character. It 
 is also written with a pen, " S. A. Forster, London," and 
 the number of the instrument by the tailpin, under the 
 varnish, and on both vibrating plates inside the instru- 
 ment. In most instances the dates take place from the 
 time the body of the instrument was put together, and 
 not always finished in sequence. 
 
 Violins of the First Class. 
 
 No. 
 
 1, Mr. George Key ........ 1828 
 
 2, Charles Eowland, Esq re 1830 
 
 3, Stowel Chudleigh, Esq re . 4, E. H. W. 
 
 Ingram, Esq re 1835 
 
 5, Mr. Henry Thorn 6, Mr. William Cramer 1839 
 
 7, J. W. Cochrane, Esq re . (this violin had 
 
 the prize medal awarded at the Great 
 Exhibition of 1851) 1839 
 
 8, Unsold 9, Mr. Thomas Key 10, Sir 
 
 James Emerson Tennant 1 1, Unsold 
 
 and 12, Mr. Thomas Key .... 1839 
 13, Mr. Eichard Stannard 14, Eev d . E. G. 
 
 Buckston 1844 
 
 15, James Uglow, Esq re . and 16 to 26 are still 
 
 unfinished 1844 
 
 Violas or Tenors of the First Class. 
 No. 
 
 1, James Eeynolds, Esq re . 2, doubtful . . 1839 
 3, Frederick James Eawlins, Esq re . . . . 1840
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 345 
 
 No. 
 
 4, William Davis, Esq re . 5, John Beardmore, 
 Esq re . 6 and 7, Unsold 8, 9, and 10, 
 still unfinished and 11, Captain Ed- 
 ward J. Ottley (this viola had the 
 prize medal awarded at the Great Ex- 
 hibition of 1851) 1843 
 
 Prom No. 3 to 11 are instruments all of very large 
 size. 
 
 Violoncellos of the First Class. 
 
 From No. 1 to 12 were marked when the instrument 
 was varnished, therefore shows some irregularity in the 
 completion of them ; but from No. 13 they were num- 
 bered when the body of the instrument was put together. 
 
 No. 
 
 1, Mr. John Smith 1825 
 
 2, Robert Lindley, Esq. and 3, Mr. John 
 
 Smith 1826 
 
 4, Dr. Boisragon 1827 
 
 5, Mr. Acraman 1828 
 
 10, Colonel John Montague 1830 
 
 8, James Forster and 9, Mr. William Glan- 
 
 vill 1831 
 
 6, Colonel Whitby 7, Rev d . Dr. Barrett- 
 
 and 11, Mr. Thomas Binfield, for W. 
 
 Cull, Esq re 1832 
 
 12, Christopher Rawlins, Esq re 1835 
 
 13, Mr. T. J. Noble 14, Hon ble . Major Legge, 
 
 for the Bishop of Oxford 15, Stowel 
 Chudleigh, Esq e . 16 and 17, E. Wool- 
 lett, Esq re . 18, Sir Richard Bulkely 
 Phillipps, Bart. 19, Henry Knight, 
 Esq re . 20, Hon ble . Major Legge (this 
 was a very small violoncello for the son ;
 
 346 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 No - it lias since been cut down and con- 
 verted into a tenor) 1836 
 
 21, Frederick Perkins, Esq re . 22, Charles 
 
 Lucas, Esq re . 1836 
 
 23, Mr. Henry Thorn 1836 
 
 24, Gribble, Esq 1837 
 
 25, R. H. W. Ingram, Esq re 1838 
 
 26, James Lintott, jun r . Esq e . 27, Gi-eorge J. 
 
 Eyre, Esq re . 1839 
 
 28, William Davis, Esq re . 29, Walter Pettit, 
 
 Esq re , . 1839 
 
 30, Hon ble . Arthur Lascelles 31, Captain Ed- 
 ward J. Ottley and 32, Captain Hun- 
 ter Blair 1839 
 
 33, James Howell, Esq re . 34, 35, 36 and 37 
 are still unfinished and 38, Joseph 
 Laing Oldham, Esq. (this violoncello 
 had the prize medal awarded at the 
 Great Exhibition of 1851) . . . . 1841 
 Double Basses of the First Class. 
 
 No. 
 
 1, Mr. Boulcott 1833 
 
 2, Mr. S. J. Noble and 3, Frederick Per- 
 
 kins, Esq e . 1835 
 
 4, Samuel Brook, Esq re . . : 1836 
 
 5, Unsold 18 
 
 From these large instruments being heavy and cum- 
 bersome to handle in the working of them, it became 
 imperative to have assistance, even in some essential 
 parts, through debility of constitution. 
 
 The second class instruments had only this writing at 
 
 the tailpin, "Forster, No. ;" and alcoholic varnishes 
 
 have been used with all of them. The memory will not 
 assist to state exactly how many instruments of this clas&
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 347 
 
 have been made ; perhaps not more than twenty-four 
 vfolins, four or five tenors, and about ten violoncellos. 
 A correct account of these has not been kept, as the 
 interest in them experienced a check by the cheap and 
 very common instruments from Germany, France, and 
 other countries, which sadly interfered with the welfare 
 of the English artizan, who could not compete in price, as 
 this class of foreign goods could be purchased for a less 
 sum than the materials cost for making them. 
 
 The foregoing facts have taken a long time to collect 
 and arrange, and the details from their length may be 
 deemed to require some apology. It was considered, 
 however, that they might be useful to the rising genera- 
 tion, and to a future age. At the present time we should 
 be much gratified to know how many instruments had 
 been made by the Amati, the Stradiuarius, and the Guar- 
 nerius families, and especially by Joseph Guaruerius, as 
 his instruments are in great request. Many boast of 
 possessing one, yet when examined and compared how 
 different the style of work, and quality of the varnish, 
 so that even the tales told about the prison and the 
 keeper's daughter scarcely justify the dissimilarity. 
 
 George Pearce was born in Warminster, on the 16th 
 November, 1820, and came to London with his parents 
 in the fourth year of his age. He entered into the ser- 
 vice of Simon Andrew Forster, as an errand boy, in July 
 1834, and soon evinced a mechanical talent, and showed 
 expertness in the use of the tools ; he was, therefore, in- 
 structed in the art of violin-making, and became a very 
 neat and first-rate workman. As years advanced, how- 
 ever, he selected companions of vitiated minds and 
 debased habits, and he was consequently discharged in 
 July, 1844, for neglect of his duties. He ultimately 
 gained employment as a fret-cutter at Messrs- Broad-
 
 348 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 wood's pianoforte manufactory, where he continued until 
 the 3rd July, 1856, on which day he died through his 
 own act and deed by swallowing poison, and was buried 
 at the Victoria Cemetry, Bethual Green, on the 9th of 
 the same month. It is not known whether any instru- 
 ments were made by him on his own account, but he for- 
 warded many of those of his employer, and in one in- 
 stance only did he make a first-class instrument all 
 through, which was a violin ; but he was fully capable 
 to execute work of the highest finish. He was not 
 related to James and Thomas Pearce before noticed. 
 
 It will now be requisite to retrace a few years to give 
 the particulars of Samuel Gilkes, who was born in 1787, 
 at a village named Morton Pinkney, near to Ellsworth, 
 Northamptonshire, and was sent to London to learn 
 fiddle-making of the elder Charles Harriss alluded to in 
 a former part of this work, and completed his term of 
 apprenticeship about 1809-10. In the course of the 
 latter year he became journeyman to William Forster 
 (3), and at length, being initiated into the style of 
 work of his employer, we find, by the remark B and Gr- 
 in his list of instruments made, that Gilkes assisted in 
 making the violoncello No. 38, which appears to be the 
 first instrument he had joined with others in making, and 
 continued to do so during the whole of his engagement, 
 which lasted for nine or ten years, sometimes alone, at 
 others assisting, but always under the surveillance of his 
 superior, who minutely examined the gauging before the 
 instruments were put together. It will be well to take 
 special notice of the year 1810, for, after he had com- 
 menced business on his own behalf, at 34, James Street, 
 Buckingham Gate, Westminster, a report was freely 
 propagated by some one that Gilkes was the pupil of 
 Old Forster (2), and, strange to relate, it went so far as
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 349 
 
 to state that he had imparted to him, in preference to the 
 family, the method of making the fine varnish. The 
 date of 1810 is sufficient to falsify these statements, as 
 William Forster (2) died in 1808, and it is most probable 
 that Gilkes had never seen him. Samuel Gilkes became 
 an excellent workman, and received much patronage 
 during his own career, both as a maker and dealer, 
 which, however, was of short duration, for he died in 
 November 1827, at his residence, previously given, and 
 was buried in his native village. He made instruments 
 of three or four different classes, and supplied many to 
 music sellers and dealers in the country ; but we are 
 unable to state the number or quality of those manufac- 
 tured. The label used was as follows : 
 
 " Gilkes 
 
 From Forster 's 
 
 Violin, and Violoncello Maker 
 
 34 James Street, Buckingham Gate 
 
 Westminster." 
 
 His son, William Gilkes, who was born in Grey Coat 
 Street, Tothill Fields, Westminster, about 1811, was 
 taught violin-making by the father, and succeeded him 
 at his residence, but subsequently was in Dartmouth 
 Street; however, he did not long continue as a maker 
 of musical instruments, giving a preference to per- 
 forming on the violin in quadrille bands, and occasion- 
 ally at theatres. At length the business was given up 
 altogether, and he accepted some appointment on board 
 one of the ships of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam 
 Navigation Company. No instrument has been seen 
 made by William Gilkes, therefore an opinion cannot be 
 offered as to his capabilities of workmanship. 
 
