,,the ,,bow1 ,,its ,,history1           
,,manufacture ,,and ,,use4     ,printed 
in ,great ,britain by ,j4 ,h4 ,lavender 
and ,co41 #b1 ,duncan ,terrace1 ,city   
,road1 ,london1 ,n4,i4                  
,frontispiece3 ,,henry ,,saint-,,george4
     ,,the ,,strad ,,library1 ,no4      
,,iii4 ,,the ,,bow1 ,,its ,,history1    
,,manufacture ,,and ,,use  ,,by  ,,henry
 ,,saint-,,george     ,,illustrated ,,by
 ,,the ,,author     ,,third ,,edition   
,london3 ,,horace ,,marshall  ,,son1    
#df1 ,farringdon ,street1 ,e4,c4#d4     
,new ,york3 ,,charles ,,scribner',s     
,,sons1 #eig-eii1 ,fifth ,avenue4       
#aibb4     ,,preface4   ,it has always  
appeared to me a curious thing that the 
bow1 without which the fiddle could have
 no being1 should have received so scant
 attention1 not alone from the community
 of fiddlers1 but also from writers on  
the subject4 ,i only know of one book in
 which the subject is adequately        
handled4 ,out of every twenty violinists
 who profess to some knowledge of the   

various types of ,cremonese and other   
fiddles of repute and value1 barely     
three will be met with who take a       
similar interest in the bow beyond      
knowing a good one1 or rather one that  
suits their particular physique1 when   
playing with it4 ,they are all familiar 
with the names of ,dodd and ,tourte1 but
 it is seldom that their knowledge      
extends beyond the names4 ,as for a     
perception of the characteristics of    
bows as works of art1 which is the      
standard of the fiddle connoisseur1 it  
hardly has any existence outside the    
small circle of bow makers4 ,of the     
large number of undoubted fiddle experts
 now in ,london1 but a small proportion 
profess to any similar knowledge of     
bows1 and of these there are but few who
 can be credited with real authority in 
the matter4  ,it is1 therefore1 with the
 object of bringing the bow into more   
general notice that this little book has
 been written1 and1 to drop into the    
good old prefatory style1 if ,i succeed 

in arousing the interest of but one     
violinist in the bow for itself1 and    
apart from its work1 my efforts will not
 have been in vain4  ,my most hearty    
thanks are due to those who have so     
kindly assisted me in my work4 ,to      
,messrs4 ,w4 ,e4 ,hill and ,sons1 ,mr4  
,e4 ,withers1 ,mr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,chanot1 ,mr4
 ,j4 ,chanot1 and ,messrs4 ,beare1      
,goodwin and ,co41 for the loan of      
valuable bows for the purpose of        
illustration1 and ,mr4 ,a4 ,tubbs1 who1 
in addition to similar favours1 most    
kindly placed much of his valuable time 
at my disposal1 and very patiently      
helped me to a sufficient understanding 
of the bow maker's craft for the purpose
 of collecting materials for the second 
part of the book4  ,the third part1 in  
which ,i treat of the use of the bow1 ,i
 have purposely avoided making a        
systematic handbook of bowing technique1
 for to handle that subject as          
exhaustively as ,i should wish would    
require a separate volume4 ,as stated in

 ,chapter ,,xiv41 that portion of the   
book is addressed almost exclusively to 
teachers1 and in the few cases where ,i 
have gone into questions of technique it
 has been limited to those points that  
appear to be most neglected or          
misunderstood by the generality of      
teachers4  ,anything that is worth doing
 is worth doing well is a maxim that    
teachers should hold up to themselves   
and their pupils1 and this reminds me of
 an exhortation to that effect in       
,musick's ,monument1 that quaint and    
pathetic book of ,thomas ,mace 7#afgf7  
with which ,i cannot do better than end 
my already too extensive preamble4  ,now
 being ,thus far ready for ,exercise1   
attempt the ,striking of your ,strings2 
but before you do ,that1 ,arm yourself  
with ,preparative ,resolutions to gain a
                                        
,handsome--,smooth--,sweet--,smart--,cle
ar--,stroak2 or else ,play not at all4  
,,contents4   ,,part ,i4 ,the ,history  
of the ,bow4  ,,chapter ,i4             

,,page ,,origin ,,of ,,instruments4     
,,frictional ,,vibration4 ,,the ,,bow   
,,distinct ,,from ,,the ,,plectrum4     
,,the ,,trigonon4 ,,bowing ,,with       
,,various ,,objects 4 4    #a  ,,chapter
 ,,ii4 ,,oriental ,,origin ,,of ,,the   
,,bow4 ,,indian1 ,,chinese ,,and ,,other
 ,,eastern ,,bowed ,,instruments  4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
#g  ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,crwth4     
,,fleming',s ,,etruscan ,,ravanastron4  
,,the ,,mediaeval ,,bow4 ,,unreliability
 ,,of ,,early ,,drawings ,,and          
,,sculptures 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #ad    
,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,beginnings ,,of 
,,the ,,modern ,,bow4 ,,ornamentation4  
,a ,,possible ,,stradivari ,,bow4 ,,the 
,,movable ,,nut4 ,,the ,,cremaillere4   
,,the ,,screw ,,nut    #bc  ,,chapter   
,v4 ,,vuillaume',s ,,facts4 ,,the       
,,ferrule ,,and ,,slide4 ,,john ,,dodd  
4 4 4 4 4 4   #ca  ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,dr4
 ,,selle',s ,,recollections ,,of ,,dodd4
 ,,his ,,work ,,and ,,poverty4 ,,dodd   
,,and ,,tourte4 ,,the ,,calculation ,,of

 ,,fetis ,,and ,,vuillaume 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
   #cf  ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,lupot4       
,,peccatte4 ,,spurious ,,stamping4      
,,panormo4 ,w4 ,j4 ,b4 ,,woolhouse',s   
,,calculations 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #de  ,,chapter ,,viii4 
,a ,,list ,,of ,,bow ,,makers 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #ea 
,,part ,,ii4 ,bow ,making4  ,,chapter   
,,ix4 ,,materials4 ,,brazil ,,wood4     
,,horsehair4 ,,the ,,action ,,of ,,rosin
 4 4 4 4 4   #fj  ,,chapter ,x4         
,,qualities ,,essential ,,in ,a ,,bow   
,,maker4 ,,shaping ,,the ,,stick4       
,,setting ,,the ,cambre4 ,,the ,,faces4 
,,the ,,trenches4 ,,the ,,nut 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4   #fd  ,,chapter ,,xi4          
,,possible ,,repairs4 ,,splicing4       
,,renewing ,,cups4 ,,restoring ,,the    
,,nut4 ,,re-,,facing  4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4     
#ga  ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,re-,,lapping4   
,,re-,,hairing4 ,,choice ,,of ,,rosin  4
 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #gg  ,,chapter 
,,xiii4 ,,the ,,perfection ,,of ,,the   

,,modern ,,bow4 ,,dr4 ,,nicholson',s    
,,patent ,,bow4 ,,vuillaume',s          
,,inventions4 ,,self-,,hairing ,,bows4  
,a ,,folding ,,bow4 ,,the ,,ketteridge  
,,bow 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #ha   ,,part ,,iii4 ,the
 ,art of ,bowing4  ,,chapter ,,xiv4     
,,the ,,undecided ,,aspect ,,of         
,,technique4 ,,importance ,,of ,a       
,,knowledge ,,of ,,the ,,anatomy ,,of   
,,the ,,hand4 ,,the ,,function ,,of     
,,the ,,thumb4 ,,individuality ,,in     
,,technique 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4   #he  ,,chapter ,,xv4        
,,bowing ,,historically ,,considered4   
,,the ,,oldest ,,english ,,violin       
,,method4 ,,sympson',s ,,instructions   
,,in ,,bowing4 ,,those ,,of ,,mace      
7#afgf74 ,,those ,,of ,,various ,,modern
 ,,masters  4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4   #ia  ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,the       
,,fingers ,,of ,,the ,,right ,,hand4    
,,differences ,,of ,,opinion ,,thereon4 
,,sautille4 ,,the ,,loose ,,wrist  4 4 4
 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #ig  

,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,importance    
,,of ,,the ,,slow ,,bow4 ,,the ,,rapid  
,,whole ,,bow4 ,,staccato4 ,,bowing     
,,studies ,,and ,,solos4 ,,conclusion 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4  #ajb         
,,publisher',s ,,note4   ,in this new   
impression of the late ,mr4             
,saint-,george's book opportunity has   
been taken to correct a few obvious     
errors1 such as those occurring in the  
notices of the three bowmakers named    
,peccatte2 the deaths of those makers   
which have occurred since the           
publication of the first edition have   
been noted1 and a few fresh names have  
been added to the list contained in     
,chapter ,,viii4 ,in other respects the 
text of the work remains practically as 
the author left it4     ,,index ,,to    
,,illustrations4   ,,photo              
,,reproductions ,,of ,,bows4  ,,plate   
,i4 ,head and nut of inlaid bow probably
 by ,stradivari                         
to face page #cb    ,,ii4 ,heads of     
three ,english bows showing evolution of

 design                                 
to follow page #cb   ,,iii4 ,heads of   
two violin1 two viola1 and one 'cello   
bow1 by   ,,iv4     ,j4 ,dodd  4 4 4 4 4
 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4  to follow page  
#cb     ,v4 ,heads of three violin bows 
and one 'cello bow1 by   ,,vi4          
,francois ,tourte  4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
 4    to face page #dh   ,,vii4 ,heads  
of bows by ,lupot 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
to follow page #dh  ,,viii4 ,two heads  
of bows by ,d4 ,peccatte and one by     
,panormo                                
to follow page #dh   ,,illustrations    
,,in ,,the ,,text4  ,,fig4              
,,page  #a4 ,locust1 showing action of  
hind leg in producing note 4 4 4 4    #c
   #b4 ,assyrian ,trigonon  4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4    #e     
#c4 ,crwth bow from the ,golden ,porch  
at ,freiburg  4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4    #f     
#d4 ,ravanastron and bow 7,indian7 4 4 4
 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4    #g   #e4  
,uh-,ch'in and bow 7,chinese7 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4    #h   #f4     

,omerti and bow 7,indian7  4 4 4 4 4 4 4
 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4    #h   #g4      
,kemangeh-a-gouz and bow 7,arabian7  4 4
 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4    #i   #h4      
,rebab-esh-,sha'er and bow 7,arabian7 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4    #i   #i4     
,sitara and bow 7,persian7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #aj  #aj4      
,sarinda and bow 7,bengalese7  4 4 4 4 4
 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #aa  #aa4      
,method of hairing some ,egyptian bows 4
 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #ab  #ab4      
,saw-,tai and bow 7,siamese7  4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #ac  #ac4 ,bow
 of ,nyckelharpa 7,swedish7 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #ac  #ad4 ,bow of 
,saw-oo 7,chinese7  4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #ac  #ae4 ,bow of the 
eighth century  4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4   #ah  #af4 ,bow of the ninth 
century 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4   #ah  #ag4 ,bow of the ninth       
century 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4   #ah  #ah4 ,bows of the eleventh   
century 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 

#ai  #ai4 ,bows of the twelfth century  
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #bj   
#bj4 ,bows of the thirteenth century 4 4
 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #bj  #ba4  
,bows of the fourteenth century 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #ba #bb4  #bc4  
,bows of the fifteenth century  4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #ba  #bd4 ,bows 
of the sixteenth century  4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #bb  #be4 ,bows of the
 seventeenth century 7drawn actual size 
from     specimens now in existence7  4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #be     
#bf4 ,bows of the eighteenth century    
7drawn actual size from     specimens   
now in existence7  4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
 4 4 4 4 4   #bg  #bg4 ,showing         
detachable nut of some early bows  4 4 4
 4 4 4 4 4 4   #bh  #bh4 ,heels of early
 bows  4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
 4 4 4   #bi  #bi4 ,the ,cremaillere  4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4   #cj  #cj4 ,head and nut of          
ornamented ,cremonese bow 7actual size7 
4 4 4   #cb  #ca4 ,head and nut of ,dodd

 bow 7reduced7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
   #cc  #cb4 ,head of ,dodd bow 7actual 
size7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4     
#cd  #cc4 ,geometrical construction     
showing gradation of stick 7,fetis7     
#dc  #cd4 ,bow stick in the rough       
7greatly reduced7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   
#fe  #ce4 ,pattern of bow head 7actual  
size7  4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #fe  
#cf4 ,ivory face in the rough  4 4 4 4 4
 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #fh  #cg4  
,gauge for nuts 7actual size7 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #fi  #ch4 ,parts
 of a bow 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #gb  #ci4 ,tip of bow 
showing cups  4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4   #gc  #dj4 ,head of bow showing
 trench 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4   #gd  #da4 ,nut of bow showing screw 
and method of hairing 4 4 4 4 4 4 4     
#ge  #db4 ,end view of nut showing bow  
with unequal facets  4 4 4 4 4 4   #gf  
#dc4 ,dr4 ,nicholson's bow  4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #hb  #dd4 
,a fifteenth century violist  4 4 4 4 4 

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #ia  #de4 ,a    
seventeenth century gambist 7from       
,sympson7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   #ic         
,,the ,,bow3 ,its ,history1 ,manufacture
 and ,use4     ,,part ,i4 ,,the         
,,history ,,of ,,the ,,bow4   ,,chapter 
,i4  ,,origin ,,of                      
,,instruments--,,frictional             
,,vibration--,,the ,,bow ,,distinct     
,,from ,,the ,,plectrum--,,the          
,,trigonon--,,bowing ,,with ,,various   
,,objects4   ,as has been observed by   
the most talented writer on this subject
 the history of the bow is practically  
that of the violin4 ,it will therefore  
be readily understood that in the       
earlier portions of this opusculum it   
will be impossible to separate them to  
any great extent2 also1 ,i must crave my
 readers' indulgence for going over a   
considerable tract of already well      
trodden ground4 ,my excuse must be my   
desire for completeness1 for1 as ,i     
propose to deal with the evolution of   
the modern bow1 ,i find it difficult to 

arbitrarily select a starting point to  
the exclusion of all previous details1  
whether of ascertained fact or          
conjecture4 ,therefore ,i will follow   
the invariable custom of fiddle         
literature and go back to the regions of
 speculative history for a commencement4
  ,speculative history is1 ,i fear1 more
 fascinating to the writer than         
convincing to the reader1 so ,i will be 
as brief as possible in this particular1
 nor will ,i1 like one ,john ,gunn who  
wrote a treatise on fingering the       
violoncello1 fill up space with         
irrelevant matter such as the modes and 
tunings of the ancient ,greek lyres1    
etc41 highly interesting as these       
subjects may be1 although it is a very  
tempting method of getting over the bald
 and unconvincing nature of the bow's   
early history4  ,we of the present      
generation1 having the bow in its most  
perfect form1 are apt to take its       
existence for granted2 we do not think  
that there must have been a period when 

no such thing was known1 and1           
consequently1 fail to appreciate the    
difficulties in the way of its discovery
 or invention4 ,with some other         
instruments it is different4 ,for wind  
instruments we have a prototype in the  
human voice1 and one may reasonably     
suppose that the trumpet class were     
evolved by slow process from the simple 
action of placing the hands on either   
side of the mouth to augment a shout4   
,the harp may have been suggested by the
 twanging of a bow-string as an arrow   
left the archer's hand1 and a           
seventeenth century play writer         
fancifully attributed the invention of  
string instruments to the finding of a  
dead horse head4 ,here1 of course1 would
 be found a complete resonance-chamber  
and possibly some dried and stretched   
sinews--quite sufficient to suggest     
lute-like instruments to men of genius  
such as must have formed a much larger  
proportion of the world's population in 
prehistoric times than is the case      

to-day2 for brilliant as our great men  
of art and science are1 there are few   
who can be called originators in the    
simplest meaning of the word4  ,thus1   
then1 we have wind instruments1 harps   
and lutes2 but the bow eludes us4 ,if we
 are determined to find a suggestion in 
nature we must turn to certain insects  
of the cricket and grasshopper tribe4   
,many of these1 in particular the       
locusts1 are thorough fiddlers1 using   
their long hind-leg as a bow across the 
edge of the hollow wing-case to produce 
the familiar chirping sound4            
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #a4  ,naturally1  
the strings are absent1 but here is to  
be found a perfect example of the       
excitation of frictional vibration4     
,whether this was actually what         
suggested the bow is another matter4    
,for my own part1 while admitting that  
in close observation of nature our early
 forefathers were probably supreme1 ,i  
prefer to think that the innate concept 
of the bow was latent in the human mind 

and only waited some fortunate accident 
of observation to start it into being4  
,i am aware1 however1 that this is a    
highly unscientific position to take up4
  ,that there should be so little in the
 way of adequate record concerning the  
development of this indispensable       
adjunct of the violin is not a matter   
for great wonderment1 for1 as has       
elsewhere been shown1 the earlier bowed 
instruments were of such primitive      
construction1 and1 consequently1 so weak
 in tone that they were totally unsuited
 to the purposes of ceremonial or       
pageantry2 two subjects which form      
prominent features in ancient pictorial 
representations4 ,and if we come to what
 we fondly term more civilized times1 we
 find such crude drawings of early viols
 and kindred instruments that we must   
not be surprised if such an apparently  
unimportant detail as the bow should    
receive still more perfunctory treatment
 at the hands of the artist4  ,we must  
also remember that the word fiddlesticks

 is still applied to anything that is   
beneath contempt in its utter lack of   
importance4  ,undoubtedly the idea of   
exciting vibrations in a stretched      
string by means of friction is one of   
great antiquity2 so much so1 indeed1    
that the question of origin becomes     
merely one of conjecture4 ,true1 the    
majority of writers look upon the bow as
 a development of the plectrum1 but this
 is a theory that ,i must confess does  
not strike me as being satisfactorily   
probable4 ,to paraphrase a popular      
expression1 fingers were made before    
plectra1 the latter being an improvement
 on nature's contrivance4 ,and ,i see no
 reasonable objection to the supposition
 that friction may have been used as a  
means of tone-production prior to the   
introduction of the plectrum4  ,the     
great dissimilarity between the         
producing of sound by plucking1 and that
 by friction is such that ,i see no     
occasion to evolve one from the other   
and consider their introduction most    

probably coeval4  ,when we come to the  
direct percussion of a string1 as in the
 dulcimer1 piano1 etc41 we at once      
perceive a possible connection between  
the hammer of the one and the rod or bow
 of the other3 the accidental colliding 
of the bow with the strings of its      
accompanying instrument would soon      
suggest experiments ending in the       
forming of dulcimer-like instruments4#a 
,but if we grant that the art of        
plucking a string had first advanced as 
far as the substitution of a plectrum   
for what ,mace calls the nibble end of  
the flesh1 ,i fail to see how such an   
implement could suggest the friction of 
a string1 as1 if short enough for       
manipulation in its original use1 it    
would not be long enough to excite the  
continuous vibrations characteristic of 
the bow4  ,footnote #a3 ,the bow is     
frequently used now as a means of       
percussion for certain effects4  ,i do  
not accept the theory of a long plectrum
 used for pizzicato purposes1 as ,i     

consider1 with ,engel1 that such an     
implement would have been unmanageably  
clumsy even for the primitive music of  
the ancients4 ,whenever ,i see a rod1 as
 in the accompanying drawing of the     
,assyrian ,trigonon1 ,i maintain that   
its purpose was to excite frictional    
vibrations4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #b4  
,the method of performance readily      
suggests itself in this case as it will 
be seen that it would be quite possible 
and convenient for the player to pass   
his rod--probably a rough surfaced      
reed--between the strings4 ,i do not    
think it could have been used for       
percussion as1 in that case1 it would   
surely have had some hammer like        
projection at its end2 a salient feature
 hardly to be missed by the artist as   
were the less obtrusive details of the  
true bow in later ages4  ,we are all    
familiar with the oft repeated anecdote 
of ,paganini's playing with a light     
reed-stem1 and ,i remember having seen  
at ,christmas festivities in country    

homesteads1 the village fiddler playing 
a brisk old-time tune with the long stem
 of his clay pipe2 also1 quite recently1
 ,i read an account of an artiste in the
 ,states who charmed his enlightened    
audiences with his performances on the  
violin by using a variety of            
heterogeneous objects in lieu of the    
conventional bow1 including a stick of  
sealing-wax and a candle6  ,now ,i do   
not wish to prove that the implement    
held by the benign ,assyrian in ,fig4   
#b1 is either of the last named         
articles1 but merely to draw attention  
to the fact that friction-tone is       
producible without the aid of a bow     
proper4  ,the use of plain reed stems or
 other suitable rods for the production 
of continuous sounds would naturally    
soon give place to more elaborately     
constructed implements2 although        
,ruhlmann gives a drawing of a portion  
of the sculptured decorations that adorn
 the famous ,golden ,porch at ,freiburg 
which represents a crwth and bow of the 

twelfth century1 the bow being merely a 
straight rod ornamented at either end   
with a simple knob 7,fig4 #c74          
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #c4  ,he also     
gives a drawing of a violist of the     
fourteenth century1 sculptured on the   
cathedral at ,cologne1 where the bow is 
even simpler in form4 ,it is1 however1  
impossible to judge how far the         
sculptor's imagination1 or lack of      
observation1 may have been responsible  
for these representations1 so that they 
can hardly be taken as reliable evidence
 of the use of such primitive           
contrivances at so late a period4       
,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,oriental ,,origin    
,,of ,,the ,,bow--,,indian1 ,,chinese   
,,and ,,other ,,eastern ,,bowed         
,,instruments4   ,in attempting to trace
 the use of the bow to its source we are
 obliged to content ourselves with the  
generalized statement that it is        
undoubtedly of oriental origin4 ,thus1  
that it had an origin is proved beyond  
all possible1 probable shadow of doubt4 

