of the long past, commands almost
fabulous prices. A Cremona very lately sold for four thousand dollars;
while such instruments as I have mentioned, when in the possession of
a soloist, are scarcely to be purchased at any price.

Up to the times of the celebrated violin-virtuoso, Paganini, there had
not been, it would seem, much improvement made in performance upon
this instrument. He startled and electrified the musical world, and in
his wonderful playing developed and amplified such resources and
effects, both as to instrument and performer, as were not, previously
to his coming, thought possible. After him, and to be compared with
him, have come Vieuxtemps, Ole Bull, Wieniawski, and Joseph White. The
latter, although not as yet so well known as the others (he is only
a little over thirty years of age), is considered by competent critics
to be fully entitled to rank with them.

But these are "bright particular stars," men of genius. The instrument
is so difficult of mastery, that few violin-students may hope to equal
such marvellous players as those mentioned; although long-continued
and severe application may make them good orchestral performers or
fair soloists.

The violin is said to be the "king of instruments;" but, by this,
reference is made to those powers and extensive resources of
expression that are made manifest when the instrument is subject to
the brain and hand of the very skilful performer.

At such a time it is made to sing a song, which, readily awakening the
sympathies of the soul, causes the listener to recognize and feel the
effects of the intonations of pathos, of passion, of deepest
melancholy, or those of lightsomeness and wildest joy.

Indeed, this noble instrument, under the deft fingering and skilful
bowing of a master-player, becomes almost sentient, and is shown to
possess the superior and exclusive power of expressing nearly all the
human voice can produce except the articulation of words. A
music-teacher once wrote that "the art of playing on the violin
requires the nicest perception and the most sense of any art in the
known world;" and many there are who will agree with him.

The purity, the sweetness, of its tones,--to produce which calls into
exercise the most delicate faculties of the mind,--and the power of
these tones to awaken in the heart the most tender feelings, to lead
the performer at times into delightful imaginations, into pleasing,
restful reveries,--it is the poss