as
painting his immortal works, and Benvenuto Cellini, the greatest
goldsmith of his own or any age, was setting the jewels of popes and
princes, and enamelling the bindings of their books. Whilst the
master-minds of Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu were
occupied with those instruments which have caused their names to be
known throughout the civilised world (and _un_civilised too, for many
thousands of Violins are yearly made into which their cherished names
are thrust, after which they are despatched for the negro's use),
Canaletto was painting his Venetian squares and canals, Venetians
whose names are unrecorded were blowing glass of wondrous form and
beauty. At the same time, in the musical world, Corelli was writing
his jigs and sarabands, Geminiani penning one of the first instruction
books for the Violin, and Tartini dreaming his "Sonata del Diavolo";
and while Guadagnini and the stars of lesser magnitude were exercising
their calling, Viotti, the originator of a school of Violin-playing,
was writing his concertos, and Boccherini laying the foundation of
classical chamber-music of a light and pleasing character. It would be
easy to continue this vein of thought, were it not likely to become
irksome to the reader; enough has been said to refresh the memory as
to the flourishing state of Italian art during these times. What a
mine of wealth was then opened up for succeeding generations! and how
curious is the fact that not only the Violin, but its music, has been
the creature of the most luxurious age of art; for in that golden age
musicians contemporary with the great Violin-makers were writing music
destined to be better understood and appreciated when the Violins then
made should have reached their maturity.

That Italy's greatest Violin-makers lived in times favourable to the
production of works possessing a high degree of merit, cannot be
doubted. They were surrounded by composers of rare powers, and also by
numerous orchestras. These orchestras, composed mainly of stringed
instruments, were scattered all over Italy, Germany, and France, in
churches, convents, and palaces, and must have created a great demand
for bow instruments of a high class.

The bare mention of a few of the names of composers then existing will
be sufficient to bring to the mind of the reader well versed in
musical matters the compositions to which they owe their fame. In the
sixteenth century, Orlando di Lasso, Isaac, a