 John Hart was born 17th December, 1805, in West-
 
 350 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 minster, near to the Green Coat School, and was ap- 
 prenticed to Samuel Grilkes, in May 1820, and his term 
 of servitude had not long expired when his master died. 
 From that time he could not obtain much employment in 
 the vocation he had learned, consequently he accepted 
 an engagement at Lang's Shooting Gallery, next door 
 to the Haymarket Theatre, and in time the house he 
 now resides in was opened as a depot for guns and 
 pistols, with a few violins interspersed. At length the 
 Joe Manton's, the Purday's, and the guns of other 
 makers, had to give place to violins, violas, and violon- 
 cellos, with Italian names, he having become a dealer in 
 them, and no person in a similar business if report can 
 be relied on has had greater success in their journey 
 through life. He has sons, but whether they have been 
 taught to make violins is not known. Dealing in this 
 xjlass of property being far more remunerative than 
 making it, we may infer the former claims the prefer- 
 ence. The label used by him : 
 
 " John Hart 
 
 Maker 
 
 14 Princess Street, Leicester Square 
 London. Anno 18 " 
 
 Before concluding with the Forster school it will be 
 requisite to give one other name, although he was not a 
 pupil, but at first only an amateur maker, and ultimately 
 partly obtained a living by working at the business, and 
 adopted the style of the Forster family, probably from 
 the half-brother of William Forster (2) being his ac- 
 quaintance. His name was Joseph Hook, late of Kicker- 
 gate, Carlisle, who was born 7th June, 1777, at Calbeck, 
 Cumberland. As a youth, he sorted copper ore, and in 
 1795 worked as a farm-servant to a Mr. Scott, of Halt-
 
 HISTORY OP THE VIOLIN. 351 
 
 cliff, near Hesket New Market, who was also an amateur 
 fiddle-maker, and from whom some knowledge was 
 gained. In 1800 he went to Carlisle to reside, and was 
 engaged at the theatre to play the violin, and became 
 acquainted with Joseph Forster in consequence of being 
 made one of the musicians to the corporation ; both also 
 belonged to the band at the winter assemblies. In 
 June 1807, Joseph Rook was appointed vicar-choral at 
 the cathedral, and held that office until 25th December, 
 1840, when a retiring pension was given to him, which, 
 in November 1850, he still enjoyed, and it is believed it 
 was continued until his death, which took place in Sep- 
 tember 1852, and his body was interred at St. Mary's 
 Church, Carlisle. 
 
 In a letter, dated 7th December, 1850, alluding to 
 violins, he writes "I never made many ; I have made 
 Twelve Tennors, and Five Violoncellos; no Double 
 Basses. I marked my name with a small stamp, 
 
 " ' J. Rook 
 Carlisle.' 
 
 I generally wrote my name in the inside of the Bellys 
 with a black lead pencil." 
 
 He could not supply a label, having mislaid or lost 
 them. Only violins of this maker have been seen, the 
 work of which was very neat, and the tone pure, but 
 weak ; the varnish of a brownish yellow colour, and 
 tranparent.
 
 352 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 NOTHER northern name now claims atten- 
 tion. Alexander Kennedy was born in Scot- 
 land, but neither the date nor the locality is 
 precisely known. However, a surviving re- 
 lative states that he died about 1785-6, and was consi- 
 dered to be ninety years of age. His work was very 
 good, both inside and outside, and the purfling excellent. 
 The Steiner model was followed minutely, and spirit 
 varnish of a brownish yellow colour was used. He only 
 made violins. The following was written inside a violin 
 of this maker, but portions of it had been effaced by 
 some repairs : 
 
 " Alexander Kennedy, Musical 
 In made this Jan y 3 rd . 1742/3 
 
 This Violin A. Kennedy Living in Oxford 
 
 Market. 1742/3." 
 
 And a written label was used in a violin of rather later 
 date, thus : 
 
 " Alexander Kennedy, Musical Instrument 
 
 Maker, Living in Market Street in Oxford 
 
 Road, London. 1749." 
 
 The foregoing maker instructed a nephew, John Ken- 
 nedy, who, in the earlier part of his life, resided in 
 Cooper's Gardens, near Shoreditch Church ; afterwards 
 in Houghton Street and Clement's Lane, Clare Market ;
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 353 
 
 
 
 and lastly, in Long Alley, Sun Street, Moorfields, where 
 he died in adverse circumstances about 1816, aged eighty- 
 six years, and was buried at Shoreditch Church. The 
 age is doubtful, as he was considered an older person by 
 those who had been intimate with him. Violins and 
 tenors were the only instruments he made, and all were 
 of the high model or Steiner pattern. 
 
 At one period he was in full employ, having two or 
 three assistants, and chiefly made instruments for the 
 music publishers, and written labels were used. The 
 present Thomas Kennedy (the son) states that no vio- 
 loncellos were made by his father, and it is very doubtful 
 if any were made by his workmen. 
 
 Thomas Kennedy was born in Houghton Street, Clare 
 Market, on the 21st January, 1784, and was the eldest 
 son of the previous John Kennedy by the third wife. 
 He was apprenticed to Thomas Powell, the violin-maker, 
 17th June, 1795 ; but he is more indebted to his father 
 for the knowledge of the business, and became a neat 
 and good workman. In making the common class instru- 
 ments he was exceedingly quick and rapid in every 
 department. At the commencement of the present cen- 
 tury he occasionally worked for William Forster (3), 
 but soon entered business on his own account in Princes 
 Street, Westminster, and at length located at 364, 
 Oxford Street, at which place he lived for thirty-three 
 years. 
 
 In June 1849 he was enabled to give up business, 
 and retired to Cummin's Place, Pentonville, where his 
 active mind and good health still enable him to reap 
 amusement from his previous vocation. He was much 
 employed by Messrs. Goulding, D'Almaine, and Co., 
 and other music-houses. The exact number of instru- 
 ments that were made by him is not known, but he says 
 
 A A
 
 354 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 " he must have made at least 300 violoncellos, and the 
 other instruments in proportion; perhaps not quite so 
 many." Although he married very early, yet he has had 
 no family ; consequently he will be the last of this race as 
 violin -makers. 
 
 Associated with the name of Kennedy, as fiddle- 
 makers, are James Brown, the elder and younger, both 
 of whom, in early life, were silk-weavers, particularly 
 the father, and lived in the locality of Shoreditch. About 
 1804 an intimacy arose with the Kennedy family, 
 whereby James Brown 'the elder acquired some know- 
 ledge of fiddle-making; and, being made more perfect 
 in the use of the tools by Thomas Kennedy, he at length 
 became a repairer and maker of instruments for future 
 support. About 1830 he slipped down the stairs of his 
 dwelling-house, in Wheeler Street, Spitalfields, and broke 
 one of the ancles; the fracture being most severe, the 
 relatives were advised to take him to the hospital. 
 Within a week of the accident, mortification set in, and 
 he died at the age of seventy-five years, in September 
 1830 or 1834; the son does not remember the date 
 accurately, but he thinks the former year ; and he says 
 they (father and son) resided in Wheeler Street for forty- 
 six years, but not always in the same house. James 
 Brown, the younger, was born November 1786, and 
 learned to make fiddles of his father ; but, to assist in 
 other branches of the trade, he was mostly employed in 
 making the various bows for the instruments. Since the 
 death of his father, the greater attention has been given 
 to the manufacture of violins, violoncellos, and double 
 basses. This person died in 1860 at his residence in 
 White Lion Street, Norton Folgate, in his seventy-fourth 
 year. The father and son were good average workmen, 
 but no marked style of finish. A son of this last person
 
 HISTORY Ob' THE VIOLIN. 355 
 
 learned to make instruments of his father ; but, when 
 about twenty years of age, he quitted the business to 
 play the contra-basso at theatres; and it is believed 
 he now has some professional engagement in Australia, 
 as success did not attend his exertions at " the Diggins." 
 In the early part of the eighteenth century there were 
 three persons of the following names : Edmund Airton, 
 or Aireton, Henry Hill, and Joseph Hill, who became 
 violin-makers, but it is not known for certainty which 
 of them claims the seniority, nor can it be told who 
 instructed them; but the style of work is remarkably 
 similar, also the colour and quality of the varnish the 
 same on most of the instruments which have been seen ; 
 therefore it is probable all three learned of the same 
 master. From a circumstance which occurred in re- 
 moving a label, dated 1735, out of a genuine violoncello 
 made by Peter Wamsley, on the underneath side of 
 which was written Edmund Airton, it is probable that 
 the father of the first of the above three names was a 
 workman in the employ of Wamsley, although nothing 
 is known of him, who surreptitiously wrote his name on 
 the master's label previous to attaching it to the violon- 
 cello. The date will not allow of its being the person 
 first named, therefore it will be considered that Edmund 
 Aireton claims the priority from family connections 
 Little is known of this maker, although he was an excel- 
 lent workman, and produced instruments of a high 
 order, both for tone and neat finishing. About 1805, he 
 was residing in Hog Lane, now better known as Crown 
 Street, Soho ; and Thomas Kennedy says, " he was about 
 eighty years of age, and that the shop had more the 
 appearance of a general dealer than a maker of violins, 
 tenors, and violoncellos;" also, he further positively 
 stated the name was spelled "Aireton."
 
 356 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 The few instruments which have been seen show that 
 he made inferior as well as highly- finished ones; the 
 violins and tenors were of the Stradiuarius pattern, and 
 of the lower class work, with a glossy varnish, evidently 
 alcoholic, made more ductile by admixture of a soft 
 gum, or, what is more probable, with Venice turpentine. 
 The most perfect specimen that we know of this maker 
 is a violoncello, formerly the property of the late Robert 
 Lindley, who sold it to George J. Farsyde, Esq., of 
 Fylingdales, near Whitby, Yorkshire, in whose pos- 
 session it still remains, and is fully appreciated. This 
 instrument has an oil varnish of yellow colour, with a 
 slight tinge of red, the pattern rather long, and the 
 model high. The head has a peculiarity which dete- 
 riorates from its gracefulness by the volute or scroll 
 having nearly a whole turn more than is usual ; they are 
 not, however, all made in that form. It would appear 
 that he occasionally worked for the trade, as a violon- 
 cello of this maker has been seen stamped on the back, 
 under the button, with letters exceedingly small, and one 
 name above the other, thus : 
 
 "Norris 
 
 and 
 Barnes," 
 
 Also, a spurious label of " Banks " was placed inside. 
 
 If conclusions may be drawn from the dates which 
 are known, then William Hill will be the elder of two 
 brothers who settled in London, and in the year 1741 
 was residing in Poland Street. Henry Hill, a relative, 
 in his MSS., gives copies of two labels that were used, 
 thus: 
 
 "William Hill, Maker, in Poland Street, 
 near Broad Street. 1741."
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 357 
 
 And " William Hill, Maker, in Poland Street, 
 
 near Broad Street, Carnaby Market. 177 ." 
 
