Music Trade Review
Issue: 1907 Vol. 44 N. 20 - Page 44
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44
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
DR. GROSSMAN'S VIOLINS.
Built on Scientific Lines and Said to Equal
the Old Masters—Secret Lies in the In-
dividual Tones Yielded by the Two Resonat-
ing Parts the Front and Back.
A recent number of the Kolnische Zeitung con-
tains an account of the new violins of Dr. Gross-
man, instruments that are said to have no rea-
son to fear comparison with those of Stradi-
varius and Guarnerius. The varnish, it appears,
is nothing special. The secret lies in the indi-
vidual tones yielded by the two resonating parts,
the front and back. In the Grossman violins,
these two tones stand to each other as tonic and
third, or tonic and fourth or fifth. The secret
of so tuning them at present lies with the in-
ventor—where, one may suppose, it will not now
lie very much longer.
Stradivarius left a large number of unmated
tops and backs. They were soon put together,
but the effect was as a rule not good. According
to Dr. Grossman, they failed because not related
to each other in the proper ratio. That the old
maker consciously aimed at such a relationship
is very unlikely; he probably worked by a sense
to which, for want of another word, we must call
instinct. He saw the tone of his plates with his
eyes or felt it with his fingers.
DECISIONS BY BOARD OF APPRAISERS.
(Special to The Uevlew.)
Washington, D. C, May 13, 1907.
The Board of General Appraisers decided on
May 1, on a protest coming from A. Strauss &
Co., New York, that aceordeons with ten keys,
classified as musical instruments under para-
graph 453 of the tariff act and dutiable at 45
per cent., was proper. The claim they were toys
by the importers and should come in at 35 per
cent, was overruled.
The protest of C. H. Wyman & Co., St. Louis,
Mo., against the assessment of duty on drum-
heads, was overruled by the General Appraiser
April 30, on the authority of the case of Lyon
against the United States, relating to articles of
this kind.
BIG CALL FOR CONN INSTRUMENTS.
James Boyer, manager of C. G. Conn Co.'s
local salesroom, has been very busy the past two
weeks, having booked several large orders for
new instruments. The activity is partially ac- ence of excitation of the strings by friction, so,
counted for by the fact that several of the promi- too, does the guitar, zither and mandolin; but
nent bands and musical organizations have been any one at all acquainted with these instruments
rehearsing prior to going out or town to fill en- will at once perceive that their differing construc-
gagements, etc. Innes' Band left the past week tion accounts for the varying degrees of amplifi-
for the Jamestown Exposition, while the Duss cation of the vibrations set. in motion by exciting
organization is now on its Western tour. Lib- the strings. The sound-board in the piano in-
erati's Band, now rehearsing, will leave the city creases the volume of tone produced by impact
before May 24, the date set for the opening of of the hammer on the string, .but the resulting
Luna Park, in Pittsburg, Pa. Pryor's Band is effect, influenced greatly as it is by the blow ot
also rehearsing here prior to opening their regu- the hammer, is very different from that of the
lar season at Willow Grove in Philadelphia, Pa., other instruments named.
on or about June 1.
"In the piano the hammers are so set as to
strike the strings at a point (about one-seventh
CLAPPE ON SOUND PRODUCTION.
to one-ninth the length of the string) which
conduces best to the production of the overtones
Arthur Clappe, editor of tha "Dominant," in a in their correct proportion and, hence, a certain
recent article in that magazine upon the subject harmonious regularity of tone results. In the
of tone production, has the tollowing to say re- case of the dulcimer, or in that of the salterio.
garding sound produced through the medium of made more or less familiar by the gypsy bands,
stringed instruments:
as well as those of our neighbors, the Mexicans,
"Among artificial musical instruments those the harmonic result is not so certain, for the
from which sound may be produced through the reason that the hammer being held in the hand
medium of stretched strings are reputed to stand of the performer, does not at all times strike
the highest. This group may be divided into each string at the point necessary, and with as
three classes, as the harp, guitar, zither and great precision as is the case in the piano."
mandolin, where the strings are plucked with
the fingers and in the latter by a plectrum; the
USE FOR A POWERFUL VOICE.
piano and dulcimer, where the strings are struck
by a hammer, and the violin family, where the
At the close of a grand ball a celebrated actor
sound is produced by friction of a bow. From
each the quality of sound evolved is radically of the Court Theater in Berlin stands in the
passage waiting for friends. A beautiful and
different.
fashionably dressed lady approaches him and
"Naturally the form of an instrument exercises says: "Beg pardon, have I the honor to see be-
an important influence upon the quality of tone, fore me our famous Herr Donnerstimm?, whose
but, as you will readily perceive, the method by powerful and sonorous voice I had the pleasure
which the strings are set in vibration must be of admiring last night in 'Macbeth?' Might I ask
taken into account. A familiar illustration of you to do me a little favor?" "I am quite at your
this remarkable difference in quality of tone be- service, madam." "Then will you l:e good enough
tween the pizzicato and bowed notes of the vio- to -call out in the street in your loudest tones for
lins. Though the principle of excitation is the the carriage of Baroness Swartz?
