HOW TO TAKE CARE OF A VIOLIN.
The first lady performer on the violin that I ever heard, which was some forty years ago, was Madame Philipowics, a Polish lady, neither young nor beautiful. And it so happened that she was engaged to perform at an oratorio in Bradford, where I also was engaged to sing the bass solos. So between the acts of the oratorio she was advertised to play an air with variations on the violin, the novelty of the performance of which created a perfect furore, and the applause far exceeded all that was given to the singers of the oratorio. But her execution, although considered wonderful, was not equal to that which Theresa Millanollo produced some time afterwards in the metropolis. “The most dangerous things for our piano-playing scholars to hear,” says Gustave Schilling, in his work on teaching, “are the more productive stringed instruments. One of my scholars,” he continues—“a young lady with whom I had taken special pains, and who was really clever, and had made much progress towards perfection as a pianist—after hearing Theresa Millanollo play the violin, declared that she would give up the piano, and take to that instrument, even though she should be able to play the violin but a little. And I had the greatest difficulty to get her to relinquish her intention, and to excite anew her interest and her former enthusiasm for the continued practice of the piano. But I at last succeeded in convincing her of the folly of her desire to change instruments, and she became, as I predicted, an extraordinary pianist.”
Most students manifest a peculiar liking for some particular instrument at the outset of their career, and if they persevere in their determination to practise it, they often become eminent in its performance.
Good teachers will not fail to take every means in their power to induce their pupils to take pains to arrive at a perfect knowledge of their art. I knew an old country professor, some fifty years ago, who was excessively fond of Haydn’s Symphonies, arranged as quintets for two violins, viola, violoncello, and flute; but he could not often get together the performers where he resided; so, having four grown-up daughters, he taught them to play these instruments in first-rate style, and thereby found no difficulty in indulging his hobby. And they were very particular in keeping their instruments in good order.
In the preservation of a good violin it is requisite that it should be kept, when not in use, in a wooden case, lined with cloth or flannel; and as it is subject to damage from the sudden changes of the weather, the greatest care should be taken to keep it from damp. Too great heat, however, will often render the wood brittle, and make it difficult to produce the tone with the best effect, as the strings are apt to become dry, so that it is not easy to bring out that delicacy of tone which is one of the charms of the instrument. To carry the violin to any distance from home in cold weather, it should always be put into its case, or else it is apt to condense moisture when brought into a warm room, and to cause dust to accumulate both inside and outside of it. And it should never be left out of its case in the summer, as the flies are almost certain to get into the f holes, and leave their filth in it, much to the detriment of its tone. It is also absolutely necessary to keep the violin perfectly clean; and the resin-dust should be carefully wiped off with a soft linen cloth before and after using it. It is a good plan to insert a handful of warm barley into the interior, through the f holes, and by shaking it well the dust will attach itself to the seed, and will be brought out with the barley through the f holes. This process should be performed twice a year, and the instrument will be better preserved for it. To keep the strings on the instrument in good order for any length of time, take a small piece of taffeta and moisten it with almond oil, and rub it lightly over the strings, from the bridge to the nut, after using the violin, and before putting it into its case. And when you want to use it again, wipe off the oil with a piece of fine linen. This plan is especially beneficial to the fourth or G string, which, however much it may be stretched before being covered with wire, is apt to shrink in summer, when the wire gets loose if the string is not subjected to the oiling. The advantage of adhering to this plan will be that the strings will not become dry, and will retain a smoothness of tone, and keep the moisture from the fingers from being detrimental to the strings, and prevent their producing a false tone, or that grating or whistling so common in the use of the resin from the bow. This treatment of the instrument was communicated to Ernst by Otto, and Ernst mentioned it frequently to the professors and amateurs, who readily adopted it and found considerable advantage therefrom. The proper means of preserving strings not in immediate use is stated to be the moistening them with the best almond oil, putting them into a piece of calves’ or pig’s bladder, and enclosing them in a tin box. Most violin players know where to procure the best strings. Another important thing connected with the violin is its having a paper bridge fitted for it, which should be specially adapted to the instrument. If the performer has a good violin, there will be no difficulty in procuring a good and proper bridge for it when it is required. And the next thing to having a good bridge is that of having a good set of pegs for tuning the violin. In Germany girls are taught to play the cornet, the French horn, and various other wind instruments; but whether it would be decorous for our females to imitate such examples is rather doubtful. It is by constant use, and not by age only, that a violin becomes mellow in tone; but a great deal depends on the maker. It is true that Cremonas and other violins which have been in constant use for many years have acquired a character for superiority beyond most others, consequently they often fetch a larger price—more, perhaps, from having been in the possession of first-rate performers than from any intrinsic value in the instruments themselves. It is not our intention, however, to give any account of the manufacture of the violin—those who are curious in such matters may consult a thousand other works on the subject, which are to be obtained of the music publishers, both foreign and English.
C. H. P.