 The work of this maker so much resembles that of 
 Edmund Aireton almost in every particular, except the 
 volute of the head, that many persons would be deceived. 
 The varnish is a beautiful transparent yellow colour ; no 
 doubt of oil. The tone is not rich is quality, although 
 good; and if both vibrating-plates, particularly the 
 upper one, were thickened in the centre, advantageous 
 results would be obtained; or, first, for external appli- 
 ances, may be tried a Parisian bridge of the present form 
 of Aubert's make, which, there is little doubt, would 
 prove beneficial, and make the tone more rich in qua- 
 lity. These suggestions may be applied to all the vio- 
 loncellos of this family-name ; but an exception has to 
 be made with the present William E. Hill, whose work 
 is not sufficiently known to offer an opinion. Joseph 
 Hill was brother to the former William Hill, and the 
 grandson, in his MSS., states that Joseph Hill lived in 
 Dover Street, Piccadilly, and afterwards in the Hay- 
 market, which dwelling was destroyed by fire, with the 
 loss of all the stock in trade. After that calamity, 
 he resided in the locality of Lock's Fields, Newington, 
 Surrey, about 1792-3, and his death is believed to be in 
 1794. The printed label used was as follows : 
 
 "Joseph Hill, Maker, 
 At the Harp and Flute, 
 
 in the Hay Market, 
 
 17 London 69." 
 
 The last figure put in with a pen. There are also copies 
 of written labels at the same place, in 1772. The grand- 
 son further states that this maker " enjoyed a high repu- 
 tation in his day for his instruments, which have consi-
 
 358 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 derable merit, tho' not of the highest order ; his violon- 
 cellos and contra-bassi are deservedly held in much 
 esteem. There were many of the same family violin- 
 makers, but none who enjoyed (or) so highly reputed as 
 William and Joseph;" both of whom, on the authority 
 of the present William Ebsworth Hill, came from 
 Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. There were two sons of 
 the former Joseph Hill, named Joseph and Lockey 
 Hill, who perhaps should have been placed in the list 
 of fiddle-makers for the trade and music publishers, for 
 such were their general employments; but, for rea- 
 sons previously stated, it has been preferred to keep each 
 school separate. Joseph Hill died about 1840, and 
 Lockey Hill about 1845. Mr. Henry Hill, an excellent 
 performer on the viola, who, for several years previous 
 to his death, held the highest place in the profession, 
 was a son of the above Lockey Hill. The present 
 William Ebsworth Hill is another son of Lockey Hill, 
 and may be considered to be self-taught in making 
 violins, although related to a maker, he having been too 
 young to have reaped any advantage from the knowledge 
 of his father.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 359 
 
 CHAPTEK XXV. 
 
 ENJAMIN BANKS was born in the early 
 part and died in the latter part of the eigh- 
 teenth century. His parents' names were 
 George and Barbary ; but there is no evi- 
 dence to show that his father was a musical instrument 
 maker. As a portion of the information obtained re- 
 garding this clever workman is from a grandson, Mr. 
 B. T. Banks, we will quote his own letter : 
 
 " June 23 rd , 1841. Though I have made many in- 
 quiries both before and since my return from London, 
 I have not been able to gain any information respecting 
 my late grandfather and uncle, until this week, or I 
 should certainly have written to you sooner. The 
 enclosed 1 have copied from a leaf which I suppose be- 
 longed to the old family Bible about a hundred years ago. 
 You will perceive that the first is my grandfather and the 
 other my uncle. Should I be able to learn the exact time 
 when the latter died I will immediately let you know." 
 A copy of the paper enclosed in the above letter : 
 
 "Benjamin Banks, the son of George and Barbary 
 Banks, born July 14th, 1727. Died Feb y . 18 th , 1795." 
 
 " Benjamin Banks, one of the sons of the above Benj n . 
 Banks. Born Sep r . 13 th , 1754. Died about 1818." 
 
 It is generally believed that the first-named Benjamin 
 Banks was born in Salisbury ; that he resided in Cathe- 
 rine Street of that city is evident from the various labels
 
 360 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 put into the instruments made by him. His burial-place 
 is supposed to be the parish church of Saint Thomas, 
 Sarum. Although no trace can be obtained from whom 
 he learned the trade, it may, as in many other instances 
 with violin makers, be an innate love of the art which 
 urged him onwards, so that he ultimately became one 
 of England's best manufacturers. Too much cannot be 
 said in praise of this justly celebrated maker of violins, 
 violas, and violoncellos. The work of all the better class 
 of instruments, both inside and out, is excellent ; the 
 tone good of all, but that of the violoncellos in particular 
 is full, sonorous, and much esteemed by the professors. 
 He mostly worked from the pattern of the Amati, both 
 in model and outline ; the style of finishing is very 
 marked and decided, so that persons at all conversant 
 with musical instruments of this class can easily tell the 
 maker. Much anxiety seemed to be shown that he, as 
 the maker, should be known ; for many of his instru- 
 ments have labels in various parts of them ; also they 
 are stamped upon in several places either with the name, 
 or B. B., but no fixed plan of marking them seemed 
 adhered to. One label used was 
 
 " Benjamin Banks, 
 
 Fecit, 
 Salisbury," 
 
 Other printed labels have been used at various dates 
 thus 
 
 " Made by Benj n . Banks, 
 Catherine Street, Salisbury, 1773." 
 
 Another 
 
 " Benjamin Banks Musical Instrument 
 Maker. In Catherine Street, Salisbury, 1780." 
 
 And frequently they are stamped on the back or lower
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 361 
 
 vibrating plate, under the button, "B. Banks, Sarum." 
 This maker was not successful with the varnish put on 
 the various instruments ; there is a want of brilliancy in 
 the colouring, and a sad defect in the method of applica- 
 tion, which destroyed the grain of the upper vibrating 
 plate and gave it a white appearance, or, as the trade 
 would pronounce, "the grain was killed." The colours 
 of his varnish were a deep red with a blackish tinge, 
 and a yellow brownish red ; the latter seemed preferred 
 for those instruments of special make or order. One of 
 the writers of this book has a violoncello of this maker, 
 having the latter coloured varnish, and the quality of 
 tone is very fine : it is of the Steiner model, but rather 
 long, and the Steiner sound hole is used. It was a 
 present to him from his valued friend, that eminent per- 
 former, the late Robert Lindley. A violin by the same 
 maker is in possession of Mr. Charles Lucas, the varnish 
 on which has rather more red in it. No contra-basso 
 or double-bass has been seen of this maker, and it is 
 doubtful if he or any of the family ever made one. 
 
 There is a class of instruments, more particularly vio- 
 loncellos, which were made for Longman and Broderip, 
 the music publishers, by this Benjamin Banks, and pro- 
 bably assisted by his sons or other workmen ; the pattern 
 of which is long and more of the Steiner model ; the 
 work much inferior, and a red varnish used having all 
 the appearance of the tint being produced by an aqueous 
 extract. The names of Longman and Broderip are 
 stamped on the back, under the button, but no writing 
 or label to indicate by whom the nstruments were made ; 
 the style, however, even in these instruments is easily 
 recognized. The average price of this maker's best vio- 
 loncellos, between 1790 and 1794, was from ten to twelve 
 guineas ; and in the first half of the present century some
 
 362 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 of them have realized as much as fifty pounds. Fashion, 
 however, has now declared against these excellent instru- 
 ments of the Banks family, and all English manufacture 
 must give place to those with foreign names. 
 
 About the year 1826 a violoncello of this maker was 
 in possession of the Pembroke family, which was made 
 entirely from the wood of a cedar of Lebanon which 
 formerly grew in Wilton Park, but had been blown down, 
 and a portion of it was used for the purpose above stated. 
 The tone was not good, from the wood being too dense 
 for the upper vibrating plate ; but it may be considered 
 a curiosity, and as such no doubt the earl who ordered 
 it to be made considered it. His lordship having had a 
 silver plate let into the under vibrating plate, or back, 
 on which was engraved the particulars regarding the 
 tree, also the name of the instrument maker. Although 
 this violoncello was seen at the town residence of the 
 Dowager Countess of Pembroke in Privy Gardens, 
 Whitehall, there is every probability that it may be now 
 at Wilton House, near Salisbury ; and if it could not be 
 seen with facility at the family mansion, there is much 
 to admire and elevate the mind by viewing the fine col- 
 lection of choice paintings of the old masters, and a quad- 
 rangle containing sculpture of a high order. 
 
 Benjamin Banks, the younger. There was some doubt, 
 at one time, whether or no this Benjamin Banks, the 
 second son of the former of that name, was a maker of 
 musical instruments ; for we learn that about the latter 
 part of the last century he was connected with a person 
 named Cahusac, in a boot and shoe shop, on Fish Street 
 Hill. There appear to have been intermarriages be- 
 tween the families of Banks and Cahusac, and Cahusac 
 and Banks. Ultimately he became associated either with 
 his father-in-law, or a son of the same, in the musical
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 363 
 
 establishment of Astor, in Cornhill, and one of the Cahu- 
 sacs succeeded to that business. From the circumstance 
 of his being connected with a musical business, and the 
 violin makers generally considering there was an old and 
 young Benjamin Banks who were manufacturers, it was 
 inferred that he could work at the business, and these 
 suppositions have proved correct. In September, 1857, 
 a violoncello was seen, the property of Mr. John Hard- 
 ing, surveyor, living in Salisbury, which had written on 
 the inside of the upper vibrating plate at the hind bout 
 of the first string side, the following 
 
 " Made by Benj n . Banks, 
 
 No. 30, Sherrard Street, 
 Golden Square. London. 
 
 From Salisbury." 
 
 A written label also was inside the instrument, the same 
 :as the above, but omitting "From Salisbury." It can 
 be asserted, almost with certainty, that the elder Benja- 
 min Banks never resided in London; therefore we con- 
 clude the above label alludes to the younger of that 
 name, who having tried musical instrument-making in 
 London, and not succeeding, became connected with the 
 shoe shop. He was born on the 13th September, 1754, 
 as previously stated. After his residence in Salisbury 
 and London, he retired to Liverpool, where his two 
 brothers, James and Henry, were living, probably about 
 1814, for in the month of March in that year he bought 
 a grave at Saint Mary's Church, Edge Hill. He died 
 011 the 22nd January, 1820, and at the time of his death 
 was residing in Hawk Street, Liverpool. Upon the 
 grave-stone it is engraved that his age was sixty-eight 
 years ; in the Book of Burials it is stated as sixty-five ; 
 the latter corresponds with the time of his birth given by 
 the nephew.
 
 364 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 As the two brothers, James and Henry Banks, appear 
 to have been associated together, or partners in the 
 musical business soon, if not immediately, after the death 
 of the father, they will not be separated in this account. 
 James Banks was the fourth son, and Henry Banks the 
 sixth son of the first-named Benjamin Banks, both of 
 whom were born in Salisbury. James seemed to inherit, 
 as an artisan, all the excellencies of his parent. He 
 worked from the same patterns, the style of finishing 
 being similar and the tint of varnish the same ; but occa- 
 sionally the red-coloured varnish had more black in it 
 than was used by the father. Henry Banks did not 
 work at the violin trade, but was a pianoforte tuner and 
 repairer. There are numerous labels in instruments 
 showing they were in trade together ; and in 1802 they 
 had also become music-sellers. The following is a copy 
 of a label at that period : 
 
 " James and Henry Banks, 
 Musical Instrument Makers, 
 
 and Music Sellers, 
 18 Salisbury, 02." 
 