same on piano and dulcimer; the felt covered
hammer by which the strings of the former are
struck creates a very notable distinction in tone
SMITH ACADEMY
quality, between it and the latter, where the
hammer is covered with harder material. Aside
GUITARS a n d MANDOLINS
from the consideration of plucking, or impact
or friction the formal construction of an instru-
Cannot Be Duplicated for the Money
ment, as I have before remarked, exercises a pow-
A trial order Is all we ask
erful influence upon tone quality. Each one of
the instruments above enumerated differs from
WRITE FOR A CATA1OCUE OF SALABLE GOODS
the other in form of its sounding area and to
this fact much of the differentiation of clang-
tint must be attributed. The boay of the violin
or its near kin, vibrates as a whole under influ-
ST. LOUIS
Koerber-Brenner Music Company
Exclusively Wholesale
™ " T H E TRIO CORNET"
" T H E HAMBURG 20th CENTURY " nd
MILANO ORGANETTO ACCORDEONS
WM. R. GRATZ IMPORT COMPANY, 35 and 37 West 31 st St., New York
CONN
AND THE
Union Isabel
MR. DEALER:
You Need Two Things This
New Year
lst-LYON & HEALY MANDOLINS, GUI-
TARS AND VIOLINS.
2nd--SIEGEL-MYERS* MUSIC LESSONS
TO GIVE AWAY WITH THEM.
Hundred* of dealeri all over the country arc doubling
their tales.
No cost whatever nor trouble to you, but a magnil-
cent extra value for your customers.
You increase your sales by giving free $16.00 or
$50.00 worth of lessons with every instrument.
Write for full particulars.
LYON & HEALY,
Chicago
ARE SYNONYMOUS
YORft
AND THE
Band Instruments
Genuine Distinguishing' Marks o! Superiority
Which Will In Future Be Found On All
Wonder an* American Model Band
and Orchestra Instruments
MADE BY
C. G. CONN COMPANY,
JMMD worn Jtmw
ILLVJTMJ§TMD CJ*TJU.OQVM
J.W.YO&KQSONS
B«xnd Instruments
GKAMD HAPID8
MICH.
44
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
DR. GROSSMAN'S VIOLINS.
Built on Scientific Lines and Said to Equal
the Old Masters—Secret Lies in the In-
dividual Tones Yielded by the Two Resonat-
ing Parts the Front and Back.
A recent number of the Kolnische Zeitung con-
tains an account of the new violins of Dr. Gross-
man, instruments that are said to have no rea-
son to fear comparison with those of Stradi-
varius and Guarnerius. The varnish, it appears,
is nothing special. The secret lies in the indi-
vidual tones yielded by the two resonating parts,
the front and back. In the Grossman violins,
these two tones stand to each other as tonic and
third, or tonic and fourth or fifth. The secret
of so tuning them at present lies with the in-
ventor—where, one may suppose, it will not now
lie very much longer.
Stradivarius left a large number of unmated
tops and backs. They were soon put together,
but the effect was as a rule not good. According
to Dr. Grossman, they failed because not related
to each other in the proper ratio. That the old
maker consciously aimed at such a relationship
is very unlikely; he probably worked by a sense
to which, for want of another word, we must call
instinct. He saw the tone of his plates with his
eyes or felt it with his fingers.
DECISIONS BY BOARD OF APPRAISERS.
(Special to The Uevlew.)
Washington, D. C, May 13, 1907.
The Board of General Appraisers decided on
May 1, on a protest coming from A. Strauss &
Co., New York, that aceordeons with ten keys,
classified as musical instruments under para-
graph 453 of the tariff act and dutiable at 45
per cent., was proper. The claim they were toys
by the importers and should come in at 35 per
cent, was overruled.
The protest of C. H. Wyman & Co., St. Louis,
Mo., against the assessment of duty on drum-
heads, was overruled by the General Appraiser
April 30, on the authority of the case of Lyon
against the United States, relating to articles of
this kind.
BIG CALL FOR CONN INSTRUMENTS.