,but whether the first form of bowed    
instrument became extinct               
prehistorically1 or whether it still    
survives1 as some suppose1 in the       
,ravanastron of ,india1 is not easily   
determined4  ,my own personal belief in 
the extreme antiquity of the bow is such
 as almost to justify the quaint        
statement of ,jean ,jacques ,rousseau   
that ,adam played the viol in ,paradise4
  ,of existing bowed instruments the    
,ravanastron 7,fig4 #d7 most certainly  
seems to be the oldest1 as its structure
 is more primitive than any other4      
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #d4  ,concerning  
this instrument legend runs to the      
effect that it was invented by ,ravana1 
who was king of ,ceylon some #e1jjj     
years prior to the ,christian era4 ,how 
far this is accurate is impossible to   
say1 for the oldest names for the bow   
known to ,sanskrit scholars only take us
 back #a1ejj to #b1jjj years4 ,of these 
names it is interesting to note that the
 ,kona was evidently no more than a     

friction rod as1 judging from the early 
descriptions1 it would appear to have   
been without hair4 ,whether the ,garika 
or ,parivadas approached more nearly to 
the modern idea of a bow ,i am          
unfortunately not in a position to state
 with any degree of certainty4  ,the    
,ravanastron was1 like the violin in its
 earliest stages1 played only by the    
inferior classes of ,india2 a fact that1
 as ,engel clearly points out1 makes it 
seem highly improbable that it was a    
,mohammedan importation1 despite some   
writers' assertions to that effect4     
,undoubtedly it was introduced with     
,buddhism1 from ,india into ,china1     
where it became modified in unimportant 
details into the ,ur-heen4  ,a curious  
point in connection with some oriental  
fiddles1 such as the ,ur-heen1          
,uh-,ch'in 7,fig4 #e71 ,koka1 etc41 is  
that the hair of the bow passes between 
the strings4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #e4 
,whether this circumstance is at all    
confirmatory of the supposition that the

 rod of the ,trigonon was passed between
 the strings would be difficult to      
establish irrefutably2 doubtless a      
logician could do so1 but ,i prefer     
making a simple statement of facts      
rather than forcing them into agreement 
with any special theory2 although ,i    
have plenty of worthy precedents for    
such a proceeding1 for ,i have observed 
that most doubtful or disputed          
questions--the ,bacon-,shakespeare      
controversy1 for instance--are handled  
in this manner4  ,what strikes one very 
forcibly on looking into the use of the 
bow in the ,east is the great number of 
bowed instruments one finds4 ,thus in   
,india we have the ,ravanastron in      
various forms2 the ,omerti 7,fig4 #f71  
the ,bengalese ,sarinda1 etc4           
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #f4  ,in ,china1  
the ,ur-heen1 ,uh-,ch'in1 ,saw-oo and   
,sawduang4 ,in ,siam1 the ,saw-tai1 etc4
 ,in ,turkey and ,arabia1 the           
,kemangeh-a-gouz 7,fig4 #g71            
,kemangeh-roumy1 ,rebab-esh-,sha'er     

7,fig4 #h71 and ,rebab-el-maghanny1 also
 the more modern ,gunibry4              
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #g4               
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #h4  ,in ,persia  
there is also an instrument strongly    
resembling the ,omerti and ,kemangeh in 
outline1 called the ,sitara 7,fig4 #i74 
,then there is a primitive bowed        
instrument with three strings1 known to 
the peasants of ,russia as the ,goudok1 
which is no doubt an immediate          
descendant of the three-stringed ,rebab1
 and1 more remotely1 of the             
,ravanastron4 ,abyssinia too1 has its   
bowed instruments4 ,in fact1 the use of 
the bow is universal in the glorious    
,orient1 from whence nearly all products
 of western civilization are derived4   
,in almost all cases great antiquity is 
ascribed to these instruments4 ,the very
 name ,kemangeh-a-gouz1 ancient in      
itself1 can be roughly translated       
ancient-fiddle1 thus showing that the   
,persians the name is ,persian and bears
 out the ,arab records that it came to  

them from ,persia considered it then a  
relic of the past1 and that it was a    
survival of some still older instrument 
inherited1 most likely from ,india4     
,there can be little doubt that ,fetis  
was right in assuming this to have been 
the ,omerti1 for1 barring the long      
tail-pin1 the structure of both is      
almost identical4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4
 #i4  ,the bows of all these instruments
 bear a strong resemblance to each      
other1 as is only to be expected where  
all are of the simplest description4 ,in
 the majority of cases the bow is merely
 a length of cane with a bunch of       
horse-hair tied at each end in such a   
manner as to pull the cane into a more  
or less pronounced curve4 ,those of the 
,goudok and ,sarinda 7,fig4 #aj7 are    
short1 approach nearly to a semi-circle1
 and are quite rigid4  ,illustration3   
,,fig4 #aj4  ,those of the ,ravanastron1
 ,omerti1 etc41 are longer1 and being   
more slender1 have a certain amount of  
flexibility1 but it does not appear that

 this latter qualification is sought for
 or considered indispensable4 ,on the   
other hand1 the now nearly obsolete     
,kokiu of ,japan had a bow of about     
forty-five inches in length that was    
extremely elastic4 ,it was made in      
sections after the manner of a          
fishing-rod1 and the hair was tightened 
by the finger of the player1 as in some 
of the early viol bows of ,europe4  ,the
 method of hairing in most cases amounts
 to the simplest way of tying the hair  
on to the stick4 ,sometimes the hair is 
passed through a slit and held in place 
by a knot4 ,in other specimens it is    
attached to a leather thong1 and        
occasionally it is plugged into the open
 end of a piece of bamboo 7,fig4 #aa74  
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #aa4  ,the bows of
 the ,saw-tai 7,fig4 #ab71 ,uh-,ch'in1  
,koka and a few others show a distinct  
advance in point of curve and adjustment
 of hair1 and strongly resemble the bow 
of the quaint ,swedish ,nyckelharpa in  
present use 7,fig4 #ac74  ,illustration3

 ,,fig4 #ab4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ac4
  ,the bows of the ,sitara 7,fig4 #i7   
and ,saw-oo 7,fig4 #ad71 approach more  
nearly to the ,european form4 ,the      
drawings of the latter1 however1 were   
made from highly ornate and elaborate   
specimens that may have been affected by
 ,western influence4 ,but against this  
must be set the religious conservatism  
of eastern nations4 ,in many cases it   
would amount to gross sacrilege to alter
 in any way the construction of certain 
objects in daily use1 so that we may    
take it generally that the east of      
to-day differs very little from what it 
was1 even several thousand years ago1 in
 such matters4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4   
#ad4     ,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,the        
,,crwth--,,fleming',s ,,etruscan        
,,ravanastron--,,the ,,mediaeval        
,,bow--,,unreliability ,,of ,,early     
,,drawings ,,and ,,sculptures4          
,perhaps the most interesting of the    
primitive bowed instruments is the      
,welsh ,crwth4 ,unlike the still more   

ancient forms yet surviving in the      
,east1 it is now completely obsolete3   
unless we may count the ,norwegian and  
,icelandic langspiel and fidla as       
descendants thereof4  ,at one time it   
was considered an ancestor of the       
violin1 but since ,mr4 ,heron-,allen    
brought his legal acumen and skill in   
sifting evidence to bear on the subject1
 we find that it must unquestionably be 
looked upon as the last of its race1 and
 not as a direct forerunner of anything 
else4 ,as to its origin1 ,i should say  
it was two-fold4 ,the oft-quoted lines  
of that seventh century ,bishop1        
,venantius ,fortunatus3--    ,romanusque
 lyra1 plaudat tibi ,barbarus harpa     
,graecus ,achilliaca1 ,chrotta ,britanna
 canat  prove1 however translated1 that 
the ,crwth was essentially ,british4    
,the structure of the instrument        
strongly suggests its derivation from   
the ,roman and ,greek lyres1 and ,i have
 little doubt that the first ,crwth was 
in fact a lyre in the hands of one of   

our early ,british ancestors1 who       
thought he would try thereon the effect 
of a ,rebab or ,kemangeh bow1 and most  
probably got himself heartily laughed at
 for his pains4 ,this is a kind of      
experiment that has been tried in modern
 times1 as witness the                  
,streich-,guitarre and more recent      
,streich-,zither4  ,that the ,eastern   
fiddles should have come to ,britain    
then is not a very extravagant          
supposition4 ,the distance is not great 
from northern ,africa1 through ,spain1  
where a form of ,rebab is still played  
by the ,basque peasantry1 on through    
,europe generally and across the        
,channel to ,england4 ,also1 it is very 
likely that there were a number of      
,orientals in attendance on the         
,imperial ,court of the ,caesars who    
would naturally bring their customs1    
religions and arts with them4  ,i do not
 think the ,greeks and ,romans made any 
use of the bow whatever1 although1      
considering the enormous spread of the  

,roman ,empire1 and1 as ,i say1 the     
diverse nationalities that surrounded   
the court1 many of the ,indian1 ,persian
 and ,african bowed instruments must    
have been fairly familiar objects in    
,rome and elsewhere4 ,but being         
instruments of conquered nations2       
primitive in construction and strange in
 tonality2 they were probably held in   
too light esteem ever to be adopted and 
developed by people of such importance  
and civilization as the ,romans or      
,greeks4  ,i say all this with due      
respect to ,mr4 ,fleming4 ,this         
gentleman has contributed sundry        
valuable works to the bibliography of   
the violin1 and in certain places       
mentions an ,etruscan vase illustrated  
in a catalogue published by ,prince     
,lucien ,napoleon of ,canino4 ,he       
describes the decorations of this vase  
as follows3 ,the subject is a man seated
 reading a volume to two youths1 who1   
leaning on knotted sticks1 are listening
 attentively4 ,on a little table or box 

in front of the principal figure is     
inscribed the name ',chironeis4' ,on    
each side of the reader is an object    
which authorities in these matters term 
'thecae1' indicating the profession of  
this principal figure4 ,one of these has
 a neck or handle1 an oval disc1 or     
sounding plane1 and a tail piece        
extending below the disc rather more    
than half the length of the neck4 ,from 
the upper extremity of the neck to the  
lower extremity of the disc are         
stretched strings1 and across these     
strings at the centre of the disc is    
placed a bow of as rational construction
 as anything that has come down to us   
prior to the days of ,corelli4 ,the     
instrument is indeed almost identical   
with the ,ravanastron4 ,now all this    
sounds very nice and extremely          
convincing1 and whether or no ,mr4      
,fleming himself believes the ,greeks   
used the bow1 ,i have no doubt that he  
is perfectly satisfied that he has      
proved such to be the case4  ,as ,i have

 seen neither the original vase or      
,prince ,napoleon's catalogue1 ,i feel  
some diffidence in throwing my          
half-ounce of doubt on this pound--good1
 thumping weight--of fact4 ,however1 ,i 
have seen the reproduction of the       
drawing as given by ,mr4 ,fleming in his
 book1 ,violins1 ,old and ,new1 and1    
since he makes such a feature of this   
,grecian ,ravanastron1 ,i feel safe in  
assuming that it is accurately copied4  
,i distinctly remember first looking at 
that drawing4 ,i gazed at it long and   
earnestly4 ,i then referred to the text2
 after which ,i rapidly searched through
 the book to see if there was another   
drawing of a ,greek vase4 ,i thought    
perchance the printers in a playful mood
 might have transposed them2 such things
 have happened4 ,but it was not so2 the 
drawing on page #bej was the only one4  
,so ,i returned to it4 ,there were the  
reader1 the box1 the inscription1 the   
attentive youths with their knotted     
sticks1 and1 lastly1 the thecae4 ,i was 

not long in doubt as to which of these  
objects was the one ,mr4 ,fleming       
attached so much importance to4  ,ods   
catgut and fiddlesticks6 as ,bob ,acres 
would genteelly have exclaimed4 ,so this
 was the ,etruscan ,ravanastron ,i had  
dreamed about2 this was the ,greek      
fiddle ,i had discoursed so learnedly of
 when my pupils with childlike          
pertinacity questioned me as to the     
origin of the violin4  ,that is a useful
 sort of vase4 ,if ever ,i come across  
anyone anxious to prove something1 ,i   
shall advise him to use that drawing4   
,that ,ravanastron would prove anything2
 in fact it proved too much for me4     
,the more ,i have searched for pictorial
 records of bow in old prints and       
drawings1 the more disappointed ,i have 
become4 ,it is extraordinary how artists
 of genius have literally scamped the   
poor unfortunate fiddle-stick in such   
works4 ,in the small room of prints and 
drawings at the ,british ,museum is a   
drawing of a violinist attributed to    

,corregio4 ,it is merely a slight       
sketch1 but the violin is beautifully   
drawn2 the corners are well expressed   
and the perspective is good1 but the bow
 would be unrecognisable as such were it
 not for the close proximity of the     
violin4 ,even in more highly-finished   
productions the same thing obtains4 ,i  
have found drawings of crowders1        
violists and fiddlers where every little
 detail of dimple1 crease and nail has  
been almost photographically rendered in
 a hand holding what one knows must be a
 bow1 but if the other hand held a      
shield1 or a newspaper1 or a child's    
whip-top would be accepted with equal   
readiness by the judicious observer as a
 sword1 paper knife or whip             
respectively4  ,occasionally one finds  
minute representations of bows1 but     
these are more often than not of such a 
nature as to be impossible of credence  
as correct representations4  ,another   
thing that stands in the way of a clear 
exposition of the bow's development is  

that even the most reliable drawings and
 sculptures do not show by any means a  
gradual improvement in the shape of the 
bow1 for it is no uncommon thing to find
 fourteenth and fifteenth century       
representations of bows of quite eighth 
and ninth century type4 ,it is not      
likely that any of such primitive bows  
would have remained in use unbroken for 
so many centuries1 therefore ,i do not  
think these later representations of    
early bows can have been copied from    
actual specimens then in use1 but1 where
 not evolved from the artist's inner    
consciousness1 may have been taken from 
the drawings1 ,,mss41 etc41 handed down 
from the earlier periods4 ,on this point
 ,mr4 ,heron-,allen makes the following 
very sensible observations3--,the       
conclusion we are brought to is         
consequently this3 either all           
representations of bows which have come 
down to us are unreliable1 or1 the bow1 
instead of developing as the fiddle     
undoubtedly did1 remained in a state of 

primitive simplicity1 and bore till a   
comparatively recent date the same      
relation to its companion the fiddle1 as
 do the early specimens of ,delft ware  
and the exquisite ,sevres specimens1    
which recline side by side in the       
cabinets of the delightfully incongruous
 nineteenth century drawing room4 ,if   
you ask me to which of these conclusions
 ,i incline1 ,i think the two deductions
 are to one another as three times two  
are to twice three1 and that a          
combination of the two would probably   
account for the present misty aspect of 
the past history of the bow4  ,one      
should not lay too much stress on       
pictorial records2 even our contemporary
 artists are not free from error1 and it
 would be interesting to know what      
future writers on this subject will say 
of the nineteenth century violins and   
bows as represented by popular painters 
at the ,royal ,academy and other picture
 shows4 ,they will find the evidence    
just as conflicting4  ,unconvincing and 

contradictory as the existing records   
are1 they are all we have1 and1 such as 
they are1 ,i give a few selected        
examples4  ,a form of bow constantly    
occurring in drawings1 etc41 from the   
eighth to the sixteenth centuries1 is   
,fig4 #ae4 ,it is only slightly         
suggestive of the ,oriental bows4       
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ae4  ,in the     
ninth century we find a bow 7,fig4 #af7 
strongly resembling those of the ,saw-oo
 and ,saw-,tai4 ,and from the same      
century we find a miniature             
representation of a ,crwth player with a
 bow slightly more distinctive in       
character 7,fig4 #ag74  ,illustration3  
,,fig4 #af4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ag4 
,similar bows to the above appear to    
have been pretty general in the tenth   
century4 ,in the eleventh century a     
little more variety is apparent1 as will
 be seen in ,fig4 #ah4  ,illustration3  
,,fig4 #ah4  ,here are to be found the  
survival of the ninth century form shown
 in ,fig4 #ag1 and a remarkable advance 

in the form of the one at the bottom1   
which is doubtless the pattern intended 
to be shown in the sculptured bow1      
second from the top4 ,the top one is    
merely given as an example of the       
perfunctory work the historian has to   
examine and yet retain his customary    
calm exterior4  ,fig4 #ai gives some    
examples of twelfth century bows as     
depicted by the artists of that period4 
,the first two are evidently intended to
 represent the type shown in ,fig4 #ag4 
,the sculptor probably found the        
straight line of the hair inelegant4    
,the third 7which is from a ,,ms4 in the
 ,bodleian ,library7 and last show a    
return to the ninth century form in     
,fig4 #af4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ai4  
,this is a form that is found so        
continually through all the centuries1  
down to the seventeenth and eighteenth1 
that ,i am inclined to the belief that  
it is fairly accurate4 ,it is very much 
like the outline of the modern double   
bass bow4 ,in ,fig4 #bj are given some  

thirteenth century bows3 the one with   
the curious sword-hilt is remarkable4   
,in the others we find a return to more 
primitive lines4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 
#bj4  ,the fourteenth century bows have 
very little to distinguish them from    
those of preceding ages1 and ,i give the
 most noticeable examples ,i have found 
in ,fig4 #ba4 ,the second is a very     
advanced type4 ,against these must be   
set those in ,fig4 #bb4  ,illustration3 
,,fig4 #ba4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bb4 
,these appear to me as being most       
probably conventional representations1  
or copied from older works as suggested 
above4  ,of fifteenth century bows1 the 
pictorial and plastic arts record those 
shown in ,fig4 #bc1 together with the   
usual atavism or return to earlier      
types4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bc4      
,this atavism1 if credible1 is most     
marked in the sixteenth century as      
witness those in ,fig4 #bd4             
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bd4  ,here are   
bows that take us back to before the    

,norman ,conquest1 drawn by artists who 
were contemporary with ,gasparo da ,salo
 and ,andreas ,amati4 ,it is quite out  
of the question to suppose that such    
bows were used at that time4  ,the      
drawings of seventeenth century bows are
 more convincing4 ,we then get a more   
definite idea of the nut1 which was in  
most cases a fixture4 ,also1 the head   
begins to mould itself into something   
approaching the form of the modern      
hatchet4  ,although there are cases of  
bows in drawings as far back as the     
eleventh century 7see ,fig4 #ah1 etc47  
showing great advances1 it is not until 
reaching the seventeenth century1 that  
one can say with any degree of          
confidence that the perfect bow is on   
the horizon4     ,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,the 
,,beginnings ,,of ,,the ,,modern        
,,bow--,,ornamentation--,a ,,possible   
,,stradivari ,,bow--,,the ,,movable     
,,nut--,,the ,,cremaillere--,,the       
,,screw ,,nut4   ,i find it a matter for
 extreme regret that there should be    

such a large element of uncertainty in  
what ,i am able to bring forward of the 
earlier historical aspect of the bow4   
,of its primitive use one can do little 
more than examine contemporary evidence 
in the ,east1 and then assume1 albeit   
with some show of reason1 that the same 
forms have survived from remote periods4
 ,coming to the mediaeval bow we appear 
to tread on safer ground2 bows are      
depicted in miniatures1 manuscripts1    
paintings1 etc41 from the eight and     
ninth centuries onwards1 and in nearly  
every case we can determine the date of 
the production and frequently its       
author4 ,so far nothing could be more   
satisfactory1 but as ,i have said above1
 there are very few examples that       
impress one as being accurate           
representations4  ,proceeding to the    
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries1 ,i
 am further frustrated in my attempt to 
elucidate the obscure passages in the   
bow's history by a reversal of those    
conditions4 ,i can now lay before my    

readers drawings and photographs of bows
 the accuracy of which ,i can guarantee1
 but placing them in perfect chronology 
is1 unfortunately1 little more than     
guess work4 ,such was the modesty of    
their makers that the early bows were   
all sent into the world nameless4 ,many 
of them are marvels of workmanship1 and1
 though utterly unscientific in         
construction and unfit for the          
requirements of modern violinists1 they 
are for the most part exquisite works of
 art upon which no pains have been      
spared4  ,some of the fluting and other 
ornamentation is little short of        
marvellous in point of design and       
finish4  ,to a casual writer like myself
 the mass of conflicting detail found on
 examining ancient bows and the records 
of their use is extremely disconcerting4
 ,the practised scientist1 however1     
surveys such things with calmness1 for  
his trained eye immediately selects     
those details that support the theories 
he wishes to promulgate1 and the rest   

are quietly consigned to oblivion4  ,in 
this way the most charmingly            
satisfactory results are obtained4 ,thus
 ,fetis1 in his article on ,tourte1     
gives a brief outline of the history of 
the bow1 illustrating the same with what
 purports to be a ,display of the       
successive ameliorations of the bow in  
the seventeenth and eighteenth          
centuries4 ,this consists of a series of
 drawings of bows ranging from ,mersenne
 in #afbj through those used by         
,kircher1 ,castrovillari1 ,bassani1     
,corelli1 ,tartini and ,cramer to that  
of ,viotti in #agij4 ,herein is shown   
how the arched bow gave place to the    
straight3 and this in its turn to that  
having the inward curve known as the    
spring or cambre4 ,the succession is    
perfect1 and it is only the final       
drawing of the series 7the ,viotti bow  
of #agij7 that shows this cambre4  ,now1
 in the collection of ancient bows      
kindly lent me by ,mr4 ,a4 ,hill for the
 purpose of illustrating these pages are

 several bows of a much earlier date1   
yet having the cambre most pronounced   
and1 in some examples1 extremely        
elegant4  ,not being a scientist1 ,i do 
not know how to omit these evidences of 
advance at such an early date from my   
writings on this subject1 although ,i   
feel that by not doing so ,i am         
rendering this section of the work far  
from clear4  ,as a matter of fact       
clearness in what we can ascertain of   
the bow's history is a quality          
conspicuous by its absence2 a condition 
doubtless due to the varying capacities 
of early bow makers1 some of whom may   
have continued to make antiquated types 
whilst others of greater talent were    
anticipating in a measure the results of
 ,tourte's genius and observation4 ,it  
has been observed in other branches of  
the world's progress that many have     
groped in the right direction for a     
space until there came one ,genius who  
grasped1 almost by intuition1 the       
various requirements and produced the   