 The caprice of the parent, regarding the marking of 
 instruments, descended to the sons, as we find a different 
 label used two years afterwards : 
 
 " James and Henry Banks, 
 Salisbury. 1804." 
 
 And, " J. & H. Banks " stamped on the blocks and other 
 parts of the various instruments. They carried on their 
 various departments of business in Catherine Street, 
 Salisbury, until 1811, when they sold the same to Mr. 
 Alexander Lucas, the father of the present Mr. Charles 
 Lucas, the Principal of the Koyal Academy of Music, 
 and went to reside in Liverpool. They first located in
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 365 
 
 Clmrcli Street, opposite Saint Peter's Church ; the site, 
 or rather a portion of that on which Compton House 
 now stands ; afterwards they moved to Bold Street in 
 the same town. A Welshman named William Davis, or 
 Davies, who was living in Liverpool in the year 1849, 
 had been in the employ of these two brothers as a porter 
 in or about 1818, and he spoke in high commendation 
 of their kindness, and stated, " they had a good business, 
 were the best masters he ever had either before or since. 
 Henry was a capital tuner of pianos, and was frequently 
 from home for a fortnight travelling about the country, 
 and went as far as Wales to tune instruments. He did 
 not work at the violin making, but was connected with 
 the pianoforte department. The hands of James, when 
 he knew him, were much contracted, yet he was an ex- 
 cellent repairer of violins, &c. it was beautiful 
 to see how lie repaired them. All three are buried at 
 Saint Mary's Church, Edge Hill, and I helped to put 
 them into the grave." A son of the above Henry Banks, 
 whose name is also Henry, and had an office at No. 2, 
 Mersey Chambers, Liverpool, about 1849-50, corrobo- 
 rates much of that asserted by Davis, and also said, " his 
 father did not work at the violin trade, and that his uncle 
 was the maker of violins, tenors, and violoncellos ; that 
 the contraction in the hands was caused by gout, and 
 that his uncle was never married." He also said that 
 " very few, if any instruments were made at Liverpool ; 
 but some may have been finished there that were pre- 
 viously begun." James and Henry Banks sold the good- 
 will of their business to two brothers named Palmer, who 
 found in a cellar a number of unfinished instruments of 
 the violin class, which were sold by them in that state ; 
 but it was not known to whom they were disposed. On 
 the tombstone at the church before-named it is engraved
 
 366 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 that James Banks died 15th June, 1831, aged seventy- 
 five years. Some error exists here, unless a period of 
 nearly three years occurred between his birth and 
 christening, as that ceremony took place on the 7th Sept. 
 1758, at St. Thomas' Church, Sarum. Henry Banks 
 died on the 16th Oct. 1830, aged sixty years. The 
 church Book of Burials of the date 23 Oct. 1830, states 
 the age to be fifty-six, but the former age is nearer 
 correctness, he being christened 2nd Jan. 1771. At the 
 time of his decease he was residing in George Street. 
 He was found drowned in the Princes Dock, and it is 
 said he could not have been very long in the water, as 
 his watch was still in action when the body was dis- 
 covered. The various extracts from the books of St. 
 Thomas' Church, Salisbury, were kindly made by the 
 late Mr. J. T. Biddlecombe, the clerk to the church, 
 who further stated there were no memoranda or notices 
 taken at what period the birth of either James or Henry 
 Banks took place. He was an intimate acquaintance of 
 the Banks family when they lived in Salisbury. 
 
 It has been said by an elderly gentleman, now de- 
 ceased, who well knew the Banks family before they 
 went to reside at Liverpool, that the elder Benjamin 
 Banks (the father) had an apprentice named Wheeler, 
 who he believed came to London to obtain employment 
 or commence business himself as a maker of violins, &c. 
 Nothing whatever is known of him, nor has any instru- 
 ment been seen to establish a name worthy of his in- 
 structor. There are many violoncellos with the label of 
 James and Henry Banks L which may be considered 
 generally very good; and two in particular are in the 
 possession of Mr. Charles Lucas, which have a full and 
 powerful tone, of excellent quality, and were used by 
 him when principal violoncellist at the Koyal Italian 
 Opera, Covent Garden.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 367 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 HERE are many violins, tenors, violoncellos, 
 and double-basses, having labels in them, 
 as made by T. Dodd. This, however, is 
 '* not correct, as he was not the maker of 
 them ; but he was the head of this musical business, 
 therefore all the instruments had his name attached. 
 Several of this family have been associated with violin- 
 bow-making and covering of musical strings. The 
 father of the above Thomas Dodd, named Edward, was 
 born at Sheffield, but his occupation is not known. He 
 died in 1810, at a house in Salisbury Court, Fleet 
 Street, and was buried at St. Bride's Church, in that 
 locality, being of the great age of 105 years. Thomas 
 Dodd was the third son of this Edward, and appears to 
 have been either unsettled or unsuccessful in the various 
 businesses he adopted for support. At first he was a 
 brewer, and from 1786 to 1789 there is evidence he was 
 a violin bow-maker, residing in Blue Bell Alley, Mint 
 Street, Southwark. In or about 1798, he commenced as 
 a dealer in and maker of violins in New Street, Covent 
 Garden, the corner of Bedford Bury, and then employed 
 a young man named Bernhard Fendt to make the various 
 instruments ; and in March of the same year John 
 Frederick Lott was engaged to assist, although not 
 educated in the art of making violins. More will be 
 stated of these two persons presently. In 1809, T. Dodd 
 left this abode and moved to 92, St. Martin's Lane, 
 Charing Cross, the corner of Cecil Court ; and about
 
 368 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 1823-4 he left this house and went to No. 3, Berner's 
 Street, Oxford Street, where he ventured on making 
 harps, which had a mechanical improvement of an index 
 in the metal-plate, at the head of the instrument, showing 
 what pedals were down. These harps were patronized 
 and used by Dizi, the celebrated performer of that day. 
 After this, pianoforte -making engaged his attention ; but 
 it is said, with all these numerous adventures, success did 
 not attend his efforts. The time of his death is not accu- 
 rately known. A nephew states he was buried at St. 
 Giles-in-the-Fields. An oval label was used at first, 
 
 as follows : 
 
 " T. Dodd, 
 
 Violin, Violoncello, 
 
 & Bow Maker, 
 
 New Street, 
 
 Covent Garden." 
 
 And when residing in St. Martin's Lane the label had 
 the representation of a violin or violoncello, with the 
 bow placed obliquely under two of the strings, occu- 
 pying the centre, and the other particulars engraved 
 parallel with the instrument : 
 
 " Dodd Maker 
 
 92 Saint Martin's Lane. 
 
 s & 1 !' * ! r I 
 
 "S & ff I ' f S- 
 
 S-i^a 5 ^ >0 
 
 . 
 
 o 
 
 . 
 
 H II H 
 
 J-H M ip ! go P3 
 
 a- ? ? ? F?
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 369 
 
 From this establishment emanated numerous imitations, 
 both of English and foreign violin-makers, as well as 
 those with his own name. 
 
 Two sons of Thomas Dodd, named Thomas and 
 Edward, were instructed in violin-making by Bernhard 
 Fendt. Thomas had ability as a workman, and died in 
 the early part of this century, whilst his father was re- 
 siding in St. Martin's Lane. Edward appears to have 
 given more attention to the manufacture of the harp and 
 pianoforte, and was accidentally drowned on the 29th of 
 April, 1843, in presence of one of his sons, "a youth 
 whom he had just apprenticed to the sea, and who was 
 going away that evening." 
 
 Perhaps, before quitting this family-name, some notice 
 is due, and should be taken, of John Dodd, the cele- 
 brated violin-bow-maker, the Tourte of England. He 
 was the eldest-son of the first-named Edward, and in 
 early years was a gun-lock fitter, afterwards a money- 
 scale maker, but ended in being England's best bow- 
 maker. It is considered that at one period, 1786-9, he 
 lived in Southwark ; afterwards he went to Kew, in Sur- 
 rey, and resided there several years ; at length he moved 
 to Richmond, in the same county, where he died, and 
 was buried at the Old Church of that place. 
 
 Bernhard Fendt was born at Inspruck, in the Tyrol, 
 about 1775-6, which place he left at the age of seven 
 years, and went to reside in Paris with his uncle Fendt, 
 or Fent, as the name is spelled in France, of whom he 
 learned to make violins and violoncellos, &c. Very few 
 facts of his early years are known by the surviving rela- 
 tives, nor can they state when he first came to England ; 
 we, however, learn from other sources that he was en- 
 gaged by Thomas Dodd, and entered into his employ in 
 January 1798, and remained there for eleven years; 
 
 B B
 
 370 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 after that period lie went to old John Betts, and conti- 
 nued there until the death of his master, in 1823. He 
 then hecame the workman to the nephew, John Vernon, 
 with whom he stayed until this person's decease. Bern- 
 hard Fendt was a workman of high merit, and at the 
 commencement of his career in England the style of 
 work was that known as of Tyrol. A quartett of instru- 
 ments of this maker was purchased by Mr. Henry N. 
 Turner, of Upper Belgrave Place, Pimlico, at Dodd's 
 house, about 1800-1, which shows the character of the 
 work in a decided manner. However, of late years, his 
 great excellence consisted in the fine imitations of the 
 Italian and other violin-makers. He may be considered 
 to have formed a school, as there were four sons and one 
 grandson instructed in the art, as well as the elder Lott 
 and two of his sons; also John N. Lentz. All these 
 persons may be considered as indebted to him, as the first 
 cause, for their knowledge of violin-making, and, with the 
 exception of the latter person, they were all excellent work- 
 men. A daughter of Bernhard Fendt states that her 
 father died in Aylesbury Street, Clerkenwell, about 
 1832-3, and was buried in Clerkenwell Church-yard; 
 also that his age was considered to be fifty-seven years. 
 Bernhard Simon, or Simmon Fendt, was the eldest 
 son of the foregoing Bernhard Fendt, and was born in 
 1800. He was taught violin-making by his father, pro- 
 bably in the workshop of Old John Betts, with whom he 
 remained until the death of the latter in 1823. Soon 
 after this he was either engaged as workman, or became 
 a partner with - - Farn, who commenced as a dealer 
 in violins in Lombard Street, City; but, this person 
 dying a few years afterwards, he then joined with George 
 Purdy, a professor of dancing and fencing, and com- 
 menced business in Finch Lane, City, in September
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 371 
 
 1832, the firm being known as Purely and Fendt. In 
 June 1843 they also opened a house of business in Oxen- 
 don Street, Haymarket ; and about 1850 both these places 
 were closed, and the business concentrated in 74, Dean 
 Street, Soho. Bemhard Simmon Fendt died 6th March, 
 1852, at 7, Smith Street, Brompton, and it is said he 
 was interred in the burial-ground of Pentonville Chapel 
 on the 12th of the same month, aged fifty-two years. 
 A doubt arises if the burial-place be correct, although 
 stated by a relative, as the son, who died in the same 
 year as the parent, was buried at the Brompton Cemetry. 
 
