EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY COLLECTION OF HISTORIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Baroque period stringed instruments

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Violin

England or Scotland, circa 1720

Unlike nearly all violins made before c 1775, this example was escaped being modified early in the 19th century to increase its range and power. The shorter fingerboard than that of the modern violin and the different angle of the neck can be seen in the pictures; there are other differences in the interior.

The bow in these pictures and recordings is by Julian Clark, Chacombe, Oxfordshire, 1982, after an Italian bow of c 1710 in the style of Tononi.

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Pictures

Click on an image to see a larger version

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Talk by the player

Hear Chritopher Field talk

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The sound of the violin

See and hear Christopher Field play

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History

Current ownership: On loan to the Collection.

EUCHMI Acquisition number: (1772)

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Technical details

Technical description: Soundboard of spruce; back, ribs, head and neck of sycamore; fingerboard, tailpiece, wedge, tail-gut protector of ebony; pegs and endpin of boxwood with ebony and mother-of-pearl inlay. The instrument has remained in its baroque form. Ebony/sycamore/ebony purfling. F-holes, the notch on the treble side lower than the bass. Golden varnish. Arch of soundboard 19mm. Lowest rib covers all of the lower bouts. Fine figure on the ribs and the two piece back, figure on back rising from the edges to the centre. Dark patch on the soundboard where the chin has rested on the varnish, and the varnish has come off the back where the shoulder rests against the instrument. Bach arch 16mm. Neck length 127; fingerboard 225 long, 24.9 wide at the nut, 41.2 wide at the bottom. Total width of the fingerboard and wedge at the side 4.2 at the nut, 12.1 at the end of the neck (measured at the side).

No inscriptions.

Associated with bow (1771). With old case, possibly original. Overall length 793. Pine wood, covered with tooled leather. Violin-shaped, opens at the bottom end. Interior covered with green cloth. Height 72-152. Outside has a lock and hooks and eyes. Hinged by a strip of (not original) leather at back. Case illustration: Galpin Society Journal XIV 1961, Plate III.

Appears that the soundboard and back has been re-jointed at some time. Repairs to the back of the head in the centre and in the centre of the back.

Performance characteristics: Pleasant and even tone of velvety character.

With separately stored modern violin tailpiece of ebony, rounded at bottom. 4 holes, key-shaped, the hole 4.4 diameter, overall length 8.4. ebony string rider in trench, the rider 1.95 wide, 1.3 high. The top edge is carved underneath in a curve. The bottom carved for the tailpiece gut. Tailpiece gut is red.

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References to this instrument in publications

Catalogue of the Collection, Volume 1: The Printed Illustrations, p.53

GALPIN SOCIETY. Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition of Musical Instruments, Manuscripts and Printed Music ... in Music Libraries and Instruments: papers read at the Joint Congress, Cambridge, 1959 of the International Association of Music Libraries and the Galpin Society. London: Hinrichsen, 1961, p.273.

SKEAPING, K., 1961. A Baroque Violin from Northumberland. Galpin Society Journal, 1961, XIV pp.45-48 and Plate II.

GALPIN SOCIETY. European Musical Instruments. Exhibition; Edinburgh, August-September 1968, catalogue. Edinburgh: the Galpin Society, 1968, No 572.

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© Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments, 1999-2003, 2008.

This page updated: 29.10.08