perfect work beyond which no man could  
go4  ,entering upon the seventeenth     
century ,i now abandon the use of       
pictorial records of bows in favour of  
drawings and photographs made from      
actual specimens now in existence4  ,in 
,fig4 #be ,i give the heads of three    
remarkably interesting bows4 ,i have    
drawn them the exact size of the        
originals4 ,the first is most primitive 
throughout1 though having an ingeniously
 contrived nut of which ,i shall speak  
more fully further on4 ,the length of   
this bow is nearly #bc in42 the distance
 from the inside surface of the stick at
 the heel to the hair is #c_/d in41 and 
the width of the hair is #a_/d in4      
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #be4  ,the second 
bow is extremely elegant1 although      
useless as a bow3 note the grace of the 
long peak4 ,it is seldom that one finds 
these peaks so well preserved as many   
have been first broken and then cut down
 to remove the unsightly jagged end4    
,the dimensions of this bow are3--,total

 length1 #bh-a_/h in42 length of hair1  
#bc-a_/d in42 distance of hair from     
stick at heel1 #c_/d in42 breadth of    
hair #a_/d in4 ,the nut is on the same  
principle as the preceding one4  ,the   
third bow may be late seventeenth or    
early eighteenth century work4 ,it is   
beautifully fluted throughout its entire
 length1 the lower third having an extra
 raised line between the fluting4 ,it is
 remarkable inasmuch as it has a movable
 nut working with a screw as in the     
modern bow and also a distinct cambre4  
,the inward deviation of the stick from 
a straight line is a full quarter of an 
inch in #be-a_/b in42 but this is too   
low down to give the bow a good spring4 
,being made1 like the others in this    
figure1 of that unyielding material     
snakewood1 the experiment1 though in the
 right direction1 cannot be said to have
 been successful4 ,the full length of   
this bow is #bh-a_/b in42 the length of 
the hair1 #bc-a_/b in4  ,plate ,i4 is a 
photograph of an extremely interesting  

bow4 ,like the preceding example it has 
the conventional nut and cambre4 ,in the
 matter of ornamentation it is probably 
unique4 ,it is not only fluted          
throughout1 but is inlaid with a minute 
mosaic of red1 yellow and brown woods4  
,in appearance it reminds one of the    
straw-work so popular at one period4    
,inlaid on one side of the nut are seen 
the ,arms of ,spain1 and on the reverse 
is the ,royal monogram4 ,mr4 ,alfred    
,hill procured this bow with some       
difficulty in ,madrid and was able to   
trace its pedigree in so far as that it 
was originally with the instruments made
 by ,stradivarius for the ,spanish      
,court4 ,there is just a shadow of      
possibility that it may be the actual   
work of that most glorious craftsman of 
,cremona4  ,illustration3 ,,plate ,i4   
,its length over all is #bg-a_/b in42   
the playing length of the hair is       
#bc-a_/d in42 the width of the hair     
barely #a_/d in4 ,this bow has the most 
scientific cambre as yet found4 ,its    

deviation is #i_/af in4 in #bf-e_/h in4 
,it is also of more flexible material   
than the others4  ,the centre bow in    
,fig4 #bf is stamped by ,thomas ,smith  
7at last we have a signed specimen71    
chiefly known for his 'cellos4 ,it was  
most probably made1 however1 by ,edward 
,dodd4 ,the head1 while possessing a    
certain elegance1 is of a very early    
type4 ,it is of yellow lance wood and   
has a very pronounced cambre1 the       
deviation being nearly #a_/b in4 in     
#bg-a_/d in4 ,the total length is       
#bh-c_/d in41 and from the mortices in  
the head and nut one would suppose that 
it was intended to take somewhat broader
 hair than the preceding examples4 ,the 
date of the bow is somewhere between    
#agfj and #aghj4 ,the other bows in     
,fig4 #bf are viola da gamba bows2 the  
upper one ,i use frequently myself in   
certain pieces for that instrument4 ,it 
is very elegant and ,i should say is of 
,french make4 ,it is extremely flexible 
and most adapted to sustaining chords of

 three notes1 as the great distance of  
the hair from the stick prevents any    
grinding on the middle string4 ,but like
 all these early bows the hair is much  
too narrow4 ,the other gamba bow in     
,fig4 #bf is very quaint and appears to 
be of much earlier date4 ,it is         
handsomely fluted through the upper two 
thirds3 the lower third being a simple  
octagonal4 ,a curious feature is that   
the distance of the hair from the stick 
gradually diminishes from #a in4 at the 
heel to #a_/b in4 at the point4 ,it has 
a slight cambre1 but being of snake wood
 is quite poker-like in its rigidity4   
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bf4  ,as is it   
impossible to determine the exact date  
of these bows1 one can arrive at no very
 safe conclusion as to when the movable 
nut was first introduced4 ,fetis thinks 
this important modification came from   
the ,east also1 and he mentions a cherry
 wood bow in his possession1 made at    
,bagdad1 which has a distinct head where
 the hair is inserted1 and a nut fitting

 into a dovetail notch in the stick4    
,the first and second of the bows shown 
in ,fig4 #be have a curious device4 ,the
 hair is fixed into the stick at both   
ends1 and the nut1 which is quite       
detached1 slips into a slot with a snap1
 and is held in place by the pressure of
 the hair4 ,a glance at ,fig4 #bg will  
make this arrangement clear4 ,these two 
nuts are the second and third in ,fig4  
#bh1 which is reduced one-third below   
actual size4 ,the ornamental tip to the 
middle one looks as though it had a     
screw1 but this is merely a decoration  
to balance a finely fluted design on the
 stick just above where the lapping is  
usually placed4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4  
#bg4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bh4  ,a    
great advance on this was the           
cremaillere 7,fig4 #bi71 which served to
 vary the tension of the hair in a more 
or less satisfactory manner4 ,this      
device is still in use in ,sweden4      
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bi4  ,the actual 
invention of the movable nut travelling 

on a propelling and withdrawing screw is
 attributed to the elder ,tourte1 but   
some of the bows in ,mr4 ,hill's        
collection having this contrivance      
appear to be too remote for this to be  
the case4 ,it is a point that ,i fear   
will always be shrouded in mystery4  ,in
 ,plate ,,ii4 we see a nearer approach  
to the outlines of the modern bow4      
,these ,i should say are the work of ,w4
 ,tubbs1 who worked for most of the     
,english fiddle makers and dealers4 ,the
 first one bears the stamp of ,norris   
and ,barnes4 ,this bow is #bg-g_/h in4  
in length1 the other two being exactly  
one inch longer4 ,the hair in the first 
and third is #a_/d in4 in width2 in the 
centre one it is full #e_/af in4 ,the   
handsome ivory nut of this bow is shown 
in ,fig4 #bh4 ,they are extremely       
elegant1 and have much of the character 
of the modern bow in finish and cambre1 
though the deviation is again too low   
down4  ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,ii4     
,,chapter ,v4  ,,vuillaume',s           

,,facts--,,the ,,ferrule ,,and          
,,slide--,,john ,,dodd4   ,another      
example of bow1 remarkable not only for 
its ornamentation1 but also as having a 
well defined cambre together with a nut 
and screw1 is ,fig4 #cj4  ,illustration3
 ,,fig4 #cj4  ,this is a ,cremonese bow 
of the seventeenth century4 ,it is      
fluted in alternate sections1 or panels1
 the lower third having a slight extra  
complication of the design thrown in4   
,truly these grand old craftsmen were   
not afraid of work4 ,the screw-nut is as
 perfect as one could wish1 saving1     
only1 in the meagre allowance of hair   
provided for4  ,these early bows with   
screw-nuts quite dispel the generally   
accepted theory that this mechanical    
contrivance for regulating the tension  
and preserving the elasticity of the    
stick was the invention of the elder    
,tourte4 ,the majority of writers on the
 history of the violin1 and1            
incidentally1 the bow1 are content to   
take their data from that much quoted   

historian and scientist1 ,fetis4 ,he    
appears to have made most of his more   
important statements on the authority of
 ,vuillaume4 ,how ,vuillaume became so  
versed in the history of his craft does 
not appear4 ,his talent in the way of   
producing genuine ,cremonese and other  
masterpieces is well known1 the most    
stupendous example being the            
,duiffoprugcar instruments with which he
 imposed on the violin world so         
successfully4 ,may we infer that he had 
equal facility in the fabrication of    
historical facts8 ,de mortuis nil nisi  
bonum1 but at all cost our history must 
be made accurate4 ,better no facts at   
all than spurious ones4  ,having        
disposed of the screw attachment1 the   
next important points in the development
 of the bow is the ferrule1 which       
preserves the ribbon-like appearance of 
the hair1 and the slide1 which serves as
 an ornamental cover for the mortice in 
which the hair is fixed4 ,these         
additions are commonly attributed to    

,francois ,tourte1 but in ,fig4 #ca ,i  
give a drawing of a typical nut by ,john
 ,dodd1 having both these improvements4 
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ca4  ,dodd and   
,tourte were contemporaries1 ,tourte's  
birth having taken place only five years
 before that of ,dodd in #ageb4 ,when ,i
 come to speak more particularly of     
,tourte ,i shall show my reasons for    
thinking it unlikely that ,dodd copied  
,tourte in this respect4 ,the whole     
matter is shrouded in mystery4 ,in other
 branches of science1 art1 etc41 we find
 brilliant thinkers arriving            
simultaneously at identical results1#a  
and ,i can quite believe that the idea  
of the ferrule and slide 7obvious       
contrivances when one considers the     
requirements of a good bow7 could have  
occurred to more than one of the workers
 then striving after perfection4        
,footnote #a3 ,as a noteworthy example1 
take the simultaneous discovery by      
deduction of the invisible planet       
,neptune1 by ,adams and ,leverrier4     

,the characteristic feature ,i wish to  
call attention to in the heel shown     
above 7,fig4 #ca7 is the great size of  
the slide in proportion to the whole    
lower surface of the nut4 ,it leaves    
such a very small margin compared with  
that of other makers4 ,this will be     
found in nearly every genuine specimen4 
,unfortunately nuts wear out and become 
replaced with new ones1 so that it is   
not always possible to obtain a bow that
 is original in all its parts4 ,dodd    
occasionally decorated the face of his  
bows with mother-of-pearl1 as in the    
example shown in ,fig4 #ca4 ,he         
invariably stamped the name ,,dodd in   
large1 plain letters both on the side of
 the nut and on the stick4 ,i have seen 
some that are stamped ,j4 ,dodd1 but not
 many4 ,fig4 #cb shows 7actual size7 a  
very early ,dodd head1 than which       
nothing1 ,i think1 could be more        
distressingly ugly4 ,it is remarkable   
that such a caricature should have      
emanated from the same man who produced 

those shown in ,plates ,,iii4 and ,,iv4 
,plate ,,iii4 consists of photographs   
7actual size7 of two violin bows1 and   
one tenor bow1 ,plate ,,iv4 giving one  
tenor bow and one 'cello bow by this    
maker4 ,it would be quite impossible to 
give representations of all ,dodd's     
characteristics1 as his work varies so  
very much4 ,i have therefore chosen a   
few only of the best types4 ,these are  
all exceptionally well finished4 ,in the
 second and third is to be seen the     
tendency to arch in the neck of the bow 
so frequent in ,dodds2 in the others the
 sweep of the stick up to the head is   
perfect4 ,his 'cello bows are his best  
work1 and compare favourably with the   
greatest ,continental makers4 ,the one  
,i have selected is of the finest       
period4 ,the first of the two tenor bows
 7third on ,plate ,,iii47 is the type of
 head most frequently seen1 some have   
the head drawn backward at a very       
ungainly angle1 and others1 again1 slope
 forwards1 to an extent greater even    

than that of the 'cello bow in ,plate   
,,iv4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cb4       
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iii4           
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iv4  ,owing to 
the extreme elegance of ,dodd's bows1   
and the beautiful workmanship of his    
finest specimens1 he has been dubbed the
 ,english ,tourte1 and amongst the      
majority of ,english amateurs the name  
of ,dodd is held in the highest possible
 estimation4 ,but as a matter of fact   
very few ,dodd bows are worthy of this  
regard4 ,his best bows1 such as he sold 
for a pound or thirty shillings1 are    
fine1 although few of the violin bows   
are such as an artist would make much   
use of4 ,the slenderness is frequently  
carried to excess1 and the narrowness of
 the head prevents a sufficient spread  
being given to the hair in many cases1  
and a great number are much too short4  
,it must be remembered that ,dodd worked
 before foreign importation annihilated 
the ,english violin and bow making      
industries1 and he turned out a large   

number of bows at prices ranging from a 
few shillings a dozen upwards4 ,thus it 
will be readily understood that there   
are many genuine ,dodds in existence    
that are not worth looking at4 ,his     
tenor bows are often excellent1 and1 as 
,i said above1 his 'cello bows represent
 him the best4     ,,chapter ,,vi4      
,,dr4 ,,selle',s ,,recollections ,,of   
,,dodd--,,his ,,work ,,and              
,,poverty--,,dodd ,,and ,,tourte--,,the 
,,calculation ,,of ,,fetis ,,and        
,,vuillaume4   ,it has been my great    
good fortune to be favoured with an     
interview with the veteran violinist1   
,doctor ,selle1 of ,richmond4 ,this     
gentleman1 now well on in his eighties1 
knew ,john ,dodd most intimately1 and   
gave me many interesting details about  
him4 ,i have endeavoured to obtain a    
portrait of ,dodd1 but there does not   
seem to be anything of the sort in      
existence4 ,however1 ,dr4 ,selle gave me
 a graphic description of his personal  
appearance4 ,in stature he was short and

 of a shuffling gait4 ,as he affected   
nether garments of extreme brevity1 very
 broad-brimmed hats1 and was excessively
 negligent in the matter of clothing1   
etc41 his habitual aspect was quaint and
 eccentric to a degree4  ,he was        
unfortunately very illiterate1 and1     
according to ,dr4 ,selle1 it is doubtful
 whether he could sign his own name4    
,in his work--the artistic excellence of
 which is remarkable under these        
circumstances--he was very secretive1   
giving as his reason for taking no      
apprentice1 his desire that no one else 
should ever know or perpetuate his      
methods4  ,it has been said1 and1 ,i    
believe1 on good authority1 that he was 
once offered the sum of #a1jjj pounds   
for his secret1 a temptation that1      
despite his great poverty1 he           
steadfastly resisted4  ,doctor ,selle   
tells me that he distinctly remembers   
seeing ,dodd cut out a bow from the     
rough plank with a curiously constructed
 double saw4  ,this is very remarkable  

as none of the bow makers now working   
know of such a tool1 or can conceive the
 possibility of using one4 ,whether this
 may have any connexion with the much   
talked of secret1 it is impossible to   
say4 ,it is probably another of those   
points in the history of the bow that   
seem doomed to remain shrouded in       
mystery4  ,doctor ,selle remembers      
seeing ,dodd walking home many times    
with his pockets full of oyster shells  
begged from various stalls4  ,from these
 he used to cut out the pearl for the   
slides and ornamentation on his bows4   
,this accounts for the characteristic   
plainness of these features of his work4
 ,he was often at a loss for silver for 
the mountings1 and the ,doctor says it  
was highly diverting to him when a boy  
to hear the old housekeeper soundly     
rating ,dodd for melting down another of
 her metal spoons4  ,one great drawback 
to ,dodd's success was his partiality   
for the flowing bowl4 ,as the ,doctor   
epigramatically expressed it in the     

notes he supplied to ,a4 ,vidal1 he was 
very regular in his irregularities4     
,vidal's translation at this point is   
worthy of note4 ,one is surprised to    
find that ,dodd would pay four daily    
visits to les voitures et chevaux       
publics--the public carriages and       
horses4  ,the mind fails to grasp the   
,gallic conception of the eccentric     
,englishman whose nationally            
characteristic love of horseflesh should
 cause him so frequently to inspect the 
omnibus of the period4  ,one shudders to
 think what ,vidal would have done if   
,dodd's favourite house of call had been
 the ,star and ,garter instead of the   
,coach and ,horses6  ,his last years    
were spent in great poverty2 in fact1 he
 subsisted almost entirely on the       
charity of a few violinists and amateurs
 who appreciated his genius4 ,he        
ultimately died of bronchitis in the    
,infirmary of ,richmond ,workhouse1 and 
was buried at ,kew2 not1 as has been    
elsewhere stated1 at ,richmond4  ,i do  

not think a man of such a taciturn1     
secretive disposition1 would have been  
likely readily to adopt the methods and 
copy the work of another maker4 ,as has 
been shown by the reproductions of bows 
,i have given so far1 there has been    
apparent a converging tendency to the   
modern design of head all through4 ,the 
,tourte head is undoubtedly the most    
beautiful1 the most perfect in every    
way4 ,his was the master hand that did  
what others had been trying to do4      
,dodd1 working1 as ,i believe1 quite    
independently1 came very near it4 ,a    
comparison of the ,dodd bows shown in   
,plates ,,iii4 and ,,iv41 with the      
,tourtes in ,plates ,v4 and ,,vi41 will 
make clear a very significant fact4     
,dodd's work--fine as it is--is         
distinctly earlier in spirit than that  
of his great ,french rival4 ,yet they   
were contemporaries--in point of fact   
,dodd was a few years later than        
,tourte4  ,illustration3 ,,plate ,v4    
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vi4  ,then1 as 

regards the cambre1 ,dodd followed on in
 the primitive school and cut his bows  
at once to the required sweep3 ,tourte1 
in addition to perfecting the dimensions
 and design1 instituted an entirely new 
principle based on scientific           
deductions4 ,his bows were all cut      
straight1 and the spring was produced by
 judicious heating of the fibres4       
,another thing one has to consider in   
this connexion is the relations that    
existed between ,england and ,france at 
this period4 ,i think most people will  
admit that they were strained1 and that 
there were many obstacles in the way of 
free intercourse between the two        
countries4 ,the war with ,france        
commenced when ,dodd was twenty-one     
years of age1 and though ,tourte was    
five years older he had spent his youth 
firstly in the pursuit of a vocation    
entirely removed from bow making1 and   
secondly in experiments lasting some    
considerable time before he commenced   
producing the perfect work that has made

 his name one to be extolled and        
reverenced by all wielders of that magic
 wand1 the fiddle-stick4 ,when one      
thinks of the roundabout way such a     
thing would have to travel from ,paris  
to ,london at this period1 it seems     
highly probable that ,dodd may not have 
seen a specimen of ,tourte's work until 
he was about sixty4  ,what a marvellous 
thing a fine ,tourte is6 ,what a        
revelation the first time a player      
handles one6 ,when ,i have an           
opportunity of playing on a ,strad with 
a ,tourte ,i can never decide which     
causes me the most delight4 ,there is an
 indefinable something about a ,tourte  
that seems to increase the player's     
dexterity of manipulation to an         
extraordinary extent4 ,no matter how    
used one may be to a certain bow3 no    
matter how expert one may be in the     
execution of staccato and arpeggio      
passages1 the first time a ,tourte is   
tried one realizes that hitherto there  
has been an effort necessary for the    

adequate production of such effects1    
whereas now the bow seems endowed with a
 consciousness quite en rapport with    
that of the player1 and difficulties    
vanish magically4 ,it seems voluntarily 
to carry into effect the player's wishes
 without any physical interposition     
whatever4  ,it is like riding a         
thoroughbred in the ,row after driving a
 donkey across ,hampstead ,heath4 ,not  
that ,i or any of my readers would think
 of indulging in any such distressingly 
vulgar exercise as the last named4 ,it  
may serve1 however1 to conjure up in the
 mind a sufficiently forcible simile4   
,apart from their many wonderful        
qualities as bows1 they are quite       
exceptional as works of art4 ,study the 
four heads shown in ,plates ,v4 and     
,,vi41 and note the tender sweep of the 
outer line2 full of force and delicacy  
combined4 ,see1 too1 how it is supported
 by the harmonious inner line1 a thought
 more rigid1 and yet full of grace4 ,to 
become an expert in bows requires years 

of continual observation1 for the slight
 differences in line are too subtle to  
be apparent to those who are not        
constantly looking for and studying     
them4 ,but ,i think anyone1 even ye     
meanest capacitie in ye world--to quote 
good old ,roger ,north--will be able to 
appreciate the contrast between the bow 
heads in ,plates ,,iii4 and ,,iv41 and  
those in ,plates ,v4 and ,,vi4 ,it is in
 the two 'cello bow heads that the      
greatest resemblance is seen4 ,but even 
here one can easily note the unwonted   
massiveness1 almost amounting to        
clumsiness1 in that of ,dodd2 while the 
,tourte is full of lightness1 strength  
and vigour4 ,there is more or less of   
sluggishness observable in most of the  
preceding bows1 but the ,tourte is      
awake2 it lives6  ,it is at times of    
great interest to note by what slender  
threads of chance great consequences may
 be suspended4 ,take the family of the  
,tourtes for instance4 ,we find the     
father a worthy craftsman making bows as

 good1 and possibly better1 than those  
of his contemporaries4 ,he1 obeying a   
natural law of custom1 educated his     
eldest son in his own craft1 and        
probably looked to him to perpetuate    
those excellencies in design and finish 
that had brought him fame4 ,francois1   
the younger son1 was not forgotten      
though1 and the father bethought him of 
some useful industry at which he might  
earn a living1 and decided on           
clockmaking as the most suitable4 ,now  
mark the erratic workings of fate4 ,the 
eldest son1 from whom so much was       
expected1 proved a comparative failure1 
inasmuch as that1 instead of            
progressing1 his work was distinctly    
inferior to that of his father4#a       
,francois1 on the other hand1 became    
tired of clockmaking after eight years' 
ill-remunerated grind1 and turned his   
attention to the family trade4          
,footnote #a3 ,the few fine bows by     
,tourte-l'aine1 as he was called1 ,i    
should think were made after his        