 Martin Feudt was the second son of the elder Bern- 
 hard Fendt, and was born in July 1812. He learned to 
 make violins under the guidance of his father, and during 
 the whole of his short life was employed by Arthur Betts, 
 the brother of Old John Betts. Martin Fendt died in 
 Bell Alley, Coleman Street, City, in July 1845, aged 
 thirty-three, and is buried in a churchyard near to that 
 locality, the name of which is not known. Jacob Fendt 
 was the third son of the former Bernhard Fendt, and 
 was born about 1815. He was instructed in violin- 
 making by his eldest brother, and occasionally worked 
 for W. Davis, of Coventry Street, having succeeded G. 
 F. Lott at that establishment. He was also employed, at 
 some other period, by Turner, the dealer in violins, whilst 
 residing in the Poultry. Jacob Fendt died about October 
 1849, in Blue Anchor Court, Whitecross Street, Finsbury, 
 and his age considered to be thirty-four or thirty- five 
 years. 
 
 The fourth son, Francis Fendt, was also instructed in 
 violin-making by his eldest brother, and for some time 
 continued to work for the firm (Purdy and Fendt). In 
 1856, he was residing in Liverpool, obtaining a very 
 precarious subsistence. Whether he be alive now is
 
 372 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 not known, neither can the time of his birth be ascer- 
 tained. 
 
 William Fendt was the second son of Bernhard Simmon 
 Fendt and was born in 1833, in Finch Lane, City. He 
 learned violin-making of his father, and became an 
 expert workman. He died in his twentieth year, at 7, 
 Smith Street, Brompton, in 1852, and was buried in the 
 Brompton Cemetry. 
 
 As the youngest son of John Frederick Lott states 
 that his father died on the 13th April, 1853, aged seventy- 
 eight, he would have been born in 1775. Previous to 
 entering the employ of Thomas Dodd, in March, 1798, 
 he had been a chair maker, therefore his knowledge of 
 violin-making was acquired of Bernhard Fendt. For 
 several years previous to his death, he carried on the 
 musical business in King Street, Seven Dials, at which 
 place he died, and was buried in the church-yard of 
 Saint Giles-in-the-Fields. He was celebrated for making 
 double-basses. 
 
 There are two sons of this person, the oldest named 
 George Frederick Lott, born about 1800-1, and the 
 younger of the same name as the father. Both of them, 
 at different periods, were in the employ of W. Davis of 
 Coventry Street ; and much of the adventurous life of 
 the younger, in after years may be read in the novel, 
 " Cream," and " Jack of all Trades," by Charles Keade. 
 The two sons are still living. 
 
 Johann Nicolaus Lentz was a German, from the Tyrol, 
 and in the latter part of the last century had been ser- 
 vant to a gentleman in Duke Street, St. James's. Being 
 an acquaintance of Bernhard Fendt, he had picked up 
 some knowledge of violin and violoncello-making, and 
 in consequence he began as a maker in the early part of 
 this century. The varnish used by him was similar ta
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 that upon the instruments known as Dodd's and the 
 elder Lott. The printed label, which has been seen, 
 was as follows, the date being put in with a pen : 
 
 " Johann Nicolaus Lentz, Fecit 
 near the Church, Chelsea. 1803." 
 
 The names of the two violin makers which follow, 
 Matthew Hardie and his son Thomas Hardie, perhaps, 
 in a strict sense, should not be placed in this section ; 
 they were, however, clever workmen, especially the elder, 
 and endeavoured by attention to the gauging to accom- 
 plish great power of tone in the violins, tenors, and vio- 
 loncellos which they made. Although the work was not 
 at all times as neat as could be desired to rank them as 
 first-rate workmen, yet they frequently gained the object 
 they tried for, and could execute first-class work if the 
 mind was not under the baneful influence of whiskey. 
 Matthew Hardie was held in much esteem as a violin 
 maker in his locality, and was living in "The Calton," 
 Edinburgh, in the latter half of the last and the begin- 
 ning of the present century, about the point where the 
 Waterloo Bridge now crosses that street. He died in 
 the workhouse of St. Cuthberd's, or West Church parish, 
 about 1825-6, and it is believed that he was interred in 
 the burial ground of the Grey Friars Church of Edin- 
 burgh. 
 
 Thomas Hardie, the son of the former Matthew, was 
 born in 1804, and it is believed learned violin-making 
 of his father ; he was a clever workman, but his dissolute 
 and intemperate habits lost him the employ he could 
 have commanded, and of late years the utmost penury 
 was the penalty. He died on the 19th January, 1856, 
 aged fifty-two, and his death was caused by falling " down 
 a stair in the lawn market ;" and through the kind exer-
 
 374 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 tions of a person who knew him, a small subscription 
 was raised, and he was buried in the ground of the Grey 
 Friars Church of Edinburgh, where the father is sup- 
 posed to be interred. 
 
 The place at which the fatal accident occurred was 
 such " that the most sober person might have fallen 
 there, the door of the house from which he emerged 
 opening at once upon a stair without any landing-place." 
 Charles Reade appears to have drawn the picture of this 
 person in his novel of " Christie Jolmstone," at p. 122, 
 under the name of Thomas Harvey, but too much intel- 
 lect has been assigned to him. 
 
 There was a violin maker connected with Matthew 
 Hardie, named John Blair, but nothing is known of his 
 ability as a workman. 
 
 Whether or no the chamber double-bass can be called 
 an invention, or an enlarged violoncello strung differently, 
 or whichever way it may be considered, the merit of the 
 adaptation is due to an amateur on the violoncello, named 
 Barraud, who held an appointment in the Treasury, and 
 the instrument is generally known as the Barraud bass. 
 These instruments were first made about 1820, and 
 became rather popular, but soon lost their favouritism, 
 partly arising from the excessive pressure required on 
 the strings, to produce anything like a musical sound. 
 It was tuned an octave below the violoncello, therefore 
 the strings were necessarily large and heavy. When 
 first introduced to the public only three covered strings 
 were applied, but latterly all four were covered with 
 wire, the fourth being double covered. These instru- 
 ments were first made for the inventor by John Morrison, 
 then by Thomas Kennedy, and lastly by Samuel Gilkes, 
 who increased the dimensions of them. 
 
 A further modification of this instrument was intro-
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 375 
 
 duced in November, 1844, by Mr. Thomas William 
 Hancock, one of the violoncello performers at the Koyal 
 Italian Opera, under the name of the " basso di camera," 
 at a special meeting convened for that and other pur- 
 poses, of the Queen Square Select Society, in the presence 
 of many amateurs and professors of music, who gave a 
 unanimous vote of approval. These instruments were 
 made at W. Davis's, in Coventry Street, Haymarket. 
 
 It was tuned two octaves below the violin, which 
 method gave the G- one note lower than the present 
 mode of tuning the double-basses of three strings ; but 
 this also had its difficulties to the amateur by causing 
 transposition, and still requiring additional physical 
 energies, although not so great as the one first invented. 
 
 Mr. Hancock has recently adopted another mode of 
 stringing which renders the instrument less difficult to 
 the amateur, the description of which he has kindly 
 supplied for our guidance : 
 
 " The mode of tuning was originally two octaves below 
 the violin, and the same number of strings were used, the 
 two lowest, however, being covered ones ; but Mr. Han- 
 cock, finding the highest string gave a compass unneces- 
 sary for the performance of music written for the contra 
 basso (for which the basso di camera was introduced as a 
 substitute for chamber music), has reduced the number of 
 strings to three, consequently the higher string is now A, 
 the second D, and the third Of, one note lower than the 
 double-bass ; this alteration leaves a compass sufficiently 
 extensive, as the octave to the first string is reached with 
 the same facility as on the violoncello, and with the same 
 smoothness. By the removal also of the first string E, 
 amateurs on the violoncello are at once enabled to apply 
 their knowledge of that instrument to the basso di camera, 
 which was not quite so easy in the arrangement first adopted.
 
 376 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Size and character of the strings now used. 
 
 First. A very large violoncello, second or small double- 
 bass first. 
 
 Second. The usual violoncello fourth covered with 
 wire of the smaller size. 
 
 Third. A violoncello second, or double-bass firstj 
 covered with wire of the largest size used for violoncello 
 fourths, and the string altogether to be about | of an 
 inch thick. 
 
 Dimensions of the basso di camera. 
 
 Inches. 
 
 Length of the body 36 
 
 Breadth of do. fore end 16 J 
 
 Do. hind end 21 
 
 Do. across the sound holes ... 11 
 
 Depth of the sides . 7 
 
 Length of the neck 12J 
 
 Length of the string from the nut to the 
 
 bridge 31 
 
 Machine pegs are desirable for instruments of this 
 class."
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 377 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 AMES of violin and fiddle makers, also 
 dealers of the nineteenth century, not pre- 
 viously noticed. The style or character of 
 the work of the greater number of them is 
 not known : 
 
 ABSAM, THOMAS, originally a joiner by trade, then 
 made cases for violins, and at length made fiddles for 
 Pickard, of Leeds, 1810-1849. Label used : 
 
 " Made by 
 
 Thomas Absam, 
 
 Wakefield, Feb y . 14, 
 
 1833." 
 
 ASKEY, SAMUEL, of London, at first was a tinman, 
 and John Morrison taught him to make fiddles ; about 
 1825, he worked for George Corsby; died in or near 
 1840 by falling down a cellar. 
 
 BALLANTINE, of Edinburgh; but, in 1856, he was 
 living in Glasgow. 
 
 BOOTH, WILLIAM, Sen., born 1779, and at first was a 
 hairdresser. In 1809, he commenced as a maker and 
 repairer of fiddles, and then lived in Leeds. It is 
 believed he died in 1857 or 1858 : 
 
 "W m . Booth maker 
 Leeds. 1828." 
 
