dainty softness of the
Cremonese. It is quite impossible to give such a description of these
varnishes as will enable the reader at once to recognise them; the eye
must undergo considerable exercise before it can discriminate the
various qualities; practice, however, makes it so sharp that often
from a piece of varnishing the size of a shilling it will obtain
evidence sufficient to decide upon the rank of the Violin.

And here, before we dismiss the subject of the varnish, another
interesting question occurs: What is its effect, apart from the beauty
of its appearance, upon the efficiency of the instrument? The idea
that the varnish of a Violin has some influence upon its tone has
often been ridiculed, and we can quite understand that it must appear
absurd to those who have not viewed the question in all its bearings.
Much misconception has arisen from pushing this theory about the
varnish either too far or not far enough. What seems sometimes to be
implied by enthusiasts is, that the form of the instrument is of
little importance provided the varnish is good, which amounts to
saying that a common Violin may be made good by means of varnishing
it. The absurdity of such a doctrine is self-evident. On the other
hand, there are rival authorities who attach no importance to varnish
in relation to tone. That the varnish does influence the tone there is
strong proof, and to make this plain to the reader should not be
difficult. The finest varnishes are those of oil, and they require the
utmost skill and patience in their use. They dry very slowly, and may
be described as of a soft and yielding nature. The common varnish is
known as spirit varnish; it is easily used and dries rapidly, in
consideration of which qualities it is generally adopted in these days
of high pressure. It may be described as precisely the reverse of the
oil varnish; it is hard and unyielding. Now a Violin varnished with
fine oil varnish, like all good things, takes time to mature, and will
not bear forcing in any way. At first the instrument is somewhat
muffled, as the pores of the wood have become impregnated with oil.
This makes the instrument heavy both in weight and sound; but as time
rolls on the oil dries, leaving the wood mellowed and wrapped in an
elastic covering which yields to the tone of the instrument and
imparts to it much of its own softness. We will now turn to spirit
varnish. When this is used a diametrically opposite effect is
produce