brother's success in this direction4    
,he1 like ,dodd1 was totally uneducated1
 but had great gifts of perception and  
judgment4  ,at this time violin playing 
was becoming every day more distinctive 
and prominent4 ,great players were      
beginning to understand the chiar oscuro
 of music4 ,they were learning          
expression4  ,there was in general      
amongst violinists an anticipation of   
the grand1 yet simple law set forth by  
,de ,beriot in his ,violin ,school that 
the human voice was the pure archetype  
upon which all played music should be   
modelled4  ,it was found that the violin
 was capable of simulating all the      
subtle inflexions of song1 whether of   
passion or tenderness1 and players      
sighed for an ideal bow that should be  
tongue-like in its response to the      
performer's emotion4 ,a bow that should 
at once be flexible to whisper soft     
nothings in my lady's ear2 strong--to   
sound a clarion-blast of defiance2 and1 
withal1 be ready for any coquetterie or 

badinage that might suit its owner's    
whim4 ,this is what ,francois ,tourte1  
the starving clockmaker1 gave them4  ,we
 fiddlers have to be very thankful that 
the master clockmakers of ,paris were   
not more liberal to their employes6     
,illiterate as he was he at once grasped
 all the points of art and physics      
involved1 and commenced diligently      
experimenting with a view to solving the
 various problems that presented        
themselves to his consideration4  ,to   
gain facility in the manipulation of his
 tools1 he made countless bows from old 
barrel staves2 he could not afford to   
make his first attempts on anything     
better4 ,when he had attained sufficient
 skill in the actual workmanship1 and   
had satisfied himself as to the most    
suitable form1 he set to work           
investigating the question of material4 
,he tried all kinds of wood1 and at last
 decided that the red wood of           
,pernambuco1 then largely imported into 
,europe for dyeing purposes1 was the    

best4 ,to obtain this in sufficient     
quantities was no easy matter1 for the  
,anglo-,french wars were interfering    
seriously with international commerce2 a
 circumstance that rendered this        
material unusually expensive4 ,then the 
nature of this wood is not by any means 
a bow maker's ideal4 ,billets and logs  
amounting to several tons in weight may 
be examined before a piece is found     
sufficiently free from knots and cracks1
 and of straight enough grain to be     
suitable for the purpose4 ,however1     
genius and a capacity for taking        
infinite pains overcame all             
difficulties1 and we now have bows      
worthy of the greatest masterpieces of  
,cremona4  ,how little are the workings 
of genius understood by the painstaking 
ones4 ,they cannot conceive the         
suddenness of inspiration--the almost   
instantaneous grasp of essentials that  
precedes the plodding mechanical work   
necessary even to genius4  ,the results 
of infinite pains1 or of genius alone   

are equally unsatisfactory4 ,it is only 
where these qualities are combined in   
perfect balance that true greatness can 
be achieved4  ,in the case of ,tourte we
 have a remarkable example of this      
combination4 ,his genius made him grasp 
spontaneously the qualities required1   
and his capacity for taking infinite    
pains helped him to produce the perfect 
bow4 ,he it was who determined finally  
the length and weight of a bow1 its     
equilibrium1 the angle of the hair      
necessary for a good attack1 the length 
and breadth of the hair and sundry other
 points that1 prior to #agge1 had been  
quite undecided4  ,the mean length of a 
violin bow as fixed by ,tourte is from  
#gd to #ge centimetres 7#bi4acd to      
#bi4ebh inches ,english72 that of a     
viola bow is #gd centimetres 7#bi4acd   
inches71 and a 'cello bow #gb to #gc    
centimetres 7#bh4cdg to #bh4gdj74 ,many 
people imagine that the plates of silver
 or gold with which the nut of a bow is 
inlaid are nothing more than mere       

ornamentation4 ,but their first purpose 
is distinctly one of utility1 which is  
as it should be in a work of art2       
superfluous decoration has no beauty for
 an artist4 ,it is by means of these    
metal loadings at the heel that the     
weight of the head is counteracted and  
the exact point of equilibrium          
determined4 ,the centre of gravity in a 
violin bow should be at #ai centimetres 
7#g4dh inches7 from the nut2 in a 'cello
 bow at #age to #ahj millimetres 7#f4hi 
to #g4jhg inches7 from the nut4         
,concerning the geometric proportions of
 the ,tourte bows1 ,i cannot do better  
than quote ,bishop's able translation of
 the explanation given by ,fetis in his 
notice of ,a4 ,stradivarius4            
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cc4  ,the medium 
length of a bow1 to the head            
exclusively1 is #jm1 #gjj 7#bg4ef       
inches74  ,the bow comprises a          
cylindrical or prismatic part of uniform
 dimensions1 the length of which is #jm1
 #aaj 7#d4cc inches74 ,when this portion

 is cylindrical1 its diameter is #jm1   
#jjh-f_/aj 74#cd inch74  ,from this     
cylindrical or prismatic portion the    
diameter of the bow decreases up to the 
head1 where it is reduced to #jm1       
#jje-c_/aj 74#ba inches74 ,this gives a 
difference of #jm1 #jjc-c_/aj of a      
millimetre 74#ac inch7 between the      
diameters of the extremities2 from      
whence it follows that the stick        
comprises ten points where its diameter 
is necessarily reduced by #c_/aj of a   
millimetre 74#jab inch7 reckoning from  
the cylindrical portion4  ,after proving
 by a great number of ,tourte's bows    
that these ten points are not only found
 always at decreasing distances on the  
same stick1 but also that the distances 
are perceptibly the same1 and that the  
situations of the points are identical  
on different bows compared together1 ,m4
 ,vuillaume sought to ascertain whether 
the positions of the ten points could   
not be obtained by a geometrical        
construction1 by which they might be    

found with certainty2 and by which1     
consequently1 bows might be made whose  
good condition should be always settled 
a priori4 ,this he attained in the      
following manner4 ,at the extremity of a
 right line ,a ,b1 equal to #jm1 #gjj   
7#bg4ef inches71 that is to say the     
length of the bow1 raise a perpendicular
 ,a ,c1 equal to the length of the      
cylindrical portion1 namely #jm1 #aaj   
7#d4cc inches74  ,at the extremity ,b of
 the same line1 raise another           
perpendicular ,b ,d1 of the length #jm1 
#jbb 74#hff inches7 and unite the upper 
extremities of these two perpendiculars1
 or ordinates by a right line ,c ,d1 so 
that the two lines ,a ,b and ,c ,d1 may 
lie at a certain inclination to each    
other4  ,take the length #jm1 #aaj      
7#d4cc inches7 of the ordinate ,a ,c    
with the compasses1 and set it off on   
the line ,a ,b1 from ,a to e3 from the  
point thus obtained1 draw another       
ordinate 7parallel to ,a ,c and         
perpendicular to ,a ,b71 until it meets 

the line ,c ,d4  ,between these two     
ordinates ,a ,c and e f--the latter of  
which is necessarily less than the      
former--lies the cylindrical portion of 
the bow1 whose diameter1 as before      
stated1 is #jm1 #jjh-f_/aj 74#cd inch74 
,then take the length of the ordinate   
last obtained1 e f1 and set it off1 as  
before1 on the line ,a ,b1 from f to g1 
and at the point g draw a third ordinate
 g h1 the length of which must also be  
set off on the line ,a ,b1 to determine 
thereon a new point i1 from which to    
draw the fourth ordinate1 i j3 the      
length of which1 likewise1 when set off 
on the line ,a ,b1 determines the point 
where the fifth ordinate k l is to be   
drawn4 ,the latter1 in like manner1     
determines the sixth m n1 and so of the 
others1 to the last but one y z4  ,the  
points g i k m o q s u w y so obtained1 
starting from the point e1 are those    
where the diameter of the bow is        
successively reduced #c_/aj of a        
millimetre 74#jab inch74 ,now1 these    

points have been determined by the      
successively decreasing lengths of the  
ordinates drawn from the same points1   
and their respective distances          
progressively decrease from the point e 
to the point ,b4  ,if we subject these  
data to calculation1 we shall find that 
the profile of the bow is represented by
 a logarithmic curve1 of which the      
ordinates increase in arithmetical      
progression2 while the abscissae        
increase in geometrical progression2 and
 lastly1 that the curvature of the      
profile will be expressed by the        
equation    y  - #c4aa  #b1 #eg log4 x2 
and1 in varying x from #age to #afe     
tenths of a millimetre1 the             
corresponding values of y will be those 
of the radii 7or semi-diameters7 of the 
transverse circular section of the bow  
at corresponding points in the axis4    
,,chapter ,,vii4                        
,,lupot--,,peccatte--,,spurious         
,,stamping--,,panormo--,w4 ,j4 ,b4      
,,woolhouse',s ,,calculations4   ,i have

 spoken at length of ,dodd and          
,tourte--two names that stand out in the
 history of the bow with remarkable     
prominence--and before proceeding with  
the general list of bow makers1 great   
and small1 ,i propose to speak of       
,peccatte and ,lupot1 whose genius was  
inferior only to that of ,tourte in that
 they were followers rather than        
originators4  ,francois ,lupot was a    
brother of ,nicolas ,lupot the violin   
maker4 ,he1 however1 devoted all his    
energies to the manufacture of bows1    
and1 in his best work1 is considered by 
many to nearly equal ,tourte4 ,but      
unfortunately the standard of excellence
 in ,lupot's bows varies to a           
considerable extent1 and1 while some are
 truly magnificent others are very      
inferior4 ,this is a fact that cannot be
 too widely made known in the interests 
of intending purchasers4 ,the guarantee 
of genuineness alone is not sufficient  
for anyone desiring a bow for use1 and1 
unless he has the requisite knowledge   

and experience himself he should always 
first submit a bow to a professional man
 of repute for his judgment as to its   
qualities for a player4 ,many of        
,lupot's sticks are stamped ,,lupot1    
sometimes in two or three places1 but it
 has been doubted whether he did this   
himself or not4 ,in general it is       
thought that it was done afterwards by  
dealers4 ,this is certainly the case    
with the few ,tourtes that are stamped  
with their maker's name1 for it is an   
ascertained fact that the ,tourtes never
 stamped their work4 ,there are only two
 instances on record of ,tourte marking 
a stick1 and in each case it consisted  
of a minute label glued into the slot   
bearing the following inscription3 ,cet 
archet a ete fait par ,tourte en #ahbd1 
age de soixante-dix-sept ans4 7,this bow
 was made by ,tourte in #ahbd1 aged #gg 
years74  ,an important addition1 said to
 have been instituted by ,lupot1 was the
 metal plate which lines the groove in  
the nut and prevents the wearing away of

 the nut by friction with the stick4    
,in ,plate ,,vii4 ,i give two examples  
of ,lupot's work4 ,here will be seen all
 the tenderness of line characteristic  
of ,tourte1 albeit that they lack       
somewhat of his force4 ,the workmanship 
in these two bows is superb1 and they   
are also delightful to play with1 being 
well balanced and of controllable       
flexibility4 ,this is a point in a bow  
that is frequently overlooked4 ,many    
imagine that flexibility alone is the   
chief desideratum1 and bows have been   
shown to me almost indiarubber-like in  
their pliancy2 the owners expecting me  
to wax enthusiastic over this--to my    
mind--serious defect4 ,as a matter of   
fact1 flexibility and pliancy are not   
correct definitions of a bow's chief    
quality1 as they amount to weakness4    
,what is really meant is elasticity1 by 
which is conveyed not only the property 
of yielding to pressure but also that of
 speedily recovering its normal state4  
,we sometimes hear a player in testing  

bows say that such a one has too much   
life in it2 thereby implying that its   
action is largely out of the performer's
 control1 a condition usually           
attributable to an excess of            
flexibility4  ,illustration3 ,,plate    
,,vii4  ,as a contrast to the ,lupot    
bows in ,plate ,,vii41 ,i give two      
examples of ,dominique ,peccatte1 ,plate
 ,,viii4 ,here we have forcibleness and 
energy to a most marked extent1 yet     
there is a certain grace withal1 the    
extreme squareness of the outer line    
does not offend the eye as in those of  
,dodd4  ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,viii4  
,peccatte1 like ,francois ,tourte1      
started life in an occupation far       
removed from that which made him famous4
 ,his father was a barber at ,mirecourt1
 where ,dominique was born #ahaj4       
,wielding the razor not proving         
congenial1 he adopted the prevailing    
industry of the town and became a maker 
of violins and bows2 in the latter he   
became exceptionally expert4 ,in the    

year #ahbf ,j4 ,b4 ,vuillaume was in    
want of a talented workman and wrote to 
his brother1 who was established in     
,mirecourt1 to find him one4 ,the result
 of these enquiries was that ,dominique 
,peccatte came to ,paris and remained   
for eleven years with ,vuillaume4 ,in   
#ahcg ,francois ,lupot died and         
,peccatte took over the business4 ,ten  
years later he returned to his native   
place1 though retaining his business    
connexion with ,paris until his death1  
which took place in #ahgd4 ,many of his 
bows are unstamped1 or bear the stamp of
 ,vuillaume1 but great numbers of them  
are stamped ,,peccatte1 occasionally    
with the word ,,paris on the opposite   
side of the stick4  ,much confusion has 
arisen from the fact that in some       
specimens the stamp has only a single   
,t1 the result1 probably1 of illiteracy 
on the part of the maker4  ,the third in
 ,plate ,,viii4 is a bow by ,panormo4   
,his work is quite distinct from that of
 any other maker2 but one must not run  

away with the idea that he affected an  
unjustifiable singularity1 for the flat 
sides and angular facets of the ,panormo
 heads have a logical basis1 being in   
point of fact the natural continuation  
of the octagonal stick4  ,indebted as we
 are to the makers and scientists of    
,france for bringing the indispensable  
fiddlestick to such a degree of         
perfection1 we must not overlook the    
claims of certain of our own countrymen 
for recognition in the same field of    
art4  ,the late mathematician and       
musical amateur1 ,w4 ,s4 ,b4 ,woolhouse1
 no less than ,fetis1 contributed       
greatly to a full understanding of the  
essential properties of a bow on the    
part of those whose office it is to     
produce the actual instrument4          
,woolhouse laid great stress on a point 
overlooked by many other students of the
 subject1 the same being that the       
success of a bow depends quite as much  
on its purity as a vibrating body as    
does the violin4  ,unless the bow is so 

adjusted in its weight and proportions  
that it vibrates with absolute          
uniformity throughout its entire length 
it is useless to an artist4  ,bows are  
false frequently in the same way that   
strings are4 ,inequalities of finish1   
imperceptible to our ordinary senses1   
will render a perfect staccato from end 
to end impossible1 just as it is        
impossible to obtain true fifths in     
every part of a violin's compass if one 
of the strings be slightly wanting in   
absolute cylindricity4 ,i speak         
specially of staccato1 as that form of  
bowing suffers perhaps more than any    
other from faulty bows2 but any form of 
bowing that calls for special dexterity 
will betray the inefficiency of a bow4  
,it is of great interest to compare the 
calculations of ,woolhouse with those of
 ,fetis1 and ,i will here quote the     
results obtained by the former4  ,if    
measurements be taken in inches1 and    
parts of an inch1 and h denote the      
distance of any part of the bow from the

 head1 the diameter of the stick in that
 locality1 supposing the bow to be      
round1 may be readily calculated from   
the following formula3--    ,diameter   
4#b log47h  #g4be7 - #i4hajj  ,from this
 formula the numbers given in the last  
column of the following table were      
calculated4                             
----------------------------------------
-----------------    ,distance from     
,head of ,bow in ,inches4     ,diameter 
----------------------------------------
-- in parts of      ,violin             
,viola     ,violoncello    an inch4     
----------------------------------------
---------------        #j               
4#baj            #b             #j      
4#bcj            #d             #a-a_/b 
#j           4#bdg            #f        
#c             #a           4#bfb       
#i             #e             #c        
4#bhj           #ac             #h      
#e-a_/b       4#cjj           #ah       
#aa-a_/b         #i           4#cah     
#bc            #ae            #ab       

4#ccc                         #ai       
#af           4#cdh                     
#bc            #bj           4#cfj      
#bd           4#cgj                     
----------------------------------------
---------------  ,these measurements1 of
 course1 only extend to the commencement
 of the cylindrical portion4  ,woolhouse
 made a small gauge of ivory1 based on  
the above measurements1 which proved of 
great practical value in examining bows4
 ,the measurements he obtained by the   
above calculation apply to wood of      
medium density4 ,he says1 ,for close and
 dense wood the dimensions should be    
somewhat diminished1 or1 what amounts   
practically to the same thing1 the      
distance from the head should1 for dense
 wood1 be increased by half an inch1 or 
an inch1 as the case may be1 before     
applying the gauge4 ,he then gives a    
table of inclusive weights of violin1   
viola and violoncello bows4             
----------------------------------------
-----------                      ,weight

 of ,bow for                            
--------------------------------------- 
,violin        ,viola     ,violoncello  
--------------------------------------- 
grains       grains       grains        
,light        #hej         #a1jjj       
#a1aej      ,medium       #ijj          
#a1jej        #a1bjj      ,heavy        
#iej         #a1ajj        #a1bej       
----------------------------------------
--------  ,in speaking of the adjustment
 of the spring or cambre1 ,woolhouse    
gives a means of obtaining the exact    
curve that does not strike me as being  
sufficiently reliable for the purpose4  
,he suggests that an auxiliary bow be   
made of the proper dimensions1 but so as
 to be quite straight2 then1 on being   
haired and screwed up in the ordinary   
way1 it will show1 in an inverted       
position1 the exact curve to which other
 bows should be set4 ,but screwed up in 
the ordinary way appears to me to admit 
of too much latitude of application3 it 
is not possible to divine to what extent

 this auxiliary bow is to be screwed1   
and if this is left to the judgment of  
the maker1 why not set the cambre by    
judgment and save the trouble of the    
straight auxiliary bow8  ,i will now    
proceed to give an alphabetical list of 
bow makers which ,i trust is as complete
 as possible4 ,i have endeavoured to    
leave out all purely factory makers in  
favour of those who are personally      
engaged in the manufacture of bows4     
,there are some in the list who are not 
actual makers1 but who carefully        
supervise all the bows issued under     
their name4 ,such work is always        
distinctive and differs greatly from    
that issued by firms who order bows by  
the gross from foreign factories1 and   
then stamp their own name on the stick4 
,this is a class of bow that usually    
looks very pretty and tempting to the   
young lady amateur1 but is sadly lacking
 in balance and spring2 what little     
there may be of the latter at first soon
 disappears1 for it is quite impossible 

for any firm to turn out thoroughly     
efficient bows at the extraordinarily   
low prices one sees quoted4 ,one must   
remember that for a bow to be of any    
real utility1 the material1 the         
workmanship1 and the fittings must be of
 the very best possible description4    
,,chapter ,,viii4  ,a ,,list ,,of ,,bow 
,,makers4   ,a noticeable feature in the
 following list is the great            
preponderance of ,french makers4        
,curiously enough the list of bow makers
 commences with3  ,,adam1 ,,jean        
,,dominique4 ,he was born at ,mirecourt 
in #agie1 and died at the age of        
sixty-nine4 ,he is said by some to have 
been the son of one ,jean ,adams1 a bow 
maker of the eighteenth century4 ,how   
far this may be true is impossible to   
say4 ,the difference in the spelling of 
the name may not be a great matter1 but 
there is no explanation forthcoming4    
,the majority of his bows are very      
commonplace1 but occasionally he made an
 effort and produced something out of   

his ordinary run1 and these he          
invariably stamped ,,adam4 ,of these the
 octagonal sticks are most highly       
prized4  ,,allen1 ,,samuel4 ,born in    
,cornwall in #aheh2 was originally      
intended for a schoolmaster4 ,worked at 
several mechanical trades and being     
musical1 he naturally turned his        
attention to fiddles1 and ultimately1   
bows4 ,messrs4 ,w4 ,e4 ,hill and ,sons  
employed him as a bow maker for several 
years4 ,although he held a high position
 in their workshop his independent      
nature was not satisfied until #ahia1   
when he set up in business on his own   
account as a violin and bow maker and   
repairer4  ,,baroux1 ,paris4 ,early half
 of the present century4 ,occasionally  
made some very excellent bows1 but the  
general average of his work is only     
moderate4  ,,bausch ,,and ,,son1        
,leipsic4 ,middle of present century4   
,the bows issued by this firm are valued
 highly in ,germany4 ,they are well made
 and1 as a rule1 strong4  ,,bazin1      

,,gustave1 ,mirecourt4 ,a very capable  
workman1 some of his 'cello bows are    
excellent4  ,,betts4 ,born #agee1 died  
#ahbc4 ,worked in ,london as a violin   
maker and dealer4 ,the bows bearing his 
name were made by ,edward ,dodd and ,w4 
,tubbs4  ,,braglia1 ,,antonio1 ,modena4 
,beginning of this century4 ,i have not 
seen any of this maker's work4  ,,brown1
 ,,james 7,junior71 ,london4 ,born      
#aghf1 died #ahfj4 ,a clever maker1     
worked much for the trade1 but turned   
out some good sticks1 stamped with his  
name4  ,,chanot1 ,,adolph1 ,paris4      
,brother of the late ,georges ,chanot of
 ,wardour ,street4 ,born about #ahbh4   
,worked with ,henry of ,paris and has   
turned out some magnificent sticks4 ,his
 death1 which took place suddenly1 at   
the age of twenty-nine1 was due to an   
aneurism4 ,had he lived he would        
undoubtedly have taken a high position  
in the esteem of bow wielders4          
,,darbey1 ,,george1 ,bristol4 ,died     
,march1 #aiba4  ,,dodd1 ,,edward1       

