Antonio Stradivari, his life and work (1644-1737) . S CONSTRUCTION | i identical design. His plan for placing them in correc;!position on the belly (figs. 45 and 46) shows considerabkjingenuity, and furnishes striking testimony to the frecdoirof the Italian system of violin-making. By a series 01/ /I f\\ V // / tt ( I I\\ \ e-- Fig.*46. -7 f IIVs\\ \ compass-made circles Stradivari fixed upon the exactposition he desired for the top and bottom openings of thesound-holes ; then, aided by a small template (fig. 47)placed between the two holes, a small point at each endholding it in position, he
Antonio Stradivari, his life and work (1644-1737) . S CONSTRUCTION | i identical design. His plan for placing them in correc;!position on the belly (figs. 45 and 46) shows considerabkjingenuity, and furnishes striking testimony to the frecdoirof the Italian system of violin-making. By a series 01/ /I f\\ V // / tt ( I I\\ \ e-- Fig.*46. -7 f IIVs\\ \ compass-made circles Stradivari fixed upon the exactposition he desired for the top and bottom openings of thesound-holes ; then, aided by a small template (fig. 47)placed between the two holes, a small point at each endholding it in position, he roughly traced the longitudinal IHIS METHOD OF CUTTING THE SOUND-HOLES ^07 opening, and thenceforward trusted to his unerring eye andcommand of the knife for the formation of the wings andthe exact curve of the top and bottom holes. We possess tracings of eight drawings which Stradivaritermed Misura per gli occhV, which were designed todecide upon the position of the sound-holes in violins ofvarious dimensions, in tenors and violoncellos; and, re-. Fig. 47. Fig. 48. Templates for the Opening of / Holes, and Sketch of Completed •/ Hole. peated scrutiny and comparison notwithstanding, we arestill at a loss to discover either a fixed starting-point or aguiding rule in any of them. This admirable method of forming the sound-holesevidently did not originate with Stradivari. It had beenpractised from the earliest period, and a template such asis now employed, to trace the entire sound-hole on thebelly, was, if not unknown, at any rate not used. From 2o8 STRADIVARIS CONSTRUCTION Gaspares time onward, succeeding generations of makenhad been taught to trust to accuracy of eye rather tharto any mechanical pattern, and a certain knowledge odrawing was probably an indispensable part of each makerstraining. The result is that we are charmed by the evervarying sound-holes of the greater Italian makers, andspared the sameness of design so characteristic of the moremodern ones of all nations
Size: 1796px × 1392px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondonmacmillanand
