the violin were living; and since their day until now, all attempts to improve the violin by changing its form in any manner have failed. The violin was introduced into England by Charles the Second, who was restored to the throne in 1660. Four years after this, the English took New-York, and the next abroad," were included among "rogues, vagabonds, and sturdy beggars," and were to be punished as such; and in Cromwell's usurpation, an act was passed, declaring "fiddlers" rogues and vagabonds-as it is most likely the generality of them were. England did not want for rogues at that time. The French also lay claim to the inven-year, 100,000 of the population of London tion of this disreputable crowding instrument. On the portico of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, the building of which was begun in the tenth century, is a figure representing King Chilperic with a sort of violin in his hand. And so late as the close of the sixteenth century, or just before the modern instrument took its form, the violin is indicated in some old Italian scores thus: piccoli violini alla Francese; rendering it probable that the reduction which took place in size, from the ancient viols and violas, is to be ascribed to the French. In Italy there were also early instruments of the violin family. In the old paintings of the Decameron of Boccaccio, the ladies and gentlemen are represented playing upon the lute and viol, some of the ladies, in particular, using the latter instrument. Also, in the celebrated painting of the marriage of Cana, by Paul Veronese, the foreground contains portraits of his brother artists, who are represented performing upon stringed instruments like those now in use. The modern violin dates from the begin ing of the seventeenth century, or about the year 1600; and Italy has the honor of its parentage. Let us consider what was transpiring in the world about two hundred and fifty years ago. perished of the plague, which was before the establishment of newspapers like ours. We give these dates to convey an idea of the time, and of the changes that have taken place since. In 1670, King Charles established a band of twenty-four violins, tenors and basses; and about this time a celebrated solo player named Baltzar came over to London. He could run up and down on the instrument, says the old Chronicle of Anthony Wood, "in divers waies, all in good tune;" and when he played on one occasion, a famous musician looked down at his feet to see if he had "huffs," as if to ascertain if he were not a devil. This was before the death of Milton, 1674, and before the passage of the act of Habeas Corpus, the sure remedy in all cases of false imprisonment, 1678. The The most valued of the old violins were made at Cremona, in Italy, about 1650, by Stradivarius, Guanerius, and the brothers Amati. Many of these are still in use, and counterfeits of them without number. Stradivarius violins are the largest and loudest, while the Amati excel in sweetness. The best of these instruments sell in Europe for enormous prices. Viotti's Stradivarius sold at Paris in 1824 for 3800 francs. They have never been equalled. Some have imagined their excellence to lie in the varnish, or in the wood, and these have accordingly been imitated in all possible ways. The old var Shakspeare had not ceased writing; he died in 1614, and New-York was settled by the Dutch about the same year. In 1605, the Gunpowder Plot took place, the anniver-nish has been subjected to chemical analysis, sary of which is still celebrated in New-Eng- but the secret of it is lost; wood from anland, where the Pilgrims did not land till cient organs and buildings has been employfifteen years after. Our translation of the ed with like ill success. The highest priced Bible dates from 1611. In 1625, Charles modern French instruments are the most the First was beheaded. Louis XIV. the exact copies that can be made of the old ones, Great, began to reign in France in 1643. even in the most minute particulars. Yet In 1652, the Jews were restored by Crom- the old ones possess, in addition to the sweetwell to England, from which they had been ness and smoothness which only age can imbanished more than three hundred years. part, a peculiar sonorous, rich, and penetratThe Great Plague of Naples, which destroy-ing quality of tone, that has never been even ed 400,000 people in six months, broke out in 1656. At this time the great Italian makers of approached by a modern instrument. They will sound smooth near at hand, and make themselves heard equally well in the full orchestra; showing that it is not the rough- | expression. But, many modern players find ness, but the purity of tone which commands it easier to conquer his pizzicato runs and the most effect. harmonics, than to imitate him in legitiEvery other thing connected with the vio-mate playing. The evil, however, must cure lin has changed except its shape. The old itself in time; the burlesque is the most short bow, such as was used by Corelli, trivial and variable of all forms of art. would excite a general smile if brought into any of our orchestras; and so would that great master's style of bowing, with a stiff wrist. The loose wrist was not in general use, even in Handel's time. The idea of shifting to the third position would a little before have been thought indicative of insanity. On the old music was written "Gare l'ut!" (look out for the C!) whenever a C had to be played on