,london and ,sheffield4 ,born #agje1    
died #ahaj4 ,one seldom finds a bow     
bearing his name as he was mostly       
employed by others1 such as ,betts1     
,forster1 ,norris1 etc4  ,,dodd1        
,,james4 ,worked in ,london in #ahfd2 it
 is doubtful if any of his work can be  
identified as he almost invariably      
worked for others4  ,,dodd1 ,,john4     
,born in #ageb1 died in #ahci4 ,this was
 the ,english bow-maker par excellence4 
,for fuller details of his life and work
 see ,chapter ,,vi4  ,,dodd1 ,,thomas1  
,london1 #aghf-ahbc4 ,he differed from  
the others of this name inasmuch as he  
did not make for others but employed    
others to make for him4  ,,eury1 ,paris4
 ,early part of the present century4    
,his bows are universally esteemed1 some
 of them being exceptionally fine4 ,he  
did not always stamp his bows1 but when 
he did it was generally under the       
lapping or1 as some say1 the whipping4  
,,fonclause1 ,,joseph4 ,born in #ahjj1  
died in #ahfe4 ,he was an excellent     

maker4 ,he first learnt the art of      
bow-making from ,pajeot at ,mirecourt1  
and ultimately worked for ,j4 ,b4       
,vuillaume at ,paris4 ,later on he      
started on his own account4 ,his bows   
from this period are usually marked with
 his own name4  ,,forster1 ,,william4 ,a
 noted ,english violin maker who was    
born near the middle of the last        
century4 ,one now and then meets with a 
bow bearing his name4 ,these are all the
 work of ,e4 ,dodd1 ,w4 ,tubbs1 or some 
other skilled workmen in his employ4    
,,gand ,,and ,,bernardel1 ,paris4 ,a    
modern firm whose staff make some       
remarkably fine bows4 ,they are mostly  
stamped with the name of the firm2 but  
as they make bows to the order of       
various other firms there are many      
examples of their work either unstamped 
or bearing fictitious names4  ,,harmand4
 ,worked in ,mirecourt about #ahce4     
,made some fairly good bows4  ,,henry4  
,born in #ahab at ,mirecourt where he   
first learnt his craft4 ,he worked there

 till his twenty-fifth year1 when he    
went to ,paris4 ,here he was employed by
 ,chanot first1 and later1 by ,peccatte4
 ,when ,peccatte left ,paris1 ,henry    
entered into partnership with ,simon1   
another workman in ,peccatte's employ   
who had succeeded to the latter's ,paris
 shop4 ,this partnership lasted till    
#ahea4 ,he then worked alone4 ,he was a 
magnificent workman and has produced    
some splendid bows4 ,i have in mind a   
'cello bow of his shown me by ,j4       
,chanot that is a marvel of strength and
 elasticity4 ,he died in #ahgj4         
,sometimes his bows are stamped ,henry1 
,paris4  ,,hill1 ,w4 ,e41 ,,and ,,sons1 
,london4 ,contemporary4 ,this firm issue
 some very fine bows which are made in  
their own workshops by expert workmen   
trained under the personal supervision  
of ,mr4 ,a4 ,hill4  ,,josephs4          
,american1 contemporary4 ,a very clever 
maker and repairer of violins and bows4 
,i have seen some of his work that was  
excellent4  ,,kittel1 ,st4 ,petersburg4 

,modern4 ,i have never come across a    
specimen of this maker's work4 ,fleming 
states that they are about as nearly    
equal to ,tourte's as those of any maker
 that has lived since his day4 ,it is a 
pity they are not more plentiful if this
 is the case4  ,,knopf1 ,,heinrich1 and 
,,knopf1 ,,ludwig1 ,berlin1             
contemporary4 ,fairly good bows made    
chiefly to the order of other firms4    
,,lafleur1 ,,jacques4 ,born at ,nancy in
 #agfj1 died in ,paris #ahcb4 ,one of   
the best of the old makers4 ,some       
continental authorities place him on a  
par with ,tourte4 ,those of his make    
that ,i have handled are certainly very 
fine indeed4  ,,lafleur1 ,,joseph       
,,rene1 ,paris4 ,born in #ahab1 died in 
#ahgd4 ,he was the son of ,jacques      
,lafleur and inherited much of his      
father's skill4  ,,lamy1 ,,alfred       
,,joseph4 ,born in #ahej at ,mirecourt4 
,he was an excellent maker4 ,an         
interesting feature is that he learnt   
his craft at a remarkably early age4 ,he

 worked first with ,gautrot at          
,chateau-,fleurry4 ,he went1 like the   
rest1 to ,paris in #ahgg1 and worked for
 ,voirin for some eight years4 ,at      
,voirin's death he started in business  
for himself4  ,,lupot1 ,,francois4 ,born
 at ,orleans #aggd1 died at ,paris in   
#ahcg4 ,for fuller particulars of this  
maker see ,chapter ,,vii4  ,,maire1     
,,nicolas1 ,mirecourt and ,paris4 ,was a
 pupil of ,jacques ,lafleur but never   
did any work of great distinction4      
,,miquel1 ,,emile4 ,a contemporary      
,mirecourt maker4  ,,nurnberger1 ,,karl 
,,albert1 ,markneukirchen4              
,contemporary4 ,a most finished workman 
and a clever imitator of the styles of  
various well-known makers4 ,has worked  
much for the trade4 ,his best examples  
are frequently stamped with his name1   
and amongst these will be found bows    
which are fit to rank with some of the  
finest productions of the ,french       
school4 ,there are other makers of the  
same family engaged in bow making4      

,,pajeot4 ,worked in ,mirecourt in the  
early part of the present century4 ,an  
excellent maker4 ,he taught ,joseph     
,fonclause who is known to have made    
some of the finest bows bearing         
,vuillaume's stamp4  ,,panormo4 ,the    
quaint faceted bows of which ,i have    
given an example in ,plate ,,viii4 were 
made1 as far as ,i have been able to    
ascertain1 by ,george ,louis ,panormo1  
in the early part of this century4      
,details concerning this family are     
neither plentiful nor clear1 but it is  
fairly certain that this bow maker was a
 son of ,vincent ,panormo of ,palermo1  
,paris1 ,ireland1 etc41 who first made  
the name famous in the fiddle world4 ,a 
description of the characteristics of   
his work will be found in ,chapter      
,,vii4  ,fleming mentions a ,george     
,louis ,panormo as a modern maker in    
,london1 but ,i do not know of such a   
maker4 ,i am informed on excellent      
authority that all the ,panormo bows    
were made in ,paris4  ,,peccatte1       

,,dominique4 ,born in #ahaj and died in 
#ahgd at ,mirecourt4 ,details of his    
life and work are given in ,chapter     
,,vii4  ,,peccatte1 ,,francois          
7,,peccatte ,,jeune71 ,paris4 ,born     
,mirecourt1 #ahbj1 died ,paris1 #ahee4  
,a good workman1 whose best bows1 though
 not well known in this country1 are of 
nearly equal merit with his brother     
,dominique's4 ,he worked for ten years  
with ,vuillaume4 ,some of his bows are  
stamped with his name1 the lettering of 
the stamp differing slightly from that  
employed by his more famous brother4    
,,peccatte1 ,,charles1 ,paris4 ,son of  
,francois4 ,born ,mirecourt1 #ahej4 ,a  
good workman1 but not equal to the other
 makers of the name4  ,,pellegri1       
,italian1 modern2 neat workmanship4     
,,persoit4 ,worked in ,paris about #ahbh
 to #ahda4 ,he was employed largely by  
,vuillaume and most of his bows bear the
 latter's name1 but he occasionally     
worked on his own account and then his  
work was stamped ,p4,r4,s4  ,,price1    

,london4 ,contemporary1 excellent maker4
 ,pupil of ,tubbs4  ,,pfretschner1      
,markneukirchen4 ,contemporary makers1  
whose best work is of high merit and    
finish1 though not quite equal to that  
of ,a4 ,nurnberger4  ,,poison1 ,paris4  
,a really magnificent workman4 ,he was  
employed largely by the firm of ,gand   
and ,bernardel1 and the majority of his 
bows bear their stamp4 ,one occasionally
 meets with a bow by this maker bearing 
his own name4  ,,pupinat1 ,swiss4       
,middle of the present century4         
,,rakowsch1 ,paris4 ,modern4  ,,rau1    
,,august1 ,markneukirchen4 ,born #ahff4 
,a first-class workman4 ,worked much for
 ,weichold of ,dresden4  ,,ronchini1    
,italian4 ,modern4  ,,schwartz1 ,,georg 
,,friedrich1 ,strasburg4 ,born #aghe1   
died #ahdi4 ,made some excellent bows   
marked ,swartz1 ,strasburg4  ,,simon1   
,p4 ,born at ,mirecourt in #ahjh4       
,worked for ,d4 ,peccatte in ,paris in  
#ahch4 ,after this he worked for        
,vuillaume for seven years4 ,he then set

 up on his own account for some two     
years1 and when ,d4 ,peccatte left      
,paris he took over the business in     
partnership with ,henry4 ,three years   
later and he was again alone4 ,his      
workmanship is always good and betrays  
,peccatte's influence4  ,,sirjean4      
,french4 ,early part of the present     
century4  ,,suss1 ,,johann ,,christian1 
,markneukirchen4 ,born #ahbi4 ,died     
#aijj4 ,one of the best makers ,germany 
has produced4 ,imitated the style of    
,tourte4  ,,tadolini1 ,,ignazio4 ,born  
at ,bologna in #agia1 died at ,modena in
 #ahgc4 ,was established with his       
brother at the last-named town4 ,made   
some very fine bows but was not equal4  
,,tournatoris4 ,french4 ,latter part of 
last century4  ,,tourte4 ,eighteenth    
century1 ,paris4 ,one of the best bow   
makers of the older type1 chiefly known 
as the father of ,francois ,tourte4     
,,tourte1 ,,savere4 ,eldest son of the  
preceding and called ,tourte l'aine1    
,paris4  ,,tourte1 ,,francois1 ,paris4  

,brother of the above1 the greatest of  
all bow makers4 ,born #agdg1 died #ahch4
 ,for fuller particulars of his life and
 work see ,chapter ,,vi 7,plates ,v4 and
 ,,vi474  ,,tubbs1 ,w41 ,london4 ,early 
nineteenth century4 ,worked for         
,forster1 ,betts1 ,norris and ,barnes4  
,he was taught bow making by ,edward    
,dodd4  ,,tubbs1 ,,james4 ,son of the   
preceding4 ,born #ahce4 ,died ,april1   
#aiba4 ,many of his bows are graduated  
according to a system based on the      
calculations of ,w4 ,s4 ,b4 ,woolhouse1 
the mathematician 7see ,chapter ,,vii74 
,the ,tubbs bows have qualities         
distinctly their own and when a player  
becomes thoroughly used to a ,tubbs he  
rarely feels comfortable with even the  
finest bows of another make4            
,conversely1 a player in the habit of   
using constantly any other bow          
experiences a slight feeling of         
strangeness on first trying a ,tubbs4   
,the workmanship in a ,tubbs bow is     
almost unique in its perfection4 ,and   

there is a characteristic ,english      
solidity about the secure way in which  
all the fittings are adjusted4 ,i have  
been an eye witness of the care and     
attention paid by his son1 ,mr4 ,a4     
,tubbs to the work of repairing a bow   
that to the casual observer would seem  
past all treatment4 ,his brother1 ,c4   
,e4 ,tubbs1 was a good bow maker1 but   
somewhat erratic4  ,,vigneron1 ,a4 ,a   
modern ,french maker who turns out some 
extremely high class work4  ,,voirin1   
,,nicholas ,,francois4 ,another of the  
great ,parisian bow makers4 ,learnt the 
craft in his native town1 ,mirecourt1   
where he was born in #ahcc4 ,at the age 
of twenty-two he was employed by        
,vuillaume1 with whom he worked for some
 fifteen years4 ,it is believed that the
 finest bows bearing ,vuillaume's name  
were made by ,voirin4 ,some of his bows 
that were exhibited by ,vuillaume in the
 ,paris ,exhibition in #ahfg received   
honourable mention4 ,i should say his   
work is more equal than that of any     

other maker4 ,of course1 as with other  
popular makers1 there are to be found   
plenty of worthless bows bearing the    
forged stamp1 ,n4 ,f4 ,voirin1 a ,paris4
 ,his death1 which took place in ,paris 
in #ahhe1 was very pathetic4 ,he was    
walking along the ,faubourg ,montmartre 
on his way to the abode of a customer to
 whom he was taking a bow newly         
finished1 when he suddenly fell down in 
an apoplectic fit4 ,fortunately his name
 and address1 ,bouloi #c1 was on the    
parcel containing the bow1 and he was   
thus able to be taken home without      
delay4 ,but how sad a home-coming6      
brought home in a dying condition to his
 wife whom he had left but a few minutes
 before in apparently good health4 ,he  
died the same night4  ,,vuillaume1 ,j4  
,b41 ,paris4 ,this strange mixture of   
cunning and ability will be ever        
remembered as the craftiest of          
craftsmen4 ,an undoubted genius as a    
violin maker1 yet with all the tricks   
and subterfuges of the veriest          

charlatan4 ,concerning the real value of
 the historical details furnished to    
,fetis by ,vuillaume ,i have spoken in  
,chapter ,v4 ,though it is possible that
 he had considerable practical knowledge
 of bow making1 ,i do not think he      
actually made any bows4 ,he exercised   
great judgment1 however1 in the         
employment of skilled workmen1 whom he  
kept as a rule for a number of years--a 
fact that is sufficient to stamp him as 
a good and considerate employer4 ,the   
most noted makers who worked for him    
were ,fonclause1 ,peccatte1 ,persoit1   
,simon and ,voirin4 ,it will thus be    
seen that the majority of the bows      
bearing ,vuillaume's name are of the    
best possible workmanship and quality4  
,unfortunately there are in this case   
also a number of forgeries on the       
market4 ,the most noteworthy features in
 connexion with ,vuillaume1 as regards  
bows1 are his curious inventions--the   
steel bow1 the fixed nut1 the curved    
ferrule1 and the self-hairing bow4 ,of  

the steel bow1 ,mr4 ,heron-,allen says  
he has never met with a specimen of so  
ponderous an eccentricity except the one
 in ,south ,kensington ,museum4 ,i have 
come across a number1 and as they are   
tubular they are not at all as ponderous
 as the name of the material suggests4  
,in fact ,i remember one that was very  
pleasant to play with4 ,they are nearly 
always lacking in balance4 ,the fixed   
nut was the result of an idea that the  
player should always have the same      
length of hair at his service4 ,the     
curved ferrule was also a mistake1 the  
idea being that it would be good to get 
a broad surface of hair on the string at
 the heel4 ,the self-hairing bow was    
ingenious but of no practical value4    
,these patents are detailed more fully  
in ,part ,,ii4 ,vuillaume was born at   
,mirecourt on ,october #gth1 #agih1 and 
was the son of the carrier between that 
town and ,nancy4 ,he died at ,paris in  
#ahge4  ,,weichold1 ,dresden4 ,an       
excellent firm1 who put their name on a 

superior class of trade bow4  ,,wilson1 
,,john ,,james ,,thompson1 ,london4     
,born ,march1 #ahfd1 worked in his youth
 with ,james ,tubbs1 and later with ,c4 
,e4 ,tubbs4 ,has worked much for the    
trade4  ,with this list of bow makers   
ends the historical section of these    
papers4 ,as ,i have already explained1 a
 perfect history of the bow is quite    
impossible to obtain1 and all ,i have   
attempted has been to lay before my     
readers the facts ,i have accumulated4  
,i have carefully abstained from        
promulgating any theories of my own with
 regard to the evolution of the bow     
7save in such cases where certain       
conclusions have been forced upon me by 
the evidence found7 as from the         
conflicting nature of the records1 ,i   
consider no one theory to be sufficient4
 ,there seem to have been a number of   
separate influences at work1 the        
ultimate convergence thereof resulting  
in the production of the perfect bow as 
we now know it4 ,if ,i have been unable 

to make a clear exposition of the bow's 
progress1 ,i trust ,i have succeeded in 
showing the unprincipled elimination of 
contradictory details resorted to by    
earlier writers in order to achieve this
 desired end4 ,and ,i hope it will be   
understood that this has not been done  
in the spirit of the small boy who1     
disappointed in his attempt to build a  
sand castle1 derives an alleviative     
gratification from the destruction of   
the more imposing erections of his      
playmates4     ,,part ,,ii4 ,,bow       
,,making4     ,,chapter ,,ix4           
,,materials--,,brazil                   
,,wood--,,horsehair--,,the ,,action ,,of
 ,,rosin4   ,it is curious to pass in   
review the strange events--the causes1  
heterogeneous and improbable1 that have 
produced many of the most important     
results in the history of man4 ,what    
fiddler1 for instance1 when indulging in
 the customary smoke after an evening's 
grind1 realises his indebtedness for    
half his enjoyment to an unscrupulous   

,genoese pirate of the fifteenth        
century8 ,yet1 seeing that in addition  
to wooden nutmegs1 banjoes and other    
blessings of civilization emanating from
 the ,new ,world1 ,america gives us both
 tobacco and ,brazil wood 7the only     
material of which it is possible to make
 a thoroughly good bow71 ,i think that1 
if ,i may liken the violinist's mind to 
a temple of many shrines erected to all 
those who have contributed to his       
welfare and enjoyment1 there should be  
one niche reserved for ,christopher     
,columbus of egg-balancing fame4  ,it is
 also of interest to note how1 as soon  
as violinists were ready for a perfect  
bow1 ,francois ,tourte appeared on the  
scene and provided the much desired     
article4 ,how he experimentalized on    
common sugar-barrel wood ,i have already
 set down in its proper place4 ,this    
was1 of course1 to gain proficiency in  
the use of his new tools4 ,in his search
 after a wood that should contain the   
essential qualities of strength1        

lightness and spring1 he made bows of   
many kinds of wood1 but was not         
satisfied until he tried the red wood   
imported for dyeing purposes from       
,pernambuco4 ,i am afraid there are few 
who reflect on the significance of the  
fact that the exact wood required did   
actually exist4 ,formerly the bow-maker 
had to buy the wood in the rough state  
just as shipped over1 and then would    
begin the weary work of selecting those 
pieces suitable for his purpose4 ,as a  
matter of fact they are few and far     
between1 for this wood is particularly  
full of twists1 knots and splits4 ,now  
this is done for him by firms who buy   
the raw material1 select that with the  
desired straight grain and cut it into  
square rods ready for the craftsmen to  
work up into bows4 ,a few years ago bow 
makers demanded very dense wood under   
the impression that it would be         
advantageous to have them as slender as 
possible1 for the denser the wood the   
thinner must be the stick to preserve a 

normal weight4 ,the fallacy of this     
method1 however1 soon made itself       
apparent1 for1 though you may thin down 
a stick ad libitum1 the head must be a  
certain height and breadth1 consequently
 these bows were all more or less top   
heavy4 ,a much lighter variety of wood  
therefore is now being used1 and ,i must
 say the appearance of some recent bows 
by our best ,english makers is extremely
 fine2 there is a greater sense of      
proportion apparent to the eye as well  
as to the hand4  ,some of the cheap     
,german and ,french trade bows are made 
of what the dealers call ,brazilette    
wood1 a wood somewhat allied to the true
 ,brazil wood1 but totally lacking in   
spring or firmness4 ,i wonder whether   
violinists often realise when they take 
up a bow how many remote parts of the   
earth have contributed to this little   
magic wand6 ,wood from the ,west1 ivory 
from the ,east1 mother-of-pearl from the
 sea1 gold or silver from ,eastern1     
,western1 or1 it may be1 ,antipodean    

mines2 and1 when we add thereto the hair
 from the horse's tail1 we levy a tax   
upon the three kingdoms1 vegetable1     
animal and mineral1 to minister to our  
enjoyment4  ,as much discrimination has 
to be exercised in selecting the hair as
 in the case with the wood1 for it is   
essential that every hair in the bow be 
absolutely cylindrical and of equal     
thickness throughout4 ,these have to be 
sought for very carefully and are not so
 plentiful as one would suppose1 for the
 shape of a hair is regulated by that of
 the pore from which it grows and these 
are seldom circular1 many being flat on 
one side1 some1 even1 square or         
triangular4 ,it has been estimated that 
the proportion of suitable hairs is not 
more than ten per cent4 ,tourte1        
according to ,fetis1 always preferred   
,french hair for his bows as he found it
 larger and stronger than that of other 
countries4 ,i believe at present a      
quantity of ,russian hair is used4      
,tourte's daughter was of great         

assistance to him in selecting and      
preparing the hair4 ,his method was to  
thoroughly cleanse the hair with        
ordinary soap1 then to soak it in bran  
water and then1 after removing all      
foreign matter1 to dip in blue water4 ,a
 few years ago some misguided people    
tried bleaching the hair chemically4    
,this1 however1 made it quite dry and   
brittle1 and it has happily been        
abandoned4  ,the average number of hairs
 in a bow now-a-days is from #aej to    
#bjj4 ,in ,tourte's day a similar number
 were used4  ,a few words on the        
structure and action of bow hair and the
 real part played by rosin may not be   
amiss4 ,as ,mr4 ,heron-,allen truly     
observes it is astonishing how few      
violinists know anything about the      
mechanical and scientific action of     
powdered rosin on tone production4 ,and 
for the laity he says again that many   
think1 when they see a bow being        
rosined1 that it is being greased to    
make it go faster4  ,if we examine a    

