The Violin and Old Violin Makers: Being a Historical & Biographical Account of the Violin, with Facsimiles of Labels of the Old MakersClarke, A. Mason
History
The Violin and Old Violin Makers: Being a Historical & Biographical Account of the Violin, with Facsimiles of Labels of the Old Makers
Clarke, A. Mason
Violin -- History; Violin makers
Let us see what Haydn did for the instrument he loved so much. Here they
are—eighty-three quartets, three concertos, twenty-one trios for two
violins and bass, six violin solos.
No review, however short, could lay claim to completeness without
mention of the following—viz., Mozart, Weber and Beethoven. To this
noble trio violinists owe much. It is, of course, quite beyond the
province of this work to even enumerate the many compositions from the
pens of these immortal musicians in which the violin took part, but I
would call attention to Beethoven’s glorious Concerto in D, Op. 61, and
his two lovely Romances in G and F respectively.
Another great German musician who exercised considerable influence on
compositions of classic mould was Louis Spohr (1784-1859). His great
fame as a composer, combined with his reputation as a violin virtuoso of
the highest order, places him in a conspicuous position in the history
of music. The works of Spohr are probably so well known that no useful
purpose can be served in recounting their great merits. Suffice it to
say they are of the highest possible pitch of excellence, and require
more than ordinary technical ability to do them justice. Considered only
as a composer, he has been indefatigable in the production of every
style of music, and he was especially happy in that for the strings. His
beautiful D minor Concerto is one of the finest examples of this class
of music to be met with, and its first introduction by the great master
himself made a great sensation. As one of Spohr’s commentators truly
said, “Mozart had written solid and simple concertos, in which the
performer was expected to embroider and finish the composer’s sketch,
and Beethoven’s concertos were so written as to make the solo player
merely one of the orchestra. But, as Mozart raised opera to a higher
standard, so Beethoven uplifted the ideal of the orchestra, so Spohr’s
creative force as a violinist and writer for the violin has established
the grandest school for this instrument, to which all the foremost
contemporary artists acknowledge their obligations.”
Before taking leave of the German school I would mention two other
names—Joseph Mayseder and Kalliwoda, both of whom contributed much that
is good, and their works consequently attained wide popularity.
Let us now turn to our own country. We have not, it must be admitted,
occupied a front rank as composers of violin music, hence the scarcity
of classical works handed down to us; but let us hasten to add, we have
produced the finest critics in the world, and, what is more, we are
thoroughly well posted up in all the best pieces that have emanated from
the thoughts of the greatest composers.
One of the earliest who wrote for the violin was one Rogers, who, in the
year 1653, wrote airs in four parts for violins. He was followed by John
Jenkins, who wrote twelve sonatas for two violins and a bass, printed in
1664, which were the first sonatas written by an Englishman.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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