 BOOTH, WILLIAM, Jun., son of the former, born at
 
 378 HISTOKY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 Leeds in 1816. After being engaged by Henri Gugel 
 from 1834 to 1838, he returned to Leeds, and com- 
 menced business as an instrument maker in the latter 
 year. He was a clever workman, but greatly afflicted 
 in health. Died 1st June, 1856, aged thirty-nine years, 
 and buried at the Burmantofts Cernetry. 
 
 BROWN, ANTHONY, it is said, learned violin-making of 
 Joseph Panormo, others state of John Morrison and be- 
 came celebrated for his guitars. In 1855, he was living 
 in Eosomond Street, Clerkenwell ; but since that period 
 he has been to " the diggings," and has returned with a 
 little of the mineral riches of that land. He is not re- 
 lated to the other family of similar name. 
 
 COLE, JAMES, of Manchester, learned a portion of the 
 business with Tarr, afterwards with George Crask, all 
 of the same locality. A label was used until the year 
 1858, but now discontinued; and at this period the 
 various instruments are stamped inside " J. Cole." 
 
 CORSBY, , of Northampton, may be living, but very 
 doubtful. 
 
 CORSBY, GEORGE, of Princes Street, Soho, London. 
 It is believed he is a brother of the first named, and both 
 were instructed in the musical business by the father. 
 Nothing is known of the parent. 
 
 CRASK, GEORGE, of Salford, Manchester. 
 
 DAVIS, KICHARD. This person has been alluded to 
 under the name of the firm, Norris and Barnes. He 
 entered their employ in a humble capacity, the latter 
 part of the eighteenth century, and was shopman when 
 Norris died, in 1818, he then succeeded to the business 
 more as a dealer than a manufacturer, having little 
 knowledge of the use of the tools. He retired from 
 business in favour of his cousin William Davis, and went 
 to Bussage, near Stroud, Gloucestershire, his native place,
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 379 
 
 and died there in April, 1836, and was interred at the 
 parish church of Bisley. 
 
 The cousin continued the business until December, 
 1846, more as a dealer and repairer of violins, for he 
 cannot be considered a maker, and brought Charles 
 Maucotel from France to this country to work for him. 
 At the above period he sold the business to Edward 
 Withers, and retired to Bussage, where he still resides. 
 
 DEAKLOVE, MARK, of Leeds, from 1812 to 1820, or 
 perhaps longer ; however, he was not originally taught the 
 business. There is a son of this person named Mark 
 William Dearlove that may still be living, who occa- 
 sionally employed T. Abson, John Gough, and Charles 
 Fryer the latter became a partner with him, and died 
 about 1840. Copy of label : 
 
 "Dearlove and Fryer, 
 Musical Instrument 
 
 Manufacturers, 
 Boar Lane, Leeds, 
 
 1828." 
 
 DELANY, JOHN, of Dublin, used two kinds of labels, 
 one of them very small, thus : 
 
 "Made by John Delany, 
 No. 17, Britain Street, 
 
 Dublin. 1808." 
 
 In the other, which is much larger, he is overflowing 
 with good-will to the human family and self-love to his 
 own abilities, which were most doubtful if realized : 
 
 " Made by John Delany 
 In order to perpetuate his memory 
 in future ages. Dublin, 
 
 1808. 
 
 Liberty to all the world, 
 black and white."
 
 380 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 DENNIS, JESSE, was apprenticed to John Crowther 
 about 1805, and afterwards turned over to Matthew 
 Furber to complete his instruction. He was living in 
 Eweherst Street, Walworth Common, in Feb. 1855, and 
 was then sixty years of age. 
 
 DORANT, WILLIAM, of 63, Winfield Street, Brick 
 Lane, Spitalfields, in the year 1814. 
 
 EGLINGTON. The copy of a label that has been seen 
 in a fiddle of inferior workmanship, and had chequered 
 purfle. The tone was very good: 
 
 " Eglington. Fecit, 
 
 Drury Lane, 
 London. 1802." 
 
 FARN, was merely the dealer, and is mentioned under 
 the name of Bernhard Simmon Fendt. 
 
 FERGUSSON AND SON, living in Edinburgh at the be- 
 ginning of this century. 
 
 FIRTH, G., of Leeds, pupil of Win. Booth, Sen. Copy 
 of the label used : 
 
 " G. Firth, 
 
 No. 110, Briggate, 
 
 Leeds. 1836." 
 
 GIBBS, JAMES, was a maker employed by J. Morrison, 
 G. Corsby and S. Gilkes. Died about 1845, at No. 
 2, New Street, New Cut, Lambeth, and buried in the 
 Churchyard in Waterloo Bridge Koad, Lambeth. 
 
 GOUGH, WALTER, brother to - - Gough, the leader of 
 some of the minor theatres. Died about 1830. 
 
 HIGGINS, P. H., of Montreal, was an exhibitor in the 
 Great Exhibition of 1851. 
 
 J'ANSON, EDWARD POPPLEWELL, of Manchester, pupil 
 of William Booth, Jun. 
 
 MACGEORGE, of Edinburgh, about the period of Mat- 
 thew Hardie.
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 381 
 
 MACINTOSH, of Dublin. See Perry and Wilkinson. 
 
 PERRY, THOMAS, and WILKINSON, WILLIAM, of Dublin. 
 The violins bearing the name of this firm are very 
 neat and well made ; but it is not known if they were 
 workmen themselves. The elder Tobin, who was an 
 excellent workman, is said to be a pupil of the first 
 name, and did much work for Old John Betts. Latterly 
 he kept a shop in West Street, Soho. He died in great 
 poverty in the poor-house of Shoreditch. 
 
 There was another pupil named Macintosh, and said 
 to be the successor of Perry, who died between 1830 and 
 1840. Copy of label, the date of which is doubtful, 
 either 1817 or 1827, used by the firm, in which the long 
 bow appears drawn to the fullest extent, as regards the 
 number of instruments manufactured : 
 
 " Made by 
 
 Tho 8 . Perry and W m . Wilkinson, 
 Musical Instrument Makers, 
 
 No. 4, Anglesea Street, 
 No. 4361. Dublin. 1817 or 1827." 
 
 And in a label dated 1821 the number is put in as 
 reaching 4534. 
 
 STIRBAT, D., of Edinburgh, considered by some per- 
 sons to be a good workman. Copy of label : 
 
 " D. Stirbat. Fecit, 
 Edinburgh. 181 ." 
 
 Space left to put in the last figure of the year. 
 
 STURGE, H., has resided in several places. In 1811 
 he lived in Stephen Avenue, Clare Street, Bristol ; and 
 in 1853 his labels show he was living in Huddersfield, 
 stating on one of them he was from London, and on the 
 other from Bristol. He is considered to be only a re- 
 pairer of instruments.
 
 382 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 TARE, , of Manchester, was formerly a cabinet 
 maker, then a fiddle maker; and in 1855 took to pho- 
 tography. It is said he excelled with his double-basses. 
 
 TOBIN, RICHARD. See Perry and Wilkinson. 
 
 TURNER, JOHN ALVEY, of 19, Poultry, City, and 
 latterly of Cornhill. He was only a dealer, and died in 
 February, 1862. 
 
 WITHERS, EDWARD, can only be considered as the 
 dealer, and purchased the business of William Davis in 
 December, 1846, first employing Charles Maucotel as a 
 workman, then Boullangier, both of whom have left him 
 and commenced on their own account. The business is 
 still carried on by Edward Withers, in Coventry Street, 
 Haymarket, where in 1851-2 was introduced an Ameri- 
 can alteration in the mode of making violins, violon- 
 cellos, &c., known as Wm. B. Tilton's Patent, which 
 consisted of bevelling the blocks at each end of the 
 instrument that both vibrating plates should be more 
 free, and the required support was given by letting in a 
 bar of wood into the blocks the whole length of the in- 
 strument. Although in some few instances an improve- 
 ment was perceptible, yet it may be considered a failure, 
 and is now laid aside. 
 
 WILKINSON, WILLIAM. See Perry and Wilkinson. 
 
 NAMES OF FOREIGNERS THAT HAVE LOCATED IN 
 ENGLAND AS VIOLIN MAKERS. 
 
 PANORMO, VINCENT, who is generally alluded to as 
 Old Panormo, was born on the 30th November, 1734, 
 in a village named Monreale, a few miles from Palermo, 
 in Sicily. He was endowed with much mechanical 
 ability, and, unassisted, from sixteen years of age took 
 delight in making various descriptions of musical instru-
 
 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 383 
 
 meuts. The eldest son of the above-named, Francis 
 Panormo, who attained his seventy-fourth j^ear in 1842, 
 has stated that his father made many descriptions of 
 instruments; but most excelled in violins, violoncellos, 
 double-basses, and hautboys. Vincent Panormo became 
 a resident in several parts of Italy, France, England, 
 and Ireland. The first time he came to England was in 
 1772, the second in 1789, being driven from France by 
 the Ee volution, where it is said " he was doing well." 
 The violins, violoncellos, and double-basses of this maker 
 are deservedly much esteemed, and valued for their 
 pure and Italian quality of tone and appreciated by the 
 professors on these instruments. He died in London 
 about 1813. 
 
 In the MSS. of Hill is given the copy of the following 
 labels : 
 
 "Vincenzo Panormo me fece Marsiglia, 1760, Sicily;" 
 and " Vincenzo Panormo, Londra. 1791." 
 
 There was another son of the above Vincent, named 
 JOSEPH PANORMO, who was a good workman and tho- 
 roughly knew the theory of violin-making. At one 
 period he resided in New Compton Street, afterwards in 
 King Street, Soho. He died about twenty-five years 
 since in the greatest destitution. 
 
 PANORMO, GEORGE LEWIS, was another son of the 
 former Vincent, and became celebrated for his guitars, 
 and was in the highest esteem as a bow maker ; he was 
 then living in Oxford Street, and latterly in High Street, 
 Saint Giles-in-the-Fields. The time of his death cannot 
 be stated with accuracy, probably ten or twelve years 
 since. 
 
 Some persons assert there was another son of Vincent, 
 named Edward Panormo, who, at times, resided in Ire-
 
 384 HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 land and London. We do not know him, and it may 
 probably allude to a grandson of Vincent, who of late 
 years has been living in the latter city; the precise 
 locality, however, is not known, as he has changed his 
 abode many times within the last few years. 
 