the upper string, several bars before it came, in order to give the performer time to quiet his nerves for the immense stretch. Now, the player must often go an octave higher without any caution, and, it should be added, without always hitting his note. The whole mode of writing for the instrument has changed. As the loose wrist came into use, the doubling of notes in forte passages, which could not have been played in the old way, was introduced in the orchestra, and increases ten-fold the brilliancy of effect. So with innumerable other combinations, both of bowing and fingering. It is a singular fact in the history of Art, that no artist of any sort ever created such an universal sensation throughout Europe as did this wonderful performer. No singer, not even the most celebrated of the time, was ever greeted by such enthusiastic audiences, or could set in motion such quantities of the "circulating medium." Even Jenny Lind in America has not surpassed this remarkable "crowder," as the old English has it. Nor did ever any painter, sculptor, architect, or any man, by whatever title he should be called, who set out to please his fellow-men through forms of beauty, attain to such a distinction and such a command of wealth. And it might be added, that no artist ever had so much of nonsense written about him. The furore which he kindled has not even yet died away. We have never known a musical person, who heard him, who was tired of expatiating on the miracles of his extraordinary performance. Yet it is a frail tenure by which the artist, however successful he may be, holds his power. A little finger broken, and the hand that held the sceptre so firmly, could have held it no longer; while the great world would have moved on as before he came; and the great world is singularly forgetful. "To nave done," says Ulysses, "is to hang like a rusty coat of mail, in monumental mockery." Those forms of art which recede farthest from the physical and material, and which task the subtle energies within, are, after all, the safest. The great performer may delight thousands in his lifetime, and enrich and ennoble himself; but the compo Tartini, the great master of bowing, is esteamed the founder of the modern school. After him, Giardini and Pugnani made still further advancement, both in the bow and in the management of the left hand. Some of their compositions present examples of great difficulties conquered to little purpose; yet they are interesting as illustrations of what was once thought to be a bold style. Viotti was perhaps the first artist who should be considered to have established the modern school, though many great performers aided in bringing it to perfection. Viotti's bowing was large and free, and his execution full of fire. He had the true in-ser, sitting and smoking in some old parlor spiration of a musician; his compositions are therefore still interesting. in the outskirts of a city, elaborating points and figures over a German stove, though he After Viotti, the great French and Ger- may earn but a little money, just enough to man artists, Rode, Baillot, Kreutzer, Lafont, live comfortably upon, has yet an estate, Spohr, De Beriot, and a host of others, in- of which (thanks to the mercy of Provicreased still more the powers of the instru- dence, in seldom afflicting our minds) he ment, until at length PAGANINI, one of the cannot be suddenly deprived. Even the deworld's wonders, came from Italy, and found-vastation of battles passes over him without ed what must be designated the modern touching him; the great Emathian conqueror fanciful or solo school. His extraordinary bid spare the house of Pindar, when facility in all sorts of difficulties was no less remarkable than his command of tone and VOL. IX. NO, I. NEW SERIES. "temple and tower For there is no art more elevating than music; none more powerful to charm down and silence the rough passions and "lowthoughted cares" of men. It is the most universal, and, in many of its forms, the most intelligible of all the arts. Its images steal upon the mind in a mode that permits no avoidance; once heard, they haunt the memory, and keep the fancy busy with beautiful expressions. The composer is rightly thus named; for it is he who composes mankind. He sings the lullaby to his race, and gives it pleasing dreams in place of the unquiet thoughts of the inevitable pains and woes of existence. His office harmonizes with his whose duty it is to keep alive the Christian hope of a better life to come; and this all recognize in the propriety of sacred music in our churches. It may seem extravagant, but if one reflects, it cannot appear going too far to claim for a great violinist no mean position among the benefactors of our species. and so it is said Napoleon spared the house | more, have contributed by their admirable of Haydn in the suburbs of Vienna. In con- performances to elevate their beautiful art nection with the marvellous success of Paga- in the estimation of thousands of the citinini, it may be mentioned, as a circumstance zens of this our young and restless nation, which the vulgar little dream of, that music and have thus, by instilling new ideas of costs more money than any other art in the beauty, aided in refining society.