The strings.
Violin strings are made from the intestines of sheep. The lowest string has fine wire spun round it, silver wire being the best. Copper wire is greatly used, it being much cheaper. The best strings are obtained from Italy, from Rome, Padua, and Naples, although very good strings are also manufactured in Germany, at Markneukirchen. The value of a string consists principally in its perfect equality of thickness throughout; above all, there must not be knots in it. A string spun quite evenly yields accurate vibrations, and is on this account pure in tone.
In order to test the purity of tone of each string, it may be held as shown at both ends, pulling it rather tight, and then setting it into vibration with one of the fingers. If it appears double, thus:—
it possesses a pure tone; if, however, it appears threefold,—if only at one part of it,—it will be false.