 MAUCOTEL, CHARLES, was born at Mireeourt, 1st Nov. 
 1807, and learned violin-making of a relative, by mar- 
 riage, of his mother, whose name was Bloise Mast. In 
 1834 he located in Paris, and was employed by Grand ; 
 ultimately he was engaged by W. Davis, of 34, Coventry 
 Street, and came to London in Dec. 1844, and worked 
 at that house for two years. On the disposal of the 
 business to Edward Withers he remained in the employ 
 about eighteen months, and then left and commenced on 
 his own account at No. 8, Kupert Street, Haymarket. 
 He retired from business about August, 1860, partly 
 through impaired health ; but it is generally believed the 
 real cause was that a relative had left him property. 
 He was a good workman, and knew well the vocation he 
 followed. 
 
 Copy of the label used, with space left to add the last 
 figure of the year : 
 
 " Carolus Maucotelus 
 fecit Londini, 185 CfM." 
 
 CHARLES, THERESS, came from Mireeourt, and on his 
 card is printed "from Maucotel;" for several years past 
 he has been established on his own behalf as a violin 
 maker, and now resides in King Street, Soho. 
 
 CHANOT, whose business is now in Wardour Street, 
 Soho, was engaged as workman to Maucotel, and on the 
 latter retiring he commenced on his own account. 
 
 BOULLANGIER, at one time was in the employ of Ed- 
 ward Withers, but now has an establishment of his own 
 in Dean Street, Soho.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 (BEL, performer, 183. 
 
 Abrinces, king's versi- 
 fier, 73. 
 
 Adenez le Roi, 81. 
 
 Adye, W. L. Esq., his 
 violin, 233. 
 
 Agricola, Martin, 47-8, 93-4. 
 Aireton, maker, 355. 
 Albani, makers, 214. 
 Albinus, or Alcuin, 41. 
 Aldred, maker, 250. 
 Alexandre Roman d', 40. 
 Alleyn, instruments of, 144. 
 Amati, makers, 201-8. 
 Amphicordium, 95 
 Anacreon, 12. 
 Anthony Now Now, 109. 
 Arabian and African instru- 
 ments, 11-12. 
 
 Armin, "Nest of Ninnies," 108. 
 Arched viall, 152. 
 Arnold le Vielleux, 65. 
 Arnold, St. performer, 56. 
 Artusi, 45. 
 
 BAKER, maker, 257. 
 
 Baltazar, 100. 
 
 Baltzar, 146, 152-3. 
 
 Banks, makers, 359. 
 
 Bannister, warrant to buy Cre- 
 mona violins, 154. 
 
 Barbiton, 12, 119, 121-3. 
 
 Barnes, maker, 268. 
 
 Barraud, chamber bass, 374. 
 
 Barrett, maker, 262. 
 
 Bartoloccius, Hebrew instru- 
 ments, 7. 
 
 Bass-viol, large, 93. 
 
 Baud, experiments by, 186. 
 
 Bede, or Pseudo-Bede, 52. 
 Bergonzi, makers, 236. 
 Betts, makers, 270. 
 Beverley, minstrels, 84. 
 Bibliotheque de 1'Ecole des 
 
 Chartes, 79. 
 
 Bigati, anecdote of, 174. 
 Blanchinus, 16. 
 Blegabres, Blaethgabreat, 25, 36, 
 
 40. 
 
 Bolles, maker, 250. 
 Bonanni, Gabinetto, 165. 
 Bourdelot, anecdote of, 163. 
 Bow, introduction of, 20, 49, 158. 
 Ditto, length of, 159. 
 Ditto, makers, 158-60, 369. 
 Britton, instruments, 253, 257-8. 
 Brossard, instruments named by, 
 
 130. 
 
 Brown, makers, 354. 
 Brut, Roman de, 25, 36. 
 Bull, Ole, his violin, 200. 
 Burney's History, 18, 115-16, 146. 
 
 CARRE, account of instruments, 
 165. 
 
 Carter, ancient sculpture, 29, 67- 
 8, 84, 91-2. 
 
 Castrucci, performer, 179. 
 
 Cat and fiddle, 135. 
 
 Cerone, instruments named by, 
 117. 
 
 Cerreto, the like, 116. 
 
 Cervetto, performers, 183. 
 
 Chanot, experiments by, 186. 
 
 Chappell, Wm., F.S.A., his valu- 
 able work, &c., 21, 36. 
 
 Charles I., performer, 137. 
 Ditto, band, 138. 
 
 Charles II., four and twenty fid- 
 dlers, 146. 
 
 Charles IX. of France, 98, 202. 
 
 C
 
 386 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Charles IX. of France, purchase 
 
 of Cremona violins, 99. 
 Chaucer, 28, 37, 44. 
 Chelys, 95-6, 154, 167. 
 Colin Muset, 44, 58. 
 Conductor, 16, 68-9, 177-8. 
 Constantinus Africanus, 24. 
 Contre-Basse, 168. 
 Contre-Bass-geig, 117. 
 Corbet, his instruments, 176. * 
 Cornish Drama, ancient, 29. 
 Cortusio, curious will, 85. 
 Coryat, T., account of music, 141. 
 Coussemaker, Mons. de, 22, 28-9, 
 
 41-2, 45, 47-8, 62-3, 66, 83-4. 
 Crosse, maker, 260. 
 Crowd, crwth, 20, 28-9, 30-4, 109, 
 
 132, 144. 
 Curtis, Sir Wm., instruments of, 
 
 202, 206, 209, 228-9, 231-2. 
 Cythara, cithara, 12, 22-3, 36. 
 
 D'AoiNcouRT, 67, 84. 
 
 Dauney, Scottish melodies, 30, 
 
 103, 249. 
 
 Daverouns, Robt., violist, 65. 
 Degrevant, Sir, Romance of, 27. 
 De Muris, Joh., 39. 
 Details, omission of, 66, 83, 141. 
 Diana, performer, anecdote, 172. 
 Dicord, 13, 58. 
 Di Salo Gaspar, maker, 199. 
 Dodd, bow-makers, 160, 369. 
 Dodd, makers, 367. 
 Doni, instrument, 95. 
 Doran, Dr., Court fools, 108. 
 Double-bass, large, 165. 
 Dragonetti, 194. 
 Drama, first musical, 114-15. 
 Dramatic and poetic early pieces, 
 
 instruments named in, 25, 105- 
 
 7, 114, 132, 134-136. 
 Drayton, Polyolbion, 133. 
 Dubourg, performer, 180. 
 Dubourg, the violin, 169, 278. 
 Duiffoprugcar, maker, 197. 
 Duke, maker, 269. 
 
 EARLE, Microcosmography, 133. 
 
 Edward II., musicians, 65-6, 73. 
 Edward III., ditto, 66, 74-5. 
 Edward IV., ditto, 76. 
 Edward VI., ditto, 102. 
 Egyptian instruments, 18, 20. 
 Elizabeth, musicians, 103. 
 
 Ditto, her dancing, 126. 
 Ely Cathedral, 67. 
 Epigonium, 13. 
 Eric King, anecdote, 10. 
 Esquimaux, violin, 11. 
 Evelyn Memoirs. 153-4. 
 Exeter Cathedral, minstrel gal- 
 lery, &c., 68. 
 
 FENDT, makers, 369. 
 
 Fetis, Mons., referred to, 21, 197, 
 
 199, 208, 210, 222, 229, 232. 
 Fiddle, fidula, fythele, 28-31, 36,. 
 
 53, 106-7, 110, 119, 132-3, 151. 
 Fiddlers, 31, 106-9, 133. 
 
 Ditto, four and twenty, 125, 
 
 146. 
 Forster, Dr., 196, 199, 205, 208, 
 
 214, 216, 219, 234, 238, 271, 284. 
 Forster family, makers, 284. 
 Forster, John, 290. 
 Forster, Wm. (1), 292. 
 Forster, Wm. (2), 296. 
 Forster, Wm. (3), 209. 333. 
 Forster, Wm. (4), 341. 
 Forster, S. A., 343. 
 Forster School, 347. 
 Francis I. band, 97. 
 Frets, 91. 
 
 Frey, Hans, maker, 87. 
 Froschouer, 93. 
 
 GAFURITTS, 91. 
 
 Gsegliano, makers, 235. 
 
 Galilei, V., account of instru- 
 ments, 97, 248. 
 
 Gand, maker, 247. 
 
 Garlande, John de, 38. 
 
 Geminiani, 180. 
 
 Gerasenus, 16. 
 
 Gerbert, " De Cantu," &c., 22-4,. 
 51, 69, 161. 
 
 Gerson, 24, 44. 
 
 Gigiie, 25-7, 46-8, 57, 119.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 387 
 
 Gilkes, maker, 348. 
 Gori, Thesaurus, 152. 
 Grammont, Due de, anecdote, 
 
 125. 
 
 Grancino, makers, 213. 
 Greeks, no bowed instruments, 12. 
 Gros-Guillaume, &c., 47. 
 Guadagnini, makers. 236. 
 Guarnerius family, 231-4. 
 
 HALLIWELL, J. O., F.S.A., fairy 
 
 mythology, 38. 
 Handel, 178. 
 Hardie, maker, 373. 
 Hare, maker, 263. 
 Harp, Egyptian, 18. 
 Hart, maker, 349. 
 Hawes, Pastime of Pleasure, 30. 
 Hawkin's History, 16, 158, 173, 
 
 221, 249, 251, 253. 
 Haydn, dealings with AVm. Fors- 
 
 ter (2), 300. 
 
 Ditto, anecdote, 125. 
 Ditto, letters, 306-10. 
 Head, carved on instruments, 46. 
 Henri aus vieles, maker, 65. 
 Henry IV., musicians, &c., 75. 
 Henry V., the like, 75. 
 Henry VI., the like, 76. 
 Henry VII., the like, 77. 
 Henry VIII., the like, 45, 78, 101. 
 Ditto, his instruments, 102. 
 Henry III. of France, 99. 
 Henry IV. of France, his band, 
 
 98. 
 Hill, Henry, performer, his 
 
 MSS., 198, 205, 233, 251, 323. 
 Hill family, makers, 356. 
 Hole, Rev., his violoncello, 324. 
 Howell's Letters, 5, 60. 
 Hume, R., maker. 249. 
 
 ICELAND, violin, 11. 
 Indian Ragas mentioned, 9. 
 Instructions du Comite, &c., 42, 
 57, 64. 
 
 JARNOVICK, performer, anecdotes 
 
 of, 172. 
 
 Jay, makers, 250-1, 258, 265. 
 Jehan le Tonneleur, 81. 
 
