The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Violin, by George Hart

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Title: The Violin
Its Famous Makers and Their Imitators

Author: George Hart

Release Date: July 1, 2007 [EBook #21982]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE VIOLIN ***

Produced by Ron Swanson

[_Frontispiece_: PAGANINI'S GIUSEPPE GUARNERI. Date 1743. (IN THE
MUNICIPAL PALACE, GENOA.)]

THE VIOLIN
ITS FAMOUS MAKERS AND THEIR IMITATORS

BY
GEORGE HART

WITH
_NUMEROUS WOOD ENGRAVINGS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE WORKS OF STRADIVARI,
GUARNERI, AMATI, AND OTHERS, AND ADDITIONS AND EMENDATIONS BY THE
AUTHOR'S SON AND TOWRY PIPER_

"To perfect that wonder of travel--the locomotive--has perhaps not
required the expenditure of more mental strength and application, than
to perfect that wonder of music--the Violin." W. E. GLADSTONE.

LONDON
DULAU AND CO., LIMITED, 37, SOHO SQUARE, W.
SCHOTT AND CO., 159, REGENT STREET.
1909

[_All rights reserved._]

PREFACE TO THE ENLARGED AND REVISED EDITION

The favourable reception accorded to the previous editions of this
work has not only added greatly to the pleasure attending the
preparation of a new and revised edition, but has encouraged me to
spare no effort within my power to render the volume as interesting
and complete as possible. In making these endeavours, the bulk of the
book has been necessarily increased by additional information, spread
over all the sections of the work, but chiefly on those which treat of
the Early History of the leading instrument, and the Italian branches
of the subject.

It is in connection with the Italian divisions of the book that the
reader will discover, I venture to hope, information which he will
regard as interesting in its character, besides being of some
historical value. The greater part of this new matter has been
obtained from original MSS. belonging to the trustees of the Civic
Museum at Cremona, which Institution is located in the palace
bequeathed to the citizens, together with its contents, by the
Marchese Ponzoni. In the year 1872, Dr. F. Robolotti, the learned
historiographer of the town, and a dist