James Boyer, manager of C. G. Conn Co.'s
local salesroom, has been very busy the past two
weeks, having booked several large orders for
new instruments. The activity is partially ac- ence of excitation of the strings by friction, so,
counted for by the fact that several of the promi- too, does the guitar, zither and mandolin; but
nent bands and musical organizations have been any one at all acquainted with these instruments
rehearsing prior to going out or town to fill en- will at once perceive that their differing construc-
gagements, etc. Innes' Band left the past week tion accounts for the varying degrees of amplifi-
for the Jamestown Exposition, while the Duss cation of the vibrations set. in motion by exciting
organization is now on its Western tour. Lib- the strings. The sound-board in the piano in-
erati's Band, now rehearsing, will leave the city creases the volume of tone produced by impact
before May 24, the date set for the opening of of the hammer on the string, .but the resulting
Luna Park, in Pittsburg, Pa. Pryor's Band is effect, influenced greatly as it is by the blow ot
also rehearsing here prior to opening their regu- the hammer, is very different from that of the
lar season at Willow Grove in Philadelphia, Pa., other instruments named.
on or about June 1.
"In the piano the hammers are so set as to
strike the strings at a point (about one-seventh
CLAPPE ON SOUND PRODUCTION.
to one-ninth the length of the string) which
conduces best to the production of the overtones
Arthur Clappe, editor of tha "Dominant," in a in their correct proportion and, hence, a certain
recent article in that magazine upon the subject harmonious regularity of tone results. In the
of tone production, has the tollowing to say re- case of the dulcimer, or in that of the salterio.
garding sound produced through the medium of made more or less familiar by the gypsy bands,
stringed instruments:
as well as those of our neighbors, the Mexicans,
"Among artificial musical instruments those the harmonic result is not so certain, for the
from which sound may be produced through the reason that the hammer being held in the hand
medium of stretched strings are reputed to stand of the performer, does not at all times strike
the highest. This group may be divided into each string at the point necessary, and with as
three classes, as the harp, guitar, zither and great precision as is the case in the piano."
mandolin, where the strings are plucked with
the fingers and in the latter by a plectrum; the
USE FOR A POWERFUL VOICE.
piano and dulcimer, where the strings are struck
by a hammer, and the violin family, where the
At the close of a grand ball a celebrated actor
sound is produced by friction of a bow. From
each the quality of sound evolved is radically of the Court Theater in Berlin stands in the
passage waiting for friends. A beautiful and
different.
fashionably dressed lady approaches him and
"Naturally the form of an instrument exercises says: "Beg pardon, have I the honor to see be-
an important influence upon the quality of tone, fore me our famous Herr Donnerstimm?, whose
but, as you will readily perceive, the method by powerful and sonorous voice I had the pleasure
which the strings are set in vibration must be of admiring last night in 'Macbeth?' Might I ask
taken into account. A familiar illustration of you to do me a little favor?" "I am quite at your
this remarkable difference in quality of tone be- service, madam." "Then will you l:e good enough
tween the pizzicato and bowed notes of the vio- to -call out in the street in your loudest tones for
lins. Though the principle of excitation is the the carriage of Baroness Swartz?
same on piano and dulcimer; the felt covered
hammer by which the strings of the former are
struck creates a very notable distinction in tone
SMITH ACADEMY
quality, between it and the latter, where the
hammer is covered with harder material. Aside
GUITARS a n d MANDOLINS
from the consideration of plucking, or impact
or friction the formal construction of an instru-
Cannot Be Duplicated for the Money
ment, as I have before remarked, exercises a pow-
A trial order Is all we ask
erful influence upon tone quality. Each one of
the instruments above enumerated differs from
WRITE FOR A CATA1OCUE OF SALABLE GOODS
the other in form of its sounding area and to
this fact much of the differentiation of clang-
tint must be attributed. The boay of the violin
or its near kin, vibrates as a whole under influ-
ST. LOUIS
Koerber-Brenner Music Company
Exclusively Wholesale
™ " T H E TRIO CORNET"
" T H E HAMBURG 20th CENTURY " nd
MILANO ORGANETTO ACCORDEONS
WM. R. GRATZ IMPORT COMPANY, 35 and 37 West 31 st St., New York
CONN
AND THE
Union Isabel
MR. DEALER:
You Need Two Things This
New Year
lst-LYON & HEALY MANDOLINS, GUI-
TARS AND VIOLINS.
2nd--SIEGEL-MYERS* MUSIC LESSONS
TO GIVE AWAY WITH THEM.
Hundred* of dealeri all over the country arc doubling
their tales.
No cost whatever nor trouble to you, but a magnil-
cent extra value for your customers.
You increase your sales by giving free $16.00 or
$50.00 worth of lessons with every instrument.
Write for full particulars.
LYON & HEALY,
Chicago
ARE SYNONYMOUS
YORft
AND THE
Band Instruments
Genuine Distinguishing' Marks o! Superiority
Which Will In Future Be Found On All
Wonder an* American Model Band
and Orchestra Instruments
MADE BY
C. G. CONN COMPANY,
JMMD worn Jtmw
ILLVJTMJ§TMD CJ*TJU.OQVM
J.W.YO&KQSONS
B«xnd Instruments
GKAMD HAPID8
MICH.
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