THE V I O LIN AND ITS MUSIC, GEORGE HART, "HE VIOLIN: ITS ...

THE VIOL GOTHIC. 23 '
Countries, we cannot fail to discover the connection
between the Germans and the Lowlanders with
regard to music, when the art was in what may be
called a bulbous state. The progressiveness which
manifested itself in Germany about the middle of the
fifteenth century, had its counterpart in the N etherlands.
There was a seeming interchange existing
between these musicians, for we find famous Germans
lived in the Netherlands, and greater Netherlanders
in Germany. Towards the close of the century,
however, Germany was left behind, and then it was
that the development of the Viol took place, which
the Netherlanders' madrigal gave rise to. Now it
is worthy of note, that the people of the Low
Countries were much addicted to playing the Viol.
We ' see this in the names of Dutch and Belgic
Violists in the lists of different orchestras, but I am
unable to discover much evidence of Viol manufacture
among them. The major part of the instruments
we meet with date from N uremburg, Konigsburg,
and Hamburg, which points to the Germans having
had the lead of the trade in their hands.
Turning to the earliest makers of Viols in Italy,
we find among them names foreign to the language
of the Italians. Joan Kerlin, who is said to have
worked at Brescia, is one of these. This maker is
credited with having made a species of Geige,
having four strings, dated 1449.* If this could
be authenticated by the production of the instru-
* Fetis, Notice of Stradiuarius.