Excerpt from Old Violins: And Violin LoreWhat is the secret of the violin? Why is it that when a great violinist appears all the other soloists have to take a back seat?The answer is: the fascination of the violin is the fascination of the soul unveiled.No instrument - the human voice hardly excepted - provides such a rare vehicle for the emotions - is in such close touch with the molecular vibrations of thought and with the psychic waves of feeling. But whilst the violin equals the voice in sensibility and expression, it far transcends it in compass, variety, and durability.Consider the singular completeness and perfection of this instrument as a sort of physical and vibratory counterpart of the soul. The four strings no doubt limit and define its compass, and only in the quartet and collectively, is it capable of extended effects of complex harmony; but as a tone-producing instrument and within its limits it is perfect - every gradation of sound between tone and semitone is attainable, and for no other instrument can this be claimed.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Traces the history of the instrument, from its first appearance in the mid-sixteenth century to its modern use by artists, writers, and Hollywood and discusses how the affordable, portable instrument can be used to play Beethoven, jazz, and indie rock.