* world. It is estimated that the works of HANDEL have caused the exchange of more value than those of any artist, musician, or poet, who has ever lived, not excepting even the writings of Homer, whose works even now, at the distance of so many centuries, give employment to so many minds, hands, and steam-engines. It was probably with some dim notion of the truth this illustrates, that a young man in Boston came to an eminent artist to learn the violin. Mr. Herwig, whose name will be remembered by many lovers of the violin, told the writer that during the first successes of Ole Bull in this country, a young man called on him one morning to inquire about some lessons. He wished to know how long it would take to learn, and whether three months would not be sufficient. He was in the boot manufacturing business, but disliked the confinement, and wished to exchange the employment for one more congenial to him. There was Ole Bull, he said, making a fortune by playing the violin, and it had occurred to him, that if he could acquire it without too much trouble, he didn't see why he should not do the same! This individual deserves to be remembered as without question the boldest speculator of this speculative age. His conception of the dif ficulties of the instrument almost equals that of the person who, when he was asked if he could play the violin, made the immortal reply, that he "didn't know, for he never had tried!" We will not sully the reputation of the accomplished artist and leader of Jenny Lind's orchestra, by quoting his name as a voucher for the truth of this latter story. To the violinist there is something in it quite overwhelming. Even to enumerate the names of the great performers of our day, would require almost as much space as we have devoted to our entire history. Some of the first have been heard in this country, and have spread a general knowledge of the capabilities of their wondrous instrument. Vieuxtemps, Olé Bull, Artot, Sivori, and others of great merit, such as Mr. Joseph Burke, Henri Appy, Miska Hauser, and many At all events, his profession is not a very inviting one to those ungifted with true musical enthusiasm. He has before him long years of practice, to be begun and continued with unwavering perseverance. In his case there is no royal road to excellence; and he must be able to find his reward in his art itself. He should bear in mind the epitaph which it is said may be found in Wolverhampton churchyard in England, and which, lest he may never have seen, shall be here transcribed: ANNO DOMINO 1753. "Near this place lies Claudius Phillips, whose absolute contempt for riches, and inimitable performance on the violin, made him the admiration of all who knew him.” But it is not necessary to devote oneself so exclusively to the art, in order to attain For some hints respecting performance on the violin, the reader is referred to an article on the subject, by the writer, in the American Review for December, 1847, and to a general and more elaborate essay upon music in the number for February of the same year. his friends; for if there is any species of torture to be ranked the most unendurable of all, it is the performance of a new beginner on a bad instrument. a respectable degree of skill upon the violin; that of an inherently dead and scratchy enough at least to place ordinary music with-quality in his violin; and no wonder. If he in reach, and thus to add to the amusements does not, he speedily becomes a nuisance to of the domestic circle. There is no instrument more social in its character, and none that is, when it is properly cultivated, more elegant and refining. Its small size renders it a convenient companion in travel, and a good amateur of it will never lack society, whatever may be his taste. We know of an instance where it enlivened a long sea-voy-affords, perhaps, another reason for supposage; another where a very moderate skill upon it became an additional resource to a forlorn schoolmaster in Indiana; and still another, where a gentleman of considerable literary attainments was glad to avail himself of it in the city. The great obstacle with most amateurs, has hitherto been the difficulty of obtain ing a fair instrument at a convenient price. Few of the best are ever in the market, being retained among professors acquainted with their merit. Generally there is a long interval between first-rate instruments and such as are to be had at any price in the music-shops. The learner soon gives up in despair, when his own scraping is added to By the common consent of civilized nations, beginners on the violin are expected to retire for practice to the attics, which ing the instrument to have had its origin in Greece. There we will leave him, with his scales and studies before him. We faucy we can almost hear that everlasting second study of Kreutzer. Enough; let the door be listed, and let there be a door to the staircase below, that the birth-chamber of the nascent Paganini may be as secluded as the seventh heaven of Mahomet. If this brief sketch shall contribute to spread a knowledge of the violin, the writer hopes it may thus render a service to the art of Music-the art divine-the art in which there may be found consolation under whatever can be inflicted by misfortune, or by false and cruel men, KNOW YE THE LAND?-SONG. BY WILLIAM DOWE. Dedicated (sans permission *) to the Standard-Bearer of the Federal Constitution, It is but a piece of poetical propriety that any lyric expressions of attachment to the Federation should do homage to the matchless man of prose who has done more than all the Nine Muses put together in the way of inspiring them! |