hair microscopically we discover a      
surface covered with minute scales4     
,ordinarily these scales lie close to   
the main shaft1 but when rosin is rubbed
 along the hair small particles get     
fixed under the scales causing them to  
stand up somewhat like the teeth of a   
saw4 ,these erected scales act on the   
string like so many infinitesimal       
plectra and thus produce in perfection  
the sustained sound attempted in a      
grosser manner by the tremolo of the    
mandoline4 ,it is simply a rapid series 
of shocks4 ,a moment's consideration    
will suffice to realize that continuous 
pressure on a string would act as a     
deterrent rather than a promoter of     
vibration4 ,in fact an unrosined bow    
gives continuous pressure and therefore 
produces no sound4  ,the hair is usually
 inserted in a bow in the natural       
position of its growth1 i4e41 the root  
end at the top1 thus1 as the scales     
point downwards1 giving the greatest    
attack to the down bow4 ,some have tried

 placing half one way and half the other
 but ,i do not think a very perceptible 
difference results from this proceeding4
     ,,chapter ,x4  ,,qualities         
,,essential ,,in ,a ,,bow               
,,maker--,,shaping ,,the                
,,stick--,,setting ,,the ,cambre--,,the 
,,faces--,,the ,,trenches--,,the ,,nut4 
,the manufacture of the bow is an       
industry calling for rare qualities of  
patience and concentration on the part  
of its followers4 ,the skill required is
 of quite a distinct kind4 ,strength and
 delicacy of hand must both be          
exceptionally pronounced1 and           
mathematical accuracy of eye is         
essential4 ,delicacy of touch to readily
 appreciate the varying degrees of      
elasticity found not only in different  
sticks but often in the same piece of   
wood4 ,strength to work with precision  
in such hard wood4 ,and for this kind of
 work the strength required is not that 
of the carpenter who can use the weight 
and swing of his body2 it is1 rather1 a 

self-contained strength in which        
opposing forces must co-operate in order
 to ensure the absolute accuracy so     
indispensable in a bow4 ,then the sight 
must be of unerring judgment1 for nearly
 all the work depends on the eye4 ,bow  
making is distinctly nervous work for it
 keeps the mind constantly alert4  ,i am
 indebted for most of the details given 
in this chapter to the late ,alfred     
,tubbs1 son of ,james1 and a good       
workman1 who died comparatively young in
 #aiji4 ,he told me that he only made   
one bow at a time for the reason that   
each stick has its own individuality1   
some intrinsic feature that has to be   
borne in mind through all the details of
 fitting1 mounting and adjusting4 ,the  
mind is apt to lose its certainty of    
retention when exercised on as few1     
even1 as three sticks simultaneously4   
,therefore each bow is completed before 
the next is commenced4  ,taking the     
rough stick as shown in ,fig4 #cd1 the  
first operation is that of rounding the 

throat1 in other words the square rod is
 made round for a few inches just below 
the rough block left for the head to be 
cut from1 this portion being called by  
some the throat1 and by others the neck 
of the bow4 ,after this the corners of  
the remaining square portion are planed 
away1 thereby making the stick octagonal
 in section4 ,should it be intended that
 the finished bow be octagonal1         
naturally the throat is not rounded but 
the planing away of the corners is      
carried out with extreme care right up  
to the head4 ,the next operation is to  
lay the pattern 7,fig4 #ce7 on the      
projecting block and1 with a fine       
pointed pencil1 to mark out the outline 
of the head4 ,this is the only part of  
the work on the stick itself wherein the
 eye is assisted by actual measurement  
or pattern4 ,the shaping1 or modelling  
of the head1 as also1 later1 the        
gradation in thickness of the stick     
depending entirely upon optic precision4
 ,the absolute accuracy of hand and eye 

required for such work is only to be    
attained by long years of constant      
application4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cd4
  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ce4  ,after    
roughly shaping the head comes the      
delicate operation of setting4 ,this is 
also known as putting in the spring or  
cambre4 ,the principle upon which the   
amount of curve is determined is that an
 imaginary straight line drawn from the 
face of the head to the face of the nut 
shall coincide with the stick at the    
point of its greatest deviation from the
 horizontal4 ,there is no fixed distance
 from either end for this extreme point 
of deviation to occur4 ,it is a matter  
that rests entirely on the judgment of  
the maker1 who1 if thoroughly           
experienced1 regulates the curve by any 
variation in rigidity he may discover in
 the stick4 ,thus should his            
observations point to the fact that a   
certain portion of the stick is slightly
 weaker than the rest1 there will he put
 the greatest amount of spring4 ,it must

 be understood1 however1 that a good    
maker never uses a stick that is        
palpably unequal4 ,he will only take    
this trouble to correct infinitesimal   
weaknesses 7discernible only to a hand  
of great experience7 in wood of         
exceptionally good grain4 ,it is        
astonishing how many violinists seem to 
think good bows are made by accident4   
,few know that there are some men who   
can make a fine bow4  ,the prime factor 
in the setting of a bow is heat1 by the 
judicious application of which the      
straight rod is made to assume and      
retain the desired cambre4 ,the heat    
used now-a-days is that produced by an  
ordinary gas flame4 ,dry heat is        
absolutely essential1 as the slightest  
moisture draws all the pigmentary matter
 out of the cells in the wood and leaves
 the bow as colourless and mean in      
appearance as a stick of deal4 ,as it   
is1 with dry heat even1 the amount of   
colour exuded by a good stick during    
this process is quite enough to stain   

the hands a deep purple4  ,the great    
point to be observed in setting a bow is
 to make sure that the fibres are all   
heated equally right through to the     
centre of the stick4 ,if this does not  
receive sufficient attention the bow can
 not possibly retain its curve1 for the 
inner fibres that have not been affected
 by the heat will always be trying to   
resume their original straight position1
 and are bound ultimately to overcome   
the resistance of the heated outer      
fibres1 with the result that the bow    
either becomes straight or warped and   
twisted1 most probably the latter4 ,to  
understand that this must be so it is   
only necessary to remember that any     
elastic rod1 a walking stick for        
example1 can be held so as to form a    
curve but as soon as the pressure is    
released it immediately recovers its    
normal state4 ,this is what happens with
 the unheated inner fibres in an        
inferior bow4 ,the constant strife of   
opposing forces must result in victory  

for the active force of the inner fibres
 over the passive resistance of the     
heated outer fibres4  ,for the operation
 of setting the bow is left about half  
as thick again as the finished stick is 
intended to be3 this to allow for       
scorching or burning the outer surface4 
,when the setting is satisfactorily     
accomplished the stick is planed up     
round1 after which the bottom trench is 
cut4 ,this is the slot in which the     
screw-eye of the nut travels4 ,then the 
hole for the screw itself is drilled out
 in a lathe fitted with a ,cushman      
chuck4 ,the next thing is to put on the 
black face4 ,this is a thin slab of     
ebony glued on to the under surface of  
the head1 which helps to strengthen the 
head and forms a solid bed for the ivory
 or metal plate which forms the outer   
facing of the head4 ,the ivory faces are
 cut out of the solid tusk to the shape 
shown in ,fig4 #cf4 ,they are glued on  
with the very best glue procurable and  
tied down with strong twine4 ,this is   

another matter of extreme difficulty and
 delicacy1 as ivory is a very stubborn  
material to work in and it is easy to   
crack it in forcing it down to the curve
 of the face1 that is if it is          
sufficiently thick adequately to fulfil 
its original purpose as a strengthener  
and protector of the head4 ,one often   
sees in cheap bows faces of ivory so    
thin as to show the ebony face through  
in a bluish tint4 ,such a face is of as 
much value to the bow as a piece of     
paper1 but it was easy to put on6       
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cf4  ,metal faces
 are growing more and more into favour  
but1 personally1 ,i prefer a substantial
 ivory face1 for though the metal may be
 stronger in itself ,i think an ivory   
face well glued on is more homogeneous4 
,the successive layers of ebony and     
ivory on the already hard wood forms a  
more equal gradation of density4  ,after
 both the faces are adjusted a circular 
hole is drilled in the head and then    
chiselled out square to form the top    

trench or box to receive the hair4 ,the 
nut is then fitted4 ,many people imagine
 that even the best makers buy the nuts 
wholesale and fit the sticks to them1   
but good makers always make the nut for 
each bow as it is wanted4 ,they can by  
this means better regulate the balance  
of the bow4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cg4 
,fig4 #cg shows a gauge to determine the
 various dimensions of the nuts of      
violin1 viola and 'cello bows4 ,before  
the bow is finally cleaned up it is     
haired#a and screwed to see if it is all
 true1 for there may be something faulty
 in the cambre which can be corrected at
 this stage4 ,if all is satisfactory the
 bow is finished and polished1 the whole
 process1 from the rough stick in ,fig4 
#cd to the finished bow ready for the   
artist to melt1 delight and amuse his   
hearers1 being one day's work4          
,footnote #a3 ,for details of bow       
hairing see ,chapter ,,xii4             
,,chapter ,,xi4  ,,possible             
,,repairs--,,splicing--,,renewing       

,,cups--,,restoring ,,the               
,,nut--,,re-,,facing4   ,bow repairing  
is a matter calling for almost more     
skill than the actual manufacture of new
 bows1 and it is one about which very   
hazy ideas exist outside the trade      
itself4 ,one can divide violinists      
roughly into two sections4 ,on the one  
hand there are those who believe        
anything is possible in this way1 and on
 the other there are many who have no   
faith whatever in such repairs4  ,i     
recollect when only a lad meeting an    
elderly amateur violinist of the pompous
 class who not only was kind enough to  
pay the most embarrassing attention to  
my solos but further favoured me with   
his conversation and advice4 ,now1 said 
he1 you must get a steel bow2 tell your 
father about it2 absolutely necessary4  
,you see this stick of a thing you are  
playing with 7alas1 my cherished        
,lupot67 is all very well now1 but      
by-and-bye the hairs will come out and  
it will be worthless4 ,i ventured to    

suggest that it could be re-haired4 ,ah 
yes1 yes1 yes6 he replied1 ,i know it   
can be done1 and it is done1 very often1
 but it is never the same thing4 ,no1   
once the hairs begin to go1 there is    
nothing to do but buy a new bow1 but if 
you have a steel bow the hairs cannot   
come out and you have an article that   
will endure in its original state all   
your life4 767  ,i may observe that this
 gentleman had not the slightest        
commercial interest in steel bows4  ,i  
also came in contact once with an       
example of the opposite class4 ,this    
gentleman had a little son who was in   
the habit of borrowing his father's     
violin bow surreptitiously for the      
purpose of perfecting himself in the    
useful art of single stick practice4    
,the inevitable happened1 and when ,i   
saw the bow it was proudly exhibited to 
me as an example of what could be done  
with a little ingenuity4 ,the two halves
 of the broken bow had been well glued  
together1 two steel pen nibs had been   

placed so as to form a sort of metal    
tube to protect the fracture1 and the   
whole was bound securely with strong    
silk4 ,in its owner's estimation it was 
as good as ever1 sir1 as good as ever4  
,i propose to state here briefly what   
can be done and what is advisable to    
have done in the way of bow-repairing4  
,if a bow is broken in the upper part of
 the stick it is just possible to splice
 on a new head and throat1 but it is not
 worth doing1 for the cambre and balance
 of the original can never be           
reproduced4 ,in the first place there is
 a different piece of wood which1       
however well matched1 is bound to be    
sufficiently strange to disturb such a  
delicate instrument4 ,and then the      
cambre of the new piece has to be set   
before it is joined on to the old stick 
and thus it becomes impossible to make a
 satisfactory curve throughout4  ,to    
re-adjust the original head is not      
feasible1 as the only joint that will   
stand the strain to which a bow is      

subjected is a long diagonal one        
extending for several inches4           
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ch4  ,splicing a 
new handle 7,fig4 #ch;d7 is1 however1   
frequently done1 and is often advisable4
 ,it occasionally happens that a        
valuable bow becomes so worn by the     
pressure of the fingers or thumb1 or by 
the friction of the nut and screw1 as to
 be beyond the reach of the more usual  
repairs4 ,it then becomes necessary to  
substitute a new handle1 and this can be
 done by skilful repairers as to make   
absolutely no difference to the balance 
of the stick4 ,the joint is in this case
 also a diagonal one extending usually  
from near the upper extremity of the    
lapping downwards for some four or five 
inches4 ,it should be seen that the     
surfaces brought in contact in such a   
joint are so placed as to be            
perpendicular to the plane of the hair4 
,otherwise it cannot endure for any     
length of time4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4  
#ci4  ,very often the original handle   

can be restored and made sound4 ,thus1  
when the screw hole becomes worn and the
 cup 7see ,fig4 #ci1 which shows the two
 cups1 that at the extremity of the     
stick and that in the tip7 broken1 it is
 customary to drill out the hole1 turn  
up a piece of well-seasoned bow wood in 
the lathe to the exact diameter of the  
enlarged hole1 and glue it well in      
place4 ,when thoroughly dry a new screw 
hole of the original dimensions can be  
drilled just as in making a new bow4    
,sometimes1 when there are cracks in the
 handle1 the trench has to be filled up 
and re-cut1 as is also done to the head 
if it is cracked through the pressure of
 the plug 7,fig4 #dj;a74 ,repairs to the
 nut are also done when the nut is      
original1 i4e41 when it belongs to the  
bow and is of a distinguished maker4    
,old nuts frequently get cracked down   
the sides where they come in contact    
with the stick4 ,in this case the worn  
part of the nut is cut away and new wood
 glued on and worked up to the original 

shape4 ,i have seen a nut so restored by
 ,mr4 ,tubbs in which it was absolutely 
impossible to discover where the new    
piece was joined on4  ,illustration3    
,,fig4 #dj4  ,with regard to the screw  
hole1 it often becomes worn to an oval  
shape just above the trench owing to the
 screw being too short4 ,this is        
frequently found in old ,french bows1   
even by the best makers1 and causes the 
unsightly tilting of the tip4 ,in ,fig4 
#da is shown a section of the nut and   
handle showing the action of the screw  
and the way the hair is inserted4 ,the  
screw in this diagram is the exact      
length necessary to prevent the wearing 
away of the hole described above4       
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #da4  ,bow        
repairers are often perplexed as to     
their customers' meaning when sending   
instructions by post for the restoration
 of the tip1 as many people use this    
word to denote the extremity of the head
 7,fig4 #dj;d74  ,this1 however1 is     
known to experts as the peak1 and the   

word tip is applied solely to the       
octagonal piece at the opposite end of  
the bow1 by means of which the screw is 
turned and the tension of the hair      
regulated4  ,in some bows the octagonal 
portion1 known as the handle 7,fig4     
#ch;d7 on which the nut travels has the 
lower face rather larger than the rest  
as in the section shown in ,fig4 #db4   
,the object of this enlargement is to   
give the nut a broader surface to travel
 on and thus prevent the tendency to    
rock exhibited by some nuts4 ,but1      
though there is some merit in the idea  
it has been found that the rocking can  
be avoided in a normal bow having the   
eight sides of the handle equal by extra
 care in fitting4 ,and though the other 
pattern may be easier to fit in the     
first instance1 the projecting sides of 
the nut that travel on the adjacent     
faces of the handle are very small and  
weak2 consequently before long the nut  
shows longitudinal cracks at this part  
and becomes extremely rocky1 though from

 a different cause4  ,illustration3     
,,fig4 #db4  ,one of the most frequent  
repairs is the operation of re-facing4  
,the handsome central gasalier of the   
modern room is a great enemy to the     
violin and seems to lie in wait for the 
peak of an unwary violinist's bow4      
,fortunately the damage is not very     
serious1 and an experienced bow repairer
 will not be long in restoring the head 
to its original elegance of outline4    
,,chapter ,,xii4                        
,,re-,,lapping--,,re-,,hairing--,,choice
 ,,of ,,rosin4   ,the lapping frequently
 wears out and becomes a source of great
 irritation until one has an opportunity
 of having it newly done4 ,for this     
reason a lapping of leather is the most 
convenient and economical1 but nothing  
looks better than a good quality of     
silver cord1 and when it is bound with  
leather just where otherwise it would   
suffer from the pressure and friction of
 the thumb nail it is really very       
durable4 ,messrs4 ,w4 ,e4 ,hill and     

,sons have an extremely handsome        
speciality in the way of lapping4 ,this 
consists of whalebone1 sometimes        
bleached or dyed1 and is practically    
indestructible4 ,bound on in alternate  
strands of different colours it has a   
very effective and neat appearance4     
,sometimes the ordinary thread lapping  
gets cut through and interferes with the
 player1 and it is as well to know how  
to fasten it off at once4 ,i will assume
 that it is cut at the end nearest the  
nut 7where it usually happens74 ,take   
out the screw and wind the hair loosely 
but securely round the upper part of the
 bow4 ,then unwind the lapping for about
 an inch and a half4 ,take a piece of   
strong thread and double it1 then place 
it on the bow with the doubled end      
towards the handle4 ,get a kind friend  
to hold the end of the lapping cord     
firmly and commence winding it on again 
evenly and over the doubled thread by   
slowly rotating the bow4 ,when within   
half an inch of the end of the thread1  

take it all in your own hand and pass   
the end through the loop of doubled     
thread and1 taking the loose ends of the
 thread that will hang out at the point 
where you started re-winding1 pull the  
doubled thread smartly out4 ,this brings
 the end of the lapping right through   
under the re-wound portion1 where it    
will be held secure until again cut     
through by the thumb-nail4 ,this is the 
method employed in fastening off new    
lappings4 ,if you have not the time or  
patience to do it this way a little     
sealing wax will hold the loose end down
 during an evening's practice4          
,considering that re-hairing is one of  
the most natural and most frequent      
events in the life of a bow1 it seems   
somewhat anomalous to include it under  
the heading of repairs4 ,however1 ,i    
will crave the reader's kind indulgence 
for so doing4  ,at the outset ,i must   
emphatically assert that ,i do not      
advise amateurs or artists to attempt to
 hair their own bows if any value       

attaches to them1 for it is astonishing 
how soon even a fine bow will lose its  
cambre if persistently haired in an     
unskilful manner4 ,it requires enormous 
experience to enable one to get the pull
 of the hair equal in every case1 and   
the slightest extra pull on one side or 
the other gives the bow a twist that    
renders its action erratic and extremely
 disturbing to a good violinist4 ,the   
preceding operation to re-hairing is    
that of unhairing4 ,this is             
comparatively a simple matter4 ,the hair
 is first cut off short at each end1    
then hair at the head is lifted up to   
disclose the plug 7,fig4 #dj;a74 ,this  
is readily lifted out with a pointed    
tool1 and the curled up knot lying      
beneath is pulled out4 ,so much for the 
head4 ,the nut is slightly more complex4
 ,first the ferrule 7,fig4 #da;d7 is    
pulled off and the slide 7,fig4 #da;f7  
is pushed out4 ,after this the hair is  
raised as with the head1 and the plug   
7,fig4 #da;e7 picked out in the same    

manner4 ,the wedge in the nut 7,fig4    
#da;c7 is used to spread the hair and   
keep it firm at the heel1 to give a good
 attack for heavy down strokes4 ,this is
 usually destroyed in unhairing1 as it  
frequently has to be cut away1 owing to 
its being glued into position4  ,the    
process of re-hairing is now identical  
with that of hairing a new bow in the   
first instance4 ,some keep the hair     
ready made up into hanks of the right   
quantity for a bow1 and others have it  
in large bundles1 pulling it out as     
required4 ,one soon gets practice in    
this to judge by the eye alone how much 
will be sufficient4 ,at one end it is   
tied securely with waxed silk or thread1
 and the short ends are cut off to      
within about a sixteenth of an inch from
 the thread4 ,to prevent the thread     
being pulled off the end of the hair1   
the ends are burnt with rosin so as to  
spread them out slightly 7very slightly7
 mushroom wise1 over the thread binding4
 ,the usual way of doing this is to fill

 the short end--which resembles a small 
stencil brush--with finely powdered     
rosin and then1 by pressing it against a
 red-hot iron1 to shape it into a firm1 
unyielding knot4 ,this knot is laid in  
the trench of the head1 and the plug    
pressed firmly into position1 so that   
its upper surface is exactly level with 
that of the plate or face4 ,the hair1 of
 course1 must be brought over the wedge 
in an even ribbon4 ,the hair should now 
be well combed with a fine comb and then
 steeped1 coil fashion1 in warm water   
for several minutes4 ,it then should be 
thoroughly combed again from top to     
bottom1 holding it firmly the while at  
the lower end4 ,the nut is now placed in
 position with the screw-eye rather     
above the centre of the slot in which it
 travels1 then a careful estimate is    
made of the length of hair required to  
go just far enough round the plug 7,fig4
 #da;e7 to be secure1 and a knot exactly
 like the one described for the head is 
made at the point decided on4 ,this     

requires considerable experience1 as it 
is very easy to make it too long or vice
 versa1 both of which faults hamper the 
nicety of adjustment of tension required
 for some particular style of bowing    
technique4 ,when this lower knot is made
 the ferrule is slipped over the hair1  
the knot is laid in the trench and the  
plug put in as before--the nut being    
completely detached from the stick4 ,the
 nut is then re-adjusted and slightly   
screwed up4 ,the hair is then combed    
again1 the slide pushed in1 and the     
ferrule slipped over the extremity of   
the nut4 ,after this a thin wedge is    
driven in 7behind the hair7 usually with
 a spot of glue on the side next the    
hair1 as at c1 in ,fig4 #da4 ,the bow is
 now haired1 and all that remains to    
make it ready for use is to rosin it4   
,as new hair never bites on a block of  
rosin1 it is necessary to spread a      
quantity of powdered rosin on a card or 
sheet of stout paper and rub the hair   
over it till it is quite full2 after    

this it will take freely from the block4
 ,a newly haired bow is always extremely
 rough and is apt to produce a harsh1   
scratchy tone1 but this defect wears off
 in a very short time4  ,i must again   
repeat my opinion regarding the         
inadvisability of violinists hairing    
their own bows1 and ,i have only given  
the above details to gratify the        
curiosity of those who like to know how 
it's done4  ,it is extraordinary the    
number and variety of rosins in the     
market2 some in most wonderfully        
contrived boxes designed to keep the    
rosin dust from making the fingers      
sticky1 or--more probably--to sell6 ,of 
all the different patents in this way1  
,i find the ordinary book-shape by far  
the most satisfactory4 ,the first       
quality of rosin is prepared by boiling 
down ,venice turpentine4 ,in a certain  
authority on violin matters ,i read that
 many soloists of celebrity use common  
kitchen rosin1 but ,i cannot say ,i have
 much faith in the source from whence he