 Jehan le Vidaulx, 80. 
 Jenkyns, J., performer, 147-8. 
 John, King of France, payments 
 
 to musicians, 75. 
 John, St., Cirencester, 91. 
 John of Salisbury, 24. 
 Johnson, maker, 267. 
 Jones, Relics of Bards, 30. 
 Jouglet, performer, 65. 
 Jubal, father of music, 6. 
 
 KENNEDY family, makers, 352. 
 Kepler, music of spheres, 10. 
 Kerlin, J., maker, 87. 
 Keyed instruments to imitate 
 
 stringed, 152, 164, 246. 
 Kinnor, 6, 7. 
 Kircher, instruments named by, 
 
 6, 124. 
 
 Kit, the, 105, 119, 132-3, 168. 
 Klotz, makers, 218. 
 
 LABOJRDE, Histoire de Musique, 
 11, 17, 43, 58, 95, 161-2, 167. 
 
 Layard, his researches, 19. 
 
 Lentz, maker, 372. 
 
 Leprince, performer, anecdote, 
 171. 
 
 Lewis, maker, 258. 
 
 Lidel, Mons., his barytone, 131. 
 
 Lindley, R., account of, 191. 
 
 Lintercolo, 166. 
 
 Lott family, makers, 372. 
 
 Louis XI., anecdote of, 88. 
 
 Louis XIII., anecdote of, 124. 
 
 Louis XIV., anecdote of, 115. 
 
 Lupot La Chelonomie, 241. 
 
 Luscinius, 95. 
 
 Lute, Eastern, 8. 
 
 Lyra, Viol, 148. 
 
 Lyra Teutonica, 23. 
 
 MACE, " Musick's Monument," 
 
 157, 203, 218, 250-3. 
 Magadis, 13. 
 Maggini, makers, 211. 
 Makers, ancient corporation of, 
 
 98. 
 Makers, English, 248, et scq. 
 
 Ditto, Foreign, resident, 384.
 
 388 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Makers, French, 65, 211, 215, 
 
 240-1, 247. 
 
 Ditto, German, 197, 201, 215- 
 
 16, 242. 
 
 Ditto, Italian, 197, 201, 215- 
 
 16, 242. 
 
 Ditto, Midwalders, 219. 
 Mara, performer, anecdotes of, 
 
 228-9. 
 Marais, performer, anecdote of, 
 
 124. 
 
 Marguerite, Queen, 96. 
 Mathurine, anecdote of , 97. 
 Matteis, performer, 153-4. 
 Maugard, performer, anecdote of, 
 
 129. 
 
 Mell Davis, performer, 153. 
 Melross Church, crwth, 30. 
 Mersennus, 93, 119-23. 
 Millin, Galerie, &c., 14. 
 Minstrel's Galleries, 68. 
 
 Ditto, Corporation, 44, 78. 
 Ditto, kings of, 81. 
 Ditto, some account of, 72. 
 Monochord, 25, 27-8, 30, 58, 166. 
 Montagnana, maker, 229. 
 Monte verde, 97. 
 Montfaucon, 13, 14. 
 Moravia, Jerome de, 45, 63. 
 Morgan, Bishop, 30. 
 Morley, Practical Music, 113. 
 Music, Academy of, in France, 82. 
 Ditto, effect of on animals, 3. 
 Musical Publications, 110, 130, 
 
 142, 158. 
 
 Musical Society of London, 177. 
 Musicians, Corporation of, 76, 
 
 140, 161. 
 Ditto, exempt from subsidies, 
 
 103, 138. 
 
 Musonii Philosophi Opus, instru- 
 ments named, 13. 
 
 NEUMES, 59. 
 
 Neghinoth, 7. 
 
 Nineveh, instruments, 19. 
 
 Norman, B., maker, 258. 
 
 Norris, maker, 268. 
 
 Northumberland Household 
 
 Book, 45, 78. 
 Notation, 16, 59, 87, 112. 
 
 Notker, 2l, 24. 
 
 GATES, Jack, anecdote of, 108. 
 Olivieri, anecdote of, 170. 
 Opera, first English, 176. 
 
 Ditto, in France, 115. 
 Oporinus, 92. 
 
 Orchestras, 146, 162-3, 177-8. 
 Ott, Jean, maker, 87. 
 Otto's work referred to, 222, 246. 
 
 PAGANINI, 188. 
 Pamphilon, maker, 255. 
 Panormo, bow maker, 160. 
 Parker, maker, 256. 
 Passenans, anecdote from, 179. 
 Pavan dance, 143. 
 Pectis, 13. 
 
 Pemberton, maker, 255. 
 Pepys's Diary, 149-152. 
 Performers, 56, 65, 73-7, 79, 80-1, 
 
 96, 99, 100, 102-3, 125, 127-8, 
 
 137-8, 153-4, 169, 170-5, 187, 
 
 189, 190. 
 Ditto, payments to, 65, 73-80, 
 
 86, 101-3, 134, 137-8, 151. 
 Peterborough, Cathedral, Mr. 
 
 Strickland's ceiling of, 55-6. 
 Piers Ploughman's Vision, 37. 
 Playford, 156. 
 Plectrum, 14, 15. 
 Poche, 118-20, 165, 168. 
 Poisot, Histoire, 98. 
 Pollnitz, Baron de, 164. 
 Potier, Monumens, 42-3, 61-2, 66- 
 
 7, 83, 92. 
 
 Prsetorius, M., 117. 
 Price of Instruments, 103-4, 139, 
 
 154, 158, 222, 229, 230, 233, 250, 
 
 256-7, 260, 263, 265, 268, 323, 
 
 325, 329-31, 361-2. 
 Promptorium Parvulorum, 40. 
 Psalterion Sautry, 21, 25-7, 29, 
 
 30. 
 Pugnani, anecdote of, 170. 
 
 RABELAIS, 46. 
 
 Rahere, king's minstrel, 54. 
 
 Rayman, maker, 253.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Rebec, rubebe, 12, 27-8, 30, 43-6, 
 101, 165. 
 
 Rheims, musician's house, 63. 
 
 Richard II., payments to musi- 
 cians, 75. 
 
 Richelieu, Cardinal, anecdote of, 
 126. 
 
 Rimbault, Dr., 142, 148. 
 
 Rolla, performer, anecdote of, 
 171. 
 
 Romans, no genuine representa- 
 tion of bow, 12, 14. 
 
 Roquefort, 43, 198. 
 
 Ross, makers, 251. 
 
 Rote, 21-2, 24-9, 30, 41-3. 
 
 Rousseau Traite, 6, 15, 18. 
 
 Ruggeri family, makers, 212. 
 
 Russian instruments, 12. 
 
 SAVART, experiments, 186. 
 
 Schetky, account of, 184. 
 
 Shalme-player, death of Wolsey's, 
 78. 
 
 Shaw's Dresses, &c., 43, 54. 
 
 Shift used, 122, 169. 
 
 Simpson, division viol, 154. 
 
 Smith's harmonics, 1, 150. 
 
 Smith, maker, 251, 267. 
 
 Soisson, enamelled basin, 64. 
 
 Sordino, 166, 168. 
 
 Spence, as to spurious antiqui- 
 ties, 14. 
 
 Steiner family, 219. 
 
 Storioni, maker, 238. 
 
 Stradiuarius family, 224-6. 
 
 Strings, 64, 111, 124, 154, 236. 
 Ditto, experiments with, 111. 
 
 Strutt's Manners, &c., 53, 63, 84- 
 5, 140. 
 
 Symbola Divina, 124. 
 
 Symphonic, chyfonie, 25-7, 29, 
 30,40. 
 
 TAHDIEU de Terascon, improved 
 
 violoncello, 108. 
 Taylor, Water Poet, 141. 
 Tempest, orchestra for, 146. 
 Terns, Pastour Le, 26. 
 Thompson, makers, 266. 
 
 Thorns, W. J., F.S.A., Notes on 
 
 Fiddle, 38. 
 
 Todini, instrument, 130. 
 Toulmou, Bottee de, 22, 114. 
 Tourte, bow maker, 159. 
 Troubadours referred to, 70. 
 Troveors, Les Deux Ribauz, 40 
 Trumpet, marine, 124, 166. 
 Tubbs, bow makers, 160. 
 
 URQUHART, maker, 254. 
 
 VENANTIUS Fortunatus, 20. 
 
 Veracini, anecdote of, 170. 
 
 Vidaulx, Jehan le, performer, 80. 
 
 Vielle, 25-7, 40. 
 
 Viuesauf , Geoffrey de, 38. 
 
 Viol, 30, 40, 43, 50-7, 61-8, 74, 80, 
 83-5, 91-5, 98, 101-4, 109, 114- 
 19, 123, 125, 130, 133, 138-9, 
 140-1, 144, 147, 154-8, 161, 165- 
 8, 176, 250-1. 
 
 Ditto, chests of, 116, 250-1. 
 Ditto, tuning of, 94-5, 116. 
 
 Viol da gamba, 97, 105, 114, 141. 
 
 Viol d' amour, 168. 
 
 Viola pomposa, 164. 
 
 Violetta marina, 179. 
 
 Violette, 168. 
 
 Violin, 11, 31, 81, 90, 95, 99, 100- 
 1, 103-4, 106-7, 114-15, 117-19, 
 122, 130, 132, 137-8, 140, 145, 
 147, 154, 156-8, 161-3, 165, 167, 
 189, 222, 229-30. 
 Ditto, kings of, 81. 
 
 Violoncello, 117, 119, 121, 130, 
 162-4, 168. 
 
 Violono, 97, 165. 
 
 Viotti, performer, anecdotes of, 
 128, 181. 
 
 Volker, musical warrior, 38. 
 
 Vows of the Heron, 74. 
 
 Vuillaume, maker, 247. 
 
 WALMSLEY, maker, 263. 
 Whistlecraft's History, 53. 
 Wilkinson, Sir G., Ancient Egyp- 
 tians, 18.
 
 390 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Wood, A., account of music, 147- 
 
 8. 
 
 Worcester Cathedral, crwth, 29. 
 Wright, T., F.S.A., History of 
 
 Domestic Manners, 72. 
 Wynne, W. G., Esq., his crwth, 
 
 34. 
 
 YORK Cathedral, screen, 68. 
 
 Youssoupow, Prince, his Lutho- 
 monographie, 11, 199, 200, 205, 
 210-11, 214-15, 221, 224, 226, 
 233, 236-7. 
 
 ZACCONI Pratica di Musica, 90. 
 Zwinglius, a performer, 97. 
 
 THE END.
 
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