of Amatis and Stradivaris—Guarneri del Gesù brought to the front by Paganini, and Maggini by De Bériot—Recognition of the merits of Bergonzi, Guadagnini, and Montagnana—Luigi Tarisio, and his pilgrimages in search of hidden treasures; his progress as amateur, connoisseur, devotee; his singular enthusiasm, and Charles Reade's anecdote thereon; the Spanish Bass in the Bay of Biscay; Tarisio's visit to England, and the Goding collection; his hermit life; purchase of his collection by M. Vuillaume—Principal buyers of Italian instruments at this period, continental and English—Charles Reade as a connoisseur—Count Cozio di Salabue, an ardent votary of the Cremonese Violin; his purchase of Stradivari's instruments, patterns, tools, &c.; his correspondence with Paolo Stradivari relating thereto—William Corbett, and his "Gallery of Cremonys and Stainers"—The collections of Andrew Fountaine and James Goding—The Gillott Collection; its curious origin, its unique character and interesting circumstances attending its sale
331–374
SECTION XIV.—SKETCH OF THE PROGRESS OF THE VIOLIN.
Date of the first appearance of the instrument—The Violin of Leonardo da Vinci—Paolo Veronese's picture, "The Marriage at Cana" (with engraving)—Baltazarini, the earliest known player—The "Concert Orchestra" and the Duke of Ferrara—First use of stringed instruments in the Opera; the "Orfeo" of Claudio Monteverde—Introduction of the Sonata; Dr. Burney thereon—Corelli, and the "Balletti da Camera"—Dibdin on Corelli's Concertos—Jean Baptiste Lulli, and the Legend of the Stewpans; his influence on early French Violin music—Progress of the Violin in England; Dr. Rogers and John Jenkins—Samuel Pepys on the emoluments of the Royal Band—John Bannister and the earliest English public concerts—Henry Purcell; his Sonatas, and his royal patron, Charles II.—Thomas Britton, the "musical small-coal man," and his concerts in Clerkenwell—John Henry and Thomas Eccles, and itinerant musicians—Francesco Geminiani; his Sonatas and musical works—Progress of the instrument in Italy; Tartini and his compositions; Locatelli, Lolli, and Giardini; Boccherini and his Quintets; Viotti, his School of Violin-playing, and his concerts; Campagnoli, and his "Studies on the Seven Positions of the Violin," and other works; Paganini, and his imitators; Sivori, Ole Bull, Leclair, Gavinès, and other leaders in the art—Violin-playing in France and Belgium; M. Rode, M. Alard, M. Sainton, De Bériot and Vieuxtemps—Polish Violinists of note—Lord Chesterfield's instructions to his son relative to Fiddling—Michael Festing and Thomas Britton; origin of "The Philharmonic Society," and of the "Royal Society of Musicians"—Handel legacy to the Royal Society—Early musical proclivities of the Earl of Mornington—Salomon and the Philharmonic; negociations with Haydn—Influence of Salomon on the development of musical taste in England—The Cramers—Nicholas Mori and others—Dando—Henry Blagrove, and his "Concerti da Camera"—Mr. Chappell and his "Monday Popular Concerts"—Henry C. Cooper, and the "Quartett Association"—M. Sainton, Hill, Piatti; John Carrodus, Herr Molique, and the Brothers Holmes—Progress of the Violin in Germany: Graun and Benda; John Sebastian Bach as Violinist and composer; Herr Joachim—Handel, influence of his compositions on the progress of the Violin—Haydn, and his Symphonies and Quartetts; A lady's ideal thereof—Mozart, and his "Method" for the Violin; his early attachment to the instrument—Schubert, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Fesca, and their influence—Louis Spohr and his works—Bernard Molique—Joseph Mayseder—Kalliwoda—Herr Ernst, Joachim and Strauss, with Herr Wilhelmj, and their concerts
375–409
SECTION XV.—ANECDOTES AND MISCELLANEA CONNECTED WITH THE VIOLIN.
Hudibras and the Champion Crowdero—George Herbert's references to Music—Christopher Simpson's Trinity in Unity—Shakespeare's Sonnet VIII.—Violins from a medical point of view—"A Musician"—Origin of Tartini's "Sonato del Diavolo"—Dr. Johnson and the Violin—Dr. Johnson on the Difficulty of Playing the Violin—Dr. Johnson's Epitaph on Phillips, the Welsh Violinist—Dr. Johnson's Knowledge of Music—Dr. Johnson on Fiddling and Freewill—Haydn in London: a "Sweet Stradivari;" Letters of the Rev. Thomas Twining—Gainsborough as a musician—Garrick and Cervetto—The King and the Player—Sir Walter Scott on Music and Fiddles; the Duke of Hamilton's passion for the Violin—A Cinderella Violoncello—A Stolen "Strad"—The Missing Scroll—Another Wandering Scroll—A Montagnana Instrument shot through the body—Fiddle Marks and the Credulous Dabblers—"Guarneri" at a Discount—Dragonetti's Gasparo: Letter thereon by Mr. Samuel Appleby—The Betts Stradivari: Letter by the late Charles Reade—Leigh Hunt on Paganini—Thackeray on Orchestral Music—Spohr and his Guarneri—Spohr and the Collector—The Ettrick Shepherd and the Violin—The Fiddle Trade: "Old Borax" and "Michael Schnapps," the Fiddle-ogre—The Prince and the "Fugal Vortex"—Sale of Cremonese Instruments at Milan in 1790—An Indefatigable Violinist—A Wish—Living Stradivaris—Pleasures of Imagination—A Royal Amateur—Pius IX. and the Musician—Ole Bull and Fiddle Varnish—Letter from Tartini on the Treatment of the Violin
The early history of the Violin is involved in obscurity, and in consequence, much diversity of opinion exists with regard to it. The chief object of the writer of these pages is to throw light upon the instrument in its perfected state. It is, therefore, unnecessary to enter at great length upon the vexed question of its origin. The increased research attendant upon the development of musical history generally could hardly fail to discover facts of more or less importance relative to the origin of instruments played with a bow; but although our knowledge in this direction is both deeper and wider, the light shed upon the subject has not served to dissipate the darkness attending it. Certain parts have been illumined, and conclusions of more or less worth have been drawn therefrom; for the rest, all remains more hopelessly obscured and doubtful than the identity of the "Man in the Iron Mask" or the writer of the "Letters of Junius."
It is satisfactory to know that the most valuable and interesting part of our subject is comparatively free from that doubt and tradition which necessarily attaches to the portion belonging to the Dark or Middle Ages. When we reflect that Music—as we understand it—is a modern art, and that all instruments of the Viol and Fiddle type, as far as the end of the fifteenth century, were rude if not barbarous, it can scarcely excite surprise that our interest should with difficulty be awakened in subtle questions pertaining to the archæology of bowed instruments.
The views taken of the early history of the leading instrument have not been more multiform than remote. The Violin has been made