 can have received such information4 ,it
 is advisable never to change the rosin 
used until the bow is re-haired1 as in  
each there is some slight difference in 
composition that may not harmonize with 
what is already on the bow4             
,,chapter ,,xiii4  ,,the ,,perfection   
,,of ,,the ,,modern ,,bow--,,dr4        
,,nicholson',s ,,patent                 
,,bow--,,vuillaume',s                   
,,inventions--,,self-,,hairing          
,,bows--,a ,,folding ,,bow--,,the       
,,ketteridge ,,bow4   ,it is worthy of  
note1 as a testimony to the simplicity  
and perfection of the bow1 that there   
have been so few attempts1 since        
,tourte's day1 to alter or improve it in
 any particular4 ,the few experiments   
that have been made in this direction   
have in nearly every case proved        
failures and have sunk into speedy      
oblivion4  ,one of the most remarkable  
productions in this way was the         
ponderous monstrosity invented by one   
,dr4 ,nicholson 7,fig4 #dc74 ,this      

hideous and unwieldy weapon was put     
forth by its inventor as the only       
correct form for a violin bow6 ,it had  
to be haired with precisely #aej horse  
hairs dyed red4 ,the reasons for this   
and the eccentric curve of the stick are
 subtleties into which ,i dare not      
venture6  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dc4    
,vuillaume's erratic genius was         
responsible for sundry attempts at      
improving the bow1 the most complex     
being the fixed nut4 ,he was struck by  
the fact that with the ordinary nut     
advancing and retreating by the action  
of the screw it was possible for it to  
be not always mathematically in the same
 place4 ,also that as the hair gradually
 stretched by use1 the length thereof   
increased as the same tension was       
obtained each time it was screwed up for
 use4 ,this1 of course1 made a minute   
difference in the balance of the bow4   
,he apparently considered this a serious
 defect and set about inventing a nut   
that should render the balance and the  

length of the hair immutable4 ,this was 
his patent hausse fixe4 ,as the name    
implies the nut was a fixture externally
 but contained a smaller metal nut that 
travelled inside it4 ,these nuts were   
very unsightly as they were much more   
bulky than the ordinary nut4 ,it is     
curious that it never occurred to him   
that the movement of the internal nut   
would similarly affect the balance4 ,a  
sort of windlass in the nut would have  
been more exact1 but1 as a matter of    
fact the difference is more theoretical 
than practical1 and is imperceptible to 
the player1 so the fixed nut1 like many 
other examples of wasted ingenuity1 died
 a natural death4  ,another of          
,vuillaume's patents was the steel bow4 
,this was often a handsome looking      
instrument4 ,some were got up to look   
like ,brazil wood and others were of a  
bright blue4 ,as this was the natural   
colour of the metal it was more         
commendable but had a very odd          
appearance4 ,these bows were not much   

heavier1 if at all1 than the average bow
 as they were hollow throughout4 ,they  
were deficient in balance and had one   
great drawback4 ,though stronger and    
tougher in one sense than the wooden bow
 they would not stand so much knocking  
about4 ,a bow1 even in the hands of     
those accustomed to handling them1 is   
liable to have an occasional fall1 and  
if not broken1 is as good as ever2 in   
fact a bow rarely breaks unless it falls
 peak downwards4 ,on the other hand the 
steel bow would generally kink or get   
dinted and bent if it came in contact   
with anything in a fall and would then  
be entirely useless4 ,a third mistake of
 ,vuillaume's was the curved ferrule4   
,thinking it would be advantageous to   
give the player a good spread of hair at
 the heel he made a ferrule that gave   
the ribbon of hair as it left the nut   
something the appearance of the hair in 
the primitive ,egyptian bow illustrated 
in ,fig4 #aa4 ,this is still to be met  
with in some cheap foreign bows4 ,a     

further notion of his was calculated to 
be of great benefit to such players as  
might find themselves in out-of-the-way 
places with a bow in need of new hair   
and no luthier or bow-repairer within   
reach4 ,this was the patent self-hairing
 bow4 ,its principles were sometimes    
used in conjunction with the fixed nut  
and steel bows4 ,the hair for this bow  
was sold ready made into ribbons of the 
exact length by having a small brass rod
 placed transversely at either end2     
these rods slipped into appropriately   
shaped notches in the head and nut and  
the bow was haired4 ,it does not appear 
to have been satisfactory and has gone  
the way of the other innovations of this
 and other makers4 ,one other thing in  
connexion with ,vuillaume's bows ,i will
 mention here though it is not in the   
nature of an improvement properly       
so-called1 albeit ,i have no doubt      
,vuillaume thought it a great           
embellishment4 ,in the nuts of some of  
his bows1 just where the mother-o'-pearl

 eye is usually placed1 he had inserted 
a minute and powerful lens with a       
microscopic transparent portrait of     
himself that could be seen therein on   
holding the nut to the light4 ,it was   
just like the views one sometimes sees  
in penholders brought as presents from  
popular seaside resorts4  ,i have       
recently heard of another variety of    
self-hairing bow patented in ,america1  
but have not yet seen one4 ,from that   
country1 where1 so ,i have heard1 the   
bows drawn are of quite exceptional     
length1 emanated a patent bow wherein   
fine cords are substituted for hair and 
also a contrivance1 whereby1 when the   
hair becomes smooth and useless on the  
one side1 it can be taken out1 turned   
round and then enters on a rejuvenated  
existence the other way about4  ,to     
return to ,vuillaume's patent bows4 ,all
 of these1 excepting the steel bows1 are
 splendid sticks1 for they were made by 
,simon1 ,fonclouse1 and other noted     
workmen4 ,it is therefore a profitable  

thing to have them altered into normal  
bows4 ,this can be done by skilful      
workmen so that the bow is as good as   
any other ordinary bow by the same      
maker1 and is free from the encumbrance 
of the patent4  ,g4 ,chanot1 of         
,manchester1 ,i am told1 has a patent   
bow that is made to fold in two for     
convenience in packing for travelling   
purposes4 ,the idea is not as original  
as its inventor may think1 for the      
,japanese kokiu which is fast becoming  
obsolete had an extremely long and      
flexible bow that was jointed together  
like a fishing rod4  ,the improved bow1 
patented by ,chas4 ,ketteridge1 is      
distinctly novel and has much to commend
 it4 ,the hair in this bow is placed at 
such an angle that1 though the player   
holds his hand in the usual position1   
the full width of the hair lies evenly  
on the string from end to end4 ,it has  
been well spoken of by the press and    
several noted artists4 ,for chord       
playing it possesses distinct           

advantages1 and ,i should think it would
 be very useful for certain orchestral  
players2 it does not1 however1 seem to  
have attracted more than passing        
attention4  ,truly the fiddlestick is a 
magic wand in more senses than one4 ,as 
mentioned above it is significant that  
so little has been attempted in the way 
of alteration or improvement1 and it is 
still more so that of that little such a
 small proportion is worthy of a second 
thought4 ,as ,bach stands in relation to
 the fugue1 as ,beethoven to the        
symphony and ,stradivari to the violin1 
so is ,tourte to the bow4 ,superior     
alike to his predecessors and           
successors1 he stands high poised upon  
the pedestal of his incomparable genius4
     ,,part ,,iii4 ,,the ,,art ,,of     
,,bowing4     ,,chapter ,,xiv4  ,,the   
,,undecided ,,aspect ,,of               
,,technique--,,importance ,,of ,a       
,,knowledge ,,of ,,the ,,anatomy ,,of   
,,the ,,hand--,,the ,,function ,,of     
,,the ,,thumb--,,individuality ,,in     

,,technique4   ,in treating of the      
somewhat complex and1 in many details1  
highly-disputed subject of the functions
 of the bow1 ,i shall prefer to handle  
the question in the abstract rather than
 to launch myself on the choppy sea of  
technique2 a sea abounding in shoals1   
reefs1 undercurrents and whirlpools2    
extremely difficult to navigate inasmuch
 as that no two charts agree4           
,consequently when the mariner launches 
his boat the danger to himself and his  
passengers is considerable4 ,in plain   
,english the difficulty of explaining   
all the well-nigh imperceptible         
differences of movement in bone and     
muscle required for the various styles  
of bowing is so enormous that he who    
attempts to do so on paper lies under   
the grave danger of being misunderstood1
 and the student under the scarcely less
 grave one of misunderstanding4 ,the    
danger is reciprocative1 just as1 to    
return to my nautical simile1 the peril 
of the helmsman is shared by each       

passenger if he by mischance steers upon
 a submerged rock4  ,therefore1 dear    
reader1 ,i will survey the whole        
prospect from a secure coign of vantage 
upon the mainland1 and trust my         
impressions thereof may prove of some   
slight service to you4 ,as ,i have      
disclaimed all intention of making this 
portion of my work a handbook of bowing 
technique it seems superfluous to add   
that my observations are addressed more 
to the teacher than the student4 ,i use 
these words in their accepted and       
arbitrary meanings for the sake of      
distinguishing between two separate     
classes4 ,of course1 from the higher    
standpoint1 a good teacher is always a  
student4 ,if it were not so the         
following pages would be written to no  
purpose4  ,some years ago a certain     
eminent ,m4,d4 collaborated with a more 
or less well known singing master in a  
work on the ,larynx4 ,the musical world 
talked of little else but vocal chords  
and soft palates for many months1 and   

the musical press was teeming with      
correspondence in which the pros and    
cons of such studies were hotly         
discussed1 many of the antagonistic     
writers opining that the knowledge of   
the anatomy of the throat would be of as
 much service to a vocalist as that of  
the hand to a violinist4 ,which         
reasoning sounds at first glance quite  
complete1 yet1 on examination1 it will  
be observed that there is no such close 
analogy as these writers appeared to    
think4 ,to begin with1 in singing the   
mind only occupies itself with the sound
 produced4 ,to learn singing is to      
practise mimicry4 ,we cannot determine  
the position of the vocal chords before 
producing the note4 ,our consciousness  
begins at the other end2 the mind       
conjures up a certain ideal sound which 
we attempt to realize vocally2 if the   
desired timbre is produced the laryngeal
 action is correct4 ,with the violin    
thought commences with the means4 ,the  
hand is trained2 we say set the fingers 

so1 and the thumb so4 ,now practice2    
when the action is perfect the tone will
 be right4 ,briefly in singing we strive
 for the tone and the action follows1 in
 the violin we strive for the action and
 the tone follows4 ,thus it is clear    
that a knowledge of the structure of the
 hand is of distinct value to a         
violinist--in particular1 a             
teacher--while1 on the other hand1 the  
knowledge of the anatomy of the throat  
can be little more than interesting to  
the vocalist4  ,a knowledge of the      
structure and functions of the various  
parts of the hand on the part of a      
teacher would smooth over many          
disheartening experiences of his pupils4
 ,just as it is of value to study the   
mental characteristics of a pupil so1   
also1 is it of value to thoroughly      
examine his physical peculiarities4 ,i  
wonder how many violin teachers have    
noticed1 or have profited by so         
noticing1 that no two hands are alike1  
or that thumbs are of different lengths 

and set on in various degrees of        
opposition to the fingers4 ,it is seldom
 that such apparently unimportant       
details are observed by teachers1 the   
majority of whom make all their pupils  
hold the bow alike1 long thumbs or short
 thumbs it makes no difference4 ,i      
remember having for a pupil a young lady
 who had been taught to hold her bow at 
the extreme tips of her fingers4        
,naturally she gained no facility and   
every attempt at semiquavers sent the   
bow flying across the room to the       
imminent danger of the teacher's optics4
 ,i surmised the cause of this          
eccentricity and was ultimately able to 
verify my conjectures4 ,the master who  
had been so conscientious in making her 
hold the bow in this strained and       
ungainly position was blessed with an   
abnormally long thumb2 the pupil's thumb
 was short4 ,what came natural to the   
one was a strain on the other4  ,the    
function of the thumb is that of a      
pivot2 a fulcrum4 ,the bow is a lever   

resting thereon1 and its pressure on the
 string is regulated by the first and   
second fingers on the one side and by   
the third and fourth on the other4 ,it  
would thus appear that the best place   
for the thumb would be exactly between  
the second and third fingers4 ,but it is
 not given to every thumb to drop       
naturally into this position4 ,and here 
is to be noted the germ of facility in  
bowing4 ,every thumb closes naturally on
 a certain spot2 it may be on the second
 finger1 or on the third4 ,if the former
 it can be made to rest on the third or 
even the fourth without apparent effort1
 but minute observation will detect an  
infinitesimal strain when the thumb is  
taken beyond its natural resting place4 
,therefore ,i maintain that the best    
position for the thumb is to be         
determined by examination of the hand   
and thumb1 and will differ slightly in  
each individual player4 ,it is curious  
to note how many teachers1 some of      
extreme eminence1 take such pains to    

perpetuate their own bad habits in their
 pupils under the impression that they  
are teaching a perfect and superior     
technique4 ,i am afraid that it sounds  
somewhat of a heresy to speak of great  
players and teachers having bad habits2 
the expression is1 perhaps1 rather      
strong1 but what ,i refer to is the     
personal equation4 ,such a player has a 
tendency to part his fingers1 another   
elevates the fourth finger in certain   
passages1 this one has a peculiar       
movement of the elbow1 etc41 etc4 ,all  
these divergencies from rigid and       
pedantic technique being the result of  
their several physical differences4     
,when these men prove themselves great  
artists and attain high positions as    
teachers their advice is sought on      
matters of technique4 ,finding          
themselves oracles they first consult   
the oracle by aid of looking glasses1   
analyse in this way their own actions1  
and then the one who parts his fingers  
lays it down as a law that the fingers  

should be parted1 and the one with the  
peculiar movement of the elbow will not 
rest until all his pupils have acquired 
the same eccentricity4 ,i will quote    
another example of this sort of thing   
that came under my own observation some 
years ago4 ,it deals with the left hand1
 but displays the spirit so well that ,i
 feel it is not out of place in this    
connexion4 ,a thin1 delicate lad1 with  
fingers like needles--as a brother      
violinist described them to me--was sent
 to a ,german professor whose digits    
resembled nothing so much as the handles
 of table knives4 ,this was an excellent
 violinist1 or rather geiger1 for the   
,germans make this distinction1 but     
owing to the size of his fingertips he  
could only play semitones in the third  
position by removing the finger stopping
 the lower note while putting down the  
higher one4 ,if he retained the second  
finger on ,e on the ,a string1 third    
position1 the third finger would fall   
too sharp for ,f natural4 ,this seemed  

to him such an unalterable law of nature
 that he made the lad do the same1      
notwithstanding that the boy could have 
stopped quarter tones with ease had they
 been wanted6  ,had this man made even a
 superficial study of the hand he would 
have been spared much profanity and the 
pupil much heartache and disappointment4
 ,tuition is twofold4 ,there is direct  
teaching and there is development4 ,the 
seed is sown and then the soil is       
watered and tended in the manner        
calculated to nourish and develop the   
particular plant to the best advantage4 
,again1 the gardener does not plant his 
roses in damp shady corners or his ferns
 in sand4  ,teachers require to use more
 of the gardener's judgment4 ,they must 
cease to look upon their pupils as      
defective copies of themselves and must 
not fit them out with technique as      
soldiers are with clothing4 ,the        
technique should be made for the        
particular player4 ,a violinist with an 
ill-fitting technique is about as       

elegant as a short man in clothes       
intended for a tall one1 or vice versa4 
,many cases of bad or defective         
technique are directly attributable to  
the teacher's want of perception of fit4
  ,thus we see players whose natural    
movements are bold and free trussed up  
in a small and finicking technique1 and 
others whose bent is towards neatness1  
struggling manfully with a cumbersome   
large style4 ,i have heard a gentleman  
defined as a man who wears clothes that 
belong to him4 ,similarly we may say    
that a good violinist is one whose      
technique belongs to him4 ,every        
movement should come naturally1 it      
should be as much a part of his         
personality as his tone of voice or the 
glance of his eye1 and it should be the 
teacher's aim to develop this           
personality and not to stifle it as is  
too often the case4 ,of course great    
judgment is required in this            
development1 or the personality will    
become marked mannerism1 than which     

nothing could be worse4 ,true art always
 displays a certain reticence2 excess at
 either end of the gamut of emotion is  
avoided4 ,calmness is not coldness1 and 
passion carried too far becomes         
caricature4 ,tone must be developed     
also1 but it should always be borne in  
mind that exertion is not power2 a      
mistake too frequently made4 ,how often 
do we see a well meaning but physically 
weak player trying to tear the tone out 
of a violin by main strength4 ,such     
efforts are useless1 particularly when  
practised on a fine violin4 ,a really   
good instrument is of too sensitive an  
organisation to respond to bullying4    
,teachers cry out to their pupils       
sometimes lay it on6 pull it out6 and   
other contradictory sounding phrases    
with the same meaning1 and occasionally 
such admonitions and encouragements bear
 good fruit1 but there is always the    
danger of effort being engendered       
thereby4 ,there should be no effort in  
art4 ,effort1 too1 defeats its own ends4

 ,it weakens2 exercise strengthens4     
,therefore let the strength with which  
to lay it on or pull it out be gradually
 and naturally developed by constant and
 gentle practice4 ,the muscles will gain
 strength thus1 and the result will be a
 full round tone1 capable of every      
inflection and free from everything like
 harshness4  ,power should be implied   
rather than displayed4 ,the instrument  
will then respond freely and fully as a 
woman to the caress of a strong manly   
arm4     ,,chapter ,,xv4  ,,bowing      
,,historically ,,considered--,,the      
,,oldest ,,english ,,violin             
,,method--,,sympson',s ,,instructions   
,,in ,,bowing--,,those ,,of ,,mace      
7#afgf7--,,those ,,of ,,various ,,modern
 ,,masters4   ,if the history of the    
bow's development per se presented a    
misty aspect we must not be surprised to
 find that of bowing similarly obscure4 
,just as the violin arrived at its state
 of greatest perfection long before the 
bow developed into a fitting companion4 

,when we consider the enormous progress 
in left hand technique accomplished by  
the earlier violinists and 'cellists1   
such as ,corelli1 ,tartini1 ,bach1 and a
 host of others1 it seems               
incomprehensible that the bow should    
have so long remained in such a         
comparatively crude and primitive       
condition1 and its mode of use so       
limited and undecided4  ,the best       
drawing ,i have seen of the manner of   
holding the bow in playing a higher     
pitched viol is in a miniature          
representation of a state banquet in the
 fifteenth century1 from which ,i       
extract the player shown in ,fig4 #dd4  
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dd4  ,the        
evidence of drawings1 sculptures1 etc41 
in the earliest days of rebecs and      
viols1 if not reliable in the           
representation of the bow itself1 are   
still less so when it comes to the      
question of handling the same4 ,with the
 smaller viols1 the thumb 7such an      
important member7 is naturally          

invisible1 and the effect is usually    
that of a clenched fist4 ,it seems to   
have been the general rule with all the 
viols of lower pitch that were held     
perpendicularly1 to hold the bow        
underhand as described by ,sympson in   
#agei 7,fig4 #de74 ,but the third       
drawing in ,fig4 #ah is remarkable alike
 for the modernness both of the bow and 
the posture of the hand holding it4     
,this is on a par with the early bows   
with screw-nut and cambre described in  
the first section of this work4 ,i      
cannot think it likely that the sculptor
 saw anyone playing a bass viol in this 
manner4 ,whether this representation was
 the result of gross ignorance or       
prophetic inspiration ,i leave to the   
reader to decide4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4
 #de4  ,of course the manner of holding 
the bow for the smaller viols would have
 approximated more nearly to that which 
obtains on the violin at the present    
day1 as the underhand position would    
have been extremely inconvenient1 and   

even impossible4  ,the earliest ,english
 method for the violin known is that    
contained in the second book of ,an     
,introduction to the ,skill of ,musick1 
in ,three ,books1 published in #afed by 
,john ,playford4  ,here the violin is   
just tolerated in a sort of appendix to 
the more important subject of the       
,treble1 ,tenor1 and ,bass ,viols4 ,it  
consists chiefly of various methods of  
ensuring accuracy in tuning the fifths1 
and the question of bowing is summarily 
treated as follows3--  ,the ,bow is held
 in the right ,hand1 between the ends of
 the ,thumb and the #c ,fingers1 the    
,thumb being stay'd upon the ,hair at   
the ,nut1 and the #c ,fingers resting   
upon the ,wood4 ,your ,bow being thus   
fix'd1 you are first to draw an even    
,stroak over each ,string severally1    
making each ,string yield a clear and   
distinct sound4  ,of the ,treble ,viols 
very little is said on the subject of   
bowing1 the most complete instructions  
on that head being given for the viol   

par excellence1 the viola da gamba4 ,in 
treating of this glorious instrument the
 older writers spared no pains to make  
their directions as complete as         
possible4 ,thus ,sympson in his         
,division ,viol--first published in     
#afei--says3--  ,hold the ,bow betwixt  
the ends of your ,thumb and two foremost
 fingers1 near to the ,nut4 ,the ,thumb 
and first finger fastened on the ,stalk2
 and the second finger's end turned in  
shorter1 against the ,hairs thereof2 by 
which you may poize and keep up the     
point of the ,bow4 ,if the second finger
 have not strength enough1 you may joyn 
the third finger in assistance to it2   
but in ,playing ,swift ,division1 two   
fingers and the ,thumb is best4444 ,when
 you see an even ,number of ,quavers or 
,semiquavers1 as #b1 #d1 #f1 #h1 you    
must begin with your ,bow forward2 yea1 
though the ,bow were imployed forward in
 the next ,note before them4 ,but if the
 number be odd1 as #c1 #e1 #g 7which    
always happens by reason of some        

