‘THE STRAD. 120 ‘an article from July 1952 offered practical advice for selecting an instrument THE STRAD How to Choose a Violin By Percy Orr HOOSING a violin that will meet all the requirements of the individual player is far from a simple matter, involving not only the musical value of the instrument but also the investment of a considerable sum of ‘money if one cherishes a fine old Cremonese masterpiece. Many articles and even a few books have been written on this subject but from observation itis quite apparent that the majority of beginners, and even many ad- vanced players, have little or no practical knowledge about the salient points of violin tone or violin values. To clarify the problem that faces the inexperienced violinist when ing a violin, is the sole aim of the writer, and to attain that end the following ten ints are outlined as guideposts for the would purchaser of a string instrument of the violin family. Psychological : No two individuals have the same absolute desires about anything, nor can their emotional reactions ever be exactly alike ; therefore, it is imperative ‘that each individual should make the final decision according to his reacti after duly considering all authoritative opinions. To be a judge of anything one must now his subject and what is equally import ant, one should have a reasonable skill of execution where any musical instrument is selected for personal use. It is impossible to select tly @ violin on a tonal basis unless the player has some prior knowledge ‘of good tone obtained by listening to artist Players, and bas, in addition, a reasonable ability to draw a good tone himself. Where the player lacks the latter he should devote his concentrated efforts on developing a good bow-arm until he acquires sufficient tech- nigue to produce a good tone, ‘onal quality is a personal evaluation and every player select an instrument that is agreeable to his ear, and his ear alone if the case need be, provided of course that the instrument has sufficient volume for its intended use. What must always be ‘ome in mind is the fact that musical talent is inherent in the individual and can never be aoqired. Musial talent must have some 3m of expression to become intelligent, an¢ in the case of the violinist he transfers his inner feelings through the medium of the ‘vibrating strings and a sounding chamber ; ‘one violin may be more sympathetic to his feelings than another but no good violin will ever sound poorly in the hands of an artist and likewise, never will a poor player draw a fine tone from any violin. The quality of tone after all is mainly dependent on the player, and this is very wel illustrated in the ease of Sivori who possessed a very fine Carlo Bergonzi violin and an ordinary J. B. Vuillaume, and who the Vuillaume to the Bergonzi, which nobody could under- stand who played alternately on the two instruments until they listened to Sivori play upon both instruments, then there was no longer any doubt but that for Sivori the ‘Vaillaume was the instrument of first cheice. In addition to the tone of the instrument, the workmanship, varnish, model, and pedi- gee, should be satisfactory to the player, tthe latter factor being of course dependent ‘upon his pocket-book. Seldom is an instru ‘ment chosen for tone alone and the player should realize this and make every effort to secure an instrument most in harmony with his personal temperament and yet be within a price range he can afford, Facts and Fancies : Much of the litera- ture on the violin, especially on old violins, contains many unsubstantiated statements, erroneous statements, and pure phantasy. In numerous instances many of the basic fdeas are nothing but the personal opinions, not supported by facts, of the authors, and ofttimes much is made of quotations from certain writers whose knowledge of unrelated facts may have been enormous but who in ‘turn were unable to identify with certainty the very instruments they were writing about. ‘Many of the dictionaries of violin makers are ‘at complete variance with one another be- cause much of the contents are personal opinions secured from various sources and ae not facts substantiated by, qualified personal investigation. It is most unfortu- nate that we have such few reliable works available for reference and guidance ; the ia Sheen Ws oer a and the Guadagnini Family Daring sre shining examples of what can be done by conscientious writers. As a general rule never accept a written or verbal opinion unless you can substantiate the context or you have implicit faith in the source. Many violins made by Stradivari are tonally’ inferior to instruments costing no 50 rs wirn0‘THESTRAD. 120. THE STRAD more than one hundred pounds and even less, and all the glorified phrases about their superlative quality and power is but the personal opinion of the appraiser, and with ew exceptions can never be substantiated in a test for tone conducted under rigid controls. Always let the facts speak for themselves. ‘Use: No one violin will be the most suitable instrument for the combined needs of orchestral, solo and quartet playing. The powerful and penetrating tone so necessary ‘on the concert platform is not required and is furthermore, not desirable in the quartet or in the home ; nor is the smooth, beautiful tone, of the ideal quartet violin suitable for solo’'performances in the large halls. For ‘orchestral playing a good solid tone that can bbe heard by the player is preferable to the ultimate in quality and smoothness. Since ‘the majorty of string players, both amateurs ‘and professionals, rarely perform solos with ‘orchestras in the large halls, the present ‘raze for instruments with @ concert tone is more a personal taste than a legitimate need, and often sacrifices quality for power. Decide for what purpose you intend to use your instrument and then Select the one most ‘suitable for your needs, Model : As a general rule flat arching indicates, power and high arching cuggests quality, but_there are many exceptions in Wek Gee, Bach vikin shoud be Seed as an individual case and not as a member of a class. Where a large investment is at stake a flat model should be chosen if the resale value is a factor. No player should accept hhis reaction when playing an instrument as a reliable guide for volume but should have the opportunity of listening to the instrament ‘under ideal conditions. Players with limited technique or small hands would do well to choose a small model with a responsive tone. Physical Condition : The average player can read a dozen books on violin making and ing and still know next to nothing about the actual harm a violin may have suffered through faulty or poor repairs. A vrll repaired violin looks quite diferent to the expert than it does to the novice whose main concern is with the outside of the Estrument rather than ‘with tho acteal Condition of the upper and lower plates. Whether you contemplate the purchase of an extensively repaired instrument or one that ae bale cago mac ria ays So the advice of an expert repairer. Repair as ing of the pistes, all repairs, new ieee tac ae eens ll to Bearing on the tonal qualitice ofthe intra Sqeer sg ees aos wl acroseg tn carmmercal vale of he instrument. For ordinary amateur use repairs should offer no obstacle if well done nd this includes sound-post patches, Por profesional playing the instrament should Ef cours be Souad enough for hard and bog ‘sage, If possible to do so on your budget feck a mint specimen : if i is neosssary 10 Choose between a well repaired instrument wrth a good tone and a mint specimen with zm ordinary tone, choose the former if you ek vise acd less sone ices fave over the later; When possible avoid Fiddles with cracks in the sound-post area tr near the area pressed on by the chin thoroughly check the interior for patches and tron foun see that the tone Ss ot aflected tnd that they are expertly done je certain fat there has been no scraping ofthe wood inside ; and. above all use your common Sense, “Cracks well repaired ear the edges fare oft times stronger'than the centre joint itself, transverse cracks are more. harmful than longitudinal fractures but all depends on thet location and size, Avoid instruments ‘vith worm holes unless careful investigation Teveals little. damage. Violins which have pistes by dicen makers wometimes sound iter than they did in their original state bat have decidedly less commercial value than formerly, ‘The state of the varnish, criginality of the serol, ete, are factors that the tone of the instrument. "When in doubt about repairs seek expert advice. ‘What they say about The Strad. PHILIPPE GRAFFIN, VIOLINIST ‘Wat strikes me about The Sad magazine shat ichelps tokeep our small but spread-out musical «atning ther ling somewhere else stil, The Stod dives news oftheir actives and thei fends is ‘so unique thatthe magazine has been witness of history and often a voice to thove that had to fee the horrrs kom the continent. Even though their vilin playing was ephemeral, The Sad helped in keeping a trace oft Happy birthday! ‘community of sing players together We now lveinanera where students can easly study in woot thee diferent continents and end up tent rovsoo stm ST