The Classical Violin

I have tried around 30 Cremonese violins from the following makers: The oldest were by Hieronymus Amati at the end of the 16th century. Slightly later instruments came from Antonius Amati in the mid 17th century. Next came Nicolas Amati, towards the end of the same. In addition was Antonius Straduarius, of Cremona, who flourished during the same epoch as the above, and after them Joseph Guarnerius, at the beginning of the eighteenth century. All of these instruments shared common rules of construction.

The belly was the strongest in thickness where the bridge sits, then it reduced about a third at the f holes position, and, where the belly rests on the sides, it was half as thick as in the middle. The same proportion are found in the length. The thickness is equally maintained all throughout the part on which the bass bar is fixed; from there to the upper and under end blocks the thickness decreases to one half, so that the cheeks were three-fourths of the thickness of the breast, and the edges all round only half These proportions are the best possible for imparting a full, powerful, and sonorous tone. Be not disappointed that I shall not lay down an exact scale, calculated in decimal parts of an inch, (which however is the plan that I adopt for my own calculations,) of the height and particular fall of the model, and the respective differences of thickness of wood in all the parts of the belly and the back. I am not writing for the instruction of skilled manufacturers, or for those repairers who are unable to make a Violin. It is for the use of Professors and Amateurs that I have compiled this treatise, to give them some idea of the correct proportions, in general, of a quality Violin

The back is built to similar proportion as the belly, and is, generally stronger. I studied music three years under the late Mr. Ernst, Concert-Director at Gotha, and also, several years under the same master, the construction of quality instruments, the proportions of which I measured and calculated with the greatest mathematical precision. Mr. Ernst was well known as a manufacturer of fine instruments, which in a few years approached very near to the Cremonese, if they had had the good fortune to escape falling into the hands of such individuals as I have before described.
Hieronymus Amati, of Cremona, whose Violins are the oldest, used entirely beautiful maple wood, which has a very strong full figure, and as far I can learn, the majority of his backs are made in one piece only. The figure runs sloping from the left to the right side. The form of his Violin is large, and the model reduces in a very beautiful manner towards each edge. The edges are very obtuse, and do not overlap much on the sides on the back. This gives it a very beautiful appearance. The edges of the back are very strong and elegantly rounded. The purfling is, as in all Italian instruments, rather broad, which gives it an appearance of the finest and most perfect construction.
The figure is not quite so flat as that of Stradivarius, but somewhat higher. It swells so gradually and beautifully from the purfling to the middle of the back that no one would suppose that, flat as they appear to the eye, the middle part of the model was one inch higher than at the edge of the back. The sides are made of the finest seasoned maple wood, and
are not placed exactly perpendicular between the back and the belly, but describe an angle of 100 degrees, the angle commencing at the back. This gives it a very elegant appearance. The edges of the D's are very obtuse, and overlap very little on the upper and under sides. The sides on the interior part are fitted with red deal linings, a quarter of an inch thick, located close to the back and the belly; the four corners of the D's are supported with triangular blocks of red deal, an inch and a half wide, which are so disposed on the D's, that the interior of the Violin presents the appearance of an Italian Guitar. The easy guitar song however cannot match the tone of the violin. The upper end, where the neck ends, is furnished with a block of red deal, of a nearly semicircular form;

The shape is not quite so flat as that of Stradivarius, but somewhat higher. It swells so gradually and beautifully from the purfling to the middle of the back that no one would suppose that, flat as they appear to the eye, the middle part of the model was one inch higher than at the edge of the back. The sides are made of the finest seasoned maple wood, and
are not placed exactly perpendicular between the back and the belly, but describe an angle of 100 degrees, the angle commencing at the back. This gives it a very elegant appearance. The edges of the D's are very obtuse, and overlap very little on the upper and under sides. The sides on the interior part are fitted with red deal linings, a quarter of an inch thick, located close to the back and the belly; the four corners of the D's are supported with triangular blocks of red deal, an inch and a half wide, which are so disposed on the D's, that the interior of the Violin presents the appearance of an Italian Guitar. The easy guitar song however cannot match the tone of the violin. The upper end, where the neck ends, is furnished with a block of red deal, of a nearly semicircular form;

It describes an elegant curve from the sides to the centre of the block, where it is three quarters of an inch in thickness. A similar block is fitted to the under end, close to the button, to which the tail-piece is secured. The belly is made of excellent red deal, of a regular and not too strong a bate, or grain, and very uniform in figure, both in the middle and at the sides. The back has the same form or swell as the belly. The f holes are beautifully shaped and lie pretty close to each other in such a manner that the space between the upper round turns of the f is exactly the width of the bridge. Moreover, these holes are not of too great a breadth, and taper off very small at both the upper and under round turns. The edges and purfling are the same as the back. The neck is made of identical beautifully-figured maple to the back, and the cheeks and the screw-box are strong and perfect. In the scroll, which is rounded with the greatest nicety, the two inner circles or turns are very broad, which is, definitely, the most graceful form that can be found in a Violin.

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Jean Marlot is the operator of the Easy Guitar Songs Website which also provides violin lessons

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