,prick-,note or odd ,rest7 the first of 
that odd number must be played with the 
,bow backward4 ,this is the most proper 
motion of the ,bow1 though not          
absolutely without some exception2 for  
sometimes the quickness of the ,notes   
may force the contrary4 ,also quick     
,notes skipping from the ,treble to the 
,bass1 and so persued1 are best         
express'd with contrary ,bows4  ,all of 
which is very clear and logical4 ,the   
way he balances up the relative claims  
of a stiff or loose elbow is1 however1  
distinctly amusing1 as witness the      
following3  ----you must stretch out    
your ,arm streight1 in which posture    
7playing long ,notes7 you will          
necessarily move your shoulder ,joint2  
but if you stir that ,joint in ,quick   
,notes1 it will cause the whole body to 
shake2 which 7by all means7 must be     
avoyded2 as also any other indecent     
,gesture4 ,quick ,notes1 therefore1 must
 be expressed by moving some ,joint near
 the ,hand2#a which is generally agreed 

upon to be the ,wrist4 ,the question    
then arising is about the menage of the 
,elbow ,joint2 concerning which there   
are two different opinions4 ,some will  
have it kept stiff2 insomuch1 that ,i   
have heard a judicious violist          
positively affirm1 that if a ,scholar   
can but attain to the playing of        
,quavers with his ,wrist1 keeping his   
,arm streight and stiff in the          
,elbow-,joint1 he hath got the mastery  
of the ,bow-,hand4 ,others contend that 
the motion of the ,wrist must be        
strengthened and assisted by a          
compliance or yielding of the           
,elbow-,joint unto it2 and they1 to back
 their ,argument1 produce for instance a
 person famous for the excellency of his
 ,bow-,hand using a free and loose ,arm4
 ,to deliver my own opinion3 ,i do much 
approve the streightness of the ,arm1   
especially in ,beginners1 because it is 
a means to keep the ,body upright1 which
 is a commendable posture4 ,i can also  
admit the stiffness of the ,elbow1 in   

smooth and ,swift ,division2 for which  
it is most properly apt2 but ,cross and 
,skipping ,divisions cannot 7,i think7  
be so well express'd without some       
consent or yielding of the ,elbow-,joint
 unto the motion of the ,wrist4444 ,this
 motion or looseness of the ,wrist ,i   
mention1 is chiefly in                  
,demi-semiquavers2 for1 in ,quavers1 and
 ,semiquavers too1 we must allow so much
 stiffness to the wrist as may command  
the ,bow on and off the ,string1 at     
every ,note1 if occasion so require4    
,footnote #a3 ,some joint is very good2 
it gives such liberty in the way of     
choice4  ,this must have been rather a  
crude form of spiccato4 ,it is1 however1
 plainly evident that with heavy bows1  
destitute of elasticity1 and held       
underhand1 it was quite impossible to   
allow the bow to rebound naturally from 
the string for this effect4  ,mace1     
whose book1 ,musick's ,monument1 is one 
of the most amusing works extant1 in    
speaking of the bowing of the viol1     

i4e41 viola da gamba1 or1 as he calls   
it1 the generous viol1 quotes ,sympson's
 direction for holding the bow and then 
adds3--  ,yet ,i must confess1 that for 
my own ,part1 ,i could never ,use it so 
well as when ,i held it #b or #c ,inches
 off the ,nut 7more or less7 according  
to the ,length or ,weight of the ,bow1  
for ,good ,poyzing of ,it3 ,but 'tis    
possible1 that by ,vse ,i might have    
made ,it as ,familiar to ,myself1 as ,it
 was to ,him4  ,he1 also1 was greatly   
exercised in his mind as to the         
stiffness or the reverse of the elbow1  
and delivered himself thuswise          
thereon3--  ,so likewise1 for the ,exact
 ,straitness of the ,bow-,arm1 which    
some do ,contend for1 ,i could never do 
so well1 as with my ,arm 7straight      
enough1 yet7 something ,plying1 or      
,yielding to an ,agile ,bending3 and    
which ,i do conceive most ,familiarly   
,natural4 7,for ,i would have no        
,posture1 ,vrged1 ,disputed1 or         
,contended for2 that should ,cross1 or  

,force ,nature47  ,there is much to     
commend in the spirit of this last      
sentence4 ,the hand and arm should never
 be made to do anything that is         
unnatural4 ,but herein must be exercised
 the greatest possible judgment that the
 unfamiliar be not mistaken for the     
unnatural4  ,returning to the position  
of the thumb in violin playing we find  
nearly every teacher insisting on a     
different posture4 ,in the ,methode de  
,violon1 by ,baillot1 ,rode and         
,kreutzer1 it is set down as being      
correct to have the thumb opposite the  
middle finger4 ,david1 in his ,violin   
,school1 says that the thumb should be  
opposite the first finger4 ,this is to  
my mind most extraordinary1 and ,i can  
hardly conceive it possible that so     
great a violinist and teacher could have
 maintained such an unscientific method 
to be correct4 ,the loss of leverage    
resulting from the thumb being so far   
forward would be almost certain to cause
 the elbow to rise and give1 by the dead

 weight of the arm1 the pressure that   
should come from the sentient elasticity
 of the first and second fingers4 ,de   
,beriot says the thumb should be between
 the second and third fingers1 which is 
naturally the best position4 ,papini1   
with greater perception of the fact of  
anatomical difference in hands1 says the
 thumb should be as near the centre of  
the four fingers as possible4  ,in all  
questions of technique it is possible to
 determine the exact best mode of       
procedure4 ,but unless the hand be      
perfectly fitted thereto1 the rule      
should be relaxed1 for insisting on     
positions that are even slightly        
strained 7though possibly1 quite        
comfortable to a differently constructed
 hand7 can only do harm4     ,,chapter  
,,xvi4  ,,the ,,fingers ,,of ,,the      
,,right ,,hand--,,differences ,,of      
,,opinion ,,thereon--,,sautille--,,the  
,,loose ,,wrist4   ,the functions of the
 right hand fingers are twofold4 ,at    
times they act in conjunction with each 

other and at others1 in opposition4     
,some writers say that the two outer    
fingers are the holding fingers1 and    
others contend that the two inner       
fingers are alone concerned in this     
service4 ,this difference of opinion is 
to me just as absurd as the arguments   
anent the wrist and elbow of the old    
violists4 ,as a matter of fact both     
theories are right4 ,the difference     
being that1 in the question of holding1 
the action of the outer fingers is      
passive while that of the inner fingers 
is active4 ,to go more into detail1 in  
soft passages the bow simply rests      
supported by the three points of contact
 with the thumb1 first and fourth       
fingers4 ,the inner fingers then taking 
little or no part in the matter4 ,this  
action of the outer fingers ,i say is   
passive as the bow is not actually held 
but simply rests on the thumb1 the two  
outer fingers merely preventing it from 
falling to one side or the other4       
,occasionally these two fingers will act

 in concert or opposition1 according to 
the requirements of expression and      
phrasing4 ,when playing loudly it       
becomes necessary that a more decided   
purchase of the bow be maintained1      
especially in rapid forte passages4     
,then the inner fingers come into play  
and hold the bow firmly against the     
thumb4 ,the two outer fingers then are  
solely concerned with regulating the    
pressure and preserving the elasticity  
of the stroke1 which is lost in a firm  
grip only4  ,these slight differences of
 action in my opinion can not be        
practised4 ,they are the outcome of     
years of grind4 ,they come1 and when    
they are firmly established we can      
analyse them4 ,to gain the mastery of   
the bow one must begin at the bottom and
 be content to work gradually up to the 
topmost rung 7or thereabouts67 of the   
ladder4 ,i often meet with amateur      
violinists who try to begin at the top4 
,the consequences of this proceeding are
 distinctly more certain1 for when      

starting at the bottom it is not always 
assured that much upward progress will  
be made1 whereas1 by the opposite method
 the descent will be certain and        
considerable6  ,nothing is more hopeless
 than the attempts some amateur         
violinists make to acquire certain      
styles of bowing simply by mentally     
mastering the various actions by which  
it is produced4  ,sautille1 one of the  
easiest forms of bowing1 suffers most   
from this sort of thing4 ,it is no      
uncommon thing to see an amateur        
diligently practising the action of     
lifting the bow off the string and      
putting it on again after each note1    
thinking that if he keeps on long       
enough--say ten minutes a day for a     
fortnight--that he will acquire a       
perfect mastery of this much desired    
effect4 ,to practice ,sautille in this  
manner is the way not to gain it4 ,it is
 the outcome of the perfect action of   
the entire arm4 ,when that is attained  
you will have the ,sautille4 ,then1 and 

then only1 will a little specialized    
practice help to perfect the movement4  
,some pupils ,i have had who possessed  
the ,sautille by nature and never       
understood the difficulty experienced by
 others who had to wait for it4 ,the    
best way to acquire this as the result  
of a perfect bow arm is to practise the 
following3  ,illustration3 ,musical     
notes1 etc4  ,try it first on the ,d    
string4 ,use whole bows1 freely and     
firmly1 for the semibreves1 slightly    
less for the minims1 the middle third   
for the crotchets1 and an inch or two   
for the quavers1 reducing it still      
further as the pace increases4 ,the     
pupil must abandon all thought of making
 the bow jump1 also he must avoid       
pressing it on the string4 ,the whole   
action must be free and bold and the    
tempo for this exercise should be not   
slower than ,m4,m4 crotchet  #ajj4 ,at  
first it will be found impossible to get
 as far as the semiquavers without some 
confusion4 ,at the first sign of        

irregularity the pupil should stop1     
pause a moment1 and then recommence with
 the semibreves4 ,it should be seen that
 the bow is not gripped too tightly     
through over-anxiety or excitement4 ,it 
will need patience on the part of       
teacher and pupil alike1 but both will  
be gratified when suddenly the bow is   
seen to jump naturally and the ,sautille
 is won4  ,there is one phrase in       
connexion with bowing that irritates me 
greatly1 and that is a loose wrist4 ,as 
a technicality it is of course all      
right1 but the insisting on the literal 
application of the term has been a      
stumbling block to many violinists4     
,ladies have come to me saying1 ,do you 
think my wrist loose enough for me to   
play the violin8 ,accompanying the query
 with a violent flapping of the hand    
that would almost make one think they   
were desirous of emulating the lobster's
 ability to cast away a claw at will4   
,upon making such persons hold a pencil 
or penholder 7,i dared not let them     

handle a bow67 it was found that the    
wrist became stiff and unyielding4 ,the 
wrist that was loose when all the       
muscles were flaccid became rigid when a
 few were exerted sufficiently to hold a
 light object4  ,thus it will be seen   
that the apparent looseness of a        
violinist's wrist is not really such1   
but is the dominating of one set of     
muscles by another4 ,many teachers say  
that one should have the thumb tight and
 the wrist loose4 ,a manifest absurdity 
when one considers that a most important
 thumb muscle extends right across the  
wrist4 ,it should therefore be well     
understood that what is implied by the  
technical expression loose1 is1 in      
reality1 control4 ,if it were really    
looseness1 it would present no          
difficulty to any one not afflicted with
 an ossification4 ,it is to gain this   
extreme independence of each set of     
muscles that long years are taken up in 
monotonous exercises4 ,the arm of a     
violinist has to be trained in a manner 

directly opposite to that of an athlete4
 ,in the latter we find an              
exemplification of the saying1 ,unity is
 ,strength4 ,all the muscles act in     
perfect accord to the same end4 ,with   
the violinist1 on the other hand1 there 
is a constant opposition of forces2 the 
larger muscles are kept down and many   
smaller muscles are developed that have 
lost all use in the arm of an athlete4  
,concerning the fingers of the right    
hand ,i advocate holding them close     
together--not cramped1 but just lightly 
touching4 ,some players recommend the   
parting of the first finger from the    
others as giving greater leverage over  
the bow4 ,it certainly has that effect1 
but ,i advise it to be used very        
sparingly and in fortissimo passages    
only4 ,it is a license one may admit in 
an artist1 but to my pupils who are in  
the earlier stages ,i entirely forbid   
it4 ,i should only permit it in the case
 of a thumb so short as not to reach far
 enough into the centre of the hand to  

give the right amount of control4 ,if a 
pupil is taught from the first to use   
this extreme leverage he is likely to   
develop a rough tone4 ,when he has      
attained the mastery of the bow he can  
use his own judgment as to the          
occasional employment of this reserve   
force4 ,these remarks ,i apply also to  
violoncello bowing4 ,unless the pupil's 
hand be weak the first finger should be 
held back until the whole art of bowing 
is mastered4 ,all these observations are
 addressed to soloists3 in orchestral   
work such retention of force is         
unnecessary4 ,i notice that where       
players use up all the available        
leverage of the hand from the outset1   
they are compelled to employ the weight 
of the arm to reinforce it for special  
effects4 ,another reason--and an        
important one--for keeping the fingers  
together1 is that of appearance4        
,nothing is more unsightly than to see  
the fingers of the right hand spread out
 claw fashion1 and ,i quite concur with 

,sympson that no posture or movement    
should offend the eye4     ,,chapter    
,,xvii4  ,,the ,,importance ,,of ,,the  
,,slow ,,bow--,,the ,,rapid ,,whole     
,,bow--,,staccato--,,bowing ,,studies   
,,and ,,solos--,,conclusion4            
,returning for a moment to the anxiety  
of the average fiddler to acquire a good
 ,sautille1 it seems to me absurd that  
such importance should be attached to it
 when1 in reality1 the test of a        
violinist's ability lies in his command 
of slow bows4 ,too much attention cannot
 be paid to the study of sustained      
bowing which can be practised in a      
variety of ways4 ,firstly1 long drawn   
semibreves--at one of the ,continental  
,conservatoires they make the violin    
students play scales of two octaves1    
taking one bow to each note1 the same to
 last two minutes1 thus the whole scale1
 ascending and descending1 occupies one 
hour6 ,the command obtained by this sort
 of work is enormous4 ,to vary the      
monotony of semibreves the student can  

then play scales in semiquavers1 making 
one bow last out ten1 twelve1 or more   
scales in two octaves4 ,another useful  
variety of the same thing is to practise
 some succession of notes in which the  
bow requires to continually pass from   
one string to the next1 such as3        
,illustration3 ,musical notes1 ,d4,c4 ad
 infinitum4  ,these should be played as 
many times as possible in one bow4 ,here
 the command of the bow on the string is
 not only greatly increased1 but the    
wrist is well exercised at the same     
time4  ,the same thing should be carried
 out on the third and fourth strings    
thus3  ,illustration3 ,musical notes4   
,it is a good thing to make the pupil   
7if endowed with sufficient             
intelligence7 work out a series of such 
mechanical exercises1 he will this way  
take a much greater interest in the     
work1 a point to which ,i attach great  
importance1 for ,i consider physical    
exercises1 however conscientiously      
carried out1 do little good if the mind 

is fatigued or absent4  ,of scarcely    
less importance is the study of rapid   
whole bows4 ,the pupil should be made to
 draw the bow from end to end as rapidly
 as he can without losing control of the
 bow1 and it must be seen that the      
pressure does not vary in any way4 ,the 
bow should be set on firmly at the heel1
 held there for1 say1 a crotchet1 then  
drawn1 without any swelling of the tone 
in the centre of the bow1 smartly to the
 point where it must stop suddenly      
without any change of pressure4 ,this is
 not found an easy thing to accomplish1 
but perseverance overcometh all         
difficulties4 ,the teacher must not be  
satisfied until the pupil can draw a    
rapid up or down stroke stopping so     
suddenly and firmly as to make the note 
sound as though cut off4 ,in practising 
this1 the bow should remain firmly on   
the string between each stroke2 whether 
the bow travels or is stationary the    
pressure must be unchanged4  ,staccato  
bowing is a much misunderstood branch of

 technics2 ,i do not mean the detached  
staccato1 but that form in which a      
series of notes is played in one bow yet
 have a detached effect on the ear4 ,it 
is a pity that one word should have to  
stand for two totally different forms of
 bowing4 ,i have heard and read many    
varying descriptions of the             
bowed-staccato and its method of        
production4 ,of course it is highly     
probable that some players attain it    
differently to others1 but as ,i see no 
anatomical reason for such differences  
of action it seems a waste of energy to 
mechanically produce what already exists
 in nature4 ,i have no doubt a great    
deal of this gratuitous variegation of  
staccato technique comes from teachers  
not fully understanding their own       
movements1 or perceiving a portion of   
the action required and laying all      
stress on that one feature alone4 ,but  
unless one goes to the prime source of  
the matter a perfect staccato cannot be 
attained4  ,this most important factor1 

as ,i should have thought everyone of   
common sense would at once perceive1 is 
nothing less than the wrist4 ,yet ,i    
have known some teachers who confine    
their attention to the action of the    
fingers1 letting the wrist follow as    
best it can4 ,it is from such teachers1 
usually1 that we receive the            
preposterous statement that the upper   
half of the bow only should be used for 
this bowing2 some1 even1 limiting it    
still further to the up-bow4 ,now if the
 wrist be first well exercised the      
co-operation of the fingers will come   
naturally1 and a perfect staccato from  
end to end in either up or down stroke  
will be attained4  ,it should be        
practised slowly and firmly at first on 
one note thus3  ,illustration3 ,musical 
notes1 etc4  ,the bow remaining on the  
string between each note4 ,the action is
 really no different to ordinary bowing2
 it is simply a short crisp stroke of   
about an inch in length1 a short        
interval of silence 7without lifting the

 bow7 and then another similar stroke in
 the same direction1 this being         
continued to the end of the hair4 ,the  
part played by the forefinger is to     
impart a certain attack to each note1   
and is best produced by a slight turn of
 the wrist instead of an independent    
pressure of the finger itself4 ,this    
attack is what the ,germans call ansatz1
 and consists in making a slight sound  
at the initial impulse of each note     
somewhat resembling the hard            
pronunciation of the letter ,k4 ,this is
 a most important sound1 and one that   
adds greatly to the crispness of one's  
playing4 ,it should be produced in the  
hand1 however1 as if the arm is called  
on for this purpose the tone will become
 gritty and harsh4 ,in commencing the   
study of staccato bowing it is well to  
confine oneself to the up-bow form at   
first4 ,great care must be exercised    
when reaching the lower half of the bow 
that the notes remain of equal duration 
and loudness4 ,just below the centre of 

the bow there is found a curious turning
 point1 a sort of corner that is very   
difficult to get round4 ,it is even more
 noticeable in down bow staccato4  ,this
 turning point is in the wrist1 for at  
that part of the stroke the most        
important change in the position of this
 joint takes place4 ,therefore1 as the  
muscles are so occupied in their        
internal movements1 they are not so     
ready to control the tendency to vibrate
 in the bow4 ,thus1 then1 as a bad bow  
is nowhere so easily controlled as a    
good one1 some inferior bows become     
quite unmanageable when the attention of
 the wrist muscles is so divided4       
,consequently it is useless to attempt  
the attainment of staccato without first
 being provided with a thoroughly       
well-balanced bow4 ,in commencing the   
down bow staccato1 all tendency to lean 
on the string and so drag the bow along 
in a series of jerks must be checked at 
once4 ,the bow should be lightly carried
 at the heel4 ,this will seem difficult1

 but practice will be well repaid4  ,it 
may not be out of place to give here a  
short list of studies and solos that are
 concerned chiefly with the art of      
bowing4 ,of course bowing studies are   
also to be found in all good schools and
 books of studies4  ,,casorti1 ,the     
,technic of the ,bow4  ,,dancla1 ,l',art
 de l',archet 7quite easy74  ,,haakman1 
,steadiness and flexibility of the ,bow4
  ,,meertz1 ,twelve ,etudes             
,elementaires 7giving the six           
fundamental bowings74  ,,papini1        
,l',archet 7the most complete work on   
the subject74  ,,poznanski1 ,the ,violin
 and ,bow 7contains excellent           
photographs of positions74  ,sautille   
can be studied in a pleasing manner by  
practising pieces of the ,moto ,perpetuo
 type4 ,of these the best are those by  
,paganini1 ,ries1 ,moszkowski1 ,papini1 
,g4 ,saint-,george and ,e4 ,german4  ,of
 solos devoted to particular forms of   
bowing1 the most notable are3  ,,de     
,,beriot1 ,le ,tremolo4  ,,kontski1 ,la 

,cascade 7tremolo74  ,,panofka1 ,le     
,staccato4  ,,prume1 ,les ,arpeges4     
,,vieuxtemps1 ,les ,arpeges4            
,,vieuxtemps1 #ast ,concerto in ,e      
7staccato74  ,,bazzini1 ,ronde de       
,lutins 7saltando staccato74  ,in an    
earlier section of this work ,i alluded 
to the bow as being tongue-like2 it is  
something more1 for it is also the      
breath of the violin4 ,as breathing is  
to a vocalist so is bowing to a         
violinist4 ,it governs the phrasing1 or1
 rather1 is governed by it in the first 
instance and then controls its delivery 
to the listener4 ,thus it will be seen  
that too much attention cannot be paid  
to the real ,art of ,bowing4 ,by which  
,i do not mean the brilliant technical  
feats of arpeggio1 staccato1 tremolo1   
etc41 but the pure legato bowing of     
cantabile passages4 ,it is in such      
song-like movements that the true artist
 reveals himself by the nearness with   
which he approaches that highest of all 
musical instruments1 the human voice4   

,pure liquid tone1 the inflexions       
suggested rather than insisted on1 clear
 phrasing and an avoidance of all       
extravagance are the hall marks of an   
artist1 and not the possession of       
brilliant technique alone4 ,to those who
 are content with superficial glitter   
electro plate is as good as sterling    
metal4 ,but critics of discernment 7by  
which ,i do not mean all those who write
 concert notices for the daily papers7  
require something of more lasting value4
   ,,the ,,end4